Introduction
Poker is a popular game that has been in existence for a while. Several game lovers tend to avoid this game because they don’t understand how to play it, even though it seems to just be a game of cards. And guess what, it’s pretty much as simple as ABC.
With that in mind, this article discusses the best poker strategies that can help a beginner win when playing the game. Want to learn the best tactics to win in a poker game? Then ensure that you read this article till the end.
What is Poker?
Poker is a gambling game where individuals play a deck of 52 cards. This type of game requires calculation, patience, luck, and skill to win.
Based on the value of each poker hand in a player’s hands, players are permitted to place bets against each other. To be an effective player, you need to be well versed in Poker strategy which will give you an added advantage.
Chips (plastic or ceramic discs) are commonly used to place bets in this game since they are very easy to count and maintain. However, in some real live casinos, coins are used to place bets on poker.
Poker is a card game with several variations, each having its own rules with the most played game worldwide being Texas Hold’em (especially No Limit texas hold’em). Omaha and Five Card Draw are two other popular games played at the major poker venues in the globe.
The foundations of betting, bluffing, popular phrases, and poker hand rankings are applicable to practically all variations of the game even if each type of poker has its own set of regulations.
In this article we will give you a ton of valuable tips that will help you build a solid foundation that will get you playing poker as quickly as possible so you can begin your poker journey.
Best beginner poker tips and poker strategy
There Is No Such Thing as Luck in a poker game
You need to leave your faith in luck at the door if you want to increase your chances of being the best player you can be. Don’t get me wrong, anyone can run over or under expectations in the short or even mid-term due to luck or misfortune. Different
The idea that someone could be born with good or bad luck is something you simply cannot accept. Superstition has no place in poker because it only results in a life of resentment and frustration. If not, the first significant bad run you have can make you suspect that there is some sort of cosmic plot against you or that the poker gods simply don’t like you.
It is crucial for you to remember that only YOU have power over your future and that, if you put in the necessary effort and manage your money wisely, winning in poker is ultimately just a numbers game.
Learn the rules, positions and poker hands ranking
Most players are aware that this is the first action you will want to take. Although studying the fundamentals of poker can be simple, you should actually take the time to comprehend how hands are ranked in poker.
You shouldn’t be forced to decide if your flush will beat a straight in the middle of the hand and waste your important decision-making time doing it.
Below are the hand rankings
Straight flush: These are. five sequential cards all in the same suit. An example of this hand could be a sequence of A,2,3,4,5. Ranking between straights is determined by the value of the high end of the straight.
Four of a kind: A Four of a Kind is the same card in each of the four suits.
Full house: A Full House is a pair plus three of a kind (e.g. K,K,K,7,7). If there is a tie with two players having their five card poker hand each with a full house, the tie will be broken by the three of a kind, as you cannot have two equal sets of three of a kind in any single deck.
Flush: A Flush is five cards in the same suit.
Straight: A Straight is five cards in a numerical order, but not all five cards share the same suit. It is important to note that a straight cannot wrap. This means that a winning hand cannot come from a five card poker hand of Queen, King, Ace, Two, Three. If two or three people end up with a straight then the higher straight wins but if the straights tie, the pot will be split.
Three of a kind: Three of a Kind is three of the same card and two non-paired cards.
Two pairs: These are two different pairings or sets of the same card (for example J,J,K,K).
One Pair: One Pair is a pairing of the same card (for example, A,3,K,5,5)
High Card: A High Card refers to a hand with no matching cards.
Learning positions is essential, so wait to start playing until you’ve done it. Even if you have never played poker before, you have undoubtedly already heard that position is crucial. It is, in fact, one of the most crucial poker strategies you should understand when you first start out, in my opinion.
So, don’t forget about it!
Don’t be the first player to call the big blind preflop
You should avoid calling the big blind preflop because you might not be able to win the pot before the flop if you call it. The only time you can consider doing this is when another player has limped, perhaps you might just get lucky and win on the flop.
Remember that poker is a game of patience, hence playing with fewer hands is the best way to improve and build your pot. However, you have to intensely play all your hands if you intend to win.
Everyone Should Learn Cash Games First
Even if tournaments are your preferred format, it will be worthwhile for you to at the very least master cash games. Your win rate is directly impacted by each +EV or -EV choice you make because there is no prize pool or ICM. You can occasionally get away with a few leaks in tournaments.The same leaks may severely hurt your bottom line in cash games.
