• Trailblazers: Female poker players like Maria Ho, Jennifer Harman, and Barbara Enright who have won prestigious poker events are paving the way in the male-dominated poker industry.
• WSOP Winners: Women such as Ga?lle Baumann and Kristen Foxen have made their mark with multiple World Series of Poker (WSOP) placings, highlighting female prowess in high-stakes poker.
• Increasing Participation: While women have traditionally been underrepresented in poker tournaments, the tide is changing with more female players participating and winning significant poker tournaments.
• Female Poker Leagues: Initiatives like the Women’s Poker Association and Ladies International Poker Series augment women’s presence in poker further by facilitating female-only games and fostering support networks.
• Importance of Representation: A greater female presence in poker challenges traditional stereotypes, fosters diversity of thought and strategy, and encourages more women to participate, expanding the game’s popularity.

As a female poker player, I bring a unique perspective on the top women in the game and have had the opportunity to meet some of the greats — Kristen Foxen is just as amazing in-person as she is on TV.

I’ve also taught women’s poker classes and authored a book, A Girl’s Guide to Poker. I won a contest entry to the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event for my video saying that being feminine and good at poker aren’t mutually exclusive.

So I hope I can shed new light on some of the top female poker players in the game.

Title Image Credit: Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock

Women’s Voices in Poker

Before exploring the most famous female poker players, I want to touch on the importance of women’s voices in the poker world. When I wrote my book A Girl’s Guide to Poker, I didn’t plan for it to be gendered. I just wanted to write authentically.

It might seem ironic, considering the back cover reads: “So you want to play poker. Maybe it’s the cash. Maybe it’s the challenge. Maybe you’re turned on by guys in hoodies and sunglasses.”

But as I explain in the foreword of the book:

When I was in high school art class, we had to showcase our final portfolios. Mine didn’t have any particular theme other than getting turned in on time. But I’ll never forget what my art teacher had to say, “You can tell that every one of these pieces was made by a woman.”

Her comment completely caught me by surprise. Adding a feminine tone or touch had never crossed my mind; I was just trying to paint a picture. I was so struck by the realization it was as though she had uncovered a hidden destiny. I now knew what I wanted to create in the world: art that could say anything about everything in life — proudly said from a female point-of-view

The funny thing is that I never intended for it to be a ‘women’s poker book’ — I simply wanted to write a poker book in my own voice.

So let’s keep that in mind when evaluating the best female poker players of all time. Because my hunch is that most of them weren’t trying to ‘play like a woman,’ but just play in the best and only way they know how, as themselves.

Best Female Poker Players — Three Trailblazers

There are three women that come to mind for me as true pioneers of the game:

1. Barbara Enwright
2. Jennifer Harman
3. Vanessa Selbst

Meet Barbara

Barbara Enwright played poker before it was cool. Long before poker was televised in sports bars across America and college guys knew what a ‘flop’ was, Barbara was crushing the high stakes poker scene. She was a woman playing poker at a time when most men didn’t even play poker.

• She is a 3-time WSOP bracelet winner
• She won her first WSOP bracelet in 1986
• She is the only woman to have ever made the final table for the WSOP Main Event

She finished 5th for $114,180 in the WSOP Main Event in 1995. To this day nearly twenty years later, no woman has repeated her feat.

Barbara was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame along with Phil Hellmuth in 2007.

Meet Jennifer

When I was a kid, my dad would always love to watch High Stakes Poker on TV. And there was always one woman on the show I’d recognize — Jennifer Harman.

She will go down as one of the greatest female poker players to ever play the game.

• She has amassed $2.7 Million in live tournament earnings
• She is a 2-time WSOP bracelet winner
• She authored a chapter in Doyle Brunson’s iconic book sequel, Super System 2

Jennifer was a regular fixture in the notorious ‘big game’ in Bobby’s Room, comfortably navigating the highest stakes in Vegas. Growing-up, her visibility on high stakes poker shows and willingness to battle for pots in public will always make her a personal hero towards me.

Daniel Negreanu said, “She was the most influential person in my development as a poker player.” Jennifer was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2015.

Title Image Credit: nazarovsergey/Shutterstock

Meet Vanessa

Another one of the most famous female poker players has to be Vanessa Selbst. She was a mainstay on another iconic television show, PokerStars Big Game. To any viewer, one thing became immediately clear — Vanessa was fearless.

And her resume speaks for itself.

• She is the highest-earning female poker player of all time with $11.9 Million in live tournament winnings
• She is a 3-time WSOP bracelet winner
• She is the only woman to ever reach the #1 ranking in the world on the Global Poker Index

While Vanessa is known for her aggressive play style, she’s not as blindly bullish as she may come across. It’s fascinating to hear her thought processes. In a famous WSOP Main Event hand against another top female poker player, Ga?lle Baumann, Vanessa talks through her contemplation of folding a full house, keenly aware her opponent could have her beat.

The most fascinating insight I heard from Vanessa was a clip where she explained her table talk strategy. I will never forget what she said. Basically, she incorporated the word “bluff” as much as possible into her vocabulary — so people always assume she’s bluffing. This means even the hand doesn’t pertain to her.

For instance, when someone wins a pot, she’ll casually say, “Nice bluff!” or “Show the bluff!”— even if she knows they didn’t bluff at all. Why? The more players hear her talk about bluffing, the more likely they are to assume she’s bluffing herself, even when she holds a very strong hand.

While others are playing checkers, Vanessa is playing chess.

Best Female Poker Players — Calm, Cool, and Calculated

One of the most famous female poker players has to be Maria Ho. She has stood the test of time, and remained top of the food chain for more than a decade — including into the modern era.

Her accomplishments include:

• Nearly $5.5 Million in live tournament earnings and #4 on the all-time money list for female poker players
• In 2011, she finished in second place in a $5,000 No Limit Hold’em event for $540,020
• In 2023, she won GG Poker’s “Game of Gold” by defeating Daniel “Jungleman” Cates in a head-up match — he is currently one of the best poker players in the world

For me, the moment that changed how I saw Maria was this watergate hand where she folded a set of tens on the flop. No one could believe she folded — and she was largely ridiculed for it. But what impressed me was her defense of her decision-making. She said even if she had the best hand, which she did, she knew the math. The likelihood of her having the best hand by the river was a little bit better than a coin flip.

It was a new, fascinating, ‘play the long game’ perspective. Maria had the foresight and discipline to proverbially lose the battle in order to win the war.

While onlookers underestimated her as timid and cowardly, assuming she folded because she thought she was beat, Maria was two steps ahead and outplayed them all. Her results prove this.

Maria Ho’s steely demeanor and strategic discernment secure her place as one of the top female poker players of all time.

Title Image Credit: Roman LightField Studios/Shutterstock

Best Female Poker Players — Next Generation Talent

No list in the 2020s would be complete without the mention of Kristen Foxen. She previously went by her maiden name Kristen Bicknell before marrying Alex Foxen — one of the modern legends of poker with $32,959,074 in recorded live tournament earnings. They are poker’s true power couple.

Kristen has $8,321,809 in recorded live poker tournament earnings herself… and counting. This year she was the ‘last woman standing’ in the 2024 WSOP Main Event until her elimination in 13th place out of more than 10,000 entrants. (Maria Ho currently holds the record for being the last woman standing three different times in 2007, 2014, and the 2020 online version).

As someone who has personally met Kristen, it’s all the more exciting to see her succeed. She is skyrocketing to the top in an environment where poker is harder than ever — and does it with a mix of ferocity and grace. She’s a tough competitor but also warm and the type of person who gives everyone the time of day. In my view, she’s a role model through and through.

Playing Like a Girl

Another book excerpt:

When I first spoke to a female poker pro about writing A Girl’s Guide to Poker, she liked the idea, but wanted to make sure it wasn’t… well… stupid. (I believe her word was “diminutive”).

“Like pink razors?” I replied.

“Exactly.”

Not that anything is wrong with pink razors in theory, but anyone who has ever used a standard drug store pink blade knows they are dull, cheap, and low quality. A Girl’s Guide needed to be different.

Feminine, but also sharp.

A Girl’s Guide to Poker is clearly told in a woman’s voice. It’s fun. It’s flirty. It’s upbeat. It’s unapologetically female in style — not in substance. The content is just as hefty as any traditional man’s poker book. Because female doesn’t mean “lite”.

Fewer women play poker, and for many reasons. Casinos are a boys’ club, practicing poker online is anti-social, girls aren’t encouraged to be as competitive and so on. I’d say the main reason, however, is that the game isn’t inclusive to beginners.

You can’t learn poker overnight.

Learning poker is like learning a language – it takes everyday practice. And whereas guys have frat parties and camping trips and military missions and beer games to practice gradually, casually, and safely, I’ve never had a girlfriend invite me to a poker game. Ever.

Most men and women who play poker learned from someone else. And if you weren’t in groups who played poker, you were basically S.O.L.

That’s why women role models are so important.

Learning about the greats and the ‘best’ female poker players isn’t a vanity exercise — it’s critical for getting more women into the game. Currently less than 4% of the WSOP Main Event is women — and on the decline.

See this graph from poker reporter Jennifer Newell, another wonderful woman in this industry. The numbers are bleak.

We need more women in this industry to pave the way for future female greats. One of my favorite parts of poker is that you meet people from all walks of life — different cities, jobs, and politics.

In a time where our world is more divided than ever — including across gender lines — sitting around at the poker table is a meaningful act of coming together.

Title Image Credit: Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock

• A flush draw in online poker is when a player has four cards of the same suit and needs just one more of that suit to complete a flush.
• Recognizing a flush draw is critical as it can potentially lead to a strong poker hand if the fifth card of the same suit is dealt.
• There are two main types of flush draws: the “nut flush draw,” which includes the Ace of the suit, and the “non-nut flush draw,” which does not.
• Deciding when to bet, call, or fold in a flush draw scenario depends on several factors, such as table position, pot odds, and your read on other players.
• A flush draw strategy is a dynamic part of casino poker gameplay that requires careful assessment of risk and reward, adding an extra layer of excitement to the game.

When I used to teach beginner’s poker classes, I liked to kick-off by asking if anyone had already played poker before. A handful of people would raise their hands.

“Keep your hand up,” I’d say, “if you’ve ever heard of a royal flush.”

Everyone’s hand would remain up in the air.

“Now keep your hand up if you’ve ever hit a royal flush,” I’d ask them — and inevitably, almost everyone’s hand would drop straight down. The answer was nearly no one.

So why are we talking about ‘royal flushes’ in an article that is supposed to teach you how to play a flush draw? This is actually lesson #1 — while the promise and possibility of making a flush is always on top of every poker player’s mind, the probability of hitting one is actually much lower.

There’s a thin line between ‘flush draws’ and ‘flush dreams.’

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What is a Flush Draw in Poker?

Let’s start at the beginning. What is a flush draw in poker?

• What’s a flush in Texas Hold ‘em? A flush happens when you have five cards of the same suit. For example, you could have two spades in your hand and the board has three spades.

• What a flush draw in poker? A standard flush draw means you only need one more card to complete your flush. In this case, perhaps you have two spades in your hand and the board has two spades, meaning you only need one more spade.

Different Types of Poker Flush Draws

To truly master ‘what is a flush draw,’ you’re also going to want to understand the different variations.

• Nut flush: a poker ‘nut flush’ is the best possible flush any player can have. Usually this means the ace-high flush, but it can also indicate a ‘straight flush,’ where five cards are the same suit but also consecutive. (Ex. 2-3-4-5-6)
  • A ‘nut flush draw’ refers to the possibility of hitting the nut flush. You will commonly hear players say, “I flopped the nut flush draw!” The nut flush is particularly important because it can beat other players’ lower flushes. A player holding A2 will beat a player holding KQ on 2-7-J-5-6 because they have hit the nut flush. This is very unlucky for Player #2, because they have hit the second-nut-flush! (One rank lower than the nut flush).

• Runner-runner/backdoor flush: Normally people only talk about flush draws when they only need to hit one card of a suit to make their hand. But you can also hit a flush with two cards… although this is much rarer. Perhaps you have 89 and the flop is AKQ. In order to make a flush, both of the next cards would need to be a diamond. It’s a sneaky proposition known as going for ‘runner-runner’ or a ‘backdoor’ flush draw.

Identifying Flush Draw Opportunities – Learning the Mathematics

There are three times when you can spot a flush draw opportunity: before the flop, on the flop, and on the turn.

Before The Flop

If you are dealt two cards of the same suit, you are more likely to hit a flush, right? This is true… but it’s also a trap! Beginners tend to overestimate the value of their hand when they’re dealt two ‘suited’ cards (ex. Two diamonds, two clubs, etc.)

Do NOT play any two cards simply because they are suited

As a matter of fact, ‘suited’-ness only makes your hand 2-3% better.

Playing a hand just because it’s suited will get you in lots of trouble… and cause you to lose lots of money over time. A hand like K7 may look good, but don’t be fooled — it’s a losing proposition.

The biggest rookie mistake a new poker player can make is playing too many hands. For more on which hands you should play, take a look at one of our cheat sheets.

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On The Flop

The greatest chance you will have at making a flush is on the flop. You may even ‘flop’ a flush — but again, this is rarer than you may think.

The likelihood of flopping a flush is 1 out of 118 times.

Ouch. That’s not good. But our memories deceive us — it’s easy to think of that one time you did flop a flush, and play any two suited cards again in hopes of repeating. Don’t do it. That vast majority of the time, your cards will miss.

What you find, however, is that you don’t flop a flush… but flop a flush draw.

This is usually worth sticking around and calling a reasonable bet. What does the math say? If you’re on the flop and only need one more card to complete your flush, the likelihood of it happening on the turn or river card is 36%. That’s intriguing — especially if you can win a big pot. But don’t go broke chasing flushes.

Unless there’s an exorbitant amount of money in the middle — boosting your ‘pot odds’ — you shouldn’t gamble your whole stack trying to hit something that will complete 36% of the time at best (assuming none of the cards that make your flush will make one of your opponents an even higher hand, like a full house).

On The Turn

Let’s say you’ve made it to the turn and you still only need one more card… but now things are getting dicey. It was 36% to hit your hand on the flop because we assumed you would get to see both the turn and river card.

