Have you every felt overwhelmed by the numbers in odds charts? When seeing the winning percentages, probabilities, and various other mathematical probabilities in poker games, have you ever wondered where they come from?

In this article, we will discuss some common probability principles in Texas Hold'em poker games and how they are used.

Don't worry about the poker math. Everything we cover in this article can be easily understood, allowing you to better understand how to calculate a hand’s probability before the flop.

Starting from some basics

The two numbers we use most often in calculating hand probability are how many cards are in a deck and how many cards we want to be dealt in the game. For example, when we want to be dealt one specific card:

Remember there are 52 cards in total in a deck:

• If we want to be dealt a 9♦，the probability would be 1/52, because there is one 9♦ in the whole deck.
• On the other hand, if we want to be dealt an Ace, regardless of its suit, the probability would be 4/52, because there are four Aces among the 52 cards.
• The same logic also applies to the situation where we only need one card from a certain playing card suit, diamond♦ for example. Then the probability of dealing any ♦ would be 13/52, because there are 13 cards of the same suit.

To sum up, the probability of dealing any random card is 1/52, the probability of hitting any specific card such as Ace or King, Queen is 4/52, and the probability of dealing any suit is 13/52.

Now, let’s level up a bit

Suppose you are holding a 9♦, and you want to be dealt a pair. Now you are wondering what is the probability that you are dealt a 9 again.

• We’ve already known that the probability of being dealt a 9 is 4/52, which is the one you are holding now.
• And the probability that you are dealt another 9, regardless of its suit, would be 3/51.

Have you noticed that the numerator and the denominator of hitting the second card changed? When we got the first card, there were only 51 of 52 cards left. And when we hit the first 9, there are only 3 other 9s left in the whole deck.

These numbers will keep changing as we move along in the game. Always pay attention to adjust the numbers based on the information you learn.

Tips for calculating probability

• When we use the word "and", we will use multiplication for the calculation.For example, we want to be dealt a King and a Queen.
• When we use the word "or", we would use addition for calculation.For example, we want to be dealt a 9♦ or a 9♣.

Moving on, we will talk about how to work them out in detail.

Probability of being dealt two specific cards

Multiplication

Suppose we want to know the probability of being dealt a King♦ and a Queen♣, (pay attention to the “and” we use here).

1. Probability of being dealt a King♦ first would be 1/52.
2. Probability of being dealt a Queen♣ would then be 1/51.

So the probability of hitting a specific poker hand, one king and one queen, is 1/2652.

P = (1/52)*(1/51)

P = 1/2652

So, the probability of being dealt any combination of hands in poker is 1/2652. However, this number represents that you get a King♦ first and then a Queen♣. But do you really care about their order? Not really.

In other words, there are actually two ways to hit this hand ( get a King♦ first or get a Queen♣ first). Therefore, the probability that we are dealt this hand should be multiplied by 2.

P = 1/2652*2

P = 1/1326

To sum up, there are 1,326 possibilities for any starting hand we hit in the Texas Hold'em poker game.

Poker probability for a certain hand

What if you only need a specific hand and don’t care about their suits?

Again, we use multiplication.

Taking KQ as an example:

• The probability of hitting any King, regardless of its suit, would be 4/52.
• Probability of hitting any Queen, regardless of its suit, would be 4/51 (Because one King has already been dealt and there are only 51 cards remaining).

P = (4/52)*(4/51)

P = 16/2652 = 1/166

Same as before, what is calculated here is actually the probability of getting a King first and then a Queen. Of course, the probability is the same if you do it vice versa, so just multiply it by 2.

P = 16/2652 * 2

P = 32/2652

P = 1/83

As a result, the probability of being dealt any hand type in poker is 1/83, regardless of the poker hand ranking.

Poker probability for a certain range

What if you only need a KQ or a QJ? Pay attention to the”or” in the sentence.

What you need to do now is to calculate all the probabilities of hands you want and add them together

Since we have discussed before, when seeing “or”, we will use addition for calculation, therefore:

• The probability of being dealt KQ is 4/52 * 4/51 = 4/663
• The probability of being dealt QJ is 4/52 * 4/51 = 4/663

Hence,

P = 4/663 + 4/663

P = 8/663 

If you want to add more hand types into your range, simply add up their probabilities like we have done here. Pay attention when you want to calculate the probability of a pair, for example AA. The probability of being dealt a pair is slightly different from KQ.

• The probability of being dealt AA is 4/52 * 3/51 = 1/221

It should be noted that these arithmetic problems are not for you to sort out when you sit at the poker table. They are the basis for you to review and organize your Texas Hold'em poker strategy in your spare time. You need to know these principles in order to learn and practice more advanced strategies. Keep learning and gradually you will become more and more experienced and confident.

Poker Hand Probability Overview

What we covered today are some of the most common concepts and principles that will help you work out the probabilities of being dealt various hands before the flop. What’s more important is that you try and use this knowledge in your games.

You may feel that this article does not actually affect your skills or style of play, but the underlying logic of skills and style of play is supported by these basic mathematical concepts.

I hope this article can serve as a stepping stone to more advanced study, helping you to more efficiently absorb and learn more advanced and complex poker theories.

Keep learning, keep practicing and start building up your own strategy. Otherwise these are merely abstract concepts which cannot help you win.

Straddle is a blind bet that players voluntarily put in before the cards are dealt in the game (different from the mandatory blind bet required by the rules). In fact, the player who makes this type of investment and play a straddle actually acts like the big blind. Usually, one needs to put in double the amount of the big blind to complete this move. You can certainly put in more if it is allowed in your poker game, and theoretically, there is no cap.

Imagine that you are hosting a $5/$10 no-limit poker home game. Before the cards are dealt, the player at the UTG seat now puts $20 in chips in front of him, then the dealer will remind everyone by announcing that a live straddle is ‘in play’. In this case, the $20 straddle is two times the BB. The UTG player now acts like the actual big blind.

Originally you only need call $10 to see the flop, now you need to double your bet for it, which results in the growth of the pot. As the UTG player straddles, nothing is different for the way pre-flop betting round proceeds except that the UTG player acts as if he was a big blind. The player sits to the left hand side of him will act first and has the option to call $20, raise, or fold. Others act in turns with the UTG player last to act. Proceeding into the post-flop, action is the same as under normal circumstances.

COMMON TYPES OF STRADDLE

Be aware to check the rules for straddle when you play in a poker room. Some only allow UTG players to straddle, while others are more flexible with it that players from the button or even any position can straddle, which is called Mississippi Straddle.

In some places, you could even play triple, quadruple, or even multiple straddles. We call it un-capped Straddle. For example, if the UTG player puts in $20 for a straddle, the player to his left can double it to $40, and so on.

These types of straddle would change how the preflop actions are performed.

If the player from the button position does straddle, the pre-flop action will start from the player to his left, who is the original small blind player. Players in the small blind must first choose to call, raise, or fold, followed by the big blind player. Other players would act in turn. If no player raises before the flop, then the button straddler will decide whether to check or raise.

If someone raises in front of the button straddler, then his straddle is disturbed, and the button straddler will act according to his normal position.

Now that you understand what a straddle is, let’s discuss why some people say that straddling is bad in poker.

To put it simply, at this point you have no idea what your hand is, but you voluntarily put in more chips than you have to. This is contrary to the principles of all poker strategies. Choosing a starting hand is one of the most important aspects of poker strategy, especially in positions like the under-the-gun. Think about the unnecessary investment you make, and then only to find out you are dealt 82 or Q3, a starting hand that you would never play. Your expected value (EV) for this hand is lower.

By playing a straddle, it also cuts the effective chip stack in half, and the deep-stack game quickly becomes short to mid stacked. For example, under the situation where you have $2000 in chips, if the blind level is $10/$20, then you have 100bb, but if the straddle reaches $40, your chip stack now only equals 50 bb, while the game level actually becomes $10/$20/$40 .

You need to understand that a 50bb game needs a different strategy from a 100bb game. From the choice of playing hands before the flop, to the logic of the action after the flop, it is more challenging for players at the table.

In theory, you can choose not to straddle ever. But if you do want to make such move, under a few circumstances, it is acceptable.

For example, if your table is loose and passive. There are a few loose pre-flop players at the table, who always like to call but they are not aggressive players and will choose to fold if they do not hit any profitable hand post-flop. Then through straddling you can effectively build up the pot and lay a good foundation for post-flop operations. In this case, your win rate does not need to be high, and it can still be profitable in the long run.

The disadvantage of this approach is that loose players usually like double or even triple straddles. Your straddle builds a bridge for them. As the pot has been made massive, the situation puts limit on how you could play the game.

Of course, you may also straddle if every player at your table is straddling. In this case, the level and depth of the game have objectively changed. You could go with the flow. Looking at the good side, it shows that this table is very dynamic and has more opportunities to profit from it. The downside, however, is that as the deep-stack quickly becomes short-stacked, it is very likely that in the flop or even pre-flop, a single move could make you lose your chips very quickly.

