The great thing about Texas Holdem Poker is that it is easy to learn. Even a beginner can quickly develop into a winning player. By following a sound strategy and playing the best starting hands a Texas Holdem Poker newbie can dramatically shorten the learning curve. So what are the best hands that a beginner should play?
The best hands for a beginner to play are Ace-Ace, King-King, Queen-Queen, Jack-Jack, Ace-King suited (example - Ace of clubs & King of clubs).
I strongly recommend that you only play these starting hands as a beginner. In other words, if you are dealt a hand other than one of the above then fold!
Folding is one of the most difficult decisions for a Texas Holdem Poker beginner to do. The mindset of most Texas Holdem Poker beginners is to hang around and see the flop in the hopes of hitting it just right and improving a hand.
While a beginner will hit the flop and improve their hand occasionally, more often than not they will miss it. The Texas Holdem Poker beginner player that plays poor starting hands will end up throwing more money away than they will win.
When you are dealt one of the best starting hands I recommend raising the pot which will serve two purposes. First, it will force players with weak hands to fold instead of allowing them to stay in the game and see the flop for free.
Secondly, by seeing who raises and calls you get to see who feels that they have a good hand and who may be trying to hang in for the flop.
When the flop is dealt you should look carefully to see if you have improved your hand. Even if you have not improved your hand, because you started out with one of the better hands you may still have the best hand. This is especially true if your starting hand was a pair of aces or kings.
If your opponents raise back this can be a strong signal that they may have a powerful hand. Ask yourself, "What could my opponent have?" "Could they have improved their hand?"
Ask yourself these questions after each round of cards are dealt and try to "read" your opponents hand.
If you have a high pair a raise after the flop can help you assess whether your opponents feel if they have a strong hand or not.
If you think you are beaten there is no shame in folding at this point.
When the turn card has been revealed, if you think that you may still have the best hand I would raise the pot so that I could obtain information about my opponents' hands.
I would follow this same strategy on the river card.
To summarize this basic Texas Holdem Poker beginner strategy:
- stick to playing the best starting hands
- fold the bad hands
- use the power of the raise to knock out weak players and to assess the strength of your opponents hands
By following this Texas Holdem Poker beginner strategy you will start out winning more hands than you lose. You will start out winning more money than you will lose.
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Q&A Powered by:
Latest Online Gambling Articles
Is It Better To Play Online Poker?
By: Anand Maheshwari | 12/10/2008
Playing poker online is a great pastime for a number of people. Besides the conveniences provided by playing inside the house, online poker is for others much more exciting and new. While there are other venues in which to play poker games, there are a great deal more of people who utilize the ability to play poker in the online setting because of the extra benefits that come from doing so.
Information About Sports Book Betting Online Versus Bookies
By: Kristi Ambrose | 11/10/2008
Sports book betting can be done easily online nowadays with just a few quick clicks of your mouse you can easily benefit from numerous amounts of sites online that offer this type of gambling. A large part of why betting online is so popular is because you have access to various amount of different sports books, this also means that you have a greater chance to obtain more money.
Tips On Finding Sports Betting Picks Available
By: Kristi Ambrose | 11/10/2008
Written in this article are tips in helping you find sports betting picks available online. There are thousands of sites online nowadays that offer this service so in the event that you are looking for a place, there's a pretty darn good chance you won't have a problem finding you.
Information On Sports Betting Sites Available Online
By: Kristi Ambrose | 11/10/2008
In fact, betting online is one of the most popular things to do these days, the mere appreciation for this type of activity has been growing more and more since companies and bookies have become available online, it's very convenient to say the least!
The Sports Betting Affiliate Industry
By: Kristi Ambrose | 10/10/2008
So all you have to do is entice them to click that banner or text link, have them sign up, add some money to their account, and that's it, you just turned X amount of dollars from your site. Now imagine this if you will, you have 5 sites and you place banners on all 5 sites to either the same place or to a different place, you just raised your odds 5 times!
