Winning At Texas Holdem Poker in 13 Simple Steps


With all the poker mania, there is an amazing shortage of quality information that can help people learn to play and win the game. This is the first in a series of Texas Holdem articles aimed at helping players win poker.

Here are 13 valuable steps to follow that can help increase your odds of winning.

Know the Value of Your Hand

After the cards have been dealt, you must fix your cards according to value. In Texas Holdem, you can use the community cards on the table and the two hole cards dealt to you to form a winning five-card combination. One must play the cards accordingly to win a game.

Play Only Strong Hands

If you are sure of having strong hands – like that of the Royal Flush – then you can play it in full table games. You can beat more players if you have such winning hand. However, you must not entirely close the possibility that the other players are holding a good card combination.

Be Prepared to Fold

A few hands will be played for a long period of time. You should therefore anticipate to fold your cards most of the time in this kind of poker game.

Know First the Odds

Before getting involved in a pot, know first your odds of winning. The player should check the card combination before placing chips on the pot. This step will help players think if the game is worth continuing or not.

Before the Flop

Aggressive moves before the "Flop" or the first betting round is also essential in winning poker. At such an early time, you can already get the players out of the hand. Of course, you can only do such aggressive moves if you are playing strong hands.

Never Chase Open and Low-End Straights

The high-end straights will give you more chance of winning. It is therefore important to chase on the high-end combination than the low-end ones.

Never Play When Your Budget is Getting Low

A full time commitment to Texas Holdem means having enough money to sustain your gambling needs. It is very essential to know when to call it quits.

Play With Cards and Not With Ego

A very common problem experienced by many poker players is playing with ego. Always focus your mind on the cards dealt and the possible winning combinations you can draw from those cards.

Keep Your Eyes Open

A player learns from the moves the other players make. One should keep his eyes focused on the table and on the strategies used by the other players.

Play With Confidence

Even if you make a few mistakes, do not lose control in playing poker. You should always appear confident in front of the other players so they cannot tell which hand you are playing.

Do Not Imitate

Instead of imitating the strategies used by other online gamers, understand the concepts they use and draw your strategy from there.

Play Cautiously

If your hand does not improve after the flop, you can wisely fold your cards for cautious play. This rule is especially true when you are holding a low pair of hands.

Don't Play Too Loose

Never play loose in a short-handed game. This means that if there are only 4 or 5 people on the table, you shouldn't make foolish moves with your cards.