May 20, 2016 One of our best training videos. This episode covers a $1-$3 match the biggest stack game from Stones Gambling Hall in Sacramento. Head over to crushlivepoker.com for more live training.
Fundamentals of Poker - Limit Texas Hold'emMason MalmuthTwo Plus Two Magazine, Vol. 8, No. 12- General Guidelines
- Seven Card Stud
- Limit Texas Hold'em
Limit Texas hold ’em is deceptive. It appears easy to play, yet beneath that simple facade lies a game of extraordinary complexity. Many variables must be considered when making decisions, and figuring out the correct play is often difficult. So before we discuss specific hands and how they generally should be played, here are some tips that will help you determine the best course of action.
Know what the best possible hand is and how likely it is to be out.
With certain upcards, the potential for many different strong hands increases. With other upcards, however, the number of combinations is dramatically reduced. For example, if the board is the
no one can have a straight, a flush, or a full house. The best possible hand is three kings.
Whether someone is holding the best possible hand, which in the poker vernacular is referred to as “the nuts,” frequently can be determined by the number of players in the pot and the previous action. The more players there are and the more betting and raising that have taken place, the more likely it is that one of your opponents has the nuts.
Recognize when you hold the best possible hand.
Although this tip is actually a continuation of the one just given, its importance is such that it rates a separate listing. If you have the nuts and fail to recognize it, you will miss betting and raising opportunities which in turn will cost you money. And thinking you have the best possible hand when you don’t can be even more expensive. However, by paying close attention to the board, you will avoid making these costly errors.
As an example, if the board is the
Free No Limit Poker Games
and you hold ace-king, you can’t be beat. You therefore should get as much money as possible into the pot. But if the board shows the 3[diamond] instead of the 3[spade], you can lose to a flush and should proceed with caution.
Position is significant.
Texas hold ’em is known as a fixed-position game as opposed to a random-position game. In other words, the order in which the players act each round is predetermined, rather than determined by the strength of the exposed cards as it is in stud. We have already noted the advantage of acting last in poker. This means that you should be more selective of the hands you play in early position than of those you play in late position.
Don’t overrate suited hands.
Having two cards of the same suit definitely makes your hand better, but many beginning players tend to overrate the value of suited cards. In short, a hand like ten-six almost always should be thrown away, whether it’s suited or not.
High cards are much better than low cards.
It’s just as easy to make a pair when you have high cards as it is when you have low cards. If you hold the
your opponent has the
and both of you flop a pair, you have the better hand. Thus, you would prefer to have your hand made up of big cards.
Poker Strategy and Other Topics - November 2019
by Carlos Welch
by Robert Samuels
by Kevin Haney
by Kevin Haney
by Ben Saxton
by Bryan Clark
by Felipe Garcia, CFA and Aaron Byrd, CFA
No Limit Hold'em
by Nick Willett
by Mason Malmuth
Here are a bunch of free poker training videos aimed toward providing strategy and tips for no limit Texas Hold'em games.
All of these strategy videos are completely free, so you're definitely getting your money's worth here. It's cool to see the advice from the strategy articles getting put in to action in real-life (well, online) situations.
Free poker training videos.
YouTube.com/user/thepokerbank is the most up-to-date place for ThePokerBank's strategy videos. The videos on this site have helpful links and descriptions, but the newest stuff is on YouTube.
It's just easier to update this way for now. – Greg
SplitSuit videos.
