Whether you’re new to poker or an old pro looking to improve, the best way to learn the game is by studying poker strategy. This includes examining your own hands and learning from other players. Many players write books about their own strategies, but it’s important to develop a poker strategy that is uniquely your own.
To begin with, you need to understand the basic rules of poker. This includes understanding hand rankings and the meaning of positions at the table (e.g. the Cut-Off position is more profitable than playing Under the Gun).
Once you have a firm grasp of the basics, you can move on to studying poker strategy and learning how to read other players. This is an essential skill for improving your winning percentage at the poker table. This type of study can be done by watching video clips of professional poker players or reading articles and forums about the game.
Study the players at your poker table – pay attention to their betting patterns and watch for tells. Tells are not just the subtle physical poker tells you’ve seen in the movies like fiddling with your chips or scratching your nose, but can also be based on how often a player raises, checks or calls during a betting round. For example, if a player who usually raises every time they play checks during a betting round it is a good indicator that they have a strong poker hand.
