Recommended Reading - How to Play Holdem Poker Online for Beginners

Recommended Reading

How to Play Poker Online for Beginners understands the dilemma you are up against when faced with the overwhelming holdem poker literature on the market today. There is so much literature targeted towards the holdem poker player, how would anyone really know where to begin? Should you read the No Limits books, which ones? What about Limit holdem? When I first started my holdem education there was relatively little direction for the beginning player, and most bookstores had a limited selection. Completely different than what you see today at a Barnes & Noble or any other major book outlet. So the following list is geared towards some books that will give you a solid foundation on poker theory on which you can build. You don't need to be concerned with the structure (limit versus no limt) at this point. The important thing is to grasp the philosophy and concepts presented in each publication. To be successful in holdem poker (and poker games in general) you need to be more focused on the big picture, the philosophy and theory, and the necessary thought process than the specifics of how you should play a specific situation. It is more important to understand WHY you need to have tight starting hand requirements than to know specific information like "you shouldn't play Q4 off suit UTG". This is because, if you know why tight starting hand requirements are profitable you will innately understand that playing Q4 off suit or J6 off suit UTG is poor, weak, and losing poker play.

On to the list...

The Theory of Poker – David Sklansky:

This is one of the most definitive works on poker and game theory available. It is complex for sure, but the concepts presented are second to none. He explains key poker concepts in detail that you don't find in many other writings - such as EV (Expected Value). Mastering the idea presented in this book will take your game to another level.

The Poker Player’s Bible – Lou Krieger

This is a great book for someone just beginning to get their feet wet in the holdem poker arena. He gives great advice to the beginner and the information is very well organized with good illustrations. It is more of a reference book than a book on poker theory, but for foundational poker knowledge this is a great book.

Winning Low Limit Hold’em – Lee Jones

Quite possibly the best book written for the low limit poker player. It is not as long as other poker books but the information is all there. I always recommend that beginning poker players learn limit holdem first before they move on to the no limit structure. Nothing will teach the fundamentals of holdem that are imperative in other structures or reinforce winning poker concepts like limit holdem does. And, no one writes about it better than Lee Jones.

Small Stakes Hold’em – David Sklansky

Another excellent book by Sklansky (they all are, you just can't go wrong with a Sklansky book). It is similar to the Lee Jones book in that it discusses low limit holdem play and reinforces many of the same concepts, however this is a more in depth look at the behind the scenes working of holdem. I consider it a workbook of sorts that I will use when breaking down and examining my poker play.

No Limit Texas Hold’em – Tom McEvoy & Brad Daughtery

This is the only book on the list that targets no limit holdem specifically. I know most people will recommend Doyle Brunson's Super System 2. I like this one better for beginners because it gives a more concrete explanation of specific situations which I think is great for a beginner possibly even necessary to absorb many concepts behind no limit holdem. This is not the bible when it comes to no limit holdem play, but it is where I believe a beginner should start.

If you read the above books and learn the material in them you will no longer have the knowlegebase of a beginning holdem poker player. In a future article for How to Play Holdem Poker Online for Beginners we will discuss how to make poker literature more than just reference material. I will show you how to take any poker information and make it part of your game. Enjoy the reading, it will make you money when you are playing holdem poker online or in a live situation.

Until next time may you not get unlucky.

The Basics - Ranking of Hands - How to Play Holdem Poker Online For Beginners

The Ranking of Hands

When learning How to Play Holdem Poker Online For Beginners the first thing we should start with is the ranking of hands - which hand will beat another hand. This may seem very basic, and it is. However, it is paramount that this information becomes second nature to you. Just about every player I know has, at one point or another, misread his or her hand and lost a pot because of it (yes, this has happened to me as well). So, let’s start with the ranking of hands from highest to lowest:

Straight flush – This is the best possible hand you can have (Note: every time I say that a straight flush is the highest possible hand a player can have, someone ALWAYS says “No a Royal Flush is the highest possible hand someone can have” – Although a royal flush IS the best possible hand the term Royal Flush is slang for “the highest possible straight flush” thus a straight flush is the best possible hand you can have and the Royal Flush is the highest possible straight flush hand). A straight flush is any five cards in sequential order that are also the same suit, for example, A,2,3,4,5 of clubs, would be a straight flush, and it beats four of a kind or any lower-ranked hand. The odds of getting a straight flush are approximately 750,000 to 1. Don't expect to see this hand often.

Four of a Kind – When you have all four of the same card. Four of a Kind is also known as “quads”. It beats all other lower ranking hands, but not the straight flush or a higher four of a kind.

Full house – This is when you have three of a kind and a pair to go with it (example: 2,2,2,J,J). If two players have a full house then the player with the highest full house (the player with the highest three of a kind or if the three of a kind is the same then you move to whomever has the highest pair) wins. A full house beats all lower ranking hands.

Flush - Any 5 cards of the same suit – they do not need to be in any order. If two people have flushes, the flush containing the highest card wins. A flush beats all lower ranking hands.

Straight – A straight is any five cards in sequential order, regardless of suit. Again, if 2 or more players have a straight then the straight with the highest card wins. A straight beats all lower ranking hands.

Three of a Kind - Any hand with three of the same card. This beats any lower ranking hands.

Two Pair – This is fairly self explanatory. It’s the same as one pair but you have two of them. For instance you have KQs (King and Queen of the same suit) and the board comes 4, 10, K, 2, Q. Two pair beats any high card and one pair. Two pair is also the average winning hand in Holdem so you can expect to see it frequently.

One Pair – Is when you have two cards that are the same, JJ (Jacks) for instance. This beats a hand with only a high card and any pair that is lower than yours (thus with jacks you will beat any pair of tens, eights, or lower but not queens, kings, or aces).

High Card. When no one has anything else of value in their hand the person with the highest card wins. If you both have the same high card then the other card in your hand is used. The other card is known as your "kicker" Example: You are holding AKs (Ace and King suited) and your opponent is holding AQo (Ace and Queen of different suits off suit) and the board is 10, 4, 2, 7, 9 – neither of you have a pair so the highest card is used. Since you both have an Ace we would go on to the other card in your hand to determine the winner. Since you have a King for a kicker and your opponent has a Queen for a kicker you would win this pot. If both players have kickers that are lower than the cards on the board then you would split the pot.

Kicker – I have a few thoughts on the kicker. When you are learning how to play Holdem poker online (or off) chances are you won't be considering your kicker, however the kicker is part of your hand that is very important to be aware of. If you have a high card, as we’ve already discussed, the kicker can come into play, but it can also come into play in any other hand except for a straight, flush, full house, or straight flush. For instance, you have three of a kind but your kicker is a 10. Your opponent has the same three of a kind but has a queen kicker – this can be an emotionally painful situation to find yourself in. Always remember that your kicker is an important factor to consider. You can set yourself apart from others who are learning how to play Holdem poker online (especially online) just by choosing not to play a hand with a weak kicker.

We will continue with The Basics - An Overview in the next post here at How to Play Holdem Poker Online For Beginners

Until then may you not get unlucky.