Poker will always be about the bets, which are calculated according to the hands, the player’s position, and the pressure, so beginners will be well served by familiarizing themselves with one type, No Limit Texas Hold’em, because that is what the poker rooms are running, so there is a lot of learning about the order of play, the possibilities of bets, then the basic hands that will be played from each position, before any math is involved to be able to justify calls, folds, or raises.
There are two hole cards, then five community cards, with the highest possible hand with five cards being the winner, ranging from the high card to the pair, two pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, to the straight flush or the royal flush. Aces are regarded as high or low straights, meaning that A-2-3-4-5 or 10-J-Q-K-A are possible, but A-K-2-3-4 is impossible because straights cannot circle the ace, or A-K-Q etc.
The bets are moved in a clockwise fashion, with you having the option to check, bet, call, raise, or fold on each turn, with each unit being effectively an option you are choosing. Your task is always to build the best possible five-card combination from your hole cards or to force sufficient pressure on the table with your bets or raises that will force other, superior hands to fold before the showdown.
A good way to connect the dots about your learning process is by looking at the live dealer play rooms on the different platforms, looking at the rules, bets, and table speed on those sites; comparison sites like CasinoBeats can help you find and evaluate such platforms. The early sessions will be spent familiarizing you with the rules there, identifying the winner on each showdown, declaring the winner, and analyzing the board texture that brought about the winner, helping you develop familiarities about future hands rather than having them seem disorganized.
Position is the number of players left who are going to bet after you, and you end the conversation with the most info in late position before pushing out the money. You play tight early, even in the blinds, but you open late in the cutoff or with the button, with good info, with starting hands of pairs, big Aces, or suited broadways early, or with suited connectors or Aces late.
Avoid the standard traps: weak unsuited Aces, trashy Kings, dominated hands out of position. Never limp but always raise or fold, to build clean ranges and pots with value, raise or fold 3-bets, play well with the hand, 4-bet with the premiums, the rest go out, because the rookie will always be cheapest with its preflop hand selection.
Blinds are posted before the dealing of the cards, creating the actual money available for play, which is the preflop round. The three community cards from the flop are followed by one on the turn, followed by the last card on the river, with each stage followed by its respective round of bets, but if there is a call on the last round, then the best hand wins, but otherwise, the last aggressor wins the pot.
Sizing is all about pushing the shorter stack and looking for draws, instead of “win the pot now” play in a bubble. New players can ground themselves on some simple rules: 2.5 to 3 big blinds for open raises preflop, from about half to two thirds of the pot on favorable flops, and only one big blind on dry boards, with meaningful re-raises—some value or bluff with good blockers—and when the pot is just too big, the answer is in early discipline, instead of the last-minute resteal call.
A board is dry if there are no possible connections, hence K-7-2 is dry, or the unconnected/rainbow K-7-2, while exploding draws are wet, e.g., J-10-9 two-tone. Hand value will bet more on a wet board to build the draw, while bluffing is on drier boards, where fewer hands will be able to call, one hit on the board usually being sufficient if you have good distribution, but giving the table time if you have weak distribution.
Plan your play early: which turns are good for you, which turns ruin your equity, how much to bet on the river, etc. Probes with small bets, with big bets once you are polarized between value hands and bluff hands, let checking lines with medium-strength hands control the pot, protect the checking line, and ensure the showdowns you are attending are optimal, or repair the street on which the plan went wrong.
Pot Odds are the price of the call compared with the possible gain, if the pot is 90 dollars, you are facing 30 dollars, you are investing 30 to win 120, or the required equity is 25% if you have more equity than the price, play, otherwise fold or bluff depending on the blockers and fold equity. Outs evaluate the possible equity, you multiply the number of outs by 4 on the Flop, or by 2 on the Turn, a 9-out draw is about 36% from Flop to River, or 18% on the Turn, if you have more equity than the price, play, otherwise fold or bluff depending on the blockers and fold equity.
“Implied odds” apply if there is likely to be another bet if you improve, but “reverse implied odds” punish you if you play the second-best hand. “Draw to the nuts” if deep, but “avoid costly chases” to weak pairs or dominated kickers. “Value bet” if there is likely to be a call with weaker hands, bluff if better hands will fold, but “check” if neither of the foregoing is true.
Pick an observed table, do an identity check, lay out the table graphics so the info needs only one glance to read. Before you even sit down, resources like DashTickets’ poker pages can help you find online poker rooms, tournaments, and guides that fit your level and schedule. Start with one table, then enter the second table if there is preamble time between decisions. Notepad tags are fast tags—tight, loose, passive, aggressive—but create tags with showdowns. Seat time is more valuable than marathons of on/off activity.
Disable background distractions, limit unnecessary tabs, and monitor time elapsed to prevent clock hands from automatically folding. Objectivity must be practiced in chatting, with information being costly but feelings even more so. Analyze the chat session logs for weakness in positioning, card selection, or bets made. The benefits of being the newbie include having some rules, numbers, and beats that can turn each round from gambling to growth.
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