What is your favorite card game? Let me guess. Poker? If you have not played the game yet or if this is the first time you have heard of it, I guess you have been hiding inside a cave for the longest time. The game has certainly evolved and developed into different variations in the last decade, and now into a sport you can watch on TV and try to get in on. So how do you become a better poker player? Here is a simple list of some tips you can follow.
- Know the Game
When it comes to learning any game, especially something as squarely based as poker, you have to know the rules and have to know how to play the game. Sure, maybe you have played around with friends and family, but you have never played with a bunch of professionals off of the World Series of Poker or the World Poker Tour. Until you play with professionals in these high profile games, you will have to know the correct plays. Whether it is the correct play to raise, fold, or call, you need to know how to make those decisions. There are meaningful tells as to how a player is doing, both in terms of hand strength and playing style.
- Know Your Opponents
You cannot just sit in your cave and wait for your opponents to show their cards. You have to know the players, what they are doing, and what their goals are. How are they playing their cards? Does the player tend to bluff? Is the player usually tight or loose, conservative or aggressive? When you can recognize the tendencies of your opponents, you can choose the appropriate time to make a move against them. You can outsmart your opponents, but if you do not know them at all, you will be like a fish in a sharks mouth, waiting for them to call, raise or fold. If you spend too much time watching poker on TV, you will have a pretty good idea of the typical style of your opponents, but that is not enough to win at poker.
- Know The Game
Once you know your opponents, you must know the game. How is the game played? Is there a big blind and big stacks? Is there a cut to the action? Yes there are 3 bet limtions, but that is about it. The game at best is played with 6-8 people around the table, but that is about it. In addition, most join in a bit of the action, but that is about it. The pros say to play marginal hands against several people, but that is about it. In addition, the pros will tell you that the money to be made in pokerace99 is in the long run. Nothing is won today, but nothing lost either. If you make a few plays that win, that is more money than you can imagine.
- Know When To Take Your Losses, And Avoid Most Common Mistakes
This one gets really clouded by feelings, but you must know when to quit. If you are losing, but you think to yourself ‘This really is just not my day….’, then you need to stop. On the other hand, if you are thinking ‘ YES, YES I am going to win!!!’, but your heart is still telling you it is not enough, then you are probably going to lose.
- Learn How To Adjust Your Bet Size
The biggest mistake many players make is playing too large a percentage of their hands. Many players will tighten up on the bubble, and turn into a calling station, hoping for the best. Instead of waiting for the best, to jump into the hand, you need to raise earlier. Your opponents will put you on a hand, and then you will have to take a stand.
- Perfect Hand Reading
You will never be able to win at poker unless you learn how to read your opponents hands. How would you know if your opponent has a better hand than you? There is no easy answer to this question. You will never be able to perfect this skill in a game that will hold many opponents. In order to be a winner at poker, you have to make as many mistakes as possible, and be able to capitalize on those mistakes. You have to be dynamic. You are a player who can take chances, and this takes patience. Throw in a little variance, and you will have a winner. If you can’t bet out of position, or be more than a passive caller, you should not be playing at all.
- The Rush Is Over
In the early stages of a game, it is OK to be aggressive. Where you are at in the hand, push your chips in.