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Poker is a game that is becoming more and more both online and offline in all of its different forms. There are many different types of poker games that you can play which carry the same sort of basic principles, but for the purpose of this article we are going to focus on how the game of texas holdem works. Here is a brief explanation of how to play poker in this form.

Well, there can be more or less as many people as you like playing in a game of holdem, but rarely are you going to see a single table with more than ten people playing. The game will start when the dealer hands out two cards to each player. One play will be on the ‘button’ and this means that they are in the dealers position.

The person to the immediate left of the button will put down the small blind and then the person to their left will offer up the big blind. These blinds refer to a small amount of money or chips that need to be input before each blind is dealt out. They are intended to make sure that people are actually required to bet in order to get a pot going.

So the cards will be dealt from the bottom or dealers position, with the small blind receiving the first card and then each player clockwise receiving the next. Two cards will be dealt out in this fashion until each player has both cards which are not to be shown to anyone.

Now the betting starts. The first to bed will be the player to the left of the big blind and they have to either match or raise the bet if they want to stay in the hand with their cards.

Once that player has bet the betting will continue clockwise until everyone has either called, raised or re-raised. The players who are left will see the flop. This will be three cards face up in the middle of the table. After the flop the person that is remaining in the hand who is closest to the left of the button will then have their chance to bet again. They can also ‘check’ which means that no bet is placed.

After the turn a further betting round happens and then a final card called ‘the river’ is dealt out by the dealer. After the river each player will have all of the cards they can get in order to make their best hand using a maximum of five of the seven cards. A final round of betting will then happen with anyone left in the game and then the winner will take the pot before another hand begins.

And that, in the most basic of terms, is how texas holdem is played.

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Chip Tells

The amount of force a player uses in moving their chips to the pot can be an obvious tell (subconscious action). If the player spikes their chips (slamming down a stack past the bet line), they are more likely to have a weak hand.

Be aware that fumbling of the chips may betray inexperience at a brick and mortar casino, and not betray the fact that the player has considerable experience online. Televised poker tournaments that draw their players from online qualifiers, such as Fox Sports Net tournaments sponsored by major online poker sites, can make this very apparent with some players.

When a player makes a call or raise and they place their chips closer to themselves, they often have a strong hand. They are often subconsciously keeping their chips within easy reach to rake them back when they win. A player who uses a lot of force in tossing in the chips toward the pot, or flings them away, often has a marginal hand, because this tossing away of the chips can be because they feel they have already lost the hand and the chips as well.

Players with several denominations of chips in front of them can often give away their hand by which chips they use when betting. If they place their smaller denomination chips in the pot, subconsciously giving away their small chips and keeping their big chips for themselves, they are unsure they have the best hand. If they bet with the high denomination chips, they are not expecting to lose them. A player making a move for their chips out of turn is normally indicating that the most recent community card is an improvement.

How players maintain their chip stacks may give an insight into their style of play. Neat, organized chip stacks are often the earmark of a tight-aggressive player. Loose-aggressive players often have sloppy, irregular chip stacks. How a player cuts out the chips can also give insight into the strength of the hand. Cutting out chips is when a player separates the chips from the stack before placing them in the pot to see how many chips will remain after the bet. It is similar to the way a cowboy would cut out a calf from the herd for branding.

This is the key place to look for chip tells. A player who is unsure of the amount of chips needed for a call, or who is having trouble counting out the correct number of chips, is often unsure of the strength of his/her hand. A player counting and recounting chips may also be unsure of his/her hand’s strength. Unfortunately, playing with chip stacks is where most players go Hollywood (acting at the table, normally with a reverse tell.), so realize that the player may be using a reverse tell to fool you and the other players.

Card Tells

When a player looks at their hole cards can be a tell on their experience level. Instead of watching the other players look at their cards, many inexperienced players look at their own cards as soon as they receive them By not waiting until it is their turn to play they miss viewing possible tells other players may exhibit.

While the dealer places the community cards on the table, you should watch how other players still in the hand react. Their eyes may look to their chips, a look of pleasure may pass fleetingly over their face, or a look of disgust may show they did not hit the card they needed.

Watch for the player who rechecks their hole cards if the flop falls with several cards of the same suit. They may remember the rank of the cards, but be unsure of the suits, and be checking to see if they are on a flush draw. The same tell is possible if the flop cards are connected, since they are verifying their straight draw. Be wary of any strong bets after these tells.

Betting Tells

How quickly a player bets is often indicative of the hand they have. A fast call or raise normally signifies strength, while taking too much time can be a sign of indecision. Make sure you observe the player’s actions for a while to determine the normal speed they play their hands. Be prepared for the false tell, though, as this is an excellent place for an opponent to think long and act weak while holding a premium starting hand.

By noticing a player who always raises with large pocket pairs, you can avoid a confrontation when you hold a marginal hand. If you notice a player with a tendency to continue to bet after a pre-flop raise, then you can safely check to them when you have a big hand, knowing you can get a check raise out of them.

It is important to follow the betting patterns of your opponents through each street. Follow all hands to the river to see what they have bet and how strong their hand actually was. This information becomes invaluable the longer you play with a particular opponent, as you will be able to correlate their betting with their hole cards.

About the author: Daniel L. Cox is the editor of Poker Insider Magazine, an e-zine dedicated to poker. He is also the award-winning author of “Winning Blue-Collar Hold’em: How to Play Low-limit Ring Games and Small Buy-in Tournaments” and four upcoming books on poker. He can be found on Twitter at PokerInsiderMag, where he gives you a daily poker quote.