Now you only have one card left to save your hand — and your odds drop in half.

The likelihood now of you hitting your flush has dropped to merely 18%.

Unless you’re getting a great price to see the river card — you only need to call a very small bet — you should often fold here. Sometimes we need to cut our losses.

What about a backdoor flush draw?

If you have a backdoor flush draw on the flop, your chance of hitting it is only 4%. This is why you usually want to ignore backdoor flush draws unless you have other draws with them to improve your mathematical equity.

Image credit: Kitreel/Shutterstock

How do I Use Flush Draw Math to my Strategic Advantage?

Now that we know the math, there are key gameplay adjustments we can make.

1. Be disciplined in hand selection. Do not play a hand just because the cards are the same suit.
2. Recognize that trying to hit flush draws is gambling (36% at best). Only call bets when you have a flush draw when you’re getting a good price — the bet size to continue is cheap, or the pot size you can win is large enough to make the gamble worth it (‘pot odds’).
3. Play ‘in-position’. When you are ‘in-position’ during a hand, meaning you get to act last, you can often check back and see the next card for free.
4. Learn to bluff. Even if your flush draw misses, effective bluffing can scare your opponents into a fold, and you win the hand regardless.
5. Price-out your opponents. If you believe one of your opponents is trying to outdraw you by hitting a flush, you can bet large to make it very expensive for them.

Final Thoughts: Maximizing Your Flush Draw Opportunities

Most beginners overvalue flush draws. It’s a major leak.

If you’re new to poker, your first priority should be learning exactly which cards to play, a ‘preflop chart’, followed by grasping mathematical outcomes.

What you will find is that suited hands probably played too big a part of your game. While chasing a flush can be tempting, the odds are usually not in your favor.

There are exceptions. Sometimes the bet size is incredibly cheap, or the pot size is so enormous it’s worth the risk. As you get more sophisticated in your poker game, you will also be able to use position to your advantage and play flush draws aggressively — allowing you to bluff your way out of situations when your cards don’t hit.

As a starting point, focus on understanding the different types of flush draws and their chances of hitting so you can make smarter decisions. Be selective with your hands, only chase draws when the odds are good, and use strategic betting to your advantage (and your opponents’ detriment).

Poker is about making the right choices. Knowing when to go for a flush or when to fold can greatly impact your success… and transform your win-rate.

• Heads Up poker is a thrilling form casino game played between just two players, requiring a unique strategy and understanding of your opponent’s tendencies.
• Position is paramount in Heads Up poker. The player on the button acts first pre-flop but last post-flop, creating strategic implications.
• The range of poker hands you play should be wider in Heads Up poker. Even hands considered weak in full-ring games can be strong heads up.
• Observing and adapting to your opponent’s patterns in video poker or at the casino and playing style is essential to success in a one-on-one match.
• In Heads Up poker, aggression often pays off. Players need to be prepared to bet and raise frequently to exert pressure on their opponents.

Are you looking to play – and master – heads up poker? You’re in the right place. Brace yourself for one of the purest, most iconic, and volatile forms of No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em.

How to Play Heads Up Poker: The Basics

To get started with the poker table positions:

• Place a ‘button’ marker in front of one player. This can be any object — an empty deck of cards box, a cup, an eraser, a lucky rabbit’s foot. As long as it’s easily visible to both players, you can use it as your button.
• The button player will act as the ‘small blind’. Player two will act as the ‘big blind.’
• If the game is $1/$2 for example, the player on the button would pay $1 and their opponent would pay $2 before any of the cards are dealt.
• The button player acts first preflop, and the big blind acts last post flop.
• Rotate the button each hand.

What is The Difference Between Heads Up Poker And Ring Games

The main differences between heads up and ring games are as follows. Typical ‘ring games’ will have a full table of players. (Online poker tables are usually six-handed and live casinos generally seat 8 or 9 players per table.)

Because you are not waiting for an entire table of people to make their decisions, heads up poker is much faster. You will see many more hands when you play heads up than when you are in a full ring game. Strategically, ring games require patience. Heads up requires aggression.

Breaking Down the Poker Jargon

‘The button player acts first preflop, and big blind acts last postflop’ — huh? What does this mean?

I’ll simplify the poker jargon for you. Here’s an example.

1. You and your friend are playing $0.25/$0.50 heads up poker.
2. You are on the button which is always simultaneously the small blind and pay $0.25.
3. Your friend in the big blind pays $0.50.
4. You are each dealt your two private hole cards face-down. In this scenario, you are dealt a fantastic pair of aces!
5. You raise to $1.50.
6. Your friend calls the $1.50. Since they already have $0.50 invested, they only need to contribute $1.00 more.
7. The flop — three public, face-up community cards — is dealt. In this case, the flop reveals: 26A
8. Wow! You’ve hit three-of-a-kind! But it’s your friend’s turn first. You must wait for them to make a decision. Your friend opts to check (no bet).
9. Now it’s your turn. You bet $2.00.
10. Your friend folds.

Do you see how you made the first decision before the cards were dealt? But after the cards were dealt, it was your friend’s turn first? This is the sequence of heads up poker… and then you rotate positions after the completion of the hand.

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Practicing Your Heads Up Poker Skills

What if you’re thinking, ‘Help! I’m still lost!’ or ‘I don’t have any friends!’ Don’t fear — technology is here.

Free video poker is a great way to practice and learn how to play heads up poker without worrying about all the set-up, sequencing, and positioning. The apps will take care of that for you.

I highly recommend beginners start digitally when possible. A computer will deal cards at least 3x faster than a human, so you will master the gameplay mechanics at a much higher speed. You also don’t need to waste brain space on small blind/big blind logistics. These come much more intuitively when cards are automatically dealt to you and this prevent confusing mistakes.

Even if you have a friend who is excited for two player poker, you may still want to start by playing versus each other on video poker. Shuffling cards and counting bets manually gets old quickly.

Why is Heads Up Poker Strategy More Aggressive?

Good question — let’s explain this conceptually. When you are seated at a table with eight other players, there is a good chance someone has been dealt a very good hand. Perhaps even two people have. Or three. There is a high likelihood that your hand will be beat. Again, you need to best all the other players.

Compare this to when you play heads up, where you are only faced with one opponent. Is it more or less likely your hand will win?

Much more likely. Why? The reason is that you only need to beat one player as opposed to eight players.

How Does This Impact Your Poker Strategy?

Since it’s less likely to have been dealt the worst hand before the flop, you can adjust by playing a wider variety of cards. As it’s less likely for either of you to have made a very strong hand after the flop, you can call bluffs more often and bluff more yourself.

As a theoretical example, you should generally not try to bluff five people. Someone is bound to have a very strong holding. But bluffing one person? That is a much easier task. In heads up, you only need to convince one person to fold as opposed to an entire table.

Image Credit: Vlasov Yevhenii/Shutterstock

What is a ‘Good Hand’ in Heads Up Poker?

Even though the heads up poker rules are still the same, what qualifies as a ‘good hand’ differs wildly.

Building upon the section above, if you want to defeat, let’s say, three opponents, you need to feel pretty confident in your holding. You need to have really strong cards that can best multiple people.

When playing heads up, however, a measly pair is often a pretty good hand. You only need to best one other person, and their cards might not have hit anything. This means the definition of a strong hand changes. Something as simple as a pair is often good enough to beat one random hand, but rarely good enough to beat several.

A Casino Game is Not Your Home Game

A cautionary tale — before you learn how to play poker in heads up format. Many people start learning how to play poker by practicing in a two player format with their family or friends — then they go to a casino and get torn apart. They are dumbfounded as to how they keep losing.

This is because what constitutes a good hand has changed. Yes, a high pair or three-of-a-kind will probably win against your dad or sibling when playing one-on-one. But don’t be surprised when you go to a casino betting on your pair of kings — only to find your opponents flipping over straights and flushes.

Beware of learning how to play head up poker as your starting point because the threshold for a good hand is much lower. What is good enough to win against two or three players will likely not cut it versus a big group. Keep this in mind when you transition from playing heads up at your kitchen table to live at the casino.

Why Should You Learn to Play Heads Up Poker?

I hope I’ve sufficiently scared you in the previous section. Too many people lose their money and have a terrible first time transitioning to a casino because their idea of relative hand strength is skewed. They ‘overvalue’ their hands.

For this reason, I actually recommend beginners do not start by playing heads up. You can use those same apps, computer programs, and online casinos to practice playing full ring poker at home. Should you even learn to play heads up poker at all? Honestly, it depends.

If your ambition is to play recreational home games or cash games at a casino, learning how to play heads up poker may do you more harm than good. Heads up poker reinforces bad habits and false feedback that too many hands are valuable when they’re not. Playing heads up poker may lure you into a false sense of security where you overvalue your relative hand strength.

Image Credit: Vlasov Yevhenii/Shutterstock

The Benefits of Learning Heads Up Poker

There are just three major reasons why I would recommend playing heads up:

1. People skills: Since you are only battling against one other person, you are more able to capture a ‘tell’ or get a read. (This includes playing online by the way — even when you cannot visually see your opponent, timing tells do exist.) Heads up poker can sharpen your ability to read another and maintain your own poker face.
2. Creativity and bluff frequency: If you’re nervous about playing poker and the idea of bluffing makes your stomach drop, then heads up is a great way to practice. The lower likelihood of your opponent having a strong hand encourages you to play more creatively and make bold moves. Bluffing heads-up is less risky than in a full-ring game due to fewer players potentially holding strong hands.
3. Tournaments: If you intend to play poker tournaments, you need to know how to play heads up. Tournaments play down to a winner —- when the field narrows to the final few players, you want to be comfortable playing in the bluffier, looser style in order to close the deal.

Taking Advantage of Heads Up Insecurities

Many local casinos have daily tournaments which will usually not play down to a winner. Instead, the players will propose a ‘chop’ — dividing the winnings proportionately by chip stack. For example, the person with the biggest stack will earn close to the first place payout.

Most players will favor a chop deal because they are afraid to play heads up. You can exploit this. They will likely not have experience or confidence in playing heads up poker. Just knowing the two basic strategic principles will give you a huge advantage:

1. Play more hands: You are much more likely to have a good hand when faced with fewer opponents.
2. Bluff more frequently: Your opponent is much less likely to have a hand good enough to call you with.

Lowering your threshold of what constitutes a good hand underlines all heads up strategy.

Also keep in mind that when someone proposes a chop, it’s not decided by a majority vote. Everyone at the final table could vote in favor of a chop except one person —- and the deal is off. It only takes one objection. Since so many people are insecure about playing heads up, you can use this to your advantage.

Win Without Actually Playing

I once found myself at the final table of a daily poker tournament at a local casino. With six players remaining, I was fourth in chips. The others suggested an ‘ICM’ chop, offering me a payout close to fourth place. I countered that I was happy to agree to a chop… if I was offered second-place prize money.

They laughed, then they screamed. They were furious — how could I propose such a thing? How could I be so audacious? Well, I knew that their eagerness to make a deal and resistance to playing heads up was something I could use to my advantage. A few minutes later, they reluctantly agreed.

Their fear of playing heads up and my confidence in the format allowed me to successfully drive a hard bargain, and secure a juicy second place prize.

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Final Strategy Shift: The Math Changes

We now know that everything in heads up poker strategy is driven by the fact that it’s less likely you’re up against a strong hand. This means you should play more hands and bluff more frequently. Since your opponent will likely employ the same heads up poker strategy changes, you might want to call down their bets lighter.

You also need to be aware that the math shifts too.

When you play heads up, you want to avoid chasing too many draws like flushes or straights. The reason why is that your ‘pot odds’ are almost always going to be worse.

An Example of The Math Changing

Let’s say someone bets $10 and four people call. There is now $50 in the middle just from the flop round alone, and you are faced with a decision with a flush draw. Should you call the $10? Absolutely — you are calling $10 to win a pot of what will be over $60 (their $50 bets + your $10 + any preflop money). That’s a great price!

A flush draw will complete around 36% of the time — so you’re getting great odds to draw. (Read more on poker probabilities in my cheat sheets here or purchase my book A Girl’s Guide to Poker.)

Since more people participated in the hand, there’s more money in the middle. You are thereby more incentivized to ‘chase’ your big draw. Because if you win, you will 6x your money! That should entice you to take the 36% gamble!

But now let’s say you’re playing heads up, and your opponent has bet $10. You now have to call $10 to win a pot that so far totals maybe a little over $20 (their $10 + your $10 + preflop bets). A 2x return on your money isn’t as appealing as a 6x return now, is it? In this case, the 36% gamble doesn’t look as fun at all.

Instead focus on ‘made hands’ that are already completed rather than draws. Because, hey, as you now know, when you play heads up poker, even a pair can be pretty good.

• Poker table positions, sometimes known as poker poses, are vital as they influence your decisions and potential profits in a game. They can broadly be divided into early, middle, and late positions.
• Early poker positions, like the small blind, big blind, and the under the gun poker position are less desirable as they offer less information about other players’ actions.
• Middle poker positions provide a bit more information than early positions, but players still need to be cautious about the actions of those in late positions.
• Late poker positions, like the button and the cut-off, are the most beneficial as players have the most information at their disposal before they need to act.
• The understanding and effective use of poker table positioning can help players make more calculated bets, poker bluffs, and overall strategic decisions, improving their chances of success.
• Playing free video poker is an excellent way to experience playing from all the different poker positions and sharpen your game!

Poker table positions refer to where each player is seated at a casino poker table. A player’s position at the poker table determines when they can act during the game.

The same applies when playing online poker or video poker. Each seat at the table corresponds to a different position. Understanding the concept of position in poker is absolutely critical to your success in the game.

In this guide, we’ll be taking a deep dive into the different poker positions, what they mean to your game, and how to play from each position.

What Are The Poker Table Positions?

At a typical poker table, there are nine different positions – determined by your proximity to the ‘Dealer Button.’ Poker table positioning rotates clockwise after each hand is finished, meaning you will have the opportunity to play in all positions around a poker table. You might hear or see the positions abbreviated as poker slang too (ex. in poker Under the Gun is “UTG”).

