Commonsense tells us that even the Pro's were noobs once. If you're starting out playing poker it can be tough to get started. You can only ride your luck so far. That's why these ten handy tips may help to produce more consistent results at the tables.
Number one: Don't Play Every Hand
This is the most common mistake made by almost every single newcomer to the game. When starting out, it's a natural tendency to want to play as many hands as possible, so that you can improve, and get a better feel for the game. Unfortunately playing more hands, usually means staying in hands in which your cards aren't particularly strong.
Just because you play more hands, doesn't necessarily mean that you'll win more. In fact, the opposite is often true. Adhering to some tight starting hand guidelines will usually see you reduce the number of hands you play, as well as improve the quality of hands that you stay in.
Number two: Choose The Right Game For You
You win your first table and you're on a high, now would be the perfect time to raise the stakes a little to start winning big, right? Wrong. At a poker table you want to be the best player seated at the game. This means selecting games suitable for your skill level. By taking the step up before you're ready you'll like be sitting down among relative sharks, and they quickly rip you to shreds. Don't even consider raising the stakes until you can win consistently at the level you're on.
Number three: Don't Be Afraid To Fold
When you've dropped some coin in the pot, the temptation can be to play on, even when you know that you're heading for a loss. One of the most costly noob mistakes is to to stay in a hand just because you have money in the pot. If you're feeling like you can't win the hand, cut your losses. If you don't understand this tip, run off an have a listen to "The Gambler". It cleared things up for me!
Number four: Bluff With Caution
We've all seen the movies where the hero bluffs big time and wins. Life is not a movie. If your a noob, bluff with extra caution. Unless you have a feel for the game, the table and your opponents, the safest policy is not to bluff. For example, pay attention to the players around you. Inevitably there'll be the one player that always calls until the end of the hand. It's very difficult to successfully bluff that sort of player.
Sure, playing a cautious hand may not make you feel like a 'card shark', but trust me when I say it's not a good feeling to lose an all-in hand based on a bluff.
Number five: Avoiding The Tilt
The "Tilt" is a terms you'll start hearing a lot of once you start playing. Tilt basically describes a players psychological state, usually caused via frustration, in which they adopt a less than ideal strategy, which is usually characterized by an over-aggressive style of play. A player usually goes on a tilt as a result of a big loss or an embarrassing loss.
It's generally easy to spot a noob on a tilt, because they are the ones that lose big on a hand and then follow it up with the old 'all-in' when they are holding a pair of 2's.
The easiest way to avoid a tilt is to make a practice of folding your hand following a big loss. Give yourself a hand or two to settle down mentally, rather than rushing straight back in trying to win back what you lost. Poker is not a game you can play when your emotions have taken the wheel.
Number six: Pay Attention To The Behavior Of Other Players
Poker is just as much about the players around you as it is the cards you hold in your hand. Pay attention the behavior and actions of others. Look for patterns, pay attention to their betting patterns, take note of how they handle the raise. If you can pick up on a pattern of behavior you can use it to your advantage.
Number seven: Play The Cards
Take a look at the cards in your hand and those on the table. Consider your best hand, and then what it would take for other to beat you. Once you start doing this well, you'll have a better idea of whether you should check, call, raise or fold.
Number eight: Don't Ever Play Drunk
This really a no-brainer, and one that you should adhere to strictly unless you're prepared to handover wads of cash. Whilst I haven't read any official research, I'm guessing you'd find a clear correlation between amount of alcohol consumed, and the amount of hands lost at poker. A couple of drinks may 'take the edge off', but sometimes the edge is exactly what you need when you're sitting at the table.
Number nine: Know when to fold 'em
It is just as important to know what hands to fold as it is to recognize the hands you should play. If your hand is average at best, and there are a lot of player still in the hand, chances are that it is a hand you won't win. Fold before you get sucked in. A lot of more experienced players will spot a noob and 'milk them', raising in small increments, until before the noob knows it, half their cash is sitting in the pot and they are left holding is a pair of 7's.
Number ten: Know when to walk away
Poker is not for every one. Rather than continually losing, sometimes you just have to walk away. If you're on a losing streak take a break. If it's no longer fun, walk away.
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