The Quick and Easy Guide to Winning No Limit Texas Holdem

Three Rules
1. Be tight
2. Be aggressive
3. Play your position
Rule 1. Be tight
The truth is that most of the time the best hand pre-flop will win the hand, so most of the time
you should only play hands that have a decent chance of being the best hand starting out. In other
words, dont be afraid to fold when you are probably beat.
The really short version of this concept is only play pocket pairs bigger than eights, or hands that
would look good at a blackjack table. Being of the same suit does slightly increase the value of a
hand, but only slightly.

Any pocket paid bigger than eights.

Any ace and a face card. But only face cards.
Any two face cards that are either suited or connected. Suited and connected is even
better.

The time you sit there not losing is time you can spend watching the other players, and learning
everything you can about the way they play. The more you know, the more you will win.
Rule 2. Be aggressive
An aggressive player is someone who bets or raises when they believe they have the best hand.
Aggressive players also will sometimes bet or raise as a bluff.
A passive player is someone who almost never bets or raises, even when they have an incredibly
strong hand.
To be and aggressive player before the flop, never enter an un-raised pot. Before the flop, if
nobody else has raised, and you have a strong hand, you should raise. This should be automatic.
Because if a hand is worth playing it is worth a raise. If someone acting before you has
already raised, calling or re-raising are both valid options. If you dont have a strong hand,
obviously you should fold. Just calling the blind is known as limping is known as limping.
Limping is a weak behavior. Dont do it, and aggressively punish the people who do.
Raising does three things:

First, it drives out the weaker hands.

Second, it builds the pot.
Third, it gives you more ways to win by setting up bluff options. For a bluff to work,
it has to be a believable story. Nothing sets up a believable bluff like a pre-flop raise.

There are only two ways to win a hand in poker.

1. Show down the best hand.

2. Persuade the other players to fold hands that are actually better than yours.
Raising/betting works toward both these goals by forcing other players to decide if their hands are
worth playing.
Fun Fact: Most well played hands never go to show down.
Watch the players, not the cards.
When anyone is exposed to new information watch for their reaction. Before the flop, hold off on
looking at your own cards until you have watched the other layers look at theirs. Watch the other
players when they look at the flop. Watch for reactions when you place a bet. Most people
understand the value of a poker face, but most players will also have some sort of immediate
reaction to new information.
Some people smile when they get an amazingly bad hand. A common tell if you ever see a
player look at the flop them immediately glance at their chips, it almost always means they have
hit a very strong hand and are trying to decide how big a bet they can get away with. With any
tell, you have to keep the skill of the player in mind.
Once you have as much information as you can gather, several things come into play.
The hand you have;
The hands you think your opponents have;
The cards you think your opponents think you have.
1. If you believe you have the best hand bet it.
You have to consider both what you have and what your foes are likely to be holding. If you have
raised before the flop, the odds are you are only facing strong pre-flop hands.
But, dont be afraid to fold when you are probably beat. If you bet with top pair, and a tight
player raises you, there is a good chance they are holding at least two pair, or a well concealed
set.
2. If you believe the other players think you have the best hand, bet it like you do. Yes, this
does involve a little bit of mind reading, or at least paying attention.
Bluffing is one of the most important parts of poker, but you shouldnt bluff very often because
the conditions wont be right. Bluffs work best against a single opponent and bluffs only work
when:
A. the other player doesnt like their hand all that much, and
B. believes that you do like yours.
Being tight and aggressive helps your bluffs work. If other players know you are only playing
strong hands to start with, they will also know that you could have them beat at any given
moment.

