Texas Holdem Poker

"The Cadillac of Poker"

Aim:

The aim of this lesson is to teach learners how to play Texas Holdem Poker.

Structure of LessonWhy play poker?Ranking of handsStructure of playPlayer typesGame theoryPoker oddsPsychology of poker

Ground RulesPlease ask any questions as they arise.

Do not talk amongst yourselves.

Why learn how to play?Poker has exploded in popularity recently. Unlike other casino games, it relies more on skill than luck.You can win a lot of money with a relatively small stake.

Poker is a very social game - a big element of the game is player personality.

The Ranking of Hands

To win in poker you need to obtain the best possible hand.

Or make others to think that you have!

Phil Helmuths top 10 pre-flop hands

1. A-A2. K-K3. Q-Q4. A-K suited5. J-J6. 10-107. 9-98. 8-89. A-Q suited10. 7-7

Game Theory - "Game theory attempts to mathematically capture behavior in strategic situations, in which an individual's success in making choices depends on

the choices of others".

• Poker is a Zero Sum game - one players win is exactly the amount of the others players loss.

• Poker is a discrete game - there is only a limited number of outcomes.

• Poker is a game of incomplete information - you cannot see all the information (unlike Chess).

• Use random method to avoid being read.

Poker Odds

You must have some idea of the odds of hitting an "out" - for example if you have a flush draw on the flop then you have a 35% chance of hitting the flush before the end of the hand.This can be calculated by;

(Number of outs) x (Number of cards left, i.e. 4th & 5th) x 2 9 x 2 x 2

= 36%What does this reduce to on 4th street?What chance do you think your opponents have?

Psychology of Poker

Try to intimidate the other players

When weak, pretend to be strong

When strong, pretend to be weak Dominate weaker players - especially when playing heads up

SummaryWhy play poker?Ranking of handsStructure of playPlayer typesGame theoryPoker oddsPsychology of poker