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This article provides 20 tips for a novice poker player to help create the right mood in the game and avoid the mistakes that many players make at the beginning of their poker career.
1. Tight is right
Tight poker is the right poker. Until you have gained enough experience, you should play a small number of the strongest starting combinations to reduce the number of mistakes and avoid a large number of difficult situations. With experience will come an understanding of what is happening at the tables and you will be able to play more freely (pocket-wise). But at the beginning of a poker career, it is extremely important not to deviate from the spectra of the starting hands and stick to the chosen strategy. Tight, disciplined poker may seem boring, but you'll win more often.
2. Do not overestimate yourself
Don't expect the poker path to be an easy walk for you. Here you will meet players with different levels of knowledge and experience. Some of them will seem frankly weak to you, but even they will collect combinations stronger than yours or force you to give up. At the tables you will meet opponents who surpass you in experience and knowledge. In confrontations with them, luck will sometimes smile on you too. Respect your opponents. Try to soberly assess your level of competence and do not let short-term results turn your head.
Do not try to come out victorious from any situation. Even the most successful players sometimes lose. Be prepared for many victories and defeats.
In order to achieve and maintain a stable level of self-confidence, each player needs to optimize their psychological balance.
3. Theory
Hard to learn, easy to fight. Most successful players spend a lot of time working on the game outside the tables. Beginners can be advised to work on the theory no less time than the game itself. The world of poker is very dynamic. New poker rooms appear, and old ones change the conditions of the game. Programs are created that simplify the gameplay, offering a different logic of decision-making. Strategies that worked perfectly a few years ago may be unprofitable today. In order to keep up with this race, it is important to stay abreast of current trends. Our educational portal will help you with this.
4. Think
It is very important to have a well-developed basic strategy, but you should not turn the gameplay into an automatic sequence of actions. Each hand played is unique hand. Analyze opponents and think about possible actions. Unlimited holdem makes it possible to show ingenuity, and the number of scenarios is innumerable. In the course of the game, there will inevitably be borderline situations in which you will feel insecure. Be sure to return to them when working outside the tables and, if your own strength is not enough, do not hesitate to seek advice in the chat of our Telegram channel.
5. The importance of aggression
The ability to play aggressively is an important attribute of modern poker. Aggressive play opens up more possibilities than a passive approach to the game, so the vast majority of successful players are aggressive. But this does not mean that you need to constantly gas right and left – with the experience and development of the game, you will better understand in which situations aggression is acceptable and in which it is not. This can be when they have a better hand, a better position, or even a psychological edge at the table. Aggression should be external, whereas inside you need to learn to stay cool – this is one of the keys to success.
6. Tilt
Tilt is one of the biggest obstacles on the poker path. Strong negative or positive emotions can disrupt the mental equilibrium necessary for a sober assessment of what is happening, and lead to large losses. To protect yourself from tilt, you must know yourself and understand the game. Note in which situations emotions prevent you from acting reasonably. The better you know the right poker strategy, the harder it will be for you to give it up. This topic is discussed in detail on our website in the "Psychology of Poker" section.
7. Patience helps us achieve our goals
The path to poker tops is a long one. It's not something you can achieve overnight. Set realistic goals and do your best at the moment. Work on the game, strive to show your best poker and do not attach much importance to short-term results. Those who expect results immediately are unlikely to enjoy the taste of success.
8. downswing
Downswings are an inevitable part of poker. It doesn't matter if you're a rookie or the greatest player on the planet. But the best players are distinguished by the way they cope with a long losing streak. The downswing period is a great time to really take a look at your game and make sure you're playing your best poker. Are you really unlucky or do you find yourself in too many marginal situations? Study the history of your hands, seek help from tournament poker coach Alexey Exan13. Downswing is an incentive to develop further.
The Poker University website has a great article where you will learn: What is downswing and how to overcome it.
9. variance
There is no escape from dispersion. Your task is to soberly assess your skills, and not let the variance confuse your cards. Did the Aces lose several bids in a row? It happens, don't worry. Sometimes you find yourself on the other side. Make sure that your ideas about the game correspond to reality – use the poker variance calculator. Remember, it's the variance that makes poker so appealing to most recreational players.
10. Sampling
How many hands do you need to play to assess your skills? Fifty thousand, maybe one hundred and fifty? Some coaches do not undertake to evaluate the game of students if the the long run distance is less than 100K hands. Because of variance, you can never really rely on your short-term results. In any case, it is not necessary to draw far-reaching conclusions from the results of several sessions.
