Its all very well blabbing on about advanced and intermediate poker tips, but it is always important to remember the basic poker tactics that are essential to understand before you move on and take your game to the next level.
Below are very general basic poker tactics that every serious poker player should adhere to.
1. Fold 90% of your hands. You will find that you will win more money by playing with better cards than anyone else. Playing big pocket pairs and Aces with big kickers are a good way to start playing tighter poker. You can loosen up and play a wider range of hands once you understand more about the game and its intricacies.
2. Have patience. While you are sat there folding most of your hands, the game can become quite dull to novices. You need to have the patience and discipline to remain focused on the game at all times whether you are involved in a hand or not.
3. Do not bluff. Bluffing in poker is highly overrated. You will only be able to successfully bluff your opponent once you have studied the game in further detail and understand betting patterns, reads, and tells.
4. Raise or fold. If a hand is good enough to play, then it is good enough to raise. In nearly every situation you should either raise the pot if your cards are good, or fold them if they are pants. Raising will do three things: Show aggression, enable you to possibly win the pot uncontested, give you information about your opponents hand. Calling is nearly always the wrong move to make.
5. Do not slow play hands. If you have hit a dream flop and you are holding a strong hand then bet it out and do not check it. You must remember that even though your hand is winning on the flop, it may not be the winning hand by the river. Betting good hands does two things: it increases the size of the pot if you get called and it can also help you to win the pot without the need for a showdown.
6. Bet in relation to the size of the pot. If you have 6,000 in chips with the blinds at 10/20 and the pot is currently at 70, then do not go sticking in a raise of 500. I know your stack can easily afford it, but there is never any need to risk losing more chips than you stand to win. A pot size bet of 70 will still put your opponent to a question about how good their hand is, but by just betting the pot you are risking less money.
7. Keep an eye on the blinds. This is a tip for tournament play. The longer you play in a tourney, the higher the blinds will rise. You must make sure you are always aware of how much the blinds are at any given point and make sure your stack stays at 10 times the big blind.
8. Do not look at your cards and do not look at the flop. Well, not straight away. When you are dealt your hole cards, they are not going to change. Instead you should be looking at everyone else’s reaction to their cards as they are being dealt to them. You will be surprised how easy it is to spot someone who likes or dislikes their cards. Only look at your cards when it is your action and the player to the right of you has acted. This prevents you from giving off any tells if someone is watching you. Again, as the flop is dealt, do not look at the flop but instead look at your opponent’s faces. Watch for their reaction. Did they hit or miss the flop?
9. Do not drink alcohol. Purely for the same reason it is illegal to drink and drive: It inhibits your judgment and perception of your situation and surroundings. If you play for fun then by all means relax with a drink or two. But if you are playing to make a profit, then stick to the soft drinks.
10. Only play with money you can afford to loose. Poker is gambling. There is as much chance you will lose your money as there is that you will win. You must be financially prepared to lose your stake during a game of poker and not have it affect you. Never play with friends for significant amounts of money as it can affect friendships. If you wish to play online poker, there are plenty of online poker rooms where you can play for pennies to get yourself started. We recommend Titan poker as there are micro-stakes as well as high-stakes games to be played.
