Coconin

Texas holdem is an easy game to learn, but it has an almost
infinite number of layers between knowing how to play and
becoming a winning player.

Aug 13, 2019 Here you'll find a list of poker hands from highest to lowest to help you get started, as well as the top starting hands for Texas Hold'em. This cheat sheet displays the traditional poker hand rankings, which are used in the most popular variants of poker (such as Texas Hold‘em).

And the truth is that even the top players in the world are
always looking for ways to improve their game. So we’ve put
together the top tips every player can use to improve their
Texas holdem results. You might be using a few of these tips
now, but the odds are that you’ll be able to find a few new
ideas that can instantly improve your long term profitability.

It’s easy to think of dozens of possible Texas holdem tips,
but we sorted through everything we could think of and decided
to go with a top 10 type list. These are 10 of the most
important tips and designed so every Texas holdem player can get
the maximum improvement with the least amount of effort.

If you’re a beginning player consider printing this list out
or just copying the main points so you can go over them quickly
every time you’re getting ready to play poker. By just following
these simple tips you should be able to improve your overall
game and profitability by a large amount in a short period of
time.

1. Table Selection

If you aren’t taking the time to choose the best tables to
play Texas holdem you need to change this habit before you play
another hand. Make a commitment right now to find tables that
offer the best chance to win instead of grabbing the first
available seat no matter what.

Most poker players are so excited to start playing that they
don’t worry about where they get to sit. They don’t think about
the other players at the table until they start playing and
don’t bother looking for tables with poor players.

But if you start doing this it can immediately improve your
results. It’s almost as good as free money, yet well over 90% of
Texas holdem players don’t use table selection at all.

If you’re playing at a table with four players who’re better
than you and four who’re not as good as you, in the long run,
you should break even or come close, at least in theory. The
better players will win more from you than they lose and you
should win more from the poor players than you lose to them.
Does this sound like a reasonable theory?

If you agree with this theory doesn’t it hold true that if
you start replacing players who’re better than you with players
who’re not as good as you that your results will improve? When
you take this a step further, if you found a table where every
player was worse than you the chances of you winning go up quite
a bit.

This first tip might be the most important one you’ll read.

Find a table with mostly poor players. It’s worth waiting
quite a long time to be seated if it means the chance at a
higher profit. You can even change from an overall losing player
to a long term winner if this is the only tip you use on the
entire page.

2. Position

Your position at the Texas holdem table is where you have to
act on each round of play in comparison to the other players. If
you’re in early position you’re one of the first to act on each
betting round and if you’re in late position you act after most
of the other players are forced to play.

The best position is the dealer button and the worst
positions are the two blinds and the under the gun player, who
is to the immediate left of the big blind.

Most beginning players and many long time players ignore
their position when making playing decisions. This is a costly
mistake and if you start using your position to your advantage
you can start winning more often.

The reason you need to be aware of your position is because
the later in the round you’re forced to act the more information
you have to help you make a profitable decision. Texas holdem is
a game that only offers limited information before you need to
make a decision. You may know what you have and what the board
shows, but you can’t be sure what your opponent’s hold.

You can pick up clues as to what they may have and put them
on a range of possible hands by watching how they play the hand.
Every check, bet, raise, or call gives you a clue to what they
might be holding and what hand they may be chasing.

If you have to act first on each betting round you have to
give away information to the other players, but if you act last
you get to use all of the information the players give you
before you have to act.

Another advantage of playing in late position is if all of
the players check to you it gives you an opportunity to check
and see the turn or river for free. If you’re drawing to a
better hand this can be a valuable card. When you face a bet you
may have to fold, but if you have the chance to check and see
the next card for free it can complete your draw and change a
folding situation into one where you can win the pot.

In addition to just paying attention to your position at the
table, here’s how you use this information when deciding how to
play a hand. You can play more hands from late position than you
can from early position.

You should play good starting hands in every position, but if
you’re in early position it means you have to play the entire
hand out of position so you need to only play the best starting
hands. The best hand can usually be played for a profit from any
position. But lesser hands have to be folded from early position
or they lose money in the long run.

As your position moves around the table toward the later
positions you can expand the number of hands you play a little.
Don’t overdo it, but you can play more hands for a profit from
late position than in any other position.

