Improving At Poker

By Simon Skinner

Poker is one of the best loved online casino games, and it's still pretty popular in person, too. Most people learn it as their first card game. It's the one that most people play when they get together for a fun game. That means a lot of people would like to know how to win at poker, and whether there's anything they can do to tip the balance. Let's look at how you can win at poker a little more often.

Don't play too many hands! Beginners frequently fall into this trap, especially when they're playing at online casinos. The best poker players play a fifth to a third of their starting hands.

Knowing when to fold is an important skill in poker and will let you hold onto your money longer. Concentrate on starting hands that have higher value and know when to bow out. Betting more or betting no matter what your opponents do is a big mistake, and it won't help you win.

Play poker at the right level. Choose betting limits where you feel like you have good odds of beating most people at the table. If you've been having trouble winning, move down in limits. That's important.

If you don't have the skill yet, playing with the pros is just going to lose you money, and you won't even have fun doing it!

Get information through poker betting. This one might sound strange, but you might not always bet just because you have a good hand.

Betting can help you figure out what your opponents are likely to do. Defensive bets early on can help you keep from calling a bigger bet later on. Re-raises can help you figure out how credible your opponent really is.

Learn bluffing and do it well. Bluff when you need to, not all the time - the pros only use this technique when it'll help. If you bluff rarely, you'll be less likely to be called.

Figure out when your risk is lowest, and bluff then. You should also understand player position - strong hands can be influenced by the position in which you play them.

Study poker books and online advice sites to get the best advantage, whether you're playing online casino poker or you're just at home. They usually have something important to tell you! Keep notes about what does and doesn't work for you (some online casino programs even have a built in way for you to do this).

If you know what you're doing, playing poker can be a lot more fun, and you'll win more often.