The top players in the world can be found in cash games for a reason. This is because they are more challenging now than they ever were. It is incredibly rare for even excellent tournament players to even be able to compete at lower stakes cash games, yet almost all truly skilled cash game players can demolish tournaments.
Before going on to MTTs or any other format, if you’re eager to make tournaments your main source of income, I advise that you first prove you can beat at least 50NL over a respectable sample size. It will be easy to win low- or even mid-stakes tournaments if you put in the effort and succeed in doing this.
Start at low stakes to understand poker strategy
This poker advice should always be taken into account before beginning a game. Many players have no desire to participate in low stakes games, but you must remember that your objective is to learn poker technique, not to lose money while doing so.
Consequently, you have a few reasons for beginning with low stakes.:
- Knowing that you are not taking a big financial risk and that even if you lose some money initially, it won’t hurt you will make you feel more at ease. This is a smart move because you will be able to learn the game without spending a lot of money in the process.
- Every time you raise the stakes, a player’s skill level advances. Instead of losing money to players who are now much better than you, starting at the lowest limitations allows you to play against the weakest players and learn the game.
- It allows you to see the big picture and gain a sense of how the entire game is designed. You’ll comprehend your positions, know which poker hands to play, and be able to put it all to practice.
Before moving up you need to learn poker strategy and make sure that you feel comfortable in any game that you play, at any level you play it.
Utilize your strong hands to quickly build the pot
To protect your equity, it is best to quickly utilize your strong hands, however, be cautious about how you raise your strong hands so that you won’t end up losing out on the game.
Avoid over-bluffing with your draws
Don’t go over the board if you know that your draws can still serve as a backup for bluffing when it is required. When you bluff inappropriately, you might lose your bets and go home with nothing.
But when you are sure that your opponent looks defeated, you can try out semi bluffing, it can sometimes work to your advantage.
If you are not certain, it is best to fold
Do you want to know what separates a bad player from a professional player most significantly? When they believe they are outplayed, a good player can lay down a strong hand like the top pair.
Despite how easy it may seem, it is actually quite difficult to accomplish due in part to the structure of our brains. We are naturally inquisitive and competitive.When we fold, we give up the potential to win the pot and forfeit the opportunity to discover the hand our opponent is holding.
The second fastest way to lose at poker is to call too frequently and in the wrong circumstances especially after ineffective bluffs. Do yourself a favor and fold whenever you’re not sure whether to call or fold in response to a bet or raise.
When folding in one of these circumstances, be sure to record the specifics of the hand so you may review them later to see if you made the appropriate decision. It’s an excellent method to regularly hone your skills and fill in the knowledge gaps in your poker knowledge when you study and/or debate these kinds of hands.
If you have the right hand, use it to defend your big blind
Because you have already put one big blind into the pot, it is a unique position. As a result, whenever you are in the big blind and are presented with a raise, you will have higher pot chances to call than the other positions. Consider it a discount.
There are many variables that affect how wide you should defend; the four most important ones are as follows:
the raiser’s position (play tighter against the early positions and looser against the late positions).
player count in the hand (when 1 or more players has already called the raise, play tighter and only call with hands that do well in multiway pots).
Amount of the rise. This means the larger the bet sizing, the tighter you should play and vice versa.
size of stacks. When you are short stacked, play fewer speculative hands and prioritize high card strength.
The three above are the most crucial variables you should take into account, however there are other crucial ones as well, such as how frequently your opponent will continue to bet post-flop.
Capitalize on other player’s weaknesses
Players don’t check as frequently as they should when they have hands that might call numerous bets. As a result, when they do check, they typically hold a weak hand and will frequently fold in the face of successive bets. This is the instance of “bluffing with nothing” that I mentioned previously.
You can take advantage of your opponent using an aggressive bluffing approach when they exhibit a lot of weakness in a heads-up pot (for example, by checking on the flop and turn). You should not only bluff with your typical semi-bluffs, but you should also bluff outright with a few nothing hands, preferably ones with strong blocking effects.
Play For Fun, Not For Money
Poker is most likely not the game for you if your primary source of happiness is from winning money at the tables. Anyone who does not have a genuine passion for the task at hand risks developing burnout. It is similar to any other job. If you don’t love what you do, you will eventually start to despise life.
Playing Poker requires A Strong Mentality
What separates the best players from everyone often has nothing to do with how well they play poker. In fact, the mental side of poker has been the downfall of some of the most talented players to ever play. It doesn’t matter how good you are if you don’t have the right mindset your win-rate will suffer. It is best to quit poker when you come to this realization.
