Holdem Strategy Blog

Google Maps Walking Tours

2007-02-09T09:18:00.000-08:00

If you like walking tours, this page lets you print out a route map (including markers) along with information on the points of interest you will see. They seem to only have a few cities so far but for the ones they have it's pretty cool and best of all free.

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Xbox 360 Camera To Ship With Free Game

2006-08-16T13:51:00.000-07:00

Microsoft has revealed that its Xbox 360 Live Vision camera will ship next month with a free game, TotemBall, which uses gestural technology to control an on-screen avatar, much like Sony's EyeToy games. In addition, the camera will also be used for facemapping technology in Activision's World Series Of Poker game.

read more | digg story

Office Waste: Workers Kill 1.86 Hours A Day

2006-08-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

"I'd say in a given week I probably only do about 15 minutes of real, actual work," Peter tells a the consultants. Well, Peter, you're not alone. A new survey by Salary.com and America Online found the average U.S. worker fritters away 1.86 hours per 8-hour workday -- not including lunch and scheduled breaks.

read more | digg story

Discovery Channel This Week - Explore the technology behind gambling

2006-04-03T17:57:00.000-07:00

This week on Discovery Channel watch some great videos on Texas Holdem Poker.

Is there a science to luck? Professional gamblers and stock market mavens have tried to chase it and there have been some spectacular wins in cracking the code to lady luck, like the guys behind Breaking Vegas. Discovery's own Daily Planet took a week-long peek behind the scenes in the gambling capital of the world during Casino Week, check out the clips.

Know when to hold 'em

2006-03-17T17:33:00.000-08:00

There was an excellent full page review of the Poker Book "10 Steps to Winning Texas Holdem" in the Yuma Sun this week. If you have some time please check it out.

Poker Recommendation of the Day: 10 Steps to Winning Texas Holdem EBook / Book

2006-02-26T16:30:00.000-08:00

This is a great book for anyone who has little or no knowledge of the game of Texas Hold’em Poker and wishes to learn some poker tips and become a winning poker player in as short a time as possible. This book includes a Wallet Sized Hold'em Strategy Card and is available as a hardcopy book or EBook from: Holdem Strategy Charts

Chuck Blount: Poker professor delivers with intriguing new book

2005-09-08T06:44:00.000-07:00

PLUG: An interesting article that discusses our new book and strategy card:
Chuck Blount: "Poker professor delivers with intriguing new book"

Learning Texas Hold'em Poker

2005-04-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

Introduction

Texas Hold’em (holdem) is a poker game where the best five card hand is selected from seven cards. The best hand wins based on the usual hand categories with a Royal Flush being the top hand. It is assumed that readers are at least aware of the winning order of poker hands.

The delivery of the cards by the casino dealer starts with two down cards given to each player. The casino dealer does not play. Each player looks at their down (“hole” or “pocket”) cards. Then a betting round begins.

Seating

Most commonly, there are ten players at a table. Although I have seen more, especially in tournaments and often with player drop-outs, it can be smaller. We will assume ten players and later relax this assumption. The casino dealer is not among the ten players as he does not play.

For each game, one player is considered to be the designated dealer, despite the deal actually being done by the casino dealer. For instance, suppose I am four seats to the left of the casino dealer (cards are dealt clockwise) and I am the designated “dealer.” In front of me will be a little white “button” or “puck” with a “D” or “B” on it. This button rotates one seat to the left after each game so that you are the button once every 10 hands.

Blinds

The player immediately to my left (if I am the button) is called the “small blind” (SB). The player on his left is called the “big blind” (BB). In a $1/$2 game the BB puts $1 out as an initial bet before the cards are dealt. The SB usually puts up half of this amount prior to the deal. Therefore, every pot has at least the blind money in the pot.

The Deal

Every player receives two down cards – called pocket cards. The SB receives the first card and the BB gets the next card and this continues around the table, twice, ending with the button receiving his second card. Then the first round of betting begins.

