Article Archive

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Beginner

  • Small Blind Play In No Limit Texas Hold'em
    In many ways, the small blind is the worst spot to be in while playing no-limit Texas hold'em. You're compelled to put money into the pot, but not enough so that you will get to see the flop if no one raises. If you do call and see a flop, you'll be out of position the entire hand. How then, should you handle the small blind in no-limit Texas hold'em?
  • Betting related limit Texas holdem questions
    Hi, I have a few question about Texas Hold'em limit poker. I am trying to understand the precise order and betting structure especially when there are multiple all-in players and multiple side pots.
  • Double Flop Texas Hold'em
    Texas hold'em is a lot of fun to play, but for some players it can get monotonous after awhile. For these players, double flop hold'em has been invented. If you know how to play regular Texas hold'em, you can play double flop hold'em.
  • Pot Limit Texas Hold'em Strategy
    No-limit Texas hold'em has been popular for some time, and many poker players are ready for new challenges. One such challenge may be pot-limit Texas hold'em, a game that requires some subtle strategic adjustments from the no-limit game.
  • Facing Flush Boards in Texas Hold'em
    A common situation in Texas hold'em arises when you have a made hand and are facing a board with a draw. Your typical approach will be to bet and make your opponent pay for the opportunity to catch the card that beats you. However, what happens when that card comes? Do you automatically give your opponent credit for making his hand and forfeit the pot?
  • Texas Hold'em Rules and Angle Shooting
    Although in most cases the rules in Texas hold'em are fairly clear, there will always be someone who tries to skirt them. Players who try to bend the rules of Texas hold'em to their advantage are called angle shooters. They hope that they can win or save a few extra bets by performing actions that are not technically a rules violation, but are in reality quite inappropriate.
  • Limping in Texas Hold'em
    One question that commonly arises in Texas hold'em is "to limp or not to limp?" Limping means flat calling the blind rather than coming in with a raise. Some players say never do it, others swear by it. As with many aspects of poker, it often depends on the situation.
  • Railbirding - Learn Hold'em By Watching
    There are many advantages to playing online poker. You don't have to travel anywhere, meaning no travel time and no travel expenses. You don't have to tip waitresses or dealers and you can always find a game. However, many players neglect to think about another big advantage to online poker, which is online railbirding.
  • Handling the Turn When a Draw Hits in Texas Hold'em
    Handling the turn in Texas hold'em can be tricky business. While different poker situations will require different strategies, there are some basic approaches a player can take to turn play that should make things easier.
  • Flopping the Nuts in Texas Hold'em Poker
    Flopping the "nuts," or the best hand, in Texas hold'em poker would seem to be an enviable spot, and it is. However, just because you have the best hand on the flop does not mean you can play the rest of the hand on autopilot. You need to consider how to bet in order to extract the most from your opponents and to make them pay for trying to draw to a hand that will beat you.
  • Differences between Cash and Tournament No-Limit

    Hi Alan,

    I've been learning a lot from your site. One issue I'm still struggling with is the difference between no-limit cash games and tournaments. Other than (a) the overriding goal of staying alive in a tournament and (b) the fact that you need to play more hands in a tournament end-game to win chips before time runs out, is there any substantial difference in how you should approach cash games vs. tournament games?

  • Differences between Cash and Tournament No-Limit

    Hi Alan,

    I've been learning a lot from your site. One issue I'm still struggling with is the difference between no-limit cash games and tournaments. Other than (a) the overriding goal of staying alive in a tournament and (b) the fact that you need to play more hands in a tournament end-game to win chips before time runs out, is there any substantial difference in how you should approach cash games vs. tournament games?

  • How Often Do 'impossible' Things Happen In Poker?
    You know the feeling. You get all your chips in with QQ and are called. Your opponent sheepishly turns over JJ. To your delight, one of the other players announces: "I folded a jack." You're counting your chips as the flop comes out 6 4 3, the turn a 9 and the river….J.
  • Poker: The Art Of Bragging
    We've all seen him at the poker table: The braggart. He arrives at the table letting you know that he'll soon have all your chips. He'll remind you every time you bet that he's not afraid to go all-in with you. Maybe he'll win big, maybe not, but he'll leave the table the same way he came in, making sure you know that, at least in his mind, he's the best there is.
  • Maintaining Discipline in No Limit Texas Hold'em
    You sit down to a $3/$6 no-limit Texas hold'em game with every intention of playing tight, disciplined poker. For the first hour, you fold hand after hand, only playing your blinds. You see opponents win huge pots with hands like 56 offsuit.
  • Overcalling Before the Flop in No Limit Texas Holdem
    Pre-flop action in no limit Texas hold'em poker is about more than just going all in or folding. There are cases when you may want to limp in, make a small raise, call a raise or even overcall.
  • Playing a Lot of Hands in No Limit Texas Hold'em
    One of the first things poker players learn is to try not to play too many hands. Playing too many hands is one of the most common mistakes new players make. If someone is playing consistently weaker hands than other players, they are putting themselves at a decided disadvantage.
  • Facing a Minimum Raise in Texas Hold'em
    In limit Hold'em, players always know what to expect from an opponent who is betting. The size of the bets is fixed so there are no surprises. In no-limit poker, an opponent can bet anything up to his entire stack, so what bets a player will face are anybody's guess. One of the scariest and often most confusing bets for new players to deal with is the minimum raise.
  • Playing Draws in Texas Hold'em Sit and Gos
    It is often tricky to figure out how to play a draw, but the sit-and-go presents some specific challenges with regard to this type of play. How you will play a draw, or if you will play one at all, will depend on the strength of the draw, your position in the hand, and the size of the blinds.
  • Choosing a Sit and Go
    So you know you want to play a sit-and-go. However, which one? You have more choices when it comes to sit-and-gos than you may realize. Here are some of the options you should probably consider before sitting down at your sit-and-go table.
  • Getting out of a Slump in No Limit Texas Hold'em
    It happens to even the best poker players: the dreaded slump. Although poker is a game of long-term skill, it is a game of short-term luck, and no amount of ability can protect someone from "running bad." A slump could last for days, weeks or months, but whenever it happens, it often seems like it will never end. What can a poker payer do to get out of a slump?
  • Extracting the Maximum in Texas Hold'em
    Some of the most fun that can be had in no-limit Texas hold'em is when you have the winning hand. There's nothing like holding Ah 5h and seeing a third heart hit the board on the turn. Some new players may assume that hands like these play themselves. In fact, in no-limit hold'em, maximizing the value of your winning hands is just as important as getting away from losing hands, if not more important.
  • Deciding How Much to Raise Pre-Flop in Texas Hold'em
    The first important question to ask in a no-limit Texas hold'em hand is: What to do pre-flop? If you are staring at a 72 offsuit, the answer is easy: fold and wait for the next hand. However, what do you do with a hand like AJ offsuit? You'll often want to play this hand, and aggressive play dictates that you should often come in raising. However, how much to raise?
  • No Limit Hold'em Tips: Raise or Call?
    No-limit Texas hold'em is exciting, but can be somewhat daunting to new players. One issue where new players sometimes make mistakes is in deciding whether to call or raise. This decision will depend on a variety of factors.
  • Limit Texas Hold'em Tournaments
    The no-limit hold'em tournament is the cornerstone of the poker boom. It is the game played as the main event of the World Series of Poker and the most commonly televised form of poker. No-limit hold'em is not the only game that can be played in tournament format, however. Tournaments can be played with any type of poker, including limit hold'em. If you're new to limit hold'em tournaments, there will be a few tips you'll want to remember.
  • Texas Holdem: Moving from No Limit to Limit
    In the past, many players started out by learning spread-limit or fixed-limit poker, where one could bet a pre-determined amount at each stage. After the poker boom, many of these players switched their focus to no-limit due to all the new action.
  • Maximizing Your Poker Profit with Rakeback

    Everybody wants to be a winning poker player. Seeing players win millions on the World Series of Poker or World Poker Tour has inspired thousands to get involved in the poker explosion, hoping to win their own big score.

