POKER FOR BEGINNERS Poker is a microcosm of all we admire and disdain about capitalism and democracy. It can be rough-hewn or polished, warm or cold, charitable and caring, or hard and impersonal, fickle and elusive, but ultimately it is fair, and right, and just. ~Lou Krieger Much of my childhood, adolescence and adult life, to date has been centered around the gambling world. An intriguing, yet haunting industry in which I’ve humbled myself in so far as the tips and advice I’ve pick up along my journey. This Poker guide not only reflects some of those useful ideas, but also covers the basics of the game. In Poker, it’s a well known fact that aggressive players have more success at the Poker tables than passive players. This doesn’t mean etiquette should be disregarded – it just implies that a good Poker player is one that plays shrewdly. By playing with crafty intentions, a player would exude confidence when his cards are of little value and convey anxiety when his cards are treasured. It’s important to learn how to play properly and have a sound knowledge of the rules and strategies. Poker essentials are based on being able to bluff convincingly and read your opponents body language, but this will come with practice and experience. There are different motives for playing Poker. Some people play for the thrill and excitement, whilst others not only play for the thrill but become professional Poker players. Either way, it’s important to know the hierarchy of hands at a particular time and to be familiar with the strategies. A good Poker player knows that it’s vital to stay patient, calm and disciplined throughout each round. Let’s get familiar with the different Poker variants… Top 10 best starting hands for poker. 1. Ace-Ace 2. King-King 3. Queen-Queen 4. Ace-King 5. Ace-Queen 6. Jack-Jack 7. King-Queen 8. Ace-Jack 9. Ace-King 10. 10-10
Variants Community Card Poker: Texas hold ‘em
In Community Card Poker the cards, are dealt face-up for all players to see. Each player will receive private cards dealt face-down and these hands will usually be incomplete, thus encouraging players to combine their cards with the community cards to complete their hands. Within the different types of community card Poker, the rules may vary as to how the players combine their cards with the community cards. Texas hold ‘em and Omaha are variants of Community Card Poker.
The most popular type of Community Card Poker is Texas hold ‘em. Each player receives two cards that are dealt face-down, whilst three community cards (known as the flop) are placed face-up. A progression of two additional single cards (known as the turn and the river) are added to the face-up cards and players have the option to check, bet, raise or fold after each series of cards is dealt.
Video Poker
Video Poker is similar to a slot machine and has a five-card draw. A five-card draw is also the simplest Poker variant available to players. Play begins once money is slotted into the machine and when the player has placed a bet and pressed the deal button. Cards are then presented to the player, who can discard and replace various cards that are dealt. If hands played by the player match one of the winning combinations – the machine will pay out.
Draw Poker
Draw Poker is the simplest type of Poker and perhaps the best variant for beginners. A full hand is dealt face-down to each player and once the betting is complete, players can try modifying their hands in order to improve them; this is done by discarding less useful cards and requesting new ones.
Stud Poker
Five-card Stud was a popular variant played during the American Revolutionary war, with seven-card Poker being its successor. Each player is dealt a mix of face-down (hole cards) and face-up cards in each betting round. The player who bets first in a round will not be the same player who bets first in the next round. The first person to bet in a new round is determined by whose face-up cards make up the best hand in the current round.
Acey-Deucey or Red Dog Poker
The game begins after each player places their bets into the pot. Players bet against the house and are dealt two cards. For a player to win, their third card must have a numerical value that is in-between their first two cards, in which case they will then take their bet out of the pot. If however, the third card’s numerical value falls outside of the other two cards then the bettor adds what he bet to the pot. If the third card matches the numerical value of one of the two cards, then the bettor must double his bet and add it to the pot. When there are two cards of the same value the better bets whether the next cards will be a higher or lower value than the two matching cards and if the next card is the same value as the previous two cards – the better has to triple his bet.
Strip Poker
This is a variant best kept for private parties, perhaps. Players remove clothing whenever they lose a bet and it uses the basic procedure of a five card draw. Strip Poker is generally played with the intention to heighten a social atmosphere. The rules are bendable and each player should wear the same amount of clothing. Once all articles of clothing have been removed – players can put their clothes back on or they can continue playing unclothed.
