The following article on poker playing is free for you to use in your
lesson as a topic of discussion. There are many words relating to Texas
Holdem that even native English speakers would have trouble with. This
article is basically an exercise in jargon. It doesn't matter if you don't
know what a lot of the words mean, that's the point. Sometimes students
will not be able to find the meaning of the word. This is your chance to
teach predicting and guessing techniques. Get your student to read the
article aloud and correct pronunciation. Then everyone should have a laugh!
How to Win Texas Hold'em
Texas Hold'em...minutes to learn,
life time to master.
One of the most important things that you need to do in order to win,
is to be patient. Most people that are unsuccessful at Texas Holdem are
the ones that like to play every hand and chase cards. Be selective on
the hands you play and you will increase your odds greatly. Get an understanding
of how the other players at the table are playing. Are they playing
loose or tight? This is important to know because the person playing loose
is very hard to bet out of a hand and the players that are tight usually
only play when they have a monster hand.
A tight player generally only plays the "nuts" early on, but then they
know you have read them and their style of play, so in the later rounds
they try stealing the pot with a big bet.
If you have a feeling they might be trying to steal the pot, again raise
their bet. If a tight player is quick to call, more than likely they have
a hand, so fold. Otherwise, with your raise, a tight player will put you
on a higher hand, fold and wait until their hand comes along.
Watch how players are betting and remember, so if it comes to a showdown
and cards are turned over, you'll get a good read on their betting style.
What I mean here is; did they have a made hand or were they on a draw?
Did they bet on the flop, turn and river, or slow play their hand? It's
very important to learn how others play in order to win in the later rounds
when the blinds are higher.
Playing Pocket Pairs. A couple of things I suggest, if it's early in
a game, wait to see a flop. The more players at the table, the riskier
it is to go all-in. Wait until you see the flop and then if your pocket
pair is higher than the board, bet aggressivly and see how others react.
If over cards come out and someone bets big, do not be afraid to fold.
Be cautious of what the board gives you. Does it give other players an
opportunity at a straight or flush? Several times I have had my Aces cracked
going all in pre-flop. Later in the game and with less players, pocket
pairs increase in strength, because you are not on a draw, unless someone
else has a pocket pair that is higher than yours.
Bluffing, this is a big part of the game. A lot of players seem to be
bluffing more (more so online). Here again, you need to get a feel on others
playing styles in order to get a read on them to determine if it is a bluff
or a strong hand. If all players bluff to win a pot, you have to. I think
you will probably need to bluff a win, at least once an hour. If you are
a player that doesn't get caught in bluffs early on, it makes it that much
easier to bluff a win once the pot is larger in the later rounds. If you
do get caught early and often, players are more than likely to call your
bets and get tells that you may not know you have.
On TILT? Another important part of this game is to control your emotions.
We all take bad beats or fold a winning hand, it's a part of the game,
but if you get upset or go on tilt, you will not win! Stand up for a minute,
sit out a hand, get your thoughts together, put it behind you and get re-focused.
Always remember to be patient and play solid hands. It's a marathon
not a sprint. A thought to play by; it's aways better to rake a small pot
than to lose a big one.
Philip Perkins
http://www.thatsnolimit.com
Circulated by 192 Ways, minor edits by Speakoz.
If you're a teacher, these articles can be used to help you create
a discussion lesson. Get the students to read an article aloud then discuss
some of the vocabulary, phrases, idioms and phrasal verbs used. Discuss
the issues that the article has brought up.
If you're a student, any reading is good English practice for you.
Read an article on a topic you like then research any vocabulary used.
If you didn't agree with what the article says, you can write your own,
refuting it!