  • Knowing When to Quit in No Limit Texas Hold'em
    No-limit Texas Hold'em can be a real roller coaster ride. Depending on the stakes you play, you can find yourself up or down hundreds or even thousands over the course of a few hours. The question many players struggle with is when is it time to quit? Since the goal in poker is simply to win as much money as possible, how do you know when you have reached or failed to reach that goal?
  • Texas Hold'em Strategy: Sit N Go Introduction
    You've decided to play a Sit N Go for the first time. Perhaps you are used to playing cash games and see Sit N Gos as an interesting entry into the tournament world, or maybe larger tournaments have always been your thing and you want to see what the Sit N Go fuss is all about. Maybe you've never played online poker at all and this is where you've decided to start. Whatever the reasons, there are a few things you can expect from your first Sit N Go.
  • Fixed Limit Texas Hold'em Strategy: ABC Poker
    What is ABC poker? Poker players use the term "ABC" to refer to poker played "by the numbers," that is, with little deception. Instead of trying fancy bluffs and check-raises, ABC players tend to play in a straightforward fashion. They bet when they have a hand, they check or fold when they do not. Experienced players tend to look down upon this style of play, feeling that it is not only not creative, but that it makes these players easier to read and hence much easier to beat. However, in a fixed-limit hold'em situation, it is important for beginner to examine the merits of ABC play.
  • Playing Pocket Pairs Pre-Flop in Texas Hold'em
    An element of Texas hold'em poker strategy that many players struggle with is how to deal with pocket pairs before the flop. Pocket pairs are interesting in that they tend to have stronger pre-flop value than most other hands, but can get progressively weaker as the hand continues. A pair of deuces beats ace-king, but most players would rather see a flop with the two high cards than the lowly bottom pair. Playing winning Texas hold'em strategy requires a solid plan for your pocket pairs.
  • Texas Hold'em Rules: Tournament Rules for Beginners
    If you're a beginner playing in your first live Texas hold'em poker tournament, you may not be clear on all the rules. Here are a couple of questions commonly asked by players who have never played a Texas hold'em poker tournament before.
  • Counting Outs in Texas Hold'em
    Strong Texas hold'em poker players understand that to implement winning Texas hold'em strategy you need to understand pot odds, the odds the pot is offering you versus the odds of you winning the hand. To determine if the pot odds favor you, you need to be skilled at counting outs.
  • Texas Hold'em Rules: Tournament Etiquette Rules
    If you're playing in your first live Texas hold'em tournament, you should be aware that there are some accepted rules of appropriate behavior that you must adhere to. The tournament should furnish a hard copy of the rules which you should examine, and the tournament director should review the most important rules before starting the tournament. However, in case you miss any of that, here are some important rules you should know.
  • Playing Sets in Texas Hold'em
    To have a winning Texas hold'em strategy means knowing what to do in a variety of situations before they ever occur. Texas hold'em poker is a game of decisions, and in the no-limit variety of the game, they can be big decisions. Having a repertoire of strategic ideas at your disposal will make it easier to make more decisions that are correct over the course of the session. One situation you should know how to handle is what to do when you make a set.
  • Texas Hold'em Rules: Exposed Cards
    One Texas hold'em poker rule that is often discussed and debated is how to handle exposed cards. The issue of exposed cards doesn't come up during online poker, but if you find yourself playing in a live cash poker game or tournament, you'll want to know how to handle this situation.
  • How to Play a Turbo Freeroll
    There's a new type of Texas Hold'em freeroll that's making the rounds online. It is popular because the action is fast and furious, and online poker players love a fast game. It's called the turbo freeroll, and it's sort of like a poker tournament on speed. Turbo freerolls are good for players who don't have eight hours to devote to trying to win a multi-table tournament, and for players who love the excitement of all-in action and building massive chip stacks.
  • Texas Hold'em Freerolls - Early Stage Strategy
    Texas Hold'em freerolls require you to remain focused for long periods. You need to pay attention to the information at the table, and you need to participate in the action at the right moments. Since your goal is to stay in the tournament for as long as possible, it's important that you play with a winning strategy right from the start.
  • Shifting Gears in No Limit Texas Hold'em
    If you haven't heard the term "shifting gears" as applied to No-Limit Texas Hold'em poker, you'd better learn it quick. The ability to shift gears is a crucial skill in no-limit hold'em, and no matter what their style, every pro poker player knows how to take advantage of this idea.
  • Advertising Plays in No Limit Hold'em
    No-limit Texas hold'em is one of the most complex forms of poker. This complexity arises on one level from the fact that there are no limitations on the size of your bets, so you can be very creative with your bet sizes on every street. This gives rise to another level of complexity which is that there are a variety of strategies that open up to you due to the fact that it is possible to relieve their opponent of their entire stack on one hand.
  • Texas Holdem Secrets
    It's not that complicated to become a winning No-Limit Hold'em player. Most online poker players have knowledge about the basic winning strategy including pot odds, hand strength, position play and bankroll management.
  • A poker hand consists of five cards
    Question:
    Community cards are K, K, Q, Q, 5
    Player 1 holds J, 8
    Player 2 holds 8, 5

    The question is: Which Player wins? My theory is the K, K, Q, Q are discounted because neither player has any advantage with them; therefore the 5 pair (player 2) wins. The other theory is the best 5 card hand: K, K, Q, Q, J (player 1) wins.

    This actually happened and could not be resolved. The pot was split between the two players.

    /John E. Rowe

  • Playing Suited Connectors
    If you are an intermediate poker player, most likely you are playing poker with the standard tight and aggressive style. The style usually plays only with strong starting hands and has you play them aggressively both pre and post-flop. While playing tight-aggressive is a winning combination for most poker players, advanced players often increase the range of hands the play to vary up their game.
  • Misc Thoughts On Live Poker Versus Online Poker
    Cheating Holdem Poker Games: I think it's a good idea to mention cheating when we are talking about poker in general and specifically online and regular casino games. Not many people are worried about being cheated when they play holdem at a real casino; they are more likely to be worried about some superstition (a "bad" dealer for them, etc).
  • Texas Hold'em Training
    I'm a big fan of training. The main hobbies/interests of mine have always been those that I did day in and day out and slowly progressed at. You do the sport/activity because you love it and years later you look back and realize how far you've come.
  • Texas Holdem Tells

    What are poker tells?


