Easy Tips for Learning Poker
1) Keep it simple at first - Play ABC poker until you are familiar with your opponents and the mood at the table. This can help to prevent you from being sucked into traps or being put to tough decisions with marginal hands.
2) Game selection - This is a very important part of beating Texas Holdem, so you should always try to put in some effort to find the easiest poker games to beat. The large poker sites have enough tables for each stakes level that you can almost always find a game that is beatable.
3) Grind yourself to success - Experience is underrated in poker by those that don't have it. Experience allows you to learn player types and learn what to expect from certain types of players in various scenarios. There are some very complex situations that can arise in NL Holdem, but once you have seen them it becomes easier to recognize them and deal with them appropriately.
4) Pick a structure to specialize in - There are nuances to each type of Holdem whether it is sit n go tournaments, MTTs, or cash games. If you want to win money consistently, you need to learn some of the finer tactics that are game specific and can give you an edge over a skilled opponent. It is great to become a well versed poker player in all of the games and structures, but you should become a master of one before you become a jack of none.
5) Multi-Tabling Tips - You need to become comfortable making quick decisions at the poker table before you start to multi-table. Once you have started to play at multiple tables, this can be a great way to find the easiest poker games to beat. You can sit down at many tables and observe them all. Once you notice that certain players are playing poorly, you can leave some of the tougher tables and focus on the tables where you have the best chance at winning money.
6) Position is Key for Beginners - One of the great benefits of having position on your opponent for newer players is that this can help to avoid pressure situations and hard decisions. If you are playing with any kind of passiveness or doubt, it is better to be in position because you will have the chance to watch your opponent act after each community card is dealt. If you have a weak hand or are playing weak, it will also not be as obvious if you are in position behind your opponent. This means you might get let off the hook a little bit easier in tough situations.
7) Chips Don't Matter - Only Chip Stacks Matter. The size of your chip stack can dictate your playing style and decisions at the table. Your chip position in relation to the rest of the table is very important; especially in a tournament poker. It is OK to gamble and risk small amounts of chips throughout a tournament. However you need to be careful anytime that you are in a hand large enough to affect your chip position amongst your opponents.
8) Identify the Soft Opponents - Find the players who are easily intimidated by scare cards on the turn and river. Figure out which of your opponents is stubborn and which ones will give up easily on a hand. Once you can identify these types of players, you can adjust your playing style when you are in a hand against them. This is one of the easiest ways to start to differentiate between your opponents in a way that will allow you to exploit their weaknesses and protect against their strengths.
9) Learn Different Types of Bluffs - This usually means learning to set up a bluff with different types of plays and recognizing certain situations as they arise. In general; some of the best bluffs start with passive play early in the hand, because this tends to show that you did not enter a hand with the intent of bluffing. Often; your passiveness might be genuine because your hand is weak. However, you might recognize later in the hand that this would also tell a great story of a man who once made his flush on the river.
