This section of this website is designed to
help you with your overall Poker strategy and aims to provide
all players with useful information in order to improve their
game.
Important Poker Skills
Managing Your Money Wisely - A good poker
player knows how to be his own personal banker. He won't join
a game without knowing how much money he has and needs, and
during the game he will put his eye on his money and make sure
his bets are reasonable investments.
Knowing Your Math - Another skill that needs
to be worked on is doing good in math, for a strong poker
player knows the basics of poker mathematics.
Memorizing every probability of a poker game
is almost impossible. Trying to notice and learn the general
odds and chances of a poker game, on the other hand, would for
sure improve your winning chances. One way of doing this is
looking into the "pot odds": comparing the total sum
of the pot to the sum you would need to put in it in order to
continue playing the hand.
Being A Psychologist - A good poker player is
not only good with money and numbers but also with people. He
will notice other people's body language, and will be able to
control his own.
Keeping a "Poker Face" - Part of
being a good psychologist is also knowing how to cover up your
personal thoughts and emotions. Just as you're watching other
players' faces and movements, they are watching yours.
Be Flexible in Your Style - Every person has
his or her own style. This applies also to the way in which
people play poker games.
Winning Poker Strategy
Before starting a new game, there are some
things that you should think of and take into consideration.
Observe the Table Before Joining It - This
might actually be a good tip for life in general. Before
joining a poker table and playing, just sit there and observe.
Notice how the individual poker players play the game: who
takes chances and who's more precocious, whether a certain
body movement gives away someone, etc.
Know the Exact Rules of the Game - Don't go
into a game without knowing exactly how it goes and what its
rules are. Not only is that unprofessional and might make
other players mad at you, it's also a weakness which they
might take advantage of.
Make Sure you've Got Enough in Your Pocket -
Before you go join a poker table, put your hands in your
pockets, count your money, and then also approach the table
and ask to hear the rules of the game. Sometimes poker tables
have special rules regarding antes, numbers of raises, high
and low limits, etc.
A good poker player always has in his pocket a
much larger sum than what is required as the limit. We would
recommend having the minimum ratio of forty to one, so you
would need 100$ dollars when playing a 5$ dollar limit, $10
dollars for a 50ยข cents limit, etc
How to play a good game
Don't be Afraid to Fold - One mistake that
poker players do over and over again is staying in the game
when their chances are low. You'll be surprised at the
frequency in which top poker players fold hands. A majority of
players play too many hands. Stay in a game, you will end up
panicking because you have a weak hand and you will make rash
decisions. Fold often, and your chances of winning will be
higher.
When You Win, Win Big - If you have the
highest ranking hand in a poker game, make sure the other
players add much to the pot before you collect it. Wait a bit,
and then raise the stakes.
Bluff - But Within Reasons - Bluffing in poker
games is usually an overrated tactic. People are wrong to
assume that it is a crucial element in the game. Bluffing from
time to time is good and healthy in poker, and a good poker
player knows exactly when to bluff and when not to use this
method.
Money Management in Online Poker
Online poker can be played just for the
sport of it or can be played for real money, usually American
dollars. There are poker rooms which offer using other
currencies . Some rooms have betting limits and others don't,
which is something to think of before hand.
In all rooms a rake is taken from the pot,
usually just a small percentage of the money invested (a few
dollars or 3% percent of the bet).
Playing More than One Game at a Time
Remember the phrase, "you can't be in two
places at the same time"? Not really true. Unlike when
playing poker in a "real" room, and being confined
to one poker table, Online poker offers you the option of
playing more than one game at a time.
Knowing Your Opponents Online
When signing up to a Web site, a poker player
needs to state his place of residence (City, State) and his
screen name, which will usually be different than his real
life name. (Most sites don't really monitor these details, as
can be seen by funny and weird names people write under city
and state: "doghouse", "mother earth",
etc...) These are the only "facts" you will know
about your opponents. It's important to choose them carefully,
because some sites make it hard to change details once you've
signed in.
Some players like to add to their screen name
or "handle" (nickname) something else, that will
reflect who they are: a cartoon character, a picture, an icon,
a color and the likes. This portrays a certain image - which
is sometimes deliberately misleading.
If a sharp poker player calls himself
"Auntie Sera", accompanied by a picture of a sweet
old lady - this is not a mere joke. It's a way of getting
people's shields down.
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