Texas Hold'em Hand Guide
Hand Guide: Preflop > Flop > Turn > River
The Texas Holdem hand guide below will take you through each stage of a poker hand from the preflop round to the river, and give you a brief overview of the strategy you should try and employ as well as the thought processes behind making profitable decisions at each stage of the hand.
Knowing how to play a poker hand well from start to finish is not an easy skill to learn. Many players can play certain rounds well, but struggle on others. It is important to learn how to play each round profitably.
The individual Texas Holdem strategy articles found on this site will help to fine tune different aspects of your game, but it is here that you will find the fundamental principles behind playing a winning Texas Holdem hand. There is also a list of useful articles at the end of each guide for further information on different concepts and plays that you can use at each stage in the hand.
Individual betting round strategy articles.
Preflop strategy
Before the flop is where it all starts, so learn how to get the foundations started correctly. This article focuses on good starting hand selection, along with key position tips and a quick guide to optimum preflop betting.
Flop strategy
Many of the decisions that you will make at the poker table will be based on the flop or will stem from the flop later in the hand. This article highlights the importance of being able to identify the different textures of flop and the best strategies for dealing with them.
Turn strategy
The turn is often forgotten about in the Texas Holdem strategy world but can often prove to be a very important street. So don't forget about it and learn how to play it well.
River strategy
Now all of the cards are out and its time to make the best 5-card hand possible. Pick up some key tips on how to play when you have the best of it and when you have the worst of it.
Tips on playing a hand in poker
Playing a good Poker hand is not always easy, as there are always going to be opportunities to make mistakes along the way. Use the tips in this article to help yourself make more profitable decisions on each betting round.
Bonus Article: Poker Mistakes - Avoid the most common mistakes when playing a hand.
Playing a hand in Texas Hold'em.
These articles are quite lengthy, but they are actually as condensed as I could make them without leaving out any tips or strategy that I thought was vital to being able to play each betting round successfully. However, although these articles should prove to be a handy guide for you, you should try your best to learn from them, and not rely on using them every time you make a decision at the Texas Hold'em poker table.
Try not to refer to these guides too often whilst playing poker. Learn from these articles as best as you can and use your own judgment when making decisions at the poker table.
Being able to stand on your own two feet and make decisions for yourself is what is going to help you develop into the best player that you can be. So be prepared to eventually move away from using guides, and try to use your head as much as you can during play. Ask yourself questions like:
- What do I expect to achieve with this play?
- What am I going to do on the next betting round if I make this play?
- How do I think my opponent is going to react to this play?
The more questions you ask yourself, the more refined and calculated your plays will be. A winning poker player is a thinking poker player, so you're going to have to use that logic of yours if you want to win money. If you do not use your head, you may as well play online casino games instead.
Poker is a game of skill, so use your ability to get the better of your opponents.
