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Na Fianna
Texas Holdem Fundraiser
NEXT HOLDEM NIGHT FRIDAY 22ND OCTOBER
TICKETS ON SALE AT DOOR!
(Clubhouse)
500 BONUS CHIPS FOR ARRIVAL BEFORE 7.30
Fun night, Professionally managed event
New....Top Ten Tips; Position tips and Holdem Rules!
(Scroll down for: Tournament Rules & Poker Hand Ranking)
€30 buy-in for 4000 chips
To book your place text: texas, your name & mobile number to
Paddy @ 0862581239
Tickets expected to be sold out in advance so may not be available on the night
Tournament Rules
€30 Buy-in for 4000 chips
No Limit Hold’em with multiple re-buys allowed up to 10pm (at €10
each for 4000 chips - Top-Ups (€10 for 4000 chips for those still standing at 10.45pm)
20min blind levels - scroll down
Buy In: €30 (+ €0 registration)
Location: Halla Na Fianna
Guide to playing Texas Hold'em
Up to 10 players are sitting at a table. In front of one of the players is a button, with a 'D' on it. This is called the dealer button and identifies the dealer for that hand of cards. The dealer button moves one position to the left before each hand of cards. This button originates from when players in the group took turns to deal the cards.
Blinds
First, the two players directly to the left of the dealer must post 'blinds', that is to place a bet before getting cards. This is to ensure that every winning hand wins some money. Since the dealer button moves on every game round, everyone has to post blinds at some point in the game. The player to the immediate left of the dealer posts the 'small blind'. The player to the left of the small blind posts the 'big blind'.
Pocket Cards
After the blinds, first cards are dealt. Every player gets two cards face down. These are called pocket cards.
Bet round 1
Betting begins with the player immediately to the left of the big blind and continuing in a clockwise direction around the table. Every player can fold, call or raise.
The Flop Cards
Now three cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. These cards are called the flop cards. These are 'community' cards and can be used by all the players to make up their hand.
Bet round 2
Second round of betting follows. This is carried out exactly as the first betting round.
The Turn Card
After the second round of betting, a fourth 'community' card is dealt face up in the middle of the table. This is called the 'Turn card'. It is followed by a third round of betting.
Bet round 3
This round, again, is carried out just like the first and the second.
The River Card
Finally, a fifth and final 'community' card is dealt. It is called the 'River card' and is followed by a fourth and final round of betting.
Bet round 4
This final betting round is carried out exactly as the third.
Showdown
After the final betting round, the best five-card hand is determined. Both the pocket cards and the community cards can be used to make up a hand. The player with the best five-card poker hand wins the pot. Players can also split the pot, if they have the same hand. In the rare case of the best hand consisting of community cards only, the pot is divided between all the players left in the pot at the showdown.
Top Ten Tips & Knowing Position!
1. Be aware of your position (more on position below)
When you start out playing Texas holdem you probably won't understand the importance of your position at the table. But this can't be stressed enough. To have position on your opponents give you a huge advantage. In position you can play more hands and have a lot more control over the progress of the hand. Always be cautious when you play out of position and only play premium hands.
2. Don't play too many starting hands
A sure way to lose money in Texas holdem is by playing too many hands. Playing bad starting hands will usually cost you a lot more than what you stand to win. And when you hit something with a hand you shouldn't be playing in the first place, it will usually only get you in trouble.
3. Be aggressive
A very common beginners mistake is to call too often and don't bet enough when you finally hit something. To be aggressive is important both in order to protect made hands against draws and to make your opponents pay for your good hands. A rule of thumb is that you should be raising more often than calling.
4. Know when to quit
A costly mistake that many players make is not to quit in time. If you have a bad session and that last suck out on the river really gets to you it's time to walk away. Never play if you are upset or if you start chasing your losses just to get even. This will affect your game and it's usually a sure way to loose money. Only play as long as you feel that you can play your best game.
5. Don't fall in love with your starting hand
As long as you're not holding the pocket rockets (AA) you should never be too found of a starting hand. Always re-evaluate the situation on the flop and be ready to release your hand if you think that somebody's got you beat.
6. Know the odds
All experienced Texas holdem players know the basic odds by heart. You don't have time to calculate your chances to hit that flush (9 outs) in the middle of a hand. Most odds you need at the table are really basic and you will learn them quickly with some practice. Roughly speaking each out you have equals a 2 % chance to hit your draw.
