• Different Ways To Win In Poker
• All Ways To Win In Poker
• How To Win Poker Every Time
• Ways To Win A Hand In Poker

In between games you can spend a lot of time thinking about your calls and folds and bluffs. The more you think about poker, the better you get. The better you get, the more you win. Get a poker bonus. Playing to clear a poker bonus is a way to get some of the rake back. A good bonus always adds cash to your bottom line. Don't play too high. A lot of what it takes to win any variation of poker is to know the odds, hand rankings, and anticipating what card will be dealt next. While we are not suggesting card counting, it is still possible for even the most amateur players to do a little research and know the best hand to play and which cards to seek out.

Table Of Contents

Are you struggling to turn a decent profit at the poker tables on a consistent basis? Are your results best described as 'somewhere around break-even'?

First off, don't worry because you are not alone. This describes the results of the majority of poker players.

Often, however, it is just a few small poker strategy adjustments that can take your game from mediocre to amazing — from break-even to crushing it.

In this article, I am going to provide you with seven subtle but highly effective poker tips to take your game to the next level.

While I can't promise you'll win a lot of money with these beginner tips, you should add everything you find on this guide to your poker strategy if you really want to improve your poker games.

Continue reading to discover poker tips like:

I've also added something about pocket aces because you should be always careful when you get them. I have seen so many people play them the wrong way...

1. Think About Ranges, Not Hands

It doesn't matter what type of casino poker you play: one of the easiest ways to spot average and beginner poker players is to look at how they think about what their opponent has.

• Beginner poker players try and put somebody on a specific poker hand.
• Advanced poker players think in terms of ranges. This type of thinking that can be extremely important when calculating pot odds.

A range is the entire spectrum of poker hands somebody can have in a specific situation. For example, player X can have a flush, top pair, middle pair, bottom pair, a draw, ace-high or a complete air-ball bluff.

Good players who have already gone through a few poker strategy articles understand that player X will show up with this entire range of hands with various frequencies. They don't focus on identifying a single winning hand, but they try and figure out those frequencies and then make the best play.

Average players try to put an opponent on exactly (or some other specific hand) because that's 'what their gut tells them.'

If there's one thing you need to know when you learn the game, this is that poker strategy tips and 'gut feeling' don't go well together. Basing your tournament strategy or cash game play on what you 'feel' is never a good idea.

In the first video of this beginner's guide to poker tips for beginners, poker pro Jason Wheeler explains how uses every possible information available to understand his opponent's cards and choose his play.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Be Realistic

Don't put your opponent on a single hand but think about ranges. Nobody has a specific hand in poker — they only have a range.

If you are in still the process of learning the game and you need some help, have a look at the complete poker hands ranking.

2. Ditch Your Favorite Hand

A lot of people have a favourite hand. I know that every time I get dealt the old -suited my eyes light up and I want to play it so bad!

However, in reality, I know that -suited is a mediocre hand. Definitely not one of the best starting hands you can hey in a game of Texas hold em.

Calculate your poker odds FOR FREE with the PokerNews pot odds calculator!

It makes sense to play it in some spots — late position, for instance, in an unopened pot. But it should almost always be folded in early position.

If you currently have some favourite starting hands, that's fine — most people do. But don't give them preferential treatment and make bad plays with it.

Winning poker is about math and cold hard logic, not superstition.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Be Smart

Playing too many hands is a widespread mistake (see: Five Common Mistakes New Poker Players Make).

One of the best ways to avoid it is to introduce range-based thinking in your reads.

3. Adopt a Consistent Strategy

Another big key to becoming a great poker player (and perhaps one of the most important poker tips on this strategy guide) is to consistently apply a winning strategy.

It is not okay suddenly to change things up (e.g. to open with -suited from early position or turn yourself into a calling station) just because you are bored or tilted.

All of your learning, experience and study over the years has given you a body of knowledge telling you how to play Texas Hold 'Em.

But your poker strategy only actually matters if you apply it at the poker tables all the time. Every hand counts and every session counts.

