How to Use Strategy to Win a Texas Hold’ Em Game

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Last Updated: September 17, 2020 Approved

Texas Hold'em is one of the most popular games played today, and there are several strategies that can improve your game and make you a winning player. To win at Texas Hold’em, the best route is to use several strategies to give you the upper hand. Once you know how to play Texas Hold’em, you can begin to employ strategies like knowing when you have a hand to fold on or bet big with, reading your opponents, and playing the odds to win.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Playing Your Position

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1
Know what your position at the table means. In Texas Hold’em the dealer and/or the button-position will be passed to the next player toward the left after each hand. But, if one person deals all the time, then the button-position will rotate the table over time, otherwise the dealer job passes around. Understanding where you are in relation to the dealer/button will help you develop a strategy to win Texas Hold’em.^{[1]
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- The button has the strongest position because he/she will always wait to bet last on the current hand. The player who bets last will have the most information to work with as they’ve seen all other players bets/actions before making a move.
- But, the player immediately to the right of the dealer, sometimes known as the “cutoff,” can potentially be in a strong position over the button as he has the ability to bet big enough to force the button into action/to bet-big or fold.
- Players in early betting positions are the weakest as they have the least amount of information to go on. However, there is a bit of a balancing out for the first round if you are either the big or small blind, as you have a bet already on the table.^{[2]
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Use your position to narrow the field. Narrowing the field means eliminating the other players for the hand. Some players will use a bet-big-early strategy to win Texas Hold’em, and while this may work, it also means you’re more likely to lose-big. Instead, try a strategy where you make smaller early bets to see some action before you try to over bet for other players to fold on the flop or turn (to tell them you drew something).
- If you’re positioned at the top of the betting round you can make smaller bets (slow-play) and wait to see how other players react to the flop.
- Regardless of where you are positioned, your hand will indicate how you should proceed. Pairs are often your option and the higher the pair the better off you are. Also look to see if your cards are of the same suit because suited cards give you a hopeful chance by allowing for drawing a flush.^{[3]
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- If you do have a good hand, you can make a larger bet to force other players out, especially if you have the position to wait to see how the other players bet. For example, if other players (act weak) aren’t betting very high, you can raise the pot and force some or all to fold.
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Let other players battle it out. If you are in an earlier position you do have the benefit of being able to call the minimum and then waiting to see how other players handle the betting around the table. If a player bets big after you’ve called, you now know that he is either bluffing, or has a good hand. Chances are other players will make moves that indicate where the competition is going.
- When you are later to act in a round of betting you are at a great advantage. This is helpful against predictable/tight players who you expect to "tell" you a lot by always checking weak hands and raising better hands. You can play marginal hands by betting when they check before you act. You can also re-raise players who bluff too often so that you don't believe they are betting good hands.
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Know when to fold based on your position. Sometimes you just get a weak hand in an early position. This is a long game so sometimes your strategy for winning Texas Hold’em is folding-weak and waiting until you’re in a strong, later position.
- If you’ve already bet but see other players raising the pot but you don’t have a good hand -- it might be best to fold your hand/not to call. This way when you’re in a better position in a later hand, you’ll still have those chips to work with.
- Try not to fold before the flop unless a player is betting extremely large and you have a bad hand like a two and six. Even though this hand doesn’t look promising on its own it could create a straight, two pairs, three of a kind, or even a full house. But, if you’re in an early position and have to raise your bet to stay in with an unlikely winning hand, it might be best to fold.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Reading Your Opponents

