Gambling Alpha
Starting out in poker can be a daunting challenge for many people. You know you’re likely to be facing tougher opponents who are experienced and know more strategy. Fortunately, there are things a rookie can do to improve their chances. So, if you’re relatively new to poker or consistently lose, have no fear as we will share seven things you can do to have a better shot at the poker tables.
1. Take Advantage Of Guides
There are at least a dozen strong poker training sites around all giving away free guides to help new players. If you’ve not already done this then why not? They are free tools that you can access easily. Most of these guides will detail the basics of poker, offer some explanation of pot odds and give you a good idea of preflop poker hand ranges too. This is an invaluable resource for players who struggle to know which hands to play and definitely a must for anyone trying to get a handle on the fundamentals of Texas Hold’em.
2. Watch YouTube Videos
Another neat resource is poker videos that can be watched at no cost on YouTube. This social media tool is a fantastic way to learn poker strategies. A quick search on YouTube shows there are hundreds of poker channels offering engaging content. We recommend you subscribe to 3 or 4 and check in every week. The quality of content will differ from one to another but if you subscribe to the ones with the most traffic, you should be seeing some of the best poker videos online.
3. Join A Poker Forum
Chatting poker with other players is an effective way of improving. You can ask questions, give answers and get personalised feedback from likeminded people. A forum is a brilliant way of understanding how other players think. Best of all, they are almost always free to join. All you need is your name and email and you’re all set.
A poker forum is great as you will get fresh and relevant ideas from the community. Things like game theory optimal poker and exploitative poker strategy are discussed in great detail. These are concepts you wouldn’t find quite as easy without forums.
4. Buy Poker Software
We’re living in an age where AI is all around and poker is no different. The poker stat tracking software is a massive weapon that winning players to exploit weaker opponents. It provides key details like how many hands they play, how often they raise before the flop and more. By utilising this software, you will be able to maximise your edge and increase your win rate.
5. Invest In Poker Training
If you’re in a hurry to learn poker and develop then you may want to consider poker training. Whilst it’s not a cheap way of improving it can certainly accelerate your learning. A poker coach will usually charge an hourly rate (at least $100) but they are adept at imparting students with knowledge quickly and effectively. Sometimes a few hours with an expert poker coach are all that is needed to turn a loser into a winning player.
6. Set Time To Study
The winning players are not reaching a level then stopping their development. You know how they continue to improve and win regularly? They dedicate time every week to study. This comes in various forms but it is all designed to help the improve and maintain a good win rate. So, if you want to bridge the gap, we recommend setting aside a couple hours every week to learning key concepts. You can use this time to perform a review of your hands or perhaps read a poker book? Anything that can help you learn more about poker.
7. Accept Bad Luck As Part Of Poker
One of the greatest challenges rookies face is dealing with bad luck. So many players might potentially be winners if they did not suffer from the big problem in poker – tilt. Tilt is where you react poorly to a hand or situation that derails you from your A game. It makes you play worse and cause you to lose more money. To rectify this, you need to change your mindset about poker and accept bad luck is part of poker. We all suffer from bad runs and bad beats so the sooner you accept it the better you will be for it.