Every year a batch of adults are legally allowed to play online poker. I know the age differs depending on where you are on the globe but there are loads of you trying poker for the first time. Many of you are swamped with poker content on social media or in gambling forums but it can be hard to filter good beginner poker tips from bad. Fear not as this article will give solid advice to help new players on their journey. This post won’t make you a winner over night but it will provide enough food for thought to get you moving in the right direction.
Tip 1) Play Aggressively
Sometimes, what separates bad and good players is only the aggressiveness they employ. It doesn’t matter whether you want to play loads of hands or few, aggressive poker wins and is necessary to achieving a profitable strategy. Therefore, make sure you are raising or re-raising when you enter the pots. Limping in is bad and will surely receive unwanted attention from other players who will iso-raise you constantly.
Tip 2) Play within Your Means
Gambling responsibly and within your bankroll is just good sense. Every self-respecting poker player respects the foundations of bankroll management. It just means play in games you can afford to lose at. You don’t want to be constantly reloading or losing buy-ins that mean you’re dipping into funds that are ringfenced for personal things away from poker.
Tip 3) Ensure You Fully Understand the Rules!
The easiest beginner poker tips of all but should not be lost on some of you. Grasping the fundamentals of Texas Hold’em is absolutely essential. Knowing the poker phrases isn’t enough. It doesn’t take long to learn the rules so make sure you understand the basics and a bit extra so you can at least be competitive when you sit down. Luckily, we’ve created a poker cheat sheet that can help you easily. You can download this for free below.
Tip 4) Avoid Twitch
Sorry to any streamers out there but good poker content is few and far between on Twitch. The time it takes to find any meaningful content is best spent elsewhere. Therefore, we recommend avoiding Twitch altogether, if you are using it to learn anyway. Most Twitch poker channels are just a form of entertainment; they not offering any content that will better you as players.
Tip 5) Study Regularly
It doesn’t matter how experienced you are you can always learn more poker strategy. This beginner poker tip is even more important for new players that are just starting in the poker world. You must study regularly to ensure you’re learning new ideas and things that will help you develop as a player. Each new topic will enhance your game and open your mind to other ways of playing that will help you exploit weaker opponents.
Tip 6) Use Poker Software
I know a lot of new players are unfamiliar with technology available and the poker software you can access. Taking advantage of poker stat tracking programmes will help you make better long-term decisions. It is something the best players are using to improve their ROI and definitely needs to be trialled before dismissing it. If you’re not familiar with the best software, head over to our poker resources page where we recommend some of the best poker tools online.
Tip 7) Only Play When Happy & Rested
This isn’t one of our technical beginner poker tips but I felt it’s necessary to point out. So many new players make the mistake of playing when they’re not in the right frame of mind or tired. This is a recipe for disaster. Think about it, if you’re new to poker, you’re already at a disadvantage. By adding fatigue or negative poker psychology to it is only going to make your task harder. Therefore, resist playing when you’re shattered or unhappy. Poker should be a fun experience played in good spirits, not when you’re in a bad place.
Tip 8) Play Selectively (both hand & game)
Hand and game selection are independent of each other but both point to the same thing – be shrewd. When you are starting out in poker you should be careful in choosing what hands to play and what tables to sit at. We recommend playing a standard tight aggressive game and exploiting other players who overplay. We also recommend playing on the softest poker sites and taking advantage of bonuses like the GGPoker bonus code offered to new registrations. There are no prizes for playing in higher games or tougher poker sites. Stick to the easier games and avoid LAG poker initially.
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Narciso Baldo
Narciso Baldo is the Director and Head Coach of Texas Hold'em Questions. He has been playing poker for over 16 years. After spending many years as a professional, he now runs UK poker training site Texas Hold'em Questions. Narciso regularly writes poker articles sharing tips, strategy, news and experience with gambling enthusiasts. Narciso also writes for reputable gambling portal Casino City Times, (bio here). Contact: info@texasholdemquestions.com
