Lots of people are guilty of this. You have a weekend drink and fancy a flutter at poker at the local casino, then without realising it, you’ve lost hundreds and cursing your bad luck.
If you follow the tips below, you won’t be guaranteed to win but you can certainly help your chances next time you play.
Don’t Drink Much Alcohol
It’s a myth that you play better drunk. Alcohol impairs your judgement and makes you erratic, sure you may make more bluffs because you are less in control and in the long run you are not helping your chances at all.
Watch Training Videos
There’s lots of poker training videos sites online that can be bought for reasonable prices. Annual subscriptions cost a fraction of a buy in and well worth the value as the content within them can give you amazing strategy insights that can help you earn money. They’re also quite fun to watch and listen to on your phone.
Pay Attention
Half the players on your table won’t be watching the action properly. If you’re concentrating better than them you’ve won part of the battle already. Poker is game of people and patterns and by knowing your opponents and their tendencies better than they do, you will have the upper hand when it comes to making the right decision in a key hand.
Target the Weak Players
It doesn’t take long to notice who the weak players or “fishes” on the table are. It’s important not to be egotistical and try to bluff the better players. If you want to win, focus on the players weaker than you and contest the pots with them. After all, the weak players are the one who are more likely to pay you off.
Play at Appropriate Stakes
The most foolish thing, recreational players do is jump into games too high for them, particularly on weekends or after a drink. You’re just giving your money away. Play Poker at stakes that you are confident playing at and with money you can afford to lose. A big part of poker is the mental aspect, being level headed and focused. You should not be playing with money you can’t afford to lose or for pots that will adversely affect your judgement and decision making. You have to get out of those games.
Please remember to gamble responsibly.