    A "tell" in poker is when you pick up on a behavior of another player that gives you a clear message communicating the strength or weakness of their hand. When most people think of poker they think of tells and bluffing. Picking up on someone elses tell is supposed to enable you to stomp all over them in a game.
  • Texas Hold'em Gambling
    If you only play sometimes or play in home games with your friends you may not want to play tight aggressive poker. Tight aggressive poker is usually not as fun as gambling -- much like many other things in life taking the safe bet isn't always the most exciting.
  • Texas Hold'em Hand Groupings
    Below you will the modified Sklansy fixed limit Texas Hold'em Hand Groupings. The poker hands are listed in groups from strongest to weakest. Also within each grouping, the stronger hands are listed first so in Group 2, TT is supposedly stronger then AK.
  • Texas Hold'em Hand Groupings
    Below you will the modified Sklansy fixed limit Texas Hold'em Hand Groupings. The poker hands are listed in groups from strongest to weakest. Also within each grouping, the stronger hands are listed first so in Group 2, TT is supposedly stronger then AK.
  • Sure Ways to Lose in Texas Hold'em
    The following is some pitfalls that most players fall into when playing Texas Holdem. By reading these tips hopefully you can save some money by not doing the same.
  • Making Money Playing Texas Hold'em
    When the average Joe off the street thinks of poker, the last thing to come to their mind is a game of strategy, discipline and preparation. Instead images of guys sitting around a kitchen table smoking cigarettes drinking beer and calling out "give me four cards" are common; a game where the ability to bluff and call peoples bluffs makes you a winner.
  • Texas Hold'em Bankrolls
    This article isn't an indepth look at poker bankrolls but just some general guide lines for beginners and how much you should bring with you when playing.
  • Entering a cardroom for the first time
    Entering into a casino or a cardroom for the first time is more than a little intimidating. Knowing what to expect can take away some of the anxiety and hopefully will let you make that first transition into playing live texas hold'em go more smoothly.
  • Entering a cardroom for the first time
    Entering into a casino or a cardroom for the first time is more than a little intimidating. Knowing what to expect can take away some of the anxiety and hopefully will let you make that first transition into playing live texas hold'em go more smoothly.
  • Online Sit And Go Tournaments: Low Buy Ins $10 to $20
    Phase One Blinds 10 to 20, 15 to 30

    Sit back and relax. This is the time to take notes on each player. How many times did he or she stay in the first 10 to 15 hands? The percentage of hands a player calls is the biggest "tell" of all. If shown down what kind of starting hands did they stay in on? Were they aggressive, passive and how was their play?

  • Get Some Sleep, And Knowing Your Limits
    I probably should have spent more time with that title. Oh well, I already saved the file. In any case, I'm going to tell a little story with some rambling lessons mixed in. This was a few months ago. The reason I'm adding it now and not before is because I just realized that reading other player's stories is interesting, especially if they may play bigger games than you do.
  • Leave Yourself An Edge
    Poker is larger now than ever before. Between online poker, expanding brick and mortar cardrooms and home games, finding action has never been easier. All this equates to options. You have options for the stakes you play, where you play them and which game you select.

Experienced

  • Betting related limit Texas holdem questions
    Hi, I have a few question about Texas Hold'em limit poker. I am trying to understand the precise order and betting structure especially when there are multiple all-in players and multiple side pots.
  • Taking Advantage Of Table Image In No Limit Texas Hold'em
    One of the more useful elements of no-limit Texas hold'em strategy is table image. If you know how to control your table image, you can control how other players at the table react to you, and that can lead to big profits at the poker table.
  • Facing Flush Boards in Texas Hold'em
    A common situation in Texas hold'em arises when you have a made hand and are facing a board with a draw. Your typical approach will be to bet and make your opponent pay for the opportunity to catch the card that beats you. However, what happens when that card comes? Do you automatically give your opponent credit for making his hand and forfeit the pot?
  • Facing Sudden Big Bets or Raises in No Limit Texas Hold'em
    No-limit Texas hold'em has been described as a game filled with hours of boredom interspersed with moments of sheer terror. Indeed, some no-limit Texas hold'em hands are relatively innocuous. Two marginal hands trade bets and calls, with the winner taking a small pot at showdown. However, there are some situations where the player who has been leading is suddenly faced with a large raise. What's the best way to handle these situations?
  • Texas Hold'em: Ignoring the Odds
    Many poker players understand that odds are a critical part of the game. Knowing pot odds and understanding how they relate to your winning potential informs many decisions in a typical Texas hold'em game. However, interestingly enough, there may be times when it is correct to ignore the odds in Texas hold'em.
  • Playing Marginal Hands in Texas Hold'em
    Most players when starting out in Texas hold'em will receive as their primary instruction: "Play good starting hands." It's true that the biggest mistake many new Texas hold'em poker players make is playing too many hands. Limiting oneself to playing only the strongest hands can usually minimize losses and often ensure a modest profit. However, is there any time to play those marginal hands?
  • Strategy for Online WSOP Satellites

    A World Series of Poker satellite is the only opportunity many poker players may have to win a seat at the World Series of Poker main event. As such, if you're going to play in WSOP satellites, it's important to go in with a winning strategy.

  • When Not to Value Bet in Limit Hold'em Poker
    In limit Texas hold'em poker, it is of extreme importance to know when to value bet. Limit hold'em is about winning extra bets, not winning big pots. Being able to win one more bet than your opponent is what separates the pros from the amateurs. As important as it is to know when to value bet in limit Texas hold'em, it's just as important to know when not to value bet.
  • Value Betting in Limit Hold'em Poker

    In no limit Texas hold'em, being able to make a nice value bet is a positive enhancement of your game. In limit Texas hold'em poker, being able to successfully value bet is absolutely crucial to your success. Since there is a fixed amount of bets in limit hold'em, your chances of a positive outcome rest solely on the ability to win an extra bet when you have the best of it and save a bet when you don't. Value betting is a key component of this exercise.