If all the players play with a super tight style, your straddle is basically like a touchstone. You may easily determine that the ones who decide to call you are the ones with decent hands. At the same time, your way of increasing the game level also limits the way the others could play the game.

Nevertheless, choosing not to straddle ever is definitely better than doing it very often.

How Does a Poker Straddle Affect the Game?

In order to make the table more active, some players might choose to straddle. However, if there are players who are tight, this type of move will make them more cautious by pushing them out of their comfort zone. This happens to some experienced players as well. Some online players might feel very uncomfortable when someone straddles in a live game because this is not something they would do in an online game.

After someone straddles, most players would choose to fold their hands even with mid-range hand strength. When you face a straddle, it is difficult to develop a specific strategy to play against it, but it is an almost inevitable game element in live cash games. Generally speaking, we suggest not to initiate this play. Still, we need to understand what it is and how it can affect our game.

Tight and aggressive wins the game

Even the best players in the world will only choose a limited number of starting hands to enter a game. If you are playing too many hands (unless you are always lucky) you will inevitably lose your chips.

The first step of winning your Texas Hold'em poker game is to establish a solid pre-flop strategy, and the development of your starting hand range is the ultimate foundation of it. The range of starting hands recommended is often similar, but more often than not, the difficultly lies in sticking to it.

So, the best way is to tighten your range, but play aggressively. Playing all the hands that fall into your range aggressively, even if they are 76s or 55, will help you confuse your opponents and hide your true hand strength. When you raise, it could be AA or 76, and your opponents would not know, which adds up to the difficulties to play against you.

Playing tight and aggressively might be one of the most mentioned winning strategies, but there is a reason it has been so popular for so long!

If you want to learn more about starting hand ranges, take a look at our previous post: What Hands to Fold in Poker.

Do not be the first one to limp

When the first player enters a pot by calling the big blind preflop instead of folding or raising, we call it open limp, which is definitely not a clever move. Why? When you do this, you don’t have the chance to win the pot before the flop like you could if you raised.

In the meantime, you have created more attractive pot odds for the players after you, and their expected values for winning with weaker hands have gone higher. You put yourself in a situation where you might face multiple players and have less chance of winning.

Only under the circumstances where one or more players have already limped, it is acceptable that you limp too since the pot odds are now more appropriate for you.

When and How to Bluff with Your Draws

To be a real winner, you need to bluff more effectively, and this is what most beginners fail to achieve. How do you know when to bluff and how frequently should you bluff? The answer lies within your poker hands. Bluff when there is outs to improve with your hand. Simply let your cards decide if you are to bluff or not. Don't use the cards which have no outs to improve to bluff. Do not bluff when the river card has been dealt either.

Slow-play or Fast-play? Don’t waste your strong hands

It’s absolutely sad when you hit the nuts on the flop and choose to check later on, but in the end no one wants to play, or they simply check back the river. This is also one of the biggest mistakes made by beginners, which is slow playing too often.

What you should do is to bet directly when you hit a super strong hand in order to build the pots and protect your own equity. But of course, it is not always that easy. You may also check if there are simply no hands that can be stronger than yours or if it is unlikely that some scare cards might show up later to mess up your advantage. If you find that there is hardly any showdown value for your opponent’s range, you might also choose to check.

Nevertheless, if you are not sure, just bet or check-raise if you are playing aggressively on the pre-flop. We get that it is frustrating when your opponent folds, but it's still better than giving away your opportunity for free or losing potential value.

When and how you should defend your big blind

Sitting in the big blind, you have already made your investment into the pot. Therefore, when the other players choose to raise, the pot odds are on your side to call, which is almost like having a discount. But you can’t go on a wild shopping spree just because of discounts, right?

Since you are actually the last person to act preflop and you have this special discount, you can actually play more starting hands than you would play in other positions. Many players have a misunderstanding about protecting the blinds. If someone limps and then someone else raises, even if you choose to call in the big blind, you are still not protecting your blinds, because you are not blocking the action, and the person who limps may raise again.

Still, even if you have a position advantage, don't let go of yourself completely by playing a weak hand such as 95 (not even in the same suit). You’d better at least choose some hands with showdown equity, such as K9 and Q6.

In terms of what kind of hands are worth of defending, it depends all various perspectives.

1. If the player who raises sits in the early position, you might want to play tight. If he sits in the later positions, you have wider range to play with.
2. Pay attention to how many players call the raise. When there are multiple players that are still in hand, you need to play tight and only defend a hand that has some outs to win in a multiway pot.
3. When someone raises, the larger the bet sizing is, the tighter you should play your hand.
4. If you are now short-stacked, you should definitely play tight and only defend the hands that have enough hand strength.

Of course, as you get more experienced in your games, there are more factors you should consider, such as the c-bet frequency of the player who raises. If you are a beginner, it might be difficult for you to collect certain data, so just review the main points we covered above.

Not sure your hand is worth playing? Then it’s time to fold

If you want to become an experienced and winning player, it is important for you to have the ability to collect information about your opponents and to make the decision to lay down good hands even top pairs if needed.

It might sound simple, but it's actually not. Folding a good hand goes against our nature. We are born to be curious and we all want to win. When we fold, we choose to give up the possibility of winning and may never know the opponent's hole cards.

But calling in the wrong timing may be the second biggest mistake that hinders us from winning. When you face a bet or raise, and don't know whether to call or fold, just do yourself a favor and choose to fold.

Every time you make such an uncertain fold, quickly jot down some details so that you can recall the game in the future. Discussing with friends or players who are more experienced than you about these hands can no doubt help you improve your poker skills.

Attack the ones who show weakness

For most players, they do not realize that they could have used the check-call trick more often. They always choose to bet, or they would fold too early for hand types with the same hand strength. Therefore, most players have a very tight range to play consecutive check-call.

In fact, when you are in a heads-up and you are playing against an opponent who continues to check and shows his weakness, you should increase your firepower and initiate an offense. In addition to the aforementioned aggressive semi-bluffing tip you could use, you can also take advantage of some blockers if you do have to complete a pure bluff.

Survival-oriented? Not for the early stage in tournaments.

The biggest difference between a tournament and a regular poker game is whether you need to consider the stack preservation. But this does not apply at all in the early stages of the tournament.

If fact, in order to win double or triple your initial chip stack so that you have enough to enter the later phase of the tournament, you must play solid and aggressive poker like you would in a regular cash game instead of playing defensively.

Only when you find yourself near the money bubble or short-stacked, you may focus on survival and consider how it would deviate from your poker strategy.

Make sure you are ready for the game

Poker is a game, originally intended for entertainment. Even if you go professional, you will find that your performance is often the best when you are in a good mood. Simply quit the session if you feel frustration or anger. This would probably save you a bunch of money as well.

Before you sit down at the table, imagine that you are going all-in for your first hand and then losing it all. If the picture in your head does not bother you too much, then you are ready for the game. But if you find it unacceptable, maybe take a rain check.

"If you can’t spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you are the sucker." You’ve probably heard this line. This is a famous line from the classic movie "Rounders". It's also a great insight if your goal is to win. Be careful of the opponents you choose for yourself. Are they weaker than you or the opposite?

There is nothing complicated about choosing a table. The bottom line is that at least half of the players on the table are weaker than you.

Try to put yourself in a situation where you are more likely to win. Your self-esteem or arrogance has nothing to do with the game. But how would you know whether you are in the right poker game? If you find that at least one player on the table is always limping and there are multi-way pots often, these are good signs. In addition, re-raising happens either too rarely or too frequently.

If you find at least two points we mentioned above in the game you are in, you are more likely going to win some money. If it does not meet any of those signs, you’d better switch your table or simply call it a day, unless you are there to test a new trick or strategy you learn.

Review these 10 tips from time to time. Put them into use along with what we covered in our previous posts. We hope that they will help you build up your own strategy. Enjoy your game and win big!

If you are winning in your home poker games, most of the time the reason is that you get lucky, or your friends made a mistake. Consuming alcohol might be relaxing and even keep you in a good mood, but it can also affect your chances of making rational decisions and sticking to your usual poker strategies.

Of course, some people drink to socialize, and some also believe that drinking brings them confidence. But how many times have you seen someone being overconfident and acting more aggressively than usual after drinking alcohol, which in turn causes them to lose badly?

At the very beginning, you might feel excited and bold, all your senses are sharpened. But slowly you will find that you are losing your chips and your performance becomes unstable. So, don't drink, and pay attention to the changes in the actions of the players who drink.

Playing a home game is very different from playing in casinos or a serious poker tournament. In a home game, even if you are unfamiliar with other players at the table initially, you will gradually get to know each other and become friends. Each player might be at different level and have a different style of playing poker. It is also very important to pay attention to the changes of the other players in the process of getting to know them.

