Absolute Beginner

beginner

Everything a brand-new player needs: rules, hand rankings, positions, game flow, betting mechanics, etiquette, and the first habits of winning play.

4 modules30 lessons7h 28m

Rules & Hand Rankings

The complete mechanical foundation of No-Limit Hold'em: the deck, the button and blinds, the betting rounds, the ten hand rankings, kickers, board reading, showdown order, legal betting actions, and how all-ins and side pots work.

The Deck, the Button, and the BlindsHow the 52-card deck works, why the dealer button rotates clockwise, and who posts the small and big blinds — including the heads-up exception that trips up almost every new player.13m The Four Streets and Order of ActionThe full timeline of a Hold'em hand — preflop, flop, turn, river — plus the two different action orders and the exact conditions that close a betting round.14m The Ten Hand RankingsAll ten poker hands from high card to royal flush, why each one outranks the one below it (rarity), and how to pick your best five cards from seven at showdown.15m Kickers and Split PotsHow the unpaired side card decides showdowns between equal hands, why every comparison uses exactly five cards, and how pots get chopped — including the odd chip.15m Reading the Board: Playing the Board and CounterfeitsA systematic method for reading community cards — finding the nuts, spotting possible straights and flushes, and recognizing when the board has counterfeited your hand or replaced it entirely.16m Showdown: Who Shows First and What WinsThe exact order players must reveal their hands at showdown, why 'cards speak' protects you from misreading your own hand, and when you're allowed to muck without showing anything.13m Check, Bet, Call, Raise, Fold — and the Min-Raise RuleThe five legal actions in No-Limit Hold'em, exactly when each one is available, and how to compute minimum bets and minimum raises without ever getting corrected by the dealer.15m All-Ins and Side PotsTable stakes, what going all-in really protects you from, how main and side pots are built chip by chip, and the incomplete-raise rule that governs short all-ins.15m

Positions & Table Mechanics

Where you sit and how the table runs: the named positions at 6-max and full ring, the power of acting last, buy-ins and table stakes, betting structures, the online client, live card-room procedure, and etiquette in both settings.

The Named Positions at 6-Max and Full RingEvery seat at a poker table has a name — UTG, HJ, CO, BTN, SB, BB and the full-ring extras — and those names move with the button every hand. Learn the map, the groups, and the shorthand used in every lesson from here on.14m Why Acting Last Is an AdvantageActing after your opponents means you decide with more information, control the pot, and take free cards they can't. Two mirrored hands with the same pocket pair — and one free-card example — show exactly how the button prints money.17m

First Strategy Steps

Your first winning decisions: classifying starting hands, playing tight, a position-based opening guide, raise sizing, disciplined folding, simple value betting, handling draws, and the core principle that aggression beats passivity.

Hand Strength Categories: Premiums to TrashHow to sort all 169 starting hands into six practical buckets, what each bucket is trying to accomplish, and how to classify borderline hands like KQ suited versus KQ offsuit.16m Why Tight Beats Loose for BeginnersThe case for playing only your best hands: tight ranges win more showdowns, dominate loose opponents, and create easier decisions — plus VPIP as a one-number health check.14m

Common Beginner Mistakes

The leaks that cost new players the most: dominated aces, station calling, odds-blind draw chasing, playing too high, mishandling the online-live transition, results-orientation, and a closing habits checklist before advancing.

Overplaying Weak Aces and Dominated HandsWhy hands like A8o and KTo lose big pots to better kickers, what domination actually costs in equity, and the simple rules that keep you out of 3-to-1 underdog situations.15m The Calling Station LeakWhy calling 'to see one more card' and 'to keep them honest' is the most common money leak in beginner poker, and the one question that turns hopeful calls into disciplined decisions.14m