Best 11 Poker Tips You’ll Ever Read

The tendency for most poker blog posts to give advice on how to better your game is to write about particular games—usually Texas hold’em.

I figured it would be fun to post poker tips that would provide tips that would be applicable to all players regardless of which games they choose to play.

Here are 11 of the best poker tips you’ve ever read:

1. Don’t Let Other Poker Players Intimidate You
I don’t care how new you are to the poker game, don’t be scared by the other players at the table. Not only is it going to ruin your good time, it will also cause you to lose, too. Scared money is always going to lose.

Most of the other real money poker players at the table are bad at poker, too.

“They may have more experience at the table, but if you’ve read as much as one poker book or spent some time playing online and chatting about it on the internet, you’re probably better off than your opponents.”

You don’t have to be a bullfighter, but you have to stop becoming a victim of bullying.

So, put on your face of the game, and don’t let the other players scare you. Choose your solution and stick to it.

2. You Will Have Losing Sessions
Think of poker as a lifetime session of ups and downs. The individual sessions that you play lead to your total lifetime gains and losses, but they’re blips on a big radar.

In other words, if you play a 2-hour, 4-hour, or even 8-hour session and show a loss, don’t worry about it. And the best poker players are losing sessions.

You can’t make a win every time you sit down at the poker table. That’s just how it works right now.

Rely more on whether you make good-quality choices and appreciate why you’re doing what you’re doing.

“This doesn’t mean you’re putting all your chips in the middle of the 9s pocket table only because you have a feeling.””

It means you’ve been worrying about what your rival may have, and you think the move you’re about to make has a good expectation.

3. Be Willing to Take a Break
No matter how many times I can tell you that you’re not a bad player just because you’re having a losing game, you’re still disappointed and rattled some of the time. I’ve had pocket aces cracked three times in a single session.

“Play long enough and you’ll experience the same thing.”

When you start to feel that way, take a break from the table and go do something else for a while – preferably not craps.
-Have a little bit to eat.
-Go for a stroll.
-Get a massage right now.
-Shop, man.

Anything you need to clear your mind and reset your attitude before you sit down at the table.

Your emotions play a larger role in your decision-making than you would have liked to admit, so be gentle with yourself and control those emotions as best you can.

4. Play Within Your Bankroll
I frequently see players who can barely afford to sit down at a table and lose their entire bankroll almost instantly.

Their goal was to:
-Sit down, man.
-Win a few large paws.
-Then go.
-That’s not the way to get to the game.

I’m going to refrain from giving you detailed advice about what restrictions you’re supposed to have given the size of your bankroll.

Instead, I’m going to suggest that you think about how much money you need to sit down and enjoy 3 or 4 hours of cards with some new mates.

If you’re happy with the stakes, you’re going to make better choices.

“Only don’t play games that are so poor that they don’t matter.”

That’s going to lead to bad decisions, too and bad decisions in bad stakes games still cost you money.

5. Don’t Treat Casino Poker the Same as Home Poker
Poker players at casino games are usually more professional than home poker players. You should keep this in mind and remain at the top of your game when you play an online casino.

Often, casino poker games bill for a rake. That’s a fraction of any pot that the casino earns to pay for the room they’re “renting” to poker players.

The rake is normally only 5%, but the effect on the individual players is substantial.

“If you’re just as good but no better than the other players at a home game, you can mathematically expect to break even Over time, you’ll all get the same cards, and you’ll play them with equal skill.”

But if you play a rake game, if all the players have the same skill level, they’ll all lose money progressively until they’re broken.

You make a profit in poker by being more professional than the other man.

And it’s not enough to be more qualified than your opponent. You’ve got to be so much more professional that it’s a 5 percent rake on any pot.

6. Play Poker Games You’re Familiar With
If you play poker at a casino, it’s easy to find a game you’re familiar with. Everyone knows how to play Texas Hold’em online these days with the rise of internet gaming, and all physical poker room casinos are offering the game as well.

“Texas hold’em is after all, the most common poker variant in the world.”
But if you want, go ahead and play stud or Omaha. Only make sure to get acquainted with the games first.
If you’re playing in a home game that provides a dealer’s choice of games, pay attention to what games are being dealt with.

Please take note:
If all of them are totally alien to you, don’t be afraid to leave early.
And when it’s your turn to deal with it, keep it easy and deal with a game that you’re confident you’re good at.

7. Watch the Alcohol Intake
Casino poker rooms provide a free drink service like the rest of the casino.

You should be far more vigilant about taking part in these comp drinks than you would be if you were playing slot machines.

Hey, here’s why:
If you play slot machines, you’re probably going to lose your money no matter what. The only decision you can make on a slot machine is what to play and how much.
But in poker, it’s crucial to make the right decisions.

And guess what’s going to happen when you drink alcohol?

Your judgement is beginning to deteriorate.

If you’re playing poker, skip the alcohol. Instead, drink coffee or water.

8. Don’t Show the Other Players Your Cards
It’s easy to show your cards to the other players at the table when you play poker. This is one of the simplest faults to avoid.

“It’s also one of the most expensive errors you could commit.”

What you need to do is be careful not to expose your cards to other players.

You don’t even have to pick up your cards from the board. What you need to do when you look at your cards is to fold the corners just enough to see the rank and suit of those cards.

“You’re never allowed to offer free hand details at the poker table.”

It just costs you a lot of money.

Don’t flip your cards, either, after a good bluff. If you’re all folded, they haven’t paid for the information, so don’t give it to them.

9. The Most Popular Game in the Poker Word Is Texas Hold’em – Learn to Play
If you’re going to play poker in the country, you need to go where the action is. It’s awesome to be the best 7 card stud player in the world, but you’re going to be so limited in terms of where you can play and with whom you won’t make a lot of money.

“On the other hand, you’ll find Texas hold’em everywhere you look.”

The game isn’t tough, either. You get 2 face down cards, 3 face-up cards that everyone shares, then another card that everyone shares, and a final group card.

You can use any combination of cards in your hand and cards on your board to make your final hand.

Since that’s where the action is, that’s where you’re supposed to be.

10. Study
The best way to improve poker is to read. I would like to recommend that you read legitimate poker books from legitimate poker authors. Books from Two Plus Two Publishing are a fantastic place to get started.

In reality, I began my online poker career reading a general book about Two Plus Two gambling called How to make $100,000 a year of Living Gambling. The book had a poker segment I took notes from.

Of course, I read Hold’em Poker for Advanced Players and Small Stakes Hold’em.

They provided the basis for my knowledge of poker.

Too many poker books are hard to read.

And you can find books on any kind of poker literature subcategory you want. You can find books on how to read your enemies. You can find poker tournament books in general. And you can find books from poker celebrities – some of them better than others.

The most important thing about getting involved with poker literature is to get thoroughly involved with the content.

11. Have Fun
I know professional poker players who say they don’t want to have fun when they’re playing poker. I know of the other professionals who still enjoy the game.

“I think most of my readers are recreational gamblers, and that means if they’re not having fun, there’s no point in them continuing to gamble.”
But even if you’re trying to be a winning player, why don’t you want to enjoy it?

Life is too short to do things you don’t like and that includes playing poker.

Conclusion
These are my 11 best tips for poker players of any skill level. They may or may not all apply to you, but they were all valuable observations that led to my own growth as a poker player.