How to Win at Poker

There are a number of variations of poker, but they tend to follow the same basic poker rules, tips and strategies. Once you have decided on the poker game that you plan to play, follow these tips to increase your chances of winning.

Online Poker – Learn the Rules of the Game

This may seem to be an obvious point, but you must be sure to be comfortable with the rules of the poker game that you are playing. If you are playing a poker variation that you are not familiar with, make sure to learn all of the nuances of that game before you begin play.

Know When to Fold and When to Play

Winning at poker means knowing when you have a chance and playing those hands to the maximum. It also means knowing early on when a hand is unlikely to be successful. In cases such as those, it is more worthwhile to fold early than to continue adding money to a pot that you are unlikely to win. If you focus on the hands that may be successful, you will have more money to contribute to the pot and will have more chance of winning a decent sized pot.

If you hold a promising hand, do not be afraid to raise if there are only a few players still playing. If there many players still in the game it is likely that one of them will hold a winning hand, so unless you also hold a winning hand it is unwise to raise. At the same time, do not hesitate to fold, even if you have raised previously, if your hand is not improving and an opponent is raising with you.

Practice, Practice, Practice

It is important to practice your game so that you are familiar with the rules and are playing at optimum strategy before you take on real money opponents. It has never been easier to practice your poker game. The accessibility of online poker means that you can play wherever you are and whenever it is convenient for you. It is simple to find free games where you can play as long as you like. Feel comfortable with when to fold and when to raise and practice keeping your emotions in check so that you will not give away any secrets if you plan to play land-based games. It is important to learn to keep track of your opponents’ cards so that you will be able to make informed guesses about the type of hands they are holding.

Basic Poker Strategy

It is a good idea to learn some basic poker strategy to increase your chances of winning. Basic poker strategy says that you should raise on a Queen or higher as this mimics the dealer’s strategy. You will do reasonably well following this strategy. For a slightly more sophisticated strategy, raise on a Queen, six, four or higher. This is the borderline hand and following this strategy will see you losing 8.66% of original bets, but winning 5.29% of bonus bets.