Instead of making the weakest player your target, to make the most out of your poker night at home, we suggest that you try to choose opponents of the same level and even compete with players who are better than you. Take this opportunity as your own training camp, communicate and discuss with your friends, learn new ideas and playing styles. Observe who is the best and the most experienced in this game. How is his style of playing poker different from yours? Try to learn from these players and see if you can understand. Your home game can be a supplementary station before you step onto the real battlefield.

In a poker home game, there are fewer players at the table. Practice profiling each player. Imagine what they are thinking. What do they see? Understand their strengths and weaknesses. Can’t remember all the details? Take notes. If it’s too much trouble writing all the things down on a piece of paper or it might be a bit disturbing for you to do so, then simply use your digital device. If you want to get the most out of a simple and fun poker home game and improve your poker skills, try to take notes after each hand. What was each round like? How did the players at different positions react in the hand?

Take your notes on the players who are better than you then ask their opinions. Talk about all your findings from each hand you played. A fresh point of view usually can inspire you. Don't worry if they are stingy. Good players are very happy to share. Like you, they also hope to improve themselves through any way they could. Healthy communication often brings true friendship as well.

Now that you have received feedback from great players, it is time to summarize and organize all the information you have and form your own poker strategy. Then practice it in your game, record the results, and make adjustments if necessary. Repeat this process over and over again.

You will soon find that you can quickly figure out the playing style of all players after only a few hands at the table.

You know what? You should probably fold more often than you do. You don’t have to participate in almost every hand. The quality of the cards you hold is important. Tighten your starting hand range and see if your win-rate increases.

Of course, the most unpopular players in home games are such tight players. From time to time, you could also enter a pot by limping. To limp in poker is to bet the absolute minimum needed to stay in a hand. You just don't have to stay till the end. You could simply fold it after the flop. Based on your own observation, you decide how far you want to go. In short, do not think that you need to play every hand.

It’s understandable that people get bored after playing the same game for a long time. You can certainly change it up and allow for a more dynamic game. It is quite common to play Dealer’s choice in a home game. That is to say, whoever is on the button can choose what game to play for one orbit.

The player on the button already has a position advantage and when he picks the game, he will consider what his strongest game is and probably what the weakest games of the particular opponents at the table are.

However, remember that if you want to learn some new games, it is better that you learn it in your own time. It costs you more to learn new games during your home game. There might be some people who will persuade you to play games you have never played before and assure you that you will know how to play during the games. Be cautious. You might lose a lot from it.

Nevertheless, by using these tips, you could try to maximize the value of your home games and make it more than just socializing. Enjoy, and have fun!

This statement has its scientific basis. What we call psychology only refers to the emotional state and psychological preparation of a player. In the past, people underestimated how the mind could influence the decision-making process. Nowadays, the psychological aspect has been recognized as an essential role in influencing the result of competitive games, such as poker.

We learn how to read people and spot their poker tells. To refresh your memory, you can click on the link to our previous post: Learn to Read Players in Poker. But in order to become a winner long-term, you need to understand some psychological concepts. Level up your poker strategy by using these tips, which might also be helpful for your daily life.

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced player, poker games can always be stressful. To some extent, this emotion is a good thing as it makes you stay focused and in a fighting mode. But be cautious and do not let the feeling turn into fear. When your emotion has too much negative impact on you, you will make bad decisions which will result in losing.

An even worse situation might happen that when you start to lose, you may experience stronger and stronger negative mood and feel greater pressure that could not possibly win you the game. You simply put yourself in the swirl of emotions.

This is why you have to learn how to control and strengthen your mind. Try positive visualization:

 Ideally, you want to find a quiet and comfortable place. Close your eyes and rest your mind. Imagine yourself arriving at the venue and sitting at the table.

Try to picture and feel the atmosphere of the surroundings and the game. Think of yourself as confident and ready to take over the game. Your every move is elegant and charming. Feel the joy and satisfaction it brings to you. Tell yourself loud and proud: this is what is going to happen.

For beginners and online players:

What if you have never been to a casino or poker venue? It’s alright. You can go to the poker clubs near you or watch the videos of some large-scale competitions to get the gist of it.

For experienced players:

You have the advantage of playing some or many of the poker games no matter it is with your friends or at the casino. These experiences can easily help you recall or imagine yourself in the game environment and various emotional feelings of your successful games.

You know that you won’t be able to handle complex situations well when you don’t have self-confidence. We know that it is especially hard to maintain it in a high-pressure environment, especially in poker tournaments. But don’t worry. There are some strategies and techniques that can help you confront your emotions. Anchoring is one of the many options. It not only helps you manage your stress, but also keeps you upbeat.

When we say anchoring, we’re referring to the process of associating external or internal triggers like a gesture, touch, or sound with your internal response at its peak in order for this anchored state to be recalled or re-activated by reapplying the trigger.

So, what does this have to do with stress management in poker tournaments? Very simple, by using this technique, you can send positive signals to your brain to improve self-perception or emotional state. The easiest way to achieve this is through touch. You don’t even need to rely on any props to do it.

There are a few steps that you can follow to apply this technique:

Step 1: Determine your anchoring trigger

It could be an action of bringing your feet together for a few seconds, a slight movement of your fingers, or a touch of an arm with the palm of your hand. In short, just find the one that feels more comfortable and natural to you.

Step 2: Build the association

Think about what kind of psychological cues or internal responses you need; use those triggers you have determined when you are under positive emotional state. Keep repeating the process and practice this application. After a period of time, your brain will gradually form the association between the gestures and the anchored emotion.

Step 3: Test it in real-life scenarios

Before you take this technique to your poker game, you need to at least try it out in your real life a couple times. For example, when you feel pressure or frustration in work and life, use your anchoring trigger which should remind you of positive feelings. When you become comfortable and familiar with this process, you may bring it to your game. This anchoring process needs to become more and more natural and unconscious.

To excel in a poker tournament, skill and luck are not enough; psychological and physical factors can also affect the performance of a player. Advanced players will have to keep optimistic and mentally stable even after a series of bad losses.

In the poker tournaments, when you find yourself in a situation where you have lost a few games in a row, you could try to do some role-playing. Act like a confident winning player. You are a brave and positive self in this very moment. Take a deep breath, look straight ahead, and smile. Even though you are actually tricking yourself, you could sense the change in emotions, and the impact of fear and loss on your behavior will be minimized.

Make good use of the 3 psychology tips we have covered here. Hopefully they will be helpful to your game. Go ahead and try it out. Enjoy and win big!

However, sometimes especially in offline games, you may find yourself in a position where you need to bluff, but you are not sure if you able to do it.

So, we have provided some useful tips for poker bluffing that are widely used among professional players. Even if you are not good at bluffing, check it out and after reading it, hopefully you will have a better idea and make it part of your poker strategy.

Stealing the blind can be the first step in poker bluffing. Most players, when they think of stealing blinds, are not broad enough when selecting hands.

But the fact is, blind stealing may have lower requirements on the quality of your hands than you think. In fact, the key point of such actions is whether your opponent is playing tight, and whether he is conscious enough to protect his blind.

The next time everyone chooses to fold but you have tight players in the blinds, you can just raise.

This trick seems very simple, but it may help you win some easy pots. Don't underestimate what you get out of it because in the long run the profits add up.

Another more entry-level bluffing strategy is light 3-betting or re-raising that you use before the flop. If you find that your opponent is also using this technique and you raise again after he raises, then it is called light 4-betting.

Again, these techniques are played against those tight-handed players, especially when they raise from later positions or when they intend to steal the blind.

Very often your opponents are holding relatively weak hands under such situation. You can try to light 3-bet them with some medium-strength or even weak starting hands.

When you find someone is re-raising you light before the flop, you could have wider range of hands to raise back. The light 4-betting is even less commonly done than light 3-betting. But if you are holding AXs on hand, you could still get a good winning rate if you get called.

You may use these two tricks once in a while. They are fairly easy bluffing techniques even for novices to use against tight-handed players.

Most Texas Holdem players know that they’d probably need to continue betting after they raise. In this case, what they are holding does not necessarily have to connect with the flop. There is no need to have much relationship between their hands and the cards.

It’s most likely that no one on the table has hit anything. But most beginners don't keep betting enough or they continue betting too much.

Here is a tip for beginners: If you continue to bet in the multi-player pot, try to be relatively honest; but if you are in a heads-up, you may bluff more, especially if you have high cards after the flop, just continue to bet.

After you see the flop, you find that you have a poker hand with some value that could help you hit the nuts, a flush or so on. It will allow you to continue to be aggressive on the back two streets. Then this could be an excellent semi-bluffing opportunity for you. In this case, you could simply raise.

Try this trick once in a while, and you may not even need to showdown to win the pot. Very few aggressive players in the preflop have formed strong hands on the flop.

