Introduction to Poker Strategy

As you’ve likely learned, Poker is a game of skill. It’s also one that features incomplete information. As you gain and get some more information on your opponents, you are able to adjust. So let’s sum it up and write some bullet points down:

  • Poker is a game of skill.

  • There’s a lot of incomplete information, which gets complete over time.

  • Constant adjustments are required.

  • Short term variance has a large effect on the game.

Getting Better

Poker is a game where skill plays a significant role. Over a longer period of time, the best players will always win and the bad ones will loose. How does one get better at Poker? By constantly thinking about it! It’s a game of pure logic and the more you think about Poker, the better you get.

Online Poker has advanced and really brought Poker to a whole new level. This is due to several reasons:

  • It plays way faster than live Poker – Online Players can play more hands in a day than live players will in a week.

  • There’s many analysing tools implemented, you’re able to replay hands and view real time statistics on your opponents.

So where should you start, when it comes to advancing as a Poker player? If you already know the rules, first thing I’d advise would be to play. Yeah, you heard me! Play as many hands as possible, but don’t get crazy with multi-tabling. Ideally, open 1 or 2 tables and think each hand through. Watch your opponents and try to understand the way they think.

Choosing a Poker type.

Way too many people think that it’s alright to play all Poker types, such as Hold’em, Omaha, Cash-Games and Tournaments. They don’t realise that unless they’ve played all the types for a dozen years, they’ll suck at it.

Stick to a specific Poker type, period. If you like Cash-Games, play those. If you’re a Tournament person, stick to them. Don’t jump from one type to another, because the Strategy needed in each of them differs by A LOT.

Instead of being a superstar wannabe, be real. Start by choosing a Poker type and variation. Play it and try to get better. If you want to pursue Poker somewhat serious, you’ll have to do this.

Playing Time.

Play Poker only when you feel like doing so. Don’t push yourself and play just because you are supposed to. Poker has to be fun and it is, if you do things properly.

Ideally you want to play for few hours a day at most. If you find yourself grinding 12 tables for 10 hours a day, stop. You’re doing it wrong. I’m able to give advice on this because I was a PRO for several years. Instead of grinding those Micro Stakes, devote some time for analysing and educating yourself. You’ll move up to higher stakes and won’t need to have no life anymore!