Whether you are playing in a casino, online or with a group of friends, these top tips for poker beginners will aid you in your development to be the king or queen of the tables. The learning curve for poker is steep, and it can be disheartening losing hand after hand; however if followed; these tips may just give you the upper hand.
1. Know when to be bold and when to fold
Make sure that you don’t play every hand as your chips will quickly disappear. Be selective and learn to know which hands to play and which hands to sit out. It is crucial to make sure that you don’t get carried away by playing every hand just to be a part of the action as you can also learn a lot by watching people and how they play their hands.
2. Don’t overdo the bluff
Trying to involve yourself in everything to do with poker, you might tune in to watch the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and imagine yourself sitting at the final table having played several bluffs. This is highly unlikely as you don’t need to bluff that much to actually win. Don’t be fooled by the WSOP highlights which will show you players bluffing, these areas it says in the name ‘highlights’ and gives the impression of a high frequency of bluffing. Instead as a beginner, you should learn how to play your cards and occasionally try a bluff here and there but knowing when to bluff and when not to will come with experience, knowledge and practice.
3. ‘I wonder what card s/he has.’
Don’t just look at your cards and think they are unbeatable and that there is no way that they can be beaten. You need to think about the game as a whole and what cards your opponent may have. Even if you have a big hand, it is essential to be able to fold it if you think your opponent could have a better hand. For example, if you have a straight, but there are four suited cards on the board, and your opponent goes all-in, would you still think your hand was unbeatable?
4. Fold before you have nothing left
The above point leads nicely into this point as it is important not to continue betting just because you have already bet a certain amount. If your hand is no good, but you have already called, you can still fold even though you would have lost some of your chips, obviously, it is better to win chips, but in the grand scheme of things, it is better to lose a few rather than a lot of chips.
5. Know the rules
It might seem obvious. However, it is vital that you know the rules not just a bit but well…very well! Your prowess will come under question if you call an opponent all in thinking that your straight beats his or her flush only to sit there confused as s/he moves the pot towards them. Knowing the fundamental rules and the ins and outs of the game as well as different online or specific casino rules are also important to take into consideration.
Using these top tips will help you develop your poker game whether you’re in a casino or you’re live betting online, remember perhaps the most important tip is to know when to stop. Set yourself a limit and don’t pass that limit and as with everything, practice makes perfect!
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