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1
Read the table and the players. Reads are a very important part of poker. Practice putting your opponent on hands, meaning making educated guesses as to what his cards are, and profiling what type of player he is based on the hands he plays and how he plays them.^{[4]
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Research source} With enough practice you’ll soon see that you can narrow your opponent's hand down to a few possibilities.
- This involves paying attention to players’ tendencies. Note which players like to bet big, who plays a tight game, etc.
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Look for tells. Everyone, even the best poker players in the world will have a tell. Some players are just much better at disguising them. This doesn’t exactly mean seeing if a player itches his nose every time he has a good hand. It’s more about finding a pattern in a player’s betting and folding habits. After all, any strategy to win Texas Hold’em involves playing all the cards, not just your own.
- Pay attention to see if a player folds early when he has a bad hand. If he is suddenly betting in several rounds then chances are he has a good hand.
- Take note on the size of bets and look for patterns. If a player usually just calls or makes the minimum bet and is suddenly acting out of character that could be a tell.
- More obvious tells are head scratching, sighing, and even how the player is sitting. A relaxed player might have a good hand while a player with a bad hand might be slumping. Read body language to inform you.
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Play the player. If your opponent is a tight player, meaning he’s careful with his bets, you can loosen up and play weaker starting hands like K-J unsuited, “bad aces” like A-3, or a lower pair. If he comes at you with a raise, you might be beat and should throw away marginal hands.
- Perhaps you’re up against a player who is looser with his bets. You can play him against himself by baiting him into raising his bets. If you have a good hand and you know your opponent likes to bet, then go ahead and see if you can draw him out. Just be mindful that he might have a good hand as well.
If you flop a monster/"the nuts" (the best possible flop with your hold cards) or at least trips, just check and call any bets to induce a bluff since you seem weak, or on the bad side, you may let your opponents catch a card on the turn or river. Slow-playing works best with loose aggressive players that you hope will try to bluff when no one has bet/as if they have nothing. If you flop a full house and bet out, everyone folds and you only win a small pot. So just check and let others lead out, as you try to catch a card on 4th or 5th street. Be careful, though, that you don't slow-play and get many opponents checking to see draws. For example, if you hold T(♥) - T(♠), and the flop comes T(♣) - 9(♦) - 3(♣) for "trips T's", and you now have three or more opponents in the pot. Do not slow play your set/trips, especially if you raised pre-flop and are known to make continuation bets. Bet "a third of the pot" to make the flush draws and straight draws fold or pay to see the next card.
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Intimidate as a big part of your strategies. Win by intimidation -- not Most Popular. Psyche (tilt) the other players, within the rules of a tournament. Keep quizzing earlier position players face up and theorizing about their hand while betting against them, without violating rules. Bragging about hitting the nuts, coconuts, monkey nuts is silly but boggles their minds. Over-talk, over-analyze how you might bet; say how they may be "strategizing", about what they hold: "So, do you think you are ahead. Do you? So what do you have, like something good. Oh, so is it suited? Are they connectors? Well, suited connectors, no? So, you have small pair, or do you?" -- while watching the reactions of each of the betters who are in the pot ahead of you.
- Remark without delaying play when one loses to you on a showdown, "How could you bet on Jack, ten?" and stuff like, "Why would you waste your time and money on Queen-high, awe, oh man..." Don't expect answers, but don't interfere with actual play. Ask about any sort of legitimate issue. Ask about every aspect of their game only as you face each person, on each and every round, as you are apparently deciding how much to bet or whether to fold. Especially against shorter stacks, ask never-ending but seemingly sensible questions while you decide. "You want me to bet? Or, do you want me to fold?" so then "If you want we to bet, I might have to fold. Honestly, what do you want -- me to do, fold? Yeah, fold? Fold right..." Then if your opponent folds with a much better hand than you -- you only show your low card. Steam will come out of the folder's ears. You put your opponent on tilt.
- Take "forever" to fold, being careful, then say, "I think you got the nuts, right? So, you have queen or better, okay, I fold." If that feels right, and you are not already all-in... "Every time you play your hand the way you would, if you could see your opponents' cards, you gain, and every time your opponents play their cards differently from the way they would play them, if they could see your cards, you gain." , per David Sklansky author, considered an expert on gambling. Which is like "Play to 'what the opponent most likely holds from their time/position/size of bet and based on past pattern of play,' and get the other to play to 'whatever you suggest that you have and know what they have by your chatter and leading questions while you were deciding how to bet.' " -- then the opponent quite often folds the better hand because you've put so many confusing/spinning thoughts in his/her mind (tilt!).
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Get into the mind of your immediate opponent, heated to distraction. Don't expect many answers. Ask for various counts: "So, how much is your stack?" "I may just put you all in!" "I'll show you my hand at the end, okay.", then quickly say "if you show me yours, I'll show you mine"... "Do want me to count my stack; well, (taking some time) I have about ___." Be serious, "I need to know ____" asking "how much is in the pot?", "how much is the current bet"", etc. -- anything theoretically worth knowing. As if you don't know. "Hey, so you have a bottom pair. No, it's top pair." "Now, I think you're on a queen... Yeah, yeah, you do have a face card. You do, right?" You can say such guesses, and ask about your guess, about their hold; now, change your mind; guess again, etc. Get the table hot, angry or exasperated, so they may over-bet on weak hands to try to get back at you. But they end up folding or losing hands, stuttering, muttering and confused.
- Tone it down to be less hated. Don't talk while they are deciding what to bet or to fold. Be, "Mr. Nice Guy" in words. Say, "Nice hand!" even if you win it. Say, "good play, nice round", but not letting up on the quiz.
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Bluff. Bluffing is an art learned over time. If you are new to bluffing, then try doing it on smaller bets that won’t impact you too much if you lose. Focus on staying consistent with your actions, and try not to let your voice or face give you away.
- Betting with a hand that is not out rightly a probable winner is a good way to get used to bluffing. If you have an decent hand but you think the odds are good that it may improve with more cards coming down the river, this can be a great way to practice bluffing and end up being a very profitable play.
- You basically have two ways to win through a bluff. Your opponents think that they can’t beat you based on your bets and fold right away, or you keep bluffing in the hopes that you can make the best hand (usually flush or straight). This tactic works best in later position if everyone checks to you.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Calculating the Odds

