The First Betting Round
My definition of a good poker player is one who can recognize and exploit advantageous situations and recognize and avoid situations that are not advantageous.
You can get some help toward developing the skill of a good poker player from books, but books will not be enough. You need experience. You’re going to have to get in there and mix it up.
Beginning Holdem players should follow a basic plan of playing tight. Your bottom line is affected just as much by avoiding a loss as it is by winning a pot.
Playing very tight is one way to avoid losses. By playing only very strong hands, you’ll avoid many of those decision points that require the judgment of an experienced player.
Because many of those tough decisions require knowledge of the playing habits of your opponents, playing very tight is also the preferred style for even an experienced player if you’re not familiar with the playing habits of your occonents.
Just playing tight is not an approach that will maximize your win in most games, but it is an optimal learning strategy for players who are new to Holdem.
You should not, however, play too tight. Part of learning the game is getting involved in some hands and making a few mistakes.
Don’t plan on making mistakes, do what you can to avoid them, but realize that they will happen and try to learn from them.
Tight play starts with the first two cards. It’s a strategy based primarily on the idea that poker is a struggle among the players for a claim on the initial money in the pot (the blinds).
The focus is on the random distribution of the first two cards on the deal. It’s a risk-averse approach that does not explicitly exploit any probable or observed errors that your opponents might be making.
POSITION
At a ten-handed table, I usually think of the seats as divided into five pairs.
Playing Positions |
|
Number of chairs to the left of the dealer button |
Playing Positions |
1 & 2 |
The blinds |
3 & 4 |
The under-the-gun position ( first two players to act after the blinds ) |
5 & 6 |
Early position |
7 & 8 |
Middle position |
9 & 10 |
Late position and the butto |
