Poker Tips and Strategies
Poker is a card game of skills that requires absolute attention and mastery. If you enter tournament mode, you will come across many talented players and in order to beat them you will need that “X” factor. That “X” factor comes only with practice and by using some smart poker tips and tactics.
This page will help you devise strategies, irrespective of whether you are a beginner or a pro. Once you get the basics right, try applying the advanced tips which will take your online poker game to a whole new level.
Basic Poker Strategy Considerations
Decisions for the New Poker Player
Before you start playing online poker, you must decide whether you want to play it for fun or to win games consistently. If you are serious about winning, it will require your time and effort. You can play for fun and that is absolutely fine, but until you start winning, you won’t enjoy the game. Make your mind up as to what kind of a poker player you want to be; this will give you clarity of thought and help you formulate strategies accordingly.
Make Good Decisions - the Results will Follow
Even the best poker players across the world have losing sessions. If you think that you can win every game then that would be a huge mistake. Ensure that you make the best use of your poker skills every time you play online poker. If you play smartly, you start seeing positive results.
Don’t judge your poker abilities based on the results of the game; analyze the game you played, what you could have done differently, and work on the same. Try to improve with every game.
The Mathematics of Poker
Poker is a game that requires a lot of calculations in terms of strategies. It is rightly called a mathematical game where at a basic level, winning poker starts with the selection of starting hands to play. Chances of you winning will increase if you enter the pot with the best hand.
Beyond Starting Hands
It is true that starting hand selection is important, but having said that, it is just a part of the many poker strategies. Once you have mastered starting hand selection, the next thing you should focus and work on is how to play the rest of the hand. Professional poker players often defeat the amateurs because they know how to play the remaining hand better.
The remaining hand involves skills such as calculating pot odds, recognizing betting patterns, bluffing, and using positions. If you work on these skills, you will be able to improve your poker game over a period of time.
Avoiding Tilt
Poker is a game of skills where emotions should not be mixed. Being emotional and continuing to play will affect your decision making, thereby leading you to losses. It is better if you take a break from the game for a while if you feel that you are making emotional decisions rather than rational ones.
Advanced Poker Strategy Considerations
Different Styles of Play Poker
There are different styles and approaches for the way poker is played. Most poker playing styles are the combination of the following approaches:
- Tight: This approach is basically about being cautious, playing a few hands, and taking only a few calculated risks.
- Loose: This approach is the total opposite of tight, where players play a lot of hands and are willing to take risks.
- Aggressive: This approach involves making big bets and opening pots to put other players under pressure.
- Passive: This approach is where you let the opponent dictate the terms and do calling more often than betting.
Don’t be too predictable by adopting a single style of play. If you can adjust your game according to the situation, you will be able to outsmart your opponents. For long-term success, you should go for a “tight-aggressive” combination.
Understanding the Importance of Position
The dealer is the last player to act in a betting round; this is a tactical advantage that a dealer should capitalize on. This dealer position changes after every hand so that this advantage can be shared by everyone. If you want to get a tactical edge, play more hands in the ‘late’ position than the ‘early’ position.
Ensure your bluffs make sense
The more time you spend on the poker table, the more the chances of one of your opponents having a strong hand. You still can win the pot with a well-timed bluff. When you think of bluffing, you are trying to get your opponents to fold their best hand. Bluffing can give you a second chance to win, provided that you do it smartly.
To convince your opponent that you hold cards that will defeat them, you need to play in a way where your actions are logical and consistent with your goal. When going for a bluff, ensure that you visualize the entire hand and see if that makes sense,
Knowing Your Odds and Outs
Odds are the probability of something happening. For example, in a toss of a coin, there is an equal probability of heads and tails.
In poker, imagine if you have four spades and are waiting for the last spade to fall on the river. If that happens you will be able to make a flush and win the pot. Now, there are 13 spades in a standard deck of 52 cards, out of which 2 are in your hands and 2 are on the board, leaving 9 spades behind. There are 46 cards (excluding 2 in your hands and 4 on the table) that could come on the river, nine of which could win you the pot. These 9 cards are known as ‘outs’.
Now the odds of you making the flush are 37/9, as the 37 cards out of 46 will not make your flush while 9 will. Therefore, your chances of making a flush are approximately 4 to 1.
Hope the above-mentioned poker winning tips and poker strategies help you win many online poker games. If you want to play poker and win cash, join India’s most loved online gaming platform, First Games.
