Welcome to MagicHoldem’s PokerSchool

The Table

Texas Hold'em poker is played on a round table with anywhere between two to nine seats.

One of the occupied seats is always designated "the dealer", even though in online poker card dealing and bets are handled automatically by the poker software.

The dealer is marked by a "dealer button" (usually a blank chip marked with "D"). The dealer button rotates clockwise (to the left), with each new poker hand played.

The Blinds

At the beginning of the hand, the two players to the left of the dealer have to "post" (put in the pot) some minimum amount of chips called a “blind”.

The player immediately to the left of the dealer posts a "small blind", which is usually equal to half the amount of the big blind.

The second player to the left of the dealer posts a "big blind", which usually double the amount of the small blind.

Since the dealer button rotates clockwise every hand, so do the small and big blinds. This way, over time, every player posts the same amount of blinds.

In some types of tables, e.g. tournaments, blind amounts may increase during the game. In online poker this is done automatically by the poker table.

Joining a Table

Players who join a table in mid-play must pick an open seat and "sit". A newly seated player has two options to join the play:

• Wait for the big blind to rotate to their seat before playing
• Voluntarily post an amount equal to the big blind and start playing immediately in the next hand.

Hole Cards

Once blinds are posted, the dealer deals two cards to each player.

These are called “hole cards”. Other players' hole cards are shown face down, so you can only see your own hole cards.

Pre Flop Betting

After blinds are posted and hole cards are dealt, a round of betting takes place, starting with with the player to the left of the big blind (the third player to the left of the dealer, also known as Under the Gun or UTG) and moving clockwise (to the left).

This round is called "Pre Flop" because it takes place before the first three community cards are dealt ("The Flop"), while players see only their hole cards.

In Pre Flop betting, each player except the players who posted blinds must take one of the actions in the following page:

Pre Flop Betting Options

• Fold. If you feel your hole cards are not good enough to begin playing the hand, you may click the "Fold" button and return your cards to the dealer. At this point you will observe the hand and not play, until the next hand is dealt.
• Call. In the first round of betting, all players who did not post blinds must match ("call") the big blind amount and put it in the pot, in order to continue playing. Call the big blind in pre flop betting only when you think your hole cards are good enough to start playing the hand with.
• Raise. A player may decide they have a very strong hand (or wish to bluff), and raise the highest bet so far (whether it's the big blind or the previous player's raise). In this case, the betting goes around the table again and all players up to the player who raise

Pre flop betting (and any other betting round) ends when all players have either folded or called the last raise.

Pre Flop Betting Options (Blinds)

In pre flop betting, the players who posted blinds bet last. The blinds have the same options as other players, with slight variations.

In order to call, the player who posted the small blind only needs to post the difference between the small blind and the big blind.

If no raises occurred before his turn, the player who posted the big blind has the option to Check (essentially place a zero bet) and allow the Flop to be dealt. Like other players, the big blind always has the option to raise.

The Flop

Once pre flop betting is complete, the dealer will place three new cards on the center of the table, face up. This stage of the game is called “The Flop”. Cards placed on the center of the table are called "Community Cards".

Each player's hand consists of the best combination of their hole cards and the community cards.

While you don't have to know these poker terms to play online, knowing them will greatly help you understand Texas Hold'em poker discussions during and after the game.

Flop Betting

One the flop is dealt, another round of betting takes place. This round of betting and all subsequent rounds till the end of the hand start with the small blind, immediately to the left of the dealer.

In this and all subsequent rounds of betting, each player must take one of these actions:

• Check. If no player before you placed a bet in this round of betting, you may choose not to take action, or "Check". Checking is always a good idea even if you don't have a good hand, because it costs you nothing! Many online poker tables will warn you if you choose to fold when you have the option to check. Heed their advice!
• Bet. If all players before you in this round of betting checked, you may be the first one to place a bet. The minimum bet you must place is equal to the big blind. Some poker tables my place a limit on the maximum amount you can bet (Limit Hold'em). Other tables may place a limit on the total amount placed in the pot (Pot Limit Hold'em). Tables with no such limitations are called No Limit Hold'em. Place a bet if you feel your hand is good enough to play, or if you wish to bluff and intimidate other players into thinking you have a good hand.

