Poker is one of the most popular casino games, and it’s gained more traction since the introduction of online live games. However, many people enter games without a clear strategy or knowing the rules. If this sounds familiar, you’re in the right place. This article discusses five tips for increasing your bottom line during poker games.
Choose The Right Games
Poker is all about increasing your odds and beating out the competition, so make sure you listen to Matt Damon in the 1998 classic Rounders – “If you want to play poker and win, you need to play against weaker players than yourself”.
If you pit yourself against stronger players, you’re more likely to come away the loser. Alternatively, if you’re sat at a table of weaker opponents, you’re almost guaranteed to win. As a rule, you need half of the players at the table to be weaker than you. To find yourself a good game, look out for the following:
- Multiway pots are plentiful.
- Re-raises are minimal.
- There’s a regular limper.
Play Fewer Hands Aggressively
If you’re playing No Limit Texas Hold’em, your preflop hands will be limited. Therefore, it’s worth learning about poker hands and sticking to a tight range of hands. Once you’ve developed a strong strategy, you can fool your opponents by playing them all aggressively, which will leave them wondering whether you have A-K, A-A, or 7-6.
Don’t Limp First
In poker, limping is when a player calls the big blind preflop. If you’re the first to enter the pot, never limp because you won’t win big during the preflop, and you only increase the odds for other players. If you’ve already got other players that have limped out, then knock yourself out. To do well during the preflop, you can learn these- strategies.
Unsure? Just Fold
Knowing when to fold is the difference between a great player and a professional. Even if you’ve got a top pair, you need to know when you’re beaten. This sounds like an easy achievement, but it’s difficult because our brains are built not to quit. Further, when you miss out on the pot, you deny curiosity the satisfaction it needs. If you’re calling incorrectly too often, you’re on the fast track to leaving with nothing.
Play When You Feel Like It
Despite there being a lot of moving parts in poker, it’s designed to be fun. Therefore, you should only play poker when you feel like it. After all, you’re less likely to lose if you’re not in the correct frame of mind. Typically, you should avoid playing poker when you’re fatigued, angry, or stressed – poker isn’t going to go anywhere if you don’t play today.
Winning at poker requires discipline, the right state of mind, and having a series of strategies up your sleeve. When you play your next game of poker, keep in mind the strategies outlined above, and you’ll be off to a flying start. Remember, there’s no shame in turning down a game because you’re simply not feeling it.
