How to Play Texas Hold'em Poker: Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

Looking to learn the ins and outs of how to play Texas Hold 'em poker? You've come to the right place. 

I am Ashley Adams, a poker teacher and pro player who's spent many hours at poker tables throughout the United States and worldwide. 

I'm excited to share my knowledge and help you start your poker journey.

This guide will teach you how to play Texas Hold 'em skillfully. 

We'll start with the basics, like hand rankings and game flow, and then move on to the more advanced strategies, like reading your opponents, and making the most of your position at the table.

Here's what you'll learn:

• What is No Limit Texas Hold’em Poker?
• Why Play No Limit Hold’em?
• The basic rules of No Limit Texas Hold 'em
• Poker hand rankings
• How to deal Poker
• How the betting works
• How to win a Poker hand
• How to Refer to Poker Hands and Cards
• Basic Poker Strategy 
• What is a Drawing Hand in Poker
• Banrkoll Considerations
• Advanced Poker Strategy: Poker Ranges

By the time you've finished this guide, you'll be well on your way to becoming a more skilled and confident No Limit Hold 'em player. 

So grab a seat at the table, and let's get started!

What Is No Limit Texas Hold 'em Poker?

Poker 

Poker is a gambling game played with cards. It dates back to the early 19th century United States.

It is unique because it is a popular gambling game played against other players, not against the house.  

This is a good thing for those who study the game, as it gives the skilled player a chance to be an overall winner over time. 

Texas Hold 'em 

 

Texas Hold 'em, generally known simply as Hold 'em, is Poker's most popular variety. Frequently televised, it is the type of Poker played at the Main Event of the World Series of Poker. 

 Hold 'em comes in different betting forms. There is limit hold'em - a version of the game with predetermined fixed limits on how much may be bet each betting round. 

There is also spread limit, which offers players a range of bets they may make. And there is a pot limit version that limits players to betting no more than the size of the pot. 

The most popular form of Hold'em today is no limit.

No Limit Hold 'em

No-limit only limits bet size to the money (or chips) a player has in front of them at the start of the hand.

Have $100? Bet $100 if you want. Have $1,000; bet $1,000!  

At the highest levels, where players accumulate enormous amounts of money, competitors may be wagering millions of dollars on a hand. 

This is undoubtedly the most dramatic and exciting version of the game. 

It's No Limit Hold 'em that we're going to learn about here.

Why Play No Limit Hold’em

Each player comes to the table with their reason for playing this great game. Here are my top five reasons.

1. It's intellectually stimulating  

Poker requires some mental dexterity when it comes to numbers. You don't need to be a mathematician or statistician. 

But you'll need to do some simple arithmetic in your head.

It also helps to have a good memory, as you'll be relying on it to keep track of the tendencies of the players you face, so you can exploit them when you play. 

Playing Poker keeps my mind fully engaged.  

Even when I'm not playing, I'm often thinking about it!

2. I win money

Year in and year out, I turn a profit. I declare the income. I pay taxes. For me, it's like a part-time job. 

While it's said to be a challenging way to make an easy living, a few genuinely successful players do pretty well playing Poker. 

3.  It is a great way to socialize

Some of my closest friends are from the world of Poker. I've been playing with some poker buddies for more than 30 years. 

I've also traveled across the United States and worldwide,  making friends with poker players everywhere. Few activities provide an easy way for a traveler to meet and befriend people.

4.  Competitive, physically safe activity for nerds

I have never been a great athlete. But I have always been very competitive. 

Poker has given me a chance to take on many competitive athletes, win their money, and gain a measure of respect from them. 

I have done this even though they could beat me up! 

5. I can play against and sometimes beat the best poker players in the world. 

No Limit Texas Hold 'em (NLHE) Basics

Learning how to play Texas Hold'em or any other form of Poker or card game is much like learning to drive a car.  

It is best done not by reading about it but by getting in there with an instructor and just doing it. 

Even so, if you want to teach safe driving, you want your student to start with a driver's manual with the rules of the road and an owner's manual to learn how to operate the vehicle properly.

