| The Video 101 No Limit Texas Holdem Poker Series WILL make you a winning player. It's perfect for beginners or for those who have been losing at poker and wish to improve their game. We will re-structure your game so you are playing tight, aggressive, and in position. Play a large enough sample of hands with the style and your win rate will turn positive. The 101 No Limit Holdem Strategy is very easy to learn and grinds out reliable profits at the lower stakes. |
Video 101 Series Lesson Plan:
Definitely the most important skill in learning to win at No Limit Texas
Holdem. Fix this and you might not need to fix anything else. Also stay
aware that variance can be brutal beyond imagination.
Sure all the action is at 6-Max, but we want to avoid that when we first set
out to learn winning play. Playing against opponents who play back at you
is difficult. For now we want easy.
The odds of flopping 2-pair or better with medium or small, unsuited, and
unconnected cards are lower than you may realize. You almost never have
the correct odds to play these hands, even from the blinds. Another small
adjustment that will have a HUGE effect on win rate.
If you don't get it right now then just take my word for it - there are many
advantages to being in position. It's not just about information but you can
extract much more value out of your strongest hands when you are last to
act.
Players most often bet because they have a good hand and want to take
your money. Don't give it to them. Unless we have a great read that we
are being bluffed, we should fold most of our fair to good hands and raise
our monsters. To let some of our decent hands go to a bluff here and
there is not the end of the world. Fishy players will hit their straights and
flushes nearly 1 out of every 3 hands we play against them. Don't pay
them off - fold.
Implied odds are often less than you think. If we have a straight or flush
draw and we have to call more than 1/3 of the pot on the flop or 1/5 of the
pot on the river - we fold. Yes there are fancy ways to play draws that
include fold equity, but we will get to that soon enough. FORGET gut-shots
and back-door draws. Just because you see "runner - runner" hit from
time to time doesn't mean it's a good call. In fact it's like 1 in 20. Spiking 2
pair or a set with one or two cards to come is likewise a play that leaks
win rate. Stop looking at your cards and "hoping" in general. Checked
draws that hit don't bring much value either (small pot = small bets and
then often no callers).
It's frustrating when we build a big pot and have to fold 1 out of 3 hands or
so to draws (add other big hands and bluffs and it's even more often we
fold), but charging them too much to draw is KEY to winning in the long
term. Calling is a huge mistake on their part and that's how we get paid.
Also, when we do hit our monster, we will get players calling our big bets
because that's the only way they see us bet our hands. It keeps them
guessing.
Also make your continuation bets big. You don't want your opponent to
figure out when you have something or not. Don't be afraid to put a near
pot-sized bet out there on the flop - even in a 3-bet pot. It makes money
and it sets our opponents up to call our monsters.
Make your "monster hand" river bets large. 2nd best will call more often
than not, and sometimes you will get callers who thinks this means bluff. In
the long run you will make more (even if you get more folds this way).
Even if you get more folds, players will get angry - thinking you are
gunning for them. Perhaps they will call your monster next time with a light
or medium strength hand. Maybe they will All-in bluff/raise you to take you
off your "apparent" bluff.
"Raise/Reraise/All in" on the flop with a monster hand when stuck out of
position. In position calling a decent sized bet is fine, because you act last
on the turn and you can bet if it's checked to you (in this case). You don't
want to lose the value of betting that street and you don't want to give a
free river card. Out of position means your opponent may check behind
on the turn and get value from you on a draw. Hopefully they will go all in
with you on a draw. You will win 2 out of three of these in the long run.
Most of your opponents will fold to such aggression on the flop though,
which is another reason why being out of position sucks.
When you raise, raise 3 times the size of your opponents bet or the size
of the pot. Min-raises often give required odds to continue. Make your
opponent make a mistake by calling, or take down the pot right there.
I will run the risk of getting sued by Phil Gordon here, by quoting his "Little
green book":
"Players who are out of position and bet medium-strength hands after
the river are making one of the worst mistakes in no limit holdem
because 1) They will usually get called only by a hand that beats them.
2) Their opponent will almost always fold a hand that beats them. 3) By
committing chips to the pot voluntarily, they don't have a chance to save
chips if their opponent checks a winning hand. 4) They lose a chance to
induce an opponent to buff."
Thanks Mr. Gordon. Now it will be up to you and what you think your
opponent may have and the size of his bet as to whether you call a river
bet from him. Generally I will call a 1/2 pot sized bet or so with 2-pair, but
this is very situation specific.
Variance is a killer. I sometimes go a week or more without a decent
winning session - and I play a lot of hands. One thing that helps keep me
patient is rakeback. I typically pay about $1500 a week in rake - and I get
about $500 of that back! This allows me to coast along very patient-like
waiting for the best hands and some unfortunate caller. In the mean time
I'm getting paid. Rakeback is an agreement with a poker site to get some
of your money back from the rake they charge. Sites figure that you will
stay loyal as long as they are giving you a cut - which I've found to be true.
Follow my links to get the best rakeback deals - they come with no strings
attached except you must start a new account with a new site. I wouldn't
play without it - it's free money.