Poker Terms Standard Poker will give you a solid foundation on how to play Poker and will provide you with the essential basics for all variants. You’ll notice that the rules often change depending on whether you play at a casino, online or at a friend’s place so make sure you find out what the rules are before playing. Here’s a glossary of important terms you’re sure to come across during your Poker journey: Ante – the Ante is just a fancy name for a bet that is placed by each player before the dealer deals a hand. An Ante is a forced bet, which means it’s a bet a player must make. Bet – A player’s bet secures him a place in the round. The player simply puts money into the pot to place a bet.
Don’t Bluff too much. It’s not a good idea to Bluff too frequently because it will start looking a little suspicious and let’s face it – not all of us are good actors. When watching the WSOP, it appears that the top Poker players Bluff all the time, but this is not the truth, as viewers are only shown the highlights of rounds and not the entire play.
Blind – Like an Ante, a Blind Bet is also a forced bet and is placed by the player who sits to the left of the dealer. A blind must be placed before the first hand in the round is dealt. Bluff – A player bluffs when he has estimated his hand to be the weak at a particular time in a round and then makes an aggressive bet to hide the fact he’s holding a weak hand. The player hopes for an outcome in which the other players will fall for the bluff and decide to fold. Bug – The bug is when a joker is used as a wild card and usually acts as an Ace. A joker can also adopt the value of any card if it’s the fifth card drawn and a certain value is needed to perform a flush. Buy-in – A certain amount of money a player will need to produce in order to enter a round of Poker. Call – Calling is performed to match a previous player’s bet by saying call and then putting the matched bet into the pot.
Check – A player checks when he makes a bet with nothing. If no previous bets have been made yet and its now your turn to bet, you can bet nothing and pass the opportunity to the next player. If all players check, then the round will end. Clean Out - A single card that makes your hand the best out of all the other players’ hands. Fold – A player can decide to fold when he doesn’t believe his hand is good enough to win the round. Folding takes the player out of the game. Hand – A hand consisting of playing cards, which the player holds and decides which moves to make to better his hand. Made Hand – This is a complete hand that is good enough to beat the other player’s hands and therefore there may be little need to improve on such a hand.
Did you know?
Pot comes from the word jackpot.
Overcall – A player can overcall by putting money in the pot to secure his place in the next round. Pot - The pot consists of all the antes, blinds and bets made within a round and whatever is in the pot, is won by whoever wins the round. Raise – You can raise when another player has placed a bet and you would like to increase the amount of that player’s bet. To raise you would call the previous bet made by the other player (let’s say it was $10) – you call $10 and then say you’ll raise it $10, meaning the pot has now been raised from $10 to $20. Showdown – This is when each player at the end of a hand shows their cards - to see who has the best hand and to see who wins. Wild card - A card whose value depends on the player who’s holding it.
Poker Rules and Basics Poker is both a game of luck and choices. You make choices according to odds, psychology and game strategy. You’ll find that the majority of Poker games use a set of 52 playing cards. The game involves a series of betting in which a winner is determined by the ranks and combinations of each player’s hand.
Fun Fact:
“You win most of your poker money from putting your opponents in a position to make big mistakes and not from your own brilliant play.”
Each player’s cards are only revealed at the end of the game. In standard Poker, each player makes a bet hoping that his hand will have the highest rank. After these bets are placed, each player, one at a time, decides upon their next move. In a clockwise direction, players will each get a turn to perform their moves. These moves consist of each player deciding whether or not they will match the maximum previous bet or fold. If they chose to fold they will lose their amount betted so far in the game. However, if you decide to match the bet you can also raise or increase the bet if desired. Once all players have matched the previous bet or folded – the betting round in Poker ends. If all Players fold in the round, except for one person, then he is the winner and collects the pot. Players who may find themselves involved in a disagreement after the final betting round has ended, their hands are shown and the winner is whoever has a hand that consists of the best Poker combination. We’ll go through Poker hands and their rankings further on in this guide.
How to cash out with more than you bargained for You win most of your poker money from putting your opponents in a position to make big mistakes and not from your own brilliant play”.
Poker Strategies The strategies are simple and easy to follow, even though to a beginner they may seem quite complex, but once you get the hang of it they’ll be a breeze to implement into you’re game.
