Texas hold'em is the easiest poker game for beginners to learn. A texas hold'em strategy can be learned in a matter of minutes but understanding a strategy that helps you win consistently takes time. There are some factors in poker to take into consideration:

Affordability; if you can't afford to lose, don't play.

No limit texas holdem is psychological warfare. If not mentally prepared before sitting at a realmoney table, don't play. WITHOUT mental preparation at a holdem game, you're throwing your money away. Focus on winning, positive attitude, and possessing attributes winning players have:

Discipline

Patience

A Plan

Discipline and patience are attributes one must learn alone. The Super Strategy Guide helps you develop a Plan to play successful poker, specifically, texas holdem. Without these attributes, players will take advantage.

Texas Holdem Image and Poker Personality

Every player has a personality that can make or break them at a poker game. Your texas holdem image is a crucial part of playing.

Below are 5 common image descriptions:

Fish

Weak-tight

Maniac

Rock

Strong-aggressive

Try to find an image description that conveys your style of play. But remember, your opponents may use their table image to make you believe they're something they're not.

Fish: A bad player - little skill, investing into too many hands, hoping for a lucky break. Chips are earned mainly from these players. Fish players enjoy bluffing - don't be surprised if they try to make a move with nothing. You can't bluff a bad player. When a fish has some kind of hand and is still in the pot, it's obvious he's got something.

Weak-tight: Understands the fundamentals of winning - better hand selection, but they're afraid. They're passive and will check/call rather than bet/raise. They fear losing a pot with an average hand and get bullied around with raises. Although they're capable of trapping you later on. It's better to lead with a bet if you're acting before the weak-tight opponent rather than check. When you bet into a weak-tight player, their reaction would be calling or folding. If they call, they're probably holding a decent hand, but are afraid to bet/raise at the pot in case they lose. Making a strong play at the Turn would scare them away.

Maniac: Play as many hands as fishes but incline to raise and reraise. It's difficult to tell if they're bluffing. They're known to bully players around, but isolating them by re-raising them off guard or having a decent hand scares them away.

Play strong hands against these opponents or play a hand if you can see the flop for cheap, and if you hit a good hand on the flop, lead off with a bet. The maniac may try to play back and raise, but if you have a considerable hand, then re-raise to make them re-think their move.

Rock: Tight player, only plays premium hands- so few that when they do call a bet you'll know what they have. Best to stay out of the way when these players raise preflop. Knowing these players only hold big hands preflop, flops with no aces or face cards can be most profitable for you, knowing your rock opponent didn't hit, unless they hold high pockets. Try to bet a substantial amount to take the pot down.

Strong-aggressive: Strategically/tactically sound with ability to change gears. They have control over the tables and are much more eager to bet at the pot rather than call.

Table Observation

Most individuals have no beginning preflop strategy; they'd sit at a poker table trying to play quickly as possible, not aware of whom they're playing. This is a common mistake most players make. Before jumping into the action, consider:

Is your table a full or short handed game? With a full table it's likely someone's holding a strong hand or overcards that can easily beat your hand. Also, the chances of someone else's hole cards fitting the flop will be much better.

The most crucial information you can obtain is how your opponents play and adjust to their style. Eg, don't play for the first five minutes; let the button and blinds pass once, unless you pick up a nice hand (AA, KK, etc). After identifying weak and strong opponents, start picking up pots off weak players. But first consider:

Position is very important. Players in late position have a great advantage than those acting ahead. Players acting last can observe the action taking place and can influence the size of the pot. Your position may be more valuable than the cards you hold.

A player with a large stack dominates his opponents and can scare opponents out of the pot. However, watch out for players with short stacks. If still in a pot, they're usually all in at some point. Is the individual there to learn, have fun or for a living? Most of your profit comes from picking a target and going after him. Eg, target the drunk guy who's there for a good time.

Who's winning and who's losing? People don't play as well when they're losing. Losing player=easier target. Initially establish a dominating presence at the table. Be confident; sit up straight and let them know how comfortable you are. Lastly, pay attention. If you pay attention after you fold, you will pick up certain tells and player's betting patterns. Players will show information you can use against them.

The Importance of Poker Position

Texas Holdem is all about people and position. All rounded players agree that position is fundamentally important.