  • Stop Loss Strategy
    It's difficult to know when to get up and walk away from the poker table. Do you quit when you are winning? What if you are cutting off an extended losing streak? Do you quit when you are losing? What if your luck is about to change so that you can get even? One method for controlling your sessions is the stop loss strategy?
  • Playing Top Pair Medium Kicker In No Limit Texas Hold'em
    No-limit Texas Hold'em provides many challenges, which is what makes the game so enticing to many poker enthusiasts. One difficulty new players often have is how to value their hands. Many new players understand from reading poker books or through experience that certain hands are not playable before the flop, but it is much harder to know after the flop whether certain hands are good. One type of hand that is very tricky to play is top pair, medium kicker.
  • Flopping Two Pair In No Limit Texas Holdem
    In no-limit Texas hold'em, it would seem that if one pair is good, two pair is better. In a way, this is true, but in another way, two pair can be worse in that you can get yourself in a lot more trouble with two pair.
  • When to Change Gears in a Poker Tournament
    If you're a poker player, you're probably familiar with the term changing gears. If you're not, you should be. Changing gears essentially means moving to a different speed, playing faster or more loose and aggressive, if you've been pretty tight, and slower, or more selective about the hands you play and the chips you put in, if you have attacked lots of pots without necessarily holding big cards.
  • Overcalling Before the Flop in No Limit Texas Holdem
    Pre-flop action in no limit Texas hold'em poker is about more than just going all in or folding. There are cases when you may want to limp in, make a small raise, call a raise or even overcall.
  • Running Big Bluffs In No Limit Texas Hold'em
    No limit Texas hold'em is often referred to as a game of big bluffs. Hold'em allows the biggest bluffs, because you can put your entire stack in the middle at any time. How can you become a great bluffer in no limit Texas hold'em, and is it really worth it to do so?
  • Turning Pro at No Limit Texas Hold'em
    It is the dream of nearly every no-limit hold'em player who plays regularly: to turn pro. To give up their dreary day job and spend their days and nights battling it out over the felt, enjoying all the luxuries the world has to offer paid for by naïve tourists and overconfident amateurs. To be sure, the opportunities for professional poker are great, with a large pool of no-limit Texas hold'em players provided by online poker sites and a constant flow of poker tournaments held at various casinos. Whether or not it is a realistic goal depends on the individual.
  • Overbetting On the Turn in No Limit Texas Hold'em
    Turn play can be the least considered aspect of No-Limit Texas Hold'em, but it can also be the most important. The betting round on the turn is the last betting round before all the cards are out and people's best possible hands can be determined. As a result, some players who like their hands may bet quite a lot in order to discourage opponents from drawing out on them. This overbetting can sometimes be a real mistake in terms of expected value.
  • Manipulating the Odds in Limit Hold'em
    Some players may think that since in limit poker you cannot size your bets and therefore cannot price out drawing hands, understanding the odds is insignificant. Nothing could be further from the truth. Understanding and being able to manipulate odds in fixed-limit poker is critical to success.
  • The Pre-Flop Re-Steal in No Limit Texas Holdem
    In No-Limit Texas Hold'em, the forced blinds represent money that no one has a claim on as action begins. It is important, particularly in no limit Texas Hold'em tournaments where the blinds rise consistently, to recognize when those blinds are vulnerable and attack them.
  • Calculating Win Rates in No Limit Texas Hold'em
    If you're going to play poker professionally, or even as a profitable hobby, you're going to want to know your win rate. Your win rate is simply how much you make per hour playing poker. Calculating your win rate in no-limit Texas hold'em is fairly straightforward, but there are some traps to consider.
  • Increase Your Decision Making Power in No Limit Texas Hold'em
    Poker is a game about decisions. Money is won or lost based on the decisions that are made. In no-limit Texas hold'em, entire bankrolls can be wiped out by one or two incorrect decisions. Famed poker author David Sklansky's fundamental theorem speaks to this. The theorem essentially states that every time you play a hand in a way that is different from how you would have played it if you could see your opponent's cards they gain, and when you play it the same way, they lose. When your opponent plays a hand differently than he would have if he knew your cards, you gain and when he does not, you lose.
  • Learn How To Play Heads Up Texas Hold'em
    Heads up poker used to be something of a rarity. Poker is designed for play by multiple opponents and the occasion for heads up play did not occur that often in the past. In addition, casinos rarely spread heads up games as they required a dealer and table which could otherwise be used to accommodate many more players.
  • Adjusting for Loose Fixed Limit Texas Hold'em Games
    There are many approaches to starting a foray into the world of fixed-limit Texas hold'em. You may warm up by reading books or playing poker video games. If you train yourself according to expert advice, you may be a little surprised at what you find when you sit down to your first real money live or online poker game. Often at lower limits, players are much looser than you might expect, and more than once you will see someone's big pair like AA or KK lose when someone who has been calling multiple bets spikes two pair with his T8 when a T lands on the river. Playing "correct" poker by waiting for premium hands and betting them strongly can be extremely frustrating when you wait an hour to get a hand, bet it like crazy and lose a big pot to someone who had no business being in it in the first place. However, if you can learn to adjust to the loose game situation, you can make a tidy profit from many of these games, even as a beginner.
  • Playing Unusual Hands in No Limit Texas Hold'em
    Some of the most exciting no-limit Texas hold'em poker hands come when a player has decided to enter the pot with an unusual hand and it hits. This can often result in a bewildered opponent pushing in all his poker chips with a hand he is sure is good, but which is soundly defeated. Masters of playing these unusual hands for a profit include players like World Poker Tour champions Gus Hansen and Daniel Negreanu and 2003 World Series of Poker runner-up Sammy Farha. These players know how to employ these hands for maximum effect. However, they also know that playing these unusual hands incorrectly can lead to disaster.
  • Approaching Texas Hold'em As A Sport
    There is some dispute among poker enthusiasts as to whether poker is a sport or a game (or both). Some feel that since there is no clear athletic ability required, poker cannot be classified as a sport. Others feel that the level of endurance, focus, competitiveness, skill and discipline required for success in poker gives it much more in common with sports than mere games. Whether you agree that poker is a sport or not, approaching poker as a sport can have beneficial effects.
  • Playing the Maniac in Texas Hold'em
    A sight that makes new Texas Hold'em players groan, but has many experienced ones licking their lips, is the presence of a "maniac" at the table. A maniac is a loose-aggressive player who seems to be putting maximum pressure on every pot. He will frequently make a big pre-flop raise after a number of players have limped in, and seems to pounce on any sign of weakness, taking nearly every "check" as an exhortation for him to bet. How can you play against this kind of monster?
  • The Squeeze Play in No Limit Hold'em
    The squeeze play is a tactic that has probably been used for years in no-limit Texas hold'em tournaments but was crystallized by Dan Harrington in his must-read volumes on no-limit Texas hold'em poker strategy "Harrington on Hold'em." You may not decide to use the squeeze play but it is important to understand how it works in case it is used on you!
  • The Continuation Bet
    Of the many concepts surrounding Texas hold'em poker, one that has received much more attention in recent years has been the concept of the continuation bet. What is the continuation bet and how can you use it to be successful in your Texas hold'em games?
  • The Bluff Call
    To be successful in no-limit Texas hold'em, you need a variety of weapons in your arsenal. You need to be able to trap, bluff, semi-bluff, value bet and maybe even give off a reverse tell or two. A very sophisticated no-limit Texas hold'em play that can also be very effective is the bluff call. This move is an example of higher level thinking, meaning play based on what you think your opponent may think you have. Here's how it works.
  • Control Betting in No-Limit Texas Hold'em
    No-limit Texas Hold'em poker is all about betting. The size of a bet is entirely up to the player, and different bet sizes can mean different things. There are different types of bets in a no-limit Texas hold'em poker game as well, and one of these is the control bet.
  • The Winning Attitude: Humble Optimist
    I've always considered myself to be a fairly rational person. My thought was always that as long as I make the right moves, emotion doesn't matter. I mean, come on, does me being happy or mad change the cards? The concept of tilt seemed ridiculous to me -- as if I would get so upset I would forget how to play! Only as of late, within the past year and a half, have I realized how important the right attitude is to playing poker well. Not going on tilt is only the start, one needs to keep a positive state of mind. In this little addition to the site, I'm going to talk about what I've coined as a "humble optimist" and why it is so paramount.
  • Introduction to Short Handed Texas Holdem
    The following is an article on learning how to play winning shorthanded texas holdem poker. This article is geared towards limit play but many of the concepts carry over to no limit holdem as well. The concepts introduced here are advanced so please be careful about their application. This article will also help out heads up play. I assume you already have a decent understanding of regular holdem.
  • Texas Hold'em: Playing Well or Getting Lucky?
    Most likely when we look at our game we aren't doing it because we are winning. We do it when we are losing and we try to figure out why we were winners before and not now. Long term winning in limit texas holdem poker depends on your consistency in making good decisions.
  • Texas Hold'em Raising
    Today I'm going to go over raising in Texas Holdem. There are a number of reasons why you raise and some of the are more obvious then others. Being a player that does more raising and folding is always better then being a player who just calls. The article below lists the following reasons to raise: more money in the pot, information, free card, limit competition, bluff and deception.
  • Texas Hold'em - Tips For Playing Out Of the Blinds
    The goal of this little article is to provide a lesson for playing out of the small blind and big blind positions in low limit holdem.
  • Bluff and Semi-Bluffing
    The goal of this little article is to introduce new texas hold'em players to bluffing and semi-bluffing. Note this is specifically for limit texas holdem and not for pot limit or no limit. It isn't for tournament holdem either. All though the rules for playing are very similar in each game, the way one plays is much different so not everything will apply to other facets of holdem. By "limit" holdem we mean a structured bet like $5/10. We would also call this a "ring game".
  • Texas Hold'em: Am I a Rock?
    As poker has become more popular both online and off there has also been an increase in the amount of poker literature produced on how to improve ones game. A few days ago I realized that most, if not all the books and info that I've read over the years have talked mostly about discipline and being tighter then your opponents.
  • Texas Hold'em: Perfect Play
    Is there perfect poker play? And if so, what is the definition of perfect texas Holdem play?
  • Changing Your Strategy
    Is there a correct way to play? Yes and no. Winning players do have subtle differences in their styles but what you'll find is that what they have in common outweighs what they don't.
  • Deception Is At A Premium
    Poker is evolving. Five years ago, the games were much different than they are right now: much looser, more action, less educated players. With the advent of online poker, poker as a whole has exploded and so has the amount of poker information.
  • The "Sometimes" Concept
    One of my goals with this site was not only for helping beginning players get to the intermediate level, but also to help intermediate players get to the advanced level. The tip I'm about to compose here can be helpful for all players, but it is geared mainly towards more advanced players.
  • What's Worse?
    There is lots of information for beginners on how to learn how to play Texas Holdem. The problem is though, is that there isn't much info on how to get better and take your game to the next level after you've progressed to an intermediate player. The following tip is something that I've been thinking about for a while but I haven't been able to really formalize it into a rule per se.
  • What's Worse?
    There is lots of information for beginners on how to learn how to play Texas Holdem. The problem is though, is that there isn't much info on how to get better and take your game to the next level after you've progressed to an intermediate player. The following tip is something that I've been thinking about for a while but I haven't been able to really formalize it into a rule per se.
  • Tournament Strategy: Winning Versus Agressive Players
    The Texas Hold'em poker phenomenon has taken the country by storm. There are reportedly over 100 million active poker players worldwide.
  • Short Handed Holdem Tips
    Shorthanded holdem is when the table isn't full. My definition of a shorthanded game would be a max of five players. I love this kind of poker, more so than full games, because this, and heads up poker, allows me to play more hands. Because you are playing so many hands, errors compound more quickly, you get to know your opponents better, and you have a greater opportunity to exact your strategy on them.
  • Short Handed Holdem Tips
    Shorthanded holdem is when the table isn't full. My definition of a shorthanded game would be a max of five players. I love this kind of poker, more so than full games, because this, and heads up poker, allows me to play more hands. Because you are playing so many hands, errors compound more quickly, you get to know your opponents better, and you have a greater opportunity to exact your strategy on them.
  • More about Implied Odds
    If you know anything about poker, then you've inevitably heard quite a few poker terms that deal with odds: pot odds, drawing odds and implied odds. While most good poker books will cover the basics of calculating drawing odds and counting pot odds, an important but often untouched on aspect of poker focuses on implied odds.