So it is useful for someone learning the great game of Poker to have written instructions.

That's what this is, a manual of the mechanics of how to play NLHE. Read it, and you won't be an instant expert. 

But you will know the basics of how to play Poker. 

We will start at the very beginning.  

The Cards

NLHE is typically played with a standard 52-card deck of playing cards. Each card can be identified by both its suit and its rank.  

The Suits and Ranks of the Cards

There are 4 suits of 13 cards each. The suits are:

1. Clubs;
2. Diamonds; 
3. Hearts;
4. Spades.  

Each suit has 13 ranks. In ascending order, they are 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace.  

The big cards are usually identified by an abbreviation:

• 10 = T;
• Jack = J;
• Queen = Q;
• K = King;
• A = Ace.  

Each card is identified by its rank and then its suit. For example:

• This is the "Jack of Hearts"

• This is the "Nine of Clubs"

• This is the "Ace of Spades"

Players are dealt these cards from a shuffled deck of 52 cards. They use them to assemble poker hands of five cards each.

Poker hands are themselves ranked in value.

Below is an explanation of each hand and its relative value.

Poker Hand Rankings

There are 9 standard categories of five-card poker hands (techically, there are 10 if we count in the Royal Flush).

t may help you, in your first couple of poker sessions, to have a list of poker hands for your reference. Here it is below:

• Straight Flush
• Quads
• Full House
• Flush
• Straight
• Trips
• Two Pair
• Pair
• High-card

Now let's go over each hand in detail, starting with the most powerful:

1. Straight Flush

A straight flush is the strongest poker hand.  

It beats all others. It consists of five cards in sequence and of the same suit. It is referred to by the highest card of the hand. 

This one would be called a Jack-high straight flush. The higher the highest card in the straight flush, the higher its ranking.  

The highest straight flush is A K Q J T, all of the same suit. 

This is known as a "Royal Straight Flush" or a "Royal" for short. It beats all other straight flushes. 

2. Four of a Kind (Quads)

Four-of-a-kind is a hand that consists of four cards of the same rank and one unmatched card. This illustrated hand would be called "Four 9s" or "Quad 9s". 

Quads lose to a straight flush and beat all other hands. The higher the rank, the higher the quads.  

Four 8s beats four 2s. 

3. Full House 

A full house is a hand that consists of three of a kind and a pair. This illustrated hand would be called "Eights full of Aces." 

Full houses lose to quads and straight-flushes and beat all other hands. The higher the three-of-a-kind, the higher the full house. Js Jc Jd 6c 6s beats 4c 4s 4d Kh Kd. 

When the three-of-a-kind tie, the winner is determined by the accompanying pair. 9s 9d 9c 6s 6d beats 9s 9d 9c 4c 4s.

4. Flush

A flush consists of five cards of the same suit, not in sequence. This hand would be called a "King-high flush ."A flush loses to a full house and all stronger hands.  

It beats a straight and all other lower-ranked hands. 

The higher the highest card in the flush, the higher the flush. A Queen high flush beats a Jack-high flush. 

The next highest card determines the winner when the highest cards are the same. Qh Th 7h 6h 3h beats Qs 9s 8s 5s 2s. 

When the first two cards are the same rank, the third highest card determines the winner, etc.

5. Straight

A straight consists of five cards in sequence, not of the same suit. This hand would be called "K high straight." 

It loses to a flush and all stronger hands. It beats three-of-a-kind and all lower-ranked hands. The higher the highest card in the straight, the higher the straight. Queen-high straight beats a Jack-high straight.  

6. Three of a Kind (Trips)

Three-of-a-kind, also known as "Trips" consists of three cards of the same rank and two unmatched cards. 

This hand would be called "Three 7s" or "Trip 7s". Trips lose to a straight and all higher-ranked hands and beat two pair and all lower-ranked hands. 

The higher the rank of the trips, the higher the hand.  

Three 7s beat three 5s.  

When the trips tie, the winning hand is the one with the highest unmatched cards (known as a kicker).  

Trip 7s with an Ace kicker beats Trip 7s with a King kicker.

