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Every successful player knows that there are not only “bad” and “good” players. It’s not that easy and there are different types of players you should know:

Loose player:
This player is playing far too many starting hands. He calls a raise with J6 just to see what develops on the flop. He calls with any two suited cards because he might flop a flush. Most of the beginners are playing too loosely. After seeing some flops with weak hands, he loses chip after chip. Of course you can hit a good flop with any two cards, even 72 but it’s highly unlikely. To make money with an 85 you have to hit trips like A88 and not 5AJ giving you bottom pair. If you played some poker hands you have to know this type of player because there are plenty of them around the tables.

Tight players:
For most people Poker is supposed to be fun and sitting there waiting for very good hands isn’t fun. So a big share of players are loose and the opposite, tight players, are rare. They are waiting for the right starting hands like QQ, AK, TT and so on.

These were the categories before the flop. Let’s take a look at different types of players after the flop:

Passive players:
Usually, passive players don’t raise. They just call over and over again, even with worse hands and draws. Their first mistake is to call too often and the second is not to extract enough money from their good hands because they raise and bet too rarely.

Aggressive:
This player likes to bet, raise and re-raise. If an aggressive player has a good hand, he bets and raises. If he’s on a draw he plays aggressively. An aggressive player rarely calls. He wants to have control over the betting and to take the lead.

Now, we have the pre-flop and post-flop categories and in general there are four types of players:

Loose-passive player:
Also called fish. The fish plays far too many hands (loose) and plays passively after the flop. He calls again and again and he wants to be involved in most of the pots. He doesn’t believe in odds and pot odds and just keeps calling with weak draws and hands because „it might be good“ or „the right card must come on the river“. This is the player you’re happy to find at the table because he’s so easy to exploit.

Loose-aggressive player:
A very loose-aggressive player is called a maniac. You find some of them online and even more of them in card rooms. This guy wants to play every pot (loose) and he wants to play aggressively. He makes huge raises before the flop and keeps on betting and raising after the flop. Beating him is not as easy as beating the fish but in the long term he loses because of his lack of starting hand requirements and his too aggressive play after the flop.

Tight-passive player:
This player is called rock. He only plays the very best hands but plays them passively. If he has JJ, he might raise before the flop but if there’s a single over card, he backs down and thinks he’s beaten. A very tight-passive player is called a weak-tight player. This guy always thinks there are monsters under his bed and if there’s any single card that might kill his nuts he often check folds because he thinks he must be beaten…

Tight-aggressive player:
All the other players are playing quite badly. Thus, there must be a category that beats all the others. And here it is: The tight-aggressive playing style. Such a player is also called “shark”. The shark plays only quality hands but he plays them aggressively. If he enters a pot, he raises. If he thinks he’s ahead after the flop, he bets and raises to defend his hand. If he’s on a draw he bets and raises and might win the pot without showing his hand.

As a future successful player you have to learn the tight-aggressive style. And not enough: you have to pay attention to your opponents and classify them. As a tight-aggressive player you’re not playing every pot, only about every fourth hand. If you have folded, you should pay attention to the other players and try to categorize them. If you see a player limping and limping and almost never raising or betting, then you can be quite sure that you found a fish, a loose-passive player.

Besides your own cards and those of your opponents, the so-called position is an important thing to consider when playing a pot. Before every hand is dealt, the dealer is determined with the „button“ that rotates clockwise around the table. All the other positions depend on the button.

You can divide the table into:
The Early Position (blue) (EP)
The Middle Position (green) (MP)
The Late Position (red) (LP)
The Small and Big Blinds (SB and BB)

The system is the following:
Both blinds are sitting behind the dealer which should be obvious. The late position includes the dealer and his right neighbour (cut off, player 6). With the cut-off’s right neighbour, the middle position starts and includes exactly three players (player 5 through 3). The following players are in the early position (player 2 and 1). That means if there are ten instead of nine players, the early position is expanded to three players. If there are only eight players at the table, there’s only one player in the early position. With only seven players, there’s no early position any more.

Ace high:
A hand with only an ace as a high card

Backdoor flush- and Backdoor straight draw:
If you need two consecutive cards to complete a straight or a flush, you hold a backdoor draw. For instance, you have three suits on the flop. To complete the flush, you need one suit on the turn and another on the river.

