Whether you’re beginning at the game, or you’ve been playing a while, there are tips for you in this list of the best tactics to improve at poker.
- Learn the rules
Obviously, because where are you going to go from here? Only up. The tricky part is the poker hand ranking. Memorize this guide:
Royal Flush: 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace all of the same suit.
Straight Flush: Five cards in sequence of the same suit.
Four of a kind: Four cards of the same number, with one in each suit.
Full House: Two cards of one number and three of another.
Flush: Five cards of the same suit.
Straight: Five cards of any suit in sequence.
Three of a Kind: Three cards of any number, plus two extra.
Two Pairs: Two sets of pairs of numbers and an unmatched card.
One Pair: Two cards of the same number and three unmatched cards.
No Pair: All different rank and suit.
- Learn poker odds
Learning the poker odds keeps your feelings in check because you’re making decisions based on facts. But it’s the math behind the whole operation. Hope you’re good with numbers.
A basic way of putting it is if you want to know how likely you are to improve your hand, double your outs and if you want to know how likely you’ll improve your hand multiply them by 4.
- Start at low stakes
In order to get good and not waste money, start low. You’ll feel more confident knowing you’re not risking a lot and lets you start with players on your level. As you improve so will your table. Take note of your mistakes as you go and strive to only make them once.
- Stick with one table
If your goal is to learn poker strategy and see the game as a whole, stick to the one table. Observe your opponents’ playing style and what hands they have. Play tight, as in don’t open too many hands, and play aggressively to get far.
- Play fewer hands, aggressively
Play your strongest hands only. Don’t open too many hand options and then only half-fulfill some of them. Focus on building one.
- Don’t be the first player to limp
Limping is the idea of calling the big blind pre-flop, is not recommended if you’re the first player to enter the pot. You entice the other players behind you with good pot odds, rising the number of players you’re likely to play and therefore more competition for the pot.
- Look out for weaker players
Finding a good game is key. Find a table that has weaker players regularly limping, many multiway pots, and rare and infrequent re-raises? Move on to play your poker at a serious platform such as GGPoker online to get some practice with professional players, improve your game and maybe win a few hands.
- Fast-play your strong hands to build the pot
It’s best to bet your strong hands to protect your equity and build the pot, most of the time but not always. Check your strong hands if there aren’t many scare cards to prevent you getting paid down the lane, you’re pretty sure that you will be outdrawn, or your opponent’s range is weighted towards hands with no showdown value.
- Realize tilting only hurts you
Don’t let what you’ve learnt – and your money – go to waste. Have a strategy and stick to it. Apply it over and over again if it is winning. Don’t let your emotions sway you from it.
- Fold when you’re unsure
What makes the difference between a bad player and a good player is the good judgement to lay down a good poker hand when they think they have been beaten. Don’t let your curiosity force you to play a hand just because you want to know for sure. It’s a good way to lose money.