7 Critical Factors You Must Know Before You Play Any Hand In Texas Hold’em Poker

Being a poker professional I receive tons of emails and questions about how to play certain hands or what I would do in a particular situation. In this article I’ve outlined seven critical factors you need to be aware of any time you play Texas Hold’em poker. Use this article as an outline to help make the best possible decisions when playing poker. All of these factors are very important to understand if you want to be a successful Texas Holdem player. 1. Table Position. The first thing to notice when playing Holdem is where you’re at on the table. There are good positions and bad positions. The best position is when you’re on the button. That is the Dealer Button. The reason for this is because you get to act last and see what everyone else does before you. The worst position in my opinion is the small blind. Since you have a little money already in the pot you may play marginal hands that you wouldn’t otherwise. Thus you get yourself into a lot more pots when you really shouldn’t be. Most of the time these come back to bite you. 2. The Read on Your Opponents The read you have on your opponents is all important. Depending if you’re playing against real loose players or real tight players will greatly help in choosing what hands to play and how to play them. The best way to get a read on your opponents is to simply watch how they play when you’re not playing. 3. Number of Players at the Table The number of people at a table is important mainly because it will increase or decrease the strength of your hand. If you have a full table of ten you’re A,T suited won’t be nearly as strong as if your playing at a short-handed table of five or six. All of a sudden that A,T suited is now very strong. 4. Number of Players in the Hand This goes along with rule number two but with a slight variation. When everyone at a full table folds except for you and one opponent; immediately your hand strength has grown stronger. However, you need to be aware of one thing. You must be aware of all the other cards that were folded. Granted you won’t know what they were but you can make an educated guess based on the read you have on other players. Most of the time your opponents folded because they didn’t catch a monster hand. Even if there are loose players at the table and they folded. You know they folded junk or they would still be in the hand. Therefore if you have a low to middle pair the likelihood of you hitting trips on the flop diminishes. So you need to proceed with caution. On the other hand if you have A,Q suited be aggressive in your play. 5. Your Cards What are your cards? This is important. Right? Now you will see some of the pros talk about how they don’t even have to look at their cards sometimes because they know their opponents so well. If you’re reading this my guess is you’re not one of them. Therefore, the cards we’re dealt have a dramatic impact on our ability to win. We must be patient. And when the right hands are dealt we need to be ready to pounce and win big pots. 6. Chip Stacks The reason chip stacks are important is because people play differently when the size of their chip stack changes. For example, if you’re the short stack you may play more tightly waiting for that right hand. At the same time if you’re the chip leader you may get so aggressive and try to bully people around and steal blinds. Now I’m not saying either way is the right or wrong way to play. It’s just important to know how your opponents begin to change their play as their chip stacks change. How do you change your play when you’re the short stack or the chip leader? 7. Table Action What’s going on before you? Does the guy to your right always lay down big raises? It’s important to pay close attention to what the action is doing before it comes to you. If someone raises, and then two people reraise and you’re sitting on QQ you may want to lay it down. You can safely assume someone if not two people have AA and KK leaving you on the short end of the stick if you choose to play. Remember, poker takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master. Understand and use these seven critical factors to help you master the game and win a lot more when you play Texas Holdem poker. Poker Resources Featured Poker Rooms: Absolute Poker Full Tilt Poker UltimateBet PokerStars Learn to Play Poker Profitably the right way: Sit N Go Pro Outstanding Poker About the Author: PD Laughlin is an author and professional Texas Holdem player. He has done extensive research and discovered the very best way to earn a living playing online poker. Discover his secrets at http://www.win-at-holdem.com. Read more articles by: PD LaughlinArticle Source: www.iSnare.com

The Importance Of Poker Position And How To Bet.