1. SMALL BLIND (SB)
2. BIG BLIND (BB)
3. UNDER THE GUN (UTG)
4. UNDER THE GUN + 1 (UTG+1)
5. MIDDLE POSITION (MP)
6. LOJACK (LJ)
7. HIJACK (HJ)
8. CUT-OFF (CO)
9. BUTTON (BU)

Remember that these are all in relation to where the Dealer Button is located (it will usually look like a small circle… in Canada, they call it the ‘puck’!). Small blind is immediately left of the Dealer Button… BB is to their left… UTG is to their left… UTG+1 is to their left… and so on.

The Poker Positions Explained

Let’s get into a little more detail with each of these poker position names to answer the question, what is position in poker?

SMALL BLIND (SB)

This player sits directly to the left of the button and places a mandatory bet before the flop, known as a BLIND bet. It’s called a blind bet because it must be placed without viewing your cards. The SMALL BLIND bet is smaller than the BIG BLIND bet. For example, in a $1/$2 poker game, the SMALL BLIND must put in $1 preflop.

Small Blind Strategy: Play the SMALL BLIND very conservatively, as it is a significant disadvantage to be in this position. Fold frequently.

BIG BLIND (BB)

This player sits directly to the left of the SMALL BLIND and places a larger mandatory bet before the flop.

Big Blind Strategy: In cash games, play this position conservatively and fold unless you have a very good hand, as you have to act first after the flop. In tournaments, you may need to play a wider variety of hands since the big blind can represent a significant portion of your chip stack.

For example, if you have 10,000 chips and the big blind is 2,500 chips, folding before the flop would be costly, so players often ‘defend’ their big blind with a wider range of hands.

UNDER THE GUN (UTG)

This player sits directly to the left of the BIG BLIND and must act first before the flop. All eyes are on them and it’s a high pressure predicament — hence the term “under the gun!”

Under the Gun In Poker Strategy: The UTG player is at a disadvantage because they must decide to raise or fold preflop without knowing what the other players will do. Making good decisions is easier with information about opponents’ hands. Even after the flop, the UTG player still acts relatively early. Fold often and only play the top 10% of your best poker hands.

UNDER THE GUN+1 (UTG1)

This player sits directly to the left of UTG and faces similar pressure as UTG due to the early position.

Poker Under the Gun+1 Strategy: Play tight and lean towards folding. Aim to play only the top 10-15% of hands, folding all others.

MIDDLE POSITION (MP), LOJAK (LJ), HIJACK (HJ)

Positions from MIDDLE POSITION through HIJACK are played similarly in poker.

Middle Position – Hijack Strategy: You can play approximately 20-25% of hands from these seats. Middle table positioning can be challenging due to being sandwiched between players, making it hard to extract value when you hit a hand.

For instance, if you bet after the first player checks on the river and another player is yet to act, it becomes obvious you likely have a strong hand like a straight or flush. To counter this, some advanced players choose to re-raise from these positions to encourage folds from players behind and avoid being trapped between opponents or “stuck in the middle.”

CUT-OFF (CO)

The CUT-OFF (CO) is the seat just before the button, making it the second best of the positions around a poker table.

Cut-Off Strategy: Unlike earlier positions where folding is often the safest choice, in the CO you should lean towards raising if no one has raised before you. There are only three players left to act after you, making it less likely one of them has a very strong hand.

Compare this to the UTG player who has to worry about eight people potentially waking up with a premium holding. In the CO, you can, and should, raise liberally.

BUTTON (BU)

The BUTTON (BU) is the best position in poker, marked by a circular button-shaped object.

Button Strategy: If no one has raised before you, feel free to raise with approximately 50% of your hands (some players even raise more than 60% of their dealt hands in this scenario!). Players are more likely to re-raise (three-bet) from the button because they know they will have positional advantage throughout the hand.

Not only do you face fewer opponents behind you, but you also maintain position over them throughout the hand, as the SMALL BLIND and BIG BLIND act before the button post-flop. Your positional control continues.

In addition to encountering fewer threats, you generally have opportunities for larger payouts when on the BUTTON because you can dictate bet sizes when other players check to you. These are some of the standout reasons why it’s the best position in poker.

How to Remember Poker Position Names

The poker position names have more logic than some people may think. For instance, blinds are named as such because players place these bets without seeing their cards, essentially betting blind. Similarly, in poker UNDER THE GUN seems to have got its name because of the high risk of making mistakes from that position.

My favorite of the poker position names — and a great tool for having the poker positions explained — is the series of HJ, CO, and BU. Many people are not aware that these poker position names are sequential.

• The BUTTON typically raises.
• The CUT-OFF, knowing this, acts before them and raises first, CUTTING THEM OFF.
• The HIJACK, also aware of the plan, HIJACKS their move and raises ahead of them!

It’s a playful way to remember these poker position names while also teaching an important lesson about strategy.

Image Credit: Kitreel/Shutterstock

What is The Best Position in Poker?

A simpler way of looking at the positions around a poker table is they are ranked in reverse order. Here they are from the worst to the best position in poker:

• SMALL BLIND (SB)
• BIG BLIND (BB)
• UNDER THE GUN (UTG)
• UNDER THE GUN + 1 (UTG+1)
• MIDDLE POSITION (MP)
• LOJACK (LJ)
• HIJACK (HJ)
• CUT-OFF (CO)
• BUTTON (BU)

Again the emphasis falls on the BUTTON. It’s an extremely profitable table position both due to reduced threats from players behind them and the ability to get paid off greater amounts. This makes it, arguably, the best of the positions around a poker table.

Remember that when everyone checks to you while you’re on the BUTTON, you have the advantage of choosing the bet size. The same logic applies if someone bets before you and you decide to raise — you have the advantage of acting after them, allowing you to control the betting amount.

How To Group Poker Table Positions

Plainly speaking, hearing terms like LOJACK and HIJACK at a poker table is quite rare. Usually players group the poker position names into three general terms: EARLY POSITION, MIDDLE POSITION, and LATE POSITION.

Strategically this makes things easier. Play tight in EARLY POSITION, standard in MIDDLE POSITION, and loose in LATE POSITION.

These are not hard lines, some are borderline or debatable, but this is how they’re organized:

Early Poker Position

• SMALL BLIND (SB)
• BIG BLIND (BB)
• UNDER THE GUN (UTG)

Middle Poker Position

• UNDER THE GUN + 1 (UTG+1)
• MIDDLE POSITION (MP)
• LOJACK (LJ)

Late Poker Position

• HIJACK (HJ)
• CUT-OFF (CO)
• BUTTON (BU)

Image Credit: Rawpixel/Shutterstock

Why Is Poker Positioning So Important?

Instead of focusing on the advantages of being ‘in position,’ it’s crucial to understand the drawbacks of being ‘out of position’ in poker.

Playing out of position poker puts you at a disadvantage.

When you’re out of position, you lack the advantage of seeing your opponents’ actions first, leading to more uncertainty and guesswork. You’re playing with incomplete information about your opponents’ hands and intentions, while they have a clearer picture of your actions.

Do your opponents love their hand? Hate it? It’s more unclear — you’re playing poker with less information. But they have that information on YOU.

If You’re Out of Position You Have Less Control

The bigger issue of being out of position in poker is the loss of control. You can’t easily check back or take advantage of betting when opponents check to you, which affects your ability to dictate the pace and size of the pot.

Controlling bet sizes may sound trivial — but is actually critical. Not every hand can be a winner in poker. You must ensure that your wins compensate for the hands you lose, which requires maximizing your profits with strong hands. If you’re not getting sufficient value from your good hands, you’ll go broke with your weak hands.

A true measure of an expert player isn’t just winning, but winning by a significant margin. Playing out of position poker makes achieving these high win rates nearly impossible.

Why? Because it strips away control. The BUTTON is revered as the best position in poker because it puts you firmly in control of the action.

Poker Table Positions FAQ

To make sure you have a complete understanding of the various poker positions and their importance, here are some of the most common questions about poker table positioning and the answer you need:

What is Position in Poker?

Position in poker refers to where a player sits in relation to the dealer button. It is a major strategic factor in poker games as it affects the order in which players act during hands. The later you have to act in a round of betting, the more information you have about your opponents’ actions, making it a more advantageous position.

What is Out of Position in Poker?

In poker, being “out of position” means that you have to act before your opponent during a betting round. This is typically a disadvantage as you have to make your decisions with less information about your opponent’s hand compared to if you were in position.

What is Under the Gun in Poker?

“Under the gun” is a term in poker that refers to the player who must act first in a betting round. This position is immediately to the left of the big blind in games like Texas Hold’em and Omaha. Being under the gun is considered challenging as it requires a player to act without any knowledge of how others might play their hands. 

What is The Hijack Position in Poker?

The hijack position in poker is the place two seats to the right of the dealer button, or one seat to the right of the ‘cut-off.’ It’s called the hijack because this position often ‘hijacks’ the advantageous late positions of the cut-off and the button by making a raise, thus putting pressure on them.

What is Lojack in Poker?

The “lojack” position in poker is the place three seats to the right of the dealer button. This spot is typically referred to as the early-middle position at a full poker table. Being in the lojack, you have more information from the actions of the early position players, allowing for more refined decision-making.

Putting Yourself In Position To Win

The ultimate goal in poker is not just to win, but to win by a good margin. When you’re in a strong position, you have more opportunities to outsmart your opponents and capitalize on your strong hands. It’s about playing smart, using your position wisely, and knowing when to push your advantage.

So, whether you’re new to poker or looking to improve your game, understanding and using position effectively can make or break your career. It’s not just about the cards you’re dealt — it’s about where you sit at the table and how you use that to your advantage.

If you’re still getting a feel for in position vs out of position poker, that’s OK — and totally normal! Leveraging the positions around a poker table takes time. Just be aware that even if poker positions remain a blind spot for you, that doesn’t mean their power doesn’t exist.

If you’re just beginning to learn poker strategy, our poker cheat sheets are a great place to start!

Think of the famous poker adage: If you don’t know who the sucker is at a poker table, it’s you. Similarly, if you don’t know if you’re being exploited by playing out of position in poker, you are.

• ICM, or Independent Chip Model, is a mathematical model used in poker to calculate a player’s overall equity in a tournament.
• The model is essential in tournament play, especially during final table and bubble play, where it helps calculate the real monetary value of a player’s chip stack.
• ICM considers factors such as the total chips in play, the payout structure, and the player’s current chip stack to calculate the expected payout or equity.
• Understanding and utilizing the ICM can greatly influence strategies, particularly when deciding whether to risk one’s tournament life.
• While ICM is a valuable tool in decision-making, it also has limitations and doesn’t account for variables such as player skill levels and blinds. Use it as part of a broader strategic framework.

If you play poker tournaments, either online or at your local casino, it’s crucial to understand poker ICM, or the Independent Chip Model. While it might sound like technical jargon, knowing ICM poker strategies – and what does ICM mean for your poker strategy – is incredibly valuable.

Let me explain.

How is The Independent Chip Model Used in Poker Tournaments?

The first thing you need to know about ICM poker is that it only applies to tournaments and online poker tournaments. Not cash games.

When you’re playing poker, you want to ask yourself what is the best decision mathematically. Am I getting a good price to complete my flush draw? Straight draw? Gutshot? Do I think I likely have the best poker hand? When you’re playing a poker tournament, however, you want to ask yourself two questions:

• What is the best mathematical decision I can make?
• How will this decision impact my position in the tournament?

It’s the second question that changes everything – and gets to the heart of ICM poker model.

For example, let’s say you’re getting excellent pot odds to draw for a flush. The math tells you to call, even if it’s for your entire stack. In a cash game, you should always take this opportunity because you can profitably win money; if you miss your flush draw, you can easily rebuy.

Now let’s say you’re a big stack in a poker tournament or online poker tournament and there are only five people left. According to the ICM model in poker, you would not want to take this opportunity because it would jeopardize your position.

The chips you would lose are worth more than the chips you would gain. Said another way, the benefit of going from second or third in chips to first in chips is not worth the risk of elimination.

What is ICM in Poker?

ICM means adjusting your decision-making to your ranking in the tournament rather than the value of your hand.

Here’s another crazy example.

• Imagine there are three people left in an online casino poker tournament.
• You’re tied for the chip-lead. The person in third place is very short-stacked.
• Your fellow big stack goes all-in — and you look down at a shiny pair of pocket jacks.

What do you do here?

• In a normal three-player cash game, you would almost always call. It’s highly unlikely your opponent has a better hand than you, especially with so few players.
• But in a poker tournament where you need to factor in poker ICM, you should fold.

Why? Because even if you have a better hand than your opponent, it’s not worth the risk. Perhaps they have Ace-Ten, where you’re a nearly 70% favorite. Or a pair of threes, where your equity is closer to 80 percent. Doesn’t matter. The 20-30% of the time that they will outdraw you poses too great a threat to your chip stack.

Image Credit: Kitreel/Shutterstock

A Real Life Example of Extreme ICM

I once put someone to the ultimate poker ICM test. I was at the final two tables of a $350 tournament, fewer than 20 people remained. First prize was over $30,000. I was second place in chips.

Only one person had more chips than me — had me ‘covered’ — and he raised preflop. I called with a pair of nines. The player in the big blind was a short-stack and went-all in. The then chip-leader called.

I decided to go all-in to isolate the short-stack, figuring my pair of nines could likely beat one player but would struggle against two.

The chip leader was outraged, visibly distressed, and asked for an exact count of my stack. We were incredibly close. After someone called ‘time’ on him, he finally called… with pocket aces.

Why the hesitation? With a pair of aces?! Because of ICM. Even though he was an 80% favorite against almost any hand I had, it was still an enormous risk. Eighty percent of the time, he would win the pot and increase his chip lead. But 20% of the time, he would finish with just over a min-cash and a meager profit margin.

Mathematically, he should always call. But ICM poker made him think twice.

Strategies For Utilizing Poker ICM

Short stack IMC poker strategy

Since you don’t have much to lose, you can play more freely and aggressively. When you’re low on chips, ICM poker doesn’t really apply since there is no ‘expected payout value’ to deserve.

Medium stack IMC poker strategy

you need to keep an eye on stack sizes at all times. If you’re at a final table and in the middle of the pack, it would be a disaster to get eliminated before a short stack. You have to play much tighter in hopes that a smaller stack will bust — earning you a higher payout.