Flop Betting Continued

• Call. If any player before you placed a bet in the current round of betting, you must at least match (Call) the highest bet already placed, in order to stay in the game.
• Raise. If any player before you placed a bet in the current round of betting, you may decide to match that bet and then increase the bet, or Raise.
• Re-raise. If a bet and a raise took place, you may decide to match it and raise it even further. This is called a Re-raise.
• Fold. If you do not wish to match all bets placed in the pot when your turn comes to bet, you may fold. In this case, you lose all bets and blinds you put into the pot in this hand.

If each player in this or any betting round choose to fold, the last player in the round wins by default and takes the entire pot. A player who wins by default does not have to show her cards.

If more than one player remains in the game at the end of this or any subsequent round, the game moves on to the next stage.

The Turn

Once Flop betting is complete, and all players have either matched the highest bet or folded, the dealer deals another community card face up. Now there are 4 community cards, and each player's best hand is determined by a combination of their two hole cards and the four community cards. This stage is called The Turn.

In case you’re wondering what makes a good hand relative to other hands, you will find a nice table in Lesson 2 showing the hands in order of rank, according to standard Texas Holdem rules of poker.

Once the turn is dealt, another round of betting takes place. The rules for this round of betting are identical to post flop betting rules. Each player must again decide whether they want to bet, call, raise or fold, considering their best hand, other players' actions, and the money already in the pot.

The River

Once the turn betting round is complete, the dealer deals the fifth and final community card. This card is called The River.

Now there are five community cards plus your two hole cards for you to construct the best possible hand from.

Once the river is dealt, a final round of betting takes place, with the same rules as all previous rounds.

The Showdown

After the final (river) round of betting is done, and if more than one player is still in the game, a Showdown takes place.

Every player still in the game, who wishes to take the pot, must now reveal their cards. The player with the best hand wins the hand and takes the entire pot, minus a small cut, called a Rake, which goes to the House.

If more than one player is tied with an equal winning hand (e.g. a Straight), the pot is split between the winners.

Hand Ranking

The diagram and list below show Texas Hold’em hand rankings, and the odds for getting each hand:

Table Position

• Your position is determined by where you are sitting in relationship to the dealer button. Positions immediately to the left of the button are called Early Positions, because they act early in every betting round. Positions immediately to the right of the button are called Late positions, because they act late in the betting round.
• In Texas Hold'em, late position is a huge advantage, because it allows you to bet with knowledge of most other players' behavior in the betting round.

Table Position Continued

• In an early position, you are at a distinct disadvantage because you have no idea what the players acting after you will do. The pot could be raised and re-raised after you enter with a very weak hand. In such a case, it is likely the other players have much stronger hands and you are very likely to lose the money you bet.
• For this reason you must have a much stronger hand to play from an early position.
• Before you call the blind in from an early position, you should ask yourself whether you would play that hand if the pot had already been raised.
• If you would not call a raise with an early position hand, you should not play it.

Starting hands are the key to success in Texas Hold’em

Now that you understand the importance of position, we are going to look at which starting hands you should play in which position.

The tables below provides a basic starting hand strategy for pairs and suited cards (cards with the same number or shape), and unsuited cards (cards with different numbers and shapes). Hands marked in red should be played from any position. Hands marked in yellow should be played only from middle or late positions. Hands marked in blue should be played only from late positions. Hands marked in green should not be played at all (fold).

Outs & Odds

An "Out" is any unseen card that, if drawn, will improve your hand to one that is likely to win. Each additional "Out" will improve your percentage of surviving the hand and coming out a winner.

Your perception of your opponents' hands will form the basis for deciding what you need to beat them.

During each round, you must read the board and determine which cards will give you the winning hand ("Counting Outs").

Your odds of improving your hand are affected by the number of outs you have.

The chart in the next page shows the odds for making your hands with the number of outs you have:

Table Selection

Good table selection is important because it directly influences your win rate.

All big winners follow this basic principle: they only play if they have an advantage.