7. Two Pair

Two pair consists of two pairs and an unmatched card, known as a kicker. This hand would be called "Jacks over sixes" or "Jacks and sixes." 

It loses to trips and all higher-ranked hands, and it beats a pair and a high-card hand. 

The higher the rank of the higher pair in hand, the higher the ranking of the hand.  

Queens and 2s beats Jacks and Tens. If the higher pair ties, the hand with the higher-ranking second pair wins. 

If both pairs tie, then the hand with the higher kicker wins.

8. Pair

A pair is a hand with a single pair of cards of the same rank. This hand would be called "A pair of Aces" or just "Aces” .It loses to all hands except those without any paired cards.  

The higher the rank of the pair, the higher the ranking of the hand. Aces beat Jacks; Jacks beat 6s.

If hands have the same pair, the kicker determines the winning hand. 

If that card is the same, then the hand is determined by the second-highest card. 

9. High-card Hand

A high-card hand has no matching cards; the cards are not all of the same suits and are not in sequence. 

Among these hands, ranking is determined by the highest card in the hand.  

Js Ts 9c 4d 2s beats 8c 6s 5s 4c 2d. If the highest cards are the same, you would compare the second-highest cards, etc.

Can You Tie in Texas Hold’Em?

In the unusual circumstance when two or more players have the exact same final five card hand, they tie, and divide the pot.

For example, if two players end up with a Queen-high straight, they would each get half the pot. Similarly, if both players have AAJJ6, KKK33 or 99K72, the pot is divided between them.

Suits do not matter.

How a Texas Hold 'em Poker Hand is Made

A hold'em hand is the best 5-card hand that can be made from 7 cards.  

• 2 of the cards are individual cards, known as hole cards; 
• 5 of the cards are mutual cards that all players may use. These are known as the board. 

Here are some examples of hold'em hands.

Suppose the Board is: Ks Js 9d 9s 2s. Here is how the hands would look like during a Hold'em round would look like:

Player	Hole Cards	Best Hand
Maria	As Kd	As  Ks Js 9s 2s (Flush)
Wei	2c 2d	2c 2d 2s 9d 9s (Full House)
Nusei	9c 2h	9c 9d 9s 2s 2c (Full House)
Jose	9h 2c	9d 9s 9h 2c 2s (Full House)
Florin	Qh Th	Ks Qh Js Th 9s (Straight)
Ali	Qs Ts	Ks Qs Js Ts 9s (Straight Flush)
Anna	Ac Ad	Ac Ad 9d 9s Ks (Two Pair)
Mohammed	Jh Jc	Jh Jc Js 9d 9s (Full House)
Yan	Kc Kd	Kc Kd Ks 9d 9s (Full House)
Andru	Tc 8d	9d 9s Ks Js Tc (Pair)

Can you see who won? 

The best-starting hand was Anna's, with a pair of Aces, and then Yan's, with a pair of Kings.  

But in the end, when they combined these cards with the five on the board, the best hand became Ali's, with a straight flush, and then Yan's with King's Full.

How to Deal Hold 'em

Players take turns being the dealer, with that designation rotating clockwise around the table at the end of every hand. 

Typically, in a casino or other public poker room, the players themselves do not deal the cards. 

Instead, there is a professional dealer.  

When that is the case, to recognize where the betting begins, a dealer "button" is placed in front of the player who is designated the dealer.  

The button moves clockwise around the table at the end of every hand.

The cards are not dealt all at once but in four rounds. Each round is followed by a round of betting.

First Round

The individual cards are dealt first to each player, clockwise, one at a time, face down. These two cards are known as "hole cards."

Second Round

The first three of five community cards are dealt face up in the middle for all to use. These three cards are known as "the flop." 

Third Round

A fourth card is then dealt face up, next to the flop. This is known as "the turn."

Fourth and Final Round

Finally, a fifth card is dealt face up, next to the turn. This is known as "the river."

When the betting is concluded, all remaining players turn over their hole cards and compare their poker hands, with the highest-ranking five-card poker hand winning the pot.

