135 Semi-Bluff! In this case you have to think of it more as a Bluff. If this only player played a hand in early position, they probably have some over-cards in this case. You want the pot right then and there.
Most players will Bluff back at you in this case with just an Ace in the pocket. Stick to your resolve. Bluff.
Your chances of getting that six are pretty slim, and not worth the odds.
You only have to worry about your opponent having over-pairs and matching the Ten. So you really have to evaluate the player, as opposed to the math in this case.
Try To Be On The Aggressive.
You need information about your opponents hand. Betting is a real good way to get information. Also, a casual semi-Bluffing checkRaise can be all you need to scare another player if you think they'll Bluff at the pot.
136 How To Tell If You Have A Texas Hold�em Nut Hand ant to have a Texas Hold�em hand that no one can beat? With a little practice, you can learn to read the table and determine the hole cards necessary to make the nut hand. Most of the time no one actually has the nuts, but when someone Raises, take time to study the table carefully. Do they have what it takes? It pays to know the difference between a probable winner and the Absolute Nuts.
A nut set is Three Of A Kind with a pair in the hole equal to the highest card on the board and no possibility of a straight or a flush. The smallest possible nut set on the river is a set of queens (see example) W 137 This set of queens is the nuts. There is no possibility of a higher set, a straight or a flush.
In this hand, one or more players could have 10,9 in the hole and this top set of queens could then be sandwiched between nut straights. Even 7,5 in the hole would make a straight.
138 The nut hole cards are king-anything of spades. Any two spades in the hole would beat this set of aces.
Three-of-a-kind with a pair on the board is trips not a set. Trips cannot be the nuts. Kings, fives or threes in the hole would beat these trip jacks.
Texas Hold�em Poker Nut Hands - Four Of A Kind 139 You have the nut Four Of A Kind if you have at least one of the four cards in the hole and there is no higher pair on the board and no possibility of a Straight Flush.
You have the nuts if the Four Of A Kind is on the board and you have the nut Kicker in the hole. If the Four Of A Kind is Kings or less, the nut Kicker is an ace. If the Four Of A Kind is aces, the nut Kicker is a King. At the showdown you will split the pot with any other players who also have the nut Kicker.
If the Four Of A Kind and the nut Kicker are on the board, you will split the pot with all the players who are in the hand at the showdown.
This is a nut hand. There is no higher pair on the board and no possibility of a Straight Flush. Hope like mad you get some action from pocket aces, pocket deuces or a heart flush.
140 The four eights are on the board, but the ace Kicker in the hole makes this hand the nuts. If any other players have an ace in the hole, the pot will be split.
Four threes and the top Kicker are on the board. All the players who are in the hand at the showdown will split the pot.
141 These quad fives could lose to a higher Four Of A Kind. The nut hole cards are pocket sevens The jack-ten of spades in the hole would make a Royal Flush.
Three-of-a-kind with a pair on the board is trips not a set. Trips cannot be the nuts. Kings, fives or threes in the hole would beat these trip jacks.
Texas Hold�em Poker Nut Hands - Flushes 142 The nut flush is an ace high flush with the highest possible flush card in the hole, no pair or better on the board and no possibility of a Straight Flush.
Insider Tip Sometimes, there is a flush on the board and it might be the best hand, but there cannot be a nut flush on the board.
In Texas Hold�em Poker there can be only one nut flush. If the winning hand is a flush, it wins the entire pot.
Texas Hold�em Poker Nut Hands- Full Houses You have the nut Full House in Texas Hold'em Poker when there is only one pair on the board that is higher than the other upcards and equal to your high hole card and the next highest upcard is equal to your other hole card and there is no possibility of a Straight Flush.
Insider Tip You have the nut Full House in Texas Hold�em Poker when there are Two Pairs on the board that are higher than the fifth upcard and each pair is equal to one of your hole cards and there is no possibility of a Straight Flush.
There cannot be a nut Full House on the board. If there's a full house on the board, the nut hand is Four Of A Kind.
You cannot have a nut Full House with a pocket pair.
Insider Tip 143 The Pre-Flop Winning Odds System These charts are based on 400,000,000 Texas Hold�em Poker hands dealt to 10 players.
This is my favourite table. It sits by my mouse during every online game I play. And here�s why.
HOW TO BET PRE-FLOP Example - You are dealt two queens. Time comes to match or Raise a bet. The chance of winning the hand is 22% (see chart). The pot is $50. Based on a 22% chance of winning, your pot odds would indicate a safe bet of $10 at the pre-flop (22% x $50). Then somebody goes crazy and starts betting. Do you know what kind 144 of a player they are? Do they have a pair of 9�s? Over 50% of the pots are won by a pair of 9�s or better.
Tight players never deviate from these rules unless they are playing with a very weak table.
When you start out, if you follow these guidelines you will lose less while you are learning and you will start to win more consistently.
Another example � You are dealt a pair of aces in the pocket.
The odds of winning with 2 aces is 31% - the best odds in the game. Pre-flop you have a massive advantage. The only choice at this point what should the maximum bet be.
Estimate the total of the pot at the end of the betting round and bet no more than 31%.
145 If you estimate the pot to be $150 the maximum bet you should take is 31% of $150 = $31.
Question � If the bet to stay in is much lower, should you Raise? For example if the bet to you is $20 do you Raise? There are two considerations here. With an average hand, you may want to see players leave the game and improve your odds of winning. Raising to the maximum could have that effect.
On the other hand, having the nuts means you want to build the pot at the early stages. Anything can still happen � you don�t have a lock on the win remember. You only have a 31% chance of winning.
Our advice � win as much as you can when you have the right cards. In this example, Raise the bet to $30 if you have a lot of weak players and see who stays in. Bet slightly less - $15 �$20 if the table is stronger.
Example � You draw a 2 and a 7.
This is the worst pocket hand you can be dealt based on the odds of winning. It should be clear why.
You have no higher cards to build on. You have no flush potential and no chance of developing a straight.
146 You have a 4% chance of winning the pot (see the charts at the end of this book). Should you stay in? Only if the cost to stay in the game and see the flop is less than 4% of the total pre-flop pot.
Estimate the pot at $100 that would mean a maximum bet of $4.
Based on a game where the blind is $5/$10 you would need at least a 10% chance of winning. Get out fast.
What if you fold and see a 2 and a 7 in the flop � Two Pairs? This can happen and you may be beating yourself up over it. But if you let a bad example of odds modify your play and betting, over the long haul you will be suckered in by long shots and your style of play will suffer. The odds are the odds.
As you can see from these examples, a simple rule is - the larger the pot, the better the cards you would need at the pre-flop to stay in the game.
REASONS NOT TO Bluff Bluffing should probably not be an automatic reaction. Many times it takes a feel for a table to make you want to Bluff. When doing it keep in mind that everyone else is also looking for an opportunity to Bluff. Maybe you spot them Bluffing in a common situation or they spot you. It only works when you get away with it, so you must use it sparingly.
Here are some times when you outright should not Bluff.
A. When players expect you to.