Poker Strategy

Poker has won hearts all over the world because it’s a fairly easy game to learn. Most players can pick it up with a few practice games. However, mastering poker is a whole different ball game. Poker is a game of not only skill but also strategy. So, you need to develop your basic poker strategy and keep improving it with the lessons of every game you play. There are different poker tips of which beginners and advanced players can both make use.

Poker tips can fall under two broad categories; particular tips for a certain type of poker game and general tips for poker to improve your overall gameplay. Since each player prefers a different variation of this rollercoaster of a game, discussing a particular game that may not be up everyone’s alley as it does not make much sense to get into the nitty-gritty of each game. We will instead discuss tips to improve your gameplay across poker variations for both beginners and advanced players. Once you have a good firm hold over these aspects of your game you can dig in deeper to improve the poker game that you are fond of the most.

Basic Poker Strategies for Beginners

1. Make up your mind:

In poker, it becomes exceedingly important to know the reason behind you choosing to play poker. If you want to play poker to make consistent money, you need to put in the time and effort to achieve the required level of proficiency. Of course, you can also choose to play for entertainment purposes, in this case, make sure that you are setting aside a fixed amount of money for it. Even if you do

choose to play for recreational purposes, there is no reason why you cannot make some extra bucks at the tables and graduate to a professional poker player. Many of the most famous players have climbed their way to the top of the ladder using this part-time strategy. Have a clear idea as to why you are playing poker does help you make decisions regarding your poker strategy easier.

2. Know your odds:

When it comes to poker, you as a player, need to keep making good decisions and wait for them to bear fruit. Poker demands a level of patience and maturity from its players. A good poker strategy is to know your odds. It is not sensible or realistic for you to expect to win every game that you play. Since you cannot control the hands that you are dealt, the only thing for you to do is play your best in every game. Your best in each game will differ, sometimes playing your best may mean folding early and other times it may mean staying in the game and raising the bets. Knowing your odds and choosing which hands to play will help you go a long way in poker.

3. Avoid Emotional Plays

This is an extremely important part of poker and probably the single most important poker strategy that separates beginners from professions. Emotional plays are often used by players at the table to the advantage of others and this would lead to huge losses for an unversed novice. The good news is that your opponents can only use your emotions against you if and when you let them. Avoiding an emotional take on a game will help you avoid any tilt in your game. Stay focused, confident and be prepared to take risks, or fold your cards, as and when the situation demands. Getting bullied or baited into raising stakes on a bad hand or folding on a perfectly decent one is all a part of the emotional play. Always remember to keep your steady eyes on the big prize.

4. Think far

Starting hands are a good place to start building your poker strategy, but they are not the end-all factor in deciding your position in a game of poker. After gaining a strong enough grasp on the basic guidelines surrounding starting hands, it is time for you to move on to the rest of the game. Playing well in the remaining hand is equally, if not more important than having a solid entry hand. The decision that players make at the end of each hand is important. Learning how to calculate the pot’s odds, recognise the patterns of the bets, bluff and use your position to your advantage are all skills that play a major role in improving your poker strategy.

Additional Poker Strategies for Advanced Players

1. Know your playing style

Each poker player, over time, develops their playing style which affects their basic poker strategy. There are an endless number of takes on poker, but they all boil down to a few styles.

• Some players are aggressive in their play and bet a lot, increase the stakes and are the first ones to open a pot. These players like putting others under pressure and ramping up the pace of the game.
• Others follow a more passive approach, sizing players up and following the lead of the aggressive players.
• Yet others pay heed to caution and follow a tight approach to poker. They play a few calculated hands and take minimal risks.
• The last category is the opposite of the previous one, these players have the tendency to play lots of hands and love risk.

You must figure which of these approaches describes you. A good approach would be to have a bit of all and keep tweaking your approach according to the situation. If you are a beginner go in with a little bit of aggression but have tight control of the risks, you take.