A good rule of thumb: if people will usually call your bets all the way to show down, you are
probably bluffing too often. On the flip side, if people almost always fold to any be from
you, you probably arent bluffing enough.
3. If you are pretty sure yon dont have the best hand, but have a reasonable chance of
improving to the best hand, sometimes bet it like you have the best hand. This is called
semi-bluff, and in good position is a play you should make fairly often.
Be reaslistic. Understand what the best hand could be at any moment, and if you dont have it,
dont be eager to risk a lot of your chips.
How much to be or raise?
Do not base the size of your bet on the strength of your hand. Players will figure you out. If
you consistently bet about the same amount, your opponents will never know what you are
holding.
A good size for a bet or raise is based on how much money is already in the pot. Bet
between two thirds and the size of the pot any time you have the right conditions to bet or
raise.
Rule 3. Play your position.
The earlier you act, the more selective you should be about the cars you play, and the
aggressively you should play them. The later you act, the more aggressive you should be
with a wider range of cards. UTG should only play truly premium cards. Marginally strong
hands like JKo should muck.
At the other end of the sequence though, the dealer has a much better idea if whether there will be
a big raise. If there hasnt already been a big raise, then not only can JKo be played by the dealer,
it is absolutely worth a raise from the button (the dealer). Marginal hands become playable in late
position. As position improves hands like suited connectors and ace and anything suited, or any
two high cards start to become playable depending on the actions of earlier players. When you
are the dealer, if the table has folded to you, it is almost immoral not to raise with any two cards
to try to drive out the blinds. This is called stealing the blinds.
A bet on the flop following a raise before the flop is called a continuation bet (C-bet) and should
be done fairly often from good position. After the flop, if every other player has checked, the
dealer should usually C-bet, no matter what the board looks like. Information is power.
Important math Odds.
Poker is a game of the long run, and in the long run you will make money if you are on the
right side of the odds.
A fast but incredibly important concept: outs.
To calculate your chances of hitting your hand, first count your outs. As a pretty good rule of
thumb, each out has about a 2% change of hitting for each card left to be dealt. The actual
number is actual slightly better, 1/47 before the turn and 1/46 before the river, but 2% is a good
approximation.

Other random tidbits and thoughts.

People who bluff too much also tend to call too much.
Tight players look for reasons to fold. Loose players look for reasons to call.
The hands that pay off are the hands that other players cant see.
If you are playing well, most hands will not go all the way to the show down.

Many experts will tell you that you should never show. The less information people have about
your style of play the better. I would say you should sometimes show, but only if you have a
reason. Or if you have taken several hands in a row without showing, it is good to sometimes
show a strong hand to let people know you are not just bluffing all the time, and let them guess
about how many of the other hands were bluffs.
It is also perfectly acceptable to prevaricate verbally. If they ask what you had, tell them you
forgot. Or ask what they thought you had. Or make something up. Lying is part of the game.
The whole idea is to keep them guessing. The less they know about your style of play the better
off you are.
Most people have a hard time changing their minds. Once people form an opinion, they have
a tendency things that confirm that opinion: this is called confirmation bias.
Suited connectors. Small or medium suited connectors (cards of the same suit and adjacent in
rank, but of a lower value than you would normally play) can be very powerful, because they
have both straight and flush possibilities, and when they hit they tend to produce well concealed
hands.
Buying in and stack size.
Most experts agree that a good starting size in a cash game is about one hundred big blinds. The
idea is to have a big enough chip stack to maximize gains in the case of a monster hand. This is
by no means a hard rule. Some players are very comfortable short stacked, and some prefer to
play with very deep stacks.
As a general rule, you should always be playing at the highest stakes you can afford. If your
bankroll is up, move up in stakes. If you have a bad day, move down. If you stick to these rules,
it is unlikely you will go bust.
Remember: the higher the stakes, the better the players. It is true that there will always be
fish at any level, but the higher the stakes, the fewer there will be, and the faster they will bust
out.
Move up in stakes, but be honest with yourself about why you are succeeding or failing at
whatever level of play you are attempting.
People you will meet at the poker table.
The broadest two categories for players would be fish and sharks. Fish are bad players and
sharks are good players. Sharks eat fish. The truth is, there are not very many real sharks; there
are just fish of different sizes.

Rock. Tight and sometimes aggressive.

The calling station. Calling stations are loose and passive.
The maniac. Loose and extremely aggressive.
Donkeys. Visibly makes bad plays, in other words they are a fish.
Solid players. Tight and aggressive.
Tricky players. In general, the very best players are tricky, they will wear different styles
of play like masks. The best players are always tricky, and the best players are usually
tight and aggressive. But, at low stakes, tight and aggressive is usually all it takes to
come out ahead, because at low stakes most players are not good enough to think beyond
their own hands.

Keep records.
Tournament thoughts.
Tournaments require looser play than cash games, especially in their later stages. How much
looser depends on the structure of the tournament. In a very fast tournament, after one hour the
big blind might be bigger than the size of your starting stack. A game like that dramatically
increase the role of chance in the game. In general, just playing good poker is a good strategy
in most tournaments, but as the blinds go up relative to the stack sizes, play has to become
looser.
Things I have learned about life at the poker table.

