Texas Hold'em For Dummies

Mark “The Red” Harlan is an avid poker player and co-creator of the first company to offer legal online poker in the United States. Along with his hours at the poker table, Mark has also spent time as a software developer for leading Silicon Valley companies.

• Introduction 1About This Book 2Foolish Assumptions 2Icons Used in This Book 3Beyond the Book 3Where to Go from Here 4Part 1: Everything’s Bigger In Texas: Welcome to Texas Hold’em! 5Chapter 1: A Bird’s-Eye View of Texas Hold’em 7Considering Why You Want to Play 8Working with Game Dynamics 9The importance of position 9Playing move by move 10Moving Up a Notch 13Gleaning your opponents 13Playing the roles 14Figuring in math 15Places You Can Play 16Home games 16Casinos and poker rooms 16Online 17Chapter 2: Ranking and Reading a Hand 19Hand Rankings 19High card only — no pairs 21One pair 21Two pair 21Three-of-a-kind 21Straight 22Flush 22Full house 22Four-of-a-kind 22Straight flush 23Royal flush 23Reading a Hand 23Straightforward hands 23Subtle hands 24Counterfeiting 26Paying a Hand 29The winner 29Tie hands 30Chapter 3: Just Tell Me How to Play: Texas Hold’em Basics 31The Order of Play 31The Dealer Button 32Dealing the Cards 33The hole cards 33The flop 35The turn 35The river 35The showdown 36Posting Blinds 38Betting 40Spread-Limit Hold’em 41Limit Hold’em 41Pot-Limit Hold’em 42No-Limit Hold’em 43The Importance of Your Bankroll 44Recommended bankroll sizes 44Moving up and moving down in limits 46Poker Etiquette 48Handling your cards 48Handling your chips 50Playing in turn 51Tipping the dealer 51Keeping an eye on the game 51Watching your manners 53Part 2: Texas Hold’em: Play By Play 55Chapter 4: Beginning with Two 57The Importance of Position 58Early position 58Middle position 59Late position 60The hands you should play, by relative position at a table 61Considering the Players in a Hand 64Keeping track of the number of players 64Watching the types of players 65Hands You Should and Shouldn’t Play 67Probable winners 67Quite possible losers 67Borderline hands 69Using “Fold or Raise” to Make a Call 69Chapter 5: Flopping ’Til You’re Dropping 71Fitting or Folding 71Great flops 72Good flops 72Very borderline flops 73Downright dangerous flops 74Just plain bad flops 74Betting the Flop 75Sizing up the table for a bet 76Making the bet 77Calling a Bet 78Raising the Dough 80Check-Raising 81Getting a Free Card 84The free card setup 84Defending against a free card 85Chapter 6: Taking Your Turn 87Watching a Hand Fill Out 87To check-raise or bet: That is the question 88Made flushes: The notable exception 89Watching for “hidden” improvements 91Keeping Track of the Action 92Determining a hit 93Comprehending the miss 94Chapter 7: Dipping in the River 97Plotting Your Course During Final Betting 97All checking, no dancing 98Walking through the firestorm 99Betting in moderation 100Deciding if you’re being bluffed 101Showing a Hand or Not? 102Watching for Mistakes 105Part 3: Movin’ On To Higher Stakes: Advanced Strategies Of Hold’em 109Chapter 8: Playing the Players 111Classifying Players 112Aggressive versus passive players 112Tight as an oyster or loose as a goose? 113Combining your evaluations 114Looking for Tells 117Watching the right place at the right time 117Who’s acting and who isn’t? 118Watching other people’s hands 118Listening to what people say 120Involuntary reactions 122Failing all else 122Zeroing In on Specifics 124Figuring out the table in order 124Looking at individuals 125Chapter 9: Bluffing: When Everything Isn’t What It Appears to Be 127The Basics of Bluffing 128Your turn not to tell 128Don’t bluff people worse than you 129Making your bluff count 130When to Bluff 131Bluffing based on your image of “predictability” 131Looking at your hand from the outside 133Bluffing in the right game 134Who to Bluff 136Preying on weak personalities 136Taking advantage of other situations 138The Semi-Bluff 139When to semi-bluff 139Why semi-bluff? 