10-Minute Crash Course in Texas Hold’em Poker

Heading to Vegas for the weekend? Looking to try your hand at the game you’ve seen so often on TV?Have no clue where to start? Here’s our 10-minute Texas Hold’em crash course to get you on your way.
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Arved Klöhn Pokerlistings Author
  • Fact Checked by: PokerListings
  • Last updated on: January 11, 2025

Table of Content

Every couple months or so I’ll have someone come up to me and tell me that they’re going to Vegas. And they always ask me the same thing: “What kind of poker tips can you give me?” That question led to this article. So if you are going to give poker a shot, read this article first and your chances of success will improve greatly.

Editor’s Note: This article assumes that you know the basics of how to play the game of Texas Hold’em. If you’re unsure of the rules, check out the Texas Hold’em rules and Poker Hand Rankings first.

Is Poker Gambling?

The short answer is yes. The long answer is no, with a but. 

Poker is gambling insofar as you can’t control which cards you get, which cards your opponent will get or which cards will come on the flop.

But you can control when you put money into the pot. 

By only putting money into the pot when the situation is favorable to you, and folding when the situation is unfavorable to you, you can win money in the long run playing poker.

You may still lose in the short term because of those uncontrollable elements. But if you regularly make better decisions than the majority of your opponents, you will more than likely make money.

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30-Second Texas Holdem Strategy Rundown

Texas Hold’em is a game about hand strength. Only the best hand wins at showdown. So you want to plan to have the best hand at showdown before you put a single penny in the pot.

It all begins when you’re dealt your two hole cards. You want to play only the best possible hands before the flop because they make the best hands after the flop.

Generally you want to be playing around 18-20% of your hands at a full nine-handed poker table. It doesn’t seem like many hands, and it isn’t, but it’s the best way to show a profit.

Hold’em is often just as much about the hands you fold as the hands you play. If you play too many hands, you simply won’t be able to profit. You’ll be throwing away too much money with weak hands to make it back with your good hands.

So play tight. Tight is right.

Example:
Imagine you’re sitting at a full-ring table with a stack of around 100 big blinds. You’re dealt A K under the gun (UTG). You raise 3x the big blind, and only the player in the cutoff calls.

The flop comes A 7 2 . You have top pair, top kicker, plus the nut flush draw. On the flop, you make a continuation bet, and your opponent quickly calls. The turn is a 3 . You’re still holding top pair with a strong draw. You fire a second bet for value and to charge worse flush draws. The cutoff calls again.

The river is a 10 . You still have a top pair. You place a final value bet, expecting to get called by weaker aces or even a hand like Q Q . Your opponent calls and shows A 9 , giving you the pot with your superior kicker.

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How to Beat Average Texas Holdem Players

The Texas Hold’em games you find in the casino are generally very loose. A lot of players at the casino play 30% of hands or more.

When your opponents play weak hands before the flop, they make weak hands after the flop.

Weak hands are second-best hands, and your opponent’s second-best hands are going to make you money.

Texas Holdem Hand Strength

Remember your goal. You want to have the best hand by the time all five community cards are out and the betting has finished.

There is no clear-cut answer as to what hand is good enough to take to showdown. It always depends.

But by playing tight you will ensure that you’ll make more best hands and less second-best hands

During each hand you have to take into account the cards that are on the board and the possibilities that they offer.

Think about what type of opponent you’re playing against and how the hand has played out.

Poker is a game of information. Be a sponge; soak up as much as you can and use it to your advantage.

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Basic Texas Holdem Pre-Flop Strategy

Before you even see a flop you want to think about what hands you can make with the two cards you’ve been dealt.
Your goal is to make “top” pair (no other possible pair in combination with the board cards that can be higher than yours) after the flop with a very good kicker or better.

Or you want a hand that has a reasonable expectation of making a big hand (straight, flush, etc) on a later street. Check out the hands below to see what you should consider as playable before the flop.

How to Play Monsters: AA, KK, QQ, JJ

These hands are already huge hands.

A single pair is often the best hand at showdown and these will often make an overpair to the board.

These hands are all extremely profitable and you should raise them whenever you are dealt them.

With AA-KK and even QQ you can and should re-raise.

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How to Play Top Pair Hands: AK-AJ, KQ

These hands, when they hit the flop, usually make top pair with a good kicker.

Kickers are very important in texas holdem poker because two players will often flop the same pair and it comes down to the kicker to break the tie. When you have one pair your kicker is almost always going to play.

For example, on a A 3 4 7 2 board, A Q will beat A 10 because the winning hand of A A Q 7 4 is better than A A 10 7 4 .

When you play tight you’re going to be winning the battle of the kickers and your loose opponents will be paying you off with worse kickers.

Top-pair hands you can also play if there is a raise in front of you by just calling and seeing the flop. If nobody has raised in front you should raise these hands for value before the flop.

