Texas Holdem

Often described as the “Cadillac of Poker,” or the “best poker game ever,” Texas Holdem is to me the ultimate poker game. It is life in a game. Playing poker, you will meet all the people you meet in real life. Those who will not give up an idea no matter the cost, aggressive morons who can never back down no matter the evidence, the timid, the scared, the fearless, the ignorant and the evil genius. And the downright lucky.

Of course, in real life, you can avoid these people. At a poker table, you are there for the duration and must either learn to deal with and manipulate them – or leave the table.

No limit Texas Holdem is the ultimate game as far as I am concerned for a number of reasons, not least of which is the almost never-ending variety of permutations and possibilities. Where else could a 2-7 off suit beat a pair of aces in the hole?

But Texas is not really about the cards. Sure they are important some of the time, but on the whole, psychology is at least as important as the cards you are holding – especially on the flop. Judging your opponents, making decisions based on their demeanor and knowing when to fold are far more important. Most decent poker players are students of human behavior rather than mathematicians. There are exceptions – but this is one important thing to learn when playing Texas – the odds do not matter. Sometimes.

I have made more money from having no cards that I have with cards. No question. If you sit around waiting for an actual hand, you will go broke – sure as eggs is eggs. Sometimes it is important to have cards. When playing against drunk opponents for example. The drunk guy is not going to fold, so you better be prepared to show him a hand. The same applies to the bad player.

Playing Texas Hold’em is easy. A five year old could learn the game in about ten minutes. But learning to actually play is another matter. Texas is not about the cards - at least in no limit anyway. Limit is a whole different kettle of fish.  In limit games, you need a far better understanding of the mathematics involved and a very good understanding of what is an appropriate starting hand. Even at the higher stakes games. The odds are very different and I would say that limit is a totally different game to no limit.