Master The Game of Poker

Starting Hands

Players only get two cards at the beginning of a hand, and both should be strong. This will not only make the game easier to play, but also prevent any nasty surprises. Also know that a good hand is not always good enough; it needs to be the best hand possible.

As a beginner, you can win a considerable amount just by playing micro and low stake games using a tight approach. If you have a good hand and the odds are in your favor, stick to it. But if you know that the odds are stacked against you and your opponent won’t fold, there’s no harm in calling it quits.

So, what makes a strong hand?

Strong Hand

When you are in a late position, high pairs such as 10-10, A-A, K-K, Q-Q and J-J are worth raising.

Examples of strong hands you want to raise before the flop include A-J, A-Q and A-K.These hands are also good for c-bets, which is when you raise pre-flop and follow it up with a bet on the flop.

Medium Hand

Hands of medium strength include J-10, Q-10, and K-10, as well as medium pairs such as 7-7, 8-8 and 9-9. These hands lend themselves to raising(depending on your position and the table dynamic), as well as calling during an aggressive pre-flop betting round.

Marginal Hands

Lastly, you get marginal hands like A-9, 2-2 and 3-3, which are good for calling preflop if you occupy a late position. With a hand like this you can start off by hitting three of a kind on the flop, followed by more aggressive play.

The remarkable thing about online poker is that no two tables are the same. You can always switch up a tight table by expanding the range of your starting hand. But most beginners find games with strong starting hands sensible or even dry to start off with.

Blinds

Most poker variants have small and big blinds. Blinds are mandatory bets that two players need to place on every hand, which then increases the value of the pot. This is typical of poker and cannot be avoided.

Decks

All poker variants use a single deck of cards.This prevents players from ending up with hands consisting of 5 of a kind. Furthermore, burning and shuffling prevents players from being able to predict the cards that will be dealt next.

Rake

The percentage of the pot that the casino gets. This normally ranges from 3-10% and is typical of land-based casinos.

Chips

Different online casinos provide players with different numbers of chips when they join a table. This number depends on whether you’re playing in a tournament or the table’s limits. Familiarize yourself with this information beforehand so you don’t get any surprises.

Players

The number of players at a poker table varies from casino to casino. While it is possible for more than 20 people to play at one Texas Hold’em table, most casinos limit it to 10. This is because tables of more than 10 take too long to play out.

Cards

The number of cards that are dealt differs between variants. So, make sure you know the rules of your chosen variant before you start playing.

For example, your starting hand consists of a pair of fours. Your odds of landing another 4 on the flop would be 7.5 to 1. This is the case because you only need two more cards (2 out of a deck of 52); you hold 2 and the other players two each.

If your chances of making more than the pot odds on your bet is slim,then the bet wouldn’t be worth it. So, if the pot value was $25 but you had to bet $5, the pot odds would be 5 to 1 for you, which is not enough.

Let’s look at what would happen if you made that call despite your pot odds. So, the flop (2-J-K) completely missed you, and your odds of landing that much needed 4 just went up. But because there’s a lot of action after the flop, you stand to make 10 to 1 on your bet. Because you know that your odds are now 9 to 1, you make the call.