How To Properly Bet In Texas Holdem

1. How To Properly Bet In Texas Holdem Golf
2. How To Properly Bet In Texas Holdem Poker
3. How Do You Bet In Texas Holdem
4. How To Properly Bet In Texas Holdem Games
5. How To Properly Bet In Texas Holdem Card Game

That poses the question of how much? In this case, we will raise to 3x the BB, so $3 and one player calls our bet as shown. We will cover the reason we use 3x later in the article. Three times the BB is a standard raise size which we will go into later in this article under the heading “Texas Holdem betting strategy”. Another player may now bet, in which case you may fold your hand, call the bet or raise (the action of first checking and then raising when an opponent bets is known as a check-raise). If no-one bets on that round then the next card is dealt and again the first player has a choice whether to bet or check. In Texas Holdem, the betting starts with a small blind, to the left of the dealer that is followed by a big blind. These are compulsory or forced bets that must be made before seeing one’s cards. Play runs clockwise starting from the blinds, with each player having the option to fold, call, or raise.

1. Bets around 1/2 the pot can be quite profitable when you have a strong hand. The two most common mistakes in bet sizing is 'under' and 'over' betting. An 'under' bet is betting an insanely small amount in relation to the pot size, which does not achieve anything. Never put a big blind bet on the table when there is a big pot.
2. Bet sizing is an integral part of the No-Limit Texas Hold’em strategy. Since the game is played in no-limit format, you can bet whatever you want, whenever you want. Thus, you need to have a good plan for your bets and make sure every single one of them counts.

Welcome to our Texas Holdem guide.

The idea behind this guide is to walk you through the basic rules and strategies to Texas Holdem. While a lot of sites have articles written on the same topics, they’re not as easy to understand as ours. They’re not packaged neatly into a handy guide like ours, either, leaving you to figure out what you should read and in what order.

So if you want to pick up the game of Texas Holdem quickly, and blend into any table you sit down at, this is the guide for you.

Our Holdem guide will be divided into 4 parts. We’ll start with rules and end with basic strategies. In the first part of our guide, I’m going to explain the rules of Texas Holdem, what (hands) beats what, betting formats and betting basics for beginners. Everything you need to know to play your first game of Texas Holdem.

Texas Holdem Guide » Part 2 » Part 3 » Part 4

Good luck and enjoy!

Texas Holdem Rules

Your first task is to learn the rules of Texas Holdem. The game appears to be complicated because there are 4 rounds, each with a new card and opportunity to bet.

But trust me, it’s not as complicated as you may think. I’m going to walk through a complete hand now. I’m sure you’ll pick it up quickly.

Note: All my examples will use 5/10 blinds.

Pre Flop

Pre flop is the first stage of a Texas Holdem hand. This is when the cards are dealt, players bet and decide whether or not they want to be involved in the hand.

The first thing that will happen is the blinds will be posted. The blinds are essentially antes that create dead money and encourage players to play, as opposed to sitting around waiting for good hand.

There are two blinds that need to be posted; the small blind and the big blind. The small blind is the first player to the left of the dealer button. This player will post $5. The player to his left (and two seats to the left of the dealer button) is the big blind. This player posts $10.

That’s it. The blinds will change each hand, as the dealer button moves around the table.

After the blinds have been posted, the dealer will give each player 2 cards, one at a time, starting with the small blind and moving clockwise around the table. Each players’ “hole cards” are dealt faced down.

After the cards have been dealt the first betting round will begin. The betting action starts with the player to the immediate left of the big blind, also known as the player under-the-gun or UTG. This player has the option to call the big blind, raise or fold.

Once the UTG player has acted, the action will continue clockwise around the table until each player has acted. Each player will have the option to call, raise or fold. The blinds will be the last players to act in an un-raised pot. The small blind will have the option to pay the difference between the small and big blind or “complete,” and the big blind can check his option. Both players can raise, too, if they choose.

The pre flop action will end once all the players but one have folded, or two or more players have completed the betting round and are ready to see the flop.

