In general, as in the classic forms of stud and draw, where you sit around the table in relation to the dealer is of crucial importance, and is an element not to be taken lightly. Remember that the player sitting to the left of the dealer acts first. He is known as the ‘gunner’. So with that in mind, you should realize that the other players around the table have an advantage over the ‘gunner’, and this advantage increases the further down the table you are, because you have more information about the other player’s intentions.
However, since you don’t get to choose where you sit, you also need to know the strategy in relation to where you could end up sitting. If there are seven players around the table, the average best hand that will be dealt before the draw, will be a pair of Aces. Knowing this, and if you’re sitting immediately to the left of the dealer, you’d better have a pair of aces to open because, you need a stronger than average hand to take the lead.
In other words, assuming you are one of the early openers such as in the first seat, or second, or even third, and you open eith a pair of ‘Jacks’, odds are that someone already has you beaten with a pair of Aces, because of the odds before the draw of players getting a pair of Aces. If you are in the later seats, and you know that someone must have a pair of Aces or wouldn’t have opened, then you know you need a pair of Aces or better to stay in. You can also go on the assumption that they’re not as qualified as you in playing poker and are just opening with anything. In any event, if you study your players, you’ll know soon enough if they know their game after the first round, and remember them on the next round.
In the game of Hold’em, the seating sequence is also of crucial importance. Hold’em is the most played game in the world right now! Online and offline, it is played in all the casinos, and is played in the final round of the WSOP. It is said to be the most aggressive and fast-moving form of poker. It requires experience, a cool head, and nerves of steel to play well.
Hold’em is an off-shoot from Seven-Card-Stud with the important difference that all the cards facing up or showing, of which there are five, are called community cards, community meaning every player benefits from those cards.The sequence of cards are as follows; each player gets two cards facing down; then a sequence of community cards of three facing up (called the flop); then another community card facing up (called the turn); then the last community card facing up (called the river).
Contrary to the classic form of stud or draw, in Hold’em any combination of two cards can win because the strenght of each hand changes dramatically at each stage of the game or deal. Seating position is crucial because the player to the left of the dealer, and who acts first, more or less exposes his strenght and doesn’t know what will happen to him or her after the betting starts. Sitting last, aplayer retains all his options. If he or she is holding weak cards, you can still see the bet if it’s cheap enough. On the other hand if you’re sitting in an earlier position, but not the starter position, with a medium hand you can risk betting then fold when someone shows strenght. if you have a powerful hand, then you raise and re-raise.
You must remember to adjust your betting according to the number of players around the table. The more players there are, the more common are flushes and straights. Therefore, what you want to analyze is what you come in with. It’s not so much the good cards that you have in the hole, but rather what you can do with them. Do the possibilities look promising?
You can’t get carried away thinking you’re strong with a pair of Aces, because the flop cards might upset your whole game. You’re definitely not safe with a pair of Aces in Hold’em. The side card or odd card is also a very important factor in Hold’em. You cannot disregard it, especially if it’s of the same suit, considering that there are 7 cards total in this game. It therefore becomes important for straights and flushes. Remember that with the flop cards, you already have a hand of five cards. This in essence, will usually be the turning point and deciding factor whether you should continue or not.
As a general rule, if the flop cards are showing a pair, and your side card looks reasonably good, you would stay in until the end. Two pairs, one in the hole and one showing, is a raising hand! Three of a kind is also a raising hand! It’s pointless to check in the hope of luring in more players, because if you do so, the player who has a late seating position or early seating position but not first, will see it through since you’re allowing them to come in cheap!
POINTER: If you already know that straights and flushes are easily obtainable in a 7 to 10 player game of Hold’em, because of the seven cards, then your goal should be to focus on full houses and up. There are no guarantees in any card game, however, if you practice and have patience, with a lot of emphasis on both, you will WIN BIG in poker.
