The Definitive Guide to Texas Hold’em Strategy

 The Ultimate Guide to Texas Hold'em Strategy

This blog is dedicated to Texas Hold'em Poker Strategy. It doesn't matter if you're new to the game or an experienced player who is looking for more advanced strategies, there's something for you.

I have divided this blog into four categories to make it easier to use: beginner, intermediate, expert, and advanced.

The blog also contains several videos and links to other articles that cover relevant topics such as betting sizing.

This blog covers both cash and tournament games.

If you liked this post and want to accelerate your success, improve hand reading, and beat the competition, consider joining our Pro Member Programs.

Enjoy.

Beginner Texas Hold'em Strategy

After learning the basics of poker you will want to use a simple strategy which is both easy to understand and effective.

To outplay your opponent, the simplest way is to play better than them.

Watch this video to learn a simple, yet powerful strategy you can use during your next session to make more money. This video is four years old, and you'll see how nervous it was. These concepts still hold true today.

As you have just heard, playing too many hands is a common mistake made by both amateurs and pros. The reason I am going to concentrate the next two sections on preflop plays is because it's the most common mistake amateur's (and pros) make.

Texas Hold'em's first decision is whether you want to play your hand. This is often the most important.

Although there is no universal poker strategy, the following hand types can be used in your next session: 99, AA, KQs and AQ.

These hands are not the best for you. You might be playing too tight to maximize your win rate. But you'll have a strong preflop edge and a greater chance of making a profit.

Because all the above hands "Flop", it will make it easier to play your hand post-flop. You will become more comfortable with playing your hands post-flop and you can add more playable hands like suited connectors or small pocket pairs to your game.

Because I understand the importance of understanding opening strategies in poker, my focus is on the beginning texas holds'em strategy section. The foundation is the best place to build upon it.

This outline provides a simple guideline to selecting starting hands. For more details, please visit the Intermediate Texas Hold'em Poker Strategy Section.

Intermediate Texas Hold'em Strategy

It is important to have a good understanding of preflop play in order to be successful at the poker tables.

Poor hand selection, such as JT off-suit in an early position, can lead to difficult situations later on.

It is possible to avoid difficult decisions postflop by being more selective with the hands one plays preflop.

It is obvious that preflop play can be difficult to master. Although preflop play is a skill that can take years to master (much like chess), poker has foundational principles which are applicable in all situations.

A solid foundation is essential to understand and know what hands to use and which positions to play.

It wouldn't be a bad idea if there was an easy system like chess that tells you which hand to use and from what position.

Wouldn't it be nice to have the tools and resources to modify your strategy according the the the game's nuances and the tendencies that your opponent displays?

It's exactly what you'll find in the Quick Start Guide to Preflop Play. Quick Start Guide for Preflop Play is a PDF of 10 pages. It contains preflop hand charts which tell you which hands and from what position to play, both in the full ring and in short-handed play.

It will also give you an in-depth understanding of how to adjust your strategy for the specifics and requirements of your game. I used to sell the content but now I give it away for free. I'm doing it for many reasons.

1. I am determined to have my free content be superior to other content on the poker site.

2. If you can see the value of my content, you'll be more likely than ever to use my premium paid website.

You can get the Quick Start Guide To Preflop Play by simply entering your name and email below.

To be able to move on to the more advanced strategies outlined in this article, it is important to have a solid understanding about preflop play.

It takes a marathon to improve your poker skills. The Quick Start Guide will provide a guideline that can be used to improve your game in the coming sessions.

My content should be useful and can be implemented. Reading won't teach you anything. You have to do it.

You are allowed to bookmark this page to return to later when you feel that you have learned the above.

You can skip the preflop play if you are familiar with the concepts and feel more comfortable with the content.

Advanced Texas Hold'em Strategy

Now you should be comfortable with preflop poker play and ready for the more nuanced aspects of Texas Hold'em poker strategy. It's where poker really gets exciting, I'm glad that you're still with us.

CONCEPTUAL BASED LEARING (CBL).

You should know by now that there is no shortcut to being a good player of poker. It takes practice, patience and discipline. You also need to be open to learning from your mistakes.

At this stage, I don't want to teach you how to memorize moves and theory. Instead, I want to help improve your understanding of what the game is all about.

Poor coaches will only teach you to memorize 15 moves. Good coaches will help you understand why the center board is important and how you can develop the pieces naturally.

This is what I refer to as Conceptual Based Learning (CBL), and it's how I teach poker. The advanced section will allow us to discuss important concepts of poker together. It will help you better understand the game and your grasp.

POST FLOP PLAY

After you've understood preflop play, it's time to learn how to think about postflop play.

I won't just tell you to use an exploitative strategy in texas holdem, like continuation betting 100% when you are the first raiser. Instead, I will teach you how to see the situation from your perspective, so that you can make the best decision. Let's look at some examples of hand to get you started.

Before I make any decision at the table, there is a quick 3 question survey.

The first question that I ask is "What am I trying to do?"

Let's keep the same example, but let's suppose you are debating whether to continue betting. This question helps me clarify my goal before I act. This question helps me to decide if I should bluff or have nothing.

