Poker Strategy Tips

It has been said many times that poker is a game that takes ‘Minutes To Learn, Yet A Lifetime To Master’. While this certainly has some truth to it, mastering just a few basic poker strategy tips can give any player a significant and profitable edge over the competition. This article outlines 5 key poker strategy tips that will have you raking in the money – whichever of the many poker game variations you play!

Poker Strategy Tips #1 – Play Positive Poker

There are two ways to win a hand of poker. Either you show the best hand after all the cards are out – or you bet in such a way that your opponents fold. Players who play by calling the bets of others are putting themselves at a serious disadvantage, they can only ever win in one of the two ways. Since match-ups involving two genuinely strong hands are the exception in all poker games the player who plays positively, by betting and raising will often win on those occasions where nobody makes a monster hand.

Poker Strategy Tips #2 – Patience Is Key

Playing too many hands in any poker game will put you at a disadvantage. Sometimes a long stretch of ‘junk’ hands will cause you to feel like playing a hand you would normally fold. Resisting this urge, and playing only hands which have a real shot at being the best at the table, is a profitable poker strategy. A strategy as simple as playing hands which are ‘somewhat’ stronger (on average) than the hands your opponents are playing is a recipe for profits over time.

Poker Strategy Tips #3 – Play The Opposite Style To The Table

A poker strategy tip as old as the game itself – but still true in the fast-paced online environment. If your table is playing very tight by playing few hands and folding to raises often, you should adapt by loosening your requirements and betting often. If you meet resistance you will know you are probably beaten and can safely fold. At a loose table, where bets and raises with marginal hands are very common you should again play in the opposite style. This time ensuring you have a premium-strength hand when you enter the pot will often bring the reward of a large pot against these loose opponents.

Poker Strategy Tips #4 – Let The Odds Decide

Winning in poker involves getting your money into the pot when you have ‘the best of it’. That is to say your bet, raise or call will win money if the hand were replayed 100’s of times. If you do this consistently then the outcome of any single hand will not matter – your bankroll will grow over time as the chance element evens out. In order to have the best of it you will need to understand the basics of poker mathematics. These include understanding pot-odds (the total pot compared to the price it costs to call) and ‘outs’ (the number of unseen cards in the deck that will improve your hand). Poker math is deceptively simple – yet allows you to gain a profitable edge over most opponents very quickly.

Poker Strategy Tips #5 – Bankroll Management

All forms of poker have elements of both skill and chance. Over time the most skillful player will win the money. However in any one hand a ‘bad card’ can quickly turn you from the winner to the loser. Expert players use the following poker strategy tip to ensure that a chance run of bad cards does not get them in trouble: Only ever put a small percentage of your total poker bankroll at risk on any one table. The actual amount will vary depending on the game you play and your ability to reload. However risking only 5% to 10% at a time will give you insurance against the inevitable poker suck-outs.