The best poker players, those ones who know how to win at poker, apply the same winning strategy over and over again, no matter how they feel or what their recent results have been.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Be Consistent

Poker is a long-term game. You need time to build your bankroll and find the right cash game or poker tournament strategy that works for you.

You should not change your strategy after a big win or a big loss (here's why).

If you really feel like your approach needs to change, make sure you read this article on Handling the Ups and Downs of Low Stakes Poker first.

4. Always Have a Reason

Big-time winning poker players will sometimes break from their standard, successful strategies, but always for obvious reasons.

An average player might start raising -suited in early position because he is bored or wants to make something happen.

An elite poker player will raise with this hand in this position on occasion because he notices the table is playing passively and there are a couple of recreational players in the blinds.

There is a clear reason then to believe that raising -suited in early position (typically a fold under normal circumstances) might be a profitable play in this situation.

If you can produce a well-reasoned argument why deviating from your regular strategy might be more profitable, then it is okay. It is the 'because I feel like it' or 'I am bored' reasoning that has to go.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Be Reasonable

Think. Use your experience to analyse the situations, and then understand 'why' you would take one road and not another.

If you don't have enough experience to evaluate different situations yet, you better go back to the free games and grind.

5. Know When to Fold Your Aces

Another clear difference between average poker players and great poker players is the ability to fold an overpair.

Do you know that little sick feeling you get when you have and a tight opponent raises all-in on the turn? You make the so-called 'crying call', and he turns over the set yet again.

Playing online poker for free is the best way to hone your poker skills and practice with no risk.

You need to start paying attention to that feeling a little bit more often.

Certain patterns are easily recognizable at the lower stakes — especially when you play online poker — where it is 100 per cent the correct play to fold your overpair.

Good players can let go of any emotional attachment to their pretty-looking hands. Average players get married to their aces or kings instead, and can't let them go even when they know they are beat.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Aces Lose Too

Starting with the best of all poker hands isn't enough to guarantee you a winning hand.

Ask anyone for good poker pro tip, and they will all tell you the same thing: sometimes, you'll need to fold those Aces.

For more info on this specific topic, have a look at this article on How to Play Pocket Aces.

6. Realize Tilt Only Hurts You

Tilt is a destroyer of bankrolls, dreams, and poker careers.

I can't tell you how often I receive emails or comments from people who describe to me how they've tilted vast amounts of their bankroll away when things went badly at the poker tables.

The reality of poker is that sometimes things will go badly for you, and there is absolutely nothing that you can do about it.

This is what you sign up for every time you sit down to play card games.

There's always the possibility you might run terribly. You might run lights out as well, though.

When you allow yourself to lose control of your emotions and throw your strategy out the window, the only person you are hurting is yourself.

All those hours you've spent trying to learn and improve your game were basically wasted because you decided to choose your emotions over reason when it mattered.

Respect the work that you have done. You owe it to yourself to maintain more composure and stop throwing away money when the cards go south.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Relax

The psychological side of poker can be overwhelming, and you need to be ready to deal with it.

Swings happen and bad beats will come. If you don't know how do deal with this, have a look at the poker tips Italy's poker pro Rocco Palumbo shared with PokerNews at the PokerStars Championship in Prague.

If these poker tips work for Palumbo, they may as well work for you!

7. Don't Play Bad Games

One more way beginner poker players can sabotage their poker results is by stubbornly playing in games that are full of decent-to-good regulars.

If you can't find somebody at the table who is playing very poorly, then you have to ask yourself why it is that you are even there.

If you only play poker for the mental challenge or recreation or pleasure, then this is fine. This poker tip doesn't necessarily apply to you.

Use this guide to set up your next home game online and play online poker with your friends for free or real money.

But if winning real money or chips is at all a priority for you, then you need to remember you don't turn a significant profit in poker by pushing tiny edges against good poker players.

You win big by playing against players who are making significant fundamental errors and giving away their money over the long term.

As the classic movie Rounders reminds us, 'If you can't spot the sucker in your first half-hour at the table, then you are the sucker.'

