As we have stated time and time again, a Hold’em poker player with any kind of skill will never give away any tells. We know what you are thinking:

“It’s online, how the hell are there really any tells?”

Well friends, there are actually plenty of ways to ‘tell’ online. There are in fact ways of telling your opponents online that you do have a winning hand. If you are not careful you stand to lose some pretty serious money on the ultimate dream hand – the dream hand being the “Big Slick”.

The big slick is another name for an Ace and a King. If you are dealt an Ace and a King for your hole cards you can proudly proclaim there is a horseshoe stuck up your butt. For receiving an Ace and King as hole cards is considered the dream team. Now you may have them, but do you know how to play them?

First thing is first – players should always bet when dealt this kind of hand. Next to a high pair, like two aces, queens, or Jacks, you are holding one of the best starting hands in Hold’em. The potentials of making a strong and more than likely winning hand is extremely high. Players can go into the flop with loads of confidence, but be very cautious of that confidence. With the more players going into the flop, the more nervous a player might feel, as there is always the chance that one of them has drawn a high pair.

It is because of the above reason that many players, who draw a big slick, unless they are aggressive players, will do their best not to raise into the flop. It is incredibly easy to scare off the other players. Those players may have a weak hand and if they so much as get a whiff of the big slick, they will fold faster than a dry towel. Another individual to look out for is the bluffer – he may raise you or even go all in just to be an ass. We cover more of these bases later on through out the site. We encourage you to read through everything to get a feel of your future opponents. When you have been in the industry this long, these aggressive players will all eventually blend together.

Once a glop has been drawn, a player gets more or less a full picture of how the hand will play out. It is possible they may get really lucky and make a full house, running flush, two pairs or anything else in between. Chances are they might not even improve on their big slick. Its at this stage the player has to decide on strategy, which is based on the strength of their hand. Equally important is how they read the players left in the game. Its very easy to scare the rest of the players away by betting too strong, or conversely too weakly. They can also read the potential of the other players by the value of the cards on the table. Texas Hold’em Poker is a game of challenges and reading any situation after the flop is what separates the good players from the great ones.

After the flop and the round of betting following it, there are still two chances to improve on a big slick, and the player holding one will be forced to make decisions on how to play the hand out. They will be looking to draw the most value from the hand if they feel strong. They look for ways to avoid the most damage, yet stay in the hand if they thing their hand has not improved enough. Remember that players will be much more "pot committed" at this stage and may be bluffing. A sure way to find out is to over-bet, which might cause the opposition to run for cover. Or not!