Texas Holdem Tips

  • The Poker Uniform
    The poker uniform has become as ubiquitous as the garb professional athletes wear (in fact, a basketball jersey is often part of the ensemble). Clearly there are no requirements as to what to wear to your no-limit Texas hold'em game (and if you are playing online poker, no requirement to wear anything at all), but you might ask yourself what the merits are of various poker accoutrements.
  • Practice Texas Hold'em Online
    The advent of Internet poker has probably contributed to making Texas hold'em the most popular game in the world. If you want to become a master of Texas hold'em, booking as many winning sessions as you can, you're going to have to practice. A great way to practice Texas hold'em is online.
  • Poker Bonuses Explained
    Are you looking for a place to play your favorite game? Today there are hundreds of online poker rooms competing for your attention with various bonus offers and other promotions.
  • The Most Common Methods For Calculating Rakeback
    If you're considering joining a rakeback program, you're not alone. A great many online poker players are discovering the next great way to increase their win rate is through rakeback. Rakeback is essentially a discount the online poker site offers you for playing there. You pay a rake as a fee to the site hosting the game, and rakeback returns some of that fee to you, the player.
  • Comparing Online Poker Bonus Offers and Rakeback Deals

    Hunting down great promotions is a big part of online poker success. The major promotions online poker players are looking for are online poker bonuses and rakeback deals. Due to the proliferation of online poker sites out there and their need to drive new traffic to their sites, there are a great many online poker bonuses and rakeback deals to be had. As a successful online poker player, you need to know how to negotiate and compare these different types of promotions.

  • Table Image
    It cracks me up when I go into a cardroom and I see a bunch of people with sun glasses on, their collars up and their hats low, trying to give the impression that they are forces to be reckoned with. The main reason I find it so funny is that if you were really so good, why would you want your opponents to think that?
  • Barry Greenstein: Ace On The River
    I don't sell books here or anything, but I would definitely recommend Barry Greenstein's new book called Ace On The River.
  • Winning And Losing: Stopping A Session
    This tip is about how you know when you should leave and when you should keep playing. Poker is like gambling in the sense that you never want to leave the table.
  • Betting Amount In No Limit Holdem
    Learning how much to bet in to no limit holdem is one of the trickiest parts of the game. It is always a battle between risk and reward. For example, you would like to get paid off on your good hands, but if you bet too much you chase everyone away and if you bet too little to keep them in, it runs the risk of backfiring by giving them odds to draw.
  • Baby Steps: Online Texas Holdem Cash Games
    One thing that is easy to do when playing online poker on multiple tables is to kind of get spun out. You see so many hands per hour that it is easy to lose perspective and you start to get involved in too many pots.
  • Idle Practice
    While learning how to bowl, I was reading a book and in it the author mentioned that if you go to the alleys without a clear idea of what you are trying to hone, your efforts are largely useless -- idle practice. This is true in poker too.
  • Beating Tougher Games
    There are different kinds of games. Some games are easy, some are tough. The same play that beats one game won't beat the other.
  • Why There Are So Few Winners
    I've heard figures thrown around estimating what percentage of poker players actually are winners; sometimes I hear 15%, sometimes only 10%. As hard as these numbers are to believe, I do believe them.
  • Urge To Play
    Note: this is for cash games only, not tournaments. I'm looking down at a piece of white printer paper with the following notes jotted down in black magic marker:

    - Submit to position

    - Dry cards, urge to play

  • Know Your Weaknesses
    So much of our time goes into playing and very little goes into thinking about the game away from the table. And the little time spent away from the table finetuning our game rarely is spent on weaknesses. One major tip I can give you is to understand your own strengths and limitations.
  • The 2/4 Rule For Calculating Odds
    One of the hard things to do in holdem is to calculate odds on the fly. Regular flush draws and straight draws are easy to figure, since you run across them so often. What is difficult is calculating weird drawing hands.
  • Entitlement
    Fundamentally, winning at poker boils down to you getting paid off on your good hands and avoiding your opponents good hands. Many players have a problem with the latter of the two.
  • Remember Winning
    Yesterday one of my buddies, after going through a dry spell, finished up the week with a good sized win (at one of the larger limits he plays at). On the drive home while dicussing the days events, he made the comment how he had a few hands that he normally would have gotten involved with, but he wasn't going to today because he didn't want to give any of it back (it being a little of the 7 racks in front of him).
  • Don't Overthink It
    The vast majority of the time, things are as they appear. As you become a better player, you run into the problem of losing touch with your prey. What I mean by that is that you forget how they think, and you can overthink hands and end up making fancy plays at the wrong time.
  • Betting Versus Calling
    New players often overvalue slow playing. It is ok to trap opponents, but with marginal hands that are worth calling, a bet is usually a better play.