The only other important thing you should consider in
relation to position is if you’re in the blinds you should play
them just like you play under the gun. Fold if you have a weak
hand and only play with your best hands. It doesn’t matter if it
only costs a half bet to see the flop from the small blind. If
you don’t have a good hand you’re wasting your money.

3. Alter Your Play

While it’s true that every possible situation at the Texas
holdem table that you can think of has a correct way to play it,
when you’re playing against the best players you have to alter
your play from time to time in order to keep them from being
able to read your actions.

You should raise with pocket aces most of the time because
it’s the most profitable way to play them, but every once in a
while, maybe one out every 30 times you have them, you need to
limp. The opposite is also true. If you usually limp with pocket
eights you need to raise with them every once in a while.

This way when you raise it doesn’t always mean you have a
killer hand and when you limp it doesn’t always mean you have a
weak or drawing hand.

It’s important that you understand this is only necessary
when you play against good players.

At the lower levels, most players aren’t paying attention and
aren’t good enough to know what to do with the information
they’re gathering. So it’s a waste to try to alter your play
against poor players.

You also need to make sure you aren’t altering your play too
often. The reason you raise with your best hands is because
raising is the most profitable way to play them in the long run.
So every time you don’t raise with them you’re costing yourself
money. But if an opponent gets such a good read on your play
that they know every time you raise you have a very strong hand
it also costs you money.

Dan Harrington suggests wearing a watch with a second hand
and doing something different if you look down and the second
hand is in the first five seconds. This means you alter your
play roughly 8% of the time which is too much in the examples I
mentioned, but you can use a similar system to randomize when
you change your play.

Instead of wearing a watch with a second hand, use a digital
watch that has seconds listed. If the seconds are at 1 or 2 you
change your play and if not you stick with the most profitable
play. This is a one out of every 30 system because a minute has
60 seconds and two out of 60 is one out of 30.

4. Comps

Many Texas holdem players make the mistake of ignoring the
casino or poker room’s rewards program or player’s club. Most
casinos have some sort of player’s club that lets you earn comps
and / or rewards just for playing. You’re going to play anyway,
so you might as well earn some free stuff while you’re doing it.
Some clubs even let you earn cash back.

And comps aren’t limited to live game play. Some online poker
rooms offer comps and player’s clubs just like land based
casinos. Ask the support department about the rewards available
if you don’t see information on the room’s main site.

You can learn all about the comps you
can get online in our article explaining how online poker
bonuses and rewards work.

5. Starting Hands

At its core Texas holdem, and all poker games, are
mathematical. Because every possibility depends on a standard
deck of 52 playing cards you can make mathematical calculations
to determine the best way to play.

This is especially true when it comes to your starting hand
choices. We’ve already covered a few points about this in the
section about position but if you improve your starting hand
selection you improve your results.

Almost all Texas holdem players play too many starting hands.

The basic math shows that if you play in a hand with a better
starting hand than your opponent or opponents you’ll win more
hands than they do. On the other hand, if you enter a hand with
a worse starting hand than your opponent you lose more often
than you win.

Of course, every Texas holdem hand has many different things
that can change the outcome and value of the hand, but
everything starts with your starting hand.

A complete discussion of correct starting hand play requires
quite a bit more space than we have on this page, but we have a
complete page about it that you should take the time to read.

As a general rule of thumb, you should be playing fewer
starting hands if you’re not already a winning player. If you’re
playing 40% of your starting hands reduce it to 30% to see how
it changes your results. If you’re playing 30% reduce it to 25%.
Keep reducing the percentage of starting hands you play until
you become a winning player.

If you get down to 15% and still haven’t turned the corner on
profitability you need to work on your play after the flop.

Please read our strategy article on the
subject of starting hands for additional advice on which hands
to play in which circumstances.

6. Bluffing

We’ll cover this in a little more depth, but this tip can
safely be summed up in a single sentence. You need to bluff less
than you do now.

Most Texas holdem players are introduced to the game by
watching televised tournaments. In these tournaments, all you
see are usually the exciting hands. You miss many normal hands
and uninteresting play. So you tend to see many hands that
include bluffs.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the professional
players bluff on every other hand.