Bad Beat:
If you lose a hand as a clear favourite because you opponent drew out on you.

Bankroll:
The money you can stake.

Bet:
The first bet in a betting round.

Bottom Pair:
You have a bottom pair if you hit the lowest card from the community cards. For instance, you hold T4 and you see a flop of 4AK, then you have bottom pair.

Break Even Point:
This is the point where the odds equal the pot odds. If you get 3:1 pot odds and the odds to win the hand are 3:1, than you reached the break even point and it doesn’t matter if you call or fold.

Bully:
A very aggressive player who tries to bully his opponents.

Call:
If you call, you pay the previous wager of your opponent.

Check in the dark:
A check, which is executed before the next betting round starts. For instance, the betting before the flop is closed and the small blind decides to check in the dark. After that the flop is dealt and the action is up to the next player on the small blind’s left.

Coin flip:
A 50:50 decision. For instance, a pocket pair and two over cards before the flop.

Continuation Bet:
A bet after the flop if the player used to raise before the flop, hence being the aggressor.

Crippled:
If you lose a large amount of chips and your stack became very small, you’re crippled.

Cut-Off Seat:
The dealer’s right neighbour.

Draw:
A hand that needs to improve in order to win.

Drawn Dead:
A hand that can’t win even if it improves.

Flush draw:
If you already have four cards of one suit and you need only one more to complete the flush, you’re on a flush draw.

Flush card:
A card that completes a possible flush.

Gut shot:
An inside straight draw with only one card to improve the a straight. For instance, you have 97 and the flop is T6A, you need an eight and an eight only to complete the straight. You have four outs with a gut shot.

Heads-Up:
Playing against only one opponent.

Hole Cards:
The two cards you’re dealt.

In Position:
If you act last you’re in position.

Kicker:
The additional card that may decide who wins the hand if the hand strengths are similar. For instance, both players have two pairs with AA22 but one player has an additional king and another only a queen. The player with the king wins because his king kicker is better than the other player’s queen kicker.

Lay down:
A hand that goes into the muck (= fold).

Limper:
A player that only completed the big blind and didn’t raise before the flop. Instead he just called.

Maniac:
A very loose-aggressive player who seems to be manic.

Multiway-Pot:
A pot with more than two, at least three players involved.

Middle-Pair:
You got middle pair if you hit the middle card on the board. For instance, AT and the flop is KT4.

Nuts:
The best possible hand.

Off suited:
If you’re hole cards have two different suits, the hand is off suited.

On the River:
Everything that happens during the last betting round, takes place on the River.

Out:
A card in the deck which improves your hand significantly.

Out of Position:
A player who acts first is out of position.

Over bet:
An unusual big bet that’s much bigger than the size of the pot.

Over card:
A card that is higher than the cards on the board.

Over pair:
A (pocket) pair that is higher than the cards on the board.

Over the top:
If a player leads out but another player raises or re-raises, he goes over the top and takes the lead.

Pocket pair:
Paired hole cards such as AA, TT, 66.

Pot Committed:
A player who staked already at least half of his stack into the pot, is called pot committed, or pot stuck.

Pot Odds:
The amount of the possible winnings (what is actually in the pot including all bets from your opponents) and your stake (the calling amount). If there are 500 in the pot and your opponent bets another 500, you can win 1000 and have to wager 500. The ratio of 1000:500 equals 2:1, your pot odds.

Pot sized Bet:
A bet that is exactly the size of the pot.

Pre-flop:
The betting round before the flop is dealt.

Probe Bet:
A bet on the flop, turn or river that is supposed to deliver information about your opponent’s hand.

Raise:
A stake that is at least twice as high as the calling amount.

Read:
If you have or receive information about your opponent (whether through body language or betting patterns) that make your decisions easier, you have a read on your opponent.

Runner-Runner:
If a player hits two consecutive cards (turn and river) he completed his hand with two running cards, so-called runner-runner.

Showdown:
If all betting rounds are finished or there’s no more money left to bet it comes to a showdown where the winning hand is found.

Side Pot:
If there are at least three players in a pot but one player is all-in and has no more chips to bet, the other players with chips left can still wager. Every chip that is wagered without the all-in player comes into a side pot that the all-in player can’t win.