It’s basically known to all that if you have strong draw, you need to bet. But when you’ve raised then, it is much better to re-raise than to call. By choosing to 3-bet here will still cause many opponents to fold and win you a very optimistic outcome.

Many players who get the super draws often try to be gentle and keep more opponents in the pot. This is actually not the wisest move, because when the odds are suitable for everyone and they all continue to play, in the end, they may form better hands than yours.

Another very useful poker bluffing strategy is to float the flop. Usually when you are in position and you believe that your cards are weaker than your opponent’s, you may use your position advantage to force your opponent to fold on the later streets in order to win the pot.

This technique is super practical for beginners, because most players at this level are not flexible enough with their poker strategy and they are relatively tight in their hand range on the turn. You want to float against your opponents who are tight-aggressive and make continuation bets frequently because once they are given chances, the opponents may regain the initiative in the following rounds. Calling their continuous bets can be used as a bluff to show the others that the pot will not be easily won and convince them to give up.

It might help you build on your profit in the middle and low-level games. But you would also want to have some outs in poker just in case your opponents do call you. At least you would have some odds of winning when it happens.

What if your first continuation bet failed on the flop? Another bluffing strategy you could use is the double barrel, which means you make a 2nd attempt at a continuation bet on the turn. Betting the turn on all scare cards can be really scary for your opponents, which works well at the lower stake games. Some tight players might even discard their strong pairs.

The next skills may be somewhat advanced. What if someone keeps betting on the flop and the turn? Raise it back. However, in order to do so, we would suggest that you use this technique when you have hands with a high value, for example, flush draw or straight draw. We talk about poker math in our previous post ("The Essential Guide to Poker Math") that the odds for every player on the table to hit a strong hand is equal and statistically, it is less likely for a player to form a really strong hand. At this point where your opponents have already double barreled you, they might be more conscious about their range. By raising the turn, you put more pressure on your opponents and they will probably fold unless they have the strongest hand. Make sure you observe how your opponents play in the game. For example, if you are an online player, pay attention to your opponent's WTSD% before using this technique. You don’t want to use it on someone who simply loves to call.

Moving on, a bluffling technique that you could use to put tremendous pressure on your opponent and likely lead them to make mistakes in Texas Holdem games is the turn check raise all in. It is an advanced technique in poker that requires you to know how to read people in the game. We have covered part of such skills in our previous post ("LEARN TO READ PLAYERS IN POKER"). Take a look if you have no clue how to do it and start practicing in your poker games. Again, you want to use this technique on players who are more conscious and tend to fold most of their weak or medium strength hands. They must be very timid opponents and able to fold a lot of non-nuts strong hands.

We’ve talked about floating in poker. If you call on the flop and the turn, then you fire the bullet on the river, this is called Double Float. Most of the experienced players in medium or even lower level games are capable of firing two bullets but when facing this kind of move, they will fold very easily. Hence, when your opponent checks on the river, it's a good time for you to use this technique.

On the river, if you find that you miss your draws, stay calm and try bluffing here. It might be a great opportunity to win a quite rewarding pot. But think about what your story on the table is first. What does your opponent think you have? Does the river card seem to be consistent with your story?

However, be careful to use this trick since everyone has a high probability of calling.

Consider also who you are playing against. Unless you have enough information to show that the opponent is particularly weak or he is not a calling station, it is not recommended that you use this trick.

Another advanced bluffing technique you might need is when your opponent makes a bet on the river, you raise him back. By making this move, they might be convinced that you have nuts. Remember to take into account who you are playing against. Try to use these on weak and more fearful players but control the frequency of you using them because when you use the techniques too often, the other players on the table will know that you are simply bluffing.

In general, one if the most practical strategy might be pretending to be a weak player who has very tight playing range. It is more difficult for your bluff to work when the others feel that you are playing a loose range. They will think that you are bluffing. You’d better make them feel that you only bet or raise with super hands.

From pre-flop to the river, you now have learned various bluffing strategies in Texas Holdem games. The key to improving your skill always lies in practicing. Learn to read people and accumulate information about how they play, then try bluffing when the moment is right. Have fun and enjoy your poker game!

#How to bluff in poker #Poker bluffing tips #Poker bluffing

By checking first, after your opponent makes his bet, then raising your bet, you can counter the opponent's position advantage. In this way, you are also able to increase the size of the pot while maximizing the opponent’s pressure when you are bluffing.

The check-raise is a must-have skill for your poker games, but if you overuse it without comprehensive understanding to the topic, it will become a huge weakness in your play instead.

Definition: Check-raising means that when it's your turn to act, you choose to check first, and then you raise after your opponent bets. In general, the check-raise is an ambush.

This move is suitable for all types of Texas Hold'em poker games, even tournaments and SNGs. However, since you have to check before you can have a chance to raise, you can only use it when your position is unfavorable.

If you are still a beginner, you need to be careful when using the check-raise. Even if it is useful and effective, it can also hurt you if you use it hastily and frequently.

The first thing you need to understand before you use the strategy is what your motivation is. What role does the check-raise play in your entire poker strategy?

First of all, we must establish the correct expectations and know what we aim to achieve from using this move. In general, Check-raising is mainly for two purposes:

• You believe that you are holding the strongest hand on the table and hope to increase the pot by check-raising to maximize value.
• You think that your opponent's hand is better than yours, but not that strong. You want to force your opponent to fold through a check-raise.

Check-raising protects your checking range, because you check more frequently, and your overall checking range is more balanced. In this way, your opponent will not think that when you check it is a sign of weakness, and always attack after you check.

When you check-raise for more value:

As a beginner, your check-raise should be based on value. You need to always consider how to maximize value when you think you have the nuts.

The stronger your hand is, the more willing you are to put in more chips. Check-raise allows you to take the initiative from your opponents to determine the size of the pot.

In most poker games, checking is a sign of weakness. When you check, the opponent with advantageous position has the idea that he has wider range of hands to play, even the weak ones. Of course, there is always a certain percentage of strong hands in the opponent's range, but you still have to think of it as a whole to understand.

Through the check-call, when the opponent folds an air, you have no loss. But on the other hand, you will be able to win extra value out of their drawing hands and moderately strong hands. In a mid-stack or short-stack game, be prepared to call your opponent’s all-in after check-raising.

Here are a few factors to pay special attention to when checking-raising in poker:

• You would have to be the first to act
• Ensure that the opponent is aggressive enough. That is to say, he is the kind of player that when others check he will bet a wide range.
• Check-raising with a super strong hand in a multi-way pots can often win you a great deal of money.

But take it into account that check-raise puts a lot of pressure on your opponent, and sometimes your opponent will even give up some moderately strong hands. So, don't over-play when holding the cards which might drive the opponent away when the opponent is weak or his hand does not have much room to play.

When you check-raise for a bluff:

As aforementioned, check-raise puts great pressure on opponents, which makes it one of the most common bluffing techniques as well. In many common scenarios you can use check-raise to easily knock your opponent out of the pot.

The most common situation for you to use a check-raise as a bluff happens when you enter the heads-up pot passively during a pre-flop. Many beginners, and even players with some level of experience, once they raise during the pre-flop, will always continue to bet without thinking after the flop, not to mention that player in the earlier position in the heads-up has already checked.

You can take advantage of this trick to make good use of their excessive continuous betting frequency.

For example, your opponent, as a pre-flop raiser, continues to bet on the flop of 4♥ 5♥ 6♠. This is your perfect check-raise time.

When you check-raise with a draw, you are making a semi-bluff. Your opponent folds and you take the pot directly. Once called, you still have a chance to overtake. The most important thing is to put pressure on the opponent. People are most likely to make mistakes under pressure.

For the check-raise, which hands could be used, or at what frequency, require you to learn more advanced poker strategies.

But even now, based on your own experience and observation of the game, you can surely find many scenarios where you can use the technique. Go ahead and try it. Have fun!

If your opponent is a beginner, just remember: he will not construct complex performances or body language to deceive you with tells. Don't waste too much time studying his betting pattern or rhythm. And don’t pay too much attention to his body language since it is most likely deliberate. Just remember that the most instant and obvious response is often the most accurate.

Since you can't see the real person, what we discussed earlier is hard to apply. But you should know that the betting pattern is always the most reliable of all. Look for abnormal points in the opponent's betting behavior and changes in timing and rhythm. For example, thinking too long before making the call represents a medium-strength hand, and a fast call often represents a drawing hand. However, remember that timing tells are not always reliable. It often requires you to set a "standard" for a specific player based on a lot of observations. At the same time, many other factors interfere: for example, some people play while reading a book or watching a movie.

Spotting tells is not innate to most of us. But when you become more familiar with the game and advance your poker skills, you will slowly develop the instinct for observation and capture the most detailed information hidden in the seemingly happy and peaceful poker gaming atmosphere. How can you improve your game performance after knowing the simple mathematical knowledge of poker? Just read people!

