"Education costs money, but then so does ignorance." --Sir Moser Claus

Learning how to play Texas Hold’em can be very expensive. The professional player Howard Lederer has said in interviews that he lost money at the $2/4 and $4/8 limit hold’em games for two years before finally becoming a winning player.

That was before online poker and the poker boom though. Players learn the game faster than ever before by practicing and playing online, for much lower stakes than ever before. The education of a poker player is not nearly expensive as it used to be.

By following the guidelines below, you can become a winning poker player by spending less than $100 on your education.

1. Sign up with PokerRoom.com or Pacific Poker. Play at little at the play-money tables to get a feel for the software and the games.
2. Deposit what you feel comfortable with. $50 is a good amount to start with.
3. Play at the LOWEST limits available.
4. Play very conservatively. Don't see more than 25% of the flops. Follow our starting hand recommendations and strategy advice.
5. Once you have made some money, don't assume that you are ready for the higher limits. Buy "Small Stakes Hold'em" by Ed Miller with your profits and study it completely (see our recommended poker books).
6. Whenever you have over 300 BB (big bets… see our Bankroll section) of the next higher limit, try moving up to that limit. For example, if you are playing $.05/.10 limit holdem, and the next higher limit is $.25/.50 holdem, you should try moving up when you have over $150 in your account.
7. If your account drops to less than 150 BB at the limit you're playing, drop down in limits.
8. As you become comfortable with the game and start making more and more money, gradually try playing more than one table at once. Since you will be playing correctly, you will be folding most of the time, and it won't be difficult to play two or three tables at once.

Sticking with this plan requires discipline and hard work. I assure you though that by following this plan, you will learn the game and avoid the initial confidence-breaking losses that almost all new players endure.

I want to learn how to play Texas Hold'em now | I need Bonus Codes

« Poker Hand Rankings            Starting Hands for Learning Texas Hold'em »