How to win at poker: 8 tips to become great
Published by: Jon Sofen
If you want to know
how to win 😆 at poker, more specifically, Texas Holdem, the key is to first understand
that while luck is a contributing factor in 😆 the short-term, skill wins out in the end.
Anyone willing to work hard can develop the necessary skills to make 😆 money at the poker
table. Who knows, maybe you could even get good enough to win a poker tournament.
The
first 😆 step towards acquiring the skills possessed by the best poker players is to go
all-in on reading this poker strategy 😆 guide. We’ve compiled a list of eight strategy
tips that, if you follow them, will help you go from being 😆 an inexperienced poker
player to understanding what it truly takes to play winning poker. With some hard work
and dedication, 😆 maybe you’ll become the next Phil Ivey. There’s no limit if you’re
willing to work for it.
1. Limiting your range 😆 is how to win at poker in Texas
Holdem
One of the biggest mistakes inexperienced and losing players make is to 😆 play too
many weak hands and starting hands. Folding over and over isn’t a ton of fun, so it’s
understandable 😆 you want to get in there and play a bunch of hands. And you’ve probably
seen Tom Dwan on TV 😆 playing seemingly every hand.
But patience is a virtue if you’re
trying to learn how to win at poker, especially against 😆 an aggressive table full of
good players who love to gamble. That’s not to say you should only play aces, 😆 kings, or
other strong hands. By all means, play suited connectors in position, just don’t get in
the habit of 😆 playing too many hands or you’ll lose money. This is especially true for
those new to the game. Once you 😆 become more experienced, you can comfortably expand
your pre-flop range and learn how to win with a range of hands.
2. 😆 Play a balanced
range — proper poker strategy
Mixing it up at the poker table is an important strategy
because you 😆 won’t be so predictable. Don’t always continuation-bet on a flop when you
have a big hand. Check-raise a flopped flush 😆 draw half the time, call the other half.
Three-bet in the big blind with a suited ace in one hand, 😆 and just call the next.
There
are too many players who make it so obvious what they have because they don’t 😆 mix it
up. Play a balanced style of poker and you’ll keep your opponents on their toes. If
they always 😆 know what you have, you’ll never get paid off on your big hands and your
bluffs will never get through. 😆 Poker is a game of deception, which means if you can’t
trick opponents into thinking you have something you don’t 😆 — whether it be bluffing or
the nuts — you’ll never win.
3. Bankroll management: never play above your head
How to
😆 win at poker tip #3: poor bankroll management is one of the biggest reasons for failure
in poker, and is 😆 certainly not how to win at poker. It takes a lot of money to make a
lot of money in 😆 this game, and that isn’t just a cheesy cliche. No matter how well you
play, there are going to be 😆 days you get crushed, whether it’s in a cash game or a
tournament. The cards won’t always break your way.
Sometimes 😆 the poker gods will decide
your opponents are going to hit every flush draw. If you aren’t properly bankrolled,
you 😆 run the risk of going broke before luck evens itself out. You should have a
bankroll of at least 25 😆 times the buy-in for the game you play, just to be safe.
If
you’re on a limited budget, it may be 😆 best to start out playing online poker. You can
sharpen your skills playing free poker games online far cheaper than 😆 playing with real
money in a live setting.
4. Learn to accept defeat
Another destroyer of a poker career
is bad luck. 😆 We’re all going to get stacked by a gutshot straight draw that hits from
time to time. We’re all going 😆 to have losing sessions. But you can’t let that destroy
your confidence or you’ll never make it in this difficult 😆 poker game.
In addition to
getting dealt good hands from Lady Luck, poker requires mental toughness. Watch videos
on YouTube of 😆 Phil Ivey taking bad beats. Pay attention to his reaction. He never gets
upset about a bad beat, or at 😆 least he doesn’t show it, and it’s no surprise he’s one
of the best of all-time. You’ll win some, you’ll 😆 lose some, and that’s the way it is
with every professional poker player.
5. Never get too high
We aren’t talking about
😆 smoking weed here. Much like losses shouldn’t crush your confidence, you should never
get too excited after a win (unless 😆 you take down a World Series of Poker bracelet or
other major event, of course).
Always remain level-headed regardless of recent 😆 results,
even when you’re on a heater. And, yes, you will eventually hit a heater if you play
long enough. 😆 You could winR$300 one night and then lose it back the next. So, there’s
no point celebrating a small victory. 😆 New players can often be excitable, but longevity
requires a level head.
Keep learning the trade and stay humble through practice, 😆 low
stakes games, strategy articles from poker sites, and other players.
6. Network with
other players to understand how to win 😆 at poker
Poker is similar to running a business
in that networking with successful players can help improve your game. Join 😆 poker
forums and befriend accomplished players on social media.