How the Betting Works in Poker

Here is how the poker betting rounds work, step-by-step:

First Round of Betting (Pre-flop)

The first round of betting, known as "pre-flop," is unique because there are required bets, called "blinds," that must be made before players receive their cards. This is done to seed the pot with money to stimulate betting action. It is only done for the first round of betting.

The first player to the dealer's left posts a blind of a single unit.

This is known as the small blind (SB). 

The player to their left posts the big blind (BB), typically double or nearly double the SB.

After that, during the first round of betting, players may either call the bet, placing in front of them an amount equal to the BB, or, if there has not already been a raise, they may raise the bet by betting an amount at least double the BB; or they may fold. 

If they fold, they put no money into the pot; they turn their cards face down and push them forward. They cease to play for the remainder of that hand.

If the bet has been raised, all subsequent bets in that round must be either equal to that raised amount or, if the player wishes to re-raise, the re-raise must be by no less than the amount raised by the previous raiser.  

Poker Table Stakes

Typically, NLHE games are played "table stakes."  

This means betting is limited by the amount of chips a player has at the beginning of the hand. Raises may be made by up to that amount.  

Similarly, if a player faces a bet for more money than they have in front of them, they may call for the amount they have without being forced to find more money to call the bet.  

So, for example, if a player has $400 on the table and a player in front of them bets $1,000, they may call for $400. 

They participate in no further betting action but may win up to $400 from the bettor and each of the other players who called that bet. 

Second, Third, and Final Round of Betting

On the subsequent rounds of betting, there are no blinds. 

The player first to the dealer's left can either bet or not bet. If they choose not to bet, they say "check" or indicate it by tapping the table. If they bet, it must be a bet of no less than the big blind. 

Raising, calling, or folding rules apply as they did in the initial betting round. 

How to Win a Poker Hand

There are 2 ways to win a hand of Poker. 

1. Making a bet that is not called

If a player makes a bet that is not called by any of the remaining players, the player making the bet wins the hand and is awarded the pot -- all of the money that has been bet in that hand.  

2. Having the best remaining hand

If there are two or more remaining players at the end of the fourth and final round of betting, they turn their cards face up. The player with the highest five-card poker hand wins the pot.

If two or more players have hands of equal rank, the pot is divided between or among all remaining players.

How to Refer to Poker Hands and Cards

You'll need to understand the game's terminology as you learn about Poker, talk about it, and read about it.  

• Pairs are written as the number or letter of the pair. So a pair of Aces is AA, Queens QQ, Tens, TT, sixes, 66, etc. 

• Suits use the first letter of the suit. Clubs are c, Diamonds d, etc.  

• Two suited cards are indicated with a lowercase s.  
• Two Unsuited cards are referred to as off-suit, with an o.  

Here are some examples:

• You would write the Queen of Spades with an unsuited 3 Q3o

• Ace King of hearts would be AKs

If two unsuited cards exist, one suit matters, but the other doesn't. The one that doesn't matter is written as an x.  

So with a board of three hearts, if someone has an Ace of hearts and some off suit 5, it would be written: Ah 5x. 

Labeling a group of hands uses several symbols to make it shorter and simpler.  

For example, you wanted to indicate that you'd play all pairs, tens, or higher. You could write each hand: TT, JJ, QQ, KK, AA.  

But a more straightforward way to do it would be to write TT+.

You also wanted to include those strong unpaired cards like AKs, AQs, AJs, ATs, AKo, and AQo.  

You could write them as JJ+, ATs+, AQo+

Very Basic Poker Strategy

It's the betting that makes hold'em a game of skill. To understand this, imagine hold 'em without betting. 

The first two players post their blinds. 

The dealer deals all the cards, and players make their best hands—the best hand wins.  

Not much to it. Kind of boring. 

There would be winners and losers, to be sure, but over time, no player could gain any advantage. There would be no skill. It would just be a game of luck. 

In real Poker, there is betting. You can decide whether and how much to bet and whether to play the hand at all. 

The better your decision-making, the more often you'll win, the more you'll tend to win when you win, and the less you'll lose when you lose.

