If you want to be a very strong Texas No Limit Hold’Em poker player you need to be able to judge which hands are best to play and which are not. This game has a minimum $40 buy-in and a maximum that does not exceed $200. This is by far the smallest of poker games that is quite popular, and is played in almost all casinos dotting the countryside. You will find a motley crowd playing this game, comprising oldies still wanting to make a quick buck, and brash youngsters, impatient to get a break in the game.
What to expect
This being a ‘no holds barred game’, you will find the most raw of amateurs and seasoned and experienced players where some of them may be very good at the game. However, most of the crowd, you will notice, comprises inexperienced, weak players, who think of nothing else but their two cards. Even after you have folded not less than 30 hands, they will continue blissfully unaware of the fact that you are probably betting very hard into them.
These are the players you need to target, because most of your winnings will be made up of their losses. Anybody playing poker does so to make money, and where does all the money come from? It is from opponents who make elementary and silly mistakes like calling too much before a flop, or drawing when the required odds are not available. They may indulge in bluffing frequently as well. All these capital blunders in poker, add to your winnings. This is provided you do not mess up things more often than your opponents. Wanting to play against good opponents is fine, but if you want very much to win, how can you do that if you play against sharp players? Your target has got to be beginners who play rashly and lose money.
Pocket pairs and top pairs
Pocket pairs invariably prove to be the most profitable of hands in poker. However, one false move and misplay could cost you a major portion of your chip stack. For instance, if you insist on calling rather than betting or even raising all-in, you can win only if you hold the best hand. However, betting and raising gives you a couple of options, either when you hold the best hand, or you force your opponent to fold. This should be preferable for most players. Suppose you hold pocket deuces, or pocket sevens, and what if you come up against a couple of cards like J-10 or A-K? It simply means that you are the one most likely to win, though with a very thin margin.
You need to realize that it is essential to split pocket pairs into convenient groups and start from down and work your way up. Small pairs like 2-2, 3-3, 4-4 or 5-5 give you a better chance of winning against over cards on a 1-on-1 confrontation. However, there are several vulnerabilities you need to take into account. If a couple of or more players notice the flop, you’ll have to make a set in order to win, and remember these pairs can be easily counterfeited too.
Suited connectors
In Texas No Limit Hold’Em poker, suited connectors are always rewarding and fun to play, provided you play them well. You need to play them with large pots, and the strategy is to trap an aggressive opponent. You need to watch out for the right conditions while entering the flop. Being very speculative hands, suited connectors need to be played only when you anticipate a big payoff when you either hit a flush or a straight. However, just to see the flop, you cannot be throwing around too much money as well.
If you try to limp in from early position, there is the peril of being re-raised, and with suited connectors you cannot to call a big pre-flop, even if the situation seems to be conducive, because you will only end up losing a lot of money. This happens in the early and middle positions, which you should avoid.
The last position is probably the best when you hold suited connectors. This is where you can call and attempt to hit the flop hard. You can enter the flop along with more opponents and increase your chances, hoping that one or the other of your opponents should hit something on the flop. They will probably bet out and leave you with the implied odds that you need to play your suited connectors.
Positioning
Positioning is nothing but where you get to sit from the dealer’s button point of view. In poker, especially in Texas No Limit Hold’Em positioning is very important. The betting always goes in clockwise fashion, and a favorable position allows you to watch how your other opponents react to their hands. You will know beforehand whether they call, bet or fold. This is what created the oft repeated poker-phrase “position means power”. The various positions have their own strengths and weakness, always from the dealer’s button perspective.
It is the small blind that probably has the most uncomfortable position after a flop, and will need to invest half a bet. The big blind to invests a whole bet, and still has a poor position. The player under the gun is the one in the worst possible position, pre-flop and in a useless position thereafter. It is the button that has an advantageous position at any time, during betting.