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Poker guide

Poker best practices

Tips for playing well, the most useful first.

  1. Play fewer hands, and stronger ones. Most starting hands are worth folding, especially from early on.
  2. Position matters. The later you act in a round, the more you know, so play more hands when you're last and fewer when you're first.
  3. Raise rather than just call to enter a pot. Raising can win it right there, and builds a pot when you're ahead.
  4. Size your bets to the pot, not to your mood. Half to three quarters of the pot is a good bet.
  5. Bet when you're probably ahead. A good hand that checks lets others see a free card.
  6. Compare the price to the prize. If a call costs a quarter of what's in the pot after it, you need to win at least one time in four.
  7. Count your outs: the cards that finish your draw. Each one is worth about 2% on the next card, 4% for both cards to come.
  8. Fold to a big bet when you only have a weak pair or a draw you're not getting the price for.
  9. Watch the stacks. A short stack should pick its spot and go all in. A big stack can put the pressure on.
  10. Don't bluff a player who calls everything. Bluff the careful ones, and only when the story of your bets makes sense.
  11. Think about what hands your opponent could have, not only your own. A player who raises every hand usually has less than one who only raises now and then.
  12. Don't chase losses. A hand doesn't owe you anything. Restart points is always there if you want a fresh start.