The Flop

The flop is the first community round.

The first thing that will happen is the dealer will place 3 community cards in the middle of the table (face up). All players can use these 3 cards to make the best 5-card poker hand.

After the flop has been dealt, another betting round will start. On the flop (and all subsequent rounds) the betting action will start with the first remaining player to the left of the dealer button and move around the table clockwise.

The betting options include check, bet, raise or fold. This depends on the action that took place before each player acts. If you’re not familiar with these betting options, I cover them in more detail below.

The betting round ends the same as pre flop. Either all but one player folds, or two or more players have ended the betting round and are ready for the next community card.

The Turn

The turn is also known as 4^th street. It’s the 4^th community card dealt that players can use to make their poker hand.

The betting round on the turn is the same as the flop.

The River

The river is the fifth and final community card that players can use to make their hand. It’s also known as 5^th street. The betting action on the river is the same as the turn.

Showdown

How To Properly Bet In Texas Holdem Golf

After the betting round on the river, and assuming two or more players are still in the hand, there will be a showdown. Players will show their cards so that a winner can be determined.

The showdown is simple. In an un-raised pot, the first player to the left of the dealer button will show their hand first. In a raised pot, the first player to show their hand is the player who raised last on the river. Then the action continues clockwise around the table. Each player can muck their hand (not show), or if their hand is better (and they want to win the pot, they can show their hand.

Then the pot is awarded to the best hand.

That’s an entire hand of Texas Holdem. Once the pot has been awarded the cards will be collected and reshuffled. The dealer button will move one seat to the left, new blinds will be posted and a new hand of Texas Holdem will be dealt.

What Hands Beat What in Texas Holdem

One thing that trips new players up is determining what hands beat what. It’s real simple for Texas Holdem. Here are the winning hands, from best to worst:

• Royal Flush – AKQJT suited.
• Straight Flush – 5 cards in a row, all of the same suit. For example, 34567 suited.
• 4 of a kind – 4 cards of the same value. For example, 4444x.
• Full House – A 3 of a kind and a pair. For example, 3-3-3-2-2.
• Flush – 5 cards of the same suit. For example, A-8-5-4-2 suited.
• Straight – 5 cards in a row. For example, 5-6-7-8-9.
• 3 of a kind – 3 cards of the same value. For example, 3-3-3-x-x.
• 2 Pair – Example: 2-2-3-3-x.
• 1 Pair – Example: A-A-8-4-2
• High Card – Example: A-K-J-3-2

In Texas Holdem you can make these hands (and win) using any combination of the community cards and your hole cards.

If there is a tie the pot will be split. It will be split however many times is necessary. For example, if 3 players have 78 and they all have straights, each of them will earn 1/3 the pot.

If two or more players have the same type of hand, the better or higher hand will win. For example, an ace high flush will beat a queen high flush.

Betting Formats and Actions

Texas Holdem is played in several variations and betting formats. They’ll impact the game in a number of ways including time, variance, dead money, betting caps and more.

In this section I want to take a couple of minutes to explain the different betting formats you’ll come across. That way you can choose which type of game you prefer, and at the very least understand how they all work. I’ll also explain the different betting options you have during each betting round in Texas Holdem.

What Kind of Betting Formats Are There in Texas Holdem?

Limit Betting – Limit (or fixed limit) betting used to be the most popular format before no limit took over. With this betting format there are a couple of things to be aware of.

On the pre flop and flop rounds, only the small bet ($5) is used. On the turn and river the big bet ($10) is used. And there is (usually) a cap of 1 bet and 3 raises for any round. This does vary from one casino to the next, though. Last thing — players can only raise one increment (small or big bet) at a time. In other words, if someone bets $5, you can only raise $5, to a total of $10.

Pot Limit Betting – What distinguishes pot limit betting from other formats is that the amount of money in the pot determines how much someone can bet. In other words, if there is $10 in the pot, the next player to act can’t bet more than $10. If they put $10 in the pot, making the total $20, the next player to act can only bet $20. Every time the size of the pot increases, the amount of money the next person can bet also increases.

