Opening thoughts
Few card games have the universal appeal of poker. It’s a classic game that has transcended time and language barriers, and even in the digital age, it has been able to find a broad audience and adapt to its new digital surroundings.
Unlike other casino games, poker players can implement strategy and technique, and leverage their experience to maneuver themselves into pole position. Elite players do this with great aplomb, but it can take decades to perfect, and not all top players reach the elite level of the game.
Today, we’ll discuss four basic and easy to learn strategies and useful things you can implement into your gaming style to help you develop your skills.
#1 – Practice at a social casino
Starting with the basics, if you were looking to improve your soccer technique, you’d watch the professionals do it. Likewise, if you’re a boxer looking to work on your footwork, you’ll study some of the elite fighters and how they move around the ring.
In poker, this is slightly different; there’s a wealth of experienced players and advice online, and the growth of the internet as a source where professionals and experts can connect with those looking to bolster their knowledge is just as apparent in poker as it is in any other game.
Review sites like World Sports Network, have put together their criteria for top sweepstakes casinos, where you can gain experience by using in-game currencies and not have to worry about losing your money. The above link is to Global Poker that WSN has rated very highly in most categories.
Sweepstakes casinos have found a corner of the market and allow poker players to learn the ropes cost-effectively in a live gaming environment.
#2 – Learn the art of patience
Taking your time, overthinking and deliberating for too long can sometimes work against you in certain areas of life. However, more often than not, in poker, the best skill to have in your arsenal is the art of patience.
Although you won’t often be sitting through games that go on for more than an hour, players who adopt overly aggressive strategies can often give the game away early on. There is a balance between knowing when to push on and when to be patient and sit back, and using this skill allows you to make clearer decisions when you’re playing in the heat of the game.
If you can control your emotions, you’ll also be able to work on your poker face and not give the game away when you’ve got a strong hand. If you’re patient – even if you have a strong, potentially winning hand – you’ll find it easier to read your opponents and execute your plan accordingly. While a strong hand isn’t necessarily a winning hand, fusing patience and experience at the poker table will deliver better results.
#3 – Understand the terminology
Brushing up on poker terms will help you compete with more experienced players. If you’re a novice, reading up on the most basic terms, such as big blind and small blind, is a given.
Once you’ve got the foundation of the terms and phrasings under your belt, you can move toward the more specific terms, such as under the gun, hijack, lojack and others you may have heard bandied about in pro poker games.
It’s all part of building a bigger picture and idea of how the game works. While understanding the rules is the obvious, basic starting point, getting into specific terminology will help your confidence when you begin facing off against more experienced players.
#4 – Controlled aggression
Usually a term specific to combat sports or playing a fighting game, controlled aggression in poker means knowing when to put your foot on the gas and up the ante.
Although patience is a virtue in poker games, knowing when to up the ante is one of the most crucial components that can separate the good from the average players.
Clearly, this tactic needs to be built on a foundation of knowledge and patience, but if you combine it with the other three elements we discussed today, you will improve your game.
Final thoughts
Poker is a game of patience and strategy. Players who are able to exhibit both can develop their skills to a more than competent level. It’s not something that happens overnight, though.
Using the four strategies we’ve spoken about today won’t transform you into an invincible player, but as with learning a new skill or perfecting your strategy and approach to any other type of game, the basis of knowledge comes from the following:
- Learning the importance of patience.
- Understanding the terms.
- Gaining experience in a gaming environment.
- Leveraging strategy, experience and knowledge to gain a psychological edge.
Some poker players say the game is easy to learn, but I disagree. Games like blackjack are much easier to learn, while getting good at poker can take hundreds of hours of playing time. Even then, there are still tricks and tips to pick up. Don’t overthink it, though – enjoy the game for what it is!