THE NITTY GRITTY OF TEXAS HOLD 'EM is dedicated to the many gamblers who are striving to become professionals,
but still haven't reached that plateau. It was written to help them grab another rung of the ladder, on their way to
becoming, one of the few real professionals, in this wide world of gambling.
A
skillful Texas Hold 'Em player is capable of manipulating his opponents mind, because this game is no longer a plain old poker
game but it has become a mind game. He talks a good or bad game, he bluffs, he says anything that tends to detract his
opponents to the extent they are only guessing and hoping . This is accomplished by understanding why and how his
opponents' actions give away what is in his hand. This knowledge, plus the basic math, gives the skillful player an
advantage. By knowing what his chances are of making a winning hand the skillful player consequently dominates his opponent.
Texas Hold 'Em changes the standard seven card stud poker game from a straight poker game to an involved game of the mind
wherein the players must changed their approach.
For instance, his percentage
would change dramatically if he counted his outs as 9 he would then have to figure 8 if he saw one of the suits cards to his
flush flashed. Should he see another player flash one of his suited cards, then 7 times 2 equal 14 plus 2 equals 16 or a 4
percent change? That two or four percent many not seem to be much to worry about, but let me correct you. Two percent
of the pot of $5,000.00 equals 100 dollars and 4 percent of the pot of $10,000 dollars equals 400 dollars. If you
still disagree with these calculations let me ask you a simple question. Would you rather have a 20% chance or a 16 %
chance of winning?
Would you be willing to go into any poker game or and
other game for that matter where the odds are 5 to 4 against you? If the answer to that is yes I think the time has come
for me to say this….A fool and his money is soon parted!!! Another saying that would be appropriate is after the
poker game you will be going home talking to yourself and crying like a baby because you lost all your money. You would be
one of the boys instead of one of the men.
To become a good poker player, it is necessary
to learn the poker hands thoroughly and what sort of hand may be expected to win the pot. He must also observe the action
of the other players, to learn their mannerisms, habits and understand their probable strength or weakness from their actions.
He must learn the mathematics involved in winning with the hand he has and
to determine his odds that are offered by the size of the pot. Not to be forgotten is learning the odds for and against not
only himself but also his opponents when drawing to help each others hand.
As
a general rule you can pretty well be assured of a win if you have been dealt a straight or higher hand. That will call for
a raise even though two players may have bet or previously raised. The percentages are in your favor with a straight
or higher hand.
When you are dealt trips you will normally win and
that hand will warrant a raise even if one player has raised. However, you should only call if two players have raised.
After the flop, should you be dealt two pair it is about 2 to 1 that you have
the highest hand at that time. It is also an 11 to 1 chance against anyone improving their hand so it becomes necessary for
you to raise immediately. This will probably drive some of the players out who might stay and possibly improve
their hands.
We are down to 1 pair….The pair of Aces is the best hand just
beneath the two pair, followed by a pair of Kings which has a 50-50 chance of wining, when only five or six players are still
in the game. The pair of Queens probably is the best hand if only four players remain. If there have been four players
who checked, a pair of Jacks could bet even though there are two players yet to be heard from.
You must be especially careful when betting under these conditions. Count your outs carefully; make sure
the size of the pot is large enough to warrant a draw. Remember a four-flush draw gives you nine chances out of forty-seven to
make your flush or about 5 to 1 against you making the flush. Don’t forget the cards your opponents have, is it 18 if
ten are playing and 12 if seven are playing.
On a Flush draw, if
the size of the pot is four times or more money, than you have to contribute, the draw is worth the gamble. If the size
of the pot is less than four times more money, than you have to contribute, the draw is not worth the gamble and should be
mucked.
On a Straight draw, if you have a double ended draw to a
straight you have a 5 to 1 chance of not filling a straight, but if the pot is five times or more as large as the amount you
must contribute that are sufficient to warrant a call on the 5 to 1 chance. However on an inside straight it is almost
never worth playing since the chance of filling the straight is 11 to 1 against it.
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