Big stack IMC poker strategy

big stacks can apply great pressure on middle stacks according to ICM poker. The middle stacks still have a lot to lose so you can ‘bully’ them by presenting tough decisions. A middle stack might fold a strong poker hand, such as as pocket queens if a micro short stack is about to bust.

So as a big stack, you can shove wide. Just be cautious when it comes to tangling with other big stacks — you want to tread those waters carefully and generally avoid.

What is the Major Drawback of ICM Poker Analysis?

As you can see from my real life example, an ICM poker analysis made what would usually be a slam-dunk easy decision a close call. It changes the math.

In detailed ICM analysis, a computer calculates your decision — factoring in payout considerations. Advanced programs can, in fact, adjust your decision based on your current ranking. Truly adhering to ICM means following the math adjusted for your tournament standing, but in everyday play, it involves prioritizing the potential for larger pay jumps over the immediate strength of your hand.

The ICM poker model generally encourages more conservative play, focusing on avoiding short-term swings to achieve bigger payouts.

However, the granular Independent Chip Model approach is unrealistic for most players. Humans can’t process these decisions quickly (it’s hard enough to learn basic poker probabilities). Calculating whether you should call an all-in with Ace-King based on your tournament position is nearly impossible for most people. In practice, you might fold Ace-King due to ‘ICM pressure,’ aiming to avoid variance and maintain your chip lead.

ICM Poker Doesn’t Take Into Account the Human Factor

Another drawback of strict ICM analysis is that it doesn’t account for the human factor. Some players are tighter and bluff less than a computer might assume. (Computers tend to overestimate bluff frequencies.)

Your decision to call or fold will also depend on your ‘reads’ and ability to spot tells. Someone born before 1945 might jam a smaller percentage of hands than a younger player, but computers don’t incorporate a senior citizen discount.

Customizing ranges in computer applications called ‘solvers’ can help, but emulating this on the fly is extremely impractical and overall unnecessary.

As long as you weigh your standing in the tournament against your actual hand, you are already taking Independent Chip Model poker into consideration.

ICM Poker Demystified: Elevating Your Game With Strategic Insights

Understanding what is ICM in poker tournaments can increase your chances of winning by reducing risks. It involves adjusting your decisions based on your poker tournament position rather than just the value of your hand.

While mastering ICM Poker can lead to better choices — you can even study and memorize computer outputs — it’s also important to balance the math with the practical realities of live play and human decision-making.

Title image Credit: Kitreel/Shutterstock

Omaha Poker Game: What You Need to Know

• The main difference between Texas Hold’em and the Omaha card game is that each player is dealt four hole cards, instead of two.
• The larger number of hole cards leads to a greater number of possible hands per player, which increases the pace and volatility of the game.
• If Texas Hold’em is the chess of poker, the Omaha poker game is more like boxing. Omaha Hold’em is fast, punchy, and has greater highs and lows than the more considered pace of Texas Hold’em.
• The Omaha card game is popular amount casual players, because of the faster pace, but it can also be a welcome break from the occasional boredom of a high intensity Texas Hold’em tournament.

Texas Hold’em walked so the Omaha game could run. These days, whenever you go to play poker at a casino or online casino, especially in Europe, you’ll likely see ‘Omaha poker’ tables running and it’s hugely popular with online poker players.

But what are the rules of Omaha poker? This article will teach you everything from how to play Omaha poker game to the essential strategy tips you need to know in order to master the Omaha card game.

How Does Omaha Poker Differ from Texas Hold’em: An Overview

While Omaha poker is fairly similar to its Texas cousin, there are a number of important differences, including:

Difference #1: Higher Variance and Larger Bankroll Requirements

If you’ve ever watched professional poker players play video poker on TV, you’ve probably noticed something: it’s slow. Very slow.

There’s more in common with watching a chess match than there is a high-intensity sports match or even a slot machine pull. It’s a long, drawn-out, thoughtful and methodical game. Even to the players, there can be long spells of boredom.

Omaha poker differs from Texas Hold’em in that it’s considered to be ‘higher action’ — in other words, more intense. The Omaha card game is not for the faint of heart. It’s a game that thrives on volatility and big swings, creating an experience that is thrilling for some and nerve-wracking for others.

Increased Volatility Comes with Two Major Impacts:

1. Recreational Gamblers Love to Play Omaha Poker: The fast-paced nature and frequent big hands make Omaha more exciting and appealing to casual players.
2. Professional Poker Players Have a Decreased Mathematical Edge: The added complexity and increased variance mean that even the best poker players can experience larger swings in their bankrolls.

Because the Omaha card game is such a swingy game, you need an even larger bankroll to play an Omaha game than you do for Texas Hold’em. The higher variance means you have to be prepared for big upswings and downswings. A financial buffer is necessary.

Reason #2: More Hole Cards and Hand Combinations

In Texas Hold’em, each player is dealt two hole cards, leading to a relatively straightforward calculation of potential hands and probabilities.

How Omaha Hold’em differs from Texas Hold’em is that each player is given four hole cards — dramatically increasing the number of possible hand combinations. This change has a profound effect on gameplay:

• More Possibilities: With four hole cards, players have many more ways to make strong hands. This means that the winning hand at showdown is often much stronger in the Omaha card game than in Texas Hold’em. Hands that would be considered monsters in Hold’em, like two pair, are frequently second-best or worse in Omaha Poker.
• Greater Complexity: The increased number of hole cards adds layers of complexity to the decision-making process. Players must consider not only the best possible hand they can make but also the best hand their opponents might have. Not only are you more likely to make a strong hand, your opponents are too.

Mentally, you need to adjust what you consider to be a ‘good hand’ in Omaha Poker versus Texas Hold’em. Sets and straights can become weak hands. Have a flush? It better be a ace-high flush or the nut flush — you are much more likely to get flush over flushed when playing in an Omaha poker game

Reason #3: Bluffing in an Omaha Poker Game

Bluffing is an essential part of any poker game, but it takes on a new dimension in Omaha card game compared to Texas Hold’em. This is one area how Omaha poker differs from Texas Hold’em wildly.

• Frequency of Bluffing: In Texas Hold’em, bluffing is a common and often necessary strategy. The simplicity of having only two hole cards makes it easier to represent a wide range of hands. Remember, in a Texas Hold’em online poker game, it’s less likely that any player has a hand they feel particularly attached to or excited about. You can ‘scare’ people off a hand — making bluffing in Texas Hold’em more frequent than in Omaha.
• More Players Seeing the Flop: In traditional Texas Hold’em poker tournament, you are likely only going to be facing off against one or two opponents. Large multiway pots are rare, especially at high stakes. But in Omaha poker, since four hole cards can make starting hands stronger, more people tend to see flops.
• Inability to Go ‘All-in’: Bluffs are more effective when you can bet a large amount of chips or money, applying significant pressure. Most Omaha games are ‘PLO’ — Pot-Limit Omaha. Your maximum bet is capped at the size of the pot, limiting your ability to go all-in as frequently or bet an amount large enough to shake your opponent off their hand. This restriction means that you can’t apply as much pressure with a single bet as you can in No-Limit Texas Hold’em, making bluffs less intimidating.

Bluffing against multiple players is risky in both games, but it’s much trickier to bluff several opponents than it is to bluff one. With more players seeing the flop in Pot Limit Omaha, there’s a higher chance that someone has a strong poker hand or a strong draw.

Coupled with the fact that you can’t bet as much on the earlier streets (betting rounds), bluffing in Omaha is definitely rarer and more challenging.

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How is Omaha Poker Different from Texas Hold’em: The Rules

While the Omaha card game and Texas Hold’em share many similarities, including the use of community cards, poker table positions, and the overall structure of betting rounds, they have several critical differences:

1. Hole Cards: In Texas Hold’em, players receive two hole cards. In Omaha, players receive four hole cards.

2. Hand Composition: In Texas Hold’em, players can use any combination of their hole cards and the community cards to form the best poker hand. In Omaha, players must use exactly two of their hole cards and exactly three of the five community cards.

3. Pot-Limit Omaha vs. No-Limit: While both games have multiple variants, Omaha is often played in Pot-Limit form (Pot-Limit Omaha, or PLO), whereas Texas Hold’em is commonly played in both No-Limit and Limit formats. ‘Pot-Limit’ simply means you cannot bet larger than the pot size at any given time. So if there is $80 in the pot, your max bet is capped at $80 in that particular instance.

As you can see, the rules for how to play Omaha poker are not exactly the same. Even though you are given four hole cards, you can only use two in your final hand combination.

Here are some examples:

• You’re holding three clubs in your hand, and the board contains two clubs. That does not mean you have a flush.
• Your hand contains a queen, a jack, and a ten, and the board contains an ace and a king. That does not mean you have a straight.

As a matter of fact, you must use two of your hole cards. Only two cards can ‘play.’

• There are four spades on the board, and you hold the ace of spades. Do you have the ace-high flush? No – not unless you incorporate another hole card with a spade.

According to the Omaha poker rules, there is no such thing as a ‘four-card flush’ or a ‘one-liner straight’ like there is in Texas Hold’em. This often trips up beginners to poker when they first learn how to play Omaha poker. That aside, the hand rankings remain the same.

Here they are below if you need a quick poker cheat sheet or refresher.

Omaha Poker Hand Rankings

Omaha poker hand rankings are identical to those in Texas Hold’em. From highest to lowest, they are:

1. Royal Flush: A, K, Q, J, 10, all of the same suit.

2. Straight Flush: Five consecutive cards of the same suit.

3. Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same rank.

4. Full House: Three of a kind combined with a pair.

5. Flush: Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence.

6. Straight: Five consecutive cards of different suits.

7. Three of a Kind: Three cards of the same rank.

8. Two Pair: Two pairs of cards of the same rank.

9. One Pair: Two cards of the same rank.

10. High Card: The highest card if no other hand is made.

Basic Omaha Poker Game Strategies

Now that you have a general grasp of how to play an Omaha game and how it differs from Texas Hold’em, let’s finish off by going over essential Omaha game poker strategies. These are key tips to keep in mind.

Nuts or Nothing

The importance of starting hand selection in Omaha poker cannot be overstated. Unlike Texas Hold’em, where you might play a wider range of hands, in an Omaha game, you want to focus on hands that have the potential to make the nuts (the best possible hand).

Look for hands with the ability to make ace-high and king-high flushes — otherwise you are likely to get coolered. Low cards go significantly down in value. Since two pairs are almost worthless too, it doesn’t make sense to play hands hoping to make a low straight, flush, or bottom two pair.

For example, the best starting hand in Omaha is A A K K. Why is this? You can make the ace-high flush in two different suits (you are ‘double-suited’), you can make the nut straight on a Q-J-T board, and your sets and full houses will be higher than other players’ sets and full houses.

Most money in an Omaha card game comes from people overvaluing their hands. You can easily beat your opponents if they evaluate hand strength in an Omaha card game the same way they do in Texas Hold’em.

Even though the hand rankings are the same, the relative hand strength is not.

The fastest way for a poker beginner to start winning in poker is by aiming to only play the nuts. Be as conservative as possible. A full house is even risky in Omaha poker if it’s a low full house — and the best way to avoid getting stuck with ‘bottom boat’ is by not playing small cards in the first place.

Pot Control

Be cautious about building large pots unless you have a strong hand. Omaha poker is a game where the nuts changes frequently. You don’t want to invest a lot of chips in a pot unless you are confident you have the best hand or a very strong draw.

Drawing Hands

In an Omaha game, drawing hands are incredibly powerful. Hands that have the potential to improve to the nuts should be played aggressively. With more hole cards in play, draws are more likely to complete as there are often more ways to connect.

An Omaha card game is a more dynamic game than Texas Hold’em, meaning the best hand on the flop is unlikely to be the best hand on the river. This is why you should focus on playing draws to the nuts, rather than get attached to flopped pairs, two pairs, or sets.

As you transition from Texas Hold’em to Omaha Hold’em, remember that mathematical advantages are narrower. In Texas Hold’em, you might often find scenarios where your hand is an 80% favorite against your opponent.

In Omaha poker, it’s rare to have such a significant edge — you might be lucky to have a 55% advantage. The four hole cards reduce the extremes of advantage or disadvantage each player can have. That’s why focusing on nutted draws is crucial — these hands are much less prone to vulnerability.

All-In On Omaha Poker: Final Thoughts On Mastering The Game

Switching from Texas Hold’em to Omaha poker opens up a faster, more intricate game with bigger swings and unique challenges.

The Omaha poker game’s key differences — like higher variance, slimmer mathematical margins, and capped bet sizes — add depth to the game. Stay flexible because the best hand can easily change from flop to turn to river in Omaha.

Bluff rarely and carefully — if you don’t have the nuts, do it in a situation where you know that your opponent doesn’t either (ex. you hold the nut flush ‘blocker,’ such as the ace of hearts, making it impossible for them to have the best possible flush of that suit).

Whatever you do, keep in mind that Omaha poker is a popular twist for a reason — its merciless volatility is a great exercise for pros and recreational players alike.

Now that you’ve learned how to play Omaha poker, brush up on your betting and bluffing skills with easy-to-learn tips and tricks from the experts:

• Understanding Poker Table Positions (And Why They Are SO Important!)
• Texas Hold’em Hand Rankings – Which Poker Hands Beat Which?
• Understanding All-In Poker Rules: When & Why You Should Go All-In
• 10 Essential Poker Statistics That Will Change Your Game

Title image credit: Vitalii Borkovskyi/Shutterstock

Here are the quick essentials:

• Pai Gow poker used the traditional poker hand ranking system.
• Pai Gow poker is played with a 53-card deck rather than 52-card — it includes one joker!
• Players compete against the dealer or ‘banker’ rather than each other.

As you can see, Pai Gow is a fun game to play against ‘the House’ — you aren’t trying to take money away from other players! The rush comes from winning money against the casino.

Here are the poker hand rankings in case you need an easy reference cheat sheet:

Pai Gow Poker Hand Rankings

1. Royal Flush: A, K, Q, J, 10, all of the same suit.

2. Straight Flush: Five consecutive cards of the same suit.

3. Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same rank.

