Better Poker

For some time Texas Hold’em has held its own as the most popular poker game of them all for beginners and experts alike. This is undoubtedly due to the ease of learning the game because of its simple rules. But the easy part stops here and the reason for its appeal to all levels of players becomes clear. The strategies in Texas Hold’em are so complex and sophisticated that it can take a player decades to conquer them, and maybe not even then. So for you newcomers just starting to learn and those of you are more than beginners looking to improve your skills, I offer this brief outline of the game’s central core.

Texas Hold’em Game Play format

There will be a maximum of ten players in the game. The dealer is usually the one who draws the highest card prior to the deal, but often the dealer is designated by the house. In any case, the dealer, also termed the button, is the last one to play. The first one to play is known as the small blind and is the player situated next to the dealer. The small blind player begins by anteing one-half of the limit amount. Next to him is the large blind, then the remaining players follow. The button has the best seat in the house as he is able to gather much information as to what is in his opponent’s hands by making careful observations of their raises, re-raises and lack of same.

The players are allowed to call, raise or fold on the ante bet to the extent of the limit in limit hold’em or through the roof in no-limit hold’em, unless the house puts a cap on re-raising limits of three per round, which is not uncommon. Also in no-limit the players can go all in which raises the bet to the limit of the player’s stash on hand. Pot-limit lets the players raise to the limit of the total cash in the pot.

Usually the player new to the game will start out with limit poker, then as he gains experience and expertise will move on to the no-limit games. Interestingly, should all players but one fold on a raise, that remaining player “wins blind” and takes the pot no matter what he is holding in his hand. Should this not be the case, the winner is the holder of the best 5-card hand assembled from his hole cards and the community cards. The rankings of the hands are as follows from highest to lowest: royal straight flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, and a pair and a high card.

The Play of the Game

To begin the game the players are dealt two hole cards followed by the first round of betting and the flop. The flop is dealt face up and becomes part of the community cards. In any betting round the players have the option of folding, calling or raising up to the limit of whatever type of game it is. The best starting hand in Texas Hold’em is two aces, the worst is an unsuited 2-7.

Now that the flop has taken place, the next betting round occurs with the players now able to see the community cards as well as their own hand. And, as mentioned previously, the small blind goes first. The ensuing round will reveal the fourth (turn) card and finally the fifth (river) card is dealt. Best hand of five-cards at showdown takes the pot, considering that more than one player remains in the game.

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Both the games of Omaha 8 and Omaha High-Low are the same, but however you find it, the game is peculiar in its split pot, i.e. the pot is divided between the player with the highest hand and the one with lowest. Should both the highest and lowest hands reside with one player, he gets the whole pot. This dual high and low winning hand form sets it apart from other variants and engenders some very different strategies as a player sets forth to enhance his betting odds to the highest level possible. Omaha calls for a single betting format and it is not a rarity for players to be actively seeking the highest or lowest or both hands along with all their opponents. Common to all poker types, the nuts (best hand) takes the pot.

As a beginner to Omaha 8, it will behoove you to watch many games to absorb the complex strategies involved. As in all poker games, the betting in Omaha 8 is an elaborate conglomeration of aggression, bluffing, and value betting and a comprehension of just how this amalgam of strategies is influenced by dual pots demands a clear understanding of what goes into making a winner. Your foremost efforts at learning Omaha 8 should be placed in a thorough study of the rules and then go on to join some beginner games and proceed on up the levels to master the possible game strategies. By the time you get to the really high levels with pot limit games, do not forget that high stakes mean multiple raises and high bets, so don’t go into one of these games empty handed. Make sure you are funded sufficiently to cover yourself for a long potentially expensive night at the tables.

Mechanics of Omaha 8 Play

Holdem and Omaha standard versions follow the same arrangement as Omaha 8 when it comes to declaring the highest hand. The low hand determining factors though are different The low hand in Omaha 8 must meet the following criteria:

The very name of Omaha 8 means that the low hand demands a player to play a card at or under the value of 8. And because the rules state that the players must play both of their hole cards, there must be in their hand two cards under this value to meet the criteria for the low hand.

If no hand meets the criteria for the low pot, the highest hand gets the whole thing which is similar to standard Omaha. The Ace through eight are the sole cards that can lend themselves to the winning low hand. Any card can meet the criteria for the high hand and a player can form hands of mixed high and low hands to own the entire pot.

You will usually find Omaha with standard pot limit rules, though limit and no limit are not totally out of the picture and can be found at some tables. One thing common to all Omaha 8 games is the split pots at high and low levels. This feature demands an in-depth understanding of what winning hands can be made up of and how this effects betting strategy.

It should always be in your mind as a player that a hand of three or four of a kind renders it almost impossible to win either end of the pot due to the two hole card rule, which leaves the player holding a pair at best. The epitome of a winning hand will consist of ace-two suited as this duo can produce several different high hand combinations while also being the one lowest ranked low pot taker. The ultimate low hand is called a wheel and includes A-2-3-4-5. At the top of hand supremacy is the Royal flush put together with three community cards.

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It seems that whenever a game is featured in the World Series of Poker, it gains quite a following and so it goes with Razz poker. It is becoming popular though not for just this reason, it also contains some very unusual and interesting play mechanics. Stripped down to its skivvies, Razz is the same as ace-low stud poker as the goal in each game is to obtain the lowest possible hand, a suited ace through five. HORSE includes it as one of its mixed game play components and Razz has been known to present some real challenges to the beginning player. This primer is intended to inform the new player of the nuts and bolts of Razz game play and to introduce them to the strategies to start them on the way to success.

The Workings of Razz

As stated earlier, Razz is akin to low-hand seven card stud and is played with a maximum of eight players with a limit betting structure. The game starts with a deal of three cards, two face up, one face down to each player followed by a betting round led by the player with the highest card. In a tie, the suit is the tie breaker. Another face-up card is dealt and the player with the lowest hand leads the next betting round. The rounds continue until each player is dealt the fifth card and from here on the bets are doubled. After the final card is dealt face down, the play commences with the player who led off the sixth round, if he hasn’t previously folded. If such is the case, the play begins with the second player in the sixth round, and on it goes.

The Best Razz Strategy

An unsuited ace, two, three would be the lowest possible starting hand in Razz and a sensible strategy would be for the players with low, single cards below ten to remain in the game to the next round. A player with any hand of single cards below seven has a strong hand and an all out aggressive strategy is a good option should the other players be showing a weaker one. If the holder of the seven-high hand sees that the lowest face up card on the table is a ten, his odds at the pot are very high and he should proceed to value bet.

You must closely observe the face up cards so you can continuously update your odds of attaining a pair ( bad sign), or single cards, (good sign). . Your table position can give you an edge in betting when you see that your opponent’s visible cards are either low or high. A sound strategy would be to bet for value even in the event that you draw on the fourth street. You can still improve your odds at the pot due to your strong hand at onset, you may even draw to a lower hand. Always play your low hands with contention. If you find yourself with opponents also drawing to lower hands, don’t hold back, get them to up their bets so your pot will be enriched in the end.

With the understanding that Razz demands a thorough knowledge of its tactics and strategies, you will also know when to cut your losses and fold. You are most probably vying against players with a lower starting hand, so don’t hold out hopes of drawing to a low one yourself. Then again, if you are in the catbird position at the table, you can use that to get your opponents to enhance the value of the pot before they fold their marginal hands and give that rich pot to you.

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