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Poker Training - Reading the Board
One of the best features of Texas Hold'em is the fact that you always know the best possible hand at any stage of the game. Preflop, when all you have are your two hole cards, a pair of aces is the best possible handIf the hand was over at that point you would always win because there's no way to beat pocket aces with only two cards. If you had pocket kings, for instance, you still would win the majority of the time because the odds
are in your favor against someone else holding pocket aces while you hold kings to the tune of 19, (or 5 to 1 ratio).
Reading the Flop
The cards that come on the flop tell you where the hand is
going. With three cards exposed you can now tell what the best
possible hand is. In most live games you'll have plenty of
opportunity to study the board.
It becomes second nature to you. Here are some sample flops to
practice calculating the best possible hand.
Examples:
1) K
K
J
Any time the flop contains a pair, the best possible hand will
be a four-of-a-kind, or a full house and if possible try to
account for one of the key cards. With no other information the
best possible hand for this flop is four kings.
If you hold a king, then you know no one else can make
four-of-a-kind and so their only shot at you is a full house.
Holding a king or a jack here makes a nut hand.
2) 7
7
5
The best possible hand here is four 7's (7 7
), trailed by 7's
full of 5's (7,5), and then 5's full of 7's (5,5).
3) 8
8
8
Its clear to see that the best possible hand here is four 8's.
8 is the nut card here. But other than the missing 8 card what
is the second and third best possibility here? Pocket aces
trailed by pocket kings which obviously would make a full house.
4) K 7
2
Any time you see three cards suited on a flop the best possible
hand will be a flush. If those three cards fall with 5 ranks of
each other than the best possibility will be a straight flush.
Holding an Ah with any other heart makes a nut hand with this
flop.
5) Q
9
7
Best possible hand is the A with any other heart.
6) 6
4
2
Think its the A with any other club? Wrong answer. Your
opponent might have 3 5 completing a straight flush. Think
harder..
7) 5
6
9
Remember that three cards on a flop within five ranks of
each other can complete a straight. For this example, holding a 7
with an 8 would make a straight.
8) A
5
3
Again, a straight is the best possibility here. Anyone holding a
2 with a 4 has the straight and cannot be beat at this point.
9) K
J
10
The best hole cards one can have with this flop are Ace and a
Queen which completes a straight. Notice that a queen and a 9
will make a straight, but they don't give you the nut straight.
10) A 9
6
No straight possibility. Best possible hand is three aces,
trailed by three 9's, and then three 6's.
11) J
9
5
No straight is possible. Best possibility is three jacks,
trailed by three 9's, then three 5's.
12) 7 4
2
The best possible cards held on this flop are pocket 7's, to
complete three 7's, aka trip 7's. Followed by pocket 4's, then
pocket 2's.
Go to pg. 2 Reading the Turn