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Choose the Right Games

Don't sit with the pros if you can't beat them. Selecting the right games is key to your successes in poker — one wrong move, and you are out.

Again, there's no shame in playing free poker games or in looking for the best freeroll poker tournaments to play online if that's what you need.

Final Thoughts

The divide between break-even beginner players and big-time winners is not as wide as many people think.

It is often just a few simple little adjustments you can learn over time that can carry you over to enable you to start winning at a higher clip.

A lot of it has to do with starting to view the game in a much more cold, detached, mathematical, and logical way than you presently do.

Emotional and/or superstitious poker players almost always lose or struggle to remain even.

Different Ways To Win In Poker

Elite poker players, meanwhile, know they are in it for the long haul and don't get overly wrapped up in each hand or moment. They continue to make the most profitable play again and again, no matter what.

Playing online poker for free is the best way to hone your poker skills and practice with no risk.

Nathan 'BlackRain79' Williams is the author of the popular micro stakes strategy books Crushing the Microstakes and Modern Small Stakes. He also blogs regularly about all things related to the micros over at www.blackrain79.com.

_{This article was originally published on Feb. 13, 2017. Last update: Oct. 12, 2020.}

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Are you tired of having to hand over your chips and hard-earned cash after every poker game with friends? Is your wife yelling at you to quit wasting time and money on online poker games?

Well, that all comes to an end right now.

The poker experts at CoolCat Casino have put together this foolproof list of video poker tips and tricks so you can take your game (and your bankroll) to the next level.

No matter if you’re playing classic video poker, Deuces Wild, Texas Hold’em, Omaha, or even live dealer poker, these strategies, and practice methods will help you achieve sweet victory.

1. Take a Tutorial

There are so many variations of online poker, especially here at Cool Cat Casino.

Before you start wagering money of your own, we recommend playing a tutorial so you can get a feel for the rules and dynamics of the gameplay.

If you don’t have time for a full tutorial, we offer quick guides on all variations you can think of! At least take a few minutes to check them out before playing for real money.

2. Know the Odds

First thing’s first: poker is not simply a game of luck. A lot of what it takes to win any variation of poker is to know the odds, hand rankings, and anticipating what card will be dealt next.

While we are not suggesting card counting, it is still possible for even the most amateur players to do a little research and know the best hand to play and which cards to seek out.

3. Practice

Obviously, you can’t win unless you play. A lot of practice can equal a lot of wins. CoolCat Casino offers players the chance to practice any variation entirely for free before they are comfortable enough with the game to wager their own money.

Test out different variations and see which one works best for your playing style. Once you’re really comfortable, you can play with your bankroll with a higher chance of winning big!

4. Know When to Fold

Knowing when to fold is one of the most important skills all new poker players should learn. This is the key when it comes to keeping money (chips) and being able to continue to play winning hands. Since you cannot see the cards that your opponents are holding, becoming familiar with the deck and how other players play is a good strategy.

Betting too aggressively can backfire and lead to huge losses. As the late Kenny Rogers once said, “You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em. Know when to fold ‘em.”

5. Understand Bluffing

Sometimes you’re dealt a bad hand, and sometimes you can win a lot of money with that very hand. Bluffing is a well-known strategy that even beginners can practice. The point of a good bluff is to convince your opponents that your hand is better than it actually is, causing them to fold. Not every bluff has to be a high stake, an all-in game changer.

One example of a way to add a few chips to your stack without too much risk is known as blind-stealing. To use this technique, you’ll need to make it to the final three of a poker game. In other words, there’ll be only you and the two blinds when you’re in the dealer’s position. Following the initial deal, it can be advantageous to do a small raise from this position. If the blinds don’t have playable cards, they’ll fold instead of simply checking to the flop. This can add a buck or two to your pot without incurring too much risk. It won’t make you rich, but every dollar counts, right?

It is also easy to bluff when you are in the last position. The last position at the table gives you the ability to make more successful bluffs because you can get an idea of what hands the players before you have. If you are the last to play, and everyone before you has checked, this shows their weakness. This scenario is the perfect opportunity to practice your bluffing skills and hopefully win the pot.

