Poker Online: Tips for beginners

If you are beginning to play the game of online poker, you must be mindful of a host of things. There are lots of professionals, aka sharks, out there to take away all your money!

Here are a few tips that every beginner poker player looking seeking to go pro should keep in mind. So read these poker tips for beginners and improve your game. 

Poker tips for beginners #1- Be Flexible

Since you are a beginner, using hand charts can reduce the pressure of making starting hand selection choices, but you should not rely too much on them. Over dependence on these charts can make your play predictable, hence reducing the chances of winning. Being flexible by setting your tone according to the table and reading the room before placing your bets is crucial. As you gain more experience, you will also be skilled enough to loosen your range of starting hands, however if you’re still a beginner, it’s better to stick with the best hands while maintaining flexibility and caution. You also need to keep in mind that initially you can’t stick to one single strategy of playing and need to bring in variations since it’ll be easy for your opponents to read your moves. 

Refer Cardchat’s Hand Chart here- https://www.cardschat.com/poker-hands/

Poker tips for beginners #2 - Understand Player betting patterns

Every player is different. Some players are easier, some are tough. Some are hyper aggressive, some are scared to put in money. Attention should always be paid on the opponents play style, their cards and reactions to different circumstances. This will help you read their strategy and make a proper response that will benefit you as the game progresses. These things should be kept in mind as a newbie and will give you an edge over the others. 

Poker tips for beginners #3 - Wait for good cards, don’t bluff too much.

A very common misconception about poker is that you need to bluff in order to win. Bluffing in poker is not essential and players should keep in mind the frequency at which they do it. It is okay to sit out a few rounds if you feel the cards in your hand will not do you much good. Reading the room and taking rational amounts of risk is very important as you may land up losing large sums of money for nothing. Don’t worry with enough time and practice you’ll eventually get better at this. 

Poker tips for beginners #4 - Don't pay too much for draws

You will often encounter situations wherein the hand you’re holding may only need one card for a straight or a flush. If the bets get too high you shouldn't rely too much on your odds and luck and chase after these draws. However if you feel the odds are in your favour, taking small risks every now and then may actually prove to be profitable. 

Poker tips for beginners #5 - Try cautious aggression.

One of the best strategies that you can adopt is that of playing aggressive. Now of course by this I don’t mean for you to behave all aggressive but rather look for your opponents weaknesses by trying to identify their game strategies and pick at it as frequently and aggressively as possible. But keep in mind by this I don't mean that you should simply start throwing your money away on bad hands and going all-in in the hopes of a possible win that might never be yours. You should be patient and calculative enough to fold whenever you have a hesitation or doubt rather than mindlessly betting on every hand you get. Wait for the right time to place those high bets. Loo for good spots. Bet when you sense weakness and learn to put the brakes on when you feel you are beat. Folding your cards doesn’t mean you’re not daring enough but can rather help you save those chips for a more valuable round. During the time that you’ve folded and are sitting out on a round, try reading others gameplay and strategies. 

Poker tips for beginners #6 - Play for the long term.

The element of luck eventually averages out and gets eliminated the longer you play. You need to understand that in just a few rounds the odds may not be in your favour. But when you keep playing more and more rounds it ultimately boils down to your strategies and your skills of reading other players’ moves and the situations. Also the longer you play, the better you get at these skills and your calculations. However, constantly evaluate your game to see if you are improving. The best players in the world study and work on their game and so should you, if you wish to go PRO some day that is. 

Hope you found these poker tips for beginners useful. Keep calm and rock the felts!