Betting

The betting round after the pocket cards are received is called “pre-flop” betting. It begins with the player to the left of the BB. He has three choices. He can fold (called “muck”) his cards and refuse to play and therefore does not put any money into the pot. (As a result, 8 of the 10 deals are free if you choose to muck your pocket cards each time. However, you must put up blind money in the SB and BB seats which you cannot take back). He can choose to “call” the big blind bet by putting in a matching one dollar. The third option is to raise an amount equal to the big blind. You must make it clear prior to putting in money that you wish to raise either by putting the raise money in at the same time as the call money or stating “raise”. The next player has the same three options. He can muck his cards and not pay anything, he may match (i.e. “call”) the $1 bet or he may raise it to $2. The betting, then moves around the table with each player either mucking, calling the bets or raising by $1 more. Betting is usually limited to four bets.

The betting is completed when all participating players have called the last raise.

The flop

Three cards are then placed face up after the pre-flop betting is concluded, the casino dealer places these three cards – face up – in the middle of the table. This is called the “flop.” This initiates another round of betting. The betting begins this time with the player to the left of the “B”. It may be the SB* if he is still in the game and he must make his choice of “checking” (i.e. no bet) or betting $1 (the size of the original BB).

The next player to the left must then choose his options. If the first bettor has checked, then he may check. If there was a bet of $1, he must match it (“call”) or he can raise it two bets to $2 or he can fold his cards. This continues until all participating players stop raising and have all called the bets. The 4 bet cap continues to apply throughout the hand.

After the flop betting is completed, the casino dealer places a fourth card, face up with the flop cards. This is called the “turn” card or “fourth street”. Then another round of betting starts with the first active player to the left of the button. It is the same routine as the betting in the other rounds except that the bets are now doubled to $2 (twice the size of the BB.) The four bet “cap” is still the maximum allowable.

After the betting is completed a fifth card is placed face up with the other four. This is called the “river” card or “fifth street.”

The river betting is the same routine as the others, with $2 bets. Players may check, call, fold or raise. Upon betting completion, the cards are shown. The highest hand wins and all ten players plus the casino dealer may help identify the best hand even if it wasn’t called by the player. In other words, the cards “speak for themselves.”

The last raiser shows his pocket cards first. The next player to his left then shows his cards or mucks them so that he loses but doesn’t have to show anyone what he was holding. If there is only one bettor on the river and all others drop out, this person wins and does not have to expose his pocket cards.

*If the SB folded, pre-flop, the betting begins with the first player to the left of the button who is still active in the game.

Table Stakes

You’re betting and raising in any given game is limited to the amount of money you have exposed on the table. If you end up with all your money in the pot, it is called “all in”. You continue to play but the size of the pot you can win is limited to the size of the pot after your “all in” has been called. Subsequent betting money is placed in a “side pot” and the others compete for it. If you have the best hand you win your designated pot but not the side pot. (You are not allowed to increase your table stake until the game is over which is the reason you are limited to your table money). The side pot is won by the highest hand owned by the others. If you do not have the best hand, all of the money goes to the player with the best hand.

Etiquette

While the players are trying to make money many also want to enjoy the game. Casinos have rules, such as, all players must speak English, and you are not allowed to criticize others and other helpful requirements are mandated. Casino dealers will answer polite questions with respect to rules etc., (but simple questions to the dealer will broadcast to players that you are a novice and this could affect how others play against you). It is a good idea to be polite and also not to unfairly delay the game by taking a long time to decide on your bets. Do not show individual players your pocket cards, even after the hand is over, if you do there are rules that apply and you could be required to show the cards to all the players. Do not intentionally show your pocket cards when you are mucking them. There are other polite and ethical considerations that you will learn as you play but if you are trying to be fair, you will be forgiven the occasional faux pas. Do not worry too much about etiquette as players will recognize that you are learning and will make helpful suggestions.

