The FoldorRaise.com Philosophy And Mission

We've sat across the table from T.J. Cloutier as he smiled at our big stack of chips. We've discussed Texas hold-'em with Chris Moneymaker, Daniel Negreanu, Howard Lederer and other top pros. We've played hundreds of thousands of hold-'em hands in the country's top casinos and against tough online competition. We play (and win) at Texas hold-'em almost every single day. And what we've learned most is that many people really haven't learned how to play the game.

We've seen our share of sharks at the tables (and we've beaten many of them), but most of all, we've come across players who don't fully grasp the basic principles of the game. They don't understand the basic probability related to starting hands or the value of position. These players endlessly call opponents with weak hands or go all-in with pocket fives under-the-gun. They play mediocre hands and trap themselves repeatedly. Sooner or later, these players lose every chip they have.

These players don't understand that Texas hold-'em is a game of raising (and not just when you have a great hand) and folding.

We've read about every Texas hold-'em poker book available and believe there is a much more fun and interactive way to present the basic principles and probability of the game. We also wanted to see how various types of players played different types of hands. This is precisely why we developed FoldorRaise.com.

But this isn't a site simply built for beginners. We've received countless compliments from respected players who say FoldorRaise.com keeps their brain working and really forces them to think about different scenarios.

We believe FoldorRaise.com is one of the best ways a good or average Texas hold-'em player can become a great player.

You could spend hundreds of dollars on poker books and classes or lose thousands learning the game online or in casinos - and you would still not gain the insight that is available on this site. We spell out the probability, provide commentary about each hand and most important, explain how the value of each hand changes based on the table action and position.

Remember that Texas hold-'em is a game where bad decisions can doom you and good decisions can crush your opponent. Our site will help you avoid bad decisions like playing mediocre starting hands and getting trapped with the dreaded second best hand. Learning to play the right hands in the right positions will help you avoid potential costly tough choices, while also helping you extract the maximum damage when you've got a big hand.

For fun, you can also see how other people play the various hands and you can post your comments or read people's comments on how they've played those hands in the past.

As an added bonus, we'll analyze your play so you can see first-hand which hands you play too aggressively and too passively. The best part is you can do all this from your computer without putting any real money on the line!

One Final Thought

Throughout the site you will see references to "the experts" they are collective opinions of how we think the hand should be played. Of course, there are other variables like your chip stack and the type of players you're up against. You need to take these other variables into account and make the ultimate decision for yourself. And remember, even if you're a 96% favorite you still have a 4% chance of losing. We're not responsible for any of your losses (especially if they're bad beats), but we hope to increase your winnings.