| Video | Type | Level | Stakes | Game | Length | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Hand Replayer Game: Full Ring Stakes: $100NL Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney Five more hand histories where Hero's 3bet gets called and has to play post flop. This video contains more strategy for playing in 3bet pots on later streets (i.e. the turn and river).'>When 3Bets Go Wrong (Part 4) | Hand Replayer | Intermediate | $100NL | FR | 31 mins | 26 Aug 13 |
| Type: Hand Replayer Game: Full Ring Stakes: $100NL Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney Ace Queen - six examples of how to play it. How to maximise value and minimise losses.'>Ace Queen | Hand Replayer | Intermediate | $100NL | FR | 33 mins | 17 Aug 13 |
| Type: INVERSE Game: Full Ring Stakes: $100NL Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney How to play suited connectors. Hands like; 65s, 87, and JT. Seven hand histories analysed.'>A Collection of Suited Connectors | INVERSE | Intermediate | $100NL | FR | 30 mins | 16 Aug 13 |
| Type: INVERSE Game: Full Ring Stakes: $100NL Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney How to play profitably when you miss the flop. Six example hand histories.'>A Collection of Postflop Air | INVERSE | Advanced | $100NL | FR | 34 mins | 09 Aug 13 |
| Type: Hand Replayer Game: Full Ring Stakes: $100NL Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney Just got raised on the flop with a hand like TPTK? Awkward. Here are some pointers.'>Facing Flop Raises | Hand Replayer | Beginner | $100NL | FR | 32 mins | 07 Aug 13 |
| Type: Concept Game: Full Ring Stakes: $100NL Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney '>When 3Bets Go Wrong (Part 3) | Concept | Intermediate | $100NL | FR | 32 mins | 26 Dec 12 |
| Type: Hand Replayer Game: Full Ring Stakes: $50NL Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney How to get maximum value from your hand when you flop a monster (two-pair or better). Includes bet sizing and hand planning strategy.'>Flopped Monsters | Hand Replayer | Beginner | $50NL | FR | 34 mins | 26 Sep 12 |
| Type: Hand Replayer Game: Full Ring Stakes: $50NL Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney How to play KK preflop and postflop. Includes strategy on 3betting/4betting and how to play on flops with an Ace.'>Playing KK | Hand Replayer | Intermediate | $50NL | FR | 34 mins | 20 Sep 12 |
| Type: Hand Replayer Game: Full Ring Stakes: - Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney A guide to continuation betting against multiple opponents on the flop. 11 hand history examples of multi-way cbetting (usually against 2 other players).'>Multi-Way Cbetting | Hand Replayer | Beginner | - | FR | 35 mins | 18 Sep 12 |
| Type: INVERSE Game: Full Ring Stakes: $100NL Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney How to play mid pocket pairs (99-JJ) in the INVERSE style. Situations include playing against aggression OOP preflop, and maximizing value postflop.'>Inverse (Part 6) - Playing 99-JJ | INVERSE | Intermediate | $100NL | FR | 34 mins | 17 Sep 12 |
| Type: Hand Replayer Game: 6max Stakes: $50NL Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney Hero flops either a set or trips on the flop and SplitSuit discusses how to maximise value in these 8 different hand histories at 6max $50NL.'>Trips and Sets | Hand Replayer | Beginner | $50NL | 6max | 34 mins | 10 Jan 12 |
| Type: Hand Replayer Game: Full Ring Stakes: $100NL Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney 9 hand histories where Hero is facing a 3bet before the flop. Lots of different scenarios and strategy for playing against 3bets.'>Facing Preflop 3Bets | Hand Replayer | Intermediate | $100NL | FR | 33 mins | 06 Jan 12 |
| Type: Hand Replayer Game: Full Ring Stakes: $25NL Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney Hand history review video where each of the 8 hands involves Hero either flopping a flush or a flush draw.'>Flushes and Flush Draws | Hand Replayer | Beginner | $25NL | FR | 32 mins | 14 Dec 11 |
| Type: Hand Replayer Game: Full Ring Stakes: $25NL Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney 10 hand histories at $25NL with a focus on playing premium hands like AA, KK and AK, along with other broadway hands and pocket pairs.'>HH Review 3 | Hand Replayer | Beginner | $25NL | FR | 34 mins | 02 Dec 11 |
| Type: Hand Replayer Game: Full Ring Stakes: $100NL Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney How to play against cappers (players with ~40bb stacks).'>Playing Against Cappers | Hand Replayer | Intermediate | $100NL | FR | 35 mins | 18 Nov 11 |
