Poker Tips

First and foremost I would say the most important tip is to remember to always have fun. If your not having fun your most likely losing and you should probably consider quitting. We've all likely heard the popular saying -know when to hold em' - fold em' - and walk away or something like that.

There is much more to the game of poker than just drawing the best hand. Serious players should understand the odds for obtaining each hand. Sure a good percentage of the game is based on chance or luck, but knowing the odds will give you a better chance of obtaining the better hand.

There are several variations on the game of poker you should only play games that you are familiar with - especially when playing for money. This will give you the best opportunity to win and for obvious reasons - If you don't know how to play you most likely will not win. That's not to say you may in fact get lucky from time to time, but if you want to be a winner over the long run you will definitely need to know your way about the game.

Stay sharp - that's to say if you feel tired or are having a bad run of luck take a break. Poker as described above does deal with luck, but it also takes an intelligent player making smart plays. This intelligence can only come from playing the game over and over. You should consider practicing and honing your skills in low-stakes games. Its also probably wise to play these type of games when you are trying out a new variant of poker.

Learn how to read your opponents. You truly need to become a people person in that you can read the actions and non-actions of other players and thus tip off the possibility of a particular hand. Even when you opponent has a perfect poker face they may have other tell-tell tendencies such as shuffling their chips, head tilts, using one hand over the other. There are several gestures which could possible give a player away - learning these will give you a better chance of winning.

Take your time. Don't play to quickly as you may make a costly mistake and will surely regret it! Don't let other players dictate the speed of the game. You should however be aware of the fact that playing quickly and or slowly may also be dictated as one of those tell-tell signs.

And always remember Practice, Practice, Practice ... and you will eventually become a better player.