Let’s face it; it’s a lot to take in when you sit down to a poker table. You have to watch what the other players are doing, guess whether they have good cards or bad cards, remember you are against them and must use your skills to be the winner. Oftentimes we just want to get the darn game over with and forget about it , but that’s not what we want. We want to win!
At this point you are probably thinking I’m nuts. I’m not nuts, you are nuts. Every seasoned player does this at one point or another. How about instead of giving up, why not try to improve your game?
There are a lot of steps involved in improving your game, and there are some areas you just cannot improve in. You may not be able to improve your mental tremendously, you may not be able to put a lot of new thought into your game, you may not be able to control yourself or your emotions. But, there are 5 steps you can take immediately to start making improvements right now in any area of your game.
- Start playing with smaller amounts of money.Next step is to start playing with smaller bets. I know this seems counter intuitive, but you’ll find that over time you will be better able to identify what areas of your game you need to improve in and those you don’t. It’s much easier to improve your game this way rather than jump into big games and big pots trying to make the final table.
- Play to learn.Next step is to get out of your comfort zone and play to learn. You are not going to participate in any game if you are not really ready for it. If you are running out of bankroll because you are not ready to play poker, you can always jump back in later.
- Read, read, and then read some more.If you do not know the game inside and out, the least you can do is read some books and learn the fundamentals, then jump to a table stakes level.
- DO NOT learn how to play on your own.This is one of the most important points. You do not have to learn how to play poker on your own. You do not have to deal with bad players, or those players that seem to think they are poker gurus because they win constantly. If you learn how to play poker on your own, you can’t then turn around and introduce that knowledge to others and make them successful too. Poker is not a game of the home team, it’s a game of the world team. Everyadvanced poker player knows this, but then most either don’t care or don’t realize that learning how to make other successful players is immeasurably easier than you can do for yourself.
- Don’t fall in love with your hand.You are not a queen, and you are not a king.You are a poker player, that’s all.
This is the biggest poker tip of all. Don’t get so emotionally attached to your hand that you can’t imagine folding it, or holding on to it as if it were the Holy Grail. Sometimes the poker table is going to get ugly, and you’re going to have to make some big calls that you normally won’t normally make. That’s just the way it goes.
Bend the laws of dewabet, but do not break them. You are only human. Sometimes you will make the emotionally tough decision that will affect your bankroll for weeks, or even months. Don’t let your bankroll get whittled away by your desire to get back in the game emotionally.
These are all very important things to keep in mind when you’re getting into the swing of things poker. Best of luck!