When you play poker, you place bets with other players in the hopes of winning a hand. You have to learn how to read other people and pick up on their tells. Then, you have to understand how to adjust your own game to exploit these tells. Ultimately, this is the only way to win consistently.
One of the first things you’ll want to work on is understanding how to bluff. Many new players will bluff by betting a lot with terrible cards, but this is not only ineffective — it’s also a huge waste of your own money. Instead, you should try to work out what range of hands your opponent could have and then make a call or raise based on that.
If you don’t have a strong starting hand, you can say “fold” to put your cards down for the current round and forfeit the pot. You can also say “call” to match the previous bet and continue in the round. You can also “raise” if you want to increase the initial bet and challenge other players to either match it or re-raise.
The key is to stay focused and disciplined even when you’re tired or frustrated with the game. Human nature will always try to derail your plan — you’ll be tempted to make a bad call or an ill-advised bluff. But if you can resist those temptations and stick to your plan, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a good poker player.