The truth is most professional players don’t bluff often.
They only try a bluff when it has the maximum chance of
succeeding and they know that it’s always better to have the
best hand than trying to convince an opponent that they have the
best hand when they don’t.

You do need to bluff from time to time, but if you want the
best chance for your bluffs to work you shouldn’t try them very
often. The best way to reach this goal is to show down the best
hand most of the time. If the other players notice that every
time you turn over your cards you have a strong hand they’ll
start respecting your bets more often.

When you start seeing your opponents folding to every bet you
make it’s time to start trying an occasional bluff. When they
start calling more often you can tighten up again.

But remember the first point. You need to bluff less than you
do now.

7. Table Talk

Not only do you need to listen to what everyone else at the
table is saying, you also need to be very careful about what
you’re saying. Anything you say or do can give away the strength
of your hand. If you let something you say cost you a single
hand every time you play it can quickly add up to thousands of
dollars a year.

But on the other hand, if you can learn something about
another player’s hand once a playing session you can add a large
amount to your overall profitability. But in order to learn from
other players you need to always be paying attention and trying
to figure out how they play.

Some players aren’t very good and everything they do is
transparent. If they bet they have a good hand and when they
check and call they’re drawing to a better hand.

But many players are slightly better and try to make fancy
plays and bluff when they miss their hands. The first place to
concentrate is trying to pick up bluffs. When you recognize a
bluff and win a pot it makes a big difference in your profit for
the session.

The first place to start working is on your own talk at the
table. If you can’t conceal your hand strength 100% f the time
you shouldn’t talk at all at the table. As you become better you
can start talking a little but you need to practice telling
half-truths and telling outright lies.

As your talk improves you can start recognizing deceit in
your opponents. Learn to combine what they say with what you
know about their playing tendencies. As you gain more experience
reading your opponents you’ll find that you get better and
better at translating what they say.

You can read more on this subject in our
article covering tells at the poker table.

8. Tipping

We aren’t telling you to stop tipping, but you need to start
tracking how much you tip and learn how it changes your overall
profitability. It’ difficult to play a winning long term game
of Texas holdem, so knowing how much tipping costs is a step in
the right direction.

Good dealers run a tight game, don’t let things get out of
hand, and help you play the maximum number of hands per hour.
When you find dealers that do this well you should reward them
with tips. But if you don’t get good service you should consider
not tipping dealers who don’t do a good job just because it’s
the common custom.

It’s your money and only you should decide what’s best to do
with it. If you’re not a professional Texas holdem player and
just play for entertainment you can tip more and / or not track
how it changes your profitability. But if you’re a pro or want
to be one you need to track and understand where every single
cent goes and where every cent comes from.

Until you track your play and everything else about your
Texas holdem game you’re going to have a difficult time being a
winning player. Of course, if you play Texas holdem online you
don’t need to worry about tipping because you can’t tip.

9. House Rules

While most Texas holdem rules are the same from poker room to
poker room, you need to always go over the house rules before
you play. Learn if the house has anything out of the ordinary,
how they collect rake, if they have a bad beat jackpot and how
you qualify for it, and anything else that might be different
from your normal game.

Even if you play at the same poker room or casino all of the
time, take a minute to go over the house rules every month or so
to make sure nothing has changed.

This may seem like a trivial thing, but when you play a game
where a single huge pot or bad beat jackpot can change your
entire profitability for the week or month you need to protect
every possible edge. Learn about the house rules to make sure
you never lose a hand because of ignorance.

10. Never Stop Learning

The final tip is you should never stop trying to learn more
about Texas holdem and how to be a winner. Even when you
practice and play long enough to be a consistent winner, you can
always find a better way to play.

When you reach the top levels of the game even a small
fraction of a percentage can mean thousands of extra dollars in
profit. The best players never stop learning and if you want to
be one of the best you can’t afford to let down for a single
second.

Keep reading, practicing, and learning until you never play
another hand.

Summary

If you follow these Texas holdem tips you’ll find your
results quickly improving. Even if you don’t feel you can tackle
all of them at once, try to work on one per week for the next 10
weeks and in less than three months you’ll have improved your
game in 10 ways.
Once you incorporate each of these tips into your Texas
holdem game start studying the rest of our strategy section.
You’ll find more in depth pages covering these tips and more.