Hand Selection

If there were no betting, you would play every hand you were dealt and play it to completion.  

Why not?  You can't win if you don't play. 

And every hand has the potential to win. So if there were no betting, there'd be no cost to playing your hand.  

And you could and should play them all.

But with betting comes a cost. Some cards are more likely to become winners.  

The chances that they will become winners change as the hand progresses. It also changes based on the cards you surmise your opponents have and their betting action.  

To be a winning player, you must be selective in which hands you play and how long you play them.

In general, you should play only strong cards, with a higher likelihood of becoming the best hand. 

And you should fold weak cards. There are exceptions, of course. And as your skill develops, you can play more hands.  

Position in Poker

"Position" refers to where you are seated relative to the dealer. Imagine a typical game of nine players sitting around a poker table.

Seats are referred to by number, increasing as you move clockwise and starting to the dealer's immediate left. 

Seats are also named:

• Seat 1 is the small blind (SB);
• Seat 2 is the Big Blind (BB);
• Seat 3, because it is the first to act after the blinds, is sometimes called "under the gun" (UTG); 
• Seat 4 is UTG+1;
• Seat 5 is UTG+2;
• Seat 6 is known as “lojack” (LJ);
• Seat 7 is "hijack" (HJ);
• Seat 8 is "cut off" (CO);
• Seat 9 is known as the "Button" (B).

Groups of seats are also referred to more generally. 

In a 9-handed game, the 1, 2, and 3 seats are said to be in "early position" (EP).  

The 4, 5, and 6 seats are in the "middle position" (MP). And the 7, 8, and 9 seats are said to be in "late position" (LP).  

Playing Your Position

Position is critical. It's helpful to know the action of your opponents before you have to act. It's also better for you if they don't get to see you act before they do.  

Because of this,  later position is generally better than earlier position.

You can play more hands in later position. 

This is because, for all four betting rounds, you will be able to see how other players act before you do.  

You can afford to play more speculative cards without as much worry that players will raise after you have entered the pot.  

Similarly, you want to play a narrower range of hands in early position.  

Player Styles 

Not all poker players play the same way. You can gain an advantage by changing how you play to exploit your opponents' tendencies.  

Before you can do this, you'll need to characterize certain player styles.

In general, you can divide poker players into the following categories:

1. Loose: someone who plays a lot of hands.
2. Tight: someone who plays few hands
3. Passive: someone who tends not to initiate or escalate action. They check and call more than bet and raise.
4. Aggressive: someone who tends to initiate action. They bet and raise more than they check and call.
5. Tricky: someone who does not easily fit into these categories because they constantly change and adapt their style.

You can combine the first four categories to form more specific types. 

Players are often:

• Loose-passive: calling frequently but seldomly raising. (These players are often called “calling stations”)
• Loose-aggressive: playing a lot of hands and playing them aggressively. (These players are often called “wild” or “LAGs”)
• Tight Passive: playing very conservatively and weakly. (These players are often called “nits” or “rocks”.)
• Tight-aggressive: playing few hands but playing them aggressively. (These players are often called TAGs).

Bet Sizing in Poker

How do you know whether you should bet? And if you bet, how much should you bet?

As a broad rule of thumb, when starting a cash game, tend to initiate the betting pre-flop by raising by three times the big blind plus a big blind for each player who has already called the BB.  

You can increase this amount for a game with lots of loose players. You can decrease this amount for a game with many tight players. 

That's just a rule of thumb. Realize that every bet or raise should have a purpose. Pre-flop, generally, you want your raise to do a couple of things.  

You want to get more money into a pot you expect to win. 

But you also want to limit the field, so you will be better able to manipulate your opponents after the flop and throughout the other three betting rounds.  

There is no magic number to bet. 

The amount it takes to knock out other players with weak "random" hands will vary from game to game and moment to moment.  

Your task is to find a bet size that accomplishes the task.

Here's a simple hand with an explanation of bet sizing:

You've been playing $1/2 no limit for many hours with the same cast of characters.  

There are 9 of you. There's been considerable drinking. The play has become quite wild.  

