The Truth About Starting Hands

Table Manners

Tilt

Betting versus Calling

Mistakes

Higher Limits

Real Money

Most Televised Poker

Final Tip

Hmm..this page is long...

The Truth About Starting Hands

Table Manners

Tilt

Betting versus Calling

Mistakes

Higher Limits

Real Money

Most Televised Poker

Final Tip

Here are some poker tips nicely shuffled...

Table Selection Part I

The only way to profit at poker over the long-run…is to play players who make more mistakes than you do.

So always find a good table! A good table general has two or less skilled players and plenty of agreeable calling stations and donkeys. Always look at the game stats before joining an online game, you want a game with a lot of people in pre-flop and the biggest pots.

"The tenth best poker player in the world would be a loser if he always played in a game with the best nine."

Table Selection Part II

Often the game with the best listed stats (high number of people in preflop and huge average pots) at a certain limit has lured the skilled players and the table is now a bad place to play.

On most major sites, the best players move a lot and play a lot of tables, and always flood a soft table. But quite often if you look around, you can find the good games while they are happening rather than after the stats send in the sharks. These are often games with the third or fourth best listed stats.

Five minutes scouting tables is well worth the effort if you end up with the donkeys instead of the sharks.

Joining and Leaving Tables

Wait for the Big Blind to come around to you before playing a hand at a new table. This saves you a bit of money and gives you a chance to scout your opponents.

When you leave, whenever time allows, wait until the Big Blind comes around to you. Why waste a chance at a great starting hand, all for free.

The Truth About Starting Hand Requirements

So they all tell you not to play but to play . .

Well, King-Queen must be way more likely to win!

Um… actually… not really. King-Queen offsuit versus a full table will win 14% of the time and King-Nine offsuit will win 10% of the time. That is 4 times out of 100 hand more. Not that much difference.

The truth is... starting cards are just two cards, and it takes five to make the best poker hands (unless you have a pocket pair you will need help to have anything but a high card hand!).

So what is up with all these hand rankings? Why can’t you play any two cards?

The truth is… you can! If you play perfect poker. The problem is nobody plays perfect poker. You always want to play a hand where you have an edge. A four percent difference doesn’t sound like much, but 14 out of 100 wins, is forty percent better than 10 out of 100!

Most importantly, by playing two high cards, suited cards and/or connected cards you have a better chance to know where you stand at the flop, turn and river; in addition to the obvious advantage of having a small leg up before you see the community cards on the flop.

Playing quality cards leads to (easy) quality decisions.

Table Manners

Never scoff at people playing any two cards in any situation. You will be making money off these folks in the long run (unless they play like Gus Hanson or Daniel Negreanu after the flop). Treat them well and always tell them “good hand”. Bite your tongue when they hand you a bad beat.

A good game is a fun game, encourage them to stick around!

And also be aware that far worse blunders than playing 'any two cards' occur almost every hand of low-limit holdem.

Tilt

Leave the table immediately if you sense that you are on tilt. Pyschological distress is bad for your game, and no fun to endure. You'll recover quicker and with less expense away from the table

Betting versus Calling

Your first instinct should be to fold or raise. Always have a good reason to just call. The people calling in most low limit poker games, are the people behind and hoping for a miracle.

Betting has two ways to win. Calling only has one.

When you bet you can win if your opponents fold, or if you have the best hand. When you just call, you have to have the best hand to win. As a result, if you know you will call a bet, you are often better off betting out yourself. Give your opponents a chance to fold.

Mistakes

If you love poker, you'll be playing for a whole lifetime. So take a moment after each hand and evaluate your play. Nobody wants to repeat the same mistake an entire lifetime (especially for money)!

Higher Limits

If you decide to play higher limit poker, you will discover that the players are different. They are tighter and more aggressive and force you to make some tough decisions.

Playing hands just for value becomes less important: bluffing, semi-bluffing, deception and learning your opponent all become crucial. In many ways, it is 'poker as people imagine it to be.' Make sure you master the low limits before trying it out though. :)

Real Money

Never let the fact that you are playing for 'Real Money' influence your decisions at the table. Always make the best play you can.

If you find that the threat of lose, or past loses, are effecting your play, move down and play for an amount of money that is more comfortable.

Most Poker on TV

TV poker is heavily edited. So don't get the wrong impression about what top-tier poker is all about. The crazy bluffs that miss (based on a read from a hand we never see) and big allins when the blinds are large, make for good television.

Don't think that pros play like that the whole tournament. Pros are tight and aggressive and very adaptive. They don't see many flops and see far fewer showdowns. And 95% of them hate being allin without the nuts!";

Final Tip!

Phil Ivey and Gus Hanson are probably the best two poker players alive....we just thought you should know our opinion on that one. Never bet against them winning. :)