Texas Hold 'em Fish 'n' Chips

LESSON 2 - THE HANDS “ It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult undertaking which, more than anything else, will determine its successful outcome. ” William James (Considered the father of American psychology) So here you are - on the verge of indulging an addiction, about to develop a passion or simply looking for another fun way to pass the time. Before you go rushing off to the nearest casino, bar or local home game, let’s get a grasp of the basics. No doubt you have seen a few games played locally, on line or on TV but this is not the time to get into anything higher stake than a little “play money”. First things first – remember we are learning to walk here. Texas Hold’em Poker is a relatively simple yet deceptively challenging game to learn to play and as you will soon discover an even harder game to master. (Can anyone say that they have truly mastered the game?) The most important first step in learning to play poker is to fully understand the rank structure or value of each hand in relation to the other hands. Being able to recognise both current and potential hands is vital for without a firm grasp of this basic concept your poker playing career / hobby will never get off the ground. It never ceases to amaze me how many people play poker without understanding this most basic of requirements. Does a flush beat a straight? Does two pair beat three of a kind? This is the equivalent of driving a car without knowing where the break is and yet I still occasionally run into people who are not completely clear on which hands are stronger than others. (Having said that, once in a blue moon I have missed a hand, but I learned a long time ago to keep those little absent minded mistakes to myself). If you are not interested in being known as the local fish or donkey, then this is most definitely the first part of poker that you need to get a handle on. I can tell you there is no worse feeling in poker than getting beaten in a hand where the person who has won either does not realise they have won because they don’t fully understand the hand ranks or they have simply kept chasing impossible odds only to go on and find success. We must realise though that this also is part of poker. Instead of criticising, complaining, or falling into a major self-pity party we must pick ourselves up and spend time learning how to deal with those situations both mentally and emotionally. This is one of the main aspects of the game that I spent a lot of time working on.