Texas Holdem Poker Guide: How to Read the Board

In Texas Holdem, a player needs to be keenly observant all the time. You must keep an eye on your fellow players as well as on the cards on the table and what they tell you. A good Texas Holdem player knows how to read the table well. Knowing how to read the table or board will help you plan your game. It also spares you from worrying about hands that your opponents cannot possibly have.

Here are some guidelines on how to read the Holdem board and figuring out what hands may be there. Below we describe community cards (the cards that the dealer turns face up after every betting round) and what possibilities they hold.

TEXAS HOLDEM COMMUNITY CARD POSSIBILITIES

- CARDS IN SEQUENCE. When Holdem community cards are in order, somebody may have a Straight hand. The closer they are to one another, the more likely that there is a Straight. So suppose you see a 10, Queen and King, then someone at the table may have a Jack and Ace to complete the high Straight.

- A PAIR. A pair on the table can mean a player has a Four of a Kind (four Kings, four Aces, etc.) or a Full House (a Pair and a Three of a Kind). Without at least a Pair on the board, neither a Four of a Kind nor a Full House is possible.

- THREE CARDS IN SAME SUIT. Here it is possible that someone may have a Flush. Keep your eyes open even if it's an unimpressive-looking (low ranking) group of cards.

- THREE OF A KIND. In the event that there is a Three of a Kind on the board, a player may have a Four of a Kind or a Full House.

HOW TO READ THE BOARD IN TEXAS HOLDEM

Let's say there are the Queen of Hearts, Queen of Clubs and a 10 of Hearts. You have a Queen of Diamonds and a 4 of Spades.

Reading the board: There is a Pair on the board. So a Four of a Kind, a Three of a Kind and Full House are possible. The cards are not of the same suit, so a Flush is not possible. The cards are not in order either, as the Queens are the same, so there is no chance of a Straight.

Now, you have a Three of a Kind. Taking your cards into account, what other hands are eliminated?

Answer: Since you already have the Queen of Diamonds, no one can have a Four of a Kind. However a Three of a Kind and a Full House are possible. For a Full House, one of your opponents may have the Queen of Spades and a 10 of Diamonds.