Assessment of the available information is a prerequisite to a good poker game. It would help if you were equipped with the right set of knowledge to understand the table to plan your strategy without any hindrances.
The board has a lot of vital information, and therefore you must take all the available cues from the board while playing your hand.
Composition Of The Board
Before starting your game, the first thing that you have to do is to analyze the board. This process will include the assessment of both your cards along with the cards that are present on the table.
This information will help you to decide between continuing to play or not. It will also aid your existing deductions so that you can derive the best possible hand. The best possible hand is often termed as ‘The Nuts’, and its information provides a vantage point to the player.
It requires a certain bit of experience before you can identify the nuts in every game you play.
Common Flop Textures
A flop comprises many possible combinations of cards. You can check out some of the standard flop combinations below.
The Rainbow Flop
If you get cards from three different suits, your situation will be termed as the Rainbow Flop. This flop will stop you from holding a flush until you draw the right cards. If you manage to get the right cards, you will have three suited cards that will be appropriate to play.
However, if you draw a card from the fourth suit, the possibility of a flush will be eliminated.
The Flush Draw Flop
If you have two cards from the same suit, your situation will be termed as the Flush Draw Flop. In this situation, you can maximize your suited cards to a count of four if you manage to draw correctly.
The presence of four suited cards will hint towards a flush draw where you will have two chances of holding the flush.
The Suited Flop
You can have three suited cards on the table and still have a flop. These unconnected flops are very tricky as players attain a part of the flush. Your chances to win could be in the hands of another player who holds the missing pieces to your flush.
It would be best if you plan your moves with utmost caution during such events.
The Paired Flop
If you see that the board holds a pair, it is a win-win situation for everyone. Your opponents might be holding full houses or four of a kind, and thus you should be watchful of how the game proceeds.
There are plenty of other flops that you will learn as you move ahead with the game. These flops come up as free information that every player should grab. The texture of these flops should have a proportional relationship with the intensity of your moves.
Many players tend to ignore these flops and end up losing fortunes of money.
What Is Your Best Hand?
If you want to enjoy the game of poker in its most actual essence, you must identify your best possible hand on the board. It is a straightforward assessment, but it requires sheer focus and concentration.
Example 1
In Hand
Card 1 – Two of hearts
Card 2 – Two of Clubs
On The Board
Card 1 – J of Spades
Card 2 – Ten of hearts
Card 3 – Ten of Diamonds
Card 4 – Three of Clubs
Card 5 – Two of Spades
In this situation, your best hand will be clubbing the three twos and two tens for a full house.
Example 2
In Hand
Card 1 – Ace of Hearts
Card 2 – Ten of Clubs
On The Board
Card 1 – Seven of Clubs
Card 2 – Five of Clubs
Card 3 – Ace of Diamonds
Card 4 – King of Clubs
Card 5 – Two of Clubs
In this situation, your best hand will be combining the King with ten, seven, five, and two to go for a King-high flush.
Example 3
In Hand
Card 1 – Four of Hearts
Card 2 – Four of Clubs
On The Board
Card 1 – Seven of Spades
Card 2 – Five of Clubs
Card 3 – Four of Diamonds
Card 4 – Three of Diamonds
Card 5 – Six of Spades
You can combine the seven with six, five, four, and three to go for a straight in this situation. You could have opted for any of the four as it does not hold any significance.
The Nuts
If you feel that your hand is formidable and no other opponent will be able to beat it, it will be termed as the nuts. In poker, it is essential to anticipate the hands of your opponents, and therefore you should have the basic knowledge of reading the board.
Example 1
On The Board
Card 1 – Six of Clubs
Card 2 – Nine of Clubs
Card 3 – Nine of Diamonds
Card 4 – Ace of Diamonds
Card 5 – Six of Spades
Since there are two pairs on the board, there are high chances for the players to get a quad. Anyone with a pair of nines or a pair of sixes will be indestructible.
Example 2
On The Board
Card 1 – Eight of Spades
Card 2 – two of Clubs
Card 3 – Nine of Diamonds
Card 4 – Ace of Clubs
Card 5 – Six of Spades
As you can see, this board is devoid of any pairs and is lacking suited cards too. The nuts in this particular board will be a straight in both suited and unsuited cases.
Example 3
On The Board
Card 1 – J of Spades
Card 2 – Eight of Diamonds
Card 3 – Three of Diamonds
Card 4 – Five of Clubs
Card 5 – King of Spades
This is a typical flop board, and therefore there is not much that can be done. You can eliminate a flush or better since there are zero pairs and only a couple of suited cards. The chances of a straight are bleak as well since there are plenty of gaps in between.
The nuts, in this case, will either be Pocket Kings or Pocket Jacks.
Know The Strength Of Your Hand
Underestimating the strength of the dealt cards is a common mistake that novices commit. It would help if you always were mindful of the power of your cards. This will allow you to raise the right amounts and play the game with confidence.
Example 1
In Hand
Card 1 – Two of hearts
Card 2 – Two of Clubs
On The Board
Card 1 – J of Spades
Card 2 – Ten of hearts
Card 3 – Ten of Diamonds
Card 4 – Three of Clubs
Card 5 – Two of Spades
An important thing to understand here is that your full house is not the nuts. It ranks low on the list, and therefore you should be careful with the raises.
Example 2
In Hand
Card 1 – Ace of Hearts
Card 2 – Ten of Clubs
On The Board
Card 1 – Seven of Clubs
Card 2 – Five of Clubs
Card 3 – Ace of Diamonds
Card 4 – King of Clubs
Card 5 – Two of Clubs
According to this board, you have the fourth best hand, and therefore the odds to win are better.
SWOT Analysis
The decision to conduct a SWOT analysis provides you with insights into your hand’s strength. It is a common practice in the corporate world, but its benefits can be reaped in poker as well.
Example
In Hand
Card 1 – Seven of Hearts
Card 2 – Seven of Clubs
On The Board
Card 1 – King of Clubs
Card 2 – Five of Clubs
Card 3 – Seven of Diamonds
Strengths – A set of sevens is a formidable combination.
Weaknesses – No visible weaknesses as you have the second best hand on the board.
Opportunities – If you get another seven, 4 of a kind for you!
Threats – Anyone with a bigger full house or a better quads is a threat.
These insights will help you to plan the amounts and occurrences of your hand.
Summing Up
All this information may sound daunting in the beginning, and it will require you some time to get used to it.
Poker is a game of mistakes, and therefore you will also commit some in the beginning. Many seasoned players often misread the board and commit blunders. You should try to keep track of these mistakes so that you can avoid them in the future!
