Many people who choose to play instant poker enjoy the casual element to the game that it offers. Below are a few fundamentals for newcomers to poker to consider before they go dipping their toes into the chip pool:
* Be patient – Poker is a game where patience is the key attribute of any successful player. Put in practical terms, this simply means knowing which hands you are going to be playing and having the patience to wait for them to be dealt. The best poker players generally only play 20-30% of the hands that they are dealt, so that translates to around 70% time that somebody else will be walking away with whatever is in the pot.
* Be aggressive – If you are going to play a hand, be aggressive with it. You will have no doubt had to wait a long time for these cards to fall into your lap, therefore it makes sense to make other people have to pay for the privilege of playing against them. You should be aiming to make player cringe when the action comes around to you by raising and re-raising. The only time you should consider when doing this is when you have the best possible hand for the cards that have been dealt (the “nut” hand), where you should ideally be feigning a weak hand, in order to milk more chips out of the unwary players who are still in the runnings.
* Keep your table image in mind – Other players can only gather an opinion of you by the hands you choose to play and how aggressively you play them. If you are seen to be a tight, aggressive player then this will pay off for you in the long run, when you want to bluff or raise the pot.
* Study your opponents – You should always pay attention to your opponents tendencies, this will help you to make informed decisions on how best to play your own hands, and the likelihood that your opponent has a hand worth folding against.
* Know when to stop – If you are having a bad streak, it is best to leave the table and come back at a later time. Poker is a game that requires your full concentration, so if you’re not on the ball you could very well be giving away your cash.