Pokerfest

When you are just starting out in poker, it can be very, very difficult for you to just keep it simple and straight-forward.  I know that I am very guilty of putting it all up front and when I first started in the game of poker, it was terrible!  However, you don’t have to do that.  You want to start in the low-limit games and make sure that you do not bid on every single hand.

Sometimes in the game of poker, you need to fold and that is something that you are going to want to keep in the back of your mind.  Too many beginning poker players just bid on everything and never fold and that can actually cost you more money in the long run.

So make sure that you just keep it very simple and I can promise that you are going to be fine and might even get good!

You’ve heard of the three R’s, right? Well, now we are going to focus on the five P’s — of poker, of course. Follow these P’s and you will be well on your way to becoming a pro.

First off and arguably most important, you need patience. Patience is necessary to win. You have to wait for good hands, you have to wait for your opponents to play, and you have to have the patience to wait when you simply do not have good cards and cannot play that hand.

You need perseverance as well. Do not give up and play your best game no matter what, no matter where you are playing.

Use psychology. Use it with yourself and your opponents. Look for their tells, remember how they played in past games.

Position is vital as well. You need to know your position at the table, and you need to know everyone else’s as well.

Last but most certainly not least, you need to practice. A lot.

When you are bluffing, the Turn is extremely important as well. By betting big during the turn if you have been engaging in moderate bets throughout the rest of the game, then your opponents will most likely be suitably intimidated.

You should not go too crazy, but if you really thing that, thanks to the turn, your hand will win the entire game, then you can consider first checking, and then betting madly when the River card is dealt.

Keep in mind, however, that if you have done a check before this point, your opponents may decide to call you because they suspect that you actually are bluffing. So, this should only be done if you really do think you can take the whole shebang with your hand.

Keep in mind, as well, that this strategy actually works quite well if you have been caught in a bluff before — whether accidentally or on purpose.

So, bluffing — when you do it is just as important as how you do it, as we saw in last week’s post. However, the strategic time described there is not the only good time to make a good bluff.

You have to remember that the betting session which follows the dealing of the River is extremely vital. Your bet then needs to be confident and powerful, because that will make it more intimidating. The same is true of the bluff at that stage of the game.

So, let’s say that the player before you puts forth a small bet. You can go big, because doing so might push that player out of the game. However, if the player before you makes a big bet, you should then call … and then you go all in. You might just have the opportunity to take down another player’s bluff with one of your own.