Standard Equity Pre-Flop in Texas Holdem

They happen all the time so it’s important for you to know where you stand and how to play optimally in each of these situations w88 mobile .

If you can regularly make the correct decisions in these spots you’ll be a winner in the long run and you’ll be a superior player to those who get them wrong.

These are the most common standard situations you'll encounter in No-Limit Texas Hold’em pre-flop, post-flop and on the turn with the key math explained along with the best approach for dealing with them.



Standard Equity Pre-Flop in Texas Holdem
1) The Coin Flip: One Pair vs Two Overcards
Examples: Q Q vs A K; 8 8 vs K Q

Two cards poker poker online
This is probably the best known situation in NLHE. It’s generally called a coin flip with each player basically having a 50-50 chance of winning, although it really isn't quite so clear.

In reality the pocket pair is significantly ahead most of the time. The winning percentage of QQ vs AKo is 57:43, for example.

But there are also instances when the pair is behind (for example any low pair against JTs).

Hint: Coin flips are the bread and butter of tournament poker. Put your chips in the middle and don’t think about them too much. Numbers will even out in the long run.

2) Ouch: Higher Pair vs Lower Pair
Examples: Q Q vs 7 7; 8 8 vs 5 5

This is a really bad spot if you have the lower pair. The higher pair is always an 82% favorite. There's nothing for you to do but pray.

Hint: The lower your pair, the higher the chances of being dominated. Eights are the pair that separates the small pairs from the big pairs.

3) Kicker issues: Not as Bad as You Think w88 casino

Examples: A K vs A Q; K Q vs K T

“Being dominated," which means having a weaker kicker to your high card than your opponent, is not as bad a situation as many players think.

The better hand has about 70% equity, which means that the weaker hand actually wins almost every third time. The lower your kicker is, the lower also are the chances of it having any effect on the outcome as there will be more split pots.

Hint: With a bad kicker you always have to be aware that you might be dominated. However it’s a lot worse to run a pair into a higher pair.