It is customary to tip the dealer when you win a pot. By watching the other players you can figure out the tipping etiquette. In limit games of $1/$2 or lower a usual tip would be 50 cents and for larger limit games one dollar is reasonable. In very large pots or very large limit games the expectation might be a couple of dollars.

Learning Player Types

2005-04-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

Significance of Player Types

There are many types and variations of players with varying strategies. It is very important to, at least, group them into categories. Each category requires you to adjust your betting strategy accordingly. For instance, you may not want to be aggressive against an aggressive player or perhaps you do, for certain types of aggressive players. The point is to know what type of player you are facing in order to assess his likely response and what this response is likely to indicate about his hand holding.

Loose vs. Tight

In my book "10 Steps to Winning Texas Hold'em", I consider a player to be loose when he seldom folds before the flop and a tight player to be one who seldom participates pre-flop unless he has a premium holding.

Passive vs. Aggressive

My book considers a player to be passive when they seem to muck fairly frequently when faced with aggressive betting or do not seem to raise when raising would seem to be warranted. An aggressive player would be one who raises a lot whenever he decides to participate in a hand, almost regardless of his hand quality.

Player Typing

For our purposes, we are going to group players into one of five categories.

Loose/passive (L/P): This category would be where a player regularly pays to see the flop in the hopes of improving, even with mediocre pocket cards. Thus, given this term because they are “loose” with their pre-flop betting. However, when faced with a raise or raises on any subsequent betting round, they seem to fold too often, given the quality of their hand. The suggested strategy here would be to aggressively bet against him both on the pre-flop and on the flop when bets are small in an attempt to have him fold. If he does not fold, you may be wise to be worried.

Loose/aggressive (L/A): These, also, are players who regularly pay to see the flop in the hopes of improving even with the lower success pocket cards. Upon even the mildest of improvement they will bet aggressively hoping to reduce the player field so that they can steal the pot. They often may bet/bluff on the turn and river continuing to hope for others to fold. The strategic plan against these players is to play premium hands against them and to not be intimidated. Later, we define a “calling station” and if you become one of these, it will slow down L/A players from taking you on.

Tight/passive (T/P): These players prefer to enter pre-flop betting only when they have top pocket cards. Thus given the name of being “tight” with their entry betting. When they do enter, they seem to back off in the face of aggressive betting during any subsequent betting rounds. A tight player is to be treated with respect for his pocket cards. You may wish to bet aggressively against a T/P on the flop to see if they muck (when they have not improved their hand by very much) or stay in (they don’t raise a lot) meaning they have good confidence in their holding – a sign that you may want to consider mucking. A T/P player betting aggressively is a fearsome thing and should be treated with a lot of respect.

Tight-aggressive: These players also only enter pre-flop play, to see the flop, whenever they have a very good pocket holding. When they do decide to enter, they bet aggressively. First, to clear the field of those who have weak cards and may have liked to stay in and get a lucky draw and secondly, to maximize the pot size, since they have a good chance of winning. T/A players are probably the most successful of all types. Think about it! – They wait for good hands before entering and create large pots to win. You would do well to be a T/A player. In any case, all other things being equal give the T/A player a lot of respect and make sure you also have a premium holding to take them on.

Maniac: This is a player who seems to be in every hand (loose) and bets extremely aggressively. He is very intimidating and seems to have the cards whenever you do call him later in the betting. If you raise, he raises back at you. A maniac is a formidable and unpredictable foe. Take him on when you have a premium hand and don’t be intimidated. Raise right back at him. If he feels you are serious, he will usually back off. A check/raise (see glossary) will often cool his heels against you in future hands. (You should want to be on the left of the maniac. If you are on the left you can pick and choose when you want to take him on. If you are on the right, he gets to decide when to harass you with his betting.)