No one can observe all the information of all poker players at the same time. So, try to focus on observing the behaviors of an individual player. Keep your focus and keep analyzing during the game. Then verify your speculations in the showdown, and then constantly modify and adjust your own perceptions. The best time to observe your opponent is when they are still in a hand and you are not there.

Real knowledge comes from practice. It is the absolute truth for spotting poker tells. If you want to become an advanced poker player, practice is the most important thing. You are not served with falsehood and you would not be able to discover all the details right after you finish reading. You have to lower your expectations and set yourself a comparatively long training period. Review our previous post ( LEARN TO READ PLAYERS IN POKER 101)  and pick from the poker tell lists to practice with one or two tells every time you play. Adjust and adapt slowly, then move on to the next one after you can find the tells easily.

Every time after you practice recognizing a poker tell, it will become part of your basic interpretation of the game. You don't have to pay special attention to it because it will gradually become your subconscious. Keep practicing and studying. It will make you gradually become proficient and accustomed to spotting tells.

Another training method is to observe one or two players at first, spend about 10 minutes, and then slowly add more players to your observation list, or switch your observation targets. Start with the players closest to your seat, because they are the ones who have the greatest influence on your game strategy. For example, is it more possible for the player on your left to fold or to raise next? When the poker player on your right calls instantly, does he really just want to see a cheap flop or actually hold a strong hand? This will greatly affect how you should act now, right?

Another tip for you: players who hold the cards in their hands after they are dealt, and act as if they will throw the cards back to the dealer when it is their turn, often do mean to fold. If they have such action but still keeps their hole cards and continue to play, it is basically that they are putting on a performance while they actually hold a strong hand. 95% of time, this prediction is accurate.

The best strategy is not to give off tells yourself. But if there are a group of beginners, you get a good hand and you want someone to pay. Have a try. When you get a marginal hand like JT on the button, you can sit up a bit, wiggle a little bit, make a bet, and observe the others. See who is looking at you, and who is starting to pay attention to you. You can find out who cares about the tells on this table and who doesn't care. Focus on the players who pretend that they don't care, but in fact slow down their actions, because they are the ones using their brains.

Many players, especially those in the early years, overestimated the role of the poker tells and spent too much energy on finding those tells. You need to know that almost all players know to restrain their emotions, even non-poker players know this. Experienced employees in many industries or people with a bit of social experience can hide their true emotions. Especially when most players in the early stage of the game are very rational, it is difficult for you to get effective information.

Think long term, observe slowly and classify different players. Start with their style of play to distinguish between tight and aggressive or loose and passive? This information can help you make at least 70% of your game decisions. In poker games, only a small part of the decision is determined by tells. It can only assist your with basic judgment, but cannot be your main decision-making support. 

The importance of physical tells is far less important than the learning of the opponent's play style and betting pattern. You should make sure that you have done enough work in these two areas before studying their physical tells. When you really don't have any other information to help you make decisions, and your poker strategy is not sufficient to cope with the situation, then consider taking actions based on the tells you spot. 

Poker tells in offline games is a particularly interesting topic. It is also an important factor in making offline games attractive, and if you are well-trained, you can really get a lot of advantages. It is not like mathematical knowledge and advanced strategies that bring you immediate profits, but it will allow you to have fun in the game, maintain emotional stability, and continue to accumulate advantages, which will eventually help you turn profitable in the poker games.

Experienced players know that if we can observe and interpret other players to figure out other players’ flaws or tells, we gain a huge advantage in the game. Some players will even deliberately disguise some of their tells, hoping to mislead their opponents. In short, poker is a game full of deceptive information.

Betting patterns:

Betting patterns are the most reliable poker tells. By observing an opponent's betting habits and comparing them with his current actions, very reliable information can often be obtained, and it can also help you better predict the opponent's next actions. Vice versa, pay attention to your own betting patterns because that information is also what your opponents use to read you.

Physical tells: 

The role of body language is often exaggerated by film and television dramas and become myths. This will be the focus of this article.

Of course, in live poker games, players can win a huge pot by simply reading body language. However, this is based on a lot of learning, analysis, and practice.

It's hard for the tells to be effective essentially because every player is different. For example, some players forcefully throw their chips into the pot and then place the cards in their hand to the side of the body that is close to the pot. For most people, this means they have a strong hand. But many players are often bluffing when they do this. There are also many poker tells that are based on falsehoods. Some tells have different meanings at different times and even contradict themselves. If you plan to use it directly in the actual game, it is too unreliable.

When you develop the habit of observing and analyzing the game, you will gradually learn how to filter out true and reliable tells. Generally speaking, the earliest tells are often the most genuine, and the shortest tells are the most reliable. Most of the long-lasting and complete rhythmic tells are often made deliberately, hoping to deceive the other players. There is a classic poker tell which probably many of you have seen: the player frowns first in displeasure, and then places a bet! This is the most common fake action. Very often, weakness means strength, and strength means weakness. But you must have a judgment of your own: In the current situation, combining all the given information, how much do you rely on this tell to make a decision? If you can make the learning process fun, then it will become a wonderful side task outside the mainline of your game.

There are many types of poker tells. The following is a list of common poker tells. You can use it as a basic guide to point out a general and clear direction. Poker tells do not directly correspond to whether an opponent's hand is strong or weak. It depends entirely on the opponent's habits and your observation.

Keep in mind that the importance of the above is not the same, and different tells may be more obvious in some players than the other. Some players often ignore what the hands show, but other than the eyes, we would suggest that you observe the opponent's eyes. Hands are more difficult to control than the eyes, therefore the information given is often more reliable.

This list is relatively long, you can choose some from them, and try to find the tells when you play offline next time. In our upcoming blog, we will continue to look at some basic knowledge to help you find poker tells more effectively. 

Some positions at the poker table offer more advantages to players than others. By understanding how positions can affect your chances of winning, you will be able to remain highly sensitive to changes, make better judgements, and ultimately win more.

In poker, position is tied to information. Players in later positions act after players in the early positions. Therefore, they are able to make a more informed decision than those who sit in early positions. This advantage can be used by players to win towards the end of a game.

How Does a Poker Table Position Affect Your Game?

The moment you sit down at the poker table, you need to look for the dealer button. Through the position of the dealer button, you can know when it is your turn to act. The position of the small blind is the first to the left of the dealer and the big blind is to the left of the small blind. Both small blind and big blind need to start the game by betting with a fixed amount of poker chips. After that, the action moves clockwise round the poker table. Players in different positions play with different strategies. The general tip is to play only excellent hands in the early positions and good hands in the middle positions. If your hand is only average, then only when you sit in the late positions may you consider continuing with them.

What if you sit in the early positions?

The player sitting to the left of the big blind is sitting at the UTG (under the gun) position. He is the first person to act. This position is the most difficult to play, because he did not get any information from other players as a reference for decision-making. In order to make the most of this position, players usually only bet when they have an excellent hand, such as pairs with a value higher than 10.

What if you sit in the middle positions?

The middle position is more beneficial to the players, because they can figure out some effective information through the actions of first few players. In this case, more cards can be played, such as some suited connectors and tactical pairs.

If the player sit at the cut-off seat (the seat immediately to the right of the button) or the hijack seat (position to the immediate right of the “cutoff”), he can maximize the advantage brought by his position and play more pocket pairs.

What if you sit in the late positions?

Undoubtedly, this is the best position to play in the game. You have time to observe the actions of all players throughout the process. You may even have a chance to take home the pot with an average hand because all the other players fold before you act. Even if your hand is just mediocre, you can still win the pot. In the late position, there are also more diverse card choices for you to raise with. For example, as long as there is an Ace and any card of the same suit, you can choose to raise and continue playing.

What if you sit in the blind positions?

Moving clockwise, after each player completes their turn, it is the turn of the blinds to act. Now, the blind players need to check whether most of the players have bet before they decide whether to call. Generally speaking, the hand that is suitable for players in the late position to play is also suitable for the blind players. However, if players in the earlier positions choose to raise, in this situation, strategically they need to refer to what hands could be played by players in the early positions to decide whether to call. If no player raises, then they can also consider raising if their hole cards are decent.

To fold, to call, or to raise?

 Are you going to fold or keep playing? If you choose to continue playing, do you want to bet the same amount of poker chips as the previous players, or raise?

In the case where your hole cards are very strong, you can consider increasing the pot 3 to 4 times the previous bet to win more chips. However, this action might also push some players with weaker hands to fold which leaves fewer players on the table.

If a player has raised before you act, then you can just call. But if your hole cards are strong, such as a pair of Jacks, A+K or A+Q, consider raising.

If no player raises ahead of you, consider raising or folding.

Now that you know the importance of position in Texas Hold'em. What do you think? Are you eager to start a Home Game now? SLOWPLAY has also prepared a guide to how to set up a home game for you. Check it out and have fun!

In fact, you only need to make small adjustments to your playing strategy, and your poker skills will be significantly improved. SLOWPLAY has compiled these quick tips for you. Try them and continue training your thought process. You will be rewarded! Now, let’s dive in.