4. Full House: Three of a kind combined with a pair.

5. Flush: Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence.

6. Straight: Five consecutive cards of different suits.

7. Three of a Kind: Three cards of the same rank.

8. Two Pair: Two pairs of cards of the same rank.

9. One Pair: Two cards of the same rank.

10. High Card: The highest card if no other hand is made.

How Is The Joker Used In Pai Gow?

“But what about the joker?” you may ask. How does he come into play with the Pai Gow hand rankings?

In Pai Gow Poker, the joker can be used in a few different ways:

• Ace: When used alone, the joker can be an ace.
• Wild: In straights, flushes, and straight flushes, the joker can be wild and used as any card in the deck. For example, when used to complete a flush, the joker represents the highest value card that’s not already in the hand.
• Complete a straight or flush: The joker can be used to complete a straight or flush in the backhand, or five-card hand.

What this means is that the joker serves as a special conditional wildcard. You can’t use him to play just any card, but rather a completion card. Or, again, alone simply as an ace. His appearance naturally makes it easier to achieve a high hand ranking, and, if utilized correctly, can significantly increase your Pai Gow poker payouts.

NOTE: Certain card rooms and casinos have their own deviations of these Pai Gow poker rules. They can definitely vary, so make sure to check with wherever you plan on playing.

Pai Gow Poker Rules

Let’s explore how to play Pai Gow poker in detail. In this game, up to six players face off against the dealer or banker, whom we’ll consistently refer to as the dealer.

Each player — including the dealer — receives seven cards. These seven cards are used to form two separate hands, hence why Pai Gow poker is also alternatively known as ‘Double Hand Poker’. One hand is designated as the ‘high hand’ and the other as the ‘low hand’.

The high hand must be stronger than the low hand.

For instance, if your low hand is a pair of Kings, your high hand must be at least a pair of Aces or higher, such as two pairs or better holdings.

• The high hand must be made-up of five cards.
• The low hand must be made-up of two cards.

Because of this, the low hand will always be a pair or two high-ranking cards.

If the rare situation arises where the high hand is not stronger than the low hand, the player is considered to have ‘miss-set’ their hand. This results in a foul and an automatic loss! Make sure to be careful when you’re new to the game and refer to the above Pai Gow poker hand rankings as needed.

Most casinos will allow you to bring your own print-out or electronic guide for easy reference, as this doesn’t give you an edge over the casino and you’re not competing against other players. Be gentle with yourself as you master the Pai Gow poker rules and do not play in settings that make you uncomfortable. This includes table limits.

Next in understanding the Pai Gow poker rules comes betting — each table has their own minimums and maximums. These min/max limits will determine the size of the game, meaning how much you can win or lose at a time. As stated, stick to table stakes you can afford.

If both your 5-card hand and your 2-card hand beat the dealer’s hands, you win the round and collect double the bet you placed. If both of your hands lose to the dealer’s hands, you lose your bet, and the dealer adds it to their bank. If you win one hand and the dealer wins the other, the round ends in a “push,” where there is no winner, your bet is returned, and the game moves on to the next round. Pushes are very common.

Naturally the goal is to be the net winner.

As a recap, these are the three outcomes:

• Win = collect double your bet.
• Lose = dealer takes your bet.
• Push = your bet is returned, but the House still takes a commission.

Step-by-Step Gameplay

Here’s how Pai Gow poker gameplay begins:

1. Before the cards are dealt, each player places their bet.
2. Seven cards are dealt face down to each player.
3. Players rearrange their cards into a high hand and a low hand.
4. The dealer reveals their seven cards face up and arranges them into a high hand and a low hand.
5. To win a round, both your high hand and low hand must be better than the dealer’s high hand and low hand.

On a casino Pai Gow table, you will typically see the letters “H” and “L” indicating where to place your high and low hands. This makes it easy to see who wins.

A time where the winner may seem less clear is when the player and dealer have identical hands. The result is that the dealer wins! They will claim the bet, tragically.

Lead image credit: Kitreel/Shutterstock

Pai Gow Poker Odds

Be aware that this is a typical gambling casino game — the Pai Gow poker odds are not in your favor. The House edge may seem small but it’s not insignificant. It is impossible to tip the Pai Gow poker odds in your favor.

• For every push, the casino usually takes a 5% ‘commission’ or rake.
• If a player holds the same hand as the dealer, the dealer wins.
• Pai Gow has a lower House edge than double-zero roulette, but higher than baccarat.

The house edge in Pai Gow poker is estimated to be between 2% and 3%. For comparison, the house edge on a double-zero roulette wheel is over 5%, while a single-zero roulette wheel has a house edge of about 2.7% — similar to Pai Gow poker payouts.

The standard baccarat house edge is close to a low 1% making it theoretically nearer to breakeven, but you’d be surprised how much money people can lose even at a 1% disadvantage because it compounds over time.

You can improve your odds slightly by playing as the banker because you win in the case of a tie. Casinos typically offer players the opportunity to act as the banker, which is a better mathematical proposition, even though you absorb greater financial risk. Still, the overall odds remain unfavorable due to the game’s inherent house edge.

Pai Gow Poker Strategy

While the overall odds of winning in the long run may be a deterrent, there are still strategic ways to play more effectively in the short term.

Hand Setting Strategy:

• High Hand Priority: Always prioritize setting a strong high hand. This is crucial because the high hand must beat the dealer’s high hand to win the bet.
• Low Hand Strategy: The low hand should be strong enough to ensure a better chance of winning one hand if splitting with the dealer. Aim for a pair of high-ranking cards or a low pair.

Splitting Pairs:

• Optimal Pair Splitting: When dealt pairs, strategize to split them between the high and low hands effectively. For instance, with a pair of Aces, place one Ace in the low hand and the other in the high hand to maximize both hands’ strength.

Managing Joker Strategy:

• Utilizing the Joker: If dealt a Joker, consider it as an Ace unless it can complete a straight or flush in the high hand. In the low hand, the Joker can be beneficial in completing a flush or straight, but ensure it’s used wisely to avoid weakening the high hand.

Banking Strategies:

• Advantages of Banking: Opt to be the banker whenever possible. While it requires a larger bankroll, being the banker gives you a slight statistical advantage due to winning ties. But you must manage your bankroll effectively to withstand potential losses when playing as the banker.

Understanding House Edge:

• House Edge Awareness: Recognize that Pai Gow Poker typically carries a house edge of around 2% to 3%, which is lower than many other casino games like double-zero roulette or slots. However, this edge can impact long-term profitability, so play with a strategic mindset to mitigate losses. This means recognizing when it’s time to walk away — if you’ve won, you’ve already defied the odds. Take the money and run!

Before wagering real money, you can learn how to play Pai Gow poker by practicing online or in free-play modes offered by some casinos. This allows you to familiarize yourself with hand setting, strategies, and the flow of the game without financial risk.

Pai Gow Perfection: Wrapping Up Your Play Guide

Pai Gow poker demands a blend of skill and good grasp of probabilities. By mastering Pai Gow poker strategy and understanding the game’s nuances, you can significantly improve your chances of success. Remember, while luck plays a role, a well-thought-out strategy can tilt the odds closer to your favor… although the House still always wins!

If you’d like to grow your Pai Gow poker skills, or just your poker skills in general, check out the articles below. Packed with tips and tricks from poker experts, they’ll have you on the high-rollers table in no time!

• Understanding Poker Table Positions (And Why They Are SO Important!)
• Understanding All-In Poker Rules: When & Why You Should Go All-In
• What Is A Straddle In Poker & When Shouldn’t You Do It?
• How To Play Like A Pro: Easy Poker Cheat Sheets For Beginners

Lead image credit: Victor Moussa/Shutterstock

To me, poker was never taboo — definitely not something I associated with “GAMBLING.”

But back when I first published my book A Girl’s Guide to Poker, people would always ask me if I was a big gambler. My standard response? “I don’t gamble — I just play poker.”

Wisecracks aside, it’s important to explain why I don’t categorize poker as typical gambling.

What Makes Poker Different From Other Casino Games?

Poker is extremely unique because it is the only casino game where you don’t play against ‘the House.’ This is a huge distinction. In any other selection – roulette, blackjack, slots, etc. – you are trying to win money from the casino (aka ‘the House’).

Obviously the natural problem here is that the casino needs to keep the lights on… you’re playing on their turf. These games are purposely designed for the casino to always have an edge.

What makes these games gambling is that the odds are not in your favor. If you win, it’s largely through luck. There is no way you can ‘beat’ a roulette wheel for example by placing your bets on different colors or numbers. If you win, it’s in spite of the mathematical probabilities, not because of it. Unlike poker, where you can invest money when the math is in your favor.

When you play poker, you are trying to win money from your opponents. You are not battling against the Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace, the Wynn or whatever establishment you’re playing at. You compete against other players, not the casino. Your goal is to win money from the other people at the table. The casino just hosts the game.

Key concept: poker players compete against each other. Not the House.

So How Does The Casino Make Money?

The casino takes a small amount of money from each pot, called the rake. For example, if the pot is $100, the casino might take $5, leaving the winner with $95. This way, the casino makes money no matter who wins the hand.

This structure means that the casino has no vested interest in the outcome between players.

Certain places will not take a rake and instead charge a flat fee to play at their venue.

For example, everyone at the table might need to pay a certain dollar amount per hour. This also prevents the establishment from being invested in who wins —- the cardroom is simply serving as a host. There is no reason for the hosting venue to want players to win or lose big. They simply want them to keep coming back.

So, if someone wins huge, it’s not coming from the casino’s pocket. The casino makes its money from the rake or the fees, not from the players’ losses. Already, this is what makes poker different from other casino games.

The Element Of Chance In Poker

Yes, poker does involve some luck. That doesn’t mean it’s purely a game of chance.

Let’s break down how luck and skill work in poker. Imagine an experienced professional poker player competing against an absolute beginner.

What do you think their chances are of winning a hand against one of the top professional poker players in the world?

1. 20%
2. 30%
3. 50%

Surprisingly, the correct answer is close to 50%! How can this be?

A key point of understanding is that the outcome of any INDIVIDUAL hand is largely influenced by luck.

For example, you might be dealt significantly stronger cards than your opponent—it’s essentially a coin toss with a 50/50 chance. The dealer might give you a powerful pair of aces while your opponent receives weaker cards, or the reverse could happen. The likelihood of winning any single hand does come down to the luck of the draw.

How does this not sway us? Is poker considered gambling — didn’t I just prove that it is?

Not quite.

Think of the lottery. If I buy a lottery ticket and win, am I a skilled lottery player? Or did I just get lucky?

Of course the answer is I just got lucky. But how would we determine this?

If I were to play the lottery every day, would I be able to replicate the same result? Would I be able to keep winning? No — chances are you would see me repeatedly lose. There is no strategy here. This becomes apparent only after a high frequency. You cannot test luck or skill in any one particular event. It’s only over time that advantages can be revealed.

Still not convinced? Let’s try roulette.

We all recognize roulette as a game of chance. How do we know this? While there are mathematical proofs showing that no strategy can beat the casino’s advantage, it’s also clear on a simpler level.

If you kept betting on the same number — like, say, 11 —over and over again, you would lose all your money eventually. Winning or losing one time by betting on #11 doesn’t prove anything. What tells us it’s gambling is the inability to skew success.

The Element Of Skill In Poker

Let’s go back to our example of the beginner versus the professional poker player. We’ve already established that luck mostly determines who wins any single hand.

But what if they played 100 hands? How about 1,000 hands? Or even 10,000 hands? Almost certainly the pro will win over time. The more hands they play, the greater their advantage.

This shows the importance of skill in poker. While luck is important in each individual hand, skill is what matters in the long run. Experienced players use their joint understanding of math and psychology to win over the course of their careers.

Is poker considered gambling is a topic I’ve touched on similarly before, including in my book, A Girl’s Guide to Poker. Here are some highlights:

When does luck in poker become eclipsed by skill? At just under 1,500 hands—1,471, to be exact.

• 1,471 hands is usually between 19 and 25 hours in live poker.
• 1,471 hands is around 16 hours of online poker if you’re playing one table.

A beginner can rarely survive a full day of playing poker. They will pretty much inevitably go broke. You need expertise in order to even maintain your chip stack, let alone win.

I like to point to a 2015 paper, Study: Beyond Chance? The Persistence of Performance in Online Poker: The researchers found that skilled poker players consistently perform better over time.

• Poker players who ranked in the top 10% in the first six months of the year were more than twice as likely to do similarly well in the next six months.
• Poker players who finished in the best-performing 1% in the first half of the year were 12 times more likely than others to do so in the second half.
• Players who fared poorly from the start continued to lose.

What do these numbers tell us? Basically, there are top performers in poker. Some players are better than other players. This would be impossible however in pure gambling, like slots. You would never be able to classify skilled versus unskilled slot machine players.

Meet The Professional Poker Player

Professional poker players are real people who earn their main income through poker. I’ve met many professional poker players… including my husband.

When we met, he’d been supporting himself financially through poker for more than a decade.

Is poker gambling? No — countless people have made a reliable income tested over many years fully by playing poker as their profession. They do not rely on the roll of the dice or luck of the draw. Winning poker players study and master proven strategies.

Most professional poker players have a rigorous understanding of the mathematics in poker. They invest their chips in situations where the math favors them — impossible in other casino games. There is no scenario in roulette where you can bet all your money as a favorite. Unlike in poker, the odds are always against you.

Success in poker is largely based on putting yourself in better mathematical situations than your opponents.

In my coaching sessions for beginners, I advise them to only play high-value face cards — meaning both cards are ten or higher. Why? This strategy increases their chances of winning significantly.

For example, if they have Ace-King and their opponent has Ace-Three, their likelihood of winning is around 75%. Conversely, by folding weaker hands like Ace-Three, King-Seven, or Queen-Eight, they avoid situations where they are ‘outkicked’ and their chances of winning are much lower, around 25%.

Think about this: professional poker players typically fold about 80% of their hands.

This disciplined approach stems from their strategy of only entering hands where they have a statistical advantage over their opponents. By understanding the mathematics of poker, players can strategically invest their money in situations that statistically favor them.

You can find more on this in my poker cheat sheets article which will give you a mathematical edge on the competition.

Is Poker Without Money Gambling?