Table and Seating Choices

Tables also come in flavors. Some tables are very loose with five or more players always in to see the flop. Tighter tables would have three or less regularly in to see the flop. The significance of this is if it is a loose table you may wish to play tighter than usual because with so many players participating it is more likely someone will really “hit” the flop. Good hands are therefore often “run down” by lucky flops and turn cards improving someone’s mediocre holding to a good hand. On the other hand, tighter tables may be best played by playing looser and increasing your choice of pocket cards that you use to enter the preflop betting. If you find you have better luck against tighter tables, then you should check tables out by watching their play and joining when it seems to be to your liking. If you are at a table that is not to your liking or through players leaving and entering, becomes a different type of table, then you can ask for a table change. Casinos and players have no problem with this request. It is often done and casino people are quite willing to accommodate you.

After you have selected your table, whether loose or tight, then you should consider your seating choice. My suggestion is to first look at the sizes of the table stakes in front of each player. Since money tends to flow to the left, (this concept will be discussed later) sitting on the left of a big stake is often helpful. I believe you should sit to the close left of maniacs and T/A players. This allows you to make decisions after they have bet. I do not like to make bets in front of them, since I may be trapped with an average holding when they raise.

You can improve your sitting by simply informing the casino dealer that you wish a particular seat, when it becomes available. They have no problem with this request and you will then have preference over new players entering the game. The casino dealer will, also, offer any open seat when a player leaves first to the existing players. But, if you have not asked for it in advance, you might not speak up in time before another existing player grabs it.

If you notice that there are two or three excellent players at the table, this does not mean you are necessarily at a disadvantage. What you need to offset this are two or three bad players. Simply confront the bad players more often than the good players.

Incorporating player ID types into your betting strategy

The strategy card which you are going to learn to use has a strategy that is based on you being a T/A player at a normal table. However, table variation may warrant slight changes to this strategy. BEWARE!! Adjusting strategy away from this card can come at quite a risk. Do not adjust your strategy lightly.

After having said this, there are some situations where you may want to make slight adjustments.

PLAYERS	STRATEGY ADJUSTMENT
Loose	Tighten up and play slightly better pocket cards than usual.
Tight	Loosen up and play some marginally decent pocket cards
Passive	Raise more on the pre-flop and on the flop when the bet size is smaller in order to have more potential opponents fold.
Aggressive	Play only premium cards and play them aggressively. Be a calling station unless you are 90% certain you are beat and your opponent is not likely to fold.

These suggestions are consistent with what you should do when the table is also loose, tight, passive or aggressive.

Hiding Your Own Player ID Type

In order not to be predictable, you should vary your play occasionally. For instance, bluff occasionally if you are considered a tight player. Make sure, where possible, that the other players see your down cards to know that you bluffed. The point is to have them know what you did. If you bet aggressively, then try a “slow play” a time or two. “Slow playing” is checking or calling instead of raising with a premium hand. Again, you want others to be aware of what you did. Another example would be to play hard with an ace and small or an inside straight, neither of which have good winning chances, although, you could get extremely lucky. This very loose play also must be shown to the other players. If you do any of these, you will be considered unpredictable which is a good situation. However, do not do this very often – it hurts your bankroll and besides, the majority of low limit players have no idea whether you are playing loose or passive or anything else. So why change their perception of you when they simply don’t have one.

About the Author

Dr. Walter F. Cavanagh PhD, is a University Professor and an avid poker player, specializing in Statistics and Quantitative Methods. He has employed various statistics to determine the optimum strategy for each hand while playing Texas Hold'Em Poker. His book "10 Steps to Winning Texas Hold'em" is complete with respect to the knowledge needed by the beginner and intermediate hold'em players. If you would like to learn more about this book please visit www.holdemstrategycharts.com.

Online Poker Calculator Update

2005-03-17T16:36:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone for your feedback on my calculator. I really did not realize how much effort it would be to make a complete calculator to help with online poker playing.

I have finally figured out how to do auto-reading which will allow me to get the cards which have been played as well as current bets, etc. This should eliminate the need to click any keys to get the strategies within the calculator. Hopefully I will be able to complete this next version in the next few weeks.

Anyway, please keep those comments coming.

