To some it might seem silly to want to be a professional poker player. However, to others there is no other profession desired. To the rest, poker 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.
Seasoned players will no longer convey the beginner tells like facial expressions such as surprise and anguish. It is a rudimentary law of poker to be able to know your expressions and control them. After you have become a seasoned player, this type of tell can become a trick you can use on novices.
Most People cannot control consciously the basic of tells which is the betting. Forcing other players to bet more on a hand that the player knows will not succeed is being an aggressive player. In most cases this 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.
You have a good hand if you were dealt a pair in your hole, the two face-down cards you were dealt in the beginning. You can play aggressively even if it is just a pair of twos. Bluffing with a pair, to either make the other players think you have an amazing hand or to make them think you have a rotten hand, usually wins because the chance of getting a pair is much higher than the chances of getting two pairs.
If you have only an ace in the hole, and no other player seems to want to bet more than the minimum, then the chances are that they do not have a pair. With this, you can bet, but not aggressively, unless you enjoy risks and have enough money to back up your adventuresome nature. There is always the chance that the window will reveal a pair to an opponent.
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.
If you feel comfortable with the play, it is a good play. After you have been playing with players who have a little knowledge of the game for a while, you will be able to tell what to do right when you are dealt the first two cards. Always remember, the most important rule; watch for your tells and others.
About the Author:
Have you every watched phil ivey play poker? He is very, very good. His normal style is to be attacking, but can adapt to any situation. They say he is even better in cash games. Poker stars