Table selection influences your profitability as much as your poker skills.

Signs that I'm at the Right Table

• Multiple players limping in (calling rather than raising in the first round of betting.)
• Position on (sitting to the left of) a loose and aggressive player. This is a player who stays in more hands than most, and stays in them longer.
• Players calling raises after limping in to the first round with weak hands.
• Players showing weak hands outside of the blinds. For example: Ace-6 unsuited, unsuited connectors, etc.
• Very large raises on top quality hands like AA, KK, QQ, which indicate to other players when to fold.
• Players limping or only raising one big blind with top quality hands.

Signs that I'm at the Wrong Table

• Very few limpers in a series of eight or ten hands. When only the blinds play most of the time, this is a very bad sign.
• There's a Maniac at the table and he has a position on me by one or two seats (sits to my left). A Maniac is a very loose and aggressive player, who rarely folds or calls, bluffs often and raises frequently.
• I can't pick out the weak players at the table.
• Multiple strong/tight players, especially if they are filling seats left by weak players.
• No one is calling my pre-flop raises with weak hands.
• I have position only on the short stacks (players with small amounts of money).

Never play without an edge!

Profiling Opponents

To become a good poker player you must acquire many skills that will allow you to move up the ranks of poker players. The best way to develop these skills is to practice a lot!

One skill that you are going to need in order to be successful is the ability to profile your opponents. This important skill will allow you to outsmart your competition on your way to big time earnings.

Profiling your opponents sounds harder than it actually is. The first thing to know is that while you are observing the other poker players, they are doing exactly the same thing. For this reason, you should do whatever it takes to hide your intentions and preferences from the other players. This way you can get a good read on your opponents, but they will not be able to do the same to you.

When you are trying to figure out your competition, you will have to act quickly and accurately. Remember, you will not be at the table with the same people for days on end. As soon as an opponent sits down at your table, you will have to start monitoring their actions, and consider your strategy to beat them. In the next pages, we will consider different player types and how you can respond to each.

Profiling Opponents - Loose Player Types

We can broadly categorize Texas Hold'em poker players into 4 distinct playing styles, using the Tightness dimension and the Aggressiveness dimension:

Loose-Aggressive

These players are also known as Maniacs for their wildly aggressive style of play. A loose-aggressive player may play any two cards at any time. This player confuses his opponents by firing off bets machine-gun style with strong and weak hands alike. Loose-aggressive players will mix up their aggressive and passive play, so it's hard to read their hands.

Loose-Passive

Loose-passive players are also known as "calling stations", because they will consistently call with any hand. The most effective way to beat this player is to simply bet into them when you have a decent hand. Since loose-passive players call any bet you place, it's best to avoid bluffing them. They will very seldom fold once they've seen the flop.

Profiling Opponents - Tight Player Types

Tight-Aggressive

A tight-aggressive player is often the most successful player at the table and usually the hardest to beat. These players only play good hands, and once they've got a strong hand, they'll bet aggressively. They like to play strong hands combined with good table position.

Tight-Passive

A tight-passive player is one that won't raise or call unless they have a very strong hand. This is typically a very straightforward player, who tends to play a pretty honest game. Their bets are often proportionate to the strength of their hand, making them even easier to read.

Online Poker Tells

A "Tell" is a habitual action by another player that gives you a clue to what she is holding. This lesson covers some important tells in online poker.

Speed of Play

The speed in which a player acts can be a good tell. A quick bet is typically a sign of lack of consideration, and therefore weakness. Delayed action is a sign of strength, as the player may be calculating her strategy with what she perceives to be a strong hand. Watch how long it takes other players to take action, and make a mental note of it.

Online Poker Tells Continued

Use of Check Boxes/Auto Plays

Online poker rooms have check boxes that allow you to make decisions before your turn, such as "Fold" "Raise Any", or "Call Any". You can tell when a player has used a check box, because her action follows the previous player's action instantaneously.

You can use this knowledge to your advantage. When a player raises instantaneously, she must have checked "Raise Any". This is a good indication that she has a strong hand. If a player checks instantaneously, you can surmise that her hand is weak. If a player calls instantaneously, you can assume she has a draw hand that she has not completed, but is definitely not ready to fold.