Playing your hole cards in late position can be much more profitable than in early poker position. The reason because much more information is gathered before acting. Playing late position gives you an idea where you stand by observing how players react and bet. On the other hand, players at early position may use their poker position to check-raise the late positioned aggressors and trap them later at the end. In Texas Holdem, late and early should be played cautiously regardless.

How to Bet

A bet is a declaration that you have a good hand. When a player raises, they are proclaiming they have the best hand and they'll wager money on it.

The following are strategic plays:

Blind-Stealing: When you are on the dealer button and only you have the blinds are left, a raise is called blind-stealing. This may cause the blinds to fold, stead of simply checking.

Steal-Raise: If you are the last to act and all players have checked to you, a simple raise can limit the number of active players or take the pot. This move is only recommended if you've hit a piece of the flop and want to see where you stand.

Check-Raising: The act of checking to your opponent with the intention of luring them to raise, so that you can re-raise them back.

The Opener: Raising when you're first to act. This strategy is used to limit the number of players and is an information bet. Many will fold, but the ones remaining will either be equally aggressive or truly have a good hand.

Squeezing: Raising when suspecting another player may be on a draw. Raising discourages players taking a chance on their draws.

Bluffing 101: Bluffing is used to deceive other player's into thinking you have a better hand when you don't.

Bluffing should be done sparingly at the right time.

WRONG Time To Bluff:

Player's Expect You To: You were caught bluffing and now labelled as a poor bluffer. Don't stick your hand in the cookie jar until you rebuild your reputation as an honest player, then try to bluff later.

Against Too Many Players: Chances are that someone has a made hand and they'll stick with it.

Against Bad Players: Because they've no idea what's going on. They want to improve their own hand, so they'll call just about anything.

You lost a Series of Hands: Players will expect you to make some crazy moves to make your money back. They'll be ready to call you down.

RIGHT Time to Bluff:

Against Weak-Tight Players: Once you have a general idea of how your opponents play, your biggest targets would be pounding the weak-tight players who tend to fold easily. However, bluffing too early won't make them budge; they may not believe you have a better hand or maybe holding a strong hand of their own.

Few Players in the Pot: The fewer the hands out there, the slimmer the chances are of someone making a reasonable hand.

Everyone has checked and you're last to act: Betting will force a few players out of the pot, but not all. It's also a good strategy to see where you stand.

You Bet Preflop and Missed: You're holding an A Q and bet preflop, and the flop comes down K -8 -5. Other player's may still think your hand is strong because of your bet preflop. So a bet on the flop would make your opponents thinking you've hit nicely on the flop.

Player's Fear You: Yyou won a hand through a good play, and see your opponent a bit aggravated. Trick them by running again the same play that beat them.

Semi-Bluffing: A semi-bluff is a partial bluff with some truth. With a semi bluff, you can either win by them folding, improving to the best hand, or by catching a scare card and betting out on the following round. You should have general knowledge of calculating odds before attempting a semi-bluff.

Eg: You're holding 8 8 in the pocket, someone raises preflop and you call. The flop is a rainbow of 3 - -9. It's likely your opponent has overcards (AK, KQ, A10). You don't want your opponent to catch any of his cards on the turn of river so bet to get the pot then and there.

Tells: A habit, or physical reaction that gives players information about your hand. Most pros pick up on tells to determine if their opponent has a strong hand or is bluffing. False tells are used to fool players.

The Eyes Never Lie: Many players can't help but stare at big hole cards for a longer period of time. If a player is looking to steal the pot, he may look to the left to see the number of active players remaining for an opening bet. People rarely look someone straight in the eyes while being dishonest.

Facial Expressions: Showing unhappiness indicates a weak hand. Facial ticks or nervousness are signs of weakness.

Weak is Strong and Strong is Weak: When a player has a monster hand, they usually pretend to act disinterested, eg. "Oh, is it my turn?".

Shaky Hands: nervousness usually represents a monster hand.

Glance at Chips: A quick glance at their chips after the flop, turn, or river indicates a plan of attack; usually meaning they have a strong hand. But some use this tactic to scare you off.

Peeking at Hole Cards After Flop: Typically, players peek to see if one of their cards are connecting a flush draw or a straight draw.

