texas holdem strategy texas holdem starting hands

EV is a calculation of the average amount of money you can expect to win (or lose) over the long run based on your decisions in a given situation. For example, if you have a drawing hand (i.e., a hand that needs one or more community cards to complete), and you think your opponent will continue to bet if you hit your hand, then you have good implied odds.Įxpected value (EV) is another concept that advanced players use to make better decisions. By calculating the pot odds, you can determine whether calling a bet is a profitable decision in the long run.Īnother important concept is implied odds, which refers to the amount of money you stand to win in future betting rounds if you hit your hand. One of the most important of these is pot odds, which refers to the ratio of the amount of money in the pot to the amount of money needed to call a bet. To truly excel at Texas Hold’em, you’ll need to understand some of the more advanced concepts that can help you make better decisions. You’ll also need to be able to recognize situations where you can semi-bluff (i.e., bet with a hand that isn’t yet strong but has the potential to improve) and where you should check or call instead of betting. When it comes to betting in the post-flop stage, you’ll want to use a combination of value betting (i.e., betting with strong hands to get your opponents to call) and bluffing (i.e., betting with weak hands to get your opponents to fold). You’ll also need to pay attention to your opponents’ betting patterns and playing styles, as these can give you clues about the strength of their hands. This involves looking at the community cards and assessing what possible hands your opponents could have based on those cards. One of the most important skills in post-flop play is reading the board.

Your goal at this stage is to assess the strength of your hand relative to the other players in the hand and to make betting decisions accordingly. After the flop is revealed (i.e., the first three community cards), the game enters the post-flop stage, where the decisions become more complex.

Texas holdem strategy texas holdem starting hands