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Play fewer hands. As long as you have chips on the table you’re in the game. Playing fewer hands is a strategy to win Hold’em that involves you waiting for the right cards.
- In Hold’em, there are a 169 combinations of hands of you can be dealt, not including hands of the same suit. suits.^{[5]
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  Research source}Only five of those hands are premium hands that will give you the best chance at winning.
  - AA
  - KK
  - QQ
  - JJ
  - AK - if they’re the same suit.
- There are fifteen hands that are considered top hands including the five above. Other combos include the Ace and face cards, along with high numbered pairs like two (2) tens.
- That means that you should focus on playing hands that are most likely going to reward you instead of trying to constantly bluff or out bet other players with a weaker hand.
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Get rid of small pockets as soon as they don’t serve you. This doesn’t mean immediately folding if you get dealt one of these hands, especially if you’re either big or small blind and have already bet.
- Hands like 2-2, 5-5 or 7-7 lose most of their value after the flop unless you make a set (three of a kind) so it’s better not to hold out for something down the river and just cut your losses.
- You don’t always have to fold on a small pocket as they could lead to a winning hand, but don’t let yourself get carried away just because you start with a pair.
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Play the pot odds. If there is a large pot, say $100 and your opponent has raised another $100 then it’s usually a mistake to chase the pot hoping that you can end up with something like a flush or straight. This strategy typically has you losing more than winning.
- Don’t always chase straight and flush draws even though it’s tempting. A skilled opponent won’t let you see the next card without first paying up unless he’s confident he has your draw beat and is trying to win the pot as quickly as possible.
- While making large bets is a tactic to forcing other players to fold, sometimes a bet that’s very large can be an indication that your opponent has the winning hand.
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Be assertive when the odds are in your favor. Remember that these strategies for winning Texas Hold’em rely largely on you being patient and taking in as many small or medium pots as you can instead of a couple larger ones. If you’ve employed the other strategies here and have waited for quality hands, you can use what you know to beat your opponents.
- For example. The odds of getting two cards that you need on the turn or the river is less than 1%. So as soon as you have a hand you’re confident you can win with, bet like you’re going to win.
- Raise before the flop and if you hit your hand keep betting, but don’t overdo it, one pair won’t often win big pots, but a high pair can lead to a solid win if you can force other players out quickly. When you play aggressively, you can put your opponents onto the defensive and can force them out making it less likely for someone to make a better hand than you.

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I assume my hand should be raised before a flop. How much do I raise compared to the big blind?

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If you have a high pocket pair (aces through 9s) I would consider a raise that is equal to 3x the big blind. That will force people out with weak hands and give you a chance to see if anyone else has a a good hand.

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Can a player cash out, and how?

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It depends on the ruleset you're playing with. Sometimes you have to play until the end, while other times you can leave but with half or no money. If you're in a low-stakes game with lots of people joining and leaving, then you should be allowed to cash out at any time. Make sure you ask the dealer/casino manager/tournament host before you decide to play.

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If I have two pairs and one more card needs to be flipped over but my opponent is betting high, should I check and hope to get a full house?

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There are 4 cards left to give you the full house. You have 2, the table has 4, leaving 46 cards minus 2 cards times the number of other players. 5 more players = 10 cards = 36 cards left in the deck. You have a 4 in 36 chance (12.5%) of getting your card. What's it worth to you to find out? Full house has a high rank for a reason.

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Tips

Use multiple strategies. Very rarely will you win at Hold’em by only employing a single strategy or tactic. Use everything at your disposal to your advantage.

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Wait to pick up your cards. A lot of players will immediately look at the cards that have been dealt and might give away the hand with an initial reaction. When everyone’s head is down, keep yours up and study your opponent’s faces.

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Stay patient. It might be easy to get carried away and make stupid bets, especially if you’re doing well. But remember that this is a game of luck and logic, and luck alone won’t keep you winning.

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