It's typical for pre-flop raisers to come in for $20 or even $25. You're sitting in the five-seat (UTG+2) with KK.  

You have a reasonably tight and aggressive image. UTG is calling nearly every hand. He calls. UTG+1 folds. 

Ideally, you would like to get heads up with the caller, giving you position for the entire hand. You have $600, the biggest stack at the table.  

UTG+1 has $200 or so. What do you do?

A. Call

B. Raise to $5

C. Raise to $10

D. Raise to $25

E. Go all in

A is undoubtedly wrong. A call will encourage more people to call after you call. It will not accomplish your goal of getting those after you to fold.

B and C are probably not enough to discourage callers, either.  

E will probably knock everyone out, winning you only $5.  

The best bet is D, as it is at the higher end of the range of bets that people are making in this group. It will likely accomplish your purpose of knocking out the players other than the loose player who has already called. 

Your range of playable hands expands as your position is later. Also, you can be more inclined to play, and call with, drawing hands.

What is a Drawing Hand in Poker?

A hand that likely needs to improve to become the winning hand. 

A hand drawing to a flush or a straight is a classic drawing hand. You don't have a hand that can win. But you will have a strong hand if you get the right card.

Most of the time, you'll lead the betting with your big pairs and cards.  

But sometimes, especially when you are in a late position, you'll be hoping to improve to a winning hand. For example, let's say you are on the button with Ah 2h.  

This is the hand you wouldn't typically be playing in early position.  

You'd fold to the big blind, concerned that someone might raise the hand in a late position, and you'd have to release the hand for a sizable bet.  

But you can call in this particular hand, being on the button, with the hand not being raised, and four players have called the BB.  

So you do.

You hope the flop will significantly improve your hand - as A2 is unlikely to be a winning hand without improvement.  

What you want is a flop that gives you any of a number of hands that would be worth playing.  

Drawing Hand Example

If the flop has three hearts, you'd have an Ace-high flush - almost surely the winning hand. 

But even if the flop only has two hearts, you have a draw to a flush. Similarly, if the flop has a 3 and a 4, a 3 and a 5, or a 4 and 5 you've hit a straight draw.  

True, it's an inside straight draw, with only 4 cards that will give you the straight. But if you hit that straight, you'll probably have the best hand. 

There's also the thin (2%) possibility of hitting two pair, with a flop with an A and a 2 in it.

What you need to worry about with a drawing hand is that you hit a hand that looks good but isn't.  

In this example, you should be wary of hitting just a pair of Aces.  

In this example, let's say you are on the button with Ah2h, and the flop is As Ts 4c. You flopped top pair.  

Good for you, but it's a hand that could quickly get you into trouble.  

What do you do if someone else bets?  

There's a good chance they have you beaten by having an Ace and a better kicker.  

They might even have hit two pair,, starting with A4 or AT. Then, even if a deuce hits, you will be no more than second best.  

Plus, even if they don't have a better hand now, nine cards give them a flush if they are drawing to a flush.

Poker Bankroll Considerations 

How do you know if you have enough money to play Poker? What stakes should you play? How much should you buy in for? 

There's a longstanding rule of thumb that you should have 600 times the big blind to play a no limit game. In $1/2 that's $1,200. In $1/3 that's $1,800. In $2/5 that's $3,000.  

There's another that says you should have at least 10 maximum buy-ins. 

If the $1/2 game has a $300 maximum buy-in, you should have at least $3,000 to play.  

If the $1/3 game has a $500 maximum, you should have $5,000. And if the $2/5 game has a maximum of $1,000, you should have $10,000.  

Please don't ask me why these numbers have come down to us. But they have. You want a number to guide you, these are as good as any.

But I think you can look at it differently.  

You want enough money in your poker bankroll to accomplish your purpose with minimal risk of going broke. So your bankroll depends on what your goal is.

If you want to get your feet wet and experience playing some no limit hold'em, then all you need is enough for the minimum buy-in.  

If it's a typical $1/2 no limit game, that is about $100. Sit down with $100 and play your best game.  