Sometimes, people prefer to play cautiously. Is playing poker without money considered gambling? No, because poker is fundamentally a game of skill. However, practicing poker with play chips or for free is still valuable.

Without a solid grasp of the mathematics involved, poker can easily and unintentionally turn into a game of chance, failing to invest chips wisely and committing to pots when the odds are against you.

When you don’t know the math, poker can easily become gambling. It is only by implementing sound strategies that skill can be realized and luck falls to the wayside.

Is Poker Considered Gambling By Law?

Countries differ on whether they legally classify poker as gambling, with the debate often hinging on whether poker is viewed as a game of luck or skill.

In the United States, online poker faced a major setback on April 15, 2011, a day known in the poker community as “Black Friday,” when the federal government shut down major online poker sites. Fortunately this situation is gradually changing as several states are now taking steps to legalize online poker.

There is hope that more jurisdictions will come to recognize poker as a game of skill, distinguishing it from other casino games. As this shift occurs, poker may see broader acceptance and different regulatory treatment worldwide.

Especially Chinese Poker – if you can understand the basic hand rankings, you should be able to succeed in this fast, fun variant.

Note: Chinese Poker is more luck-based than other forms of poker such as Texas Hold ‘Em or Omaha. It’s quick and breezy, and skips over all the typical betting rounds and funky terms such as “flop,” “turn,” and “river.” Also, no poker face required!

How To Play Chinese Poker

Chinese Poker is played with a minimum of two and a maximum of four players. Each player begins by being dealt 13 cards face down. They must then arrange these cards into three separate hands: the back hand, the middle hand, and the front hand.

• This is the only round.
• There is no betting.
• There is no people reading or searching for “tells”.

If you do want to gamble for real money, you would need to place your bets before each player is dealt their 13 cards. For example, whoever wins gets $10! You would need to wager before seeing your cards.

Now let’s talk about the three hand arrangements, which is how to play Chinese Poker in a nutshell. The three Chinese Poker hand rankings are as follows:

• Back Hand (can also be known as the bottom or rear hand): The back hand must contain 5 cards and be stronger than either the middle hand or the top hand.
• Middle Hand: The middle hand must also contain 5 cards but it must be weaker than the arranged back hand and stronger than the front hand.
• Front Hand: The front hand will contain the final 3 cards and it must be the player’s weakest hand of the 3 arrangements.

These arranged holdings must follow this specific hierarchy: the back hand being the strongest 5 card hand of the 3 arrangements, followed by the 5 card middle hand which must be weaker than the back hand and stronger than the final front hand. The front hand itself must consist of 3 cards only.

Here are the Chinese Poker hand rankings displayed in a different way (just to make things easier!)

• Back hand = strongest
• Middle hand = 2nd strongest
• Front hand = weakest

What If I Make A Mistake?

Uh-oh – let’s say you didn’t arrange the hands in accordance with the hierarchy (ex. Your middle hand is the strongest). That’s a penalty! This is considered a foul or miss-set and all your hands will be effectively rendered dead.

You will automatically lose and, yes, receive penalty points too (more on Chinese Poker scoring in the next section).

This is a common way beginners get tripped-up when learning how to play Chinese Poker. Be careful and pay extra attention.

Who Wins?

Once all players have arranged their cards, everyone reveals their hands by flipping them over. Each hand is then compared with each opponent’s corresponding hand (back vs. back, middle vs. middle, and front vs. front). The winner of each comparison is scored, and the player with the highest total points wins!

Chinese Poker Scoring – The Basics

Scoring in Chinese Poker centers around the ‘point’ system. This is very different from other poker variants where you bet chips each round. Instead you can decide on a monetary value – such as ‘one dollar = 1 point.” These points are then settled-up for cash value at the end of the game.

How do you earn points? Winning a comparative back vs back, middle vs middle or front vs front hand versus a single opponent will usually win a player one point in most Chinese Poker scoring systems.

So, if I won the back and middle hands but you won the front hand, our score would be 2 points vs. 1 point.

Another way to execute your own Chinese Poker scoring is by wagering a certain amount – let’s say $10 – and playing winner-takes-all.

Whoever wins the most points simply wins the full amount set aside.

Chinese Poker Scoring – Special Cases

There are special circumstances where Chinese Poker scoring changes – namely surrenders and bonus points. Here’s what I mean:

Choosing To Play Your Hand Or Surrender

In Chinese poker, it is common to give each player the option to announce (in turn with the action moving to the left) if they wish to play or surrender their hand before the top, middle, and back hands are set and revealed.

If a player decides his 13 cards can only produce weak back, middle, and front hands that are very likely to be second best vs his opponents, then the player can decide to “surrender” rather than play their hand.

Surrendering comes with a price. This will often incur a penalty fee somewhere between the 2-3 points they would almost certainly lose if they chose to play their hand and it went to a showdown. 2.5 points in this instance would be typical.

The benefit to surrendering a weak hand in a Chinese Poker scoring system is damage control — it is better to lose 2.5 points than to likely lose 3 points plus the potential 3-point sweep penalty and all the royalties that may apply also.

Royalties (Bonus Points)

In addition to basic single point scoring and surrendering, variations of Chinese poker frequently offer bonus points for players that make specific strong hands. These bonuses are known as royalties. While they can vary, here is an example of what a typical format might be:

Note: the amount of bonus points change depending on which arrangement these hands are made.

• Back Hand:
  • Royal Flush: 25 points
  • Straight Flush: 15 points
  • Four of a Kind: 10 points
  • Full House: 6 points
  • Flush: 4 points
  • Straight: 2 points
• Middle Hand:
  • Royal Flush: 50 points
  • Straight Flush: 30 points
  • Four of a Kind: 20 points
  • Full House: 12 points
  • Flush: 8 points
  • Straight: 4 points
• Front Hand:
  • Three of a Kind: 9 points
  • High Pair (Aces): 2 points

With these royalties, double points are allocated for the middle hand vs the back hand. This is because the back hand must always form the strongest of the three hand arrangements — therefore making a very strong hand like a straight flush in the middle hand is much more difficult to attain.

Winning Outright

Another need-to-know concept is winning outright. If any player makes three flushes or three straights, they will outright be declared the winner — and collect three points from each opponent that hasn’t surrendered their hand. It’s a sweep!

(As with many of the rules in Chinese Poker scoring, this is also normally agreed on by the players in advance.)

Remember that each player’s back, middle, and front hands play against each individual opponent. Each player must compare their hands separately. Imagine here that we are Player 1 in a four-player Chinese Poker game. Our scorecard might look as follows:

In this example we would be owed 1 point from player 2, 4 points from Player 3, and 0 points from Player 4 after two complete games of Chinese Poker. Using tally ledgers like this makes it easy for each player to see where they are when it comes time to settle up with opponents after the game.

Variations Of Chinese Poker – Open Face Chinese

The most popular variation is Open Face Chinese Poker.

Similar to standard Chinese Poker, the goal remains the same. Each player needs to make a 3-card top, 5-card middle and 5-card back hand arrangement.

Here are the major differences:

• You do not receive all your cards at once.
• You must make your hand arrangements with your cards “face-up” — revealed for all other players to see.
• You act in turns.

So, once you’ve created your hand arrangement, the player to your left will make their hand arrangement next. You do not form your hand arrangement at the same time. Everyone gets a turn that finishes once they declare their hand complete.

Note: You cannot change your hand arrangement after your turn. Your cards are considered “set” and cannot be rearranged. There are no “take backs”!

What makes Open Face Chinese Poker intriguing is that you need to make your hands without knowing which cards are coming next — it adds an element of unpredictability. You are acting with incomplete information.

Since you are drawing unseen cards, it also increases the likelihood of fouls or miss-sets. Open Face Chinese Poker is much more swingy, making it one of the most popular variations of Chinese Poker.

Fantasyland

“Fantasyland” brings an added dimension into any Open Face Chinese Poker game.

To enter Fantasyland, a player must set a pair of Queens or better (e.g., QQ, KK, AA, or any three of a kind) in the top 3-card hand arrangement. All other rows must still be set in proper order — the middle row still must beat the top row. This makes having a pair of Queens or better in your 3-card front hand difficult to achieve… rewarded by the benefit of Fantasyland.

Fantasyland Benefits: After a player qualifies for Fantasyland, in the next hand they will receive all 13 of their cards at once. This allows them to make their back, middle and front arrangements with full information and provides a significant strategic advantage.

1. Continuing in Fantasyland: While in Fantasyland, a player can also stay in Fantasyland for subsequent rounds by setting either: four of a kind or better in any row, or three of a kind in the top row.
2. End of Fantasyland: If the player in Fantasyland fails to meet the conditions to stay, they return to the normal play mode in the next hand. Fantasyland significantly enhances a player’s chances of making strong hands and potentially sweeping all opponents — a game-changing feature unique to Open Face Chinese Poker.

Conclusion

In short, Chinese Poker is a fast-paced variant of poker that focuses on hand rankings rather than betting and bluffing. The barrier-to-entry and speediness makes it much more beginner-friendly than games such as Texas Hold’Em or Omaha. It’s a quick rush — I’ve even been at poker tables where people play Chinese Poker on breaks!

The core gameplay revolves around creating three hands—back, middle, and front—each with specific strength requirements. Mastering this hierarchy is crucial, as misplacement leads to penalties. Scoring is straightforward, with points earned through hand comparisons, and additional complexity introduced by special cases like surrenders, royalties, and outright wins.

Open Face Chinese Poker kicks things up a notch by revealing cards one at a time and adding the Fantasyland feature, which can give you a big advantage if you play it right.

Whether you’re playing for fun or with real money, Chinese Poker is a more relaxed alternative to traditional poker. It’s easy to learn, quick to play, and combines luck with a bit of strategy — making it a great choice for all kinds of players.

Lead image credit: Jenni Konrad/Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0

Few moves carry as much weight as the all-in bet. The powerful maneuver can present a make-or-break decision for both you and your opponent. Let’s explore the rules, tactics, and psychology behind this high-impact play.

What Does All-In Mean In Poker?

All-in in poker means betting every chip you have. When you declare, “I’m all-in,” you’ve committed your entire chip stack.

(Yes, in poker, verbal is binding. Announcing a poker all-in is the same as physically pushing all your poker chips in the middle.)

This is specifically for No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em poker, where you can bet any amount you want – unlike Limit poker, where your bets are capped. In Limit poker, you can only end up “all-in” if your remaining chips are fewer than the current bet or raise limit.

What Are The Poker All-In Rules?

The beauty of No Limit Hold ‘Em is that you can go all-in whenever it’s your turn. However, there are a few caveats to be aware of.

1. Verbal is binding

As stated above, announcing, “I’m all-in” is the same as manually betting.

2. You can go all-in with one chip

Experienced players might softly say “all-in” and throw one chip in the middle. Do not be deceived and think this is them only betting a singular chip – they are betting their entire stack. When in doubt, you can always turn to the dealer for clarification and ask, “Are they all-in?”

3. Your hand may be revealed

If an opponent calls your all-in bet, prepare for your cards to be flipped over for everyone to see. Poker tournament dealers will always lay the cards face-up. Cash games won’t always have this done in practice, but most casinos have a rule where any player at the table can say “all hands” and the cards can be exposed. This happens after the action is completed.

4. Players may re-raise after an all-in bet if the all-in constitutes a full raise

One of the most crucial poker all-in rules to know is whether or not it re-opens the action. For example, if somebody raises and you go all-in, can that person reraise again? It depends on how much your all-in is for, and whether it qualifies as a full raise (a full raise is equal to or greater than the size of the previous bet or raise).

Here’s an example:

1. Person #1 bets $5
2. Person #2 goes all-in for $6
3. Person #3 calls the $6

According to poker all-in rules, can Person #1 reraise again and make it, say, $20? (This would probably be very unsettling for Player #3).

The answer is no, because Player #2’s all-in of $6 is not a full raise from the previous bet. In poker, the ability to reraise requires the previous incoming bet or raise action to be at least a full bet or raise.

However, let’s try it this way:

1. Person #1 bets $5
2. Person #2 goes all-in for $12
3. Person #3 calls the $12

Can Person #1 reraise again? Absolutely – this completely abides by the poker all-in rules as it constitutes a full raise.

Maybe they’ll increase the price to $40, which would put Person #3 into an unfortunate position. They probably thought their hand was worth $12… not $40.

To avoid finding yourself in these shoes, you’ll need to pay attention to the size of the all-in jam vs. the original bet or raise.

5. You can always go all-in – even if it’s for less than the bet size

If someone bets $80 and you only have $60, you can still call the bet by going all-in. Now, you can only win a multiple of your all-in amount. For example, if you win the hand, you would win $120 (your $60 bet plus your opponent’s $60 bet, but not their additional $20).

6. When there are multiple players involved in a hand, the dealer will usually create a side pot after an all-in

Let’s take the same example. Someone bets $80. You only have $60 and go all-in for the rest of your stack, but another player in the hand calls the full $80 bet. The dealer will then designate a main pot and side pot.

The main pot will contain $180 ($60 x 3 players). The side pot will be just between the other two people, since they have more chips remaining.

You would only be able to win the main pot, because you wouldn’t have contributed to the side pot.

When Should You Go All-In?

You can go shove/jam/ship/go all-in at any time, but you should keep the pot size in mind. Generally, going all-in is most appropriate when you have a pot-size bet or less.

• If there’s $75 in the pot and you have $50 in your stack, is this a good time to go all-in? Yes, because your stack-to-pot ratio is less than 1:1. You have under a pot-sized bet left in your stack! This would be a good time to go all-in with the right hand.
• If there’s $75 in the pot and you have $500 in your stack, is this a good time to go all-in? Not likely. When you have a good hand, you’ll probably scare your opponents away into a fold. It’s also not a good time to bluff – you’re risking $500 to win $75. The price is bad.

Poker tournaments force all-ins much more than cash games. In a poker tournament, the blinds increase – it gets more costly to play a single hand. Sometimes players will be pushed all-in automatically!

This can happen when, say, you only have 400 chips left but the big blind is 500 chips. For this reason, players start shoving all their chips in the middle preflop before they get to this point (they want to avoid the dreaded auto all-in).