Texas Holdem Submitted Articles

  • Playing Ultra-Low-Stake Single Table Tournaments Online
    Article Sent in by reader:

    I have been playing poker online for about six months, mainly no-limit hold em, 9 or 10 seat STTs for small stakes from 10c to $2 per tourney, where the top three places payout. I don't have a huge bankroll and I'm not a gambler at heart. I only want to play poker to win money, however small an amount.

    After a while playing at this level a few things became obvious and I started to make steady, if unspectacular profits. If it's OK with you I'd like to share some of my observations with your readers.

  • No Limit Hold'em Beginner Advice
    The following article on No Limit Holdem was submitted by Chuck:
    I'm a relatively new player. I've been playing online for real money for about 6 months now. I usually play no-limit hold'em at the $100NL tables at Empire/Party Poker. Although I've only been playing for a short time, there are days when I have looked at 500-1,000 hands a day. I found my early attempts at limit hold'em to be frustrating because intuitively I didn't feel I had enough control over the betting and raising part of the game. At low-limit online tables, people seemed to just call down everything.
  • Overplaying Hands
    Question: I'm still a beginning poker player. Texas Hold'em is my game of choice, and I tend to play home games mostly (no-limit tournaments if possible). Having a weekly game with predominantly the same players presents some issues. Playing against the same people regularly, you tend to learn a bit more about the way they play than you would just watching 15 min at an online table, or sitting down to a game in a casino.
  • Fun Things To Try, NL Home Tourney
    Question: I just wanted to drop a note an mention that we play a few twists once in awhile in our home games. I don't like my friends to feel as if they were cheated so I attempt offer different ways to win part, if not all of their buy-in back even if they don't place high enough.
  • World Poker Tour Boot Camp
    WPT ENTERPRISES, INC. SET TO LAUNCH WPT BOOT CAMP™

    Attendees to Learn the Secrets of Tournament Poker from WPT Experts

  • Quick Ways To Calculate Odds
    One of the things that probably keeps players from improving is the inability to calculate pot odds on the spot. I mean, they've got all that math flying around in their heads, dividing x by some God-awful number like 47 or 46 and trying to come up with a fraction or a percent that can be compared to the amount that they're being asked to bet by some increasingly impatient opponents versus the pot, which is the same as it's been on the flop for the last eight hands because everybody keeps limping in, et cetera... So this should make things easier. I tried to make things as simple as possible.

Texas Holdem Bad Beats

  • Staring at the screen in disbeliefThis hand is almost not believable, even if you were to witness it happening. I literally had to sit and stare at the "last hand" window on FTP for a good couple minutes to realize what had just happened.
  • An Online Bad-Beat EpicThis is the story of a man who just runs bad. It doesn't matter what stakes I play, who I play against, or how I play - I just take bad beat after bad beat. It'd be comical if it wasn't so tragic. Consider the following run that happened in a single evening at BoDog Poker (note: this sequence is only slightly worse than what I go through on a regular basis):
  • Two under cards with the same drawI'm playing in a free roll poker start tournament. Everyone starts with 1500 in chips. I lost to a common bad beat and now have about $700 left.
  • No one believes me when I tell them this handI sent this bad beat in last year and it wasn't published. It has to be because it's not believable. Even experts don't believe this one. I want to repost this story again in that this really happened. It happened on Bo-Dog. No one believes me when I tell them this hand. It is that unrealistic.
  • You've never seen this!I have been reading up on bad beat stories on the internet and finally decided to post the one that still makes me giggle. It has been about 5 or 6 years since this occurred and is still fresh in my memory bank.
  • Always check the flop before betting your lifeI was playing a cash sit and go a few years back now. i was doing quite well, around £38,000 in front of me. this had been sponsored by an overdraft credit cards and a loan, £24,000 all together. so i had won £14,000 so far that day.
  • Nothing to do against a maniacI was playing in a cash game at a friend's house last weekend. To my left is Bob, the most loose aggressive maniac I think you'll find--he's a true gambler, who's put down hundreds of dollars on a blackjack hand on more than one occasion.
  • **NOT UR AVG BAD BEAT** THIS ONE STUNGTHIS WAS THE FINAL TABLE OF A SATELLITE TO A 256 MTT SUNDAY TOURNEY ON FULL TILT, I WAS 2ND IN CHIPS AS YOU CAN SEE, WAS IN THE BIG BLIND...WHEN THIS HAND HAPPENED...I AM NOT MAD ABOUT THE CALL ON THE RIVER SO MUCH AS HIS CALL ON THE TURN...I THINK THIS GUY NEEDS HIS HEAD EXAMINED FOR THAT CALL ON THE TURN...
  • Beating a Donk at His Own GameIt's late in the first hour of a BoDog freeroll, with the blinds at 30-60. I've caught a few good hands and been able to maximize their value, turning my initial stack of 1,000 into about 5,400.
  • Horrible Day at the Oaks Club

    Just finished a horrible day at the Oaks Club in Emeryville, Ca.. my home club...This particular bad beat happened yesterday, but today was just awful all around.

  • Not Really A Bad BeatI was playing at a poker table at FullTiltPoker.com, just a low risk game.
  • Runner-runner Straight Flush

    i'll keep it quick....

    short handed, 3 people left in a tourney. one guy was being VERY aggressive, TOO aggressive in fact. hes to my right. and raises. im getting short stacked after a couple bad beats...

  • Beaten by Fishy Pro at the WSOPI won the poker.com $12,500 WSOP package last year. On the first day I played (1D) Dario Minieri the scarf guy, or the kid that looks like Harry Potter was sitting to my right.
  • He Caught Running Quads

    I am in a 2/4 nl at the venetian. I got about 600 dollars in chips so does my opponent. I raised in the cutoff with my pocket duces.

  • A Tough Pill to Take

    Hello

    Prior to this story occurring, I had AK beaten preflop by K4, AA beaten by 6 4 and AQ beat by A9…. Not crazy beats but still bad ones none the less. I am not on tilt, crazier stuff has happened and I needed to focus on the game.

