How To Get Started with Texas Hold’em Poker

Texas Hold’em Poker is probably the most famous Poker game in the American and European casinos. It is the Poker variation played in most of the Poker tournaments, including the famous World Series of Poker. Like in almost every other variation of the Poker game, the player must form the best hand with five cards. In Texas Hold’em Poker, the player can choose between seven cards in order to form a hand.  The seven cards are split into five face-up community cards that might be used by every player and two private cards of the player, the so-called hole cards.

In general, a player has three options to increase the value of his hand. He can collect cards of the same suit to form a flush or he can try to form a straight. A straight is a collection of five cards of sequential rank and different suits. The highest poker hand is considered the straight flush i.e. five cards of the same suit in sequence. The other possible poker hands are one pair, two pairs, three of a kind and four of a kind. A pair and three of a kind in one hand is called a full house.

Although luck can be an important factor in a poker game, a successful Texas Hold’em player must be focused on several key factors. The first step to become a good poker player is to know how to evaluate the potential of the cards. Every player gets his hole cards and the first betting round starts. At this point, most poker players play only strong or very strong hands. Afterwards, the first three community cards are opened. A good poker player must analyze the open cards and compare the possible outs of the opponents to his ones. In this case the player must know all possible hands and their values. In the following betting rounds, a good player uses his knowledge to win the pot against the other players.

Another important factor in Texas Hold’em Poker game is the strategic analysis of the position of a player. Although most inexperienced players undervalue this fact, it is one of the keys to win. After the flop, the betting position of each player is fixed. So a player in an early position must always make the first move, while the players in late positions have the opportunity to see their moves and react accordingly.

Every poker player creates his reputation at the table during the game. It depends on the way the player acts at the table, how many hands he plays, how aggressive etc. For a successful bluff, a strong reputation is crucial for most cases. A good reputation allows you to play a weaker hand, while a poor reputation works perfectly with a very strong hand. You need to surprise the other players in order to win a poker game or tournament.

It is important to understand, that the right choice of hands worth to play depends on many factors. In some cases a hand should be played while the same hand in other circumstances should be folded. A good poker player has the experience, the knowledge and the feeling for the right hand and the right time. And the only way of training these skills is extensive playing of Texas Hold’em Poker.