6. Value Betting

Value betting could be considered logical, yet optimistic betting. With this strategy, you’re betting on what you think will be the best hand. Look at your cards and the cards in the river. Analyze what you think your opponents have been dealt and what card will be dealt next. Play your hand as if you have the strongest hand possible given the circumstances.

The trick is to bet an amount that will net you a significant win without scaring off the other players. Luring your opponents against your strong cards is the best way to make some serious money playing poker.

Learn to read your opponents and push them to their limits. If your intuition about the value bet is correct, these mistakes will result in huge boosts to your chip stack.

7. Bet Sizing

Simply knowing when to bet isn’t enough to win at the poker tables. You’ll also need to understand how to effectively size your bet. Consider, for example, that your goal is to force your opponent to fold. You don’t want to push all-in and hope for the best. On the contrary, you want to bet as little as possible to get the job done. Most opponents will fold to a smaller bet just as often as they will to a full-pot-size bet, so there’s no reason for excess risk.

On the other side of the coin, sometimes, you’ll want your opponent to call. When you’re making a value bet, you’ll want to make the highest bet that you think your opponent will call. Knowing your opponents is key to success at the poker tables.

Making a $20 bet when a $10 bet will achieve the same result may not seem like that big of a deal, but bets occur on every single hand that you play. Over the long run, shifting your strategy by a few dollars can add up to some serious cash in your pocket. Knowing how and when to bet in poker can depend on a wide variety of factors. Your opponents are the key to your success, so study their actions and take note of any potential weaknesses.

8. Study Body Language

All Ways To Win In Poker

This tactic is specifically for those playing live poker at a table with human opponents. As humans, it is often hard for us to hold back what we are thinking and feeling. Even if you consider yourself to be a “closed-book” type of person, there are still so many giveaways that we are not even conscious of.

Professional poker players have kept these cues under lock, but when you are playing against intermediate players, you can closely study their faces and determine whether or not they have a good hand.

Some players might look away from the table briefly, off into the distance, if they have a band hand. They are mentally checking out of the game. Their jaws might clench briefly or they might give an intense stare if they are happy with the hand they’ve been dealt. Learning to pick up on these very subtle clues will help you determine when to fold, check, or raise.

9. Switch up Your Tricks

Using the same trick every time will let others know what to look for and will ultimately cause the player to lose. The tricks can include betting high/low when a good hand is involved, folding early, checking instead of betting, raising, or just sitting back and going with the flow.

Switching up these tricks can confuse others and show that the player knows what he/she is doing. One trick that some people choose to use is playing all-in even when they do not have a good hand. Most people will not be scared by this and the one who does it will run out of chips sooner. The only situation in which this trick helps is when there aren’t many chips left and it is a last-resort option.

Switch up your playing style and try out new moves to keep your opponents in the dark. You can try these strategies online before playing with your friends.

10. Play According to Your Opponents

One of the best ways to improve your poker skills is to watch others play. When you observe others, you can get a much better feel of the intricacies and basic guidelines of the game. Learn by example, do as others do — especially if they are much better poker players than you are.

You can be a brilliant poker player, but it does require some work. No one is born knowing how to play, so if they can learn and win big, so can you.

How To Win Poker Every Time

11. Have Patience

Ways To Win A Hand In Poker

Whether the game is being played online or in a parlor or casino, the best strategy overall is to be patient.

Don’t expect to win your first time at the table, and don’t get disappointed when you lose. All of the best poker players in the world have lost at some point. The trick is to not let it get you down.

When you lose a hand and become frustrated, your opponents can see that and will play off your weakness. Keep a cool level head at all times, and don’t go chasing your losses! Continue to practice and your skills will come.

Get to Playing!

Now that you know these 11 expert tips to win online poker, why not take a test drive? Head on over to our casino room and practice your skills. Don’t be afraid to mix things up, and don’t be afraid to lose.

Experience is the key to success. With a little persistence, you can be on your way to huge wins in no time!

Good luck!