| Type: Hand Replayer Game: Full Ring Stakes: $50NL Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney More tricky 3bet spots and hand histories. Includes four short-handed hands (6 players or less).'>When 3Bets Go Wrong (Part 2) | Hand Replayer | Intermediate | $50NL | FR | 33 mins | 15 Nov 11 |
| Type: Concept Game: - Stakes: - Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney How to use the incredible Flopzilla poker calculator, which is a tool that tells you in what way and how often different ranges hit different boards. Download it and watch this. '>Using Flopzilla | Concept | Advanced | - | - | 35 mins | 09 Nov 11 |
| Type: Hand Replayer Game: Full Ring Stakes: $50NL Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney 9 hand histories at $50NL where Hero 3bets and Villain either 4bets or calls and Hero has to play postflop in a 3bet pot.'>When 3Bets Go Wrong (Part 1) | Hand Replayer | Intermediate | $50NL | FR | 34 mins | 01 Nov 11 |
| Type: Hand Replayer Game: Full Ring Stakes: $100NL Tables: 1 Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney There are 9 hand histories of $100NL FR NLHE. This video makes good use of HUD stats when it comes to determining optimal lines.'>HH Review 2 | Hand Replayer | Beginner | $100NL | FR | 34 mins | 24 Oct 11 |
| Type: Concept Game: Full Ring Stakes: - Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney When to limp preflop and how to play in limped pots postflop. This concept video contains a bunch of hand histories of SplitSuit limping in preflop - the rest of the strategy goes from there.'>Limped Pots | Concept | Beginner | - | FR | 31 mins | 19 Oct 11 |
| Type: INVERSE Game: Full Ring Stakes: $100NL Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney A collection of 9 KQ hand histories at $100NL in the INVERSE SplitSuit style.'>Inverse (Part 5) - Playing KQ | INVERSE | Beginner | $100NL | FR | 31 mins | 14 Oct 11 |
| Type: Concept Game: Full Ring Stakes: - Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney A guide to the different player types in cash games and how to play the most profitably against them. The 6 different player types include; Nits, Tags, Lags, A-Fish, P-Fish and Unknowns.'>Player Types | Concept | Beginner | - | FR | 41 mins | 08 Oct 11 |
| Type: Concept Game: Full Ring Stakes: - Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney Extrapolation involves observing and analyzing the decisions your opponents make, and finding out more than just the face-value information on offer.'>Extrapolation | Concept | Advanced | - | FR | 35 mins | 25 Sep 11 |
| Type: INVERSE Game: Full Ring Stakes: $4NL Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney Situations covered in this 4th INVERSE video include; playing in multi-way pots, getting value from TPGK, and getting min check-raised with pocket aces on the flop.'>Inverse (Part 4) | INVERSE | Intermediate | $4NL | FR | 38 mins | 19 Sep 11 |
| Type: Hand Replayer Game: Full Ring Stakes: $200NL Tables: 1 Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney SplitSuit's first 'standard' hand history review video. There are 9 FR NLHE hand histories replayed and analysed in total.'>HH Review 1 | Hand Replayer | Beginner | $200NL | FR | 39 mins | 13 Sep 11 |
| Type: Concept Game: Full Ring Stakes: - Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney Everything you need to know about stealing blinds. How much to bet, when to steal, how to react to resteals, and how to play postflop when your steal gets called.'>Blind Stealing | Concept | Beginner | - | FR | 44 mins | 22 Aug 11 |
| Type: INVERSE Game: Full Ring Stakes: $50NL Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney INVERSE part 3 focuses on playing Ace-Jack in Texas Hold'em. There are 8 hand history reviews in the INVERSE style, each looking at the most profitable ways to play AJ in different preflop and postflop situations.'>Inverse (Part 3) - Playing AJ | INVERSE | Intermediate | $50NL | FR | 34 mins | 11 Aug 11 |
| Type: Concept Game: Full Ring Stakes: - Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney Hand planning is a more profitable way to play before the flop - it's like an advanced version of starting hand selection. SplitSuit teaches you how to 'think ahead' to help you make better +EV decisions.'>Preflop Planning | Concept | Beginner | - | FR | 38 mins | 08 Aug 11 |
| Type: Concept Game: Full Ring Stakes: - Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney How to play small pocket pairs (22 to 66) preflop and postflop. This concept video covers; set mining, opening, 3betting and how to play when you hit/miss your set on the flop.'>Baby Pairs | Concept | Beginner | - | FR | 33 mins | 04 Aug 11 |