No Limit Betting – No limit Texas Holdem is the most popular version played today. There is no limit to how much someone can bet. And at any time a player can push their entire stack in middle, going “all in.”

Note – For the pot and no limit betting formats, raises must be the minimum of the current bet to call. For example, if the amount to call is $10, the minimum raise must be $20. If it’s $26, the minimum you can raise is to $52.

Blinds – The blinds are forced bets that the first two players to the left of the dealer must post before the cards are dealt. The first player is the small blind and posts the smaller of the two bets, and the second is the big blind, and this player posts the bigger of the two bets. In a cash game the blinds never change. However, in a tournament and sit and go the blinds will change every so often, usually every 5-20 minutes.

Antes – Antes are a forced bet that each player must post before they are dealt cards. This is in addition to the blinds. They’re usually 10-20% the size of the blinds.

Caps – In a capped game players can only lose so much per hand. The amount you can lose per hand depends on the game.

Short, Standard, Deep Stacks – This refers to the maximum number of big blinds someone can buy in for (in a cash game). In short stack games the maximum is 40 big blinds. In standard games you can buy in for 100 big blinds and 150+ in deep stack games.

Blind Levels – You only have to worry about blind levels if you’re playing a Texas Holdem tournament or sit and go. The blinds will start low, around 10/20 or 25/50, and increase every 5-20 minutes. Each tournament will have a different structures and time frames.

Betting Actions

These are the betting options you have during a betting round in Texas Holdem.

Fold – You decide not to play your hand and toss it into the muck. If you fold you cannot win the pot.

Call – You call the last bet made. In an un-raised pot, you call the amount of the big blind. If someone raises, you must call the amount they bet.

Raise – A raise must be in increments of the last bet made. For example, in an un-raised pot at 5/10, the minimum you can raise is 10, to a total of 20. However, if someone raises to 35 (total), your minimum re-raise must be 35, to a total of 70.

Check – Checking is like saying, I pass. You give up your turn to bet (unless someone bets and the action comes back to you). It is possible for every player to check and the betting round to end with no additional money put into the pot.

Betting Basics for Beginners

From experience, I can tell you that most beginners don’t know how to bet correctly. They bet for the sake of it or for the wrong reasons. And when they do bet, their sizing is off, which doesn’t accomplish their goals and/or wastes chips.

My goal for the last section of our guide is to go into detail about how betting works in Texas Holdem, and to put you on the path to making correctly sized bets.

Mistakes Beginners Make When Betting

Lets start with the biggest mistakes beginner Holdem players make when they bet. The biggest mistakes I see are:

• Beginners bet too big. (You don’t want to bet too small, either, but instead find a balance.) The problem with betting too big is that at some point the extra chips don’t do anything. In other words, at 5/10, betting 200 chips is going to do the same thing as betting 50. So why bet 200?
• Your bets are transparent. A mistake players make is bet small with their premium hands (to keep other players in the pot), limp with weaker hands they don’t mind folding, and then betting huge with premium, but vulnerable hands. Betting like this makes it obvious to everyone what you have.
• Betting for no reason. Sometimes players bet just for the sake of it.

Beginners make other betting mistakes, too, but a lot of that falls under specific strategies. That’s too much (and too advanced) for me to cover here.

How to (Size Your) Bet Correctly

With the common mistakes out of the way, lets look at the right ways and times to bet.

Pre Flop Bet Sizing

One of the concepts I want to drill into you is that you should only bet enough to get the job done. No more, and no less.

So how much do you bet preflop?

The standard is 3x the big blind. With blinds of 5/10, the standard raise will be to $30. Depending on the game and stakes you’re playing, however, your bet sizing can vary from 2-5x. For example, in tournaments a min-raise (2x) bet is very common for the later stages. And in micro stakes games, you can usually get away with betting 4-5x with your premium hands and the other players won’t know the difference.