2. Bluff with Brains

Bluffing can win you a pot that is about to slip from your hands completely. This is true but only when they are well-timed and well planned. If you are holding some marginal hands and are hesitant to invest too much in them then bluffing can come to your rescue. It can act as a lifesaver with a second chance at the pot. So, make sure you think through the whole hand and build your bluff convincingly enough from the get-go. Throwing in a rogue bet at the end moment with the hopes of winning the pot will serve you at all. Your opponent will see right through you and you will be in hotter soup than before the bluff. So be cool and collected and get your poker face on before you bluff.

Now to some people, developing your own strategy may sound tiresome and lengthy so we are here with some poker tips that will have you on your way to becoming a better poker player in no time!

Poker Tips & Tricks

There are a few poker tricks which can steer you in the right direction when it comes to this simple but elusive game. Regardless of whether you are a beginner wanting to get your basics right without much complication. Continue reading to find out the five best tips that can help anyone get better at poker with a little practice. Keep these up your sleeve and watch your winnings grow.

1. Play for the long haul

So firstly, if you are playing poker, take it up as a long-term practice of a skill that you can hone over time. Every player learns through experience, you may go all-in on cards that are fantastic but give up on you at the river. It is better to accept that in a game of poker the table can turn at any time. This also means that they can turn in your favour and your skill and practice will have a lot to do with this. There is no exact science to poker. Having said this, the more you play the better you get. Read on to find out when to be aggressive, when to hold yourself back and how to get in on the psychology of a player.

2. Know when to be aggressive

Poker is not a game for the faint-hearted. When you have a good hand don’t be shy to get some skin in the game. The only way to win big is to bet big and force the other at the table to do the same or fold. So, ¬¬¬when you are dealt a pair of kings or aces, basically a strong, solid high hand, make sure you milk it till you can. It is not often that you will get a chance to do this confidently, as we have discussed, you need to know your odds. When the odds are in your favour, an aggressive play can buy you your next international vacation or maybe even a new house. So, better get your head in the game right away. As a novice player, you may be a little hesitant when it comes to betting. You may choose to check when you should ideally bet and call a bet when you should be raising the roof of the stakes.

When you do this the other players at the table will take you to be a weaker player and get into your head. Underplaying your hand is a sure shot recipe to incur some losses that may dent your bank balance. Once you are tagged as a player who hardly ever bets or raises you will be bullied at the table by the more aggressive players. Choose your playing style according to your hands and be prepared to be aggressive.

3. Know when to be patient

In poker you have to strike the correct balance between the times to be aggressive and times to be patient. Knowing the difference between these times is a fundamental skill in poker. This point brings us back to the basic poker strategy of knowing your odds. You will have to fold multiple hands before you play one and that my friend, requires patience. Aggressively betting on a dead hand hoping to catch a good card at the river will not help your case. In general, a player will get dealt more losing hands than winning ones so be patient, pay your dues and sit tight while you wait for your golden hen.

4. Play the player

Poker is a mind game as much as a skill or luck-based one. The situation rules supreme in poker and you need to know how to use that against your opponent in the most effective way possible. Poker is based on relativity, that means, hands are only good or bad in comparison to other hands. You need not have aces and kings to win a hand. Of course, a Royal Flush is never a bad hand, but you can win with just a better hand than the other players at the same table.

Consider this, a pair of kings is a great hand, but only compared to a queen or lower. If your opponent is holding a pair of aces your kings are mostly bound to lose. So how do you know what the other players are holding? This is where you need to play the player. Observe your opponents, learn their traits and adjust your play accordingly. Poker will teach you to have confidence in yourself, learn endurance and manage your stress right and these will also ultimately improve your game.

5. Read. Read. Read

Yes, this is probably the best tip that we can give you. Reading books or articles or blogs, whichever you prefer, will greatly help you no matter what your proficiency level in poker is. Make use of the bottomless pile of information at your disposal. The masters of poker have a lot to share about the immensely popular sport. Keep upgrading yourself at the game just like you would any another skill. Stagnancy should be your enemy when it comes to poker. As you keep learning you can play games online to quickly test out your strategies and make notes.

Keep these tips in mind and master your poker game with your new and improve poker strategy. At Spartan poker, you can play for real money or practise your game till you are confident about playing at the hottest poker tournaments out there. Huge rewards await you at the Spartan Poker website.