Body Language: Slumped shoulders indicate weakness and sitting upright indicates strength. Leaning forward indicates an aggressive player, but remember, strong is weak and weak is strong.

Chip Stacking: Loose-aggressive players (maniacs) have sloppy and unorganized stacks. Tight-conservative players keep neat and well organized stacks.

Choosing Your Starting Hand Preflop

Generally, no limit texas holdem is a situational guessing game. You should never fall into the habit of playing a hand in a specific way. High quality poker player's will "pick up" your pattern of plays and will eventually use that against you. Shift gears to keep you opponents guessing.

Secondly, texas holdem is a mixture of psychological warfare and mental calculation. You should have a general understanding of how to calculate poker odds before proceeding to read this section...

AA & KK Preflop

While you love seeing them as your starting hand, most people think pocket aces or kings should be slowplayed. Pocket Aces or kings are not slow playing hands. These hands can easily be cracked by two pair, trips, etc... I would suggest calculated raises preflop to ensure you're in the lead.

Early-Position with AA/KK: In early position or "under the gun", I would generally limp-in (just call) and hopefully get someone to raise; I would re-raise about the size of the pot.

Mid-Position with AA/KK: If someone raises before me I'd re-raise the size of the pot.

Late-Position with AA/KK: I'd obviously put up a raise if no one bets, or put up a re-raise if someone raises in early position. If someone re-raises my raise, I'd move all in...

AK Preflop

If you're in an early position, it usually means you're one of the first three players to the LEFT of the dealer. Of course, if you're small blind, that means you're almost last to act before the flop, but first to act AFTER the flop. If you're big blind, that means you're last to act pre-flop, but second to act after the flop.

And lastly, if you're the THIRD player to the left, that means you are the FIRST to act before the flop, and third to act after the flop...This position is also known as "under the gun".

As we discussed a few days ago, Big Slick is a "monster" hand that most players pray for... BUT can be a TERRIBLE hand if you don't know what you're doing. Eg:

You go "all in" before the flop, but don't catch anything

You catch an ace or king on the flop, bet a lot of chips, then get run down by another player who gets a better hand.

Since even a pair of DEUCES can beat Big Slick by itself, I recommend that you don't go all-in with Big Slick before the flop. It's just too risky because there's many hands that can beat you.

Getting run down by another player even though you hit your ace or king can be EXTREMELY frustrating.

Eg, let's say you're holding Big Slick and the flop comes out A,K,5. You're obviously excited because you flopped top two pair, but what if Marty, who just learned how to play Hold'em a couple weeks ago, is holding a pair of fives? Chances are, he's going to clean you out for all your chips.

Your strategy, should be to DECREASE the chances that someone at the table (like Marty) is going to get lucky on the flop. You do that by making sure they don't even SEE the flop in the first place, by making a pre-flop raise or strong bet. The ultimate goal should be to create "heads-up" action before the flop when you get dealt Big Slick. Force players like Marty to fold before the flop hits. That will prevent the "bad beats" and allow you to focus on a single opponent. The most difficult way to win with Big Slick is if you're in an early position AND you don't catch anything good on the flop.

Let's say I'm "under the gun" (first to act before the flop... third player to the left of the dealer) in a no-limit cash game. I look down to see AK of diamonds. Great hand, terrible positioning. Instead of limping in and letting all the crap hands at the table see the flop, I make a raise as we discussed. "$15 to play." Some players will limp-in with AK when they're first to act, hoping someone ELSE will make the raise for them (which gives them the chance to re-raise). I don't like this strategy. Because if someone else makes the initial raise, that means they get control over the table and betting.

For example, let's say I limp-in and Josh makes it $25 to play. Everyone else folds and then I come back over the top of him for $100 more. Without hesitation, Josh goes all-in and pushes in his stack of $350 in chips. See how this could get ugly? Josh may be holding pocket 9's for all I know... which will BEAT me if I don't catch the right cards on the flop. Then again, he might be holding a pair of face cards... or maybe just AJ. No matter what, I really don't care. Because I don't want to risk all my chips on AK and leave my night up to chance. As much as possible, I want to be in FULL CONTROL of my destiny at the card table.