Note: One important thing to keep in mind is that you want to keep your bet sizes as consistent as possible, especially the higher the stakes you play.

In the scenario that a player limps in before you act, the rule of thumb (if you choose to raise) is to raise 3x the big blind plus 1 big blind for every limper. For example, if 3 players limp into the pot at 5/10, you’d bet $60. I use the same rule of thumb for my 3-bets (re-raises), too.

Post Flop Bet Sizing

When you make a bet post flop your bets should (almost always) be in relation to the size of the pot. And the amount you choose to bet will depend on a number of factors including:

• Your opponent
• Your hand
• The board texture
• Your goal

To come back to my main point, only bet as much as you have to (when bluffing) and as much as you can (when betting for value). And these should blend (balance) as much as possible, so that your opponents cannot tell the difference. That way you don’t give away any information that can be used against you.

To give you an example:

On a drier flop (like A-T-3 rainbow) with 125 chips in the pot, a continuation bet of 75 chips is reasonable. If the flop is wet (has a lot of draws possible), then betting closer to 100 chips will work.

One thing you don’t want to do is over bet the pot. For example, if the pot has 500 chips in it, your bet should be less than 500 chips. I wouldn’t bet 550, 700 or shove all in (like many beginners do), regardless of the hand you have, or how vulnerable it may be. Betting close to the size of the pot is inducing enough mistakes from players on a draw as is, so only bet as much as you have to. There are exceptions, but these are advanced topics and not something I’d worry about right now.

Effective Stacks

One important concept to understand is effective stacks or effective stack sizes. You want to understand this concept because it will impact when and how much you bet.

To determine the effective stack size, just find the lowest stack size of the remaining players to your left. For example, if there are 5 players to your left and the shortest stack has 15 big blinds, that means effective stack sizes are 15 big blinds.

In this particular example, with effective stack sizes of 15 big blinds you might choose to fold your hand or push all in, as opposed to raising. However, if effective stack sizes are 50 big blinds, then you can resort to your default (betting) strategy. If effective stacks are 150 big blinds, then you’ll play a wider range of hands and will bet (and re-raise) more.

That’s the basic idea. It does get more complicated than this. But I wanted to give you the basics so that you can determine for yourself when it might make more sense to fold, raise or shove all in.

Have a Reason or Goal to Bet

If you’re ever questioning when you should bet, just remember that there are only 3 reasons for betting:

• Value – You think/know you have the best hand and you want to earn as many chips as possible.
• Dead Money – Money that is already in the pot, either from antes, blinds, players who folded or a combination of these things.
• Bluff – You want the other player(s) to fold the better hand.

These are the only reasons for betting. Many players make the mistake of thinking that you should bet for information or to protect your hand. However, these reasons are byproducts of the reasons I outline above. If you’re betting to protect your hand, you’re usually betting for value. You’re getting value from hands that are drawing. If you’re betting for information, that’s usually a byproduct of all 3 reasons above. You’ll get your information based on what your opponent does.

The bottom line – if you’re thinking about betting, but you can’t decide if you should bet for value, dead money or to bluff, then you probably don’t have a good enough reason to bet and should check, call or fold instead.

Conclusion — End of Part 1 of Our Texas Holdem Guide

That’s it for the first part of our guide. You just learned enough to go play for your first game of Texas Holdem, not to mention disguise the fact that you’re a beginner. And if you are confused about anything I discussed here, just re-read the guide again. You’ll also find that any question you may have will be cleared up once you play a couple of hands.

In the next section of our guide I’m going to explain why you should pay attention at the table, whether you’re in the hand or not, as well as how to classify your opponents and how different types of opponents will impact your strategy. Following that we’re going to get into some math. I’m going to show you how to count poker outs, calculate card odds and pot odds so that you can correctly determine when you’re (profitably) drawing to a better hand.

You need to be careful of who you take advice from about
gambling. Players have all kinds of systems and superstitions
that can end up costing you a great deal of money over time.