Having skilled poker players
in your circle of friends is a huge 😆 asset. You can run hand histories by them and get
some feedback on how well you played the hands. And 😆 you’ll have someone to lean on for
a confidence boost following losing sessions. Winning poker players network.
7. Don’t
be afraid 😆 to get bluffed
No one likes to be bluffed, but sometimes getting bluffed is
actually one way on how to win 😆 at poker. When your opponent flips over a bluff after
you’ve folded a winning hand, it just adds salt to 😆 the wound. But even the best players
in the world fall victim to the bluff at times. That’s just part 😆 of the game.
It’s
better to fold the best hand occasionally than to continually give away money because
your ego won’t 😆 let you fold, out of fear of seeing a bluff. Let aggressive players take
the small pots, and you’ll get 😆 all the chips when they pay off your better hands.
That’s what good poker players do to win card games.
8. 😆 Check your ego at the
door
Whether it’s Daniel Negreanu vs. Doug Polk or Fedor Holz vs. Wiktor Malinowski,
there have 😆 been many exciting heads-up poker showdowns over the years. And most of them
began as the result of a feud 😆 that forced one inferior player to lose a ton of money
because their ego got the best of them.
Negreanu couldn’t 😆 back down from the challenge
and lostR$1.2 million to Polk as a result. “Kid Poker” can afford to lose that 😆 money,
but most poker players can’t. Don’t get sucked into any of that nonsense. Your goal
should be to win 😆 as much money as possible, not to flex your muscles.And lastly, make
sure you check out the Poker poker hands 😆 ranking chart for additional reference on how
to win at poker.
Is poker skill or luck?
One of the most frequently asked 😆 questions
about poker relates to skill and luck. Many poker players refer to poker as a game of
skill. However, 😆 since luck remains a factor, some people categorize poker as a game of
chance.
You can study poker and improve
The real 😆 question of skill vs luck in any game
is, can you study, improve, and win more in the long run? 😆 There are ways to study
poker, improve your odds of winning, and play optimally to win more often. This theory
😆 is proven out by pros like Chris Moneymaker and Phil Hellmuth, who win more often than
most others.
The house avoids 😆 playing
Most gambling games pit the players against the
house. That’s because the house only participates in games where it always 😆 has an
advantage. But to play poker, players compete against each other. The house doesn’t
play, nor does it benefit 😆 if a player wins or loses.
Legally, poker is skill
A United
States judge ruled that poker is more a game of 😆 skill than chance in 2012. He concluded
that people running poker games could not be convicted of running a gambling 😆 business
because poker is a game of skill, not to be categorized with illegal gambling.
How to
get better at poker? 😆 Stay committed.
The best way to improve your poker game is to
commit to learning. Poker is one of the few 😆 gambling-style games where studying makes a
positive difference in your overall results. But players must be committed, practice
over time, 😆 and continuously develop and hone their strategies.
Practice
When you commit
to learning poker, you also have to play more. The best 😆 place to practice is online,
whether in free poker or low-stakes real-money games. Experience makes a huge
difference in the 😆 long run, as does regular play without long stretches of time away
from the tables.
Learn to manage your bankroll
Players must 😆 also commit themselves to
using proper bankroll management and smart game selection. Managing your bankroll is
the key to keeping 😆 a solid stream of money available for play. It also means you have
to drop down in stakes or play 😆 lower buy-in tournaments if your bankroll is
suffering.
Choose the right games
Commit to smart game selection, too. Not only does a
😆 good player have to choose the proper limits and game variations for his or her
bankroll, they also have to 😆 find and participate in the most profitable games. A fun
game won’t always be the most profitable game, and it 😆 won’t necessarily provide the
best learning opportunity.
Skills you need to succeed at poker
You need several skills
to be successful at 😆 poker. Discipline and perseverance are essential. You also have to
have sharp focus, so you don’t get distracted or bored 😆 during games. Confidence in
yourself and your game is mandatory, too.
The best players possess several similar
traits. They can calculate 😆 pot odds and percentages quickly and quietly. They have the
patience to wait for optimal hands and proper position, and 😆 they know when to quit a
game and try again another day.
By the standards of most top players, the most
😆 important skills are patience, reading other players, adaptability, and developing
strategies.
Develop patience
Patience is key, especially in live games. A lack 😆 of
patience makes people play too many hands and bet too high or out of position. Players
who get bored 😆 and lose patience often make bad decisions. They can remain at a bad
table too long in a cash game. 😆 And in a tournament, they can risk it all in a bad spot
out of sheer impatience.
To develop patience, players 😆 often learn the art of meditation
and proper breathing. Those who practice healthy eating and regular exercise regimens
are also 😆 more adept at staying focused.