1. Do Not Only Think About Hands

You can tell the difference between average players and advanced players by observing how they think about their opponent's hand.

Average players usually base their thinking entirely on specific hands, while advanced players will have ranges in mind.

From the perspective of the game in general, players in certain positions may get flushes, high-mid-low pairs, and so on. Average players always believe that their opponents have certain specific hands based on their intuition, while advanced players clearly know that the entire range of hands will appear with various frequencies during the game. What’s more, they will try to analyze the frequencies and make their best move.

Tips: Be realistic. Nobody will always acquire a specific hand. Think about the ranges and stop focusing on hands.

2. Do Not Cling to Your Favorite Hand

We all have our favorite hands, or we simply think that some hands look pleasing to the eye. For example, some people's lucky numbers are 9 and 7, and their eyes gleam with excitement when they get it.

Some hands are worth a try in certain situations, such as when the player’s position is in the back and players in front have not bet or raised, even though what he has is not high pairs or high suited cards. But in fact, if it is not high pairs, high suited cards, or high unsuited cards, then it is not an excellent hand to cling on to. If the player’s position is in the front, then you might refer to our last blog post - WHAT HANDS TO FOLD IN POKER: DEFENSE IS THE BEST OFFENSE, from which you will learn that these hands should be folded for the greater good.

Tips: It's okay to have a favorite hand, but realize that superstition will not help you in Texas Hold'em. It is a game of mathematics and logic. What you need to do is to play smart.

3. Stick to A Consistent Strategy

The most important thing you need to learn to become an advanced poker player is emotion management. Don't change your strategy randomly because of mood change, exhaustion, or other similar reasons.

To excel in the game of Texas Hold'em, you need a long period of learning and accumulation. Each of your hands and every process in the game will become part of your accumulated experience. All the strategies you adopt are based on the time you spent on the game and lots of practice. Sudden changes of strategy on the poker table will mess you up.

Tips: Find the strategies that work for you, then stick to them. Do not allow big wins or losses affect you.

4. Make Only Reasonable Adjustments

Although having a consistent strategy is vital, advanced players will sometimes adjust their strategy and win a lot of money in the end. However, it should be noted that these adjustments to the strategies are based on obvious reasoning not because the players are tired or bored.

Let’s take a 9 and 7 suited hand for example. When the player’s position is in the early positions, such a hand usually should be folded before the flop. However, advanced players may choose to change their strategy and raise. Such a move could be due to his observation that the entire game is relatively passive, and players at the blinds are non-professionals too.

Tips: Be reasonable. Keep learning throughout each game and accumulate your experience. Use your experience to help you decide whether to adjust your strategy or not.

5. Fold the Aces When You Have to

Another significant difference between average players and advanced players is the courage to fold hands with high pairs.

Have you ever experienced the feeling when you have a pair of aces in hand, but an opponent suddenly goes All In on the turn? This situation is not rare and choosing to fold at this point is almost always a good idea.

Advanced players understand that emotional attachment to pretty-looking hands is useless. Average players however, often cannot resist the temptation to hold on to these hands, and end up losing their poker chips.

Tips: Be a cold-blooded player when necessary. Even the top poker hands cannot guarantee you victory. Understand that even a pair of Aces can lose. 

6. Do Not Let Tilt Get Hold of You

At times, players might experience consecutive losses. Consequently, their emotions prevail, and they start to play irrationally. Countless players have given in to their negative feelings and ended up losing a great fortune.

Tips: Remember to relax. Understand that the psychological combat starts the moment you sit down at the poker table. There are always ups and downs. Don’t give in easily to your emotion. The tilt only hurts you.

7. Choose Your Poker Game Wisely

Some beginning players want to play with more experienced players. If you just want some challenge or pleasure, then it’s fine. However, if you are there to win, then you need to consider whether that’s the right game for you.  

If you want to win big, instead of challenging the masters, try to find players whose poker skills are not as good as yours. When they make their mistakes, that’s your chance to win.

(Classic line from the movie "Rounders", depicting how to choose the right game to play.)

Tips: Choose wisely. Don't put yourself in a situation where all the other players are at a much higher level than you.

In fact, going from "barely breaking-even" to becoming a "big winner" is not as difficult as you might imagine. It is these small strategic adjustments that can improve your Texas Hold'em poker skills and take you to a higher level.

Learn to think more objectively and logically. Treat the game rationally, and minimize emotional and intuitional input. Even beginning players can quickly grow into advanced players.

Every time a community card is turned over, it affects the situation on the poker table. Before the flop, when you only see two hold cards, there is no right or wrong way to play. For players at different levels, their poker strategies in the same scenario might differ.

However, defense is often the best offense. Every decision a player makes should be strategic and aimed toward winning money in the long run. We prepared this guide so that even a beginner can have a better understanding of what to fold safely in their poker games.

1. Give It Up at a Glance

For some hands, as long as you get them, you can basically make your decision to fold. SLOWPLAY has compiled these hands that should be discarded for your reference.

• When X≤6, any hand except 「X+X」or「X+A」should be folded.
• Any hand with seven, except 「7+7」「7+A」or「7+8」should be folded.
• Any hand with eight, except 「8+8」「8+A」「8+7」「8+9」or「8+10」should be folded.
• When X≤7, any hand with「X+9」should be also folded.

Don’t worry if it seems a bit complicated to understand. Simply download our cheat sheet. Any hand that falls into the golden area in the sheet should be folded. It is strategically better to wait for the next round for a more ideal hand.

If you are a beginning poker player and have not yet figured out how to win in Texas Hold'em, when you encounter these types of poker hand, you can be sure to fold them and keep your chips to make a profit in the long run. Even if you are in the blinds and you get to see the flop round for free, with these hands, you would still need to check and fold when other players start putting chips into the pot.

2. Don’t Play the Ambiguous Hands

In addition to the hands that we recommend giving up at a glance, there are also other poker hands that are ambiguous of whether it is playable or not. What we suggest is to fold them as well. For example, these hands could be low pocket pairs, aces with playing cards that have a face value of less than 10, or suited connectors with a seven, eight, or nine. These hands might make you hesitant to fold, but in reality, your chance to win is fairly small and they lose on average. Therefore, simply suppress the urge to enter the pot with these hands. (Check out our cheat sheet provided above, these ambiguous hands are also included in the golden area.)

Simply put, these cards are "OK to play but not necessary." If you just want to enjoy the process of the poker game, then go ahead. But if you want this hand to win poker chips for you, then probability is not on your side.

So... what kind of hands should you play?

The answer is high pairs, high suited cards, and high unsuited cards. These hands can help you complete high pairs, flushes, and high straights which give you the best chance to win the pot.

3. How Positions Might Affect Your Strategy

Your position at the table also has a greater impact on whether you should fold or not. If you are in the early position or even the blinds, unless you have an excellent hand like pocket aces, kings, queens, ace king suited, or the bottom line - ace queen suited, you should fold all the other hands for the best result.

If you’re playing in the middle position and you get strong pocket pairs or even suited high card hands, you might consider to continue. But the majority of the time, it is still better to fold.

If you are in the late position, in some cases other hands which are not listed above could also be worth a try. However, if you only have a low pair or lower suited hand, and there are already players in the pot that have raised, we would recommend you to fold and play safe. Some players choose to take a risk, but most of them would still fold in the flop round and lose their chips in the end.

Not sure what are the early, middle, or late positions? Don't worry, check out our post here: LEARN THE IMPORTANCE OF POSITION IN POKER AND PLAY WITH BETTER STRATEGIES

To sum it up, the beauty of Texas Holdem is not only about its infinite possibilities but also about meticulous strategic thinking. Trying to train your thought process when it comes to folding cards could help you conserve your chips and turn profitable in the long run. All in all, enjoy the game and let the fun begin!

Collectors usually choose not to wash their chips in order to keep their precious collections in their original state. But for common chips that are used frequently, keeping them clean and hygienic is an important task worthy of your time and attention.

In professional Texas Hold'em poker tournaments or casinos, there are usually poker chip cleaning machines that will clean the chips for you. If you are hosting a poker home game, then you probably don’t have a poker chip cleaning machine. But don’t worry; we have everything you need to know on how to clean your poker chips.

Don’t Scratch Your Chips

Don't try to scratch off or scrape away any stains or dirt on the chips. Clay and ceramic poker chips that have decal, labels, or imprinting require more careful cleaning. The beautiful markings on your chips (especially the patterns, denominations, names of the donors, etc.) are often susceptible to being easily removed, therefore extra attention is needed to resist the urge to scratch or scrape.

Choose Your Tools Carefully

Any abrasive material is a bad idea for cleaning your chips. You can use a soft cloth or your hands to clean the chips gently. A soft-bristled toothbrush, or even a used one that has been sterilized and cleaned, is acceptable. When cleaning, don't use acid detergent. Use a mild cleaning detergent or neutral soap instead. Remember to be gentle during the whole process.