It’s common to go all-in before the flop even with bad hands in poker tournaments as a tactic to “steal the blinds” – hoping everyone folds and winning chips by default. It’s an extreme all-in bluff!

Why Would You Go All-In?

When you don’t have a lot of chips relative to the pot, it makes sense to go all-in much more frequently. This applies to both tournaments and cash games. Above we included that going all-in preflop is a vital tournament maneuver.

What’s more polarizing is going all-in on the river – the final betting round in poker.

There are now no more cards to be dealt and you know your final poker hand ranking. Because your hand is determined and cannot improve, you should only go all-in if you have an excellent hand (and want your opponent to call) or a terrible hand (and want your opponent to fold).

A good example of going all-in would be if you had Jack-Ten on 9-8-7-2-5. You have a straight! (The “nuts” – no other hand can beat you). You would want to go all-in here for value. Alternatively, you could have Queen-Ten and go all-in as a total bluff. You’re going all-in here hoping to apply max pressure and convince your opponent into a fold.

What you don’t want to do is go all-in with a hand like Ace-Eight. Your hand isn’t good enough to warrant committing all your chips in the middle, nor is it bad enough to turn into a bluff. This is a time you should check and not bet if given the option.

The strategy behind going all-in on the river involves only your very best hands and your very worst hands.

This will really put your opponent to the test. Balancing river shoves between your strongest and weakest hands makes it nearly impossible to determine whether you’re full of air or whether you’ve got the goods.

What Do You Do If Someone Else Goes All-In?

Keep the same philosophy in mind when analyzing your opponents – they are likely either begging for you to call or begging for you to fold.

Most people, however, under-bluff – they are not bluffing at a high enough frequency to be professional poker players. The average player is slanted towards value hands rather than bluffs.

You should usually fold to an all-in bet against the majority of opponents, unless you are near certain you have them beat. They’re probably not bluffing as much as they should be, theoretically.

The poker term for the best possible hand at any given moment is simply “the nuts.” When you have the nuts, there is no hand that can beat you. Many players only go all-in with the absolute nuts.

Fun fact: The poker term “nuts” comes from the Wild West – if a player bet absolutely everything they had, someone would remove the nuts from their wagon wheels so they couldn’t get away. It was thought that a person wouldn’t bet their horse and wagon without having an unbeatable hand (the nuts!).

The Best “All-In” Poker Moments

1. One of the greatest examples of this happened at the 2016 World Series of Poker Main Event. In this spectacular hand, James Obst has a full house and Michael Ruane has a straight flush. Can James fold to an all-in shove? Would Michael shove a worse hand? You can watch the all-in river action below. This hand exemplifies strength vs. strength.

2. Another legendary hand happened at the final table of the Season XVI WPT Rolling Thunder Main Event. Ian Steinman rivers a fantastic set of kings but there’s a straight possible – laying the groundwork for an extremely polarized all-in maneuver. You can also watch professional poker player and card room owner Doug Polk’s analysis in this video.

3. On a personal note, one of my favorite all-ins was when I made the 2021 World Series of Poker Tag Team final table. I missed my straight draw… and decided to go all in. We were at the river in this monumental event and I had nothing!
   
   When my opponent asked, “Will you show if I fold?” I had to think quickly. If I said no, that I wouldn’t show her my cards, she’d probably call my bet because she was curious. If I said yes that I would show her, she might think that I was trying to convince her to fold, and call as a response.
   
   Instead I said, “I’ll show you one.” I knew that this clever compromise of offering to show her one card would satisfy her curiosity and compel a laydown. She folded instantly!

Lead image credit: F8 studio/Shutterstock

In 2023, we had the largest Main Event prize pool in history – Daniel Wienman took home a cool $12.1 million dollars. This summer presents huge opportunities for players of all bankrolls.

But we know that when it comes to WSOP, a lot of people have a lot of questions. I’ve answered the ones you’re asking most below.

Where is the WSOP held?

The 55th WSOP is taking place at the Horseshoe (formerly Bally’s) and Paris Las Vegas hotels, marking a significant (much needed) departure from years past at the Rio. This change – implemented in 2022 – still feels fresh and is greatly appreciated.

Located in the heart of the strip, the Horseshoe and Paris are extremely conveniently located – you can walk to practically any destination. Gone are the days of relying on rented cars or rideshares for every tournament – or, even worse, enduring grueling stays at the expired Rio.

The Horseshoe and Paris are linked, meaning you can travel between them easily to enjoy the combined 150,000 sq. ft. of tournament space. Last year there were a few tournaments where players were even instructed to walk between venues as tables combined.

Where should I stay for the WSOP?

Their interconnectivity means you can stay at either the Horseshoe or Paris and be “on-site.”

Last year, I played the 2023 WSOP Main Event and was very grateful for my suite at the Horseshoe. There are executive rooms past the Horseshoe poker room area with dazzling views of the Bellagio fountains and Paris hotel’s Eiffel tower.

I’d say the main perk of splurging for this upgrade, however, is the elevator access. The problem with staying at Horseshoe or Paris is you’ll struggle to access your room on breaks for major events – the elevators become incredibly jammed and crowded. By the time you’re able to get upstairs, break will often be over.

There are also many neighboring casinos available for all budgets. The LINQ is a solid affordable choice; Bellagio is obviously more decadent. My personal favorite is Planet Hollywood – it’s  the only hotel on the Strip which includes bathtubs in their base room (no need for an upgrade).

Where can I find the WSOP schedule?

The WSOP schedule was released in February.

There are 99 live bracelet events, including the return of the Gladiators of Poker tournament – a $300 buy-in with a $3 million guarantee.

WSOP offers new twists on olds classics such as the Double Board Bomb Pot, Seniors High Roller, and the crowd favorite mystery bounty tournaments (both the Mystery Millions and the introduction of the Mystery Bounty PLO variant). Not to mention numerous online bracelet events you can play while in Vegas too.

You can find smaller buy-in daily tournaments running throughout the entire WSOP. These are faster, single-day events and a great way to get started if you’re at the beginning of your poker journey.

Where else can I play tournaments during WSOP?

Definitely check out poker tournaments happening at other Vegas casinos during the same time frame. The Wynn, Venetian, Aria, MGM Grand, and Golden Nugget all host their own corresponding summer series. These will usually be one and two-day events rather than the lengthier multi-day WSOP tournaments.

When is the WSOP Main Event 2024?

The Main Event will run from July 3-17 and, as usual, the buy-in is $10,000.

What is the buy-in for WSOP (How much does it cost to enter)?

The WSOP isn’t just one event, but instead a large number of tournaments, each with their own individual buy-ins.

In 2024, the lowest buy-in event is the $300 Gladiators of Poker and the highest is the $250,000 Super High Roller.

The Main Event, which is the highlight of the entire WSOP festival, has a buy-in of $10,000.

In previous years, there was the Big One for One Drop event in aid of charity, which cost a jaw-dropping $1 million to enter.

As you can see, there’s no set price for entering the WSOP. It’s also possible to qualify for events via online satellite tournaments, some of which can cost just a few dollars to enter.

Keep in mind many events also have rebuys, so you can get back into the action if you lose – for a price, of course.

Where can I watch WSOP?

You can watch the most exciting WSOP events this year through a live stream by PokerGO.

Although PokerGO will be the main place to watch the WSOP, CBS Sports Network will also broadcast episodes of WSOP Main Event coverage and certain bracelet events.

Any additional advice?

Yes! Make sure to take plenty of small bills. Water bottles are free but don’t forget to tip!

WSOP General Questions

How does the WSOP work?

The World Series of Poker is a series of individual tournaments, each with different buy-ins and poker formats.

Essentially, it is a festival of poker that takes place over the course of around six weeks annually, with the Main Event being the pinnacle.

Each event follows a tournament format, with every player starting with the same number of chips.

The winner is the person left standing at the end. Those winning any WSOP event will not only receive a prize but will also get a coveted WSOP bracelet as well.

How do you enter WSOP?

You can either register online or in person. You’ll need a valid photo ID and your Caesars Rewards Loyalty card, plus an additional form of ID if you’re an international player.

If you don’t have a card, the Caesars Rewards Center can easily print one for you.

Can anyone enter the WSOP?

Yes, absolutely anyone can enter a tournament at the WSOP, providing they are at least 21 years old and present a player’s card.

This is part of the thrill. The final table could be made-up of total novices or big-name poker pros – and it usually is!

The cheapest way for an amateur to gain entry is to win one of the many WSOP satellite tournaments. In 2003, Chris Moneymaker – yes that’s his real name – turned a $39 satellite ticket into a $2.5 million dollar score! At the WSOP, you, too, could be the next breakout star.

• 5 Cheapest Ways To Get Yourself Into The Main Event

Who won the 2023 WSOP Main Event?

Daniel Weinman from the United States of America was crowned winner of the 2023 WSOP Main Event, taking home a record-breaking $12.1 million in winnings.

Who has the most WSOP bracelets?

Phil Hellmuth holds the record for the most WSOP bracelets, having won 17 since 1989.

Phil Ivey, Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson all tie for second place, with 10 WSOP bracelets each.

Who has won the most WSOP Main Events?

Two players are tied for the most WSOP Main Event wins – Johnny Moss and Stu Ungar. Both have won the event three times.

Johnny Moss won the first two WSOP events ever held, however it was different back then, as the winner was decided through a vote by the other players.

How much money can you win in a WSOP tournament?

The prize for each tournament changes depending on how many people enter the event, so there is no clear-cut answer for this question, although some events naturally have the biggest prize pools.

More players equates to grander payouts, but you must also outlast a larger field in order to win. WSOP events are always heavily attended…it’s common to see paydays cracking one million dollars!

This is what makes bounty formats so alluring. If you reach Day 2 of the Mystery Millions, for example, you will draw a random variable bounty every time you eliminate a player – this bounty can be worth enormous sums of money. The highest bounty in this event is worth $1,000,000! You don’t have to reach the final table in order to achieve major payouts.

There are likewise standardized bounty tournaments such as the $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty where every player has a $500 bounty on their head from the start.

• The Top 10 Biggest Main Event Winnings Of All Time

Who has won the most money in poker?

The highest-earing player in all tournaments is Bryn Kenney, who has won over $65.1 million (and counting) in his career so far.

He is followed by Justin Bonomo and Stephen Chidwick. This doesn’t take into account money won playing in cash games behind closed doors, though.

How do poker satellites work?

Satellite poker tournaments are qualifying events to another, usually larger buy-in event. It’s essentially a way of gaining a ticket (entry) into an expensive tournament.

Imagine you wanted to enter the Main Event but couldn’t afford the $10,000 buy-in. You could instead spend $100 on a satellite tournament, with the hope you’d parlay it into a coveted Main Event seat.

Most satellite tournaments take place online where it’s possible to gain entry into big tournaments with just a couple of dollars. Live satellites exist as well – including at the WSOP in Las Vegas itself – but the upfront cost tends to be higher.

How do you win seats in the WSOP?

To win a seat at the WSOP, you’ll have to enter a satellite tournament. These are held at various different poker sites and online casinos. ClubGG is a flat $49.99 per month for the Platinum Membership available to players all around the world (including Americans) where you can attempt to satellite your way into select WSOP events.

If you can win the satellite, you will gain entry into the specified WSOP tournament.

Keep your eyes peeled online for various giveaways. Last year I won my seat through a Twitter(X) contest! Credit to professional poker player and women’s poker advocate Nadya Magus for hosting the competition and the incredibly generous two-time WSOP bracelet winner Scott Ball for donating the seat.

How much do poker players at the WSOP final table get paid to wear sponsor patches?

This really depends on how well-known players are and what deals they have in place with sponsors, although it’s been reported that some can earn as much as $100,000 just to wear a patch at the Main Event.

2016 WSOP Main Event winner Qui Nguyen reportedly declined a six-figure deal to replace his iconic raccoon hat at the televised final table.

How many people are seated at your WSOP Main Event table?

The beginning of the Main Event is generally staggered over the first four days, as it would be exceptionally difficult to get 10,000 people playing poker at the same time.

Nine people are usually sat at one table in the Main Event, although people are moved regularly from table to table, in order to balance the tables properly. There is always the risk of 10-handed tables if they are at overcapacity, which almost happened in 2023 on Day 1D.

Which Day 1 of the WSOP Main Event should you play?

Choose your starting flight wisely. I have played the last three WSOP Main Events and received dreadful table draws in my first two attempts. Everyone at my tables was extraordinarily timid and tight – it was very difficult to win any pots or garner significant amounts of chips.

In 2023, I learned my lesson – I didn’t want another experience that felt like watching paint dry. I adjusted by playing on July 4 (United States Independence Day) because I knew there would be more international pros since many Americans would be celebrating the holiday. The pro-heavy field was much more aggressive and resulted in a drastically larger average pot size. As a result of the battling, I ended-up chip leader for several hours on my Day 1!

Alternatively, many people target Day 1D as it most closely coincides with the weekend. It is always the biggest field and feeds into its own separate Day 2.

You can now register into Day 2 directly and skip the first day entirely. The advantage here is that many players have already been eliminated and you are much closer to reaching the payouts.

What is the difference between a WSOP bracelet and winning the WSOP Main Event?

Every person who wins a WSOP event receives a bracelet – a “bracelet-winner” is considered the most prestigious title in tournament poker.

The winner of the Main Event is likewise awarded a bracelet but there is only one per year. The enormous cash prize comes with unique international prestige. The Main Event winner goes down in history!

How much money do WSOP dealers make?

The WSOP has said that starting pay for all dealers will begin at $12.50 an hour with a $100 bonus after “successfully completing” their first shift.

There is also $15-$20 per down depending on the event and added pooled tips.

It is a strenuous job but can be lucrative!

Are WSOP winnings taxed?

This really depends where you live, so you should check your local laws.

US players can pay up to 50 percent in tax on their winnings, while those from the UK and many EU countries will not pay any tax at all. In 2022, the 3rd-place finisher (Jack Oliver) from the UK netted more than the 2nd-place finisher (George Holmes) from the US!

This is why many professional poker players live in countries with low or no taxation on winnings.

Check out our blog post on everything you need to know about rake and taxes in WSOP.

