Learn Texas Holdem

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.

Like a lot of others, I bought every book I could, studied every internet site and article I could find (I believe your site is the best for pure advice) and have created numerous spreadsheets with starting hand rankings, statistics, probabilities, odds, outs, etc.

My education and work experience is mostly in business, with a heavy emphasis in computer science and accounting. I've also spent much of my life flying airplanes, jets and helicopters. Everyone's skill set and education is different. Perhaps those areas should help me more. I don't know. I have learned that a new player must be able to grasp the basic concepts of hand rankings, general statistics and probabilities of card outcomes and the like.

Moving beyond poker theory

In the early stages, I think I spent way too much time trying to memorize rankings, probabilities, percentages, odds and outs. I played way too mechanically, especially for no-limit. I would literally look at my cards, compare them to a spot on a chart, and make a decision as to what to do by looking at where they fell in some poker table. Then some guy would make some crazy bet and I'd be stuck saying "Now what do I do".

I think that two of the most difficult concepts for beginners to grasp in learning no-limit are POSITION and OPPONENT. Kudos to you and the other authors for trying really hard to emphasize this. But, although I'm at least of average intelligence and experience, I had a hard time sorting out all of the "but it depends on the situation ..." caveats that make their way into the advice. I do believe that it truly can be learned only by playing. That being said, my advice to the beginner would be to spend as much time as possible trying to learn just that.

Memorize some very basic information: premium starting hands, the concept of 'outs', the general cards that are good against only 1 or 2 players vs. those that might work with a lot of people in the pot, etc. But don't get obsessed (I'm referring to NO-LIMIT specifically here) with pot odds, percentages, and so on. I think the beginner should spend his/her time becoming a student of POSITION, the OPPONENT and the SITUATION more so than anything else. Texas Calculatem helps you with probabilites and calculates the poker oddsautomatically. The best thing with this poker software is help you evaluate your get evaluating your poker hands depending on your position. Read more about the poker odds calculator Texas Calculatem in the "Poker Tools"-Section.

Knowing your enemy

When I started playing online, I didn't think that I could sit down at an online table and get a 'feel' for the other players. What I've learned is that not only can you get a feel for the players at the table, it is MANDATORY that you do so.

Now, when I sit down at a $100NL table, I purposely plan to sit and watch for 10-30 hands while I'm gathering that 'feel' for the table (tight, loose,aggressive) and the players in particular. How many people just limp in? How many people usually look at the flop? How many hands are going beyond the flop at this table? What kind of hands are being shown? What kind of hands are people playing. In particular, I have learned to take mental note of what kind of starting hands the players are playing - when you have a chance to see, of course. Yes, players do come and go in 10 seat ring games. But I've learned that rather quickly I can figure out who at the table is solid, who is weak and who the maniacs are. I plan to give my blinds ($1/2$) at the $100NL table at least 3 to 4 times before I begin to play, unless of course I'm dealt AA, KK, AK. I'll give them a shot, but I'm still paying close attention. What does that really cost me? $10-$12? For a chance to win big pots and double through someone, it's money well spent.

Focusing on position

Lately, when I start to play, I seem to almost exclusively focus on POSITION first, relative to my cards. When I look at my cards, I find myself saying "OK, I've got 22, I'm in first position, who's behind me? If I limp with this and get raised am I going to call it? What are my chances of getting raised in the first place? I think they're good, so forget it, I know this hand can't stand a raise so I'm passing." And I muck them. I now seem to be able to do this (whether right or wrong) in about 1-3 seconds. The flip side - if I'm on the button with the 22, I find myself saying "OK, I'm on the button with 22, 3 players limped, I know the guys in the blinds will limp, because they always do, so I'll limp, see if I can hit the set. No set, I'm outta here! Unless of course it's checked around to me".

When it gets down to heads-up, or 3-way, I've learned to work really hard in putting my opponents on a hand. What might they have kept and played according to what I know about them? This has helped tremendously, if for no other reason than it buys me time to stop and think, insuring that I don't make some bone-headed play that will take me out. I think, as a beginner, it's way too easy, in online card rooms, to have AK in the hole, flop AK2 and get all excited about having all those pretty cards. You then start clicking buttons like you're going to win the WSOP and end up losing your stack to a set of 2's. This is also why I've learned to love playing pocket 2's - I win much more now with those than I do with AK. I'd honestly rather have pocket 2's, in the right POSITION against the right OPPONENTS than AK - at an online, NO-LIMIT table.