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How to Play Suited Connectors: QJs-89s

At the casino, many players play any two suited cards. It’s one of the biggest mistakes new players make and they bleed money seeing flops with worthless hands.

Concentrate your efforts on suited connectors because they can flop both straight and flush draws. When they’re suited and connected it doubles the likelihood that they will see a flop they like.

Being suited or connected on its own is not enough to see a flop. They have to be both. Suited connectors are profitable because they win big pots when they make straights or flushes.

Though they do make big pot hands, they should often be folded to a raise unless the raise is very small. These hands do very well when you can get in cheap. Look to flop a draw or get out.

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How to Play Pocket Pairs: TT-22

These pocket pairs are not monsters. Often with small and medium pocket pairs the flop will bring at least one overcard to your pair.

When you are holding 6 6 and the board comes J K 3 your hand is practically worthless. The bulk of the value from pocket pairs comes from when they flop a set (three of a kind).

Three of a kind is a big hand in Texas Hold’em and when you flop a set you should look to get all-in as fast as possible. That said, small pocket pairs benefit from cheap flops as well.

If you can see a multi-way pot against a small raise that’s fine too but your main goal is a cheap flop. If you don’t hit your set you’re best off folding.

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How to Play Ace-X suited: A9s-A2s

These are the only weak aces you should ever play. The reason why A-Xs hands are playable and other ace-rags are not is because they are suited and can make the nut flush.

If you make the ace-high flush you’re going to win your opponent’s entire stack if he has a smaller flush. That said, many players get into trouble when they flop a pair of aces, only to be beaten by someone with a pair of aces and a better kicker.

Remember your goal. You want to take a cheap shot at flopping a flush draw. You don’t want to get involved with a pair of aces and a weak kicker.

A-Xs hands should not be played against a raise unless it’s very small and there are many players. Cheap flops are the key.

How to Play All Other Hands

All other hands should be avoided like the plague. It will just be too difficult to turn a profit playing any more than the outlined hands. Over time as you get better at poker you can gradually add more hands, but when you’re learning you want to keep things simple.

Good hands before the flop means good hands after the flop. Good hands after the flop mean easier decisions for you. Keep it simple.

How to Play Texas Holdem Post-Flop

As soon as the flop comes out, evaluate your hand. Look at the board, look at what hands are possible and how your hand stacks up.

Remember: you want to make top pair or better or have a reasonable chance at a big hand. If you have a pair that’s smaller than top pair and there’s a bet, get out of the way and fold.

If you have top pair with a good kicker, call or bet yourself. Entire chapters of poker strategy books are dedicated to playing on the flop so we’re going to continue keeping it simple here.

Examine how the hand has played out and remember: top pair is a good hand, but if multiple people are raising it may not be good enough.

If you have better than top pair – two pair or a set for example – you should often raise to get value from worse hands.

A note on draws: A draw is when you can either make a straight or a flush on the next card. Draws are big hands because straights and flushes are almost always good enough to win at showdown.

All draws are not considered equal however. For example 5 6 on a 7 3 A board only has four outs – the four 4s – and the draw is weaker still because the 4 may also give someone a flush.

When you need the middle card to make your straight it’s known as a gutshot. The better straight draw is known as an open-ender. For example 8 9 on a 6 7 J board. In this example there are twice as many outs as a gutshot.

Open-enders are much stronger than gutshots. Gutshots should seldom be taken past the flop unless you get a free look or the betting is extremely small. Flush draws have nine outs (based on 13 cards of each suit in the deck) and are very strong.

You generally can call one bet on the flop and if you miss on the turn you should abandon hope unless the betting is small.

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How to Play on the Turn

Usually by the time it gets to the turn there are only 2-3 players left. When a player makes it to the turn he generally has at least some piece of the board.

If you have the lead in the hand (meaning you’ve initiated the betting) and the turn changes nothing you should often keep betting. If the turn completes the flush or the straight draw you should often tread carefully.

If you bet and get raised, it’s often best to just fold.

How to Play On the River

The last street, the river, is usually contested heads-up. Use the information your opponent has given you throughout the hand to figure out whether you should bet or call a bet.

Each play your opponent makes tells you a little bit more about his hand. If he raises before the flop, then bets the flop and the turn and now bets again on the river, he usually has a big hand.

Conversely if he raises before the flop, bets into you on the flop, checks the turn and checks the river, he’s usually going to be weak. Again there are thousands of different variables and going through all of them is impossible.

Use critical thinking to figure out what your opponent may have and act accordingly.

Why You Should Play in Position

Position is one of the most important factors in Texas Hold’em. Position refers to your position in relation to the dealer button, which identifies which player acts last during the hand.

Acting last is a huge advantage in poker because you have more information. When you act last you know if your opponent wanted to check or bet. You get to see everyone’s actions before you decide what to do.

