Poker Tips

Pay attention. Watch who's playing in an aggressive or loose way and who's playing tight, try to play the loose players and avoid the tight players, unless you've got a strong hand.

Watch the chips. Always be aware of everyone's chip count. Know who has more chips than you and play more carefully against them - a mistake could knock you out. It's usually better to play pots with players who have fewer chips than you do.

No match. If your cards don't match any of the community cards, throw your hand away when someone else bets. You bluff by making big bets, not calling big bets!

Ace in the hand. Don't play every time you have an ace in your hand. However, play an ace if it's accompanied by a card of the same suit or by a 10 or higher.

Hands to stay with before the flop. Play with pairs (7-7, 9-9), two face cards (K-Q, Q-J), or hands that can make both a straight and a flush (8-9, 6-7 of the same suit). Be patient and fold other hands, unless you're in the blind.

Good hand? Bet strong. In no-limit Texas Hold'em, players can bet all of their chips at any time, so bet aggressively when you have a good hand.

Watch and wait. Play fewer hands when you're one of the first players to act, because you'll be 'out of position' and vulnerable to raises from the remaining players.

Wait your turn. Do not act until it is your turn; play proceeds clockwise at the poker table.

Be a 'bettor,' not a 'caller'. Being aggressive is good.

Call their bluff. If someone raises in a late position (near or on the button), re-raise them a good amount if you are on the blind. Chances are, they don't have a big hand and they're just trying to steal your blinds. (This style of play, known as going 'over the top', is probably the strongest play one can make in no-limit Texas Hold'em.)

Be patient. The biggest mistake most players make is to act too quickly. When you're making an important decision pause to think about how the betting has gone and what your opponent might have. Take your time.

Poker Table Seating Tips

After Loose Players. If you have a chance to watch the table before sitting down, try to sit to the left of (after) the most aggressive (loosest) player at the table. That way, if they raise aggressively, you will be saved having to call and fold on a questionable hand.

After the Big Fish. The player at the table with the most money may be a fish with more money than brains, or they may be the best player at the table and have legitimately won all that money. In either case, you want to be immediately after them, so that you can make your decisions based upon their raises, which are likely to be frequent and sizeable. The last thing you want is someone like that after you constantly raising your bet, frequently forcing you to fold after having already made an investment into the pot.

After an Out-of-Position Player. If you can see that someone frequently plays out of position, betting with mediocre cards in early position, or folding too often in late position with a table full of players, then you want to play after them. I know of a couple of players who love flush draws even in early positions, so I try to sit to the right of them. Playing out of position is the sign of a bad player, and you should take advantage of them before someone else does.

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The truth lies in the eyes. When you are in the card rooms or you are enjoying poker on television you will generally see a number of players at the tables sporting hats, sunglasses or sometimes players will be wearing both. The reasoning behind this, other than the sole purpose of advertising is that those players know that the eyes rarely tell a lie. For instance, when players are holding big pocket cards they will typically give them a little longer glance than usual. So, keep your eyes on your opponents' eyes throughout the rounds.

Facial expressions. The stare down is a common trait that many poker players use as a way to try and intimidate their opponents, and to try and get a read on what their opponents' are thinking. Many players try to avoid the confrontation of a stare down, and one way they do this is by wearing a hat and looking down at the table. Some players will wear hats and shades so if they do get confronted with a stare down they are really not providing their opponents with much information. Often times, players will try to study your face to locate signs of nervousness (such as twitching, or repetitive swallowing) to try and get any type of information on you with regards to the strengths of your hand, whether it's strong or weak.

Weak is strong/strong is weak. You will find that many players sitting at the tables like to believe they are actors starring in a major motion picture in Hollywood. The acting comes in to play when players have weak hand and they like to play it off as if they have big hand, and when they have a weak hand they try to make like they have the nuts. You will also find that players will sometimes pretend to lose interest in a hand when they have a real strong hand and they will come up with comments like "is it my bet", "how much is it to me", or "Ah why not, might as well gamble". Remember, every player should know when it is their turn to play and when they should be betting. Just keep in mind that everybody's actions are a reflection of what they are holding.

Signs of distress. Often times when players get confronted or they know a confrontation is coming they will generally suffer from distress. During periods of distress, players will sometimes display changes in their physical appearance, such as: the flexing of muscles, dilated pupils, and a dry throat. Typically these physical changes occur when a player is sitting on a big hand. A good way to determine the strengths of your opponent's hands is to listen to your opponents' voice when they announce their intentions, or even when you confront them on a hand. Their voice will tend to get just a little bit higher. Another situation that the professionals use a great deal is they look at the vein on the top-side of their opponents face, and this shows the changes in blood pressure.

Shaking of the hands at crunchtime. This is also another result of distress. You might sometimes notice that when players have big hands their hands begin to shake, and that represents a sign of nervousness. You need to watch how your opponents play with their chips (is it faster or slower than normal), as well as if players fumble their stack of chips when they are moving them into the pot (if they are nervous, they sometimes will drop a few chips, or even knock over a portion of their stack). This is not an intentional tell and it almost always means a huge hand, and they are excited.

Chip glancing. This topic encourages you to shift your focus to your opponents' eyes once again. Typically the first instinct of many players when they have made something on the flop is to take a peak at their chip stack (they are already figuring out their attack). This will tell you that your opponent has something, so focusing in on your opponents' eyes will tell you a lot.

Staring through the flop. This is the total opposite of the previous tell, as player's takes glances at their chips when they hit big, more often than not player's will stare blankly at the flop when they miss it. Typically when a player is looking at the flop like he's trying to find some sort of hand in there, it means he's missed.

Repetitive betting patterns. Poker players, especially amateurs, will almost always bet certain amounts in certain situations. This happens because they think that the amount they bet is the right amount for that situation. So be aware of what they bet when they have top pair after the flop, or if they have the nut flush draw. These betting patterns will give you a good idea of what their next bet could potentially mean.

A second look at their holecards. This most often occurs when a flop comes out with all of the cards representing the same suit. Then the player takes a second glance at their pocket cards. They are checking to see if one of their cards matches the suit on the board. It usually means that their cards aren't suited, and they do not have the flush but they may well have a flush-draw.

Player's table posture. A lot of times the posture of a poker player can give you plenty of information. For example, once the cards have come up and you notice a player all of a sudden slumps their shoulders this is usually a reflection of a weak hand. But, if a player all of a sudden sits up high in their chair and becomes very alert, this represents a sign of strength.

The player's chip stacks When you first arrive at a table take a moment and study the way your opponents have arranged their chip stacks. The player's that have unorganized chip stacks typically represents a loose aggressive player. On the other hand, a player that keeps their chip stacks nice and organized is generally a reflection of a tight conservative player.

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