Level 1 - Basic Dashboard For a Novice Part 1

This serves as an introductory guide to playing No Limit Holde`m, and is designed to assist a new player who is at a point where they understand the basic rules of the game. These basic principles will by no mean guarantee successful results, but will help a long way to help you avoid making potentially disastrous decisions.

Let`s go back a few steps:

1. To play good poker you must remember the following LAW - You need a stronger hand to CALL the first bet than you do to MAKE the first bet. Let`s say everyone has folded to you and you hold AT unsuited. You can then make the first bet. However, let`s say you`re in the same position and someone has already opened for a big bet. In this case you have to fold AT unsuited.

This law works after the flop as well. If you have a middling hand it is fine to open the betting and see if everyone folds to your bet (a good result), or maybe you narrow down the field and then catch another good card. But to chase a hand (to call someone else`s bets) with a middling hand is why so many players lose money.

Here`s a good example:

You hold JQ

The flop comes 3-J-K

If someone bets this hand before you and then someone else calls the bet, and then it comes to you what do you do?

The correct answer is to FOLD, because you are chasing a hand against two other opponents. You hand needs to improve a lot for you to think it is the best, and really what would make you confident of that in this scenario? Only A-T runner-runner for the straight, or another J on the board. Those are PIPE DREAM hands.

Now, let`s switch it.

You hold JQ

The flop comes 3-J-K

Two players check and it comes to you, what do you do?

The correct answer now is to BET. If you are check-raised by one of the first two players you then fold, but because they have shown weakness you have a chance to control the hand. You can now pretend that you have the K, and even though you don`t you still have some strength with the JQ. Very weak players might chase you with bottom pair, a straight draw, etc. AND your hand could improve further.

So, in response to my original dashboard: In early position you can open the betting with a hand like AJ, AT, even 98 suited, but you cannot raise with those hands if someone else has opened the betting. And here`s where it can get confusuing for novices: if someone, whom you respect as a player, has opened the betting pre-flop, you now have to FOLD certain hands you would have considered OPENING with, like AT,AJ, 98 suited. ALL novices rationalize it in the following way: "I was going to bet. Fuck, now that guy bet. That was my intention, so.....I`LL JUST CALL." This is wrong!!! This is what costs people tournaments all the time.

2. In no-limit tournaments you have to make others pay to outdraw you and sometimes you have to make them pay it all.

I am referring to the hand you last with QQ where you hit a Q on the flop. This is a MONSTER no-limit hand, and you should never give anyone the chance to outdraw you in this position. I`m assuming that the flop looked like it had a straight possibility: so instead of coming Q-4-7 it probably looked like 8-J-Q. In a case such as this, where someone is likely to hold K-T or K-A or even just a T you must put in a huge bet to stop them from drawing for their straight (or flush if that was the case). You can even go all-in.

3. People who chase nut flushes are slightly less likely to go home in buses.

There is a big difference in hold `em between Ax suited and xx suited. The higher you go up the ladder of tournaments, the more sense this will make, and it is a good idea to make this a habit early on. Play for flushes only when you have the K or the A of that suit. The "nut" flush is the strongest possible flush. If you start out only playing Ax and Kx suited then you will nearly always have the nut flush when the flush does come. You play the Kx because often the A of that suit is on the board, so you know you have the nuts.

4. Understanding the value of suited-connectors.

Most people don`t realize how to rank the value of suited connector hands. They know that they should play TJ suited, but they don`t know HOW to play it after the flop. It has the following value:

1st prize -you`re playing it for a straight. Flops like 7-8-9- or Q-K-A, because it is the nuts in these cases.

2nd prize - it has BACKUP value as a flush hand. But it has to be played more cautiously because it isn`t the nut flush if it does hit.

3rd prize - even more of a BACKUP hand is when you make one pair on the flop: T-9-2 for example. It is a semi-decent hand because you have top pair, but your kicker is weak, and trust me a lot of people play AT,KT,QT to have you dominated here....oh and of course you can get very lucky with this hand and flop J-T-3 but that can happen with any two cards, and it is an unexpected little bonus when it does happen.

All I`m saying here, is that you need to keep in mind your BEST CASE SCENARIO whenever you play a hand. What are you hoping to see on the board? If it hits like you hoped then you need to bet it all the way. If it hits in one of the lesser ways you need to be more conservative.