We visited a support group meeting (never mind which one) once where the speaker said you could recognize a good group if everyone there had a nickname. The same could be said of a poker room. In fact, Texas holdem nicknames come in a bewildering number of varieties.

You’ll find nicknames for individual cards, combinations of cards, and poker players. Not only do famous players have nicknames — almost everyone we’ve ever played with on a regular basis had nicknames, too. We have fond memories of playing with folks like Doctor Tilt, Hero, Mister Frito-Lay, Rock, and Lobster.

We’ve listed as many well-known Texas holdem nicknames as we could think of below:

Playing Card Nicknames in Texas Holdem

Ace High Card

King High Card

Queen High Card

Jack High Card

Ten High Card

Nine High Card

Eight High Card

Seven High Card

Six High Card

Five High Card

Four High Card

Three High Card

Two High Card

Single Card Nicknames

Collective Single Card Nicknames

Poker Hand Nicknames

Texas Holdem Card Position Nicknames

Flop

The three cards placed by the dealer after all hole cards have been dealt and the first betting round has been completed. Comes from the sound the three cards in succession make when they hit a felt Poker table.

Turn

The fourth card dealt buy the dealer got its name because it can and will turn the tide of the hand. Another explanation would be when the fourth community card is dealt in a poker hand the hand is nearing an end.

River

The last card dealt buy the dealer got its name because the last card can sell you down the river. Also it’s said that the term came from the Mississippi riverboats on which poker was played in the 1800’s. Sometimes, cheaters would purposely deal a final community card that would improve their own hand. If caught, they would often be thrown overboard, into the river, thus giving the river card its name.

Texas Holdem Player Positions

Dealer Button

The Dealer Button position is considered the best position since she is the last player able to bet after the flop, turn, and river. Because of this luxury, the dealer button has the opportunity to steal the blinds by initiating a fairly large raise if no one has previously raised the minimum bet. So if the Button player feels that all other players are weak and they check to the button after the flop, turn, or river, he would have the chance to make a strategic raise in an attempt to steal the pot.

Small Blind

The first position immediately to the left of the dealer button is called the small blind. The small blind player is required to put half the minimum bet into the pot before the two pocket cards are dealt to each player. This is the earliest of positions since it is the first to act after the flop, turn, and river. As a result, this position is often referred to as the worst table position in poker.

Big Blind

One seat next to the small blind is the big blind. The player in the big blind is required to put the full minimum bet into the pot before the two pocket cards are dealt to each player. The big blind is considered to be an early position as well. However, there is a small advantage for this position. Just as the dealer button has the ability to steal the blinds after the flop, turn, and river, the big blind may place a strategic bet at the end of the pre – flop round to protect his blind since he is the last to act.

Under the Gun

The very first player to act at the beginning of the pre-flop round of betting is under the gun. This position is very much at a disadvantage. He has an early position and must take the first action before receiving any clues from the remaining players at the table in the very first round of betting. Unless he has premium cards, it is usually recommended that he does not make a large initial bet pre-flop because of the poor player position.

Hijack

One of the later positions is the hijack. Some players in this position will use this seat to prevent the dealer button from stealing the blinds by making their own strategic bet. Since only two positions are left to act after the hijack following the flop, turn, and river, this could be a viable option in games with fuller tables.

Cutoff

Being the last position before the dealer button, the cutoff is the last line of defense to prevent the dealer button from stealing the pot after the flop, turn, or river. With this type of thinking, the cutoff may often make large raises before the dealer button gets his opportunity to do the same when there are signs that the remaining players at the table have weak hands.

Texas Holdem Player Nicknames

Paul Clark

Better known as Eskimo. May not be the most famous player on the list, but looks the part and he continued playing the in a 2007 World Series of Poker $5,000 Razz event despite suffering three mini strokes. Clutching the WSOP tournament table to prevent officials from removing him late in the event, Clark added to his mysterious mystique and forever cemented his nickname in the annals of poker badass.

