Basic Texas Holdem Strategy

This page is intended for new Texas Holdem Players that have no real strategy, but want to make money playing (doesn't everybody?).

There are all types of considerations to the true strategy of Texas Holdem: pot odds, betting position (early, middle, or late), how many callers (affects odds), how many players (affects odds), poker tells, player habits and patterns, etc. etc. etc. If you're willing to read a lot you can learn about all of these considerations. We realize that many (or most) people aren't willing to read soooo much, without wanting to jump in quickly and start playing. That's OK and they can win money anyway!

Here, we're going to cut straight to the heart of Texas Holdem Strategy and summarize it, so that new players can have a fighting chance right at the beginning. The philosophy here is that all the details can be learned about over time, but here is the bedrock strategy to winning Texas Holdem that anyone can use in a few minutes.

Why? Because the hands above are the strongest opening hands in Texas Holdem, and can be expected to win the pot a very high percentage of the time. By not playing all of the weaker hands, you eliminate yourself from losing a lot of money on those hands, and maximize your chance to win pots whenever you are playing after the flop. The rule of thumb in limit-games is to also raise when you have one of these opening hands.

This may seem like a real boring way to play: fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, fold, oh... a good hand finally. In truth, it IS a boring way to play! But it is a winning way to play. This type of play is referred to in poker circles as "being a Rock" or "playing tight". The Rocks may have to sit there and fold a lot, fighting human nature and "boredom", waiting for their hand, but against inexperienced players, Rocks usually win. This technique can be played at low-limit cash games at online poker rooms and casinos, and you should be able to make money from all the inexperienced players that will play more hands than they should ( Hmmm, Q-7, uh, I guess I'll play it...).

Inexperienced players will also call your raises when they have classic "second place" hands like Q-10, or a pair of 5's. The numerical odds say that they won't win or will finish second, possibly because their kicker card wasn't high enough. Finishing 2nd for the pot, in Texas Holdem is the worse place to finish. The guy that folded before the flop probably lost nothing, but the guy that finished 2nd for the pot usually loses a bunch.

Remember:. Any hand can win at any time in Texas Holdem. Even a 2-7, or a 2-3 can win if the flop contains 2's. There is always an element of luck to the game. What we're trying to show you here is high percentage play that over a long time, will win. That doesn't mean that you won't have an unlucky day where your AA, KK, and AK all lost. Those days happen, and those hands can still be beat. Keep the faith in the percentages and over the long haul, you'll win.

Again, there is MUCH, MUCH, more to Texas Holdem than just this, and as you get on tables with better players, you will definitely find this out. The strategy above is intended to give new players a foundation for winning, while you are still learning about the more advanced principles to the game.

As you learn the more advanced strategy of the games, you'll learn the situations that, yes, other hands should be played under. Without knowing those situations, you're basically a lamb walking through the woods wondering what is going to come after you!

Doyle's Room is a good poker room for beginners to start out at. You can read our review of Doyle's Room and how it stacks up to other online poker rooms here. You can visit Doyle's room and register as a player here.