Don't Use Steam or Heat

It might sound like a good idea to use steam or heat from boiling water to clean up any dirt or germs on the chips. Truth is, the heat and moist will cause the clay chips to lose their rigidity and, as a result, warp, which is the worst-case scenario. In addition, you should not immerse or rinse your chips with hot water or soak them for too long.

Let the Experts Help

If you have valuable poker chips or chips that mean a lot to you, it is better to keep them on display instead of playing with them. Pay for an expert to have them cleaned safely.

Drying and Storage

Use a soft cloth to dry the chips right after you clean them, a few chips at a time. After you finish the cleaning process, make sure the chips are dry, then store them in a safe and dry place, such as a chip case or a display box to keep them clean when they’re not in use and protect the surface from abrasion and corrosion.

However, due to continual handling, it is inevitable that your chips will get dirty. For example, the oil on the fingers or other dirt and grime on the table will attach to the surface of the poker chips. Therefore, in order to keep the chips clean and hygienic, other than remedial cleaning, it is also very important to keep the following good habits:

• Before the game starts, wipe the table or prepare a clean poker mat;
• Wash your hands before the game;
• Keep your snacks or drinks off the table. If you accidentally spill, clean it up as soon as possible;
• Avoid grabbing food with your hands. Try not to serve finger foods and keep away from greasy or oily foods.

While keep your chips clean is important for you to maintain a good Texas Hold'em poker gaming experience, the vitality of the poker chips do not simply lie in their beautiful presence but also in the moments when they are present on the “arena field” - poker table. Now you have the poker cleaning guide on hand, what are you still waiting for? How about hosting an exciting and relaxing poker home game tonight!

Check out our guide on how to set up your own SNG poker game at home.

In a professional setting such as a competition or at a casino, there are usually special machines or dealers responsible for shuffling and dealing the cards, but for a home game, players take turns being the dealer. 

Therefore, if you want to ensure your home games run swiftly and smoothly from one hand to the next and every player enjoys the process, it is necessary to be familiar with the basic rules of card dealing. But don’t worry, because SLOWPLAY has already prepared this thoughtful guide for you. All you need to do is to review it before your game begins.

Shuffle & Deal

It is important to shuffle the cards before each hand to make sure all the cards are in a random order. Generally speaking, before a hand is dealt, all the cards need to be shuffled at least 4 times, plus at least one cut. When shuffling the cards, be careful not to let any player see what the bottom card is. Otherwise, they might be able to guess the approximate location of other cards in the deck.

In Texas Hold’ em, the dealer button rotates clockwise after every hand. Each player’s position in relation to the dealer button determines when it is their turn to act. The Small Blind (the first player to the left of the dealer) and Big Blind (the next player to the left of the small blind) are mandatory bets that are placed into the pot before any cards are dealt.

After that, starting with the player to the left of the poker dealer button, each player is dealt one card at a time, until 2 hole cards are dealt to all of the players at the table. 

Pre-Flop

Now, all players have 2 hole cards. Thus, the pre-flop betting round begins. The first player clockwise from the Big Blind has the option to call (matching the amount of the Big Blind), raise (bet at least 2x the amount of the big blind) or fold (“mucking” their hand by pushing their cards into the middle). In this round, the player who has the Big Blind is the last to act.

If any player raises, when it is the Big Blind’s turn, he can only choose to call or fold. But if no other player raises, then the Big Blind can choose to wait and see (Check) and enter the next round without putting in extra chips.

If all other players fold, then the player with the Big Blind will naturally win all the chips in the pot.

Answer: Before the end of the game, discarded cards and chips that have been bet should be placed in the center of the table. The chips should always be placed opposite of the muck pile.

Flop

Players who have not folded in the pre-flop betting round enter the flop stage. To deal the flop, the dealer needs to discard the top card (burn card) on the deck into the muck pile facing down. The top three cards on the remaining deck are then placed face-up in the middle of the table. Now the players remaining in the hand can commence the next betting round.

Tip: From this round on, betting starts from the small blind. If small blind has folded then the first player who has not yet folded to the left of the small blind will be the first to act. The betting goes on clockwise. The player on the dealer button is always last to act.

Turn & River

After the flop betting round ends, just as done previously, the dealer needs to burn a card. Then another community card, which is called the "turn card", is turned over and placed in the middle of the table to start the third round of betting.

The same process goes for the last community card, the River card. After betting on the turn, the dealer burns a card and turns over the river card to start the fourth round of betting.

Awarding the Pot

In any of the betting rounds, if there is only one player at the table that has not folded, he naturally wins all the chips in the pot.

If the river betting round is over and there are still 2 or more players who have not folded, then they are required to have a showdown. The dealer declares who is the winning player and pushes all the chips in the pot toward the corresponding player.

In the event of a tie, the pot will be split between the winning players equally. When the number of chips in the pot cannot be evenly distributed, an extra chip will be obtained by the player closest to the left of the dealer.

The final showdown is very important and the dealer must make sure that it’s completely clear to all the players who won the hand, and what their final hand was.

To Sum Up

As we have mentioned in our post ("HOW TO DISTRIBUTE CHIPS FOR A HOME GAME"), a Texas Holdem home game is more relaxed and fun to enjoy with friends and family. But in order to make sure the game is as enjoyable as it can be, dealing is a very important part. Our guide offers a good, fundamental understanding of what you should do as a dealer. Have fun and enjoy your game!

Sophisticated playing skills are definitely important, but a strong understanding of social etiquette and DOs & DON’Ts can elevate the gaming experience of you and your companions to another level. At the end of the night, what you win is not only the poker chips on the table, but also the respect of other players.

DOs

1. Respond and Act Quickly - It's understandable to slow down when you need to take a minute to think or when the pot changes drastically. However, do not hold up the game because you’re playing with your mobile phone, watching television, or talking to other people.
2. Pay Attention - Even though you might be used to listening to music while playing poker, never plug both your ears and make sure that you can hear other players or the dealer. Pay attention to the game and ensure that you are not causing unnecessary delays to the game and you are not missing vital information that could affect your decisions. Don’t "jump in line" or fail to notice that it is your turn, otherwise you might influence other players at the poker table and the process of the game.
3. Show Respect - In order to keep a healthy and positive atmosphere at the poker table, show mutual respect to all the players. Do not have any uncivilized behaviors such as berating other players, being rude or mean, acting violently, tearing cards, or throwing chips.
4. Be Fair - Organize your poker chips in a way easy for you to calculate and place them where other players in your area can see as well. Other players have the right to know how many chips you have.
5. Be Clear - Be straightforward when making a bet. Verbally announce first, then take action. Otherwise, if you just push the chips forward, it may take a while for the dealer to figure out what your intentions are.
6. Responsibility - Protect your hand (and chips) at all times. There is always the possibility for an incident to happen at the table. You might have a nut hand but it gets mucked by a mistake. There is nothing else you can do. Your hand will be ruled dead since no one can verify what playing cards you had, and the pot will be awarded to another player.

DON’Ts

1. Don't get caught up in endless arguments, this will not solve any problem. Remember to be respectful. But if you are going to accuse another player for some reason, be 100% sure they did something wrong before escalating the issue.
2. Don't splash the pot. This is not only disrespectful, but also makes it difficult for the dealer and the player to know how many chips you have bet, which adds confusion to the game.
3. Don’t unnecessarily disturb others. Don’t be disruptive and a nuisance at the poker table in any way. This includes talking too loudly, talking too much, playing music outloud, and making phone calls at the poker table. If you must answer a call, signal the other players to apologize and leave the poker table to answer it.
4. After you fold, don't do or say anything to influence players who are still in the game. It is inappropriate to discuss any information about the hand or make any reaction, for example, telling others your hole cards, making verbal or facial expressions in response to changes in the game.
5. Don't try to teach others how to play, unless they seek your advice.
6. Don’t slow-roll, ever! Deliberately, belatedly revealing your winning hand is not a clever move but is rude and unethical.
7. Don’t hold up the game. Don't deliberately waste time, or take too long for unnecessary small decisions. This could be frustrating for other players and in poker, time is money.
8. Never show your cards to anyone while still in a hand. Whether you have folded, your action could affect the game.
9. Don't complain about bad poker hands. Cards are distributed randomly. Constantly complaining will only make people see that you are average, and will affect the mentality of subsequent games, which may cause further disadvantages.

There might seem many details in the poker etiquette, but it is very important. Every player's respect for etiquette is a prerequisite for a better and smoother game experience. Share these poker tips with your player friends, and how about starting a home game together? We even have strategies ready for you.

Check out our tips on how to set up a SNG poker game at home. 

Have you ever considered to host a more relaxed poker tournament at home and enjoy the fun with friends and family?