Howard Lederer

Lederer reportedly hates this nickname The Professor despite the fact that is it perhaps the most perfect on the list. His calculated studious approach to the game prompted folks to start calling him the Professor, a label his supposedly despises because he never went to college. He continues to help lead the poker world in its quest to get the online game regulated in America, more proof that Lederer is at the head of his class.

Carlos Mortensen

Chris Ferguson gets the most props in the poker world as a player who transcended his WSOP Main Event victory to become one of the best players of his generation, but El Matador, the 2000 Main Event champ, might lay a stronger claim. As the only person to win a WSOP Main Event and a World Poker Tour Championship, claiming Mortensen is one of the best tournament players to ever sit at the felt is no bull.

Greg Raymer

One year after Chris Moneymaker made poker a game celebrated around the world, Greg Raymer added to the momentum by wearing hologram sunglasses and protecting his card with fossils en route to another improbable win. Called the Fossilman for his affinity for the trinkets and his willingness to sell the items at the poker table, Raymer is dominant figure in the poker world and his nickname is one of those that will never be forgotten.

Katja Thater

Thater became the first woman since 2004 to win an open WSOP bracelet event when she won a 2007 WSOP Razz event. She has taken the poker world by storm and become a bit of a celebrity, especially in her native Germany where she ranks among the best-known sports figures. Her nickname Miss Slick is a testament to her dominance of European Texas Holdem tournaments, but her skills go beyond Holdem and are apparent in other disciplines as well.

Dan Harrington

The story behind this nickname is that Harrington promoted the action tag to further his ability to deceive his opponents. This known rock is actually quite aggressive at the table, but his quiet, solid approach made the nickname Action the definition of irony, further hiding Harrington’s very successful and aggressive strategies. Few are still fooled, especially after Harrington released his celebrated and complicated strategy books, but the simple nickname remains.

Chris Ferguson

A Matrix-themed nickname may be more fitting for this computer nerd turned world class player, but his long-hair framed face and soft-spoken anger-free manner makes the comparison to Jesus, one of history’s most famous figures too hard to ignore. He started wearing the long cloak, signature black hat and dark sunglasses to add to his rock-tight image, but his look is nothing short of a copyright worthy poker trademark.

Doyle Brunson

There are other nicknames for the legendary Brunson, most notably the Grandfather of Poker, but Texas Dolly was a household nickname before poker was a household game. The undisputed king of the game has been compared to Babe Ruth, Wayne Gretzky and Michael Jordan, making his nickname’s appearance on this list an absolute must.

Poker Hands Texas Holdem

Mike Matusow

An offensive and never stopping mouth can get you in trouble or even make you infamous. This is how Mike became known as The Mouth. Matusow has made millions at the poker table with his skill and was a walking billboard at the 2007 WSOP because he is easy fodder for ESPN cameras and one of the most recognizable names in the game. The railbirds line the ropes around his tournament tables hoping to hear and instant classic escape poker’s most famous mouth.

Phil Hellmuth

His record alone in No Limit Texas Holdem tournaments would make Hellmuth world famous, but his brat-like table antics and immense self promotional skills make sure everyone knows who The Brat is. Even folks not familiar with poker know Hellmuth is a great player and great at freaking out on his lesser opponents. Norman Chad dubbed Hellmuth The Poker Brat and the countless fans who adore / hate Hellmuth ensure his nickname remains the number one item on this list.

Justin Smith

This young poker player received his nickname BoostedJ based on his love of fast cars, and motorcycles. He has made quite a name for himself in the poker world since his third place finish at WSOP in 2009.

Thomas Preston

Also known as Amarillo Slim. Preston is one of the most well known holdem players to ever play the game. He received his nickname because of his physical appearance as a tall slim country boy from Amarillo Texas.

Phil Ivey

Phil Ivey is probably one of the most well known players of today. He has been given the nickname Tiger Woods of Poker for his skill and top position as a professional player.

Mike Sexton

Mike has done a lot to help popularize the game. He has commentated for the World Series Poker Tournaments on television and made great strides to show the world that poker is not just a game of chance but that it takes skills to win. For all of his hard work he has been dubbed The Ambassador of Poker.

Layne Flack

Received his nickname Back to Back Flack after winning two consecutive Legends of Poker events in 1999, 2002, and 2003.