This is as true for Texas holdem advice as any other game you
can find in a casino. So we don’t expect you to blindly follow
the tips and advice on this page, but we do ask that you
consider everything you read here and think about it before you
dismiss what you see.

All of the advice found below will help you improve your
Texas holdem game, and most of it will help you become a better
overall poker player, no matter what game you play.

Have Fun

This may seem like generic advice, and you can rest assured
that you’ll be reading more technical sections below, but
there’s a reason we started with having fun. It can be
frustrating when you’re trying to learn how to play and when
you’re trying to improve. It can even be frustrating for
experienced players when hands don’t go their way.

But the point we’re trying to make is that frustration rarely
helps. It’s always better when you’re having fun, so try to stay
positive, focus on the good things, and try to keep having fun
while you’re getting better. I you start getting frustrated take
a break and try to clear your mind,

Pay Attention

It’s easy to get involved with conversations with the other
players at the table and try to find other things to do in order
to keep your mind occupied. If you play a tight game like you’re
supposed to do, it can get quite boring at the holdem table.

You need to always be paying attention at the table even when
you aren’t involved in a hand.

While there’s nothing wrong with visiting with the other
players, you can visit and pay attention at the same time.

You never know when you’ll learn something about an opponent
while watching a hand that you can use against them later in the
session or in another game in the future. The best players
always watch what’s going on in hopes of squeezing a small extra
edge out of a situation at some time in the future.

Never Stop Learning

This may seem like common sense, but most Texas holdem
players reach a certain point and decide they’re either good
enough or simply stop trying to improve. Poker is a lifelong
game and the best players never stop learning.

We mentioned players trying to squeeze a small extra edge out
of a situation, and that’s what never stop learning is about.
Always be looking for a way to improve and get better. This
requires constant study and effort. Look for new strategies,
books, and web pages that can help you find holes in your game
and learn new techniques to improve.

Focus on One Game

When you start winning on a consistent basis you can play
whatever you want, but as you’re learning to be a winning Texas
holdem player you need to focus on one game. What this means is
play either limit or no limit and play cash games, or multi
table tournaments, or sit and go tournaments. You should even
stick with the same close range of buy in amounts or limits.

When you jump from game to game while you’re learning how to
win it can have a negative impact on your results. Even though
you’re playing Texas holdem in each situation, each different
game requires slightly different strategies and playing
abilities.

The best players are able to play many different games and
limits without missing a beat. And if you focus on mastering one
game before adding a second one you’ll eventually be able to do
so as well.

Don’t Bluff Too Much

Almost 100% of Texas holdem players bluff too often. We know
this may seem like a shockingly high number, but it’s true. The
only ones who don’t bluff too often are the best professional
players, and even they can fall victim to over bluffing.

Just like it looks on television, bluffing your way to
winning a pot is just about as cool as anything you can do at
the table. But just because it’s cool doesn’t mean it’s
profitable.

The easy way to fix the bluffing too much problem is quit
bluffing. Simply don’t bluff a single time the next 10 times you
play Texas holdem. Then when you start bluffing again, only use
semi bluffs for the next 10 sessions.

You may be quite surprised at how your results suddenly start
improving. We’re pretty sure if you track your play you may
never start bluffing again. Or at least you’ll only bluff a
small fraction of the time that you used to bluff.

Tight Starting Hand Guidelines

Most players enjoy action, so they want to play as many hands
as possible. It gets boring sitting around watching other
players while you wait for a good hand. And it’s fine if you
want to play a bunch of hands. Just realize that if you play too
many hands you lose more money.

If you want to be a long term winning Texas holdem player you
need to practice tight starting hand guidelines. This means you
should probably be playing far fewer hands than you currently
do.

The only players who don’t need to play fewer hands are the
ones who already are posting long term wins.

To understand exactly what you should and shouldn’t play as
far as starting hands requires a much larger discussion than we
have space for on this page. The good news is we have a monster
page in our strategy section that covers everything you need to
know about starting hands. You should check it out as soon as
you finish reading this page.

