Headlong into Hold'emby John Vorhaus  This is you: You're ready to dive into Texas hold'em and you're looking for a basic approach to the game.This is me: The guy that's got one.By the way, if this is not you, go read something else, because the stuff here is going to be pretty basic and I don't want you to feel like I'm assaulting your intelligence by telling you stuff you already know. But then again on the other hand, it never hurts to review what you already know and confirm it or refine it or otherwise measure it against what somebody else knows, or thinks he knows, and that, again, is me, the guy that thinks he knows.But standard disclaimer: Every hold'em situation is lovingly gauzed by the comforting words, "It depends." I can't tell you what to do in every hold'em situation, or even, probably, any hold'em situation because I can't know everything you know about the game you're in, the players you face, the image they have, the image you have, and countless other variables too variable to mention.I will tell you this, though, without fear of contradiction: If you want me to help you build your basic hold'em platform, you're going to have to help me out. How? By thinking concretely and constructively about the game you play. By doing some exercises I suggest. By making your study of hold'em an active rather than passive pursuit. It's just not enough just to read some geeze's advice on the game and then go play. You have to recognize that information is a tool, and commit yourself to mastering the use of that tool.Want an example? Thought you might.In my first Killer Poker book I talk about something called "little poison," a strategic antidote to the problem that new players (and even some crusty veterans) have about playing with the right tightness. As a rule, players who play too loose get all moist and oozy over hands like small pairs and little connectors and high-low suiteds like Kc -3c . The first thing a hold'em player needs to do, if he wants to have any success at all in the game, is learn how to throw those hands away. Little poison is a strategy for acquiring that discipline. Here's what you do...Pretend that every card in the deck from seven (or even eight) on down is poison... toxic... a threat on your life. Not only that, pretend that if even one of your cards is little, it will poison the other card and make your whole hand unplayable.Once you take this idea on board, you'll come to look at little cards in a whole new light. 6-7? Ack! Poison! Throw it away! 6-7 suited? Ack! Suited poison! Throw it away! Even little pairs are little poison when you can't play them in position against a large field. And ace-little is definitely little poison if you're in a game where everyone plays any ol' ace, because your poisoned ace will be outkicked time and time and time again, and you will die.Little poison gives you a focus, a framing device, for throwing away bad hands. It gives you an excuse to say no, rather than the excuse we're always looking for, an excuse to say yes. It has this added extra benefit: If you're playing little poison and your foes are not, you'll be playing with only the top half of the deck, while they'll be playing with the whole deck, good cards and poison cards alike. This gives you tremendous leverage over them, hand after hand after hand.But like I said, a strategy like this is only useful to you if you commit yourself to using it. So here's what I want you to do, and call it homework if you like: Next time you play, keep rigorous track of the hands you play. Your goal is to play the session entirely poison-free. That is, you will not voluntarily enter any pot in which your hand contains so much as a single card valued seven or under. That's draconian, I know, but not as draconian as if I'd said "no eight or under," which is a perfectly reasonable way to play little poison too.I know what you're thinking: What about A-7 suited? What about little pocket pairs? Won't I allow you any exceptions? Won't I let you have any fun? You know what? No. In fact, not just no but hell no. This is an exercise in discipline. You might miss out on one or two profitable situations, and you might fold a couple of hands you could reasonably have played - I don't care! If you're going to have success at Texas hold'em, you've got to develop a strong and sturdy set of rules. Once you learn them, and learn to follow them, you can think about situationally setting them aside. But for now, challenge yourself to play the top half of the deck only, and let little poison be your guide. You have much more to gain from establishing discipline than from winning any single pot, no matter how big.Get here the best poker strategy tips and techniques to improve your game. The basic strategies outlined below are your first step essentials in your poker education.Ultimate-Bet Poker Beginner Strategy - ArticlesPart 1: Headlong into Hold'emby John VorhausPart 2: What's all this Noise About Texas Hold'em Starting Requirements?by John VorhausPoker Philosophyby Russ HamiltonThe 30-bet Ruleby Annie Duke