Hold'em Strategy Calculator

2005-02-25T10:30:00.000-08:00

I finished the first version of the Texas Holdem Strategy Calculator. If you are interested in a copy you can get it a free download here http://www.holdemstrategycharts.com.

This Hold'em Strategy Calculator is a software based tool to use while playing online Texas Hold'em Poker. I built the calculator so that it would provide you with all the poker tips and strategies you would require while playing. I have used all of the complex statistics that I have gathered over the last couple of years to determine the optimum strategy for each hand while playing Texas Hold'Em Poker.

I would love any feedback you may have.

Texas Holdem Poker Terms

2005-02-22T07:33:00.000-08:00

Here is a glossary of Texas Holdem Poker Terms which you may find useful. Thanks to
http://www.holdemstrategycharts.com for the definitions.

All In - Putting all of your table money in the pot.

Back Door - After the flop, you need two particular cards to complete your hand and you get them. These two are also referred to as “runner runner.”

Bad Beat - When your very good hand is beaten by a weaker hand that should not have been played.

Bet for Value - You believe your hand has a chance of winning even though it seems risky. Such as when the pot is large and your hand is adequate to make the bet a good choice.

Blind - Money which is required to be put into the pot by the two players to the left of the dealer.

Bottom Pair - When you pair the lowest card on the board.

Button - The designated dealer who receives his cards last and bets last.

Calling Station - Someone who seldom bets but seems to always call.

Cap - Usually betting is limited to four bets (i.e. capped at four bets.)

Chasing - When one of the blinds stays in the betting, simply trying to protect the blind money regardless of hand quality.

Check Raise - A player who checks and then re-raises on the same betting round after someone on his left has raised.

Dead Money - Money put into the pot by players who have since dropped out.

Drawing Dead - Drawing to a hand that cannot win.

Drawing Hand - A hand that needs help to become a decent hand.

Free Card - When you raise in late position in the hope that next round everyone will check and you get a card without putting more money in the pot.

Gut Shot - Also called an “inside straight”. To fill a straight by drawing one of the middle cards.

Implied Odds - The odds you are getting from the ratio of the money in the pot plus any expected bets to your betting amount.

Kicker - Your side card which accompanies your main card. If you have a K9, the 9 is a kicker to your King.

Limper - Someone who calls the blind on the pre-flop betting.

Nuts - The best possible hand.

On Tilt - Someone who is off his game due to a bad beat or because he has had an unusual string of luck.

Out - A card needed to better your hand. For instance, there are eight outs to an open ended straight.

Over Card - A card higher than your card of interest.

Over Pair - A pair higher than your pair of interest.

Position - Your seating position in relation to the betting. The last two or three bettors are often referred to as in “late position.”

Pot Odds - See “Implied Odds”

Rag - A card that helps no one.

Rake - The percentage of the pot taken by the casino.

River - The last (fifth) board card, also called fourth street.

Semi Bluff - A bet with a hand that is not likely to win but could. The bet is intended to scare players away.

Set - Three of a kind, also called “trips.”

Slow Play - To check or under bet a very good hand in order to deceive players in the game.

Straddle - A voluntary raise prior to the dealing of the pocket cards, which amounts to a bet and is like an extra blind amount.

Tell - A gesture or mannerism which may give away a players hand strength.

Turn - The fourth board card, also called “fourth street.”

Under the Gun (UTG) - The first player to bet.

Value Bet - A bet with a good chance to win on the river.

Texas Hold'em Strategy

2005-01-27T11:53:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Texas Hold'em Poker Strategy Blog

The purpose of this blog is to give the new player some general tips on how to get started on the game and where they can look for more information.

If you come across any tips that you find useful or locate a web site that you think would be beneficial to other readers, please send me an email at contact_us@holdemstrategycharts.com

I am also going to give a shameless link to my site. My site specializes in Texas Hold'em Strategy Guides which includes a Wallet Sized Strategy Card and and software which assists players when playing online holdem games. There is also a free evaluation version which can be downloaded from our site. I would love any feedback that you may have.