Opponents' Fold/Flop Percentage

While you cannot mark this percentage down precisely, you should, over the course of several hands, get a sense of whether or not the player folds many weak hands, or whether she stays in most hands. This tell can be used both online and offline to help you determine the strength of a player's overall game. If she folds often, beware. If she plays most hands, you can probably run over her with a strong hand.

Online Poker Tells Continued

The Chat Box

The "chattiness" of a player can be an obvious tell. Generally, if a very chatty player goes quiet all of a sudden, you can assume she is playing a strong hand and wishes to concentrate on the game to squeeze out the biggest pot possible.

If a player is betting, and becomes antagonistic or aggressive in the chat box, she may be bluffing and hoping her show of "confidence" will aid her in bluffing you off the table.

Waiting for the Big Blind

When you sit down at a Hold'em table, many times you'll have the option of "waiting on the big blind" to get to you, or posting a matching big blind to start playing immediately. This a good tell on how patient an online player is. If she is not patient enough to wait for the big blind to get around to her, she might not be very patient about waiting for good starting hands.

Defending Your Blinds

When you are playing the big or small blind, you will eventually encounter players who try to "Steal the Blinds" in the pre flop betting round. This term refers to the following scenario:

• You are playing one of the blinds.
• In the pre flop betting round, most players have folded.
• One of the two latest positions (the player with the dealer button or the "Cutoff" player to the right of the dealer) raises, posting a bet that is typically bigger than the entire pot (which only contains the blinds).
• This player is hoping to intimidate the blinds (that's you!) into folding, and getting an easy win of the blinds they posted, or calling with a weak hand an losing even more money.

When you are playing in one of the blind positions, you will have to decide how to "Defend your Blinds" without getting into trouble. When a particular opponent makes a habit of trying to steal your blinds, you may have to take action to slow the blind stealer down. There two options available to you in responding to blind-stealers, and you should use both.

1. Call More Often from the Blinds

By calling some blind-stealing raises, you let the blind stealer know that you will not allow your blinds to be stolen every time.

2. Start Three-Betting (Re-raising)

Another possible response to a blind-stealing attempt is to attack back and re-raise the blind-stealer. This will discourage further blind stealing.

Mix'em Up!

It is recommended that you mix these two responses to blind-stealing attempts, over time. This will prevent the blind-stealer from predicting your responses, and make their blind-stealing attempts much more financially risky.

The behavior you should avoid in fighting blind-stealing is always calling. Calling communicates weakness, and consistent behavior makes you predictable and therefore an easier target for blind-stealing.

Bankroll Management

Bankroll management means playing within certain financial limitations to avoid losing all of your bankroll due to bad runs of cards,which any poker player must expect from time to time. This is called 'playing within your bankroll'. Conversely, if you play at higher limits where there is too great a chance of losing all of your poker money, you are "playing out of your bankroll".

There are three simple rules for good bankroll management.

Bankroll Management Rule No. 1

You poker bankroll is defined as Money you can Afford to Lose!

Don’t put any money into your poker bankroll that you can’t comfortably part with if worst comes to worst.

Bankroll Management Rule No. 2

Let your bankroll dictate what limit you’ll be playing. Below are the basic rules for the size of bankroll you should bring to various Texas Hold'em tables

• 40 times the maximum buy in amount allowed at the table, for No Limit Hold'em tables.
• 300 times the big blind amount for Limit Hold'em tables.
• 40 times the maximum buy in amount allowed at the table, for Sit and Go Tournaments.

Bankroll Management Rule No. 3

Move down in limits if your bankroll is in bad shape. Having a rough downswing is psychologically difficult, but take some comfort in knowing that every poker player without exception experiences it. It's unavoidable. This is why we have rule no. 2 above.

One of the advantages of poker over other forms of gambling, is that you can minimize the effects of chance over time through the application of skill. Why sacrifice this advantage voluntarily? Chances are you can win in a lower limit level relatively easily, so take the step down for a while and rebuild your bankroll.