The most common trait that all successful poker players have is their mental toughness. If you find your short-term results affecting the quality of your decisions, then you have tilt issues. The faster you solve those problems, the quicker you can get to where you want to be in poker.
Invest In Your Poker Knowledge
Something that a lot of poker beginners overlook is the idea of investing in your own poker knowledge. Because one of the best ways to quickly improve your results is to learn from somebody who has already been highly successful in poker.
There are tons of great poker books available online to get you started. You can also register for masterclass courses that will be taught by a professional player. Being able to learn from people with more knowledge and figuring out their poker strategy and advanced play will be invaluable for beginners.
Make Lots of Value Bets
The great thing about poker though is that for every ying there is a yang. If the weaker players will call us a lot more often then this means that we can bet more often for value with a wider range of hands.
So against players who will call with hands as weak as bottom pair or ace high for instance you can make a value bet against them with hands like top pair or middle pair very often
Playing within your bankroll is another crucial piece of advice for novice poker players. You might wonder what a bankroll is. That is the amount of money you have set aside to use for this game. Effective bankroll management is paramount.
You may therefore check your entire bankroll if you play online poker by hitting the cashier button in the poker room lobby. If you play live poker games, you need to set aside a certain amount of money as your poker bankroll.
Use a Poker Tracking Program (also known as a HUD)
A poker monitoring application won’t be absolutely necessary for you to succeed at online poker, but it will undoubtedly aid in your decision-making.As a result, you ought to at least try one out for a bit if you start to take the game seriously.
In essence, a poker monitoring computer collects the raw data from the hands you play and transforms it into information you can use. It might be challenging to keep track of all your opponents in the fast-paced multi-tabling world of online poker, so this is crucial. One major benefit of using one of these tools is how much easier it will be to find the bad actors.
Learn To Game Select
This is undoubtedly the most crucial poker advice that increases your chances of winning. Table selection is a skill you must develop if you want to succeed in poker.The secret to winning at poker is to play with people who are less skilled than you.
Because of this, choosing the right table will probably have the most impact on your ability to win at the tables. Being skilled in seat selection can make the difference between being a top winner at your stake or a subpar break-even player.The top players may not always be the highest paid at any particular level.The best players get the highest win rates and consistently select the seats that are most profitable.
Learn poker odds
You should be aware of the pot odds you are getting as well as the poker odds you need to hit the winning hand. This will help you make more objective decisions when you bet.
What are pot odds?
It is a concept that enables you to judge whether you are paying the right price to continue with your hand and help you choose wisely.
Here is a brief breakdown of the most common Texas Holdem hands and how many opportunities you have to improve before the next street:
- Gut-shot – 4 outs
- Two overcards – 6 outs
- Open-ended straight draw – 8 outs
- Flush draw – 9 outs
- Flush draw & gut-shot – 12 outs
- Straight flush draw – 15 outs
By simply multiplying your outs by 2 if you want to know an approximate probability of hitting your hand on the next street or by 4 if you want to know how likely it is that you will improve your hand from the flop to the river, you can get a good idea of how likely it is that you will improve your hand.
You may estimate that if you have an open-ended straight draw with 8 outs on the flop, you will improve it roughly 8*2 = 16% on the turn, and you will hit your straight approximately 8*4 = 32% of the time by the river. It is by far the greatest and simplest approach to learn poker strategy. These numbers are not precise, but they are pretty near to accurate ones.
Play tight but aggressive
Many novice players commit the grave error of playing too broadly and opening an excessive number of Texas Holdem hands as well as when they play cautiously.
Playing only your strongest hands when you first start out will help you keep your VPIP poker stat on the low side and prevent having to make many difficult decisions post-flop. This will enable you to play less, but more forcefully when you do decide to move your hand.
By using this poker trick alone, you may start out ahead of most of your opponents in low games who frequently play random hands. This can help you learn poker strategies more quickly and effectively while preventing financial loss.
Put the most pressure on your opponents by betting and raising instead of merely calling when you play.In the long run, you will only be winning against their range of cards if you are aware that you have the benefit of having superior hands before the flop.
Top tips for winning Poker
- In early game, play tight and lose during the final round
- When the bet size gets larger bet tight, and when it reduces, bet on the loser
- When the cards are short-stacked, then play tighter
- Don’t play poker when you are not certain of winning, be patient until you are ready to play to avoid losing money
Final Thought
We trust that our article has been helpful in giving amateur players the right strategies that will not only help improve how you play poker but also put you in position to win money.
