Texas Holdem For Beginners - Part 2

Moving on from Part1 of our texas holdem guide, part 2 discusses more indepth details about playing and mastering this game. An important concept players need to start understanding at this point of the game is the possible combinations of Texas hold'em starting hands of which there are 169 different combinations. Each of these 169 "unique" starting combinations fits into 1 of only 5 possible hand categories:

• Pairs,
• Connecting cards,
• Gapped cards,
• Suited connectors, or
• Suited gapped cards.

Pairs and Connectors

In the case where you are not dealt a pair, your cards will either be suited or unsuited. However, they can also be connected or gapped cards. Examples of connectors include K-Q, 8-7, and 4-3. In the case of unconnected cards, this could be 1, 2, 3 gapped, or more, and would include hands like 10-Q, 9-6, 7-4, or 10-4. If you consider the overall odds, small gaps can possibly make more straights. In general we see that the smaller the gap, the easier it is to make a straight. When playing texas holdem poker, lets say for example you hold a 10-6. Your only possibility of making a straight is 9-8-7. But if you hold 10-9, you can make a straight with K-Q-J, Q-J-8, J-8-7, and 8-7-6. Please bear ins mind, there can be exceptions, for example in a hand like A-K can only make 1 straight. It needs to combine a Q-J-T. An A-2 is in the same situation, and need to get together with a 5-4-3. Even though they are connected, each of these hands can only make 1 straight. There are examples aswell. K-Q can only make a straight 2 ways, by getting together with A-J-T or J-T-9, and 3-2 works the same way. The only other limited connectors are Q-J and 4-3. These two holdings can each make three straights. The Q-J needs A-K-T, K-T-9, or T-9-8. Basically, any other connectors will be able to make a straight in four possible ways.

Gapped Cards

These cards are not as valuable as connectors as they have more trouble completing straights. This assumption does fall away when you land up making a flush. But gapped cards can be more valuable for other reasons. Lets say for example that the flush never comes. You can make a straight with some gapped cards like an A-K.. You might also win if you hit either an ace or a king. If an ace comes on the board, you’ll have made a pair of aces with a six side-card, or kicker, and could easily go down to an opponent holding an ace with bigger kicker. But any pair you’d make with A-K would be the top pair with the best possible kicker.

When you are acting last in a hand this can be a big advantage to you as you can afford to see the flop with weaker hands as everyone else plays before you. You also have the added benefit of knowing how players are left in the hand and you also know how they reacted ot bet with their specific hands. That’s a big plus, since there are cases where some starting hands play better against a high number of players, while others play better against a smaller group of players. In the last position you’ll also know which of your opponents are representing good cards and maybe which could be bluffing. The later you act, the more information and knowledge you gain about that particular hand.

Starting Hands

In many cases, some starting hands are so good that they can be played from any position on the table. These types of hands are usually the favorites to win. You see a full chart with illustrations at texas holdem starting hand combinations. We discuss briefly how each of these hands is played depending on your realtive position in the table.

• Pairs: Sevens through aces Suited: Aces with a king, queen, jack, or ten King with a queen, jack, or ten Queen with a jack or ten Jack with a ten or nine Ten with a nine.
• Unsuited: Aces with a king, queen, jack, or ten King with a queen or jack When you are the 5th, 6th, or 7th to act you are in middle position, and can safely play smaller pairs like 6's and 5's. You can also add 10 more suited hands and 4 more unsuited options to your playable hands if the pot has not been raised.

Playable hands in middle position

• Pairs: Fives and Sixes Suited: Aces with a nine, eight, seven, or six King with a nine Queen with a nine or eight Jack with an eight Ten with an eight Nine with an eight
• Unsuited: King with a ten Queen with a jack or ten Jack with a ten In late position you have the advantage of acting last or next-to-last. As a result, you can add a variety of hands to your arsenal. Most are high risk that should be played only if the pot has not been raised. Also, you’ll need enough discipline to release them if the flop brings anything less than a large selection onf good cards.

Playable hands in late position:

• Pairs: Fours, treys, and deuces Suited: Aces with a five, four, three, or two King with an eight, seven, six, five, four, three, or two Jack with a seven Ten with a seven Nine with a seven or six Eight with a seven or six Seven with a six or five Six with a five Five with a four
• Unsuited: King with a nine Queen with a nine Jack with a nine or eight Ten with a nine or eight Nine with an eight or seven Eight with a seven

As a new player you may believe these guidelines descibed above are too tight. In fact, they are considered somewhat loose. A hand like Kh-2h, while playable, is a not a very good hand. If you flop a king and there’s any decent action, it’s fairly certain that someone else has a king with a higher kicker than yours. If you flop a deuce, you’ve guaranteed yourself the lowest pair on board. Even if you are very lucky and flop a flush, there’s no guarantees that it is the highest flush. Probably the very best flop you could hope for is something like Ah-2c-2d, which gives you 3 deuces with a strong kicker. You also have a backdoor draw to a flush, and ? more importantly ? an ace on the board guarantees a call or two from any opponents holding an ace in their hand.

Continue to part 3