Texas Holdem Strategy Guide

Texas Hold'em Guide This is a Texas Hold'em stratgy guide for beginners. The same topics are covered in the main strategy section, but the articles here have been simplified. So here it is, a one-stop Texas Hold'em guide for the essentials of winning money from Hold'em. Beginner's Guide to Texas Hold'em Poker- April 20th, 2005 This is a complete beginner's guide to becoming a winning player at Texas Hold'em, written by Jeff, our own 'Ace of Spades'. Jeff covers each step of Hold'em, guiding you through pre-flop hand selection, calculating odds, and proper play on the blinds, flop, turn and river. Texas Hold’em is a game of strategy, like any poker game, but where you’re sitting in relation to the action becomes part of your strategy when playing Hold’em. If you bet early, you generally need better cards than you do if you’re one of the blinds.

There’s more than one community card game on the poker scene. Texas Hold’em may be a firm fixture of bricks and mortar casinos and online avenues, but other variants are quickly gaining popularity. One of the most popular of these variants is Omaha Hold’em, a streamlined version of Texas Hold’em that was introduced to North American casinos relatively recently. While Texas Hold’em puts a big focus on odds calculation, player position and psychology, the Omaha version of the game calls for more patience, restraint and ultimately, an understanding that chance plays a big part in any win or loss.

Looking to embark on a new poker career and tackle Omaha rules for yourself? Take a peek through our Hold’em poker guide to get clued up on the basics and see if you’ve got what it takes to win big.

Texas Hold’em – A Classic Table Game Explained

Texas Hold’Em is one of the most popular forms of poker around, and for good reason. Although it’s a game of strategy, theory and probability, not to mention a well-trained bluffer’s psychology, it’s a relatively accessible version of poker that few half-decent players have trouble with.

In the case of Texas Hold’em Poker, each player is dealt a pair of hole cards. Unlike Omaha rules and other types of poker, it’s pretty easy to discern the value of this hand from the off. In short, players can usually deduce how a game will progress for them based on this first hand. For players dealt a particularly impressive initial hand, say two Aces or another pair of high-ranking cards, there’s few rival hands that can quash them. A keen poker face, confidence in your convictions and a little bit of risk is usually all you need to get your hands on the winnings.

Texas Hold’em Strategy – Play to Win

Any Texas Hold’em player with a track record of success will tell you that observing your fellow players, understanding the odds and being fully aware of the importance of position at the table are all pivotal in ensuring ultimate success. All these points have merit, but at the core, a strategy to win only requires you to understand the overall odds of the game and what good and bad hands look like.

For newcomers to the world of Texas Hold’em, player position at the table might seem like a secondary concern, but it’s pivotal in this daring game of psychology. Ultimately, the dealer is in the best position amongst players, with the ability to best last of all proving a big advantage. The player sat immediately before the dealer is also in a very strong position and has the opportunity to render the dealer out of the game by raising a bet to sky-high levels. In these instances, this position, otherwise known as the “cutoff” can in fact prove to be the most advantageous of them all. Those sat at early positions are almost always seen as the weakest of the assembled group, having less information to hedge their bets on, meaning they’re often playing blind.

A little patience and restraint is also worth considering when establishing your Texas Hold’em strategy. Keep your bets conservative to begin with, building to higher amounts once the herd is thinned a little and you’re more confident in your hands. Once you’ve got the confidence to really push ahead, start increasing the scope of your bets and opting for more aggressive play.

A Guide to Omaha Hold’em Poker

Many poker players love Texas Hold’em so much they very rarely jump ship and try their hand at Omaha Hold’em. Even those that brave to make the change can quickly regret their decision, with Omaha Hold’em rules proving to be considerably different than with Texas Hold’em strategy. Both poker variations look similar on the surface, but a quick peer beneath the surface reveals the two to be distinctly different animals entirely.

However, this shouldn’t put you off from enjoying the thrills of Omaha Hold’em. What’s more, with the right Omaha hold’em strategy, you could find yourself walking away with some seriously meaty winnings.

One of the most obvious differences with Omaha Poker is that players are dealt a total of four hole cards. It mightn’t seem like a big deal, but it’s a subtle difference with significant knock-on effects. A broader selection of cards means that higher winning hands are inevitable, and more common, than other types of poker. The usual sure-fire winning hands of Texas Hold’em and other poker variants aren’t a confirmation of winning here.

Omaha Hold’em Strategy for Success

Online Texas Holdem Strategy Guide

One of the biggest differences in Texas vs Omaha poker strategy is patience and understanding the value that cards can have later in a game. For players more accustomed with Texas Hold’em, the prospect of a flop can seem exciting. However, it’s worth remembering that in Omaha Hold’em poker, community cards are a more regular occurrence and their overall value is lower.

It might seem thrilling to see a traditionally high value card in a starting hand, say a Jack for example, but there’s little point in waiting it out to nab a pair as the overall value of a hand like this simply won’t be enough to secure you a winning hand in most instances. With a wider pick of cards in the mix and generally lower odds, it’s nigh on impossible to pull a winning hand out of the bag, straight off the bat. Don’t expect many miracles like this occurring with Omaha Hold’em rules.

Nowadays, there’s multiple online venues for playing poker with Omaha Hold’em rules, but the general principle remains the same if you’re in it to win it. Patience is key and most certainly pays out. It can be difficult to reign it all in if you’ve been playing Texas Hold’em for a few years, but training yourself to this new strategy is well worth it.

Pick Your Battle, Bet to Win

Texas Holdem Poker Odds Chart

Now you’re a little more acquainted with the differences between playing Omaha and Texas Hold’em, it’s time to decide for yourself which is the game for you. Whether you stick it out with tried and tested Texas, or embark on a new venture with Omaha rules, make sure you’ve cemented your own strategy to ensure you stand the best possible chance of winning big the next time you pull up a seat at the table.