Poker Tips

Top Poker Tips


Don't Play So Many Hands

Playing too many hands is a dead give-away that you're a beginner and gives more advanced players the opportunity to figure out what type of hands you play. Fold when you have a bad hand, however tempting it may be to keep playing.

Watch the Board

Beginner poker players will usually focus more on their own hands rather than watching the board. Being aware of the board allows advanced poker players to read the betting going on around them and take the advantage.

Take a Break

If you're feeling like you're on a bad streak, don't be afraid to get up and take a break. Walk around, grab a drink, and take a couple of deep breaths. One of the worse things in a game of poker is to show emotion, so giving yourself a chance to put things in perspective rather than getting worked up can be a very beneficial move.

Look for Common Poker Tells

In addition to looking for them, make sure not to do them yourself. As we mentioned above, emotion is a key factor in giving away clues to more advanced poker players. They may even fake certain emotions to make a beginner think that they are reading clues, when in fact they are being duped by professionals. In general though, opponent modeling is very important to developing a good poker strategy, so you should just be aware of these common poker tells:

Players who stare at their cards for slightly longer than usual may be giving away a good hand. They may also glance at their chips or look around to try and see if other players are likely to fold.

Hands that tremble from too much pressure may indicate that a player is attempting to hide a really good hand of cards.

Chips stacked very neatly usually imply that a player is conservative with their betting. Sloppy chip piles are more characteristic of aggressive and loose players.

Players who bluff may show signs of anxiety, such as dilated pupils, unconscious muscle flexing, and increased heart rate.

Facial expressions and body posture can directly indicate how confident a player feels about their poker playing and their particular hand, so it is important to watch for changes as the game progresses.

Change Your Playing Style

Changing your playing style half way through a game is a great way to throw other players off guard and prevent them from building a clear opponent model. This will give you an advantage because others players will not know when to call your bluffs.

Create an Opponent Model

Watch your opponents carefully to learn their betting habits, when they bet, how much they bet, when they call, and why. These observations should allow you to formulate a better playing strategy due to a better understanding of your opponents and the ability to predict their hand strength based on their actions.

Bluff

Bluffing can be a very effective tool in poker, but only when there is a very low risk of being called. When used at the right times, bluffing can be the key to winning. To bluff successfully takes practice and a great deal of subtlety.

Bet Intelligently

Making careful and responsible bets are a key to playing good poker, in addition to being a tool for defensive moves or developing an opponent model. Placing well thought out bets can provide very useful information concerning the other players by watching how they react and respond.

Pay Attention to Player Positioning

According to your position at the table, you may have an advantage over other players. For example, if you are the dealer, you are the last to act, which allows you to observe the betting actions of the other players before your turn comes up. As a result, you have more time to draw strategic conclusions from your observations and proceed accordingly to make the best bet to match your current hand strength. Likewise, if you are in a less advantageous position, be aware of the fact as well as being conscious that the dealer will be watching you and your betting patterns.