Poker’s basic strategy
David Sklansky came up with a Poker strategy he calls the Fundamental Theorem of Poker. He believes this theorem reveals Poker’s important characteristic’s of decision making without having all the information a player needs to make his move. In other words, it’s a game played mainly on a player’s intuition. Sklansky says, “Every time you play a hand differently from the way you would have played it if you could see all your opponents' cards, they gain; and every time you play your hand the same way you would have played it if you could see all their cards, they lose. Conversely, every time opponents play their hands differently from the way they would have if they could see all your cards, you gain; and every time they play their hands the same way they would have played if they could see all your cards, you lose.”
To put this more simply, Sklansky is saying that the most profitable decision or move to make in Poker is to decide on which move you think is the most likely to give you the best outcome. He says that if you could see your opponent’s cards, you would obviously be able to make the necessary mathematical calculations and thus make the right move and vice-versa - if they could see your cards they would be able to do the same. Your decisions should be made as though you could see your opponent’s hand and because you obviously can’t, then make your move based on well calculated guesses.
David Sklansky Sklansky is considered a top authority when it comes to gambling and has written extensively on Poker and Blackjack.
This theorem is based first and foremost on mathematical reasoning and aims to provide the player with long term benefits, which will provide you with the opportunity to win more often in the long run. It’s definitely a strategy worth applying to your game.
Poker Odds or Pot Odds
Pot odds depend on the relation of the current sized pot to the cost of the predicted call. Remember that calling is done to match a bet or match a raise. Odds are usually depicted in ratios, which makes them a little tough to work with, compare and understand. Therefore we are going to show you how to convert the odds ratio into percentages. Firstly, the ratio is made up of the size of the pot and the cost of the call. These two numbers are added together and then divided by the
cost of the call by the two added numbers. Let’s say the pot is $30 and the call cost is $10, thus the pot odds are 3:1. We add $30 and $10, which equals $40. You then divide the $40 by $10 and you’ll end up with ¼, which is 25%. So what is pot odds used for? Well, when a player has a drawing hand (a hand that is incomplete and needs to draw upon other cards to improve the value of the hand) or a hand that has the chances of winning if a certain card is drawn – the pot odds percentage is used to find out the expected value of that hand when the player is faced with a bet. A player can expect to win the pot if their odds of winning are better than the pot itself. Implied odds are calculated the same way as pot odds. Implied odds are used when the player thinks he’s going to fold in the next round. A player with experience will decide to call, place a bet or open, depending on the calculated implied odds. Implied odds are mostly found in multi-way pots where opponents keep calling until there is a showdown.
Raising (Aggressive Play) When should you raise? Why minimum raises aren’t a good idea. 1. It gives your opponents excellent pot odds to draw out. 2. You’ll miss out on a great amount of value within the minimum raise.
• Raise when you suspect you have the strongest hand. Raising encourages more players to put money in the pot, which will increase the amount of money you’ll win with your hand. • If you have a made hand (a hand that does not need to be improved on to win) then raise to drive out your opponents because raising will protect your hand from other players who have a drawing hand, which they will need to improve on if they want to win. • If your hand is inferior to the other players then you would want to bluff in an attempt to deceive the players about the strength of your hand. In order to make your bluff believable, you’ll need to raise. • If you have a drawing hand (a hand that needs to be improved on), you will raise to semi-bluff the other players in the hopes that you’ll be able to improve your hand. Your primary intention to raise here would be that other players will believe your bluff and then fold. The more players who fold, the greater your chances of winning the round. • You can raise to block players who have drawing hands to stop them from raising.
• Often a player may decide to raise in order to obtain a free card. When you raise with a drawing hand the other players will probably call the bet and check on the next betting round, which gives you the opportunity to get a free card. • If you raise on your hand that may or may not be the best hand in the round, you’ll be able to draw information about the strength of your opponents hands. • Raising also enables you to get rid of bad hands. It’s an attempt to protect your hand, especially if you have a hand that doesn’t contain hole cards. It also provides the opportunity to encourage the nut hand (the strongest possible hand in a given situation) to fold and to see which other players have nut hands. • You can raise with the intention of isolating other players which assists with blocking and protecting yourself from their hands, which may be better than yours. This will be sufficient in driving out these hands that could be stronger than yours.
Calling (Passive Play) When should you call?
