COMMUNITY CARDS IN TEXAS HOLD’EM

The most important person sitting at the poker table is the dealer. He is dealing the cards to the players and the community cards and is observing the game. He is the guard of the game, what he says is the rule!

After dealing the hole (starting) cards and collecting the betting chips from the poker players has the dealer to “burn” one card, calls also “BURN CARD”. This is the top card of the card deck that must be throw away with card face down, that nobody can see this one card. Then he is dealing the “FLOP” – the three first community cards. After new betting round comes the second burn card and the fourth community card called “TURN”. Next betting round begins. At the end deals the dealer the last community card called “RIVER” and the last betting round is open.

Where are the names coming from?

FLOP – is used for the “Flop games” with community cards. In Texas Hold’em Poker these are the three first cards and the dealer is flopping them over to be visible for all players at the table.

TURN – one card dealt after the second “burn card” and after the “flop” and it is the fourth community card which the dealer turns over. Maybe calling “turn” because it can turn the game or the strength of your hand.

RIVER – I didn’t find why exactly is the river called river, but the one explanation can be that the first town in North America where Poker was played was New Orleans on the Mississippi River. And maybe for this reason was the fifth community card in the Texas Hold’em, when they started to play this kind of poker in Texas, named “River” to remember the first poker place.

THE BLINDS

The BLINDS in the poker game are called “small blind” and “big blind”. Big blind has to put the minimum of betting chips into the game before the dealer deal the cards to the players at the table, “Small blind” is called small because in this position you have to invest the half Big blind. You are practically at this position already blind in the game without seeing your starting hand cards.

Since the players in the small and big blind positions must invest chips before seeing their hands (starting cards) it is quite common to see a large raise from the button position when all other players have either folded or only called. This common practice in tournaments is known as “Steeling the Blinds”. This kind of playing is more used to the end of the tournament when the blinds are already high and you have to think twice before you call a bid raise.

If there is nobody at the table involved in the present game/hand and only small blind is calling the big blind, this situation is called “Battle of the Blinds”. There are only these two opponents left playing the actual hand. 

A CHIP AND A CHAIR

This is the famous expression that goes back to a legendary poker player Jack "Treetop" Straus who went on to win the WSOP in 1982 after he lost all but one of his chips in an early day of the main event tournament and remained with only one chip and his chair at the poker table.

It is not impossible to win a game also if you are down to the last chip playing. There is always the chance to win. It is only up to you what you do with your last chip and how you invest it.

Most of the players today (mostly I see it in the online poker games) invest their last chip immediately without thinking about the hand/the cards they are playing. In a live tournament many of them are not even watching the cards they get before flop and go All In blind. That can also be a strategy, but I think it is only the last cry: “I lose”. They already gave up!

I try every time in such a situation to make the most possible to come back in the play. Once, I remember, I was in an online tournament and was down to really the minimum of chips and I also went on and won the game.

It is possible not only for Jack "Treetop" Straus to win a big tournament with only a chip left. If you have a seat (a chair) and your last chip you are still in the game and your chance to win is not even zero!

POKER FACE

“Poker face” at a poker table is really important. That means, not only your face shows no emotion, but also your whole body hides your reaction to your cards and the community cards dealt on the table.

To hide their emotion, many poker players are using sunglasses, hoodies and caps or other crazy masks or deceptive things. Most anything is allowed.

My opinion is that only the best of the best don’t use those things and don’t show their emotion or they are completely emotionless.

The psychology of the game is important. Not only not to show your emotions but also to observe your opponents how they are playing, what they are doing and which strategy they are using when they have a good cards. It is a little bit of detective work you have to do.

All these aren’t used in online poker games. There is only one possibility to know your opponents game. You have to observe their betting style, folding and playing the cards.

KING QUEEN Starting Hand

The Nicknames for this starting hand are “Marriage”, “Royalty” and “Couple”. The King-Queen suited is the 7^th best starting hand in the top list. But also this great starting hand can turn bad quickly after dealt community cards in Texas Holdem.

I played already many King-Queen starting hands, but it is one of the hands I hate. There are many of odds and possibilities at the start but only a few to the end of the hand playing. If there comes both of these cards on the board, there is for sure a hand on the table sitting that will get a straight, if there are 2 of your color cards in the flop there comes an another flush for your opponents or even when the flush comes, there is an ace high flush in the game.

Many poker players over price this hand. If you are betting too much preflop and get a call, you can be sure there is a high ace sitting and playing against your King-Queen starting hand. And if there comes an ace in the flop, what do you want to do with your King-Queen? You only can invest your chips and bet to see if your opponent has the ace. You are unlucky if you are playing against a “donk” or “fish” who both are almost calling or even raising your bet. But if you are playing against really good and experienced poker players, winning the hand depends only on your poker game “table image” and “poker face” in this kind of situation.

There are many poker players who like this starting hand. In effect the suited King-Queen starting hand gives you a good possibility to make a straight or flush, your outs are really great. Even with an ace in the flop!

For me, I am playing this hand every time in a different way, depending on the game, the opponents, the position and the stacks sitting at the table. I can’t say, and I never would teach this to a beginner poker player to raise King-Queen starting hand every single time before flop. 

 

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DONK vs. FISH

In the poker game you find many terms the poker players are using at the table. One of them is for example DONK, comes from Donkey. What does it mean? This is the frustration expression for a player who is playing without thinking, also called a “Bingo player”.

The Donk is playing without position, calls every kind of bet or raise, can’t count his pot odds (if he knows what pot odds are) or even think about the move he made.

The play of a donk is only a stupid action, his betting is:

- unexpected (don’t follow the betting behavior below),    

- risky (he is betting too much or inadequate and risks his stack or the whole game)

- egocentric (he don’t pay attention to what is happening at the table or what his opponents are doing)

A donk is not following the game or the play of the opponents. He is only there to bet and raise and get lucky to win the big pot. He is the worst PLAYER.

Another term is the FISH at the table. This expression is a synonym of DONK. Maybe they have no experience, doesn’t know the winning hands exactly and are playing really almost every hand.

There is no chance to get such players out of the hand. You can be much more experienced player, but against a FISH you can’t play good poker!

For me there is not really a difference between these two players, DONK and FISH. They are playing anything without exact to know what they are doing!

The really worst thing is, the DONK and the FISH doesn’t know they are one!