"$15 to play", I repeat. I'm hoping to get just one caller, or two at the most. The action goes around the table, and everyone mucks their hands... except for Drew. He splashes the pot and calls. So I've created heads-up action and taken control of the betting... exactly as I wanted to do with my monster hand in this position. The flop hits: 2h, 9d, 7s. I'm first to act. Obviously, this flop is terrible... the best thing I've got going is a possible runner/runner diamonds draw.

Should I check my ace high?

No. This is where you should fire AGAIN, and continue to play aggressively... Because the flop probably didn't help Drew either.

If I CHECK, Drew will sense my weakness and might try to steal the pot. My bet will give him the impression I'm on an overpair and have the best hand... so he'll probably muck his cards now. Even if he calls, I'm still in good shape. If the turn card doesn't help me, I'll back down and minimize my losses. I DON'T want to dig myself in a deeper hole and try to bluff it out. Or I may catch my top pair on the turn or river and be able to win that way.

So no matter what happens, I'm not risking too many chips and I'm putting myself in a great position to win the hand. Now, what if my $15 pre-flop bet had multiple callers? Having multiple players in the game would have increased the odds that someone actually benefited from the 2,9,7 flop. Which means I would NOT have made a strong bet after the flop. Instead, I'd have backed down and just checked. If someone else bet strong, I would have mucked my A,K and lived to see another hand.

So THAT's how you play Big Slick under the worst of circumstances and STILL have a great chance at winning a nice pot. Of course the chances of getting AK are just 1 in 83. And the odds of getting AK suited are just 1 in 332. And that doesn't even factor in the odds related to your positioning.

QQ Preflop

You should be very cautious with pocket Queens because of the drawback of overcards showing up on the community.

Early-Position with QQ: I'd raise a reasonable amount (Big Blind x3) to see where I stand. If anyone calls, I'd assume they might be holding overcards, aces or kings, so I'll slowly play my queens on the flop...

Mid-Position with QQ: If anyone raises before me, I would just call... No re-raises with QQ.

Late-Position: Any early re-raises, I'd re-raise them back. I'd not call a re-raise over my raise, with the assumption that they may have KK, AK, AA. Also, If I've identified my opponent as a tight player, then I'd fold. If my opponent was a maniac, I'd probably move all in.

Small Pairs 22 to JJ Preflop

(22, 33, 44, 55, 66, 77, 88, 99, 1010, JJ) With any small pair, I'd limp in (call the big blind). I'd also call one raise if I was in early or mid-position.

My main purpose with a small pair would be to hit a set (three of a kind) so I could break somebody in the pot with me.

Suited Connectors Preflop

(6 7, 8 9, J 10, etc...) Suited connectors are playable if you can see a flop for cheap in middle or late position. The main purpose of a suited connector is to try to make a little straight, a flush, two pair, or possibly a straight flush...

Suited Hand with High Kicker

(A 3, K 8, A 5, etc...) I'd play these hands in late position with the intention of a flush possibility on the community. I would only limp in or call for cheap with these hands.

Junk Hands Preflop

(10 2, K 6, 3 8, etc...) To change gears, I'd play junk in late position, preferably on the button. Playing junk is all about your position and the man your playing. If I'm involved with a tight player, I'm betting at the pot to steal it.

331 to 1. The odds AGAINST getting dealt an Ace and a King suited before the flop.

220 to 1. The odds AGAINST getting pocket Aces before the flop.

Monster hands like these are GREAT when you catch them... and you'll definitely have a good shot at raking in a killer pot... But the fact is, when you play poker you WON'T catch monsters very often. The same is true with wired pairs and suited connectors. When you hit with one of these hands, your opponents will usually NEVER see it coming...And once again, you'll rake in a nice pot. But how many times do you get hands like these AND hit the right cards? Not too often.

ANYONE... no matter what their skill level... can win a pot with a monster. The SECRET to poker success, my friend, is learning how to win hands WITHOUT having the "nuts" or great cards. It's what separates the AVERAGE players from the poker LEGENDS.

So how do you play hands that are DECENT, but not GREAT? Hands like QJ, J10, 9-10, Q10, K10, K9, and so on...

If you FOLD every time you see cards like these, you're playing too tight. You're going to see these types of hands A LOT. To WIN consistently you've got to learn how to WIN with hands that AREN'T great.

The key is POSITIONING. That's the magic word. You can see a hand in one position and the right play is to FOLD it... And then see the SAME EXACT HAND in a different position and the right play is to make a BET.

