TEXAS HOLD'EM POKER

Along with the dramatic increase in popularity of poker in general, and Texas Holdem in particular, comes a tidal wave of new players who may not be newbies to poker itself, but definitely are beginners in comparison to experienced players. These beginning players have been influenced significantly by what they have seen on television. While this is cool and all, from a practical standpoint it has some disastrous implications for the beginners.

To be blunt, if you watch Tiger Woods hook a three iron around a dogleg, over a sand trap, and then stop it on a dime on the green, well, don't try this at home, kids. That's not to say that all poker shown on television is Tiger Woods-like. Far from it. Some of the TV play is hopelessly bad -- if only because even the best players sometimes make terrible plays.

The thing newbies need to remember is that the poker hands we see on TV do not well represent what makes a great poker player. First and foremost, the truly great players in all game disciplines master the fundamentals. Ted Williams, Magic Johnson, Earl Anthony, Cheryl Miller, Joe Montana, Martina Navratilova... all these folks spent hours and hours on fundamentals even AFTER they were superstars. In fact, great players devote much of their time to improving at those fundamentals they aren't particularly good at.

Like any other game, Texas Holdem has fundamental/basics that aren't very flashy or readily apparent, but must be mastered (and continually mastered) before excellence can be achieved.

Discipline. No skills matter if you don't have the wherewithal to follow through. If you know you shouldn't tilt, but tilt anyway, you suck at discipline. And, you suck as a poker player compared to the poker player you could be. You may still be better than average, but you are a shadow of what you should be. It is almost impossible to work too hard on your discipline.

Bets. The bet is the atom of poker. Chips are electrons and protons, but the bet is the building block of everything good and bad that takes place in poker -- if you play for money, that is. If you play to satisfy ego urges, rather than to win money, then you have different priorities, and you've blundered onto the wrong website. All ring game poker concepts revolve around the bet. (Tournaments are different. Surviving and being the lone winner are tournament concepts that don't transfer to ring games.) You are not trying to win pots. You are trying to get the best of it on bets. You are trying to wager money, make bets, with a mathematically favorable expectation. This involves having as a coincidental goal the winning of pots, but that is not the main goal, and certainly not the focus of our efforts. We simply want to get our money in with the best of it. Win or lose, good luck or bad luck, that really is not the point. Let the bad players fixate on the results. You should fixate on doing the right thing.

Having the discipline to do the right thing all the time (more or less) is the basic of the basics.

The blinds. Poker is a thinking person's game. When bets are made without thinking, either by bad players or when "forced" via game rules (as blinds or antes), this is the fundamental money at stake in the contest. Thoughtful play must significantly focus on the bets that are made thoughtlessly. Attack the bad players, and attack the blinds. Thoughtful players have an edge over semi-thoughtful players, but thoughtful players have enormous edges over bets made without thought (again, either by thoughtless/bad players or by any player because they are forced by the rules to make the bet).

Limit versus No Limit. Most of the Holdem on television is No Limit tournament poker. This is about as different from Limit ring game poker as two things of the same species can get. Many of the winning tactics used in No Limit tournaments are either useless or counterproductive in Limit Holdem ring games. Chainsaws may cut most things better, but butter knifes are more appropriate for some tasks. Just because you saw a skilled lumberjack cut down a tall oak tree with one doesn't mean you should use a chainsaw to cut butter.

Fundamentals win ballgames and poker games and games of every sort. Let the suckers try to buy lunch with their egos. You should focus on the basics of making thoughtful bets when you have the best of it, and then you can focus on buying lunch with your profits -- profits courtesy of the bad players, the ego players, and the players who simply don't work on the fundamentals enough.


Hand Ranks

Home poker games can have any rules they want, but casino poker rules and hand rankings are consistent. Poker games are normally played with a fifty-two card deck. A joker is sometimes used when playing Draw style games. A joker is not used when playing "flop games" like Texas Holdem, nor is it used in Stud-style games. (Texas Holdem Rules, Stud Poker Rules.)

Cards are ranked with the Ace the highest card, followed by the King, Queen, Jack, Ten, Nine, Eight and so on down to the Two, known as a Deuce. In most games, an Ace can also play below a Deuce for straights (see below) or as the lowest card in Lowball style games.

All poker hands, even if you are playing a game like Seven Card Stud, consist only of the best five cards available. Sixth cards are never used to break ties. Suits are never used to break ties (spades are not better than clubs). After all betting rounds are complete all players remaining in the hand showdown their cards (or discard them if they see a better hand has them beat). In order the poker hand rankings are:

1. If a joker or wild cards are used, Five of a Kind is the best hand, with five aces (the four natural Aces plus the joker) is the best possible hand.

2. If there is no joker in play, the best possible hand is a Straight Flush: five consecutive cards of the same suit. ("Suits" are spades, hearts, clubs and diamonds.) The highest possible straight flush is a Royal Flush. A Royal Flush includes of Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten of the same suit.

3. Four of a Kind. Four cards of the same rank, for example four kings, plus any fifth card. As always, higher ranks are better -- four tens would beat four sixes.

4. Full House. Three cards of the same rank, with a pair of another rank. For example, KKK33. The higher ranking three cards determines which full house beats another -- 77766 beats 222AA.

5. Flush. Five cards of the same suit. For example, the Ace, Queen, Nine, Seven and Three of clubs. When comparing flushes, they are ranked from the top card on down. A9732 defeats KQJ85, while a QJ987 flush defeats a QJ983 one. If two flushes have exactly the same cards, like AJ976 of spades versus AJ976 of hearts, this is a tie and a pot would be split.

6. Straight. Five sequential cards of different suits. For example, 98765. When two straights are shown down, the highest card determines the winner -- KQJT9 defeats 87654. An Ace can be used to make either a "Broadway" straight of AKQJT or a "wheel" straight of 5432A. "Around the corner" straights like 32AKQ are not allowed.

7. Three of a Kind. Three cards of the same rank, like 888 with two unpaired cards. As always, a higher ranked three of a kind defeats a lower ranked three of a kind -- 99932 beats 666AK. In flop games it is possible for both players to have the same three of a kind, in which case the two unrelated "kicker" cards would determine the winner -- QQQ92 would defeat QQQ87. If the two hands are identical, the pot is split.

8. Two Pair. Two cards of one rank, two cards of another rank and a kicker of a third rank. For example JJ882. KK332 defeats QQJJ9. 99554 defeats 9933A. 7766A defeats 7766Q. Two hands of the same ranks, like KKQQ5 versus KKQQ5 split the pot.

9. One Pair. Two cards of the same rank, and three unrelated cards. For example, JJK73. A higher pair defeats a lower pair. When players have the same pair, the unrelated "kicker" cards are valued in order, so 99Q32 defeats 99765.

10. No Pair, High Card. A hand with no pair or any of the other ranking values above. When comparing no pair hands, the highest card determines the winner, using each card in order if necessary, so AKQ96 defeats AKQ87.

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