Texas Holdem is all about people and position. All rounded holdem players agree that position in no limit texas holdem is fundamentally important. Playing your hole cards in late position can be much more profitable than in early poker position. The reason because much more information is gathered before acting. For example, I was playing a $1-$2 no limit cash game at a local spot. I limped in with 2 , 9 unsuited (a terrible hand) on the dealer button, just to see some action. Flop came down A -A -4 . A player in early position made a $15 bet. Two players fold and it was my turn to act. I should have folded, but his play seemed a bit off. I identified this player as a weak-tight player earlier, and typically if he had the best hand he would just check. I thought, ‘if he held trips, why would he raise so early instead of checking and try to trap other players.’ I didn’t put him on an Ace this time, so I called. The turn came down with a 7 , making it A -A -4 -7 . My opponent made another bet of $20. I hesitated a bit, but made a split decision to reraise another $30 on top of his $20. He folds and I take the pot down. Playing late position gives you an idea where you stand by observing how players react and bet. On the other hand, players at early position may us their poker position to check-raise the late positioned aggressors and trap them later at the end. In Texas Holdem, both ends, late and early should be played cautiously regardless. How to Bet A bet is a declaration that you have a good hand. When a player raises, they are proclaiming they have the best hand and they’ll wager money on it. Typically, players are supposed to raise when they have a good hand and those who have a bad hand are suppose to fold. If everyone stuck to this policy, there would be no need for any strategy. However, most players play contrary to this idea and attempt to be cunning and deceptive. The following descriptions are strategic plays: Blind-Stealing: When you are on the dealer button and only you have the blinds are left, a raise is often called blind-stealing. This may cause the blinds to fold, stead of simply checking. This strategy will never make you rich, but ends the game fast so you may be dealt a new hand (and adds a few chips to your stack). Blind stealing is a tremendous tactic within a tournament game, especially when the blinds become very high. Steal-Raise: If you are the last to act and all players have checked to you, a simple raise can limit the number of active players or take the pot. This move is only recommended if you’ve hit a piece of the flop and want to see where you stand. Check-Raising: The act of checking to your opponent with the intention of luring them to raise, so that you can reraise them back. Your intention is to lure them to feel secure about their hand and betting so you can reraise back at them. For example, I was in early position and was holding AQ and the flop came down as Q-A-A. I didn’t want to scare anyone out of the pot so I checked and waited for someone to bet. My opponent bets, and I raise him back with a substantial amount that kept him thinking for a minute. The Opener: Raising when you’re first to act. This strategy is used to limit the number of players and is an information bet (usually players with strong hands will call). Many will fold, but the ones remaining will either be equally aggressive or truly have a good hand. Squeezing: Raising when suspecting another player or players may be on a draw (players looking for a straight, flush, etc). Raising discourages players taking a chance on their draws. For example, I was holding a suited hand J10, and the flop came down as 2-A-8 with two clubs on the community. One more club would have gave me a strong flush possibility, but my opponent bet a strong amount that wasn’t worth gambling if I didn’t hit my flush. Poker Resources Featured Poker Rooms: Absolute Poker Full Tilt Poker UltimateBet PokerStars Learn to Play Poker Profitably the right way: Sit N Go Pro Outstanding Poker

The Importance Of Poker Position And How To Bet.