Once I've determined my objective, to get everyone to give up, I'll next ask myself: Is my play likely to succeed?

Then I analyze the situation with logic to determine whether my play will earn a profit.

Always follow up with "Why?"

If, after looking at all the variables, the situation is still favorable, I'll place a continuation bet based on the assumption everyone will fold.

Here's an example to show you how it works in practice.

Hand Example #1

Let's assume that the hero raises in a $5/$10 NL Poker Game to $30. He does this from late position, with Ts9s, and the big blind (Villain), calls. They face off to a flop with Jc 4d2s. Hero completely blew the flop. There are big blind checks. Hero debates what to do. Although many players argue that the default play in continuation betting is the best, it's important to understand why.

Here's how it works.

What am I trying accomplish?

Hero wishes for the villain to give up.

What is the likelihood of my play succeeding?

Hypothesis: Very probable.

Why?

Keep it simple.

1. Because hero was raised preflop and the villain was called, hero's hand range has a greater strength.

Practically, this means that hero can have QQAA while villain cannot (because he didn’t raise preflop).

2. Villain defended himself from the big blind.

People often defend with wide ranges at the big blind, which makes it less likely that the villain has a strong preflop holding.

3. The villain is unlikely to benefit from the flop.

This isn’t a coordinated game board. There is no flush draw and almost no straight draw. And it is very difficult for villains to have made two pairs. When faced with a wager, there are not many hands that the villain can use to continue.

4. Betting is a great way to improve your overall strategy.

The game theory is an important aspect of deciding the strategy. Our hero will choose to bet the flop nearly 100% of the times (with his entire range) because of the above. The flop can be bluffed with weaker players by placing all of our strong hands. We easily win the pot.

5. Because the hero holds the lead.

While having the lead in the hand can be important, it is far less crucial than most people think. The poker game in 2017 is very different from 2007 and it's not enough to just have the initiative to justify continued betting. Because of these reasons, it is unlikely that an opponent will challenge you on a board such as this. It is therefore very useful to be the preflop aggressor.

6. Hero can profitably double barrel on certain turns.

The turn can be taken by any King, Queens, eights, or spades. Hero can win showdown if they hit a Ten or Nine.

You can easily see the advantages of continuing betting by engaging in an internal dialogue and answering each question in detail. If the situation seems more complicated, I will play devil's Advocate and ask myself: Why is this bad option?

I have difficulty finding any reason to believe that betting is bad in the above example, except for the weak hand and low equity when it is called.

So, betting is, objectively speaking, the best option. Important to remember that this internal dialogue does not need to be lengthy or complex. The following example shows that even in complex situations, simple logic can help me reach the right conclusion.

Two players might use a basic strategy of continuation betting. The player who used Conceptual Based Learning would draw the same conclusion that the player who continues to place bets on the flop. But the CBL user would make a different decision.

You will see that understanding the reason behind something is critical to making the right long-term decision. You're less likely to make mistakes if you keep the process simple.

Example 2: Hand

The Hero raises preflop in a $5/$10 NL Poker Game from an early position to $30. With AsKs, the Hero is called in three positions: mid-position (button), and big blind.

Pot $125

The flop happens at 9d 8d6h The big blind checks, and our hero ...? We could make poor choices and lose if our rudimentary logic was used (continuation betting when we are the initial raiser).

However, the CBL approach will allow us to reach the correct conclusion.

What am I trying accomplish?

I'm hoping that everyone will fold, and there will be no pair nor draw.

What is the likelihood of my play succeeding?

Hypothesis: unlikely.

Why?

There are three other players in this pot, and it is very coordinated.

It is easy to see that many hands can be continued on this board if you don't look at the individual ranges of players. Also, I don't have much equity so I can't profitably bluff many turn-cards.

I do not need to go into detail about game theory or range balancing as the above reasons will suffice to show that checking is the right play. Although it is fun to argue that this board should be checked from a game-theory perspective, I don’t need my hands to fool with AsKs. It is not necessary to determine the correct play.

Keep it simple and don't worry about philosophy after the game.

Because this situation is obvious (checking is best play), I do not need to analyze the other scenario and consider the advantages of betting the flop. If I am being pushed, I can check and then fold.

Hopefully now you see how the CBL will allow you to make informed decisions when you are faced with one at a poker table.

These principles should be used to your advantage when you play poker. This approach should be familiar before you proceed to the Texas Hold'em expert strategy section.

My Pro Membership program on Conscious Poker offers support and guidance during this phase of your journey. It also allows you to connect with other aspiring poker players. It's completely free to sign up. This program offers the following:

1. Private Forum Group with Four Step Poker Mastery-approved coaches to review your game.

2. Newsletter with next-level tips and strategies for poker.

3. Option to submit #HandoftheDay/#AskAlec question to be reviewed on my YouTube channel.

4. Exclusive training and strategy content for poker players in a member-only area

5. Connect with other aspiring poker players looking to improve.

You can then move on to the expert strategy section. poker strategy how to play the flop like a pro