New To Poker

Hi people, i am new to poker and basically only been playing for around two weeks now

anyway two things are really annoying me and i have read so much information from this site and other that my head is going to pop.

Firstly, Pot Odds.
I really don't understand this, i looked at the section here which explains how to work it out but it never mentions the "outs", unless i missed that, what is a outs for starters?

Secondly, Hands.
I have a good understanding on the hands in poker but when i receive my two cards, i never know if its a good starting hand or not. For example, say i get a 7(hearts) 2(spades) do i fold or do i bet (my guess would be to fold because there is not much i can do with this hand without getting a lot of luck from the flop etc)

Ok, say i get a A(hearts) 5(spades) again the same scenario, do i bet with this hand or do i fold. Maybe hold out of a A in the flop then i got myself a pair of Aces?

I am having a hard time working out if my starting hands are decent or not. At the present moment i am playing on PKR.com for play money not real but i want to start earning some money but i don't think i am ready yet, any help or direction would be excellent.

sorry for such noobie questions but i had to ask.

Regards
Raidmaster

At the present moment i am playing on PKR.com for play money not real but i want to start earning some money but i don't think i am ready yet

I think you're right. You've got a lot to learn, as you acknowledge, so don't be in a hurry to invest real money. Rather than just play cluelessly on the pretend money tables, spend some of that time reading and asking questions. Most of the poker sites have their own beginners guides; once you fully understand the hand ranks, betting rounds etc, you can start reading about why playing hands like A5 can cost you a LOT of money, and why playing hands like 72 is pretty much invariably a cast-iron no.

If you want to keep reading on FTR, try the stickies in this forum (especially mine ), and don't be afraid to ask when you aren't sure of anything. The right way to play when you're just starting out its TIGHT, i.e. you only play the best starting hands (pocket pairs, KQ and AJ upwards, basically, and fold all the rest). This means you're only playing one hand in 8, but you can still watch the other seven, see how they bet, see WHAT they bet and how things work out.

Outs: An out is a card that will change your situation in a hand from behaind to ahead. So if you have KK on a T74Q flop and your opponent shows you AA, you have two outs. One of the 2 remaining kings will put you ahead.

Pot odds: The odds the pot is laying to call. If it costs you $1 to call and the pot is $4, the pot is laying you 4-1 on your bet.

Combining: You have four flush cards after the turn. You are 4-1 to hit 1 of your 9 flush "outs". Your opponent goes all in. If the pot lays you 4-1 or better you should call.

Hands: Read the beginners stickies for these. I recommend AoKrongly's 19 hands for someone who is just starting.

thanks for the quick response.

I guess i will just have to keep reading, is there any decent books out there, not that i am saying the information on this site is useless but its always nice to have other information.

thanks.

You're right to be wary of the info on these sites - after all, a lot of these posts are tactical suggestions from inexperienced players that may or may not be less than worthless. But you can rely on the stickies - and some of them, such as the bankroll thread, are essential reading.

Most of the good books out there require a certain amount of knowledge of poker terms, which is why I encourage you to read beginners guides and glossaries you find online

ok will read the sticky at the top again and see what i come up with, i just want to get going to be honest but i know i have a lot of work to do before hand.

Do you know a decent beginners guide online, or is the one here pretty decent. Not sure if you can post hyperlinks on this forum but you could send me a PM.

thanks mate for helping me out.

Regards
Raidmaster

Raid,
First of all welcome to FTR. I know that the amount of knowledge to be learned here can be overwhelming so let me see if I can get you pointed in a good starting direction.

As gingerwizard mentioned above a good starting point that will help you understand what cards you should be playing is aokrongly's 19 starting hands - http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...oker-34753.htm This will form a good foundation for you to build off of.

Secondly, don't worry about bankroll management just yet. Stick with play money till you get comfortable with the basice, THEN read up on bankroll management when yo feel you are ready to invest some money.

Another great series to read is Renton's Small Stakes NLHE Ring Strategy. Although this is geared for ring games and not tournaments you will learn much of the lingo used in Texas Hold em in reading these posts. Look on the right side of this page - http://beginner-poker.flopturnriver.com/ for the links to his three posts.

Finally, if you have any questions or would like clarification on anything please feel free to send me a PM.

Good Luck and happy reading.

The books I have read:

Small Stakes Holdem by David Sklansky, Winning big with Expert play:

Excellent book, I'm definitely not a winner in the poker circuit, but this book improved my game tremendously. It was written i believe for limit holdem, but 90% of the concepts apply to No Limit as well.

Harrington on Holdem Vol 1:
This has to do with early tourny play, but early tourney play is very similar to cash games, as the blinds are really small compared to the stack sizes. Excellent book, I started winning SnG's at a decent rate after reading just half this book

thanks Gator i will make sure i start reading them ASAP. If i have any questions, which i reckon i will, then i'll give you a shout or post on here.

also thank you housefish, them book reference will go down well.

thanks guys.

Regards
Raidmaster

Rentons guide is good, and the preflop stuff should work ok for tourneys as well as ring so give that a read for sure. I'd also like to join in and recommend harrington on holdem 1 and 2. It's a fun read, much less dry than alot of other poker books, and it clearly explains all the important NL concepts - pot odds, position etc. Good luck at the tables.

Originally Posted by Jimmy Mac

Rentons guide is good, and the preflop stuff should work ok for tourneys as well as ring so give that a read for sure. I'd also like to join in and recommend harrington on holdem 1 and 2. It's a fun read, much less dry than alot of other poker books, and it clearly explains all the important NL concepts - pot odds, position etc. Good luck at the tables.

QFT (quoted for truth)

verywelcome, im impressed you looked for forums b4 playing

as long as your willing to learn and not steam roll in, you've got a good basis.

FTR is a brilliant sight for beginners to find their way.

Also, don't think just because you read one book your an expert, like I thought I was

I've been smoke constantly, because I 'think' i'm better than everyone i play with. You gotta yearn to seek out your weeknesses, and strive to correct them. Me and you both are learning poker, it's just biting me really hard, and don't follow my example

Originally Posted by dmg7

FTR is a brilliant sight for beginners to find their way.

QFT (Quite Fcking True)

Originally Posted by raidmaster

not that i am saying the information on this site is useless but its always nice to have other information.

There's some okay books out there, and there's nothing wrong with reading them, but don't assume there's not a ton of great knowledge on this site.

This site has more content than all the poker books combined, with real hands against real players, and has input from 10 or 20 good players on what you did was right or wrong and why.

There's more to learn on this forum than you could probably hope to learn in ten years.

Read a book? Absolutely, especially to learn about starting hands. But read it and then come right back here.

ok i have started reading Rentons guides.

first question, it mentions stuff like, "Limp all the other pairs" or " Unless they are super passive and limping in middle to early position "

what does limping or limped mean, i checked the what the hell does X mean but it only mentions open limp is this basically them same thing?

Regards
Raidmaster

Limping is putting in the minimum bet into an unraised pot.

If the big blind is say .05, limping would just be calling that bet, as opposed to raising which is a bet which is higher than the blind

thanks man!

Here's some common terms explained: you can look here for what you don't already know.

http://www.playwinningpoker.com/poker/terms/

there's probably better sites out there, just google "poker dictionary" or something.