7. Don't underestimate your opponents
To underestimate the opposition is a common and costly mistake. The guy that called your bluff with king high might not be a fish at all. Sure he could be a loose and reckless player, or he's just got a good read of your play. Don't jump into conclusions before you have enough information. Be humble and realize that there might be players better than you out there.
8. Don't play out of your bankroll
No matter how good a player you are, if you play out of your limit you are bound to loose your money sooner or later. It's a statistical fact; if you risk too much of your bankroll at the table, the statistical fluctuations will eventually make you go broke. As a recreational player you should at least have 20 buyins at the level you are playing.
9. Bluff
It's very important not to be too predictable when you play poker. If you only play premium hands and never bluff your opponents will have an easy time reading you. You need to mix up your game and bluff from time to time. A bluff will both give you the chance to win the pot when you don't have the best hand and increase your chances to be paid off with your premium hands.
10. Never take it personal
In order to succeed in holdem you need to keep your cool. Never let the acts of other players get to you. So your opponent hit his three outer on the river - it happens. If bad players never managed to suck out they wouldn't play at all. Some players also use trash talk as part of their strategy in an attempt to get you off balance. If things that happen at the table starts to affect you it's time to take a break.
Position is simply where you are sitting in relation to the dealer's button. In holdem and many other poker games, your position at the table is a big factor. The strength of your position comes from the fact that the betting goes in a clockwise fashion. In a favorable position you get to see how many other players react to their hands and whether they fold, bet, or call before you do. The poker phrase, 'Position is power' comes from this simple idea.
There are many names associated with position to identify where players are sitting in relation to the dealer's button. Each particular position has its own strengths or weaknesses.
- The small blind has the worst position after the flop and must invest half a bet.
- The big blind invests an entire bet and similarly has a poor position.
- The player under the gun has the worst position preflop and a junk position afterwards.
- The button has the best position during any betting round.
If you aren't familiar with the above terms (small blind, button, under the gun) see below.
The importance of your position depends on many factors. For example, in no limit hold em, position is much more important than in limit hold'em. It is always better to be in an late position though, so it is important to identify what hands are generally playable in all positions
For example, lets say you're under the gun. You have Queen-Ten, unsuited and decide to limp into the pot. The player to bet after you raises, and everyone but you folds.. Now you're in a jam. Chances are good that this player has a better hand than you. If they have any ace, king, or pocket pair, they are statistically better than you. You'd suspect that someone who raised has at least a hand like that. Now you can either call again and go into the flop as an underdog or you can fold and just give up a bet. What's worse is that if you call, you will be acting before this player for the rest of the hand. On the other hand, let's say you're on the button. You have Queen-Ten, unsuited and everybody folds to you. One option would be to fold and let the blinds fight it out. Another would be the just call and see what happens on the flop. Many players here would raise because you could steal the blinds and even if you didn't, you'd act after them for the remainder of the hand. Raising is only a viable option because of your favorable position.
Another notable factor is that position goes hand in hand with knowing the players directly around you. For example, an aggressive, blind-stealing player to the immediate right of a tight player usually results in the tight player's blinds getting stolen.
Being in late position with a good hand has major strengths over being early with a good hand. Early position raisers are assumed to have a good hand and it tends to scare players away. Early preflop raises can force the other players to call two bets at once (or more in the case of pot limit or no limit hold 'em) when there is nearly nothing in the pot worth fighting for. In late position, there may be players who have already called one bet. Those players only have to call one bet (in limit) with a little something already in the pot. So players in late position with a good hand have the ability to manipulate the pot size, which will make future bets easier to call in the upcoming betting rounds
Position terms
'Dealer', 'Dealer's Button', or 'Button' - This is the best possible position as the player in the dealer's seat will be the last to act on the flop, turn, and river.
'Under the Gun' - This is the first player to take an action in the hand. This player will be to the left of the big blind. Being under the gun is considered to be the worst position in holdem. In its defense, it is a lousy position, but an under the gun player will actually have better position post-flop than the blinds.
'Big Blind' - This is the player to the left of the small blind unless the game is heads-up - one vs one.
'Small Blind' - This player is directly to the left of the dealer's button unless the game is heads-up. See below.
'Cutoff' - This is the player to the right of the button. It's called the cutoff because that position often 'cuts off' the dealer's ability to steal blinds by betting.