Split Pot:
If two or more players have exactly the same hand, the pot is split up between those players.

Stack:
The amount of chips a player has in front of him.
There are short stacks with less than the average amount of chips, medium stacks with about the average amount of chips and big stacks with more than the average amount of chips left.

Straight draw:
If you can improve with one card to a straight, you’re holding a straight draw. For instance, you hold JT and the flop is QK2. Every 9 and every A gives you the straight. Thus, you have an open-ended straight draw and 8 outs.

Suck Bet:
A very small bet with a strong hand that wants to entice into a call.

Suited:
Hole cards of the same suit.

Tilt:
A psychological state that interrupts your A-game. After a bad beat or other incidents, players often become more aggressive and are „steaming“. This state is called tilt and has to be strictly avoided.

Top Pair:
If you hit the highest card on the board, you got top pair. For instance, AK and A38.

Under card:
A card that is lower than the lowest card on the board.

Underdog:
An underdog is likely to lose the hand. An overdog is the favourite.

Under pair:
A pocket pair that is lower than the lowest card on the board.

Weak-tight:
A player who plays very timidly and only the very best starting hands.

After receiving your 25 euros, you probably want to build your bankroll. The right approach is not to play higher limits in order to „make more winnings“. If you think you can play NL 20 with your 25 euros, then going broke is just a matter of time. So how do you increase your bankroll little by little?

Which limit?
Pokerlion offers different currencies. There are euro-, dollar- and GBP-tables. When you only have 25 euros, then, according to the bankroll management, you don’t have the right bankroll to play any limit apart from playing for play money. Therefore, you have to play the smallest limit available which is 0,05/0,1 $! Because of the fact that the dollar isn’t worth much compared to the euro, you don’t play with 25 at 0,05/0,1 but with about 40 at 0,05/0,1. This is much more comfortable.
If you pass the quiz, you receive 25 euro in tournament credits. That means you can play all the tournaments, both sit’n gos and multi table tournaments. To transform those credits into real money with which you can play at the cash game tables you have to win something with those credits. For instance you play a 3 euro sit’n go, then your winning is paid as real money. So we recommend passing the quiz, depositing 25 euro on your own, receiving the 200 euro bonus and you can play very comfortably.

Bankroll Management
Poker isn’t a mere game of skill. There’s luck involved and there are ups and downs because of the variance. Sometimes, there are sessions in which you play your A-Game but don’t have any luck and you lose. To survive those streaks, also called downswings, you have to manage your bankroll well. You must not play at limits you can’t afford according to the bankroll management. Otherwise it’s likely to go broke.
So, how can you manage your bankroll well? If you play No Limit Hold’em, you need at least 500 big blinds on the bank to be allowed to play at this level. For instance, when you have 50 euros, you can only play 0,05/0,1 or lower, but no higher stake. Even if you got 70 euros, you still have to play at 0,05/0,1 until your bankroll reaches three digits. With 100 euros, you are allowed to play one level higher which is 0,1/0,2. If you climb up one ladder but start loosing much, it’s time to step back and go back to a smaller limit.
In Limit Hold’em you should have at least 300 big bets to play at this level. So, if you want to play 0,5/1, which is a game with 0,25/0,5 in blinds, you need 300 x 1 euro on the bank.
To become a successful player you have to pay attention to your bankroll and the limits you’re playing. Otherwise it’s highly likely to go broke and you have to look for another opportunity to make some money.

Full ring or Shorthanded?
As a beginner you should start with playing at a full-ring table.
You play much less hands per hour and you have a lot of time to study your opponents and to find patterns in their game.
You play more multi-way pots which are much easier to play than heads-up pots.
If you want to multi table, you have much more time to make your decisions

If you’ve gained some experience and you beat those full-ring tables regularly, you can switch to shorthanded tables. But there are some points to consider:

The game is much more aggressive and tougher. Almost every pot will be a raised one.
Hands lose their value. You have to play hands that you don’t even consider playing at a full ring table.
Post-flop, there are only two or three players usually. You have to use continuation bets and semi-bluffs to succeed.

No matter at which table you’re playing, you should only start playing in the big blind. That means when you sit down at a table, you should wait to be in the big blind because you have to post it anyways. It’s a huge mistake to sit down, be under the gun the first hand and post your big blind to enter the game.

