Playing Tight

The first time you show up to the casino to play some poker, you’ll probably be anxious. You’ll probably have a few hours of online poker under your belt, but it’s still a bit unnerving for someone who’s never stared an opponent down over a large pot.

Obviously you should have a plan towards your play. Especially the first 2 or 3 times you go in. If you can plan out your style, it’ll make you more comfortable for later matches. And the best style for a first time or two in the poker room is to play “tight.” Don’t chase crazy inside draws, don’t bet wild trying to bluff the other players out of the blinds. And only play a certain set of hands. In short, follow this advice and betting strategy:

Any hand not listed should not be started with, at all. Note that these are the only hands I said you should play with as a beginner. I could expand the list (there’s room with this betting strategy to include all face cards suited, and pairs down through 55), but in order to keep things straight, this is the best way to go.

A small amount of explanation:
An “and” in the directions means to do the first half the first time around, and the second half when (if) the bet comes back around to you.
“Check” and “Limp” mean to call the bet to you, regardless of its size.
“Call 1″ and “Call 2″ mean to call the bet if it’s 1x the size of the big blind or 2x the BB, respectively. If it is larger, fold.
“Limp and raise” means to only call the bet, but if the bet comes back around the table to you, raise the bet 1xBB (or whatever the minimum bet is at this point).
“Raise and Call” means to raise the bet and if it comes back around to you, call the bet.

The exceptions from this should be if the Big Blind raises. If they do that, assume they have QQ, KK or AA, and play accordingly.

This method is not 100%. It will not guarantee you wins. However, it will be much better for you as a beginner to get the butterflies out of your stomach and your hand. After the flop is dealt, use pot odds to determine your play.