It might seem silly to want to be a professional poker player. To others however, there is no other profession desired. Poker, to the rest, is a fun pastime that can be financially rewarding as well as a confidence boost.
It is necessary to know a few simple rules of the game for those of us who wish to make money from playing poker, either professionally or otherwise. When playing a game like poker, the most important rule to know your opponents. It will help you to become the best poker player you can by knowing the other players and the signs the player provide telling you whether they have a good hand or a poor one.
The signs that players have are called tells. When someone has a tell, it is almost like holding your hand so that every one can see what cards you have. Tells range from facial expressions that come when you have a winning or losing hand to how you bet.
Beginner tells that most players who have been playing for a while and will no longer convey are facial expressions like surprise or anguish. A rudimentary law of poker is knowing your own facial expressions and controlling them. If you are playing with seasoned players, you cannot always trust this type of tell.
The most basic of tells is betting which most people cannot control consciously. Aggressive betting is forcing other players to bet on a hand that is known to be a losing hand. In most cases, aggressive playing is a good move.
In a case where it is a good choice, the bettor has a very low hand that might win, like an ace in the hole. it is a good play to bet also if the other players have less chips than you. However, if there is another player who has more chips than you, they can turn the play back on you and make you bet all in when you only have a small chance to win.
Always pay attention to the tells of other players but pay equal attention to every other characteristic of the game. The other important characteristics are what cards are in the window, the community cards, and how the other players are betting. If the window and the betting seem to show that someone has a sure-fire winner of a hand, it is a good idea to fold your hand.
If you have a matching pair in the face-down cards you were dealt in the beginning of the round, the hole, then you have a good hand. It is a hand with which you can play aggressively even if it is just a pair of twos. Bluffing with a pair usually wins because the chances of getting a pair are much higher than getting two pair.
If no other player seems to want to bet more than the minimum, and if you only have an ace in the hole, the chances are that the others do not have a pair. With this ace, you can bet, but unless you enjoy risks and have enough money to back up your adventurous nature, don't bet aggressively. However, remember that there is always a chance that the window will reveal a pair for another player.
You might get a flush if your two hole cards are of a matching suit and at least two more of the flop cards are of the same suit because the turn or the river, the last two cards dealt, might give you the fifth of that suit. However, remember that it is just as hard to pull a flush as it is an inside straight. Have a backup plan for that hand if you are going to bet because there is a less than .5% chance of getting either a flush or a straight.
A good play is any play that you feel comfortable with. You will be able to tell what to do with the first two cards you are dealt, after you have been playing for a while against people who have a little knowledge of the game. Most important, watch for tells, yours and theirs.
About the Author:
Have you had a chance to see phil ivey play poker? I can't imagine a better player. When he has a good stack he attacks relentlessly. He has won wsop bracelets in three different variations of poker. Poker stars
