How To Improve Your Poker Game

Pick Your Game Wisely

It can be tempting to play it all or the table with the best possible winning. However, this is where you could be going wrong.

You need to think about what game you play more strategically, think about the quality of the game, including the stakes at the table and the pot odds, how well you play at the game, who the opponents are.

When it comes to stakes, you want to make sure you’re picking one suitable for you. You want to be making a lot of money, and low stake tables aren't the best place to do that. But, remember if you are just starting out you need to slowly make your way up to the larger stakes, you don't want to jump into the deep end too quickly.

A good place to start would be $1 / 2 stakes if you are inexperienced, but do not stick to this forever, use it as training and eventually make your way to the big boss tables of $5 /10 !

You don't want to be playing games that you aren't very good at, we all know how that might go. Be sure that you can dominate the table if real money is involved.

It may be a good idea to suss out your opponents, which can be easy to do in a real poker room, it may be a little bit trickier if you’re playing online poker. But, there's a way, with the help of SharkScope and PocketFives, where you can see the statistics of the top online poker players and avoid these sharks before they have you for dinner.

Study The Game

No need to burn the midnight oil, but studying the game will help you out a lot!

The more you learn about the game the more knowledge you can take to the table. No more relying on luck, it might not always work.

As well as understanding how the game itself works, you need to know your hands. Getting a grip on what starting hands work best, will help you when it comes to a real game.

Make sure you’re taking full advantage of articles, poker books and poker training videos on YouTube. Masterclass currently has an article on Daniel Negreanu’s Poker Cash Game Strategy Tips, it's a great read and very helpful.

Don't Waste a Good Hand

Do you ever muck a good hand? This could be affecting your game massively.

Folding on a good hand that has a possibility of winning the game is a huge mistake, and an all round waste, you don't want to be known as the calling station or a nit.

Once you know the difference in hands and the possibility of it being successful pre-flop, you need to push yourself to make it to the post-flop and keep on pushing!

Yes, there is the chance that someone could have a better hand than you, But at least you tried, and chances are you will eventually win, as long as you keep taking advantage of a good hand!

Pay Attention To Your Opponents

They may get on your nerves and play a vital part of your tilt, but it is important that you are paying attention to your opponents.

Watch how your opponent plays and you can adapt to their style of play and catch them out, because that's all that anyone really wants.

Watch your opponents like a hawk even when you are not involved. In the long run this can drastically change your chances of winning, it is also the easiest time to recognise how everyone plays as you can take a step back and keep an eye on your prey. You can really use this to your advantage in poker tournaments and climb to the top.

Do Not Play In a Bad Mood

If you’re feeling bent out of shape, it may be a good idea to stay away from poker until you’re back on cloud nine.

Playing in a bad mood could affect your game and put you all over the shop. Usually, when you do anything in a bad mood, you don't normally do it to the best of your ability, you’re usually a bit sloppy. You don't want to risk being sloppy when it comes to poker, you might lose a lot of money, think of your bankroll.

Playing in a strop could also push you to lose control of your tilt, making you look bad at the table and more than likely give away your position. As you know, a good poker player will be keeping an eye on their opponents to catch them out.

Practice and Play More

The saying is true, practice makes perfect.

The best way to go about this is to play free poker games online. There are lots of websites where you can play against computers at whatever level you are currently at. If you’re just starting out, begin at easy and make your way to expert.

It may also be a good idea to learn some other games to expand your expertise. Once you’ve mastered the game, apply this to the poker tables and voila you're rich!