By Karac Karlin
It’s never fun to be bad at something and especially not when, as in poker, it costs money to be. In poker, bad players are usually called fish and in this article, we will teach some basic tips that will make you stop being a fish and that will make you understand how poker works before going further to other topics such as how to play video poker. Curious? Just keep reading until the end!
Tip 1: Play fewer hands
In Texas Holdem, there are 169 different starting hands you can get (if you ignore specific color combinations). Of all these possible hands, only a few are considered premium hands, ie really strong hands:
AA
KK
AK (in color)
JJ
No matter what position you have at the table, you should always play these premium hands if no one has raised before you. If someone raised before you – and especially if people have seen the raise or counter-raised – it can sometimes be a mistake to play something other than aces and kings.
Tip 2: Play in position
The position is, in short, the most important weapon you can have at the poker table. For those who do not know the term, position (having a position on their opponents) means that you act last in the hand, that is, that you have the button or that the players who would have acted after have already laid down. The worst places when it comes to the position are usually the blinds because the whole table will act on these players after the first betting round.
Tip 3: Pay attention
Texas Holdem is a game with incomplete information. The more info you can get, the better you will play. And everything that happens at a poker table – whether you are in the pot or not – is information that you can – and should – collect. When you have to make a difficult decision, you need to have as much information as possible – and that information can be obtained while playing auto.
Tip 4: Have a bankroll
One of the most important things, when you start playing poker, is to have money that is only for playing poker – a bankroll. This means that you have a sum of money that is only there to play poker with. This money is “poker money” and nothing else. Most people are extremely attached to their money. Some stress themselves to the point that they sometimes become physically ill. Unfortunately, it is practically impossible to become a successful No-Limit player if you are so attached to your money.
Tip 5: Stop bluffing
There are actually quite a few pure scams in poker. But because of the Hollywood portrayals of poker movies, people think that poker players make big, bold or even crazy bluffs as soon as they get the chance. That picture is simply not true. As little as people losing with color ladder against Royal Flush look as close.
