A Comprehensive Beginner's Guide on How to Win at Poker

Do you want to be a successful poker player? Whether you’re just starting or are looking for ways to improve your poker skills, this guide is for you. We’ll teach you the basics of how to win at poker as well as some more advanced strategies that will give you an edge over your opponents.

So whether you’re playing in a casino or online poker sites, read on and start raking in the chips!

How to win at poker

Many poker tips will tell you what is good and not. However, to learn how to win at poker and make this game lucrative, you must know what you should be learning from the beginning.

This article will not help you if you are an experienced player. Instead, you should take a look at advanced poker strategies for Texas Hold’em.

Top 13 poker tips for beginners

If you are just starting, it will save you time and money if you start with a beginners’ lesson. Here we share our best poker tips for beginners.

1. Learn the game rules, player positions, and hand ranking

Although it is easy to learn the basic poker rules, it is important to understand poker hand rankings. Don’t put yourself in a spot where you have to waste time thinking whether a straight beats a flush.

Player positions are also invaluable to the game of poker. You have a position on other poker players if you are making your move after them. This allows you to see what they do before you make your decision.

This is a lot of information that you can pick up from your opponents. This will tell you if they bet, check or fold, and how long it took them to make a decision.

For example, if your opponent checks quickly, it could be an indication of a weak hand. You can decide to bluff when it’s your turn. There are many other examples, but remember, it is better to see that information than give it to your opponent.

Player position can have a significant impact on the game. Play more hands while you are in position. The later position you have, the more pressure you put on your opponents.

2. Start with low stakes

This tip is important to remember before you begin playing. Although many poker players don’t like low-stakes poker, your main goal at this point is not to make money but to learn strategy. There are several reasons why you should start with low stakes.

You will feel more comfortable knowing that you won’t be risking too much money. Even if you lose while learning, it won’t hurt you.
Your skill level increases as you move up stakes. You can play against the weakest poker players, learn the game, and not give money to those who are better.
It allows you to get a feel of the game. Learn how to play in and out of position and practice with different poker hands.

You need to master poker strategy tips before you can move up. Also, you must ensure that you are comfortable in every game you play.

3. Find the best poker format and poker room

This is a similar tip to the one about starting at lower stakes. Finding the best games will help increase your EV.

Poker is not for the ego. If you keep playing against better poker players, you will lose. It’s that simple.

Even if you are the 10th best player in the world, and you keep playing against the top nine, you will eventually go broke.

This is a fact that every poker player should know. It will affect your win rate.

You will also have smaller swings in better games and be able to increase the stakes faster, which is a huge bonus.

These are our top tips to help you find the best games.

Find the best games for your format. Some rooms are better for cash games while others are for MTTs.
Research where to find peak traffic and more recreational poker players.
Find the best games in your country to keep your money safe.

4. Play tight but be aggressive

Many amateur poker players make the fatal mistake of opening too many Texas Hold’em hands and playing too wide.

It is important to play only your strongest hands when you are just starting. This will ensure that your VPIP poker statistics are lower and you don’t have to make difficult decisions after-flop. This will allow you to play more aggressively after you have made your decision to take action.

Low-stakes opponents are likely to play random hands the majority of the time. This poker tip alone can help you get ahead of your opponents. This will enable you to quickly and effectively learn poker strategies without losing any money.

You should raise and bet instead of simply calling. This will put maximum pressure on your opponents.

Knowing that you have the advantage in holding better hands preflop will help you win against their range of cards over the long term.

5. Take advantage of your position

Your position will determine which hands you play in Texas Poker Hold’em. Higher positions will result in greater winnings so play more hands.

In the beginning, you should start tight. You can then loosen up and play closer to the button (BTN) to win more pots. The button is the most profitable position in poker. You can play more hands while you’re at the button than any other position.

6. Start with one table

Again, your goal is to learn poker strategy tips and how to read table information. Leave the MTTs for the future and stick to one table.

Take a look at how your opponents play and what they have at showdown. Concentrate on working your position and playing tight-aggressive.

7. Check your emotions

Emotions play a huge role in a poker game. So don’t play if you don’t feel good. Sure you would feel sad or angry if you lose but don’t make it even worse by starting your game when you feel bad. We do stupid things when we are tired or angry and it can cost a lot of money.

8. Know your poker odds

It is important to know the poker odds you have to win and what pot odds are you getting. Base your decisions on these odds instead of your emotions.

What are pot odds? This concept helps you decide if you should continue with your hand for the right price. Here is a quick list of the most common Texas Hold’em hands as well as how many outs it takes to improve a hand until the next street.

Gut-shot – 4 outs
Two overcards – 6 outs
Open-ended straight draw – 8 outs
Flush draw – 9 outs
Flush draw and gut-shot – 12 outs
Straight flush draw – 15 outs

Multiply your outs by 2 if you want to get an idea of how likely your hand will improve, or multiply it by 4 if you want to know how likely your hand will improve from flop to river.

If you have an open-ended straight draw on the flop with 8 outs, you can count on improving it approximately 8 x 2 = 16% on the turn, and hit your straight by 8 x 4 = 32% by the river.

These numbers are not exact, but they are close enough to be accurate. This is the best and most efficient way to learn poker strategy.

9. Consider your opponent cards

Knowing how likely it is to win a draw will help you to understand how to place your opponent on a range. This will allow you to determine how many outs your opponent has and make an educated decision. Many factors can indicate what hand your opponent might be playing.

Consider his position and the hands he could be opening.
His post-flop actions can indicate what cards he is holding. Look for signs of strength or weakness, such as betting or checking.
Consider also the board texture. Dry boards are less likely to have strong hands than connected ones.
The time it takes for him to make a move can also give you additional information about his cards.

There are many things you should consider and it takes practice to be able to think about your opponents’ cards. If you have difficulty understanding it at first, don’t blame yourself. This is a complicated topic that has been covered in books.

You are not expected to master it in a day or two.

10. Take your time

Do not get into the habit of making rushed decisions. Even the most skilled poker players make this mistake which can cause them to lose their chances of winning big.

It can be overwhelming to think about all the details at once, like your position, poker hand ranking, and opponent’s cards. This is why you should stick to playing one table and take all the time necessary to make your decisions.

11. Know when to bluff

One of the best pieces of advice you can get when starting is this: play when you have a hand and fold when you don’t.

Of course, when you start playing in bigger card games this will not be an option. At higher stakes, many poker players are more aggressive and bluff a lot so you need to learn how to play against them.

12. Know when to fold

This poker tip should be taken seriously. If your passive opponents start calling out of nowhere, you should fold a lot of your hands and even some of your stronger hands. One pair of hands, even if it is a top pair or an overpair, should be folded into a muck.

You may have difficulty letting go of these hands when you first start playing. But it is something you must learn if you want success. You will do yourself a great favor by folding one pair of hands to aggression in the lowest games.

You should not play passively against aggressive opponents. Understanding that there are many types of players is important. You must play differently against them.

This brings us to the last poker tip on this list.

13. Get help from a poker software

You need to get help if you want to compete with poker players at lower stakes. This does not mean that you need to have advanced software that can teach you GTO poker strategy. Tracking software is important to poker players of all levels because it allows you to see stats about your opponents and track how they play.

It allows you to quickly identify the types of opponents you will face and adjust your poker strategy and decisions accordingly. Hold’em Manager 2 is the best program for beginners.

Conclusion

So, now you know the basics of how to win at poker games. But there’s always more to learn, and we suggest continuing to study the game so that you can stay ahead of your opponents.

There are plenty of resources out there on how to win at poker – books, poker sites, articles – so take advantage of them and keep practicing poker games until you’re a master!