If you lose it all, hey, you accomplished your purpose. It wasn't to win. It was to experience the game.  

You did. Congratulations! 

If you want, you can do it again if you gather another $100.

If you want to give yourself a reasonable shot of winning money, however, you should have on the table money that you are prepared to risk on one bet without hesitation if it comes to that.

And you should have enough money to back it up in your bankroll without fear of loss.  

This is the product of a few things, some of them intangible and unquantifiable.  

Some players, worth millions or even billions of dollars, don't feel comfortable risking more than a few hundred dollars at Poker.  

If they play for more than that, even if their net worth says they can afford it on some chart, they are playing with scared money.  

This hurts their game.  

Similarly, it would be best to consider how you can replenish your poker bankroll.  

If you've accumulated a bankroll of $300,000 over 20 years, you might shy away from putting it all on the line in a $100/200 game. 

On the other hand, if you can always gather $1,000 to play Poker, then there's no reason to follow some artificial chart about what it takes to take on a $2/5 game.

A simple rule to live by is that if the size of the bet you think needs to be made scares you, intimidates you, or makes you feel less than confident making it, you shouldn't be playing with it.  

To play your best game, the money should be treated like a gaming chip - with no inherent value.  

Here's What I do About Bankroll Management

I never want to play in a game that puts at risk more than 10% of my total playing bankroll - all the money I have set aside for poker.  

When I play, I want to have with me no less than $500 for a $1/2 game, $1000 for a $1/3 game, $1500 for a $2/5 game, and $2500 for a $5/10 game. If the games are especially aggressive or wild, I’ll prefer to have double that. 

I feel comfortable at all of those levels because my total poker bankroll is more than ten times the money I bring with me to a game.  If I were to go below that total amount, I would drop down in stakes until I had built up my total poker bankroll sufficient to feel comfortable for the more expensive game.

Advanced Poker Strategy: Poker Ranges

As you gain experience and a better understanding of the game, you must consider not just your cards but the hand your opponent is likely to be playing. This practice is commonly known as Poker Ranges among pros, and it can be quite efficient once you get the hang of it.

You will consider the strength of their hand based on their betting action. If they bet or raise, you will tend to think their hand is strong.  

But you must also consider the type of player they are. Different opponents play differently.  

If you can observe their play and remember it, you can determine their style of play. 

And once you can determine their style of play, you will have a better idea of what their betting action means. Even so, you will rarely be able to put an opponent on a specific hand.  

It would be best if you didn't aim for that. 

Instead, try and estimate the range of hands they might be playing. 

Poker Ranges Examples

If your tight opponent raises from UTG, you can assume they are playing a relatively narrow range of solid hands - probably something like JJ+, AK, and maybe AJs+.

On the other hand, if another player, who is always in there raising and re-raising, especially from a late position, throws in a big bet on the button after nearly everyone has called the BB, you might not give him credit for having such a strong hand. 

It would help if you put him on a broader range of hands, any pair, any suited and unsuited connector, and all Ax and Kx hands.

If you can do this, you can take countermeasures against them.  

It would be best if you folded all but your most powerful hands against the former player, who will likely be raising with a narrow range. 

If, for example, you have JhTh, you should fold it, as he is likely to have you dominated with a big pair.  

On the other hand, if the wild player on the button raises, you might call and maybe even raise with such a hand, as his range of hands includes many hands that you are likely to dominate. 

Beginner Mistakes to Avoid in Poker

Now, there are several things we've learned so far. But still, as a complete beginner, the execution will be somewhat difficult when you're just getting started at the poker table.

To help you get started off the right foot, we have created a video on the top mistakes to avoid when playing poker. Check it out:

Other Poker Topics for Study

As you develop, you will want to study many other poker guides necessary to become a winning player.  

Final Thoughts: Getting Better at Poker

There are many ways to develop your skills as a poker player. 

There's reading, of course, with thousands of books and articles on poker strategy. 

From what I've learned, having interviewed hundreds of professional players, the best way to develop the skills necessary to become a truly excellent player is to play the game online and talk about it with a circle of similarly motivated learning players.