Don't be too intimidated by the sense of ritual in a professional poker competition. To set up a home SNG (Sit and Go) poker game is not as difficult as you would imagine. It’s likely that you have heard about Molly Bloom, an American entrepreneur, speaker, and writer. The movie Molly’s Game is based on her true story and how she once managed to host the most eye-catching poker game in the entire United States by herself, all in a hotel room.

In addition to necessary poker equipment, including table/table mat, poker chips, playing cards, etc., as the host, you would also need to set the rules and control the duration of the game.

You can control the duration of your own SNG poker game by adjusting the blind level and how fast you increase the blinds. For example:

An eight-player game that starts with a blind level of $25/$50, which is worth $5000 in chips , will increase blinds every 20 minutes, and usually lasts about two hours. You can be flexible with the duration of the game by adjusting the blind level and the intervals between these increases: the faster and larger the blind increases, the greater the fun and excitement and the shorter the game. Consequently, the slower and smaller the blind increases, though longer in duration, players can be more selective about cards and more tactical in terms of their moves.

Of course, you can choose to play a little bit slower at the beginning, then speed up the game after each round. Set up your alarm so you know when it comes to increase the blinds after that hand.

When the blinds have increased to a certain value, there is no need for small-value chips. Then it is the moment to exchange small-value chips for big-value poker chips.

It is common to have players at the poker table who are new to the game. It’s always good to have a novice guide at hand. Below, we have prepared a template for you. Simply print the image out and fill in the values accordingly before the game starts. Place it anywhere suitable, and you should be good to go.

After completing the above steps, your home SNG poker game will be ready. Don’t forget to grab some small snacks! Nuts for good luck and chocolates are great for more energy. Now you’re ready. Enjoy your game!

When it’s time for a get-together with friends and family, try something different.

Texas Hold'em will introduce you a whole new experience of excitement and satisfaction brought by intense competition. Every SNG game is different and full of variables. The good news is, all you need to enjoy a professional poker game is a table mat, a set of chips, and a deck of playing cards!

Don’t forget to share your poker experience with us.

Advanced players continue to learn how to be more self-disciplined as they evolve into better poker players. Pleasure also comes from confronting calmer and more intelligent competitors and developing a stronger inner self in the process.

Even when experienced players have the nut hand, you don’t see them being effusive. The art of the game is how to optimize what comes out of it. Hence the calm composure and being low-key are all tied to reading the situation and knowing strategies well.

At SLOWPLAY, our nut hand is composed of:

「Our Team」

We have professional dealers from Las Vegas, in-depth players with more than 10 years of Texas Hold'em experience, senior graphic designers, and top aviation industry engineers. All provide insightful ideas from various dimensions that they learned from rich poker experiences. From the aesthetics to the technology, SLOWPLAY guarantees you an unexpected and fulfilling poker gaming experience.

「The Quality」

Whether it is the Godel poker mats or the Nash poker chips set, SLOWPLAY is dedicated to producing premium professional Texas Holdem equipment through its use of new materials, improved manufacturing processes, and the sublimation of new aesthetics.

「Details」

Overthrowing traditional manufacturing techniques, our product engineer spent 12 months polishing details, being precise with each square millimeter. SLOWPLAY proudly launches our full-body black portable chip case; subtle yet luxurious. Handmade by artisans who spent 60 days working on it, the case features delicate PU leather that decorates the interior of the case. To achieve the ultimate gaming experience, the time and effort is worthwhile.

Just as our brand name「SLOWPLAY」, we pour all our time and effort into every product we make because we believe that pursuing the ultimate gaming experience is worthy of .

Famous Finnish designer and artisan Kari Virtanen once said, "I have never regarded myself as a designer, but as a craftsman." Similarly, SLOWPLAY has never seen itself as simply a provider of poker supplies, but regards itself as an authentic Texas Holdem poker player, working tirelessly toward optimizing every detail on the table.

From the first time playing Texas Hold ’em, the set-up of the table, the vibrant colors of the chips, and the cards with a slight grip were completely unforgettable, along with the thrill and excitement that the game brings.

As time goes on and a player becomes more experienced, his vision will also change. It is understandable that by continually trying new and better things, the standard for what is considered “ultimate” is also renewed again and again. This is why SLOWPLAY never stops pursuing better materials, processes, and more to push the limit.

For example, how do you go about choosing the material for the poker mat to balance the relationship between feel and friction? How can the thickness of the fabric be innovated to be wide enough to neutralize the high-frequency sounds caused by the chips falling on the countertop, while still being light enough for transportation?

What type of printing is best for displaying all the details? The cost of domestic printing is low; however, Japanese and Germany printing processes have higher accuracy. Which one should be used? What should be done to ensure a waterproof seal without affecting the smooth texture of the fabric?

These are some of our answers:

In addition to the differences in the pattern of poker chips, texture and weight also matter. It is critical to decide whether to use a smooth material or matte texture; should the chips weigh 10g, 14g, or 20g? The ultimate product SLOWPLAY wants to offer must reach a perfect balance.

Most players are fond of playing with the chips, so even the sound that these poker chips make can significantly affect the gaming experience. With one chip in hand, some players inadvertently tap the table when they are lost in thought. The sounds of chips colliding with one another, stacks of chips being pushed forward, and chips being piled are the highlight of the game. The sounds of these moments is impossible to ignore. Is it gratifying but not noisy? Is it too dull or quiet?

To fine-tune every single detail, SLOWPLAY invited several professional, experienced Texas Hold'em players to participate in the design and manufacturing process.

At SLOWPLAY, our answer is:

The screening process took more than six months to find the best design and best supplier out of many options. Dozens of samples were made to ensure everything from materials to design to details was perfect.

We tested our products in a real Texas Hold ’em game, with experienced players who were former professional dealers in Las Vegas. Game after game, discussions were had to discover which choice all the players preferred. Each decision was a fine-tuned blend of the players’ rich experience and high expectations.

Many people have asked us: at a time when the commercial environment is so impulsive, is it necessary to pursue the ultimate product?

And the answer to that is absolutely! Texas Hold ’em is a competitive game. Every detail on the table affects the final result: winning or losing.

SLOWPLAY wants to provide a superior gaming experience that exceeds expectations. SLOWPLAY produces poker equipment that gives you a professional setting every time you use it.

To this end, we want all our energy, time, and every employee’s love for the game to provide the ultimate competitive poker gaming experience for everyone.

You no longer have to make a trip to enjoy a game of poker or Texas Hold‘em; these classic cards bring poker to you.

Thanks to high-pressure coloring, the hue of these playing cards is clear and pure with no risk of fading. SLOWPLAY intends to revolutionize the art and enjoyment of playing poker, and has subsequently released the Nash Poker Mat as well as these playing cards as a testament to design, elegance, and acumen.

To get these cards just right, we invited professional poker players and experienced dealers from Las Vegas to participate in the design and development of our products. We have adjusted the process and materials dozens of times to achieve what we think are the most suitable products for Texas Hold'em. Thanks to the reliability and smoothness of these playing cards, your entire experience will be upgraded to a new level.

As of now, this simple classic deck of cards comes in two colors. Inspired by the Art Deco art style of the early 20th century, the SLOWPLAY aesthetic is an attempt to blend geometric symmetry and simplicity with class and elegance.

Designed with playing in mind, these cards feature a double-sided matte finish that is resistant to dirt, waterproof, and flexible. These Jumbo index playing cards are pleasing to the eye and make playing more fun and easier than ever.   

SLOWPLAY’s two-tone playing cards were created with the player in mind, whether they intend to play a quick game of five-card draw, or an exciting round of Texas hold ‘em. These cards will help elevate your game so you can play anywhere, anytime.

As of now, this simple and elegant poker mat comes in two colors:

• Blue
• Emerald green

Inspired by the Art Deco art style of the early 20th century, the Nash Poker Mat is an amalgamation of geometric symmetry and simplicity. Combined with the grandeur of the roaring 1920s and contemporary simplicity, this Nash Poker Mat brings the experience of poker to the next level.     

Designed with playing in mind, this sophisticated mat features a smooth surface that is both comfortable and a work of art. The surface is both waterproof and dirt-resistant. Chips and cards do not slide easily off the mat, thanks to a well-thought friction design. Due to a detailed testing and screening process, the Nash Poker Mat is made of a high-precision flannel fabric fitted with natural non-slip rubber. A high-precision edge-sealing process ensures that the mat is durable and will not unravel over time.

SLOWPLAY’s Nash Poker Mat also features Japanese ink printing, which is environmentally friendly and provides a sharp, detailed design that does not fade. This anti-slip mat is a gracious 2 mm thick, with steps taken to further reduce noise.

The Nash Poker Mat is the point at which simplicity and elegance meet. It was created with the player in mind, whether they intend to play a quick game of five-card draw, or an exciting round of Texas hold ‘em. There’s no need to purchase a bulky poker table. Convenient and portable, this mat will transform your game so you can play anywhere, anytime.