Develop the ability to read people
It’s not
difficult to develop at least some skill at reading 😆 people. There are books dedicated
to it, and everyone from psychologists to law enforcement officials have spoken about
the importance 😆 of reading facial expressions, body language, and other tells.
In poker,
reading your opponents is more specific. The overall ability to 😆 read other players is a
good skill, but there are specific details to watch for. You can learn a lot 😆 about
other players by keeping an eye on their hand movements and the way they handle their
chips and cards. 😆 Learn to track their mood shifts, eye movements, and the time they
take when making decisions.
The best way to learn 😆 how to read people is to simply make
an effort to observe them.
Be adaptable
Not every poker game will be ideal. 😆 OneR$1/$2
cash game may involve a lineup of very aggressive players, while another may be very
slow and full of 😆 amateurs. While there’s always some opportunity to choose the best
game for yourself, there are other times you must simply 😆 learn to adapt.
If you’re very
talkative at the table but everyone else is quiet, you need to learn to adapt. 😆 Quiet
down and watch them in all of their seriousness. If you’re uncomfortable with the table
talk or unconventional play 😆 at a table, figure out how to take advantage of it
anyway.
Have a strategy
Players have written entire books dedicated to 😆 particular poker
strategies. But even if you read those books, it’s a good idea to come up with your own
😆 approach.
Take the time to develop your own unique poker strategy through detailed
self-examination, whether it’s from taking notes or from 😆 reviewing your results. Some
players discuss their hands and playing styles with others for a more objective look at
their 😆 strengths and weaknesses.
Develop a strategy based on experience, and then take
that strategy into the next game. A good player 😆 always tweaks their play to make sure
they’re constantly improving.
The takeaway
Few people can become winning poker players
in the short 😆 term. Winning one tournament does not make a winning poker player. The
best players in the game prove themselves over 😆 time. They consistently work on their
skills and make use of poker training tools like books, online training sites and 😆 apps,
and playing in low-stakes games.
Improve your mental game by working on your emotional
intelligence — your ability to handle 😆 wins and losses. Keep your ego in check, and
learn to know when to study harder or when to take 😆 a break.
Improve your physical game
by working on your stamina — your physical ability to handle long poker sessions with
😆 focus and attention. The key here is to put yourself in the best physical condition to
play well over time.
You’ll 😆 learn and practice everything else over time, such as
choosing strategies, managing your bankroll, networking with other players, and
studying 😆 bet sizes and position. The most important factor is to stay committed to
improving your game.
While luck will always play 😆 a role in poker, players can control
the amount of skill that will outweigh luck in the long term.
How to 😆 win at poker
FAQs
How do you win in poker?
To win in poker, you need to have a better hand than 😆 your
opponent, or at least convince them that your hand is better than theirs by
successfully bluffing. Every hand in 😆 poker is ranked, starting with a pair and
increasing all the way through to a royal flush. To win, you 😆 need to form the best
possible five-card hand based on the rankings of the cards. Although luck plays a role
😆 in poker, skill and strategy are also extremely important.
Is winning at poker luck or
skill?
Both. Luck plays a part in 😆 poker, as the cards that you’re dealt influence the
hand that you can create. However, skill is much more influential 😆 than luck at the
poker table. The most skilled poker players employ successful poker strategies that
enable them to win 😆 the pot, even when they don’t have the strongest hand. So, to win at
poker, it’s helpful to be a 😆 skillful player with luck on your side!
What is the main
goal in poker?
The main goal in poker is to form 😆 the best possible hand based on the
card rankings, in order to win the pot at the end of the 😆 game. The pot is the aggregate
of all bets placed by all players at the table. You can claim the 😆 pot if you have the
highest-ranking hand at the end of each betting round. But you can also win the 😆 pot if
you place a bet that no other players call, leading them to fold.
What hands win in
poker?
In order 😆 from weakest to strongest, these are the winning hands in poker: pair,
two pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, 😆 full house, four of a kind, straight flush,
royal flush. The aim is to form the best five-card poker hand 😆 with the two cards that
you’re dealt, as well as the community cards. Understanding the ranking of each winning
hand 😆 in poker is important as it should dictate your strategy and influence the bets
that you place. If you force 😆 all other players to fold, you win the hand no matter what
your cards are.
Can you win poker without luck?
Having 😆 luck on your side is always
going to help you at the poker table. This is the same in all 😆 games and sports, whether
it’s a card game or soccer game, for instance. However, luck will only get you so 😆 far
in poker. Skilled and experienced players will always have the edge at the poker table,
as they can strategize 😆 and plot each play based on the intricacies of the game. So, to
answer the question, you can win at 😆 poker without luck if you’re skilled and
experienced, but it certainly helps if lady luck is on your side!
Featured image
😆 source: Flickr