Whilst calling is not always the ideal strategy, it can come in handy: • Calling is a good idea when you have a drawing hand and want to see more cards. • Call when you have pot odds that are good enough and when you want to limit your loss in equity. • If you want to avoid a re-raise, you can call to stop the previous bettor from re-raising. Take note that calling in these circumstances will only be effective if you’re the last player to make a move. • If you don’t want other players to know the value of your hand (especially if it’s a strong hand), you smooth call to conceal your hand and to get as much money as possible into the pot. • When calling to manipulate pot odds, you offer other players who still have to act, more favorable pot odds if they also call. This may encourage players to over call or raise, which will build the pot. • You can call on an early betting round, to set up a bluff on a later betting round.
Hands in Poker A Royal Flush
Ace is the highest valued card
Not only is this the ultimate hand to have in Poker, but it’s also rare and is unbeatable. A straight flush with an ace as its highest valued card is known as a royal flush. When you get a royal flush in Poker, you’ll have every right to be excited, as it’s the ultimate hand to have in Poker. A Straight Flush
This is a hand containing five cards that are of the same set and are in sequence. It’s a hand that meets both the requirements of a straight and a flush. Hands that contain a straight are described according to the highest card in the hand, for example:5 4 3 2 A is a 5-high straight flush and can also be referred to as a wheel. Four of a Kind
Also known as quads and contains all four cards of one class as well as any other unmatched card. It’s important to remember with these cards that quads or four of a kind with higher-ranking cards, defeat lower-ranking ones. A Full House
A full house can also be called a full boat. It’s a hand holding a three of a kind plus a pair. If there are two full house hands, the hand that has the higher three-of-a-kind will win, for example 7 7 7 4 4 beats 6 6 6 A A . A Flush
All five cards are part of the same set and the cards in this set don’t have a sequential order. If there is more than one player with a flush then the highest card of each hand is compared and the hand holding the highest valued card is the winner. A Straight
This hand consists of five cards, each belonging to any set of cards and all five have a sequential order. As in a flush, two straights are compared using each hands highest card. Three of a Kind
This hand can also be known as trips or sets because three cards have the same rank (value) and beats two pairs. The two pairs in this case are two cards that do not have a related value. Two Pairs
Two pairs consist of two cards with the same value, plus another two cards of another value as well as one card that is completely unrelated to the other two sets. The higher ranked pairs are compared and the highest ranking set wins. One Pair
Not a great hand to have in Poker, as it’s made up of two cards of the same value, along with three other cards that are completely unrelated. As in two pair hands, higher ranking pairs defeat lower ranking pairs. High Hand
A high hand has no pairs and there is no sequential order. It’s the hand that is the most worthless in Poker
A Brief Poker History
Fun Fact:
If you’re dealt a 10, 2 it’s called a Doyle Brunson because he won back to back World Series with the hand.
Poker first made its appearance in 1829 in New Orleans, Louisiana and was played with a skimpy 20 card deck. Back then the game was played in its simplest form: there were generally only four players at a time and each one bet on which player’s hand they thought was holding the most value. In those times any sort of gambling was used as a recreational activity, primarily amongst men. Poker gained momentum through its adoption onto the Mississippi riverboats by the pioneers. It further spread to the West of America during the time of the gold rush and it was during this time that it developed into a 52-card deck. Not only did the number of cards increase, but the well-known term – a flush and later around 1850, the term draw was added to the game. It was during the American Civil War (1861–1865), that other additions to the game were introduced. Some of these were: wild cards, community cards and variants such as Stud Poker, Low Ball and Split-Pot Poker. After the World Series Of Poker (WSOP) began in American casinos, the game not only spread like wild-fire, but flourished and gave rise to some really big names, such as: Johnny Moss, Amarillo Slim, Bobby Baldwin, Doyle Brunson and Puggy Pearson. Online Poker and hole-card cameras have taken the game to new heights, as it’s turned Poker into a spectator sport which can be viewed and watched as a form of entertainment or played online in the comfort of your own home.
In Ending I believe in poker the way I believe in the American Dream. Poker is good for you. It enriches the soul, sharpens the intellect, heals the spirit, and - when played well, nourishes the wallet. ~Lou Krieger Another important tip I can offer you, is to remember that a caller only wins by having the best hand and the problem with a player, who likes to call too often, is that he is playing it safe. From my own experiences, It’s more favorable to be a better than a caller. You’re going to find that Poker is a game where player’s need to take chances and rely on well calculated guesses and inference. Don’t fall into the trap of believing there are definite patterns to follow in order to reach success. Once you’ve leant the rules and practiced the strategies, start playing aggressively and play with confidence, and composure.