- Texas Holdem is a Game of Patience
Definitely the most important skill in learning to win at No Limit Texas
Holdem. Fix this and you might not need to fix anything else. Also stay
aware that variance can be brutal beyond imagination.
- Full Ring Games are Easier
Sure all the action is at 6-Max, but we want to avoid that when we first set
out to learn winning play. Playing against opponents who play back at you
is difficult. For now we want easy.
- Don't Play Garbage Hands
The odds of flopping 2-pair or better with medium or small, unsuited, and
unconnected cards are lower than you may realize. You almost never have
the correct odds to play these hands, even from the blinds. Another small
adjustment that will have a HUGE effect on win rate.
- Play in Position
If you don't get it right now then just take my word for it - there are many
advantages to being in position. It's not just about information but you can
extract much more value out of your strongest hands when you are last to
act.
- Don't Call Bets (there are exceptions)
Players most often bet because they have a good hand and want to take
your money. Don't give it to them. Unless we have a great read that we
are being bluffed, we should fold most of our fair to good hands and raise
our monsters. To let some of our decent hands go to a bluff here and
there is not the end of the world. Fishy players will hit their straights and
flushes nearly 1 out of every 3 hands we play against them. Don't pay
them off - fold.
- Don't Fish
Implied odds are often less than you think. If we have a straight or flush
draw and we have to call more than 1/3 of the pot on the flop or 1/5 of the
pot on the river - we fold. Yes there are fancy ways to play draws that
include fold equity, but we will get to that soon enough. FORGET gut-shots
and back-door draws. Just because you see "runner - runner" hit from
time to time doesn't mean it's a good call. In fact it's like 1 in 20. Spiking 2
pair or a set with one or two cards to come is likewise a play that leaks
win rate. Stop looking at your cards and "hoping" in general. Checked
draws that hit don't bring much value either (small pot = small bets and
then often no callers).
- Bet Hard
It's frustrating when we build a big pot and have to fold 1 out of 3 hands or
so to draws (add other big hands and bluffs and it's even more often we
fold), but charging them too much to draw is KEY to winning in the long
term. Calling is a huge mistake on their part and that's how we get paid.
Also, when we do hit our monster, we will get players calling our big bets
because that's the only way they see us bet our hands. It keeps them
guessing.
Also make your continuation bets big. You don't want your opponent to
figure out when you have something or not. Don't be afraid to put a near
pot-sized bet out there on the flop - even in a 3-bet pot. It makes money
and it sets our opponents up to call our monsters.
- Bet Harder
Make your "monster hand" river bets large. 2nd best will call more often
than not, and sometimes you will get callers who thinks this means bluff. In
the long run you will make more (even if you get more folds this way).
Even if you get more folds, players will get angry - thinking you are
gunning for them. Perhaps they will call your monster next time with a light
or medium strength hand. Maybe they will All-in bluff/raise you to take you
off your "apparent" bluff.
"Raise/Reraise/All in" on the flop with a monster hand when stuck out of
position. In position calling a decent sized bet is fine, because you act last
on the turn and you can bet if it's checked to you (in this case). You don't
want to lose the value of betting that street and you don't want to give a
free river card. Out of position means your opponent may check behind
on the turn and get value from you on a draw. Hopefully they will go all in
with you on a draw. You will win 2 out of three of these in the long run.
Most of your opponents will fold to such aggression on the flop though,
which is another reason why being out of position sucks.
When you raise, raise 3 times the size of your opponents bet or the size
of the pot. Min-raises often give required odds to continue. Make your
opponent make a mistake by calling, or take down the pot right there.
- OK, Stop betting (lol)
I will run the risk of getting sued by Phil Gordon here, by quoting his "Little
green book":
"Players who are out of position and bet medium-strength hands after
the river are making one of the worst mistakes in no limit holdem
because 1) They will usually get called only by a hand that beats them.
2) Their opponent will almost always fold a hand that beats them. 3) By
committing chips to the pot voluntarily, they don't have a chance to save
chips if their opponent checks a winning hand. 4) They lose a chance to
induce an opponent to buff."
Thanks Mr. Gordon. Now it will be up to you and what you think your
opponent may have and the size of his bet as to whether you call a river
bet from him. Generally I will call a 1/2 pot sized bet or so with 2-pair, but
this is very situation specific.
Variance is a killer. I sometimes go a week or more without a decent
winning session - and I play a lot of hands. One thing that helps keep me
patient is rakeback. I typically pay about $1500 a week in rake - and I get
about $500 of that back! This allows me to coast along very patient-like
waiting for the best hands and some unfortunate caller. In the mean time
I'm getting paid. Rakeback is an agreement with a poker site to get some
of your money back from the rake they charge. Sites figure that you will
stay loyal as long as they are giving you a cut - which I've found to be true.
Follow my links to get the best rakeback deals - they come with no strings
attached except you must start a new account with a new site. I wouldn't
play without it - it's free money.
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Rakeback
Make back a good portion of the rake you pay. I'm not sure why many players choose to play without
rakeback. It's free money.
Make back a good portion of the rake you pay. I'm not sure why many players choose to play without
rakeback. It's free money.