Take it from one who knows. Two pair is just two pair. It usually doesn't matter what pictures or numbers are on the cards. I rarely lose my stack any more by making bad decisions. This is an important concept for beginners, I think. If you are unsure, don't make the decision. The worst that can happen is that you muck KK if you think your opponent might have QQQ. This is another lesson for the beginners that I can't emphasize enough: don't get married to any hand, short of the absolute nuts (which doesn't happen that often anyway). No one will know that you mucked KK. For all they know, you mucked J8o. Mucking KK didn't cost you any money. At the beginning level, I think you'll be much better off controlling your loses while learning how to win.

Take it from someone who has already contributed hard earned money to the online poker community, everything you've read at this web site and in most other books is true - you'll lose more money with AK than you will with 22. I either won't play 22 (depending on the situation) or I'll limp and either hit the set or get out. Minimal damage. Not a lot of decisions to make. I like that. I like simple.

Right or wrong, I've come to view AK (online, $100NL cash ring game) as a drawing hand. Because, well, actually it is. Until you hit something, AK is just high card, high kicker. If my minimal fact memorization is correct, 22 beats AK about 53% to 47% of the time.

I'm sure this isn't original to poker, but I call all of this SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. Pilots are taught situational awareness. Although you fly an airplane mechanically, what mechanics you employ change literally by the second as your situation changes.

It seems like I now spend 90% of my mental energy at the table evaluating this concept - my SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. Again, right or wrong, at a NO-LIMIT table, I really don't spend much time thinking about what the $12 pot might become on the River relative to my odds on drawing (I don't draw much anyway). I simply evaluate my ways of winning the pot or betting and getting more value for it by the end, relative to my position and opponent.

A big part of my new evolving strategy, that I haven't found emphasized in too many books or articles, is that I now try to think one or two moves ahead. Much like a chess game. This frequently helps clear up for me the current decision, especially if it's a tough one - whether to bet, raise, call or fold. For example, if I'm thinking about playing KJo from first position, knowing that I will be the first to act after the flop, I've learned to consider what I'm going to do in most of the probable scenarios. Do I want to limp or do I want to bet? If I limp and get raised big behind me, am I going to call it? And who's the one doing the raising? If I get raised really small behind me, will I call that? If I don't get raised at all - what am I going to do after the flop, what am I likely going to do as the first one to act? What am I really hoping for? If an A flops, what am I going to do? If no overcards flop, am I going to bet it big and bluff? Or am I going to just check and hope no one raises? And then what if they do? These are the thoughts that run through my mind now that didn't when I was just a youngster in the game (6 months ago).

I have also learned to mix up my play. I read all of that in the beginning, of course. But now I'm starting to REALLY understand it. Recently I played 98s on the button with a couple of limpers. I knew the blinds would just call. What did it cost me? $2. In NO-LIMIT, the upside can be huge. Sure enough, the flop came 98Q. It was checked around to me so I checked. The big blind bet $6. A reasonable bet from that guy, as I immediately put him on a Q or maybe a 9 or 8, since he was in the big blind. He could have kept anything for free. Not likely pocket queens because he was the type of guy who would have bet that really big, with a quick mouse click. I also figured that he wouldn't have bet so quickly with just a pocket 8 or 9 since the Q was showing. So I just called. The Turn brought a 9. He bet the same amount. I waited for about the maximum 30 seconds to elapse, then I just called again. The River brought nothing. He bet again. I waited again, then came over the top of him large. He immediately called, almost as if to say "You're not going to bluff me!". I won about a $100 pot with the full house. He never saw it coming. One of the biggest pots I won that session was with that 98. Right position, right opponent, right situation. Then I just tried to play it as smart as I could. I sensed that if I bet it big after the flop or the turn, he might have just folded. I didn't bother to do the math on pot odds, outs, etc. I just had that 'feel' for the situation. I did have a plan, though. Had he called me all-in after the flop (as if he might have hit pocket Q's) I probably would have folded. A lot easier to lose $2 than risk my stack. If another Q hit on the Turn, I was probably out of there. But the 9 hit. Again, if the River brought a Q, I was probably out of there. At that point I had put him on a Q for sure. He would have taken it with Q's full of 9's, instead of my 9's full of 8's. The point is, I'm getting better at figuring out all of this the instant the flop hits. I have already figured out my plan as to how I'll play out the entire hand. I think it's more important for beginners, in NO-LIMIT, to think about these things rather than what kind of return that $2 call could bring if they hit it big.

In general, it seems that my starting hand selection changes significantly with each hand and each movement of the button. I now finding myself looking at the table and saying things like "Cool, only 2 more hands until the button".