Steve Zolotow

Steve is known by two nicknames Z which is from his last name and The Bald Eagle which he received due to his bald head.

David Reese

Reese received his nickname Chip because he has the ability to win all the chips on a table when he plays.

Hoyt Corkins

Hoyt has several nicknames but is best known as Cowboy because he always wears a cowboy hat at the table. He has also been given Mr. Move All In by Phil Hellmuth and Nightmare from his aggressive style of play. He is a known to wear ear plugs when playing as to not be distracted by players such as Hellmuth who try to syke-out the other players.

Billy Argyros

Billy received his nickname The Croc after introducing himself as Crocodile Billy when playing against legend Johnny Moss while playing in a WSOP satellite event. Now he keeps his nickname fresh by wear crocodile shaped hats when he plays.

Todd Brunson

Todd is the son of poker great Doyle Brunson. He received his nickname Darkhorse early in his career. He was playing in an event that he was thought to be a huge underdog but ended the game the winner. He outlasted many players, even the great Chip Reese, to win.

David Ulliott

His nickname The Devilfish was bestowed on him in 1997 by Stephen Au-Yeung. During the tournament Ulliott reduced Nguyen’s stack to one chip, and the tournament director insisted upon still taking a one-hour scheduled break, over Nguyen’s protests. Ulliott turned to Nguyen and said, We’re taking the break, and in all fairness to you, I think you should go upstairs and think about your tactics. Ulliott went on to win, and the headlines the next day read, Devilfish devours the Master.

Huck Seed

Otherwise known as The Iceman for his calm demeanor at the table.

Berry Johnston

Received his nickname Numbers for his playing style. He plays a very calculated game.

Bobby Baldwin

Received his nickname The Owl from Doyle Brunson for his ability to read everyone’s cards and his thick glasses.

Scotty Nguyen

Because of his flashy clothes and jewelry and his fancy style of play Scotty was given the nickname The Prince of Poker

Ted Forrest

Has had three nicknames bestowed on him The Suicide King, The Hitman, and Spooky, for his unconventional style of play.

Barry Greenstein

Barry has become known in the poker world as The Robin Hood of Poker. He was given this nickname after donating all of his tournament winnings to charity. He has continued to donate his winnings to charity every year since 2006.

Jerry Yang

Jerry was given his nickname The Shadow by fellow players because they said he was like their shadow. He would follow them where ever they went.

Phil Laak

Has to be one of the most easily recognized players in the game. Wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt and blacked out sunglasses at the table gave him the infamous nickname of The Unabomber. Looks like murderer Ted Kaczynski when he wears a gray sweat jacket zipped all the way up, with the hood over his head, and sunglasses hiding his eyes.

Stu Ungar

One of the most famous poker players of all time is better known as Stuey. Later in his life after being gone from the poker scene for a while he was dubbed The Comeback Kid in 1997. Broke and in debt Ungar received the $10,000 buy in from fellow player Billy Baxter and went on to win the main event at WSOP.

Tom Dawn

Also known as durrr from his online poker name has been a fast rising start on the poker circuit. He has a career estimated tournament winnings around 1.4 million dollars.

Nick Dandolos

One of the pioneers of the sport Nick Dandolos better known as Nick the Greek played poker until his death in 1966. It is said that he played against Johnny Moss and said one of the best known poker quotes of all time Mr. Moss, I have to let you go. This game is said to be the start of what is now WSOP.

Texas Hold'em Poker List Of Hands

Johnny Chan

Nicknamed the Orient Express, Chan is only one of three players to win the WSOP back to back, a feat that may never be done again.

Texas Holdem Poker Hands List

TJ Cloutier

AKA the Paul Bunyon of Poker, this ex professional athlete turned poker player has had great success at the tables.

Michael Mizrachi

Gave himself the nickname The Grinder to signify his determination and competitive spirit on the felt, he’s had tremendous success on the World Poker Tour.

Texas Holdem Hands

Conclusion

Texas Holdem Poker List Of Hands And Back

As you can see, everything and everyone in Texas holdem has a few different names to go by. Once you start playing live poker you’ll quickly pick up on many of the common nicknames, but some of the more obscure ones may take a while to learn. Who knows, you might even start coming up with new nicknames of your own.