Foundations

Rules, hands, positions and actions.

1. What is Texas Hold'em?Two private cards, five shared cards and one goal: win the pot.
2. Hand rankingsThe 10 hand categories, from strongest to weakest.
3. The best 5-card handBuild the best hand from your 2 cards and the 5 on the board.
4. Positions and action orderExplore 6-, 8- and 9-handed tables and learn who acts first and last.
5. How a hand worksFollow a hand from the blinds to showdown.
6. Poker actionsDistinguish check, bet, call, raise, fold and all-in by the betting context.

How a tournament works and your stack in big blinds.

1. How a tournament worksUnderstand entries, levels, eliminations and finishing-position payouts.
2. Your stack in big blindsConvert chips to BB and see what changes as blinds rise.

Bet sizes, outs, equity, pot odds and variance.

1. Bet Sizing BasicsRelate bets to the pre-bet pot and calculate how the pot grows.
2. OutsCount winning cards and distinguish draws from clean outs.
3. Equity and the rule of 2 and 4Distinguish equity from chance to hit, and account for ties.
4. Pot odds and required equityCalculate the call price and compare it with your equity in a chip-EV model.
5. Variance and streaksSeparate decisions from results and see why streaks do not even out on demand.

Preparation, focus, study and habits.

1. Preparing for tournamentsPlan the session, look after your rest and arrive with a clear head.
2. Focus and tiltKeep your focus, recognise tilt and learn to stop in time.
3. Study and hand reviewReview your hands with a method and persevere in learning, not in winning back.
4. Tournament player habitsRoutines before, during and after play to make better decisions.

Leisure budget, signs of harm and where to find help.

1. Tournament BankrollSeparate leisure money from essentials and recognise the limits of budgeting.
2. Gambling Harm and SupportRecognise signs of harm and find support without tests or scores.