There are many variants of poker, but the most popular variant is probably the Texas Hold’em. Most people who play poker would agree that this is the most exciting game. In this game each player receives two cards and then you have to make the best hand possible out of the five cards you were dealt. Texas Hold’em is the most popular poker game because of the two types of hand rankings. A player can have the best hand (the royal flush) if they have three of the five cards required to have a decent hand. If three players are sitting at the same table, then the first to have their hand broken should be the one sitting on the left of the dealer.
The next hand is Flush, which consists of five cards in the same suit. Another interesting feature of this game is that the highest card in the hand of both the players is second. This is great for the suits, but sometimes sucks for the flushes. The smallest card in the hand of a flush is the Royal Flush, which is an Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten all in the same suit.
After Four of a Kind comes the Full House, which consists of four of the same card and another card of the same rank. The fifth top card in the hand of a full house is the Flush, which is five cards in the same suit. Before we go on to the poker hand rankings, it would be a good idea to familiarize ourselves with the hand ranks.
The royal flush is the highest hand in the poker rankings. A royal flush consists of Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten of the same suit. Next is the Straight Flush, which consists of five cards in numerical order. The Four of a Kind follows up, meaning four of the same card. The Full House is just as it sounds – three of the same card. The Flush is the fifth best hand in the rankings.
Remember, the greatest number in a poker hand is five. The lowest number in a poker hand is 2. In every poker game, the rank of your cards matters. Always remember which rank your cards are in, and don’t be afraid to get it changed. It only makes you sound cool. The main objective in poker is to make your opponents fear you into folding your hand early. It sounds more impressive to call and risk losing a big pot, but your decision is based on the cards you have.
You don’t always have to have all the cards in your hand to win. If you have one card to come, or if you’re close to having all of the cards in your hand, you should bet or raise to try and get the most out of your hand. Having a weak hand at this point is not such a bad position to be in, especially if you have others with better hands pre-flop raising the pot.
There are going to be plenty of hands throughout the game, especially early on, that you will not want to raise most especially if other players in the game have raised in front of you. You should wait for these to be beaten or at least put to a decision. Don’t be afraid to wait for them, as your marginal hands can really come out later on and you want to be real sure you at least have a chance at winning a small pot.
Betting Strategies
Betting is the next foundation for a great poker strategy. You’re going to be hard-pressed to find a time when you are not in a pot. You can’t always have the best hand or be on the right read. You need to bet to represent the strength of your hand. Do not always wait for the best hand, as sometimes that’s all you need to get a good hand.
Outside of the initial two cards, you want to keep betting as long as you can. If you have a marginal hand at this stage you’re better off getting a call or fold. Don’t be afraid to make a large bet if you feel you have the best hand (and chances are you will). Successful betting strategies will allow you to take down pots to win progressive blinds and antes.
Understanding what’s going on is the most important part of any profitable poker strategy. Once you have a basic strategy down post it in the forum or at the site and start asking other people for their experiences. You can even start your own strategy if you’re knowledgeable enough to do it or if you’re not comfortable with how others are playing. Nobody has read the perfect poker strategy yet, so it’s still learning as you go.
It’s easy to tell what’s going on in a hand because you see other people doing it. You don’t need any advanced strategy to know that the nut is the most vulnerable when no one bets. The straight and the flush are also vulnerable at this time.