Nobody can see the next card or showdown until you say. You are in complete control. Because of that, when you’re in position you can play more hands than you normally would because you will have the inherent advantage of acting last.

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Poker is a Long Term Game!

Though poker is a game that you can beat in the long term, it’s still gambling to some degree. You make decisions and then random cards come out. You control when you put money in but you don’t control the deck.

It’s that element of luck that makes the game interesting but it’s also that element of luck that can make the game extremely frustrating.

You can make every decision right the entire night and still lose the session. You can make every right decision all week and still lose. Conversely you can see some idiot in seat 10 play every hand and win a ton.

It’s the nature of the game. It’s what keeps the fish (bad players) interested, so embrace it. Look at each situation individually and make the best possible decision.

If you do that every time you will be a successful poker player in the long term. Try to downplay the importance of short-term results.

Example:
Suppose you have J J on the button in a $1/$2 cash game. Two players limp in, and you make it $12 to go. The small blind calls, and one limper calls.

The flop comes J 6 4 . You flop top set. After the small blind checks, the limper bets $20. In this spot, you might raise immediately to charge any drawing hands, or you could slow-play to disguise your strength. If you just call, you invite the small blind to overcall or even re-raise. If you raise to $60, you apply maximum pressure on any flush draw or weaker jack that might continue. Either way, you’re in a great spot and looking to get all the chips in by the river.

And last but not least: Have fun. Poker’s a fun game, so don’t take it too seriously. If you’re ready to give it a shot online, check out the:

Optimizing Your Strategy

Even though playing tight and focusing on strong starting hands will give you a solid foundation, it’s crucial for experienced players to refine their strategy further. Modern poker theory emphasizes adjusting your game plan according to opponent tendencies, game flow, and stack sizes. In particular, decisions on later streets can benefit from concepts drawn from solvers or predictive models.

Position-Based Aggression

Position-based aggression refers to strategically opening your range when you are in late position. If you’re on the button, for example, you might raise a slightly wider selection of hands than you would under the gun. By doing so, you can capitalize on the knowledge gained from acting after your opponents on later streets. However, take note of your opponents’ three-bet frequencies. If someone to your left repeatedly attacks your raises, you’ll need to adjust by tightening your range.

Strong players also use position-based aggression to isolate weaker opponents. When you see a loose player limping in, a raise in position allows you to play heads-up against them with a higher likelihood of winning the pot. This technique, combined with well-timed continuation bets, can help you maintain control of the pot and maximize your expected value.

Calculating Pot Odds and Equity

An in-depth understanding of pot odds and equity can dramatically improve your post-flop decisions. Pot odds express the ratio between the size of the pot and the cost of a contemplated call. Knowing these odds and comparing them with your estimated equity in a hand helps you determine whether calling is profitable.

For instance, if you’re holding a strong flush draw with one card to come, the number of outs, your opponent’s betting pattern, and potential implied odds all factor into deciding if you should call, raise, or fold. Solvers and future-game simulations can provide a clearer picture by indicating precisely which lines show a long-term profit. As you move beyond beginner status, understanding these advanced calculations becomes critical for consistent success.

FAQ

Why is playing tight so important for beginners?

Tight play helps you avoid tricky spots with marginal hands. Newer players often struggle with post-flop play, so selecting stronger starting hands makes later decisions simpler. As you gain more experience, you can expand your range, but in the early stages, remaining tight can significantly reduce mistakes.

How can I deal with loose players who keep calling my pre-flop raises?

Adopt a strategy that punishes their wide ranges. If they call with weak holdings, you will often dominate them when you both make top pair. Continuation bets remain profitable against loose players who frequently miss flops. Assess whether they chase draws excessively, and adjust your bet sizing accordingly to charge those draws.

When should I slow-play a monster hand?

Slow-playing might work best against aggressive opponents who will bet into you. If you believe your opponent will fold too often when you raise, consider just calling to induce more bets on later streets. However, slow-playing too often is risky. If the board is draw-heavy, it’s usually safer to bet or raise to protect your hand.

How does position-based aggression translate into greater profit?

Acting last provides crucial information, allowing you to make more precise betting decisions. When you open-raise from the cutoff or the button, you can widen your range slightly. You also maintain control in post-flop betting, which can force your opponents into tough spots, creating profitable opportunities for you.

What is the main benefit of calculating pot odds and equity in real time?

Knowing pot odds and comparing them to your hand’s equity allows you to make decisions that are mathematically sound. This approach ensures that your calls and raises are profitable over the long term. As you progress, employing solver-based strategies that refine your equity estimates can give you an even greater edge.

Why is long-term thinking essential in poker?

Short-term results can be misleading due to the inherent variance of the game. Even with excellent decisions, you may still lose individual sessions. Focusing on making consistently correct choices and accepting the variance in the short run is the best path to long-term profitability and success.

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