How to Win Texas Hold 'em Poker

For those who play Texas Hold 'em poker, winning may seem tied to sheer luck. But, such is not the case. The game is winnable, because there is a strategy to playing that is so simple, even a child can apply it to their game. For those unfamiliar with the game and wanting to learn the most basic of terminology, here's a great source. Once you finish studying up there, come on back for my method. Those of you already familiar though, read on.

I'm giving you the two parts of my method to playing Texas Hold 'em poker to win with one little caveat: You still won't win every single game. Even following this method, sometimes bad choices are still made. It happens. Knowing this, if you choose to ever bet the house payment on a losing hand, that's your responsibility, and not mine. Bet responsibly.

But, this method explained here will increase your winning percentage. I mentioned that this method comes in two parts. Those parts are 1) The principle, and 2) The procedure. Between the two, the latter might be the most difficult to grasp before practice. No need to fear though. The learning curve is fast in Texas Hold 'em poker.

How to win Texas Hold 'em poker: The principle The first thing a player needs to know is "The principle." It affects a card player's attitude, as well as their level of pleasure in play, by adjusting the results they should expect from the best or worst of any game of Texas Hold 'em poker. Remembering this principle is easy due to its pure, honest realism. Put simply, the principle is: Folding is your friend.

While this might fly in the face of every "positive thinking" guru you've ever heard before now, players need to understand that within each hand of any game of poker, the odds are stacked against everyone but the house. Short of being the house, what a player needs to know is that out of 52 cards, there are thousands and thousands of possible combinations. The odds of your hand being the winner of any given round by blind luck are quite slim. Never allow your judgment to be so clouded by pride, or other emotions, to ever be drawn into betting more than you can afford to lose - that is until you know you have a winning combination.

In most hands of Texas Hold 'em poker, all a player can really control is the maximum they're going to lose. If a player has nothing but a 2 and a 5 in their hand, a simple fold could be their best bet. Let the other players "gamble." You're there to play cards and get those chips. Why make a bet beyond the ante if you know your hand sucks? Miracles might happen, but you don't want to bet the firstborn child on them. So to make it easy to remember, anticipate loss, and manage those losses to as little as possible, until your chance comes up.

How to win Texas Hold 'em poker: The procedure While there's a ton of information online about complicated formulas and feel-good-gimmick ebooks on Texas Hold 'em poker, the best ideas are really quite simple. No mystical talismans will really help you, and unless you're a true card counter from MIT, forget about grasping the formulaic equations.

When the chance of a winning hand shows up, the procedure for getting the maximum number of chips from opponents is to draw them in little by little. Going "all-in" because your hand shows two aces might scare other players into folding, but will only win you their antes. Going about it that way is simply counter-productive.

A simple raise on the hand, a slightly bigger one on the flop, betting the pot on the turn, and doing the same on the river will more likely pull the maximum number of chips your way. Should a hand like two aces suddenly become a flush in favor of the opponent, fall back on "The principle," and fold. Screw pride. It's far better to cut your losses now, and get those chips back on the next hand of Texas Hold 'em poker.

Sources:
Personal experience, and
Flopturnriver.com "Texas Hold 'em Poker Lingo & Terminology"