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Five Playing Tips for Texas Holdem Poker

Texas Holdem is a version of Poker known as a flop game. It is closely related to Omaha Poker and is the best-loved Poker game there is. It is the game played in the World Series of Poker telecast in cable sports channels. Below are a few tips to help you play a smarter Holdem game.

TEXAS HOLDEM TIP 1: ACE PAIRS. Getting a pair for a starting hand isn't as great as people think. Sure, it's promising, but until you see the flop, it's still just a promise. American Airlines or the Ace pair is especially overrated. Don't go all-in with just an Ace pair. Play it slowly unless there are aggressive bettors on board. If you get a Three of a Kind on the flop, great. But if the turn and the river come and your hand has not improved at all, you should fold. Especially if the board strongly suggests someone may have a better hand, and they are betting aggressively.

TEXAS HOLDEM TIP 2: LOW PAIRS. Low ranking cards don't make good pairs. Don't play them. Sure, you may fold and then see a third card on the board that would've made you a trip. But don't get upset over it. Your turn will come (no pun intended). Middle cards, that is, 5-9, are okay. You can play them if you're a blind and get to see the flop for free. Then a trip would be worth playing.

TEXAS HOLDEM TIP 3: POKER ODDS. Keep a count of the cards that appear in each hand. Make mental notes or type them up in a word processor when it's not your turn. The purpose for this is to know the odds of the same card making that pair or trip again. When a card combination happens, it's unlikely that it will come by again anytime soon. How often do you see a Flush happen twice in a row?

TEXAS HOLDEM TIP 4: BETTING TELLS. When someone raises aggressively in the final betting round, and there is a pair on the board, beware. That could be a Full House or a Four of a Kind there. It may be hard to part with your hand then, especially if it had been a promising Ace or King pair, but it's better to lose some of your chips than all of them.

TEXAS HOLDEM TIP 5: CHIPS. It's nice to have money - especially when you can use it to bully others at the Poker table. Having a lot of chips can change your strategy. You have greater freedom now. Use the comfort zone you are in to raise bets and play with riskier hands. Who knows, that back-to-back Straight might just happen! But beware of over-spending especially if you are playing no-limit Texas Holdem. You'll go broke before you know it if you aren't careful.

And as always, remember to fold most hands. Save your stakes for the really good hands. Be patient and wait it out. When a great starting hand comes along and you play it smart, you'll know it's worth it.