140You’re Caught — Now What? 141Chapter 10: Maximizing Your Win: Check-Raising and Trapping 143Mastering the Art of Check-Raising 143Bluffing on a check-raise 143Playing a good hand on a check-raise  144Considering a check-raise 145Check-raising round by round 146Trapping through Slow Play 147Timing a slow-play 147Understanding the Theory of Two 148Executing the slow-play 149Maximizing Your Returns 150Deciding when to sit back 150Rafting the river: Check or bet? 150Chapter 11: Camouflaging Your Play and Dodging Traps 153Setting Expectations throughout a Game 153Setting a style 154Changing your style 156Avoiding Pitfalls 157When aggressive players merely call 157Raising and reraising after rounds of checking in Limit 159Judging when you’re dominated 159Chapter 12: Considering Mathematics 161Differentiating Fact from Fiction in Math and Poker 162Knowing that close enough is good enough 162Understanding players is better than understanding numbers 163Taking a Shortcut with Math 165Counting your “outs” 165Calculating your pot odds 167Combining outs and pot odds 168Using quick math tricks 168Considering implied odds 169Flipping a coin 170Using Math to Your Advantage 174Memorizing a little goes a long way 174Calculating deeper 175Chapter 13: Advancing Your Knowledge 179Playing with Game Theory 180Grasping the meaning of game theory 180Understanding how to use it 180Cashing In on Equity Theory 183Cross-breeding the animal of psychology with the beast of mathematics 183Going back to square one 190Part 4: Casinos, Card Rooms, and the Internet: Places to Play Hold’em 191Chapter 14: There’s No Place Like Home: Playing in Private Games 193Determining the Level and Type of Play 194Identifying stakes and games 194Playing with friends 196Meeting strangers 197What You Should Give 197Skimming the pot 198Bringing on the refreshments 199What You Can Get 199Enjoying the situation 200Watching the action 200Looking for the unusual 201Chapter 15: Opting for the Internet: Online Games 205Choosing a Site 206Narrowing down your options 206Transferring money 208Exploring the bonuses 208Watching Your Back 211Being wary of the robot revolution 211Spotting collusion 212Chapter 16: Harrah’s, Here I Come: Playing in Card Rooms 215Playing in a Professional Card Room 215Introducing the staff 216Getting started 218Exploring your possibilities 219Avoiding Common Mistakes 222Betting properly 223Playing in turn 223Raising properly 223Minding your own money 224Playing only your hand 224Trying to Score a Jackpot 225High-hand jackpots 225Specific-hand jackpots 225Bad-beat jackpots 226Qualifying for jackpots 227Chapter 17: Competing in Tournaments 229Coming to Grips with the Differences 230Tourney basics 230Rebuying and adding on 234Prize structures 238Understanding Your Chip Position 239Your position at your table 240Your position in the tourney as a whole 240Playing Your Way Through 241Shifting tables 241Maneuvering relative to the herd 241Seating adjustments 245Bursting the bubble 245Adjusting Your Play for Prizes 246Keeping your eyes on the prize 246Splitting the prize money 248Part 5: The Part of Tens 251Chapter 18: Ten Differences between Online and Real-World Play 253Not Telling in Live Action 254Adjusting to the Speed 254Understanding Position 255Taking Up Space 255Getting at Your Cash 256Becoming “Serious” in the Real World 256Adding Up Online Mathematics 257Tipping the Dealer 257Changing Your Venue 258Keeping Track of Your Online Cash 258Chapter 19: (Almost) Ten Common Mistakes 259Playing Too Many Starting Hands 259Playing Tired 260Playing Too Low or Too High a Limit 260Coin-Flipping Too Often in Tournaments 261Ignoring What You Know about Players at Your Table 261Becoming Impatient 262Staying Too Long in a Tough Game 263Letting Your Emotions Get the Best of You 263Treating Your Internet Money Like It’s Fake 264Chapter 20: Ten Ways to Improve Your Home Game 265Upgrading Your Deck 266Chipping Up 266Chowing Down 267Lighting Up 267Venting It All 267Trashing the Place 268Wiping Out the Badness 268Standardizing Chairs 268Getting Tabled 269Renting Your Game 269Chapter 21: Ten Bad Beats 271Red versus Spudnut 271Woman Beaten by Madness 272Hellmuth Yanks His Hair Out 272Nuts about Flushes 273Moneymaker 273Moneymaker, Part Deux 274When Wheels Go Flat 274No-Limit Means No-Money 275Mr Aggressive versus Johnny Conservative 275Not All Beats Are Bad 276Chapter 22: Ten Things You Can Do to Improve Your Hold’em Game 277Studying Your Way Up 277Showing Off Your Game 278Keeping Track of Your Bankroll 279Exercising 279Digging into the Math 280Reading Poker Websites 280Scoring a Free Magazine 281Throwing in the Towel 281Meditating 282Playing Other Games 282Glossary 283Index 291