Texas Hold’em | Rules For Texas Hold Em

Limit 10 players

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Introduction

Below we will give you a basic strategy which should enable you to earn money with longhand limit Texas Hold'em at tables with 7 players or more. The strategy is intended for beginning players who play on the lower limits (maximum $1/$2).

Just to be sure one more time:
A = Ace
K = King
Q = Queen
J = Jack
10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3 and 2 = Speaks for itself
x = a random card
s = "suited" which means that the cards are of the same suit/figure, for example they are all harts or all diamonds.
Bet = Make a bet/commitment
Raise = Make a higher bet than the bet required, in other words to raise the bet
Re-raise = Raise a bet after it has already been raised
Call = Go along with the bet/raise of your opponent
Button = Place at the table from where the cards are dealt
Flop = The first three cards to appear on the table
River = The fifth and last card to appear on the table
Draw = The chance of a card on the table with which you could end up with a good hand (for example end up with a street/flush or higher)

Starting hands before the flop

The most important moment when playing longhand limit Texas Hold'em is the selection of the starting hands which you want to play before the flop. Most beginning players start loosing money straight away because of the simple reason that they play too many hands. For example, many beginning players play each hand with an A before the flop, whereas this is absolutely loss-making in the long run. Patience and discipline are the most important skills to become a winning player at longhand limit Texas Hold'em. In fact, it is simply a matter of waiting for the right hands. In that way making money in the long run will be way easier.

Hand categories

Which hands should be played and which not? The hands can roughly be classified in 4 categories:

1. Top hands
AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AK, AKs and AQs.
These are the very best hands. With these hands you should always raise or re-raise before the flop (except of course when you think that your opponent has AA or KK whereas you have AK). There are two reasons for this. The first reason is that you want to have as much money as possible in the pot because you most likely have the best hand. The second and most important reason is that you want to get people with less good hands out of the pot. This way you sort of protect your hand in that manner (or in other words: the fewer people in the pot, the lower the risk that an opponent has or will end up with a better hand). Remember, however, that in case you have, for example, an AK you still need an additional A or K on the flop. Therefore, do not re-raise endlessly if you do not have a pair already. Also pay attention when you have KK and an A appears on the flop. The chance then is that someone else has AA, especially in case many players stayed in the pot before the flop (didn't fold after the first round of betting).

2. Good hands
1010, 99, AQ, AJ, AJs, KQ and KQs.
These are good hands but they are not very good. In general you need some help to win. When you have 1010 or 99 on low limits you almost always need another 10 or 9 to get three of a kind in order to win. A low pair is in most cases not enough. Nevertheless you should also always play these hands. Furthermore it is also favorable in this case to have as few players in the pot as possible, so you should again force people out of the pot by raising. On the other hand you should also limit the amount of money you put in the pot before the flop, because the hand you have has relatively low value, before you've seen the flop. So in case someone already has raised and someone else already has re-raised, you should fold. You then have no more advantage before the flop because someone else probably has a better hand.

It is important to remember that when playing limit you want to have an advantage before the flop with respect to the other players. Once again: before the flop! In case there has been only one raise and you're in a late position it is also possible to just call. Exception is when a player in early position has already raised. In that case he probably has a top hand (first category) which makes it more sensible for you to fold.

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