Texas Holdem has become one of the biggest games recently due to the factors of:
1. It’s an easy game to master once you get the hang of it.
2. It’s not just luck that wins the pot everytime.
3. It’s more challenging, (and not as boring) than poker.
Texas Holdem has become one of the latest crazes for all ages also. It has attracted more people than any other game within the last five years and I’m glad I jumped on this band wagon early in my playing career. Experience came early for me, before the craze began. With the expense of watching new players, I have had the pleasure of seeing first hand, the worse mistakes anyone could and will make. This simple guide is to not only help you win, but to also keep you from losing bad.
Common mistakes
1. Bait and Trap- This move is more commonly known as the opposite of bluffing .There are two types of players involved with this set-up. The first type of player will check after a card is played, holding a great hand. They will wait for an opportunity for you to bet, then they will either raise or go all-in. This only works if you bet though, and some players don’t have the patience for this type of set-up. This is also a great way for you to give the other player an opportunity to catch a good hand on the next turn. Risky, but if It’s played right, the player will guarantee a good pay as well as a better chance of having a player call with a bad hand. The second kind of player that will use this trick will actually wait until the last card, (the river card) is laid before they raise or go all-in. They will wait pre-flop, flop, on the turn, and even on rare occasions, the river card to come to play, checking a bet the whole time. an amateur player will not notice what this type of player is doing until it’s too late. This trick forces you to bet, reraise, or fold.
2. Getting “Blinded Out”- One of the best reasons why Texas Holdem is so popular is because everyone has to pay blinds when their turn comes up. To describe what a blind is, It’s the bet prier to seeing any cards. blinds are built and has already been established by the party or sponsor that has set the game up. This is called a “blind” because you basically can’t see what you are betting on. Paying the blinds in the beginning of any tournament is no big deal, because they are never big at the beginning. This is not to inter that you should call in the beginning of a tournament, rather, the start of the game most of the time, will not generate an outstanding high blind.
Paying for blinds towards the ending of the duration of the game is what makes the biggest percentage of winners. Letting go of most of your hands while waiting for one of the top 5 best hands is generally a common mistake for those who play stale. These players are the ones who might make it farther by not calling, but these are generally the same players who usually lose because they are “blinded out”, meaning that they were forced to pay out their share of the blinds and it’s usually what chips or money they had left.
3. Body Language- One of the biggest mistakes most people make is not how they played, it’s how they talk to others by body language. What is body language? Body language is the movements your body makes subconsciously. Almost everyone has body language while playing poker. Some players will cover up their cards with their hands, telling me that they have a good hand. Some people will roll their eyes, shake their head, scratch their arm, etc… They never realize that with their movements, I can generally tell what they have and how I should play. The most revealing body part in this game is their eyes. Talk about windows to the soul, your eyes are also windows to telling me where you are positioned during a play. A good poker player will wear a hat, put on glasses, wear a hooded sweatshirt, and sometimes even keep their jacket on to conceal their body language. for me, most winning hands came from me watching how the other players fidget, as well as how they bet.
With everything else said, this is a gambling game. Please play responsibly.
