No matter what game you play, you’ll want to play to the best of your abilities. The great thing about almost any game, aside from those that are completely random like bingo or slots, is that you can practice until you get better.
Tips to Make You a Poker Pro
There are plenty of tips, as well as a lot of books written by poker experts, that can help you be the best player at almost any table.
Play Good Games Only
It might sound like a trick, but only sitting at the good tables is a good place to start. For an almost guaranteed win, what you are looking for in the early months of practice is sitting at a table where there are a mix of players, and preferably some weaker than yourself.
This can be tricky to do when you play casino poker – but you should have access to the table statistics that are provided by the website. This can help you make an informed decision.
Feeling Good
Playing games should always be something that makes you feel good before, during and after. However, if you head into a game that requires concentration and play at a professional level, and you’re not feeling your best, the chances are you won’t enjoy it and you might make bad decisions too.
When you are feeling happy or content you are more likely to play in a way that is beneficial to you.
And, just like any other game – you should never play to the point you are stressed or frustrated. In some games people are prone to giving the mouse a smash or throwing a controller. In poker, you simply can’t have that kind of volatile reaction.
Just think of it like this, when you are showing your emotions on your face, and other places can see it – they are more likely to make a beeline for you. And, in the end you’ll end up losing your cash pot.
Look for Weakness
Just like other players are going to be looking for your weaknesses, you should be looking for theirs too. Look for players who are doing the bluffing with nothing strategy – this means that they will be checking on a weaker hand – and they will fold on multiple bets.
In a heads-up pot look for players that check on the turn and the flop – and go for an aggressive bluff, and you’ll start to take a few wins and find the weaker players pretty quickly.
Speed It Up
Slow play can be a tell-tale to seasoned players that there are unsure and weak players at the table. Not only that, but it could be a sign that even with a strong hand there are players at the table who don’t have the stomach for chasing people out of the pot.
When it comes to a game that is going to have a decent pot, players who are looking to play at speed and aggressively are more likely to have an enjoyable and profitable game.
Check almost any strong hands, when it comes to it the faster and more confidently you play the less likely that people are going to consider you to be the weak player and make a point of going after you.
If you’re not sure about checking, place a bet instead. Often your opponent will fold, and while that isn’t ideal it does avoid you missing out on potential pot value or getting outdrawn.
In general, the opinion is that players who play at high speed are more seasoned, because it takes practice to make decisions at that speed.
Don’t Play as Many Hands
The fastest way to end up with a much smaller chip stack than you had hoped for is by playing too many hands. You’ll cruise through anything you had put aside, and when it comes to a great hand – you might just find you don’t have the chips to see it through.
Start working on your preflop poker strategy, because that is going to be the most efficient route to improving your bottom line. And while a preflop strategy is easy to get to grips with (you can find simple ones to follow online), it is only the most disciplined players who can stick with it.
In the end, this strategy will stop you playing hands that aren’t worth it, but it will mean that you aren’t giving away too much. Ideally, you’ll play speculative hands just as aggressively as you’ll play solid hands – this will mean that you can disguise your strongest hands.
Your opponents will never be sure if you have a 55, 76, AK or AA, and that makes you a tough player to play against.
Although you’ll need to work on your bluffing and tells as you go.
In the end practice makes perfect, pick up some strategy from the pros, and mix it with your own play style to make the most of it.