Referral Code Full Tilt

Trying to explain how to be good at online poker isn’t the easiest thing in the world.  And for a beginner it’s even harder to break into playing the game, for a start can you imagine yourself, a brand new poker rookie going to a casino and playing people who have been doing it for years. It’s going to be a hard learning curve. Before the internet and on-line gambling most people probably cut their teeth at home playing friends and family. I personally learned to play with my father and brothers (along with a multitude of other traditionally perceived, working class, male activities, such as bowling and pool.) I then graduated onto on-line poker and only after tons of research and practice ventured into a casino to play. Even then it was quite a nerve racking experience.

Well nowadays poker is a game many more people play, mainly due to the success and accessibility of on-line poker. Some would argue that it is killing the casino industry, but in many respects I think it is increasing the games popularity, especially when considering the TV coverage tournaments are getting and the characters it has generated. People in their early twenties have made themselves millionaires over night off the back of on-line playing, and generally poker has a buzz around it and an acceptability that it might not have had until recently.

However lets get back to you the beginner. I would suggest that in order to develop your game you actually join an on-line poker site. It will be far less intimidating than playing face to face, and often as not, you can cut your teeth on some very low priced games, so rather than betting on thousands like in the movies or on TV you can play hands that will only cost you a few cents a hand (most sites work in dollars). The other massive benefit is that many of them have what is known as ‘free-roll’ games, basically free games in which you can actually earn real cash. Find a good site with a lot of these, as they are the life blood for a poker beginner and play as many of them as you can.

On-line sites will also have ‘play’ games like Full Tilt Poker or PokerStars (in which you don‘t win any money, but can gain loads of experience), and as the sites make their money from the paying punters, the program itself is usually free to download, so you get to play many people across the world – and trust me this practice is invaluable. Also as I did, make the most of your family and friends, switch off the TV and get out the cards, you can bet with paper clips, the jar of lose change, sweets or even get yourself a cheap poker set with the chips. Think of it as like flying experience, a pilot can read all the books he wants, but they won’t know what its like to fly until they actually do it, and continuing that metaphor do it under safe circumstances before putting yourself at risk.

You can read hundreds of books about poker tactics (and I suggest you do) but remember poker is a game of luck and skill. Some people are sceptical of the skill involved in poker, they probably don’t play, but how you play your hand, even low cards will make a difference to the outcome. Luck is about odds, all beginners should familiarise themselves with the odds. But basically the chance of winning with a particular hand will match the value that hand will have.

This is why you will see more people winning with a pair (lowest winning combination), than you will with four of a kind (highest combination), bet cautiously if you are looking for more than 2 cards to make your hand the winner before the flop, and in most cases fold after the flop if you haven’t got at-least one of those cards. People do and will win on the last card (the river), but most winners will find their cards in the flop, and waiting for the river (to make anything) can be a costly and risky endeavour. Remember that, and you have the basic ammunition to play.