I also have learned not to get married to the blinds. Just because I can look at a flop for cheap isn't always good. The problem I have with it is that I'm then first to act. Do I really want to bet my 72o from the big blind just so as to not check? That one's obvious. But what was not obvious to me was when I'd get that KJo in the blinds. The flop brings AJ3 suited. Now what do I do? Check? That's the safe play, but kind of weak. Bet it up? That's the aggressive play and you certainly will get some information back about where you stand. But again, are you going to stand the over-the-top raise you might get? And if not, you've just been feeding that pot. So why do that in the first place? Those are becoming much easier decisions for me now. Fortunately, I'm winning a lot of money from players who will play those.

I have literally quit looking at the charts, tables, percentages, etc. while I'm playing. It's too distracting to begin with. And I'm learning that in NO-LIMIT, it's really not how I'm going to base my decision anyway.

Am I on the right track? Or am I evolving in the wrong direction? I don't know for sure, but it seems to be working. I can now sit down at a $100NL table (I usually play 2 at a time now) and be confident that, given enough time (I'm also very PATIENT) in an hour or two, sometimes three, I can be the chip leader at the table, or in the top 3.

I wouldn't recommend that all beginners play 2 tables at once until they develop the ability to get that 'feel' for the tables and players. I think I can do it now pretty well. The upside for me is that by getting to see a lot of cards coming at me, I don't get bored. I find myself much more patient. I almost fear playing at only one online table now (in a cash, ring game) because I'm afraid I'll get bored and start playing AJ, KJ from in front, something that I now wouldn't likely do now. Knowing that I'll have plenty of cards to look at it's easier for me to be really patient and play the best cards in the best position. But again, I'd only recommend that after you feel good about being able to properly read both tables.

Some Sit and Go Considerations

I also have played in quite a few sit-n-go tournaments. I employ my same general situational awareness strategy, with a couple of differences. I find I don't have as much time to evaluate everyone so I really need to pay attention. I've learned that in those games, it works for me to adopt a 'sit and watch' approach. That almost always allows a bunch of the other folks to simply eliminate themselves. My motto at a 10 seat sit-n-go is 'Stay alive until the final 5'. I simply watch and learn, look for super premium hands, in the right position, and try and add a few chips to my stack so I can stay alive. It seems that once I get to the final 5, it becomes pretty easy to make it to the final 3, which is usually in the money. I've already seen 2 players of the final 5 eliminated in one all-in. It seems that once you are in the final 3, the cards pretty much play themselves and you have to take your chances when you can.

Employing my situational awareness concepts, coupled with adjusting my play slightly since any all-in can put me out of the table, has allowed me to win 3 sit-n-go's, take 2nd or 3rd about 5 or 6 times while finishing no worse than 5th only twice (thanks to early bone-headed decisions).

Rarely anymore do I lose my whole stack. I don't necessarily look for all-in situations, but will do it and call it, carefully and appropriately. When I have a hand, I'll bet it aggressively or trap, as appropriate, watching as things change, because they do if you go past the flop.

If anything, I could probably stand to be a bit more aggressive. I don't bluff much, if at all. Any more, it seems like I don't have to if I understand the situation I'm in clearly. But I still classify myself as a beginner.

How am I doing? What could I incorporate into my evolving strategy that would be better?

Thanks much,

Chuck Allen

My Comments: This is an excellent article and I think you touched on some key points that will be highly beneficial to new players. The idea of situational awareness, getting married to pots, thinking ahead, and adjusting to your opponents play were particularly good. You are definitely headed in the right direction. I would add to this by mentioning deception, which I consider the one of the most important aspects to winning at no limit holdem cash games. It helps to think really low level about the reasons why one person wins over another one. We all get the same amount of good and bad cards so one might assume winning poker is just folding a lot and then making some money on your good cards. That is part of it but not nearly close to the potential. Humans aren't perfect machines -- they can be coaxed, provoked and confused into mistakingly putting in far too much money in a situation that doesn't dictate it. This is deception at its best. A good no limit holdem player will be able to size up a situation and make the right moves to generate more money from a win than an average player. I would encourage everyone to be on the look out for moves like this so you can build your arsenal. Try to develop a sixth sense for how other players play and how they view your play. Then you can use this information to manipulate them all the way to the bank. Lastly, the most important ingredient to success in any endeavor is to become informed. Chuck has demonstrated this through his research and thought about the game. If you take this approach to any problem, you will eventually come out on top because the sad truth is, most people are lazy uninformed bastards. Poker is no different.