Sit’n Gos or Cash Game?
You should start playing cash games. First of all, there are only 3 euros SnGs at Pokerlion and you don’t have the bankroll for that. Secondly, you can clear the bonus much quicker and boost your bankroll. If you have 75 euros on the bank you can also consider playing SnGs.

In Hold’em Poker the best five-card hand wins. If you have three pairs you only have two pairs and one card as kicker. And if you have a straight with six cards, it’s useless because you can only use five cards of the existing seven (two hole cards and five community cards) to build a hand. Of course, some hands are better than others…

1. If nobody has a pair, the highest card counts (King high):
Kd Ts 2c 3h 7h

2. One pair (Pair of Queens):
Qh Qd As Tc 6h

3. Two pair (Jacks and sixes):
Js Jh 6c 6s Ac

Attention: If two players have two pair, the highest one pair counts. For instance, player A has AA225 and player B has KKJJ5, consequently player A wins because his pair of aces is higher than B’s pair of kings.

4. Three of a kind (Three of a kind – Nines):
9h 9s 9d Tc 2c

5. Straight (Straight Ten high):
Ts 9h 8h 7c 6s

Also A2345, but NOT KA234, QKA23, or JQKA2!

6. Flush (Flush – Ace high = Nut Flush):
Ac 2c 5c 8c Kc

7. Full House (Kings full of fours):
Kd Ks Kc 4s 4d

If there are several players with a Full House, then the one with the higher Three of a Kind hand wins.
For instance KKK44 is better than AAJJJ

8. Four of a Kind (Four of a Kind – Eights):
8s 8h 8d 8c Ks

9. Straight Flush (Straight Flush Eight high):
8s 7s 6s 5s 4s

10. Royal Flush (Straight Flush Ace high):
Ad Kd Qd Jd Td

The good thing about No Limit Hold’em is that it’s really easy to learn. Most of the players think that once they’ve learned it, they can succeed. But of course it’s not that easy and instead of winning they lose…
So, let’s take a look at how to play No Limit Hold’em. If you already know, you can skip this chapter.

The so-called button determines the positions. The player with the button is called the dealer. The dealer’s left neighbour has to put in the small blind. The small blind’s left neighbour has to put in the big blind. The blinds are determined by the limit you’re playing. If you play NL 10, the blinds are 0,05 and 0,1 euro. So, the small blind is almost always exactly the half of the big blind.

Pre-flop Betting
After posting the blinds, every player is dealt two down cards, which are also called his hole cards or his starting hand. You can hold AA, 72, KT or whatever you were dealt. What is coming now is the pre-flop betting, the „play before the flop“. The player in the first position is always the player left of the big blind. He’s „under the gun“, and has to act first. He has three options: Fold, Call or Raise. If he folds, he mucks and doesn’t put in a single chip. If he calls, he has to wager exactly the amount of the big blind. If he wants to raise he has to put in at least two times the big blind. Once he made a decision, it’s his left neighbour’s turn. He also has the three options, irrespective of player 1′s decision. If player 1 called, player 2 can also call and put in one big blind. If player 1 folded it makes no difference at all. If he raised, player 2 has to put in the same amount if he wants to call. Or he can decide to re-raise and put in at least twice the amount of the original raise.
The last player to act before the flop is the big blind. He can also raise, fold to a raise, call a raise or check if everybody called to him and if there’s no raise.
You should memorize: Everybody has to put in the same amount.

Play after the Flop
Now, three of the five community cards are exposed. This is the so-called flop. Now, there are no blinds any more and only the button determines the positions. He is always the last to act after the flop. So, the first player to act is his left neighbour, the small blind. He can either check or bet. Checking means to bet nothing and wait for another player to act. If the small blind checks then the big blind has the same option. If he decides to bet, the players after him can again fold, call or raise.
And once everybody has checked, or put in the corresponding amount, the next community card is exposed.

The Turn
On the turn, which is also called Fourth Street, the way of betting is exactly the same. Small blind acts first, the button last. The last community card is exposed when everybody has checked or put in the same amount of chips.

The River
Also called Fifth Street. Now, all community cards are dealt and the very last betting round takes place. Again, it’s exactly the same as on the flop and turn. And once this round is finished, the players show their cards and the best hand wins.