  • Three Nasty Beats in a RowI was playing a partypoker tournament, which was going okay for the first half hour. I bluffed a little and won a medium sized pot to nearly double my starting holdings.
  • QUADs VS QUADs - How deceivingIt was a Friday nigh, approximately eleven O'Clock, when I decided to join a free roll on Crazy Poker. A little more than 11,000 players did the same. This is the type of free rolls where one half of the players get busted within the first 30 minutes, early all-ins to make up stacks etc. After all, with 1,000 chips at start the total chips in play is approximately 11,000,000.
  • Oh woe is me, sick beat followed by a sick beatI have late position with the hand AQ.....blinds are at 300-600, i have around 8000 in chips (fairly decent chip stack). 3 limpers in front. I raise to 1400. Under the gun calls my bet, then a fold, then seat next to folder makes a re raise all in it was another 1900 to call. I then go all in over the top to isolate the hand, I made it 5500 over the top to go, and then player under the gun folds.
  • Loosing to garbagePlaying $1/$2 on Betfair, a guy who had been playing awful (lost about $300) calls my raise pre-flop of $7, along with 2 other players.
  • Bad beats, bad lucki've been playing texas holdem for about two years now, and losing pretty much constantly ..... at first this was, no doubt, because i was a bad player, but it now seems to me that i am getting constantly and soundly beaten by worse players than me. i consider myself to be quite a solid player.
  • Losing to 2-7 off-suit

    Just about an hour ago I had a 10 Jack suited pocket.

  • Queen Trips Loses to River Straight

    Hi there,

    Was playing great poker in a tournament down to last 5 players.

  • Double bad beat in tourneyLast summer, I had increased my online bankroll from $20 to over $1100 playing $20 sit-n-go tournaments over a few weeks time. I couldn't loose.
  • Greatest Hand EverOK, I recently dished out the worst beat I have ever witnessed. I was playing online at a 50c/$1.00 NL Hold'em table.
  • Flopped nuts loosing to runner-runner

    Question:

    This hand happend to me in a 2/4 Cashgame a couple of days ago.

  • No one noticed his straight flush5 handed in a c50-$1 cash game. It's the end of the night, a couple hundred dollars on the table. I get Ah Jh on the button and make it 2 to go. Three of the four players call me.
  • Quads crushedNot a bad beat for me just a bad beat for my friend. I will tell it from my friend's point of view.
  • The game of idiotsPlaying in local cash game $30 buy-in get you 10k in chips $35 re-buy can get another 10k when you go bust. Blinds start at $100/$200 and double every 15 min. Starts at 27 total (3 tables) and pays 60%, 30% & 10%. Not a huge game, but the winner can usually walk out with between $5-600.
  • Two nasty beats at LadbrokesBad beat number 1: Hole cards KK . Flop K77 (bet large), 2 callers. turn 7. Bet huge - 2 callers. River 7!!!! 2 callers win with quad 7s and an ace.
  • AAA twice in one nightPoker tournament at friends house last week. Twice had AA to see the flop come in with a third A.
  • Losing to a meglomaniac fishI just suffered the worst two in a row bad beats of my life.
  • Terrible luck at family reunionSince it's a nose dive that I technically could have saved myself from, I'm not sure if it's considered a bad beat. It was terrible luck though.
  • Nasty BeatQuestion:

    Live No Limit cash game. I am on the button with A3s. 4 players call BB and I limp in. Flop comes 2d,4c,5h. I check, UG bets $25 the other 3 call and I raise to $50 and 3 of the 4 players fold and one guy in mp calls. The turn comes Jc. MP checks to me and I raise all in $300 and Mp calls and turns over a 2-6 off suit. Yep you guessed it……the river is a 3. Where on earth do these people come from.

  • Flopped Flush Loses to Runner Runner

    I was playing in an online NL multi table tournament ($3 buy-in 1800 people). It was early on, 15/30 blinds and I was just to the right of the button. Five people had limped in before me and I had A spades 6 spades. I decided to play in hopes of hitting big on the flop. The button and small blind folded and the big blinded raised it up to 60.

  • This guy had like .50 PCT odds and kicked my assIn a "Casino Night" at a local fire house I sat down at a 100+50 no limit game with about 145 people. Top 12 places pay out and after a quick drink to calm the nerves and a look around I start sizing up the competition immediately.
  • A set of bad beats and turnarounds

    Got a triple-header for the readers here.

    Bad Beat #1: I'm at a local NL tourney ($50 buy-in, max payout of $500, charity event), I'm about halfway through the field of about 130 people, and doing rather well. After starting out with $1600 in chips, I was up to around $7500. I was in middle position, dealt 5h 7c and raised to 3x big blind, got one caller, a woman who was playing tight/aggressive for most of the time I was at the table with her. Flop comes 6s 8s 9s, giving me the 9-high straight. Figuring my opponent was four-flushed, I bet out 10x big blind, she takes a while, and calls it. Turn is 7d, so she may have a straight like I did, so I try to represent the flush and push all in, she IMMEDIATELY calls it and shows her 2d 5s, giving me the best hand with the 9-high straight, but she is four-flushed and can draw the 7s to make the straight flush... well, given that this is a bad beat story, she does, and immediately thanks me for the rest of my chips. The worst part of this story is that my opponent was my sister... I didn't hear the end of it till I gave her a taste of her own medicine recently by flopping the same straight flush, hehe.

    Note: You had the same nine high straight on turn

  • Set of queens is no match

    I was playing my usual stakes NL game today when this hand came up. For my bankroll the stakes are pretty high and if I do lose a big hand I sometimes have trouble dealing with the variance.

  • Strange Luck when Playing Internet PokerHowdy, i've had some strange luck playing internet poker recently and i thought you might be interested as i'm probably one of the only people to win less than $1 with two separate royal flushes in no limit hold em.
  • Flopped Boat Sunk Hard on the RiverPlaying in a no limit holdem tournament, late in the game I was somewhat small stacked and needing some good cards to make a move as all my bluffs were getting called. I was dealt cowboys, pocket kings, and knew this was my hand to win as I was in decent position. Nobody had raised pre-flop by the time it got around to me so I raised enough to push out the people chasing low cards. Two people called, both in worse position, so things were looking good.
  • Beaten BlindI was in a friendly high stakes game with some friends of mine....I was low on chips, and being a little loose from some beers, decided to go all-in blind. My friends congratulated me for my bravery, and one person, I'll call him "Levi" called.
  • Quad Ducks Goes DownGot into a pot cheap in late position with 22 with 4 others, no raisers. This was playing 2/4, by the way. Flop was 2-5-5. Figured it was time to slow play! It goes Check, Bet, Fold, Fold and I raise. The bettor raises, so I reraise and he caps it. Next card is a Q. He leads out, I raise, he raises and again we cap it. At this point I'm slightly nervous, but figured him for an A5 or an overpair at best. The river is another 2, giving me quads, and calming any fears I had (except one, which I'm sure you've figured out by now). He bets, I raise, he raises again and of course I call. He shows the 55 and for the first time ever, I see quads lose to quads. I wish I was at Party Poker, wouldn't that have made me eligible for the bad beat jackpot??
  • Straight Flush Kills My HandMy story is not really one of a bad beat, but it is as unlikely as they come.

    I was playing a 7 people NL home tourney, best two places pays, and we were down to three. I´m low on chips, real low. Blinds are 200-400 and I´m big with just 500 after I pay. Button folds, small blind calls. I look down at KK. Needless to say, I go all in for the remaining 500. Small blind calls and reveals K8 offsuit. As good as it gets, I think as I show my cowboys.

  • Boat Loses To Running TresFirst of all I love you site its been really helpful. I wanted share a bad beat story which happened the other day while I was playing online. I was at this $50 NL table and one guy was an absolute calling station, but worse he was just destorying everyone. He kept getting lucky time and again. I noticed that every other player in the table was just waiting for the right hand to play against him. Everytime someone would pick up a strong hand he would crack them by getting 2 pair with J4 or something.
  • Ace On The RiverAt a $1-$2 no limit game at a local spot...

