When I first started playing poker it frustrated me that I couldn’t find a place that answered the simple questions I had about the game. The pros would make references to concepts that they probably considered common sense and too remedial to explain, but it went right over my head. In many ways poker came very natural to me and seemed to be an extension of skills I already mastered. On one hand I understood and could execute advanced poker theory but on the other hand I was lacking some basic fundamentals of the game.

As I learned more of these fundamental poker lessons I would make tips for myself. Every now and again I would go back and read these tips just to get my head straight. I think there are a lot of beginning players that would like this information but don’t want to seem stupid for asking the question or asking for something to be explained further.

A few things to keep in mind when you read this:


  • Essentially these are tips I created over a few years time with some added detail to make them understandable to someone other than myself.
  • By no means is this a complete reference of all Poker fundamentals as there are many that I may not even mention.
  • This comes from my point of view and is just one guy’s opinion.
  • There is no particular order; I just wrote stuff as the light bulb turned on for me.
  • There are exceptions to every one of these tips. The better you understand the game, the more exceptions you will find.

I divided the tips up into 3 parts and will present them over the course of a couple weeks. Let me hear from you if you find them useful.

john@texastroll.com

—Troll

Hitting a Low PairHave the control to fold an under pair. Don’t get caught up in the fact that you caught a small piece of the flop and now have bottom pair.

Let’s say you find yourself in a pot holding J9 and the flop hits AK9. Ok great you hit a pair of 9. Is this really a flop you want to commit money to holding J9os? Someone is very likely to be holding an A, a K, a flush draw, or a straight draw. I see many players continue to invest money in a hand like this when in all likelihood they are completely dominated and have a very slim chance to win. Sure you might hit another 9 to make a set but what if it’s the 9? A Jack would give you 2 pair and also make someone else a straight or bigger 2 pair. Unless you hit runner, runner this hand with this flop is very, very dangerous.

Small Pocket PairsBe able to fold small pairs in an early position or when the pot has been raised in front of you.

First things first, I consider small pairs from 2’s to 9’s. (Note: This doesn’t mean 10s and Js should be considered big pairs and always worth a ton of chips.) Let me also tell you that I love small pairs and they can often win you some huge pots WHEN YOU FLOP A SET. (Think I’m trying to tell you something?) Continually investing a lot of chips pre-flop with small pairs is a recipe for disaster. You want to get into a pot cheap with a small pair. If you don’t hit a set on the flop you have a trash hand and it’s probably time to get out.

Why All In?Too many players will go all in before the flop. Often 1 or 2 things happens, you either just pick-up the blinds or you lose all your chips.

If you have a good starting hand, don’t be afraid to bet it. Why waste a good hand and only get blinds to show for it? This also means you have to have enough control to lay down your KK when the flop has an Ace. The person that continually moves all in pre-flop is playing scared, playing not to lose, and won’t be a winner in the long run.

Why Flip a Coin? I have better ways to spend money than flipping a coin for $100. Play poker not roulette.

This is along the same lines as “Why All In?”. If you’re not good enough to play your hand from the flop to river you need to find another game. The idea of risking my tournament on a coin flip just doesn’t make good sense to me. Now I’m not saying there aren’t situations that dictate you push all your chips in pre-flop with what might be a coin flip, but it should be the exception not the norm.

Make the Bet You Would Call – If you are in a position to bet, you should bet what ever you are willing to call. Meaning, if you are willing to call an all in bet then that’s the bet you should make up front.

My point here is you need to put everyone else on the defensive and force them to react to you. (I need to point out once again there are plenty of exceptions such as in the next tip.) Let’s say you have 1000 chips left, it’s stupid to bet 600. If our opponent raises, aren’t you going to call? If you’re not then you shouldn’t have made the bet in the first place. If you are willing to call then you should be aggressive and move all your chips in at that point. Many players will check, the next guy goes all in, and then they call with some kind of draw. Why not give yourself the chance to win the hand right there without having to hit your draw?

Squeeze the Money Out – When you hit a monster hand you want to get paid as much as possible. Use moves like check raise and smooth call to pull as many chips as possible out of your opponent. If you think your opponent is on a draw, make them pay for the draw.

Here are a few points to keep in mind about each of those situations.


  • When I slow play I like to imagine my opponent has the two best possible cards in his hand for a draw with the flop I’m playing. So if the turn card makes a possible club flush then I’m going to play like he has 2 clubs in his hand and start pulling out chips. My goal is to balance getting the most out of a hand but minimize the number of bad beats that happen along the way.


  • If I put my opponent on some kind of a draw, how I bet the flop and turn are critical. On the flop I want to bet enough to not give them a cheap card, but also not so much that I’m committed to the hand if they hit on the turn. If the turn doesn’t help their draw then this is that last point to make money. Bet big in order to pull as many chips as possible out of them. I either score big when they miss on the river or take the pot down right here.


  • When short stacked I will throw caution to the wind. I will slow play AA or any big flop with no regard to what other players have. Meaning I give them every opportunity I can to make a hand so I get action. My goal is to get 1 if not 2 people to double me up. If I get outdrawn at least I did so trying to win and not just blinding out.