Best Tips for a Beginning Player

To the untrained eye, poker might seem rather hard and intimidating, while also giving the impression of a fun and exhilarating game. And that’s normal! There are a lot of things one must learn before playing live and online poker, so it might take some time to get used to the game.

Now, many new players ask themselves: how should I start playing poker? What’s the best way to learn to play the game? To help you answer those questions, we will cover some useful tips that might turn you into a better poker player from your very first game:

• Memorize poker hand ranking – The first – and arguably most important – thing you should learn is hand ranking in poker. No matter how many strategies you learn, you will still have to rely heavily on the strength of your hand to win any given game. So, to better understand whether you should fold, call, or raise – you should understand whether you have a good hand or not.
• Use a probability chart to make your decisions – There’s no way for you to quickly memorize the odds of winning with every combination of hole cards. And luckily, you don’t have to rely solely on your memory! Poker probability charts can easily help you figure out how good your chances are of creating a winning combo with your hole cards. You can rely on this chart to make your decisions at the poker table.
• Understand and identify your opponent’s playing style – Being able to get into your opponents’ head is a major part of poker. After all, you have to understand who you’re facing in order to adjust your strategy accordingly. Are your opponents paying passively or aggressively? Are they tight or loose players? Since you’re a new player, it might take you a while to master this particular skill. Therefore, you should start your poker journey with a tight yet aggressive strategy – the safest tactic out there.
• Don’t bluff just yet – Movies, books, and TV shows that revolve around poker often depict bluffing as an easy and magical strategy that always works. However, in reality, bluffing is a technique you should use sparsely – and only when you’re sure it will yield the desired results. So, whenever you have a weak hand, think twice before you decide to bluff your way out of the situation.
• Be patient and dedicated – Getting better at poker is all about practicing. To become a pro and start winning cash prizes, you have to spend hundreds of hours honing your poker skills and gaining confidence. So, be patient, and don’t give up if it takes some time for you to start winning games!

Some Wisdom from the Pros

The process of becoming a poker pro is not an easy one. To remain focused on the task at hand and keep playing even when it’s tough, you need to find something to motivate you.

And what better way to keep your spirits high than looking at the success stories of some renowned poker pros?

For example, let’s take a look at Daniel Negreanu, also known as ‘Kid Poker’. Negreanu is one of the most successful and popular players of this decade, as he has quite an inspiring story that poker enthusiasts can relate to. Negreanu used to be involved in random types of gambling in his teens. He played pool and blackjack, and on sports, and more. In his later teens, he was introduced to poker, and he was immediately hooked.

In an interview, Negreanu has revealed that he didn’t graduate from high school because he was so focused on the game. At the age of 18, he was playing poker 40 hours a week – which was practically a full-time job. According to him, he got better at the game by watching how other pros players specific hands, incorporating everything he’s learned in his own poker strategy. And it worked! Throughout his career, Negreanu won more than $43,000,000 in various events and tournaments, which is rather impressive.

Another poker pro you can learn from is Maria Ho. The American player used to play all types of card games with her friends and family throughout her childhood. But in college, she discovered Texas Hold’em and fell in love with the game. In an interview she gave a while ago, she stated that her competitiveness drove her to visit casinos and play poker as much as possible, getting better and better as time went on.

Her poker career took off in 2007 after she participated in the WSOP main event and got to 38th place. Since then, she has been making a name for herself by participating in tournaments and cash games. In the aforementioned interview, she explained that persistence is one of the most important things which can help you turn pro. She also explained that even though poker is very demanding, you have to have some balance in life, and you can’t focus all of your attention on poker alone by [you can watch the full interview here].

Are You Ready to Begin Your Journey?

Now that you know what you should do to start your poker adventure, do you think you’re ready to place real money bets?