Sports Betting Online; Is It Legal Or Not?
By: Kristi Ambrose | 10/10/2008
So, what exactly is sports betting? What does it involve? Essentially betting can be classified as a game of chance, sort of like roulette. It is defined as the generalized activity of predicting results of the sports you are interested in by making wagers on the outcome of the event.
Sports Betting Arbitrage, Is It Worth It? Here Are Some Risks You Might Want To Consider
By: Kristi Ambrose | 10/10/2008
Although arbitrage may guarantee a certain profit, there are still some things that could prevent the implication of the arbitrage betting method. These factors may also impose certain risks to your arbitrage sports betting experience. Here are a few risks you may want to consider before getting into something like this.
How Would You Like Some Secrets To Sports Betting Handicapping?
By: Kristi Ambrose | 10/10/2008
That right there is what you would refer to as sports betting handicapping! To further help you understand this term, sports betting handicapping actually refers to the practice of assigning advantages through scoring compensations to different contestants to make the chances of winning more fair.
More from Michael Vall
Poker Etiquette 101
By: Michael Vall | 29/06/2007 | Online Gambling
One of the most annoying things when playing poker is being stuck at a table with someone who doesn't know how to act. I am not talking about how to act as in raise, call or fold. I am talking about how to treat the others at the poker table. And this goes for both playing online or in a live casino.
Blackjack - Playing With Bad Players
By: Michael Vall | 08/05/2007 | Online Gambling
The great majority of blackjack players simply hate playing with bad players. They hate playing with players who draw when they should stand or stand when they should draw. They especially hate it when the results of the poor player's decision cause their own hand to lose. So what is the best way to handle playing with bad players?
How to Walk Away a Winner When Playing Blackjack
By: Michael Vall | 08/05/2007 | Online Gambling
When playing blackjack there are going to be times when you can do no wrong. Your 16's draw out into 20's and 21's, every double down is a winner, blackjacks are coming like you are an ace magnet, and the dealer busts every time you need him to. You are feeling like a genius and the chips are piling up.
Can A Poker Odds Calculator Really Help You Win?
By: Michael Vall | 27/04/2007 | Online Gambling
During your online poker playing career there will be times during a game of hold em that you will look at your hole cards and will not be sure what to do. You will ask yourself, should I bet? Shoud I call? Should I raise? Can a poker odds calculator really help you make these decisions?
Five Easy to Follow Texas Holdem Poker Tips to Improve Your Game
By: Michael Vall | 26/02/2007 | Online Gambling
How would you like five easy to follow tips that will immediately improve your poker game? Yes, that's right, these five easy to learn tips will have you winning more hands more often. Just read on...
Five Easy Steps to Winning at Online Texas Holdem Poker
By: Michael Vall | 24/02/2007 | Online Gambling
Are you tired of losing while playing Texas Holdem Poker online? When we play online poker we all expect to be big winners. We have all read the stories and have seen the online players go on to become big time money winners in the biggest event of all - The World Series of Poker. Unfortunately, when most beginners start out they end up losing money. So, how do you avoid becoming like most beginners?
Online Texas Holdem Poker for Beginners
By: Michael Vall | 23/02/2007 | Online Gambling
There comes a time in everyone's Texas Holdem Poker life that they consider playing poker online.
The beginner Texas Holdem Poker player goes from reading about strategy, reading about online
poker rooms until finally they make the ultimate decision - to play online.
Online Poker- How To Choose The Right Poker Room For You
By: Michael Vall | 23/02/2007 | Online Gambling
The great thing about playing poker online is that you can pretty much play whenever you have some free time. Got 30 minutes to spare? Then just sign on, find a game you like and start playing. It's really that simple.
The only problem as I see it, there are so many different places to play online, how do you choose? By whoever offers the biggest bonus? The fanciest looking site?
Art and Entertainment 