| Type: Concept Game: Full Ring Stakes: - Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney Learn how to make profitable continuation bets. SplitSuit covers how to make good bluff cbets and how to make good value cbets.'>C-Betting Like A Champion | Concept | Beginner | - | FR | 45 mins | 03 Aug 11 |
| Type: Concept Game: Full Ring Stakes: - Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney A complete guide to using the squeeze play as a bluff. Find out when and how to use the bluff squeeze effectively in various preflop situations.'>Bluff Squeezes | Concept | Advanced | - | FR | 34 mins | 27 Jul 11 |
| Type: INVERSE Game: Full Ring Stakes: $25NL Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney Part 2 of the INVERSE video series. Eight hand histories with a focus on hand planning, bet sizing and pot geometry for maximizing value with strong hands.'>Inverse (Part 2) | INVERSE | Intermediate | $25NL | FR | 33 mins | 25 Jul 11 |
| Type: Concept Game: Full Ring Stakes: - Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney This second 'common mistakes' video looks at cold calling and hand classes in FR cash games. Hand classification involves determining whether you have either a; value hand, showdown value hand, bluff hand, or a semi-bluff hand.'>Common Mistakes (Part 2) | Concept | Intermediate | - | FR | 42 mins | 21 Jul 11 |
| Type: INVERSE Game: Full Ring Stakes: $100NL Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney First 'INVERSE' hand history analysis video. SplitSuit looks at other players' hand histories and attempts to figure out why they made the plays they did.'>Inverse (Part 1) | INVERSE | Intermediate | $100NL | FR | 34 mins | 27 Jun 11 |
| Type: Concept Game: Full Ring Stakes: - Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney How to identify fish (both aggressive and passive fish) and exploit their mistakes for maximum value.'>Destroying Fish | Concept | Advanced | - | FR | 48 mins | 18 Jun 11 |
| Type: Concept Game: Full Ring Stakes: - Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney How to play from the small blind and big blind in Texas Hold'em cash games. Find out what the biggest leaks are in your blind play and how to plug them.'>Blind Leakage | Concept | Intermediate | - | FR | 54 mins | 28 May 11 |
| Type: Concept Game: Full Ring Stakes: - Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney A guide to making optimal bet sizes both preflop and postflop to increase your winrate. This video also covers the 3 reasons for betting in NLHE.'>The Art of Bet Sizing | Concept | Intermediate | - | FR | 45 mins | 12 May 11 |
| Type: Concept Game: Full Ring Stakes: - Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney How to destroy short stack poker players. This video covers optimal preflop play (stealing, 3betting etc.), optimal postflop play and bunch of other short-stack-beating strategy.'>Crushing Shortstackers | Concept | Intermediate | - | FR | 38 mins | 03 May 11 |
| Type: Concept Game: Full Ring Stakes: - Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney Four common mistakes made by cash game players; stats and sample sizes, reasons for betting, positional awareness, and exploiting other players' mistakes.'>Common Mistakes (Part 1) | Concept | Intermediate | - | FR | 34 mins | 28 Apr 11 |
| Type: Concept Game: - Stakes: - Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney A complete guide to HUD stats. Find out which stats are the most useful and how they can help you make better decisions against your opponents in online poker.'>HUD Ninja | Concept | Intermediate | - | - | 42 mins | 26 Apr 11 |
| Type: Concept Game: Full Ring Stakes: - Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney What is an 'isolation play' and who should we isolate? This video covers numerous examples of isolating against weak-tight and weak-loose players, both in position and out of position. Lots of other fun isolation strategy stuff too.'>Isolating | Concept | Advanced | - | FR | 35 mins | 23 Apr 11 |
| Type: Concept Game: Full Ring Stakes: - Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney The definitive guide on how to play pocket aces both preflop and postflop in no limit Texas Hold'em. Other topics covered in this video include; SPR, balance, reasons for betting, and poker mindset.'>Playing AA | Concept | Advanced | - | FR | 45 mins | 21 Apr 11 |
| Type: Concept Game: Full Ring Stakes: - Tables: - Author: James 'SplitSuit' Sweeney An introduction and guide to using combos in Texas Hold'em. This video also contains information on weighted ranges and blockers, along with a quick tutorial on using the Flopzilla EV Calculator.'>Combos | Concept | Advanced | - | FR | 44 mins | 15 Apr 11 |
Jack Wilcox videos.
