How to Beat Beginners at Poker
“I don’t need advice on beating poker beginners—they’re clueless at the table!” In reality, inexperience can work in their favor, with luck swinging an entire session. Just as in every hand, your...
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Texas Hold’em Strategy: Mastering Your Starting Hands
One of hold’em’s most crucial decisions is, do I see the flop or don’t I see the flop? In this lesson we’ll examine the importance of starting hand selection, and what factors...
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The Continuation Bet
A bet from a player on the flop who raised pre-flop is known as a continuation bet or simply a c-bet. That player has continued to seize the initiative, hence the term,...
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How to Play Five-Card Draw
Before Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and today’s high-stakes poker variants took over, the original classic—Five Card Draw—reigned supreme. As recently as the early 1990s, it was the go-to poker game parents used to...
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How to Play Badugi
In poker there are three main game variations; Flop games (i.e. Texas hold'em and Omaha) Stud games (i.e. Seven-card stud, Razz) Draw games (i.e. Five card draw, 2-to-7 Triple Draw) Badugi is...
How to Play Omaha/8 (High-Low)
Omaha Hi-Lo, often called Omaha/8, is a fast-paced and highly strategic poker variant. While fixed-limit remains the traditional format, the pot-limit version (PLO/8) has surged in popularity, particularly across online poker rooms....
Mastering Poker Tells
Poker is a game of strategy shaped by uncertainty. With hidden cards and limited information, players rarely know what their opponents hold until the final showdown—often when it’s too late to act....
Psychology and Poker
No committed poker player would sit down at the table without a strong strategic foundation. Yet many still bet big while overlooking the powerful role psychology plays in the game. Reading the...
Value Betting
To lead off this lesson, let's first define what we mean by a “value bet”. A value bet is not just betting really small to induce someone into calling. A value bet...
What’s the Difference Between Texas Hold ‘Em and Omaha Poker?
Texas hold ‘em is one of the greatest card games ever created — but you can only play so many hands before you’re ready to tear your hair out. Fortunately, poker is...
Poker and the Subtle Art of Bluffing
Let’s talk about bluffing. It’s the one part of poker strategy that even non-poker players think they understand. Bluffing is, simply put, an act of deception – meant to make your weak...
How to Play Short Deck Poker (6+ Hold’em): Rules and Strategies
Ever felt like hold ‘em could stand to be a bit more exciting, but you don’t want to get dragged into the confusion and chaos that is pot-limit Omaha? If so, short...
Big Blind vs. Small Blind: What’s the Difference in Poker?
The big blind/small blind structure isn’t just a formality: it’s the engine that keeps the game alive. These two forced bets are what ensure there’s always something to fight for, and without...
The Levels of Thinking in Poker
Most beginning poker players consider their cards first. After all, it doesn’t take long to realize that starting with a big pocket pair such as Aces or Kings - or even big...