• Join Us
  • Follow Us
Poker Strategy

The Right Way to Think About Poker

Written By: PokerNet.com | May 16, 2013 | Posted In Poker Strategy

Five Important Poker LessonsPoker is a game of cards and also skill. Players compete against each other and the most skillful ones will end up as winners. This might not be true in a single hand or even day, but professional players are aware of the fact that they hold an edge against their opponents, thus short term results are irrelevant. That’s the first thing you have to bear in mind – long term is the only thing that matters and you don’t have to worry about unlucky hands short term. If you have an edge versus other players at your table, you will end up being a winner.

Think in ranges not hands

There are very rare occassions w hen you should be putting your opponent on an exact hand range, actually unless you have a very specific read, this is almost never the case. So why you should assign hand range to your opponents instead of trying to put them on hands? Well, for one they are likely to play several hands the same way. For two, they also will have some complete nonsense bluffs some of the time. All of this adds up to a hand range and after determining what it is in a particular situation, you can base your decision by taking it into account.

Knowledge is key

Some people are born with natural talent or ability and thus do well in poker, but knowledge is even more important. As this is a game of skill, it can be mastered that means everyone can become great at it. Give up any ego you might have and actually try to learn as much as possible about the optimal way to play. When it comes to improving your skills and understanding of the game, there are a lot of good and information and resources out there to help you. There are many educational online portals like pokerhaze.com offering free poker lessons written by experts.

Search for weak opposition

There’s a great saying, it does not matter if you are the 9th greatest poker player in the world, if you play against the first eight. This is true not only in theory, but also in real time. You don’t have to be among the best players in the world, if you are able to find and play against very weak opponents. Even if you are a great player, battling against other great ones will just bring unneccesary swings into your play.

Act appropriately

I have never understood players who berate other ones because they played a hand bad or even horribly. You as a poker player make money from players exactly like this and every bad play they make earns you money. Why would you ever won’t to make them feel bad? Well, you won’t and therefore try to act as friendly as possible when playing against players like these.

It’s a skill game

Poker is a skill game, no doubt about that, but it also features an element of luck that can be crucial in short term. Try to understand this fact and think longterm instead of short term. If someone got lucky against you, don’t get upset too much and try to stay calm and play with a clear head. Easier said than done of course, but that’s the only way you will ever be a profitable player in this game.

Struggling to find a good poker room? Our current list of top ranked poker rooms online features fully reviewed and rated poker sites.

 

Leave a Reply