Bluffers Guide to Texas Hold’em

So you want to play poker but are confused by the rules and strange terms used? With our help you’ll be asking to double the blinds and stealing pots with the best of ‘em. And hopefully making a pot of money!

Here are a few common poker terms explained:-

The Nuts:- The nuts is the best hand anyone could possible have at the table. This is very important – if you are lucky enough to have the Nuts, you are in an unassailable position and are sure to win the hand. Now all you have to do is maximise your pot. One way to do this is by -

Check-Raising:- If you have a good hand in the game of poker, you may not wish to bet strong at first, because you may scare away other players if they suspect you are in a strong position. One way to sucker players in to betting against you, and maximising your winnings from a strong hand, is to ‘check’ when you are invited to bet. If you “check”, this means that you decline to open the betting.

The reasoning behind this is that when you check, the other players are more likely to think you have a weak hand, so are more likely to gamble. If another player bets, you can now ‘Raise’ against them – that is you can match their bet and gamble more. This is an effective strategy against ‘Tight’ players who can be very difficult to draw money out of.

Tight vs. Loose Players:- Poker players have different ways of playing, often reflecting their personalities.

Tight players are those who fold frequently, play fewer hands, and generally are conservative in their betting habits. Loose players, on the other hand, move more cash at the table. They gamble bigger amounts more often, and play more hands. They are apt to use their instincts at the table, rather than just relying on odds.

Big Blind and Little Blind:- The term ‘blind’ refers to the initial rotating payment into to the pot by two players. Before the blinds are contributed there is no pot. The big blind will usually be twice the amount of the little blind. These payments are ‘Blind’, because noone has seen any cards yet. Blinds are necessary to get a game going because they make betting more attractive. Having a small pot before betting commences makes it more likely that someone will open betting. In a friendly game, the blinds will often start at $.25 and $.5 or $.5 and $1. Later, a player may request to Double the Blinds in order to hasten a resolution to the game.

These terms should help you understand the game of Hold’em a bit better.