Lead image credit: World Poker Tour/Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0

Straddling in poker can be overwhelming for beginners. But after reading, you should not only understand the basic mechanics, but the best opportunities.

What Is A Straddle In Poker?

In poker, a straddle is akin to paying an extra big blind.

If this already sounds confusing to you and makes your eyes glaze over, don’t panic—you’re not alone. A poker term that often trips up beginners is “blinds.” So stay with me, as just for a moment, we do need to get technical.

In Texas Hold ‘Em, there is always a “button” placed at the table (see below). This is a physical button. The two players to the left of the button are called the blinds. The first person to the left of the button is the small blind; the person to the left of them is the big blind. If you’re playing $1/$2 stakes for example, the small blind will have to pay $1 and the big blind will have to pay $2.

Paying the blinds is mandatory—it’s actually a shorthand term for “blind bet.” Because you have to pay this amount before you’ve seen your cards. In other words, you have to pay it blindly.

(Bonus technical language if you want to get really precise: This is why players start with a raise preflop rather than a bet. The blinds were already a placed bet, so, for example, you can’t bet $10 but you can raise to $10).

A straddle means voluntarily paying an extra blind.

How Do Straddles Work In Poker?

In the example of the $1/$2 game, the small blind is $1, the big blind is $2, and you can straddle to $4—all without seeing your cards. Again, it functions like an extra big blind because you’ve put in this money blindly before seeing your cards.

People can even “double straddle” at certain casinos. This would mean the small blind pays $1, the big blind pays $2, the straddle pays $4, and the double straddle pays $8.

What would a super-ultra-rare triple straddle look like in this example? The triple straddle player would pay $16.

Straddling in poker is doubling the last bet before anyone has seen their cards. If the stakes were $5/$10, the player straddling would pay $20 prior to being dealt their hand. You need to declare your intention to straddle in advance.

Pro tip: If you choose to straddle, point to those extra chips so the dealer notices. They will then announce, “STRADDLE!” to the table so everyone knows that you placed your straddle before seeing your hand.

Once a player has straddled, that is now the minimum price to continue playing. Instead of it costing a minimum of $2 to keep playing, it is now $4 (or whatever the amount straddled to is). Straddling in poker is a way of raising the stakes.

Who Can Straddle In Poker?

First of all, it is important to mention that every casino is different and will have their own rules and regulations. Some venues will not allow straddling at all. The same applies when playing online poker.

Most commonly, however, you can choose to straddle when you are seated under-the-gun. That means you are the first person to act preflop. This is why in the previous section we indicated the person left of the big blind—that is the under-the-gun seat. If a casino allows straddles, you can always elect to straddle when you are here.

From time to time you will encounter a casino that also permits button straddles (a.k.a a ‘Mississippi straddle’). This means you can straddle when you are located on the button seat as well.

What if both the under-the-gun player and the button player want to straddle?

It is up to the casino who takes priority—don’t hesitate to ask. Good questions to ask when you’re new to a card room are:

1. Do you allow straddles here?
2. Can you straddle on the button or only under-the-gun?
3. Does the under-the-gun straddle or the button straddle get priority?

In rare scenarios, you will find a game where you can straddle from any position at the table. In any case, the action usually starts left of the last straddle preflop. If the under-the-gun player straddled, the person to their left will have the first decision preflop whether to fold or play their hand. If the button player straddled, the person in the small blind will have the first decision.

There are definitely exceptions to button straddles, so it’s always good to clarify with the dealer.

What you need to know is this:

• Most places allow under-the-gun straddles.
• When you straddle under-the-gun, the action preflop starts on the player to your left (under-the-gun + 1).

Why Straddle In Poker: Pros And Cons

Now that we know what a straddle in poker is and who can straddle in Texas Hold‘Em, we need to answer the burning question: WHY straddle in poker?

There are reasons both for and against straddling in Texas Hold‘Em:

Pros

• Straddling in poker raises the stakes. It now costs double to continue playing—and raises will be adjusted even bigger accordingly.
• Poker is a people game—you want to create a fun atmosphere. People that don’t straddle are often viewed as uptight. Even though you might lose money straddling when you are dealt lousy cards, it can be worth it because it encourages everyone at the table to play looser and more relaxed. Think of it like buying a cocktail.
• When the player(s) in the blinds are fish, it’s good to straddle when you are under-the-gun because you will play bigger pots while having direct position on them.
• When you straddle under-the-gun, you no longer act first preflop. It is an advantage to see what everyone else does and then get to make your decision.

Cons

• You waste chips every time you straddle and aren’t dealt a good hand.
• Straddling in poker raises the stakes—which can also be a negative. The game might play bigger now than you can afford. Even if finances aren’t an issue for you, everyone’s stack depth gets cut in half.
  
  For example, in a $1/$2 game where everyone starts with $100, all players have 50 big blinds. If the game is straddled to $4, now everyone only has 25 big blinds. This means players will be all-in much more frequently and the game will play higher variance. Luck will play an outsized role.

When You Should And Shouldn’t Straddle In Poker

For the reasons above, you should avoid straddling when short-stacked (or most players at the table are short-stacked). All you are doing is minimizing your skill edge by making the game wilder and more swingy.

There is also a big difference between a button straddle and an under-the-gun straddle. When you straddle under-the-gun, you are making the pots play bigger when you are in a relatively bad position at the table. When you button straddle, however, you are putting more money in the middle when you have an advantage (because you get to act last after the flop and will get to see what all the other players do ahead of you. You will have more information to make your decisions). Button straddling is the most powerful option in Hold ‘Em.

A button straddle is considered such a huge advantage that many casinos do not permit it. It is too great of an edge. High stakes players don’t like it because it “kills the game” since poker pros can manipulate button straddles so effectively.

Under-the-gun straddles don’t provide that same advantage. The times they do are when fishy players are seated in the blinds, in which case that can sway you towards a straddle. Otherwise under-the-gun straddles are best avoided unless most players at the table are deep-stacked.

Can You Straddle In A Poker Tournament?

Finally you may wonder if you can straddle in a poker tournament. This one has an easy answer… no!

The poker chips you lose in tournaments are more valuable than the chips you gain. You can’t afford to be splashy and throw on a straddle to bump up the stakes. Even if you’re chip leader, you won’t be permitted to straddle in a poker tournament anyways!

Lead image credit: Poker Photos/Flickr, CC BY 2.0

• Poker Hands Cheat Sheet
• Poker Staring Hands Cheat Sheet
• Poker Odds Cheat Sheet
• Calculating Outs Cheat Sheet
• Printable Poker Cheat Sheets

Don’t underestimate their power! When I first started playing poker, I didn’t even know how to hold my cards right. But I studied diligently and three months later, when I entered my first poker tournament, I won first place. The secret? Mastering the fundamentals.

I wasn’t a poker tells guru or mathematical whiz. What I did know was which cards to play and when – that alone was enough to have an extreme edge on my competition.

Poker Hands Cheat Sheet

For starters, remind yourself of the poker hand rankings, so you know what hands you’re trying to make.

But this poker hand cheat sheet alone isn’t enough to make you a great player. As with my story, the first place you really need to start is with what’s called your starting hands.

Poker Starting Hands Cheat Sheet

It may surprise you to know that professional poker players fold close to 80% of their hands… BEFORE the flop! Most hands are bad hands not valuable enough to enter the pot.

As I say in my book “A Girl’s Guide to Poker“, the first peek at your cards provides a mini rush, until you realize most of your hands are destined for the muck – poker’s trash pile.

…Truth is, most poker hands are awful. Statistical miscreants. Mathematical losers. That one D-list celebrity who can just never seem to get it together.

That’s right—the first thing you need to know about poker is that most hands are statistical losers. The fastest and easiest way to get ahead is by playing better cards than your opponents.

In a moment, you’ll see how to adjust which starting hands you play based on your position at the table. But for now, here’s your starting hands cheat sheet separated into three different levels:

Beginner

• Only play suited A-K-Q-J-T

Play any two cards that can make a royal flush. Said another way, BOTH of your cards need to be the same suit and either an Ace, King, Queen, Jack, or Ten. Nothing else counts.

If you implement this strategy, you will find yourself folding A LOT. That’s OK. Poker is a game of discipline – good habits start now.

Intermediate

When you’re ready to level-up and take your poker starting hands to the next level, stick to the following three categories: BROADWAYS, PAIRS, SUITED CONNECTORS.

• Broadway cards are A-K-Q-J-T, but they don’t have to be the same suit. So now you can play a hand like King-Queen even if they’re different suits (like the King of Clubs and Queen of Spades).
• Pairs are two of the same card, like a pair of nines or a pair of Jacks.
• Suited connectors are numerically consecutive and the same suit. Hands like a nine and eight of spades or a six and seven of diamonds. What if you’re dealt a nine and ten of different suits? Fold it!

These are card categories you can loosely play in any position.

Advanced

You really begin to develop your edge when you fine-tune which cards to play based on position. This is a preflop raise first-in guide. These are the hands you raise if no one else has raised ahead of you.

First what you do is determine your position at the table. Then you check this cheat sheet to see which starting hands you should raise.

What if I don’t want to follow these rules? Poker is for you—obviously play the game you want to play. This is just a foundation. As your skill level increases, you can deviate from these norms based on player types, stack sizes, preflop action, and so on.

However, you do want to know the general reasoning behind these tight guidelines.

The Guidelines Explained

Why do you want both cards to be broadways?

Why not just play any starting hand with an Ace? The problem is that you will often find yourself “outkicked” —meaning if you do this, your Ace-Eight will lose to someone else’s Ace-Jack. It is going to cost you significantly because you will hit a good hand that is second-best. Poker doesn’t reward silver medals.

Why do you want to play pairs?

When two of your hole cards match, it’s called a pocket pair. This is great because you already have what’s called a “made hand”—you don’t need to connect with the flop! A pair is a pair and no one can take that away from you. (Not even the government.) It’s also surprisingly hard to flop a pair.

• You’re only going to connect with the flop around one-third of the time.
• This also applies to your opponents. A pair provides a nice head start because they’re usually going to miss.

Why do you want to play suited connectors?

Number cards are the hardest to play because they are much less likely to be the best hand at showdown. Flopping a pair of sixes isn’t going to hold up frequently enough… and even if it does, the pot will surely be small. You play suited connectors for their ability to hit straights and flushes.

This is also not a guarantee, which is why you shouldn’t play these starting hands until you’re comfortable bluffing. You need to be confident playing draws.

Let’s say you have 8-9 and the flop is A-K-4. Sure, another spade will improve you to a flush and most likely give you the winning hand—but what do you do if another spade doesn’t hit? You’re going to need to have a back-up plan.

For all the times your straights and flushes don’t come in, you’re going to need to know when a bluff will be successful vs. when it’s better to give-up (sometimes your opponent just isn’t folding). Suited connector starting hands require more advanced post-flop strategy, unlike a hand like pocket aces which is strong enough to win on its own.

Poker Odds Cheat Sheet

Here’s a beginners cheat sheet for poker odds. You can print this out like a master list or keep reading as I break the most important ones down in more detail.

• Flopping a pair… 29%
• Flopping two pair… 2%
• Flopping a set… 12%
• Flopping a flush… 0.84%
• Flopping a straight with two connected hole cards… 1.3%
• Making a flush by the river… 35%
• Making an open-ended straight by the river… 32%
• Making a gutshot straight by the river … 16%
• Making a full house by the river if you’ve flopped a set… 33%
• Pocket pair vs two overcards … 51%
• Lower pocket pair against higher pocket pair … 18%
• Pair vs one overcard … 70%
• Kicker pairing … 25%
• Pairing either overcard after the flop … 25%
• Backdoor/runner-runner flush … 4%

Even though this is a poker cheat sheet for beginners, you’d be surprised how many regulars don’t know some of these essentials. People chase backdoor flushes all the time – even though they’ll miss with near 95% frequency.

Tip: A backdoor flush is when you need both the turn and river to be the same suit in order to make your flush. For example, if you have KJ and the flop is 893, you need both the turn and river to be a heart in order to complete a flush.

You can also refer to this poker odds cheat sheet featuring common scenarios to help you calculate odds when trying to improve your hand.

These are the 3 most vital poker probabilities for you to know:

• Making a flush by the river… 35%
• Making an open-ended straight by the river… 32%
• Pocket pair vs. two overcards … 51%

Making a flush or straight with one card to come rather than two—ex. You’ve flopped a straight draw and want to know your probability of hitting your straight on the turn—means you just cut the statistic in half. So making a straight is about 16% and a flush is about 17.5%.

The pocket pair vs. two overcards is a scenario commonly referred to as a FLIP… because it’s nearly a coin toss. A hand like pocket tens vs. Ace-King will win just over 50% of the time. Poker players will frequently say, “we’re flipping!” when you’re racing a pair against two higher cards.

What I recommend all beginners do is download a poker odds calculator app on your smartphone (there are many) and plug-in the hands yourself. If you do this enough, you will see the same probabilities appear over and over again. It’s an easy way to begin to recognize standard situations and statistics.

Calculating Outs Cheat Sheet

An alternate way to look at your hand’s chances of winning is calculating “outs.” Think of how many cards are available in the deck to give you the best hand.

If you need to hit an open-ended straight draw for example, then you have eight outs. For example, you hold 76. Flop is 983. Any 5 or 10 will make you a straight. There are four 5s in the deck and four 10s, meaning you have eight cards to hit for the winner.

• Multiply your number of outs by four in order to roughly calculate your odds of hitting on the river.
• Multiply your number of outs by two in order to roughly calculate your odds of hitting on the turn.

Example:

Flush draws contain nine outs (there are 13 cards of each suit in the deck, subtract the two in your hand and the two on the flop). Multiply 9 x 4 to calculate your likelihood of hitting your flush by the river (36%) and multiply 9 x 2 to calculate your likelihood of hitting your flush by the turn (18%).

Some people prefer to calculate outs and run these equities in their heads. I can assure you however it’s not necessary—if you follow this poker cheat sheet, then you will see the same odds and statistics pop-up so regularly you’ll naturally store them to memory.

Printable Poker Cheat Sheets

Use the links below to print poker cheat sheet PDFs, or download them to refer to later.

For more guides from Amanda, check out What Is A Straddle In Poker?