Learn Texas Holdem

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We really don't know ALL of the rules--we DO know more than the basics, and left it up to those who are REGULARS to make calls.

We have decided to have our first poker party this weekend. But NOW WE ARE RETHINKING (it's happening regardless)because we're getting nervous we'll "mess up". I have a PLETHORA of questions for you!

We are novice players, but love the game and have fun.

The people we have invited--some have NEVER played before. We invited them to actually have a good time and TRY to introduce them to the game.

We told everyone $20 buy in, no more, no re-buys.

FIRST... I've heard you call poker games different terms...ex0 tournaments vs games...rings? What are the type of Holdem games and their differences?

Answer:

>>>>> First of all, thanks for the questions and good luck on hosting your first tourney! I only talk about Texas Holdem on this site and that can be broken down into two main categories: ring games and tournaments. Ring games refer to a full table cash game where your chips actually have that monetary value; for example, if you have a $100 in chips, it actually is $100. You are free to get up and leave with your money whenever you like.

I may have also called ring games, "live" games; although, that probably isn't good of me to do because that can have other meanings too like the game is lively, or wild. The other category is the tournament games where you only make money if you end up placing. These two categories of play can be then broken down to in terms of their betting structure: No Limit Holdem where basically bet any amount you like and Limit Holdem where the betting increments are fixed. If you were playing a Limit Holdem $15/30 then the bets preflop and on the flop would be in increments of $15 and the turn card and river card would be in increments of $30.

Lastly, we use the terms Low Limit, Middle Limit and Upper Limit to refer to the size of the game (how much money is wagered). Low Limit Holdem is pretty much $10/20 and below. Middle Limit Holdem is about $15/30 - $40/80 and anything above that is considered Upper Limit -- you usually don't use these terms when talking about tournament poker.

What should be the max at a table? We are going to have anywhere from 9-15 people playing...any suggestions on dividing?

>>>>> Divide them as evenly as possible. If you have 9 people, they can all fit at one table. If you have over 9 and less than 20 then use two tables. I have everyone draw their table and seat from a hat at the start of the night. Merge the two tables as soon as possible.

Is $20 buy in too much for 9-13 players--MOST not knowing how to play? My husband and I will likely be the most informed/knowledgable about the game.

>>>>> I think that's fine. Everyone can afford to lose $20 for a night of fun and the prize pool will actually be meaningful. When you play with too little money then it doesn't feel the same (like a dollar tournament).

Should we do 4 mini tournaments like one person suggested?

>>>>> Whatever you prefer... If the goal is to get as much play time for all the people then maybe use 4 smaller tournaments or just make one long tournament where the blinds gradually increase. Either way is fine.

What if a question comes up during play? Are we allowed to stop and look up the answer?

>>>>> Sure.

How strict should we stick to the rules? Can you see any house rules we should impose?

>>>>> Just make sure everyone knows that the house rules and either you or your husband make the decisions. For the sake of fairness, you want everyone to be playing within the rules but you don't have to be nit picky like calling string bets and new players. When I play with my friends who don't play poker, I'm not a stickler to the rules, I just try to inform them of their options each betting round so they can decide.

$20 buy in--If we stick to that, what should our chip count be and what do you suggest the values be (.10 vs $10??) (I know this virtually makes no difference, but is one more "intimidating" than the other?and here is the one question that my husband and I are WORRIED about!!!

>>>>> Again whatever you feel like, you can make the denomination whatever you like -- the chips don't need to mirror real money. You could even have each chip worth $100. I'm not sure what chips you have or how many so I can't give you advice on that but I would just start everyone off with as many chips as you can and then decide the denomination after.

Are the more experienced poker players at a DISADVANTAGE because there are going to be some people who don't know what they're doing? EX) staying in with 3 7 because they "don't know better" and catching straight--and this happening over and over again???

>>>>> No definitely not. I often here people complain about how some games are so loose, there are so many bad players, that their good play doesn't work. That same gripe is echoed by a lot of new players who only play No Limit Holdem when they talk about Limit Holdem. It is true that collectively the group of bad players makes it more difficult to win with certain hands but let me be perfectly clear, you make your money in poker by people playing poorly against you, not by them playing well. Bad beats are a by product of people making poor decisions.

Trust me, you don't want to sit down at a table where no one is going to bad beat you and everyone is a tough, aggressive player who is going to challenge you at every point. The reason you hear people complain about this is because of their lack of understanding for what wins. There is a right tool or approach for every type of game whether it be a tight aggressive game or a loose passive game. One approach won't work for all games.

In NL games, what are the rules for raises in relationship to the blinds and which betting round? Example, 80/160 blinds, how do raises work? I can't raise 40, right? I have to raise at least 80 on the flop and 160 raise thereafter????

>>>>> What you just described would be considered limit holdem. An $80/160 game would be where preflop and on the flop the betting increments are $80 and then on the turn and river the increments are $160. For no limit holdem, the minimum bet is always the same as the big blind -- in your example $80. When you raise, you have to at least double the iniatial bet. So preflop and on the flop if you wanted to raise, you would have to raise $80 minimum.

Here is the tricky part and I'll try to explain it as simply as possible. Each betting round kind of resets the bet size back to the big blind. The first bet made sets the new betting and raising minimum. Let me give you an example. Let's say that on the flop I was first to act and I bet $150, that is the new betting minimum and raising minimum for the round. If you wanted to raise, you would have to make it $300 total.

This is important to understand because you can use your betting amounts to help protect your hand. Sometimes betting a moderate amount into another player when you are unsure of their hand can be a good thing because it may deteer them from raising (unless they have a really strong hand). It may actually cost you less in the long run than just checking and calling.

I'm not sure if that was 100% clear so I'll give you one more example using a $50/100 blind.

If you wanted to raise preflop then you would have to at least double the first bet. The first bet is the big blind so you would have to raise to $100 (or any amount over that).

On the flop and after, if you are the first one to bet then you can bet $50 or any other amount more than that. Let's say you did bet and you bet $75 into me. Now if I wanted to raise you, I would have to double the first bet. The first bet is the one you just made and it was $75 so I would have to raise to $150 minimum (or any amount more than that). The same goes for the turn card and river card.

What goes on when I see there are 4 players and one goes out...Then one of the blinds is disregarded and one person only posts a blind. In that case, what are the circumstances in which that happens, and what are the rules? What if the person who went out was GOING to be the dealer on the next turn? Wouldn't that get someone out of a blind? Who posts what blind and does that affect the dealing order? We had a HUGE argument at a home game (rules strict to holdem rules, no house rules made). No one could agree on what should have happened.

>>>>> I've seen people handle missing blinds and buttons in different ways and I think the simplest solution is just to move the dealer button one space to the left and then from there it decides who has the big blind and small blind. If the person who was going to be the dealer button the next hand, you can use what is called a "dead button." The dealer button moves to their seat but no one is there. That keeps the big and small blind order intact.

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