Texas Hold'Em: The Basics

So, you want to be the next Phil Ivey. Poker is a fantastic game. Those who don't know the game will say it is all about luck. They could not be more wrong. Certainly, luck plays a big part, but it takes a huge amount of skill to be a good poker player. You have to gain a psychological advantage over your opponent. If you have this advantage, you can almost mind control your opponent into doing what you want. But let's start from the very beginning.

In a standard game of Texas Hold'Em, each player is dealt two cards, called hole cards or pocket cards. As you can imagine, the higher the pocket cards, the better the starting hand you have. Exercise caution though. As great as your standing hand may be, the cards that come down on the table can completely change that, and give you a useless hand. The winner of the hand is the person who has the best possible combination of 5 cards, combined from the pocket cards and 5 community cards. What hands can you have? Well, in rank order (worst to best), these are the possible hands:

1. High Card: This is fairly explanatory. The higher the card, the better the hand. In a game of poker, Ace (A) is the best high card you can have. You want to avoid playing this hand, it is extremely weak.
2. Pair: Two cards of the same rank. For example, a pair of 7s. Very weak hand still, only play this hand in special circumstances, or if you know for sure you have the best hand. Ideally, only play high pairs, such as AA, KK, QQ. If you are dealt two cards that have the same rank, this is called a pocket pair.
3. Two Pair: Two sets of two cards of the same rank. For example: 6677. This indicates you have a pair of sixes and a pair of sevens. This is a weak to medium hand, and often wins, but don't take that for granted. If you have two pair, there is a high possiblity that an opponent has trips. (See number four). A lot of players play this hand, both amateur and professional.
4. Three of a Kind (Also known as trips): Three card sof the same rank. For example: 999 indicates that you have three nines in your hand. A medium strength hand, and very often wins. As usual, the higher the rank of the card, the stronger the hand. If you get AAA, drop all your chips in the pot.
5. Straight: A straight is 5 cards off suit (different suits) that form a sequence. For example, 56789 would indicate a straight to nine, starting at 5. This is a medium to strong hand, and it is a good idea to play this hand, whether the straight is low or high. The lower straights win just as often as the higher straights. The highest straight you can get is TJQKA.
6. Flush: 5 Cards of the same suit. A flush is a strong hand, although it is easy to read as there must be at least three of the same suited cards on the table. A flush to Ace is also known as a nut flush as it is the best flush to have.
7. Full House: Three of a kind as well as an additional pair. For example, 44455 would indicate that you have a full house of 4s and 5s. This is a very strong hand, and you should always play it unless you believe someone else has a higher full house. (At a recent game of poker with my friends, I was really unlucky. I got a full house on the 4th card, and piled chips into the pot. My opponent, although I didn't know it had been dealt pocket aces, and played the hand with me, believing I was bluffing. Then he got an ace on the last card. He gained most of my stack as a result. Needless to say, I was eliminated soon after).
8. Four of a Kind: An extremely rare hand, and one I have only ever had once. All four cards in the deck that are the same rank. This hand is nearly unbeatable, although it is not unheard of. If you get this hand, pile chips into the pot and maximise your profit, you have won this hand.
9. Straight Flush: 5 suited cards that form a sequence. For example A2345 of Hearts would indicate a straight flush to 5. An extremely strong hand, and one I have only had when playing deuces wild (don't worry if you don't know what that is, it isn't an official rule).
10. Royal Flush: The best hand you can have in poker, and one that most players only ever dream of having. I have neer had a royal flush, and you are unlikely to ever have one, although it is possible. Be careful when playing this hand, as players can see the possible draw on the table. You want other people to have a  high flush, as they will be more likely to put chips in the pot.

So, those are the hands you can have in poker. In the next post, I will explain the sequence of play, the rounds of betting, and the ideal starting hands to play. Until then, goodbye!

Mr Craig