Flop a Wheel

Face it – poker is a very, very emotional game.  You win some and you lose some and I have to say that I have made this mistake at the table many, many times … becoming too emotional.  When you are on a winning streak, no one really minds if you are emotional, but if you are a sore loser, it can become annoying.

Emotions in poker should definitely be kept to a minimum and should not be shown all that often.  After all, this is a card game and you want to ensure that your emotions do not sway your judgment this way or that way and you want to make the best decisions possible at the table.

That is why you need to ensure that you keep all of your emotions in check and you do not let them affect your overall attitude!

When you are playing poker, there is one thing that you should definitely keep in mind and that is the fact that you need to bluff.  For me, this was the hardest thing in the world to learn.  It took me forever to learn exactly how to turn my face and exactly how to look so people couldn’t tell that I was bluffing.

This is what we call a poker-face and this is certainly something that you want to invest in – I can promise that it is going to do nothing but help you in the long run.  Slapping on your poker-face will give nothing away to the other people at your table and they will never see that you are bluffing!

If you play poker – definitely make sure that you use those bluffing skills to your best advantage!

The third worst starting hand in a game of Texas Hold ‘Em is a three and an eight off suit. With this hand, too, you will be left unable to pull off either a straight draw or a flush draw. All you can hope for is a measly pair of eights. Even a full house is probably out of your grasp here.

Fourth, we have a two and a nine off suit. A pair of nines can beat a pair of eights, but it is still a better idea to fold.

Last but definitely not least, another horrible starting hand is the dreaded two and six off suit. You may have a small chance at drawling a low straight, but little else is possible with a combination like this. Again, folding on a hand like this is a much better idea.

So, the first of the worst in starting hands for Texas Hold ‘Em? A two and seven off suit, also know as the 2-7 curse. This is most definitely the worst possible start you could ever get for a game. Because the two cards are off suit, there is no way you will be able to get either a straight draw or a flush draw. Worse, even if you get, say, a pair of sevens, the odds are high you will get beaten. Although there is the small chance of being able to pull off a full house, the odds are so small it isn’t really worth the risk.

A two and eight off suit is just a little better, but not by much. A pair of eights might be able to beat someone but, again, the odds are quite small.

In both case, folding is the smarter option.

In general, in Texas Hold ‘Em, five hands are considered the very worst starting hands that you can possibly get. These are hands so bad that, if you are unlucky enough to get them, the best course of action is definitely going to be to fold.

I feel it is important to discuss these five horrible hands before going on to discuss the ten best starting hands for a game of Texas Hold ‘Em because sometimes, when you get the bad news before the good news, you are more inclined to remember it.

Trust me when I say that this will be to your advantage, not in the least because it will be able to save you a lot of money during future games.

So check back the next could of weeks, when we will be discussing in depth these five awful hands.

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This will be a rule for some, a calculated strategy for others. Some of you will find it self explanatory, and some of you may actually get mad at me for saying it. Do not throw things at the computer screen. They won’t hurt me and the results will make you very sad. I am just the messenger here.

Whether your aim is to flop a wheel, flop quad kings — flop anything, really — you have to remember one thing: beer and poker do not go together. I know, I know. It hurts my soul too.

And, okay, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration. How about this amendment? Don’t get completely hosed while you’re playing poker. A couple of beers are no problem — unless you’re a lightweight, and a few beers will do the trick.

But do remember that you cannot really afford to be completely lax and relaxed. Whether you are playing in an online game or at a bricks and mortar casino, being drunk is going to impede your game.

Of course, if you’re just playing with friends, a little tipsiness is totally allowed — but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you really trust your buddies.

Some of the best poker strategies to which you can subscribe are actually the simplest. They are … common sense strategies, if you will. At the onset, they may seem incredibly self explanatory, they may even seem almost painfully obvious — and, indeed, they are. But you would be amazed at how many people need to be told about the little common sense strategies we will be discussing in the next few weeks. And hey, you never know — they might help you out a little, as well.

There is one fundamental thing you need to understand: you do not have to play every single hand. In fact, you should not do that, under any circumstances. Your opponents are not going to be impressed by your ability to play even the most dreadful hands. In fact, they will likely take advantage of it, because that trait is a definite flaw.

Do not be afraid to fold. By doing so, especially on those crap hands, you will make yourself seem safely unpredictable — you won’t seem like a hotheaded wild card, but neither will you seem like a player who plays it so safe, you actually become boring.

Poker has always been a popular game.  However, with its mainstream emergence into the movies and on television, and with the World Series of Poker more widely followed than ever, the game has never been more popular than it is right now.  Of course, thanks to the internet, it is also accessible to a lot more players — and a large number of them are brand new to the game.

These new players are often left wondering where they should play.  After all, until quite recently, you were not really considered a “legitimate” poker player unless you played at a live bricks casino.  It did not necessarily have to be in Las Vegas or Atlantic City, it just had to be a real, actual casino somewhere.  With the ever increasing number of online casinos, however, that is no longer the case.

Still, many new players still wonder if they do have to play in a real casino to be legit.  They wonder which is better.  The truth of the matter is, that is an entirely personal preference.  If you like to be surrounded by bright lights, loud music, and lots of people, then yeah, a casino will probably be a lot of fun for you.  But if you prefer concentrating on the game and especially if there really are no casinos around you, keep it online.  There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Knowing which game to play does not refer to knowing if it will be a no limit hold’em or limits hold’em for you. It is determining which tables to play at and which players to face head on.

Choosing the right game for you may mean saving some change after the game or bringing home the real money after. As much as you need to develop your skills in poker, it is as important to know which games to get into.

If you are an ordinary fish then it will be hard to play in a see full of sharks. You may be lucky and be out of it alive but look at the very bleak chances that you have to consider.

Winning money is beating other players in the table. You need to ask yourself before sitting down for a game:

• You can check if you know the players. Whether it’s in your local casino or playing poker over the internet, you should scan the table for players which you think you can outclass. You can know the players more by jotting things about them or by pure memory.
• Try to read if it is a loose or passive game. Loose games might help you win some decent pots while the passive kind of poker will help you protect your chips and have smaller loses in the long run.
• Observe. If there is a very important skill in any kind of poker, it is reading how players react to wins, to bluffs, or to any other tricks other players play against them. Learn their tendencies so you will know their strengths and weaknesses that you can use against them.