Primer for New Poker Players Poker Mar 27, 2001, 17:02 By Lou Krieger http://www.gamblingonlinemagazine.com

As poker's popularity continues to grow in the United States and overseas, players new to the game itself, as well as experienced home game players, continue to sidle up to the casino poker tables asking to be dealt in.  It's all new, quite exciting, usually confusing at first, and many of these players are full of questions.  This is particularly true when playing hold 'em for the first time, since even experienced home game players may be more familiar with Stud.

A few newbies think that they know it all.  Others ask a lot of questions specifically because they are attempting to learn the game the right way.  Rather than simply sitting down and paying for lessons at the table, many new players - in attempt to fast track their own learning process - are reading books and using computer software to learn essential poker principles, then attempting to put them into action in live games.

Some new players have read so extensively about poker, that their questions are quite sophisticated, and deal with sorting information hierarchically, so they'll know what's important and how to apply that knowledge in the heat of battle.

"I had A-K and raised.  The dealer turned over three small cards - unconnected and unsuited.  One player bet and another called.  What should I have done?"  Have you ever heard that before?  I'll bet you've even heard that same mantra from experienced players.  The big pair question is almost as popular: "I raised with Q-Q, but another player made  three bets.  The flop was ragged.  What should I do: check and call, come out betting, or check with the intention of raising?"

What would you do?  If you are new to casino poker, new to poker in general, just learning to play Texas hold'em, or even if you are an experienced player, these questions can seem baffling at times.  Here are some guidelines to consider when faced with perplexing choices.

Basic Arithmetic: You can't escape it.  Many of the choices you have to make in hold'em are based on numbers.  Regardless of how you phrase it, this is the Prime Question: "Are the odds against making my hand offset by the money in the pot?"  If you know the correct answer to this question, you are well on your way to resolving many of the dilemmas you'll encounter at the poker table.

If for example, the odds are 2:1 against making your hand, but the pot will pay three dollars for each dollar you must invest in order to try and catch that winning card, it pays to call.  If the relationship between the odds against making your hand and the pot are different however, and you figured to make your hand only one time in four attempts, you had better not call if the pot only offered a return of only 2:1 on your money.

One comforting feature about hold'em is that situations frequently repeat themselves, so even if you are innumerate, (a word that I coined to describe those of us who are "illiterate", in regards to numbers) you can simpley memorize the odds against catching the card you need in certain situations, compare it to the pot odds, and your answer becomes obvious.

You don't need to be all that precise about counting the pot either; an estimate will usually suffice.  And when you count the pot, be sure to consider how many additional bets you're likely to win if you make your hand.  Here are some common situations you'll encounter playing hold'em, with your chances of making your hand, expressed as a percent.  The chart also shows the percentage converted to odds, and the second figure represents the odds (rounded, for simplicity's sake) against making your hand.

For exmaple, if you are dealt a pair before the flop, you have a 12 percent chance of making a set on the flop. The odds against making that set are 7.5-to-1.

Before the Flop
A-K...chances of flopping at least an ace or a king
        32%     2:1
hold a pair, flop a set
        12%    7.5:1

With two cards to come
straight flush draw, make a straight the river
        54%    0.9:1
flush draw, make a flush by the river
        35%    1.9:1
straight draw, make a straight by the river
        32%    2.2:1

There are many other situations you'll encounter in hold'em where you'll need to compare the size of the pot against the chances of making your hand, but these will do for starters.  If you memorize these odds, and can make a reasonable estimate about how many opponents will pay you off if you make your hand, you shouldn't go to far afield.

Count your Opponents: The more opponents in the pot, the more straightforward you must play.  If you, for example, hold A-K, and the flop is three rags, what should you do?  The answer might depend on the number of opponents you are facing.  If the flop didn't hit your hand, but there are seven other active players you can be certain that the flop was kind to someone.  If there's a bet and a call, consider this:  To win, an ace or king needs to fall on the turn and it cannot give your opponents two pair.  In addition, you have to hope you are not up against two pair - or better - already.

How do you assess whether you're against two pair?  Look at the flop.  If the flop were 10-9-3 or J-10-9 chances of two pair are greater than they would be with a flop like J-6-3.  Why?  Most players will call with connected cards much more often than they will with an absolute ragged hand like J-6, or J-3 or 6-3.

If you're up against one or two opponents, your A-K may be the best hand regardless of whether the flop helps your hand.  But if you are contesting the pot against more than two opponents, you need to be careful.  With a multitude of opponents, any flop that doesn't help you probably helps one of your opponents.  In that case, "fit or fold" is usually the best course of action.

The more opponents, the less bluffing you can do.  It is hard to bluff seven players.  After all, the flop that missed you probably hit one of your opponents, and he's the one who will call your bet.  But if you are up against only one or two opponents, you might be able to steal the pot often enough to make a propitious bluff pay off.

What's You Position? Life's a lot easier when you're in last position or last to act.  After all, once your opponents have acted you know what it will cost to see the next card.  If no one bets and you're last to act, you can see the next card for free, or if you are up against only one or two opponents you can bet and perhaps take the pot right there.  When you are first to act in early position, you usually need a strong hand to come out swinging.  And you can't really assess the strength of their hands - real or purported - without some information.

Although most experts advise selective and aggressive play, there are times when checking is advisable, and unless you have reason to think a bluff might win the pot right there, holding a marginal hand in early position is one of those times that discretion is the better part of valor.

What are my Opponents Like? There's no sustitute for knowing your opponents.  If you are playing against a habitual bluffer and have any hand at all, you have to call when he comes out betting.  While he's going to hold his share of big hands just like the next player, if he bluffs too frequently, you will come out ahead in the long run by calling frequently enough to pick him off.  Any time you have a big hand and a habitual bluffer bet, raising becomes mandatory.  You would ideally like to play him heads up, since he might not even have a hand.  If that's the case, your raise might drive out otherwise call, get lucky, and draw out on you - but who would cold call a raise with a purely speculative hand.

There's a lot more to feeling comfortable at the hold'em table than we've covered here.  This is simply a primer - written with new players firmly in mind - as well as an easy way to keep your mind on the information you're likely to need in the heat of battle.