Poker for Dummies

Well, not really. Essentially lets just call this my Beginner's Guide to playing online Texas Hold Em, though most of these guidelines will follow over to any online poker games. Though these cannot guarantee you will win, these are rules that I follow on a daily basis that make me a winning player.

Whether you are a beginner or even a seasoned player that has never played online you will find some of this very useful. Again, these are the guidelines that I use...feel free to follow them or simply ignore them.

How you play varies greatly between Limit and No Limit also. Obviously with Limit your variance will be much smaller compared to No Limit.

1. Play only the TOP 10 starting hands. This consists of AA, AK, AQ, AJ, KK, KQ, KJ, QQ, QJ, JJ and any other pocket pair (depending on position). Having these suited is generally best, but I do play offsuited cards depending on position. I know this seems restrictive, but once you start playing you will see why I play like this.

2. Have patience. If you are not getting the above cards then wait. I have went over 45 hands and not played a single one until getting a playable hand.

3. I NEVER recommend chasing cards praying for a miracle hand that mathematically is almost impossible. Those that do this are called fish and will quickly lose their bankroll in a blink of an eye.

4. Protect your bankroll. If you are playing No Limit and do not have the nuts on the flop then you SHOULD NOT be going all in! Too many times I see players doing this and getting busted because they are playing junk and not following rule 3.

5. Read some books on poker and visit other websites, including forums. There is plenty of good information out there that will help you improve your game dramatically.

6. Have fun. See my Poker Basics page for more info on this.

7. If the table you are at just does not seem compatible with you...ie you're sick of not getting any hands then by all means go to another table!

8. Again, DON'T PLAY JUNK! Example: You have 9-2 offsuit. Five other players call the BB. I can GUARANTEE that someone most likely will have a better hand and the odds are NOT in your favor to win. Poker is not about gambling but about strategy...if you are playing junk you are gambling and you will quickly watch your bankroll disappear!

9. Do not play small pairs unless there are more than 4 others already in the pot.

10. If there is alot of preflop betting (ie the bets have been raised), then either all these people have good/marginal hands ot simply don't know how to play. Again, if you DO NOT have one of the 10 best hands, FOLD!

11. Table position, or where you are in regards to the dealer button, should ultimately decide whether you should fold, raise, or call. If I have a marginal or weak hand and are early in the betting, I generally would fold whereas a late position with no raises may change this fact. Everyone has their own strategy for this and there is lots of info out there about it. My suggestion is find a strategy that works for YOU.

12. Study your opponents at the table. Take notes to help you remember those who continually play junk and those that are your true opponents. Typically those that continue to play junk will be eliminated way before the others.

13. NEVER, and I mean NEVER go all in when playing No Limit UNLESS you are CERTAIN you have the winning hand, aka the Nutz.

That's all for now...more to come soon.