Playing Texas Holdem Online

For the beginner there is no finer place to start playing Texas Holdem than online. There are numerous suitable online casinos that cater for the novice. For example:-

http://www.Williamhill.com
http://www.PartyPoker.com

At these online casinos you can play Texas Holdem making fictitious bets so that you don't win or lose any money until you feel sufficiently confident to play for "real". Perhaps a truly sensible way to start.

There are numerous other advantages to starting out on your winning Texas Holdem career online. For example, online many small limit games, such as 50cents - $1, can be played in a very short period of time. Believe me, you'll find this is an absolutely fantastic way to gain experience fast with minimum financial risk.

However, it is important to increase your stake money as your ability to play Texas Holdem improves i.e. moving on to limits of 2 - 4, 4 - 8, 6 - 12 etc. By doing this it keeps your play progressive as your skills develop. Increasing financial risk improves focus and concentration. Essential abilities if you are to play at offline casinos and continue to be a winning player.

Mental Attitudes Required to be a Winning Texas Holdem Player

Emotional control is the foundation of your Texas Holdem winning strategy. Without it there is no hope. You'd do better playing tiddly winks!

To be a winner it is essential to be always astute, mentally alert and focused during play. Any distraction can cost you money. Conversely, you must be able to recognise when you're not playing at your peak and have the courage to refrain at such times. If you don't you are letting your emotions take control instead of you in control of them which can only lead to a downward losing spiral.

Obviously it's impossible to constantly win every Texas Holdem hand. It's suggested that top winning players win just 8% - 10% of their hands over the long term. Therefore consistently evaluate your game over the longer term. Don't think of winning and losing when you're playing, just think of your poker career as one long poker game. This way your confidence will continue to grow and not be dented by short term setbacks. It's where you are at the end of a year that matters not just the ups and downs of each individual session.

Bear in mind that over a reasonable period of time, e.g. two months, good, committed Texas Holdem players will win, bad players will lose.

If you are frequently losing then perhaps you're playing at too high a level so choose a lower stake game until you become more experienced. Also, even if you are winning on a particular occasion, but you know instinctively you are up against better players - move on. Remember there are times when good players will deliberately play less experienced plays just to make a few quick bucks for themselves. Don't allow yourself to be their prey. Plan to win. There's no point in throwing your money away.

Never play Texas Holdem to get even. Always play your best then getting even will take care of itself over time.

Set yourself a time frame in which to play, e.g. 8.00pm to 2.00am. Leave at the appointed time whether or not you're winning. However, if during the period you become tired or for some other reason you're playing below par, quit, cash in your chips, go home and have an early night. Whatever you do stay away from blackjack, baccarat, roulette or slot machines as an alternative to Texas Holdem on the way out. They are deliberately placed to tempt you BUT I assure you, over time, you cannot win at these games so don't even bother to try.

I can't emphasise it enough, to be a winner at Texas Holdem you must be at the peak of your performance whenever you're playing otherwise more experienced players will recognise your weaknesses and subtly take you to the cleaners!

Money Management.

Keep your Texas Holdem poker money in a separate bankroll from any other money. If you spend a lot of money from that bankroll on other things it's never going to grow. Consequently you will never get to afford to play in the higher limit or no limit games where the big money is for the taking.

So what amount of money should you have in your Texas Holdem bankroll? (By the way I'm not talking here about the amount of money you take to the table in chips, that's another issue.) The general rule is you should have about 300 times the big bet in it. So if you are playing 2 - 4 the big bet is $4. Your bankroll should be 300 times that i.e. $1,200.

This means, for example, if you are playing 2 - 4 as a consequence of a $1,200 bankroll and start losing you should move down to playing 1 - 2 until you increase your bankroll up to the $1,200 again. Conversely if you are winning and thereby increasing your bankroll you can start playing 4 - 8 when your bank roll reaches $2,400 i.e. 300 times $8.

Texas Hold'em is a game of both luck and skill. You cannot do a lot about your luck but you can improve your skill to become a winning player to the extent of being able to change your life style if that is your wish.