Poker Tips That'll Make Your Game Better Right Now

These suggestions, of course, won't show you how to win every pot – even the greatest players in the world can't do that. But they'll put you in the right direction (if you're new) or add to what you already know (if you're an experienced grinder). If you wish to practice and improve your skills, you can always try playing poker games in online casinos, which present an easy and convenient way of playing and perfecting your strategy.

Narrow Your Preflop Ranges

It is one of the simplest and quickest methods of improving your overall play to improve and get your preflop game tighter.

Fortunately, developing solid preflop ranges these days is a simple matter. You can simply download pretested charts by pros and stick with them religiously.

It is especially important to stick to the charts when you are tired, experience a brief "card dead" stretch or downswings, play tables (for any reason), or play live at one table. It’s crucial not to start playing “extra” hands due to boredom or tilt. If you’re temporarily not getting good hands or there are too few tables available, don't try to force things. Instead, focus on observing your opponents, their tactics, and the cards they show at the showdown. Don’t let yourself get impatient and play junk hands.

Don’t Be Afraid to "Pull the Trigger" with Your Bluffs

The majority of players, especially on low limits, are too fearful to make huge bluffs, which makes them highly exploitable and easy to read for considerate players, who eventually stop rewarding them. They end up losing a great deal of value.

You must be the aggressor who brings fear and doubt to your competitors with relentless aggression and pressure in large pots, although this may not always be successful in single hands. In the long run, it will make you a tough and dangerous player, someone no one wants to play against unless they have a strong hand, and everyone will want to play conservatively against you, which will provide you with much greater value with your strong hands.

Naturally, against bad players (fish), you don't want to bluff that much to them, since they won't catch on and will merely "insert" blindly, without thinking, merely looking at their two cards. But if the fish is a "fit or fold" player, then bluffing is definitely worthwhile. But this is more of a rule-breaking exception.

Don't Change Your Bankroll Management or Training When Things Are Going Well

Every serious professional poker player probably has a friend who won a big tournament and then kept winning even more in cash games with higher stakes they've never played before.

Keep in mind that poker is a game of ups and downs. In order to weather the downswings, you need to play sensibly and not let your head get carried away when playing during the upswings.

I'm not saying don't celebrate or feel proud of your victories. Go ahead and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Just remember, a hot streak does not qualify you as a poker god, and downswings are inevitable.

Don't Inflate Pots with Medium Strength Hands

Medium strength hands would normally be played passively as they rarely have the opportunity to win large pots. The one exception is if you need to make the opponent fold out equity.

This is a hand that will play best when utilized as a bluff-catcher, and it also enables you to enhance your general checking range. Playing medium hands passively is included in good strategy. You and your opponents should be sure that you can have strong hands regardless of situation and circumstance.

Game Select, Table Select, and Select Again!

You should always put the conditions on yourself with the best edge. That's why, when you're playing poker, it's better to keep your ego outside. 

It's more preferable to play at a lower limit against fish than to labor at near break-even at tougher tables full of regs. Not only is it more profitable, but playing against fish will also stress and variancer you less.

In addition, a near-break-even game might mean that you are not quite ready for that level, and as such it would be preferable to step away and return later when you are ready.

Play Strong Hands Quick and Aggressively

For myself, I am pained when a player checks out the nut flush on the flop and subsequently makes some small bet on the river in order to garner just a handful of pennies.

Slow playing is a common mistake for most players who don't want to "scare" the opponent.

With strong hands, in most cases, bet, bet, and bet again to build the pot and protect your equity. But it doesn't imply that there is no room for slow playing in poker. You can check with strong hands when:

• The chance of being outdrawn is low
• There are not a great number of scary cards left in the deck that can prevent you from receiving value on future streets
• Your opponent range is heavily tilted to hands with zero showdown value

But if you're not certain whether to bet or not, just bet! Sure, it's annoying when you have an overcard hand, and the opponent folds, but it's worse if you get outdrawn or lose value.

Play Twice as Long as You Practice Learning, but Make Sure That You're Still Practicing!

Practice is required to be a professional poker player. But poker is a game that must practice thoroughly. When we do not practice, we will be unable to apply the theory that we have learned away from the table and will be out of touch with the game and its rhythm.

The majority of decisions you make at the poker table will come to be automatic. You will go long periods of time without practicing and these decisions will become less and less automatic, and worse for that, the more significant they are. This is why you need to play a lot in order to keep your mind sharp and maintain the rhythm of the game.

But it's also necessary to spend time learning: reading poker strategy, learning new poker software, analyzing hands and new lines on poker forums, watching videos, streams, etc. And if you're a complete newb, make sure to memorize poker hand ranks in detail first.

If You Don't Know Whether Your River Bet Is Bluff or Value, Don't Bet!

This is a common mistake for new players and even sometimes more experienced grinders. It usually happens in this scenario: your opponent checks the river, and you have a medium-strength hand, so you bet. but you fail to consider how dangerous the board is, how the action went down on previous streets, or how your opponents typically play. So the opponent calls, and you lose to a slightly stronger hand.

On the river, you should bet with a polarized range. Bet with a range consisting of nothing but value hands and bluffs, and check with all your other hands.

The key is, as soon as you arrive at the river, you will not get any more cards, so you do not have to protect your equity. Either your hand beats or it doesn't. You just need to check with your medium-strength hands and win the pot in the showdown.

There is always time and place for stack protection and living in a tournament, but the early game is not that place. This is one of the most common mistakes among many players.

You must realize that to get "in the money" in a tournament, you must have more than triple your original stack (and usually greater still). So rather than play it safe and aim to stay alive, you need to play tight, aggressive poker early to develop a deep stack.

If you find yourself with a short stack and closing in on the "bubble," then you can then switch to a survival and waiting mode.

Do Not Rush Your Decisions, Take the Time Bank to Think It Over

Poker is a game that is complex. You must break it down and think about many factors in order to make the best decision.

In reality, your options are limited: check, call, bet, raise, or fold (and bet sizing). Yet, it's not always certain which of those actions will bring you the best expected value (EV).

That is why you never have to rush into decisions. A second or two longer can lead you to a very crucial detail you might have otherwise missed, and it will also prevent you from making emotional decisions. This will save you loads of money in the long run.

I'm sure you've all got into an instant-call on the river, then wished it later because you put yourself into an emotional place and sacrificed something of value.

Of course, don't go to extremes and spend 15 seconds folding 95o preflop. Only use the time bank in serious spots, especially on the river.

Make Poker Friends

It is not easy to play poker alone. Over time, your vision becomes clouded, there are preconceptions, and you just need a fresh vision.

Having 2-3 poker buddies available, getting the right strategy and eliminating biases will be much easier.

Poker friends are especially useful during long downswings. During such lean times, they can prove to be a great assistance, and since they play poker as well, their assistance will be especially useful to you. And, of course, don't forget to assist them as well!