How To Play Texas Holdem

There are a few pointers I am going to give you here that might help you win the next time you play Texas Hold'em. I am not guaranteeing that you will win but some of my strategies have worked for me.

Always keep you emotions in check. If you watch the great players they never get frazzled when they get a bad beat. If you lose a hand just chalk it up to "that's playing poker". If you don't do this you might play a hand that you wouldn't normally play just because you are playing mad as opposed to smart.

Read all you can on the subject. The more knowledge you have on the game and the nuances of the game can only help you. I suggest reading strategies from the great players like Scotty Neugen. Guys like Scotty have been to the biggest final tables and know what they are talking about. There are many books on odds, feeling and position.

Feel the table out before you jump in a on a big bet. Try to play tight at the start of a game (tight means don't play in every hand) and see what others are doing. This will give you a read on opponents and whether they always play and how they are betting. You may not win a lot of chips at the beginning but at least you will have chips to play later on.

Play your cards. If you don't have it and someone is calling your bluff get out of the hand as fast as you can! You will just be giving your chips away.

If you get the feeling you could be right. Sometimes when you play you get a feeling about your cards. The good poker players go with their gut more times than not. It might mean that you are taking a risk but you get no reward without risk.

Don't buy into the "I never win with such and such a hand". If you think you have a powerful hand the odds are in your favor. Just because your bullets burned a couple of times before you still can't shy away from the dominant cards. If you think you are going to lose with the hand you got then you have already lost. Good poker players will read you like a book!

Keep your emotions in check. If you wear your heart on your sleeve you will never be able to become a good poker player. Your emotions give your cards away and a good player will eat you up for breakfast.

Learn the odds. Know what beats what and what the odds are getting a card you need on the flop, turn and the river. If you play the odds you will win more than you lose, that is why they call it odds. Know how many out cards you have available left in the deck, if you are chasing a flush or straight this is critical.

Make sure you look at the board over and over again. I can't tell you how many times my two pair or three of a kind has been beaten by a low straight because I wasn't reading the board. If you are on the final bet look over the board and go over all the best possible hands your opponent can have.

Don't bet too early if you have the best hand possible with the cards on the board. Maybe limp in to show weakness to keep others around. If you make a powerful bet and represent a big hand you will scare potential chips off the board. If you check, or bet small you can sucker others along. That way when someone thinks they have a good hand and you have them, and then bet big.

Show your cards from time to time. When all people fold to your bet show your cards every once in awhile to show them you had the dominant cards or that you do know how to bluff. This will make it harder for them to read you later on in the game.

Decide what type of player you are going to be at the beginning of the game and play that persona. If you are going to be the nice guy be the nice guy. If you are going to be a bully don't half ass it. If you are going to be the jokester then keep them laughing. If you have dramatic changes in your persona the others will start to get a read on you.

I can't promise you will be the next WSOP champion with these tips but if you do try them you will see your game improve.