Beginner's Advice: Four Easy Tips To Incorporate Into Your Game
by Bodog Poker | Jul 21 2010
With the inundation of poker "strategy" available on the internet to players these days, players new to the game can find themselves inundated. This week. We're going to review four tips that can help build your fundamental game without a radical re-shifting of your current game.
Always Know The Best Possible Hand
If you can not glance at the board and immediately suss out the best possible hand that could be held by your opposition, you need to stop and think about it. Let's say the board has AhKhTh at the flop and you're holding Qs and Jh. You've got a straight that you can play right away, but a player holding two lesser-value hearts has a flush that can beat you. You might beat them if a fourth diamond hits the felt in the turn or river, giving you a Jack High heart flush, but you should know that your straight is defeatable and know the rough odds of that occurring. Taking the time to think about what your opponents may have versus your hand can keep you from throwing money into pots that you are unlikely to win.
Be Gracious
Politeness in
poker is underrated, but critical. Everyone remembers a player who's a poor winner or angry loser and will pay closer attention to the game. By being a humble winner that says “Wow, I was lucky” instead of rubbing their pot in the face of every other player, you make it easier for them to lose their money to you. The opposite also holds true for when you lose: if you're gracious about the loss and congratulate your opposition, you're much less likely to be thought of as a mark by the other players.
Notice What Others Play And How They Gamble
While you can argue whether or not poker is gambling - I'm firmly of the opinion that is a game of skill, otherwise we'd see random schmucks from Iowa winning the
World Series of Poker instead of established pros — taking long shots and having them pay off is a part of the game. If your opposition outdraws you, you will want to notice what they did it with and make a note of it. By establishing how your opposition plays certain hands, you can determine if they're the sort of player who has a weaknesses for chasing straights or if they're just a maniac who takes flyers for no apparent reason.
Concentrate On Smaller Pots
Beginning players (and lets face it, all players fall victim to this) can find themselves chasing monster pots and get themselves in over their head. If a modest pot's big enough and you think you've got the best hand, go for it. Snatching smaller pots and pushing weaker players aside can establish your reputation and give you more chances later in the game. Don't feel like you've failed by not luring weaker pets into a pot if you can up your bankroll by 30% with a lower risk.
Take the time to incorporate these into your game and come back next week, when we'll offer a few more ways to up your game without retooling it entirely.