Eg, let's say you're in an 8-player no limit Holdem game... where the blinds are $1-2. You're first to act before the flop (a.k.a. "under the gun") and look down at your cards: Queen and a jack... offsuit.

Playing the hand shouldn't cross your mind. Calling with a Q,J offsuit can easily turn into TROUBLE when first to act. Because SOMEONE at your 8-man table is probably going to throw out a pre-flop raise.

How many times does the action go COMPLETELY around the table before the flop without SOMEONE making a raise? Not too often. Even if it's just a small $5 raise... you don't want to pay $7 with your Q,J offsuit just to see the flop. After all, even if you HIT top pair, you're STILL going to be one of the first to act, if not THE first.

Your kicker isn't too strong, and you don't have a read on the other players. It's just a bad situation to be in... Which is why I muck "decent" hands like these when I'm under the gun or in an early position.

Let's say you're fourth to act before the flop (sixth position at the table) and you peek down at a Queen, 10 offsuit. You're positioning isn't great, but it's not too bad either. The action is on you to call the $2 big blind...

Instead of mucking, this is where I'd limp in and call the blind. The key is to pay $2... don't raise it. You've got a good chance at seeing the flop for just $2 and you won't have to act first after the flop hits. Even if someone throws out a small preflop raise, you can call and see a cheap flop without getting into too much trouble.

Now let's say you're on the BUTTON (dealer position) with a Queen, Jack offsuit. Four of your opponents limp-in and the action is to you. This is where I'd make a pre-flop raise. Just a small $5 that won't get me into trouble. I'll do this with any good positioning.

First, it gets rid of the "crap" hands at the table. Second, I get to see what my opponents do AFTER the flop before I have to act. This is a HUGE advantage. I can get a read on everyone else's hand. Third, my bet gives me relative control over the table and is likely to result in a free card.

Say the flop hits 9,10,2 (an open-ended straight draw with my QJ). There's a good chance my opponents will CHECK, because they anticipate another bet from me. So I can throw out a semi-bluff bet... or... I can see a free card by checking. Getting control over the board also puts me in a position to buy the pot if I sense weakness at the table.

Positioning is a fundamental part of TexasHoldem, but you had better; have a good read on your opponents in order to win the hand, know the right size to make your bets, what to do if there's a draw on the board and how to bluff if you get into trouble.

Calculating Odds

Players use odds to determine their actions. The chances of finishing a flush or straight, the probability of getting an overcard, the percentage of times you're going to flop a set to match your pocket pair are all important factors. Knowledge of these odds key to winning.

Different factors to consider:

Outs: The number of cards left in the deck that'll improve your hand. Eg, you're holding A 2, and the flop comes down as 6 -10 -K. There are 9 'outs' or 9 heart cards that can help you improve your hand into a flush.

Pot Odds: Odds when analyzing the current size of the pot versus your next call. Eg, if you're holding A 2 and there is already $200 in the pot and your opponent bets $200, it's not worth calling because if you don't hit another, you'll lose a lot. But if your opponent bets $20 at a $200 pot, then your pot odds are good if you hit that flush; if you don't hit that flush, you've only lost a small amount.

Bet Odds: Odds you get as a result of evaluating the number of callers to a raise. Eg, your A 2 has a 30% chance of hitting. Knowing that 4 out of 5 opponents (or a hand full of other players) are going to call my bet, my bet odds are good.

Implied Odds: Odds you're getting after the assumed result of betting for the remainder of the hand. If you think your opponents will call you on the turn and river, your implied odds are excellent.

4/2 Rule

The 4/2 rule is a simple method of determining the percentage of you hitting a card. Let's use the A 2 once more: The flop comes down as 6 -10 -K; you have 9 outs or 9 heart cards (3 4 5 7 8 9 J Q K ) that can improve your hand into a flush. If you multiply 9 outs times 4, your percentage for hitting that heart card on the turn is 36%. Say the turn isn't a heart card, your percentage of hitting a heart card on the river would be 18%: multiply 9 outs times 2. Remember, the 4/2 rule is your outs multiplied by 4 before the turn. And if you miss on the turn, multiply your outs by 2 before the river to give you an estimated percentage of hitting.