11. Selection of tables
Important : To increase the potential profit, it is very important to choose the right tables in each session. Because of the rake, a game with players of equal strength will cause losses. To make a profit, it is important to play as much as possible against less sophisticated opponents who make more mistakes. To do this, you need a competent choice of tournaments for your game grid (selecting).
There's a great article on this: How to Become a Poker Pro - Part 1
12. No one is perfect
Even the most successful players from time to time show not the best poker. Accepting your imperfection will keep you from the trap of perfectionism. The ideal is unattainable, it only indicates the direction. Without acknowledging your weaknesses, you can't turn them into strengths. There's always room for improvement. Regularly analyze your own game, find weaknesses and try to eliminate them. Pay attention to the emotional state - there is also something to work on. Remember that success doesn't come in a day.
13. Have fun
You don't have to grit your teeth to make your poker dreams come true. It is worth making sure that this process is fun and interesting.
And if at first the gameplay can be exciting at the expense of novelty, then over time, interest may weaken. And so that it does not completely fade away, you need to make some intellectual efforts so that your occupation continues to be interesting. Perhaps it will be new ideas, new lines of action, a new circle of communication. Perhaps it will be a qualitatively played session, because it's nice when you have done something solid. You need to live now and enjoy life now. Do not postpone the pleasure of playing until later, when the "great goals" are achieved.
14. Don't be afraid of mistakes
In an unfamiliar situation, it is very easy to make a mistake at the poker table, and this is normal. Everyone makes mistakes, even the best ones. And they became the best because they were more mistaken than others and made the right conclusions. To succeed in poker, you must learn from your mistakes, not avoid them. Regularly analyze your own game, do not hesitate to ask for help. So, step by step, you will get the necessary knowledge to become one of the best.
15. Concentration
The amount of information you are able to perceive is limited. Part of the attention you put on watching a video or reading the news can cost you quite a lot. Therefore, during the game, try to protect yourself from distractions. The maximum concentration at the table will give you the opportunity to show your best poker. The focused player will notice more details and make the best decision. The ability to maintain many hours of concentration is a mandatory quality of all professional players.
16. Carry out the analysis
During the game, do not forget to mark the hands in which you feel insecure, and be sure to return to them.
Try to regularly analyze the played sessions, regardless of whether you managed to strengthen your bankroll or not. Pay attention not only to big losses, but also to big pots, where you are ahead. Because of the effect of variance, sometimes it's not easy to determine if your play is profitable over the the long run. In addition, you may be able to improve even obviously profitable lines by changing the size of bet and raises. Do not leave small pots unattended. At first glance, their influence may seem insignificant, but due to the large number of small banks, they seriously affect your final results.
17. Abstract from the results
To succeed in poker, you should not pay too much attention to your short-term results, and even more so to the results of a single hand. Losing a large pot is, of course, unpleasant. But that doesn't mean you've automatically made a mistake. It is important which strategy you have chosen, and how accurately you have determined the opponent's range. Focusing on the result of each individual hand can lead you to deviate from a strategy that is profitable in the long run and, ignoring everything you knew, choose non-standard and losing lines. The short-term outcome should not affect the quality of the decisions you make.
18. Do not overestimate the statistics
Do not forget – without an impressive the long run, most statistical indicators can be distorted by variance. It is best, analyzing the statistics, to estimate the overall style of the opponent's game and draw conclusions from it. It is also possible to analyze a specific stat and somehow exploit it, but for this you need to have a sufficient sample for the opponent. It is different for each stat.
19. bankroll management
Bankroll is one aspect of this crazy game that we can control. Bankroll management is one of the most important skills in poker. A sufficient bankroll is necessary so that you can survive the streaks of failure and save your resources. The size of the required bankroll will vary depending on the type of games, the style of your game. If you want to succeed in poker, you will have to follow the chosen strategy in a disciplined manner. Don't risk too much money at one time by pushing your limits too fast. In an unfavorable period, do not be afraid to go lower. Let your bankroll dictate what level you will play.
20. Look for friends and partners
- One head is good, and two is better. Try to find a partner with similar goals and motivation.
- Joint training can make the learning process more effective and exciting. During difficult periods of your career, you will be able to get the necessary support.
- Seek help from a trainer. You can find an experienced companion who will help you avoid unnecessary mistakes on the poker path.
The Poker University Telegram channel provides an opportunity to participate in the discussion of hands, exchange opinions in the chat of the Telegram channel, where many players, like you, are looking for like-minded people.