Everything in life is a gamble.

Even when you do everything right, sometimes things dont work out.
Mistakes happen: deal with it.
Phil Gordons Little Green Book

Introduction
The greatest poker players in the world share five qualities
1. They are invariably aggressive
2. They are patient
3. They are courageous
4. They are observant
5. They are always working on their game
Poker Truths
Decisions, Decisions
Consequences
Getting It In with the Best Hand
The Fundamental Theorem

Its My Turn to BetThink!

I Dont Have to be the Greatest
Common Mistakes
A player doesnt bluff enough
A player overvalues top pair
A player under bets the pot
A player calls too much
A player tightens up under pressure
A player telegraphs the strength of his hand with tells
Observing My Opponents
I look for tells
I look for betting patterns
I try to put my opponents on hands
If my opponent shows down a hand, I remember their cards, their position, and what they
did with that hand before the flop and after the flop
I try to figure out what state of mind my opponents are in
I think about what is motivating them
Value of Aggression
When I check or call, the only way I will win is if I have the best hand at the showdown.
When I bet or raise, I have two ways to win: My opponent may fold or I may have the
best hand at the showdown.
The player I fear most at the table are the players who consistently bet and raise.
Checkers and callers usually dont last very long.
Position, Position, Position
Having good position (being last to act on every round of betting) in No Limit Holdem
is extremely important.
75-80% of the hands you involved in should be from a superior position.
Money Flows Clockwise
Blinds Have a Negative Expectation
The hands that Ive had the most success playing from out of position are small and
medium pocket pairs.
Have a Reason to Bet
When Im putting chips into the pot, I always have a good reason to do so. Here are some of the
reasons:
To steal the blinds.
To isolate a player when Im in better position.
Because I think I have the best hand.
To set up a delayed steal I call from position and after my opponent misses the flop, I
intend to take the pot.
Because I think if I make a hand, my opponents will pay me off in a big way.

Some reasons I put chips into the pot after the flop:
I think there is a reasonable chance my opponent will fold.
I think my opponent has a draw, and I want to either make them pay for the privilege of
drawing or make them fold a hand that can catch up.
I think I have the best hand.
Betting is the only chance I have to win the pot.
I know I have the best hand, and I want my opponents to put chips into the pot.
Changing Gears
Learn from Better Players
Big Hand Big Pot, Small Hand Small Pot
Im willing to throw away most of my smaller hands so that I have a better chance of
sticking around long enough to get into a big pot with a big hand. I will rarely play a big
pot without a big hand.
Before the Flop
Most important decisions in No Limit take place before the flop: Should I play the two
cards Ive been dealt?
Study, Then Look
Waiting until its my turn to act before looking at any cars helps me to stay focused on
what everyone else is doing and allow me to pick up valuable information. Dont let
others pick up your tells by looking at your cards early.
When First in the Pot, Raise
I very rarely limp (just call the big blind) when I am the first player to voluntarily put chips into
the pot before the flop. I almost always raise. Here are five reasons why:
To limit the competition.
To take control of the betting.
To better define my opponents hands.
To make it more difficult for my opponents to determine the strength of my hand.
To win the blinds.
Limping
Situations where limping might be preferable to raising before the flop:
I have a very strong hand and suspect that a player behind me may raise if I limp.
The players in the blinds are weak after the flop.
Limping will help me deceive my opponents.
I find limping to be most effective when I do it with a Marginal hand about four times more often
than I do with big hands.
Raise the Right Amount
If Im the first to voluntarily commit chips to the pot before the flop, I nearly always raise.
Early:
2.5x-3.0x

Middle:
Late:
Small blind:

3.0x-3.5x
3.5x-4.0x
3.0x

I do not vary the size of my raise with the strength of my hand. But I will adjust my betting if my
current betting is not limiting my competition.
Calling Limpers
While I dont like to be the first player to limp into a pot, I am more than happy to call
limpers when I have a wide range of hands, especially when Im in position.
A player who limps in from middle or late position will very rarely have a premium
pocket pair, so very few of my suited connectors (8-7, 7-6, etc.) and suited gapers (8-6, 75, etc.) will be completely dominated.
As a result I like to call limpers when I have hands that have a chance to stand up against
three or four opponents suited aces, suited connectors, and small or medium pocket
pairs are all very good hands in this spot.
On the flip side, hands like Q-J, Q-T, Q-9, Q-8, J-T, J-9, J-T, J-9, J-8, T-9, T-8 can be very
difficult to play these kind of pots.
In Position, Smooth-Call a Raiser
When a player raises and everyone folds to me in late position, very often Ive found it
profitable to call with a wide rang of hands. I want my opponent to be uncomfortable.
When I make this play, Im much more likely to call with 8-6 suited than I am to call with
A-6. Calling with A-6 becomes unprofitable very quickly when I flop top pair weak
kicker against top pair good kicker. But with 8-6 suited, it is very unlikely that my
opponent will have one of those. Unless they have a pocket pair higher than 8s, Im in
very good shape. Three good things can possibly happen:
1. They can miss the flop completely, check to me, and I make a bet and take the
pot.
2. Ill make two pair or getter on the flop about one out of thirty times.
3. I can flop a good draw and get the right odds to continue.

This play works wonders against players who espouse a very straightforward style after
the flop: They check when they miss the flop and bet when they hit the pot.

Playing from the Small Blind

I will just complete the small blind to see what the big blind will do. Many players make
an almost automatic raise when the small blind tries to see the flop cheaply
I will play about 60-65% of the hands dealt:
Any ace
Any pocket pair
Any suited kings, most unsuited kings
Queens down to about Q-6
Jacks down to J-5
Most low suited connectors
Most low suited one gap connectors
Some trashier hands

When choosing to play the hand, 75% of the time come in for a raise, about 3.0x-3.5x times the
big blind. The other 25% just complete the bet, and doing this with a powerhouse hand obout
25% of time.
Raising from the Big Blind
When small blind is the only other player and they just complete the bet, I will consider
raising from the big blind with just about any tow cards. But if the player is tricky I will
just call.
Raise the Limpers
I do my best to punisher limpers before the flop. How good of a hand are the limpers
likely to have? A raise here will often pick up the pot.
Courage is the key to this play. It doesnt take a good hand to win the pot, just situational
awareness, a tight image, and the courage to fire the bullet.
I like to raise the size of the pot.
If someone calls the raise, I will have a very good idea what kind of hand they are on. At
worst Im playing a hand from good position. Many players are aware of what Im
doing, but Im in good position.
The Chip Sandwich Play
Early position player raises, preferably a loose player, and there are calls by one or more
players. There is a lot of money in the pot and the callers are likely not to have great
hands. I will raise if I have a hand. I am more likely to do this from the blinds than the
button. I am more likely to do this with a small stack and cards such as 8-7 suited rather
A small kicker. I wont make this play if my hand can be easily dominated and I want
to be at least 25% to win.
Steal from the Cutoff
It has become standard to try and steal from the button, but he likes to steal from the
cutoff or the seat to the right of the cutoff.
Preflop Domination
You want to get your money in the pot when youre dominating your opponents, or at
least when not being dominated. Its the reason hands like A-Q, A-J, and K-Q can be
dangerous to have.
Would rater call the rest of my chips with 8-7 suited than I would with A-J.
Playing Great Hands When They Raise
My opponent raises before the flop and Ive got a very strong hand. Do I re-raise or call?
Position In position will likely call, out of position likely to re-raise.
How good is my opponent - predictable opponent will call, a good opponent will raise.
How strong is their hand with AA will re-raise.
How do they like to play - loose aggressive opponent will call.
How strong is my hand KK or QQ will re-raise
All-in Before the Flop
I have the best hand and I think my opponent will call
I have the worst hand and I think my opponent will fold

I have the worst hand, but even if my opponent calls, Ill be getting good pot odds