Texas Holdem is all about people and position. All rounded holdem players agree that position in no limit texas holdem is fundamentally important. Playing your hole cards in late position can be much more profitable than in early poker position. The reason because much more information is gathered before acting. For example, I was playing a $1-$2 no limit cash game at a local spot. I limped in with 2 , 9 unsuited (a terrible hand) on the dealer button, just to see some action. Flop came down A -A -4 . A player in early position made a $15 bet. Two players fold and it was my turn to act. I should have folded, but his play seemed a bit off. I identified this player as a weak-tight player earlier, and typically if he had the best hand he would just check. I thought, ‘if he held trips, why would he raise so early instead of checking and try to trap other players.’ I didn’t put him on an Ace this time, so I called. The turn came down with a 7 , making it A -A -4 -7 . My opponent made another bet of $20. I hesitated a bit, but made a split decision to reraise another $30 on top of his $20. He folds and I take the pot down. Ad: "Earn Six Figures Play Poker On-Line" Playing late position gives you an idea where you stand by observing how players react and bet. On the other hand, players at early position may us their poker position to check-raise the late positioned aggressors and trap them later at the end. In Texas Holdem, both ends, late and early should be played cautiously regardless. Texas Holdem is all about people and position. All rounded holdem players agree that position in no limit texas holdem is fundamentally important. Playing your hole cards in late position can be much more profitable than in early poker position. The reason because much more information is gathered before acting. For example, I was playing a $1-$2 no limit cash game at a local spot. I limped in with 2 , 9 unsuited (a terrible hand) on the dealer button, just to see some action. Flop came down A -A -4 . A player in early position made a $15 bet. Two players fold and it was my turn to act. I should have folded, but his play seemed a bit off. I identified this player as a weak-tight player earlier, and typically if he had the best hand he would just check. I thought, ‘if he held trips, why would he raise so early instead of checking and try to trap other players.’ I didn’t put him on an Ace this time, so I called. The turn came down with a 7 , making it A -A -4 -7 . My opponent made another bet of $20. I hesitated a bit, but made a split decision to reraise another $30 on top of his $20. He folds and I take the pot down. Playing late position gives you an idea where you stand by observing how players react and bet. On the other hand, players at early position may us their poker position to check-raise the late positioned aggressors and trap them later at the end. In Texas Holdem, both ends, late and early should be played cautiously regardless. How to Bet A bet is a declaration that you have a good hand. When a player raises, they are proclaiming they have the best hand and they’ll wager money on it. Typically, players are supposed to raise when they have a good hand and those who have a bad hand are suppose to fold. If everyone stuck to this policy, there would be no need for any strategy. However, most players play contrary to this idea and attempt to be cunning and deceptive. The following descriptions are strategic plays: Blind-Stealing: When you are on the dealer button and only you have the blinds are left, a raise is often called blind-stealing. This may cause the blinds to fold, stead of simply checking. This strategy will never make you rich, but ends the game fast so you may be dealt a new hand (and adds a few chips to your stack). Blind stealing is a tremendous tactic within a tournament game, especially when the blinds become very high. Steal-Raise: If you are the last to act and all players have checked to you, a simple raise can limit the number of active players or take the pot. This move is only recommended if you’ve hit a piece of the flop and want to see where you stand. Check-Raising: The act of checking to your opponent with the intention of luring them to raise, so that you can reraise them back. Your intention is to lure them to feel secure about their hand and betting so you can reraise back at them. For example, I was in early position and was holding AQ and the flop came down as Q-A-A. I didn’t want to scare anyone out of the pot so I checked and waited for someone to bet. My opponent bets, and I raise him back with a substantial amount that kept him thinking for a minute. The Opener: Raising when you’re first to act. This strategy is used to limit the number of players and is an information bet (usually players with strong hands will call). Many will fold, but the ones remaining will either be equally aggressive or truly have a good hand. Squeezing: Raising when suspecting another player or players may be on a draw (players looking for a straight, flush, etc). Raising discourages players taking a chance on their draws. For example, I was holding a suited hand J10, and the flop came down as 2-A-8 with two clubs on the community. One more club would have gave me a strong flush possibility, but my opponent bet a strong amount that wasn’t worth gambling if I didn’t hit my flush. Ad: "Texas Hold'em Secrets Revealed" How to Bet A bet is a declaration that you have a good hand. When a player raises, they are proclaiming they have the best hand and they’ll wager money on it. Typically, players are supposed to raise when they have a good hand and those who have a bad hand are suppose to fold. If everyone stuck to this policy, there would be no need for any strategy. However, most players play contrary to this idea and attempt to be cunning and deceptive. The following descriptions are strategic plays: Blind-Stealing: When you are on the dealer button and only you have the blinds are left, a raise is often called blind-stealing. This may cause the blinds to fold, stead of simply checking. This strategy will never make you rich, but ends the game fast so you may be dealt a new hand (and adds a few chips to your stack). Blind stealing is a tremendous tactic within a tournament game, especially when the blinds become very high. Steal-Raise: If you are the last to act and all players have checked to you, a simple raise can limit the number of active players or take the pot. This move is only recommended if you’ve hit a piece of the flop and want to see where you stand. Check-Raising: The act of checking to your opponent with the intention of luring them to raise, so that you can reraise them back. Your intention is to lure them to feel secure about their hand and betting so you can reraise back at them. For example, I was in early position and was holding AQ and the flop came down as Q-A-A. I didn’t want to scare anyone out of the pot so I checked and waited for someone to bet. My opponent bets, and I raise him back with a substantial amount that kept him thinking for a minute. The Opener: Raising when you’re first to act. This strategy is used to limit the number of players and is an information bet (usually players with strong hands will call). Many will fold, but the ones remaining will either be equally aggressive or truly have a good hand. Squeezing: Raising when suspecting another player or players may be on a draw (players looking for a straight, flush, etc). Raising discourages players taking a chance on their draws. For example, I was holding a suited hand J10, and the flop came down as 2-A-8 with two clubs on the community. One more club would have gave me a strong flush possibility, but my opponent bet a strong amount that wasn’t worth gambling if I didn’t hit my flush. Poker Resources Featured Poker Rooms: Absolute Poker Full Tilt Poker UltimateBet PokerStars Learn to Play Poker Profitably the right way: Sit N Go Pro Outstanding Poker