Poker is often a simplified saying of Texas Holdem Poker, and it’s a popular card game globally without a doubt. The rules of poker are not so difficult to understand, yet the game itself can be played with various strategies.
We’ve already referred to the basic rules and steps of poker in advance, so here we’re going to talk about some tips for beginners. Poker is different from Teen Patti, so make sure you understand both clearly so that you won’t get confused.
Table of Contents
1. Learn the Rules & Practice with Free Game
The very first step of entering a new game is absolutely to understand the rules thoroughly, and so is poker. However, you don’t have to take it too heavily and overthink it. It’s better for you to practice with the free game once you have a general picture of it. Free games won’t cost you money, and it’s the most practical way for you to apply the rules.
Some sites recommend you select a good game to play, and they even mention it as one tip…wait, do you really know what a good game is when you’re so new to poker? Forget those unuseful tips, and start playing your first free game online. You’ll learn faster and more when you actually play.
2. Start with Small Bets
After practising with free games online, you must have some confidence in poker. If you think that you are prepared, then you are able to start playing with small bets. You will find the mood is a bit different between free games and real cash games, and that’s the point people really care about–winning or losing money.
Starting with small bets or even bonuses trains your mindset in cash games, and it’s as crucial as the playing skills.
3. Fold & Observe
In the beginning, you certainly will lose some games. Folding is not a timid choice, but actually a wise and reasonable play. Once you find that your hand is too weak to try, be brave to fold and then you will have the chance to observe others’ strategies. Learning from your opponents is another efficient method to improve your poker skills.
In some tips that others provide, they might tell you to bluff when you seem to have a weak hand, or play tight and aggressively from the beginning. In our opinion, we don’t consider that’s the best idea, for you have lots to learn as a beginner.
4. Mind the Position
If you have taken a look at the basic rules, you know the latter position might win you more money. That’s because you have the chance to observe others’ moves and bets, also you don’t have to place a blind bet which might expose your strength of hand as a beginner.
Take a 9-handed poker game, for example, each position has a name–
- Big Blind(BB)-Two to the left of the Button, pays the big blind.
- Small Blind – (SB) – One to the left of the Button, pays the small blind.
- Button – (BTN) – To the right of the blinds, the best position at the table.
- Cutoff – (CO) – To the right of the Button, the second-best position at the table.
- Hijack – (HJ) – To the right of the Cutoff, called ‘Middle Position’ (MP) on a 6-max table.
- Lojack – (LJ) – aka Middle Position 2 (MP2) – To the right of the Hijack, called ‘Under the Gun’ (UTG) on a 6-max table.
- Middle Position (MP1 or UTG+2) – To the right of the Lojack, exclusively on full ring tables
- Under the Gun (UTG+1) – The second earliest positions, to the left of UTG, only on full ring tables.
- Under the Gun (UTG) – The three earliest positions, UTG, UTG+1 and MP1 aka UTG+2, only on full ring tables.
Try to play tight if you’re in early positions, while you can play more hands from the later positions.
5. Predict Your Opponent
Once you have a general concept of poker, try to start predicting their moves and hands if you have spirit enough. This can help you to collect the info, and the info allows you to make better decisions during the game.
6. Recognize the Terms
Last but not least, recognising more terms improves your ability of reading game situations. What’s more, it makes you look more like a professional poker player. Here are the common terms you should know.
Moves
- Call- To contributes the minimum amount of money to the pot necessary to continue playing a hand.
- Raise- To wager more than the minimum required to call, forcing other players to put in more money as well.
- Check- To pass on betting. If there’s no action (bet) to you, there’s nothing to call. If you don’t want to bet, you can just “check.” If there’s subsequent action from your fellow players in the betting round, then the action will come back to you to either call, fold or raise.
- Fold- To give up by placing your cards face down on the table, losing whatever you have bet so far. You only fold when you think your hand is too weak to compete against the other players.
- Showdown- When, after the final round of betting, players turn their hands face-up. A poker hand will only reach a showdown if there are callers in the last round of betting, or if someone is all-in prior to the last betting round.
Betting Options
- Ante- The first bet of the whole game is called the ante. This happens before a hand is dealt, and it makes a basic value of the prize pot at the beginning.
- All in- Placing all your money as the bet in the pot.
- Blind- It includes either the big blind or the small blind. If you are one of the blinds, you are sitting either immediately to the left of the dealer button (small blind position) or one position farther left (big blind).
Cards
- Flop- The first three community cards are dealt out after the first round of betting is complete.
- Turn- The fourth community card. Put out face-up, by itself. Also known as “Fourth Street.”
- River- The final of the five community cards.
Positions
- Button- The position of the dealer. In live poker, it’s usually denoted by placing a plastic disk in front of the dealer. It rotates clockwise each time the dealer shuffles for a new hand. The button is in an advantageous position, for he acts last in a betting round.
- Cut off- The position to the immediate right of the button.
- Late Position- Position on a round of betting where the player must act after most of the other players have acted (usually considered to be the two positions next to the button).
- Under the gun- The player sitting in the first-to-act position. It’s the position immediately to the left of the big blind, pre-flop, and to the left of the button for subsequent betting rounds.
Playing Style
- Limp- Slang word for calling, implying it’s not an aggressive move.
- Rock- Slang for a “tight” player. A rock can sit at a table orbit after orbit without playing for a pot. When he enters a pot, you know he’s got the goods.
Conclusion
Action speaks louder than words. After you have a general idea about poker through this article, start your first game to apply the skills and tips immediately! Also, remember to save this article or share it with your friends who might be poker beginners like you. Enjoy!