For a quick idea of how many starting hands you should be
playing, the first thing you need to do is start tracking how
many hands you play now. A full ring game player should be
playing somewhere between 15 and 25% of their starting hands.
You should shoot for 20% or less until you become a winning
player.

Once you learn the ins and outs of winning holdem play you’ll
start recognizing the games where you can play a few more hands
profitably.

As a general rule of thumb, if you aren’t a winning player
you should start playing fewer hands. Keep reducing the number
of hands you play until you start winning.

Action may be fun, but winning money is more fun at the end
of the day.

Controlled Aggressive Play

When you play aggressively, by betting and raising often, it
forces your opponents to make more decisions. They have to
decide if they should call, fold, or raise every time you play
aggressively. Every time they’re forced to make a decision they
have an opportunity to make a mistake.

When your opponents make mistakes it helps you make more
money.

But you also have to be controlled while playing in an
aggressive manner. If you play aggressively too much you end up
making plays that cost you money in the long run. You need to
have a good hand to play aggressively so it’s important you
follow the advice in the last section. Combining strong starting
hands, that come from tight requirements, and aggressive play,
helps you become a winning Texas holdem player faster.

Play Against Inferior Competition

This tip is one that almost no one uses but makes so much
sense that you should consider having it tattooed on your arm.
If you want to start winning more at the Texas holdem table
starting immediately find a bunch of players who can’t play as
good as you.

Fill the table with amateurs, drunks, and whatever else you
can find. Just as long as your opponents aren’t very good,
you’ll look like a professional.

It doesn’t matter how good or bad you are at playing, simply
find players who are worse than you and you’ll start winning
more money right away.

How To Properly Bet In Texas Holdem Poker

Play Extremely Tight Early

How Do You Bet In Texas Holdem

This goes hand in hand with the next section and with the
earlier section about tight starting hand guidelines. Early
position, including the blinds, is the worst place to be in a
Texas holdem hand. You have to act before any of your opponents
and will often have a hard time controlling the hand.

This means you need to have a strong hand when you do decide
to play from early position. The strength of your opponents in
comparison to your skills also plays a part in what range of
hands you can play. But the tighter you play from early position
the better.

In some games you should stick to pocket aces, kings, queens,
and ace king only from early position. This sounds overly tight,
but early position play requires tight starting hand decisions
if you want to turn a profit.

Late Position Is for Winners

This might seem like a cute saying or it may have made you
smile when you read the title of this section, but it’s a
serious truth that every Texas holdem player needs to burn into
the front of their mind.

You should be playing around 75% of the hands you play from
late position. Make sure you understand that it didn’t say you
should be playing 75% of the late position hands you see. It
says that of all the hands you end up seeing a flop with, 75% of
them should be from late position.

Late position gives you the advantage of seeing what all of
your opponents do before you have to act and also lets you check
for a free card on the turn or river many times. These
advantages go a long way toward profitable play.

Make the Right Decision – Everything Else Takes Care of
Itself

One of the biggest mistakes made by inexperienced Texas
holdem players is basing their thoughts on how they played a
session on their monetary results. This may seem like the best
way to judge how you play, but it only gives you a true picture
over the long run.

The best players understand that they need to make the best
playing decisions in every situation and that no matter what
happens in a given hand or playing session doesn’t matter where
results are concerned. In other words, you can play a hand wrong
and still win it, but over time if you keep playing it wrong
it’ll cost you money. And you can play a hand correctly and
lose, but in the long run you win more by playing hands the best
way.

If you have pocket aces, raise from early position, a player
raises, you move all in, and they call, you’ve played the hand
as well as possible. If you can get all in heads up with pocket
aces before the flop you’ll win a great deal of money in the
long run on the hand.

But every once in a while your opponent will get lucky and
you’ll lose with pocket aces. But remember it doesn’t matter
what happens on this hand, as long as you play it right.

You have a gut shot straight draw after the flop and face an
aggressive player who keeps betting into you. You keep calling
hoping to hit one of the four cards to complete your straight,
but you aren’t receiving anywhere close to the correct pot odds
to call.

