texas holdem

It is important for players to understand that no matter howgood you are, Texas Holdem does involve some element of chance.The better you play and make good decisions, the more limitedthe downside. The best players in the world usually end up onthe final table, but they too take bad beats. This proves it canhappen to anyone.

The important thing to note when you lose is not the fact thatyou lost any particular poker game or hand, but to consider howyou lost. If you were put out holding A5 having gone all-inagainst AK pre-flop then it's safe to say you probably won'tmake a final table.

On the other hand if you lost or regularly lose having the besthand at the point of all-in and are outdrawn, your chances oflong-term success are considerably greater. There is no way Ican promise a magic cure for your Texas Holdem ills, I can onlypoint out a number of strategies you can employ to improve yourchances.

At all times in an online poker game you need to be as observantas you would in a live game. Tells do exist when playing onlinepoker they are just different in nature to a land based Holdemgame. With online games, there are some immediate tells that youcan point out, even before you begin the game.

Prior to the Tournament Start

With most Texas Holdem tournaments, you start with around 1500in chips. The field against you will range from 10 to thousandsof players. Your first step is to look at the player names onyour table - those players who use their real name, those whouse an amusing name, and those who use a nonsensical name.

When looking at such names, I categorize players in my mind inthe following way (these categories change over time as thepoker play develops):

1)Those operating under their own name are new players with alow level of skill. 2)Those using handles such as Holdem King,or Suckout Boy are average to good players. 3)The ones to watchare poker players with a name like gpgn5576tb.

Tournament Commences

It is important to watch the play as it unfolds - learn the feelof the table by observation and memory. In a very short space oftime you should be able to classify players into one of fourgroups and play those groups in accordance with yourexpectations. Typically players fall into the following groups:

1)Loose Aggressive 2)Loose Passive 3)Tight Aggressive 4)Tight Passive

The most dangerous type of player, particularly for those of youwho may be new to the game is the Loose Aggressive types whoseem to bet anything and everything. These are the Gus Hansonstyle of players who play lots of pots and do so as though theyhave great hands. Clearly they don't - statistically they willhave the same hands as you so the key to moving against theseplayers is to wait for good cards (JJ or higher), wait untilthey've dug a large enough hole by calling them down andre-raise on the turn or river.

Loose Passive players are those that are prepared to bet heavilyand often but usually do so by calling whoever is doing thebetting. Often termed a "calling station".

Tight Aggressive applies to the majority of the poker playingpopulation. These are people playing the cards they hold, ratherthan the players opposing them and the situation they findthemselves in. It is very difficult for these players to win ona long term basis because really good cards seldom come out, andwhen they do people will run for cover perceiving you to be a'rock".

Tight Passive Holdem players are the worst of the bunch. Theyseldom play and when they do they can often be pushed off thebest hand by other players.

Each of these types of player requires a different approach toplay. Poker is an assessment of multiple situations, eachdifferent, where the long term winner will be those who make thebest decisions. Each play is therefore less about your startingcards and more about the type of player opposing you, thesituation at that moment in time, or the probability of "outs."

So bear in mind that there mare many things to be aware of whenstarting out. As we have seen in there are playersof varied skill levels but also remember that chance plays apart too. And sometimes, luck isn't always on your side.However, if you follow these guidelines you will minimize yourmistakes and maximize your possibility of winning.