    I was the small blind and the dealer dealt the cards. I peeked at my hand, JJ... Not my favorite hand, but i decided it's worth a shot...

  • Running Aces Sinks My BoatI was in a tournament recently and doing pretty well. I was in middle position when I was dealt pocket Kings and raised and had one caller.

    The flop comes down A K 8 (rainbow).

  • 77 Beats My BoatI had an Ace 6, in the small blinds, i was playing a low limit game, everyone was in the pot, it was actually a sit-and go tournament but a small one.
  • Setup After SetupsHello, here are some of my bad beat stories that you can post up on your site.

    ________________________

    #1:

    Title: What an a$$ hole !!

  • KK Loses To 22This was crushing. It was in a 10$ buy-in hold 'em tournament. Winner take all except one buy-in to second. 7 players. Buy-ins had it up to 90 for the winner and 10 for second place.
  • Back To Back BeatsI was playing in a game with a bunch of coworkers when I was dealt A-J offsuit in the small blind. It had been a fairly wild game, so I limped in just to see the flop (that was likely my biggest mistake, you tell me).
  • Two Unlucky HandsI was last to call before the button and was dealt TT. Dealer raised $1000 after all blinds ($300/$600) were in and myself and one other player called. Flop comes Q 7 7.
  • Running Sevens To WinI don't know if this qualifies as the worst beat ever, but it's got to be pretty close. This beat is the reason I will no longer play online poker because I'm thinking a beat like this could only happen online.
  • KQ Busted My AKI was playing in a no limit texas holdem tounament yesterday. I do not know if this was a bad beat or just my stupid decision.

    I was dealt Ace King, 8 players at the table and 1 guy raises 2000. At this point I am getting low stacked because the ante was way up and I was getting some bad cards for a long time. I figured this was my time to make my move.

  • Losing Quad ThreesI haven't posted any of my own bad beats on this site yet. I've played so long now, I've literally seen everything. Not much surprises me.
  • The Bad Beat SpinThe Bad Beat Spin

    I played side games at the Rio in June this year during the WSOP. The games were quite good. My first night there I got into a $10-20 Hold'em game. I won only one pot in the first 4 hours. Still, it was a sizeable pot and I managed to find myself even and feeling good about winning for the night if I could just get a few hands to hold up.

  • Nut Straight NightmareNut straight on Flop... Loser!!

    This is a recount of what happened a few weeks ago during a reoccurring, $40 buy-in, NL hold'em home game that I had the unfortunate pleasure of hosting.

  • 96,1% to win and loseThis happened to me today, it was a small online tournament with 100+ people in. I made it to the final table and was in good chip position with 5 people left.
  • Never Playing KK AgainNot sure if this is a bad beat or not, but kind of a crazy situation. I'm playing online and watching the 05 WSOP. Cloutier is up against some no-name for the braclet in one of the circuit events, and in one particular hand, flops a straight against the other players 6s.
  • Losing Set To Backdoor Straight FlushI learned a lot from your site so I thank you for all your advice.
  • Top Set Loses To 72I sent you guys a couple bad beat stories yesterday, but this one takes #1, and the first serious crushing blow I've suffered since I started playing poker in Jan of 2004.
  • Losing To A One OuterJust as I was thinking it had been awhile since I took a brutal beat, it happened last night - I'm playing $10 NL and have King, 5 of diamonds in the big blind.
  • AA Losing AKAA losing to AK

    I'm in an online tourny and I'm at the final table of 9. I'm number 3 in chips. I have been sitting out about 12 hands because I couldn't catch any decent pocket cards and a couple of guys at the table are maniacs that call everything. I've watched these morons chase down to the river and catch. I'm playing very tight and trying to let the maniacs take each other out while maintaining my chip position.

  • Why He Quit PlayingTitle: Why I quit online Poker for life as it may be rigged!

    This is not to defame any sports books in particular but I honnestly think SportsBooks and other Poker sites have holes that have the ability to un-randomize cards and actually control the cards to soak their players for more than just the Buy-Ins. I have played Limit, No Limit and tournaments (Multi and Heads up). Here are the reasons why I think online Poker is rigged:

  • KK Three Times In A Row

    Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

    Caveats: NONE

    KK verses AA three times in a row!

  • Poker Stars pokerstars.comI am not going to play at pokerstars.com limit ring games anymore. I've given their site a fair shot now and they have proven to me that something is a miss with their system. If you don't believe what I have to say that is fine, you can try it out yourself but I felt it my duty to speak up in case new players got a bad idea of what real poker is like by playing there. I understand that many people will dismiss what I have to say regardless of how much I write about what happened so I'm going to keep this short; and yes I also am well aware of the swings poker can have. If you don't play middle and upper limit poker then the first point is that most pots you are in are heads up or three way. Because of this the best hand has a huge advantage and usually holds up (this is just math and the only way there is a strategy for beating poker). The first day I played $30/60 at pokerstars.com I had JJ three times and flopped a Jack three times -- I had full houses twice and quads once. That day I also had AA three times, every one of them I flopped a set and it held up. I mention this because that day also was odd (a "good odd"). Besides that day though, every other day has been really strange where you are up against one opponent who has a weaker hand and they catch you so many times that it makes it impossible to come out on top. Here are a few examples (multiply this by 100 and it gets a little old and suspicious):
  • Bad Beat Or Bad PlayQuestion: I have been playing holdem online for about 3 months now, and I have read plenty of literature. I would say that about 90% of my time has been spent in mult table no limit tournaments.
  • Trip Jacks Losing To QQ On RiverQuestion: Hi, I just found your site today and its been very helpful. Last night I was playing online limit holdem for $.50/1 and I get AJoff in the hole and I was in last position. Two people call the big blind and I believe I did too, then the flop comes TJJ and everybody checks to me and I bet, everybody called, the turn was a T so I have the best full house, and again everybody checked to me and I bet, at this point I believe two people folded and there are 3 of us left. The river brings a Q which worries me because a JQ can take me, and somebody of course bets before me and we reraise till the limit. The guy had pocket Queens, now I was devastated, I don't understand why he would have stayed in all the way to the river since I had bet on the flop and the turn, with TJJT on the table. Should I adjust anything in my game or is that just lucky/bad play by the other person. Thanks.
  • Losing Quad AcesQuestion: This was the worst beat I ever had. I'm playing in a no limit game. I get pocket aces so I raise pre flop. Another player re-raises me and a third goes all-in. I go all-in next and the third guy goes all in. The flop comes: Ah, Jh, 9s. So now I'm feeling real good right? I got the nuts trip aces. Next comes the turn: Js. Ok, this is great right I figure I just won a huge pot with three of us all-in. I have a full house Aces over Jacks. Can't beat that right? Wrong. The river is a 10h. Ok so I have the full house. Wanna guess what the other two have?? Pocket jacks and KQh. That's right dude. I got beat by both four of a kind and a Royal Straight Flush all in the same hand!!! Any idea what the odds of that happening is? I've lost a lot of all-ins, but I don't thing anything will ever beat that one. Just figured I'd share that one with everyone. The good new is it was only a .25/.50 game with a max buy-in of $50. I lost about $45.
  • Royal Flush In NL Cash GameA friend of mine told me this story which is hard for me to fathom. A buddy of his plays in some high stakes no limit cash games.

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