| Video | Type | Level | Stakes | Game | Length | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Session Replay Game: 6max Stakes: $10NL Tables: 6 Author: Jack Wilcox Part 2 of the $10NL cash game strategy videos. This video continues to discuss cbetting and 3betting heavily. There is also a good, short discussion on 4bet bluffing and its merits at $10NL.'>Jack Wilcox 7 (Part 2/2) | Session Replay | Beginner | $10NL | 6max | 68 mins | 22 Mar 11 |
| Type: Session Replay Game: 6max Stakes: $10NL Tables: 6 Author: Jack Wilcox Part 1 of a series of videos on $10NL cash game strategy. Cbetting and 3betting are covered extensively.'>Jack Wilcox 7 (Part 1/2) | Session Replay | Beginner | $10NL | 6max | 59 mins | 21 Mar 11 |
| Type: Tutorial Game: - Stakes: - Tables: - Author: Jack Wilcox A quick and basic overview of the stats used in the Holdem Manager HUD. Find out what the most important stats mean and how to use them.'>Holdem Manager HUD | Tutorial | Intermediate | - | - | 23 mins | 22 Nov 10 |
| Type: Session Replay Game: Rush Poker Stakes: $25NL Tables: 2 Author: Jack Wilcox Part 2 of the Rush Poker training video series by Jack Wilcox. When and when not to cbet on different types of flops is covered extensively in this video.'>Rush Poker (Part 2/2) | Session Replay | Beginner | $25NL | Rush | 36 mins | 03 Nov 10 |
| Type: Session Replay Game: Rush Poker Stakes: $25NL Tables: 2 Author: Jack Wilcox Part 1 of the Rush Poker training video series by Jack Wilcox. Covers some Rush Poker strategy basics and goes on to talk about other topics like; betting to win dead money, cbetting, double barreling and set mining.'>Rush Poker (Part 1/2) | Session Replay | Beginner | $25NL | Rush | 61 mins | 24 Sep 10 |
| Type: Tutorial Game: - Stakes: - Tables: - Author: Jack Wilcox A guide to using Holdem Manager. All of the basics and essentials about the HEM tracking software that will help to get you started.'>Holdem Manager Guide | Tutorial | Intermediate | - | - | 34 mins | 23 Sep 10 |
| Type: Hand Replayer Game: 6max Stakes: $200NL Tables: 1 Author: Jack Wilcox Jack looks at 3 big all-in losses that most players would consider to be 'coolers' and works out the EV for each of his decisions to find out if he could have made better plays.'>Jack Wilcox 5 | Hand Replayer | Advanced | $200NL | 6max | 33 mins | 16 Sep 10 |
| Type: Hand Replayer Game: 6max Stakes: $400NL+ Tables: 1 Author: Jack Wilcox A third hand replayer video. Involves bluffcatching with top pair against aggressive players, firing a 3rd barrel as a bluff and maximizing value with zeebo's theorem.'>Jack Wilcox 4 | Hand Replayer | Advanced | $400NL+ | 6max | 49 mins | 19 Apr 10 |
| Type: Hand Replayer Game: 6max Stakes: $400NL+ Tables: 1 Author: Jack Wilcox A second hand replayer video with the focus on putting opponents on a range of hands and making the most profitable play based on that range.'>Jack Wilcox 3 | Hand Replayer | Advanced | $400NL+ | 6max | 27 mins | 12 Mar 10 |
| Type: Hand Replayer Game: 6max Stakes: $100NL+ Tables: 1 Author: Jack Wilcox Five interesting hands are replayed using the HEM hand replayer. The focus of the startegy is upon value betting and getting value from top-pair hands.'>Jack Wilcox 2 | Hand Replayer | Intermediate | $100NL+ | 6max | 42 mins | 12 Mar 10 |
| Type: Session Replay Game: 6max Stakes: $25NL Tables: 4 Author: Jack Wilcox Four tables of $25NL including two deepstacked 200BB tables. General 6max $25NL strategy.'>Jack Wilcox 1 | Session Replay | Beginner | $25NL | 6max | 62 mins | 12 Mar 10 |
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What are free poker strategy videos?
Poker training videos usually involve a professional/incredibly good poker player recording themselves playing a session of online poker. As they go along, they will comment on their plays and try to explain why they are making their actions and why they believe they are profitable. As you can guess, this is a great way to learn as you watch these videos.
Some training videos differ slightly in format, but that's the general idea of how most Texas Hold'em strategy videos work.
Where to start with Texas Hold'em strategy videos.
Although these free training videos have been ordered by coach and the date they were added, you can pretty much pick and choose any video at random to watch. There's no need to watch the videos in any particular order.
It may be easier to watch videos in order for ease of use, but it's by no means a necessity. Most players will look to watch videos similar to the stakes and game type they play.
Paid poker training.
For more training videos, you should check out the poker training section and consider signing up to one of the major poker training sites.
The videos on this site are helpful, but you can find a lot more videos by a wider variety of top-notch coaches at training sites like Deuces Cracked and PokerSavvy Plus. If you're serious about improving your game, you'll broaden the variety of strategy videos that you watch and not just leave it at the strategy you learn from this site, as awesome as I like to think it is.
Trust me when I say they're worth it.