The Fourth Raise Means Aces

Know When a Player is Pot Committed
When a player has more than half their chips in, he considers them pot committed.
Re-raise to Isolate
Will often re-raise a short stacked opponent in the hopes of isolating him in a heads up
showdown.
Pocket Pairs in Multiway Pots
I try to play my small pocket pairs (2 to 6) and middle pocket pairs (7 to J) as cheaply as
possible and against as many opponents as possible. I want to flop a set and have the best
chance possible that an opponent will make a good (but second best) hand. I will either
win a very big pot or lose a very small pot.
After the Flop
If you dont hit the flop dont be afraid to fold.
First to the Pot Wins
When the board is paired, the chance of someone having actually caught a piece of the
flop is much smaller than if there are cards of three different ranks. Ive found that the
first player to bet at a paired board will very often win the pot. I will frequently bet with
whatever cards I have. This play is particularly effective when I am in the blind against
limpers. I make a bet about one third to one half of the pot. Two cards of the same suit
in flop more conservative bet.
Heads Up Postflop
Against Multiple Opponents
Here are some general guidelines that I use against multiple opponents:
I very rarely make a stone cold bluff after the flop.
If I think I have the best hand, I nearly always bet.
My bets in multiway pots are designed to narrow the field even if I dont win the pot right
away.
Check raising in multiway pots is overused.
If any of the middle action opponents are short stacked, I am more likely to go for a
check raise.
If the late action opponents are short stacked, I almost never check raise or check call. I
dont want to trapped by middle position player. I will go ahead and bet right out.
Betting to Slow Down an Opponent
Sometimes when I flop a good draw, I will lead at the pot with a small bet in the hopes of
slowing down my opponent. This play is bets made against:
Players who are hesitant to raise.
Players who are prone to slowplay a made hand.
Aggressive players who will bet big if I check to them.

Double Gut Shot Straight Draws

I would rather have a double gut shot straight draw than an open ended straight draw.
Hands to Bring to War
I dont always need to make a hand on the flop to go to war a very good draw is often
enough, especially against a player who I believe has only one pair.
By playing very aggressively with my big draws, I am able to get my opponent to put in a
lot of chips.
Board Texture
My normal betting range is from about one third to the pot size, board texture is how I choose the
range.
How strong is my hand with respect to all likely hands for my opponent?
How likely will my hand improve?
How likely is my opponent to have hit the flop and have a pair or better?
How likely is my opponent to have a primary draw (eight or more outs)?
Bet Good Hands
After the flop I almost always bet my good hands
After Flopping Two Pair
Top two pair when they are close together in rank, I will bet aggressively because of
straight possibilities.
Bottom two pair I play with similar aggression when Ive flopped bottom pair
Top and bottom pair this can be dangerous but play aggressively
After Flopping a Set
Out of position if my opponent is likely to have flopped top pair or an overpair, I will
almost always bets because I want a raise. If I think my opponent has not flopped top
pair of overpair, I will check hoping to induce a bluff.
In position - If my opponent checks because they are weak, I will also check. If they
check hoping for a check raise, Ill make a pot size bet and pray they come over the top.
If my opponent bets into me, I can call and hope to trap them for bigger money on the
turn, or simply raise right away.
If the board is queen high or lower, Ill almost always raise and hope my opponent reraises. Why, because if a A or K comes and they dont have one it will kill action.
If the board looks headed for a straight or flush, I will raise
If the board contains an ace, I will raise
I dont worry about opponent having a higher set.
After Flopping Trips
Flop high trips and I put my opponent on an overpair I will nearly always bet or raise.
Flop low trips and I put my opponent on an overpair, I will nearly always bet or raise.
If I believe my opponent has a straight or flush draw I will bet.
If I flopped high trips and I believe my opponent has a low pair, I slow play and go for a
check raise

If I flopped low trips and I believe my opponent flopped low pair, I slow play and go for
a check raise.
If I have an ace with a low kicker and I flop high trips, I will always bet if my opponent
checks to me. I want to get raised if they have me beat, so I can know where Im at.
If Ive flooped trips with best kicker possible, all the money is going into the pot.

In general, if my opponent expects to slowplay trips, I will usually bet or raise, and vice versa.
After Flopping a Straight
The smart end, zero, or one gap Ill usually bet about half the pot if the flop is unsuited,
two thirds of the pot if the flop has two of the same suit.
The dumb end, zero, or one gap I play hyperaggresively and try to protect my hand.
Two gap straight if the board is suited, I usually bet about two thirds of the pot.
Otherwise, I bet about half the pot.
After Flopping a Flush
Generally do the following:

After Flopping a Full House

After Flopping Four of a Kind
After Flopping a Draw
When I Bet and a Good Player Calls
After the Turn
When I Improve My Hand
When a Scare Card Hits
Calling with a Draw
Semibluffing
Taking Down the Pot
After the River
Getting Paid with the Nuts
Betting Medium Strength Hands

Bet or Check Raise