Betting system
The player left of the big blind starts the betting round, betting order goes around the table clockwise. Everyone is betting according to what they think their hand will lead to.
Fold
If you don't like your cards, you can fold. If you have posted a blind, made a bet or raised a bet, you will lose that money. But you will not lose any more. After folding, you are out of the game until the next hand.
Check/Call
You can stay in the game by checking or calling. If no bet has been made before you, you can check without placing any money in the pot. If a bet has been made, you can call by placing the same amount in the pot.
Bet/Raise/Re-raise
If you think your hand is good enough, you can make a bet. If another player has already made a bet, you can raise it. Bet amounts are fixed by the table stakes.
All-in
When a player runs out of chips during the course of a hand, he/she does not have to fold. Instead the player can choose to be 'All-in'. When you are All-in, you call all your chips and the pot is divided into the main pot and side pot. All subsequent chips are hereafter added to the side pot.
At the showdown if the All-in player does not have a winning hand, both the side pot and the main pot go to the winning hand, as usual.
At the showdown if the All-in player has a winning hand, the main pot goes to the All-in player, and the side pot goes to the next best hand.
Rank of Poker Hands
The winning hand is determined by seeing which hand has the strongest combination of cards, using any combination of 'pocket' cards and 'community' cards. The combinations are listed here from strongest to weakest hand. Each combination is illustrated by an example, where the following abbreviations are used: C - Clubs, D - Diamonds, H - Hearts, S - Spades, J - Jack, Q - Queen, K - King and A - Ace.
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Royal Flush
Straight flush from 10 to the ace.
Example: 10S, JS, QS, KS, AS |
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Straight Flush
Straight with all five cards of the same suit.
Example: 7D, 8D, 9D, 10D, JD |
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Four of a Kind
Four cards of the same value. Suit is irrelevant.
Example: JC, JD, JH, JS |
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Full House
Three cards of one value together with two cards of another value. When more than one full house is competing, the one with the highest ranking group of three wins.
Example: QH, QS, KD, KC, KH |
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Flush
Five cards of the same suit. When more than one flush is competing, the one with the highest card wins.
Example: AS, 5S, 7S, 9S, JS |
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Straight
Five cards in sequence. When more than one straight is competing, the one with the highest card wins. An ace can be taken as either high or low (but not both high and low in the same hand).
Example: 8, 9, 10, J, Q; suit is irrelevant |
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Three of a Kind
Three cards of the same value.
Example: KH, KD, KC |
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Two Pair
Any two cards of one value together with two cards of another value. When more than one hand has two pairs of the same rank, the hand with the highest card outside the paired cards wins.
Example: JC, JH, QS, QD |
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One Pair
Two cards of the same value. In case two hands have pairs, the highest pair wins. When more than one hand has a pair of the same rank, the hand with the highest card outside the pair wins.
Example: 10C, 10S |
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Highest Card
When players have none of the above, the hand with the highest card wins. |
Blind structure - 20min blind levels
19:00 - 19:20 Level 1; 25-50
19:20 - 19:40 Level 2; 50-100
19:40 - 20:00 Level 3; 100-200
20:00 - 20:20 Level 4; 200-400
20:20 - 20:40 Level 5; 300-600
20:40 - 21:00 Level 6; 400-800
21:00 - 21:20 Level 7; 500-1,000
21:20 - 21:40 Level 8; 800-1,500 End of Re-Buys
21:40 - 22:00 Break 20 Minutes
22:00 - 22:20 Level 9; 1,000-2,000
22:20 - 22:40 Level 10; 1,500-3,000
22:40 - 23:00 Level 11; 2,000-4,000
23:00 - 23:20 Level 12; 3,000-6,000
23:20 - 23:40 Level 13; 4,000-8,000
23:40 - 24:00 Break 10 Minutes
Blinds 15mins
24:00 - 24:15 Level 14; 5,000-10,000
24:15 - 24:45 Level 15; 8,000 - 15,000
24:45 - 01:00 Level 16; 10,000 - 20,000
01:00 - 01:15 Level 17; 15,000 - 30,000
01:15 - 01:30 Level 18; 20,000 - 40,000
01:30 - 01:45 Break 10 Minutes
01:45 - 02:00 Level 19; 30,000 - 60,000
02:00 - 02:15 Level 20; 40,000 - 80,000
02:15 - 02:30 Level 21; 50,000 - 100,000
02:30 - 02:45 Level 22; 80,000 - 150,000
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