Sometimes you’re going to hit the gut shot straight on the
turn or river, but not enough times to make money if you’re not
getting the correct pot odds. You’ll hit your gut shot on the
turn four out of 47 times and if you don’t hit it on the turn
you’ll hit it on the river four out of every 46 times.

Focus on always making the best playing decisions and let
everything else take care of itself. The higher the percentage
of the time you make the right decision the more you’ll win in
your poker career.

The Simple Formula

It seems as if everyone is always looking for the shortcut or
simple formula. How else can you explain all of the money the
people selling get rich quick schemes continue to make? Some
call this the fast food culture. We want it and we want it right
now.

Texas holdem is fairly easy to play but it requires a great
deal of study and practice to become a winning player. But
there’s a simple formula that every winning player uses. And the
best news is you don’t have to wait until you have more
experience or learn more to start using it. You can start using
it today. Here’s the formula.

When you’re favored or ahead in the hand you need to maximize
the amount of money in the pot and when you’re drawing to a
winning hand or behind in the hand you need to minimize the
amount of money in the pot.

Don’t discount it because it seems so simple. The truth is
that even though the formula is simple, it’s not easy. But when
you combine the advice in the last section about always making
the right decision with this simple formula you’ll be amazed at
how much better your Texas holdem results are.

The next time you play Texas holdem think about every hand
you play in terms of where you are in each hand as it
progresses.

• Are you ahead or behind in the hand?
• How can you maximize the money in the pot or how can you
  keep the pot as small as possible?

Maximizing the amount in the pot isn’t as simple as betting
as much as possible. You have to bet the most possible while
keeping other players in the hand as well. If you move all in
and the other players fold you haven’t maximized the amount you
can win.

Of course if you’re playing limit Texas holdem you simply bet
and raise at every opportunity when you’re ahead in the hand.
And when you’re drawing and / or behind in the hand you check
and call.

The next challenge is determining when you’re actually
leading a hand and when you’re behind. The truth is that
sometimes even the best players don’t know where they stand in a
hand. But they usually have an idea and can make a good guess
using what they know, odds, and percentages to determine the
likelihood that they lead or trail at any point in a hand.

You’ll be able to use the same things to help you determine
where you stand in a hand as you gain experience.

Bankroll

Your bankroll isn’t directly related to your results at the
tables, but it can have direct consequences on your mental state
while playing. The general idea is you should try to have a
large enough bankroll that you can play in any profitable
situation that you run across.

The reality is that most players have a bankroll that
somewhat limits their opportunities. But the important thing is
you have to be able to play at a level and limit where you’re
comfortable. You never want to think about your bankroll or
money while playing Texas holdem.

This may sound funny because you’re playing with chips that
represent money, but when you start worrying about your bankroll
or money it impacts your game in a negative way.

Play at limits below what you think you can beat and use the
winnings to increase your bankroll. Never be afraid or ashamed
of stepping down a limit or two. If you ever worry about your
bankroll you need to play a lower limit immediately.

How To Properly Bet In Texas Holdem Games

The lowest limits most live poker rooms spread are 1 / 2 no
limit or 5 / 10 limit. If these are higher than you feel
comfortable playing you can play at an online poker room for
stakes as low as .05 / .10. For $10 or less you can play at the
micro limits and not have to worry about your bankroll or money
at all while playing Texas holdem.

How To Properly Bet In Texas Holdem Card Game

Conclusion

It’s easy to get a feeling of being overwhelmed when you’re
trying to learn how to be a better Texas holdem player. Even
when you’re reading a straightforward list of advice like you
found above it can get complicated quickly.

So to help you absorb and use all of the advice on this page
we suggest either printing it or bookmarking it, or both, so you
can review it again at least once a week until you’ve
incorporated all of the advice into your game.

Take a couple sections and work on them each week and before
you know it you’ll be winning more than you lose on a consistent
basis. We’re confident that any player who can successfully
incorporate all of the advice on this page into their game will
be a winning player.