With so many different parts of the game, poker can be very confusing. Not only do you have to know which hands are the best, but you also need to understand how to bet. Add that to the fact that there are so many different games and variations of poker and you’ll see why people get confused easily. A great way of learning the basics is to study up on the theory and then watch some of the greats in poker putting their knowledge to play. But, you can’t learn how effectively utilise and even break the rules if you don’t know them well enough.

Take a look below to learn more about the basics of poker.

Play Aggressively

The first basic thing you need to know about playing poker is to play aggressively. While you don’t want to be overly aggressive or have a big ego, you dont’ want to be aggressive enough to get respect at the table. Respect means you won’t be walked all over and you can show that you’re a serious player. By playing aggressively with every hand, you have a higher chance of winning the pot.

Look for Tells

Another basic tip is to look for tells. By studying and learning to recognize as many as you can, you’ll have an easier time being able to tell what kind of hand your opponent has and whether or not they’re bluffing. Keep in mind, not everyone has visible tells or ones that are commonly known, so try and pay attention and pick up on anything you might think is a tell. If you aren’t sure, watch when your opponent does the action and see what the outcome of the hand is. To learn more about the real life applications of looking for tells, check out this video.

Be Careful with Bluffing

With bluffing, there are many things that can happen. On one hand, you might end up winning the pot but, on the other hand, you might end up losing. If the cards and board are in your favor, then it’s probably a good idea to bluff and if they aren’t, then you might want to reconsider. If your opponent is winning on the board and you are winning with the board and cards in your hand, then it might be a good idea to bluff and try to get them to fold.

Play Within Your Budget

Another great tip that people tend to overlook is that you should play within your budget. It can be easy to get carried away and spend way more money than you were expecting. You should take a certain amount of cash and stop playing when you run out. To help stick to this, it might be a good idea to leave anything with funds at home, like a bank card or credit card. 

Poker Hands

Since the whole point of poker is to have the best hand, it’s important to know what the different hands are. We’ve listed the hands below and the one on the bottom is the best.

  • High card-highest ranking card
  • Pair-2 cards of the same number
  • 2 Pair-2 cards of the same number twice
  • Three of a kind-3 cards of the same number
  • Straight-5 cards in numerical order
  • Flush-5 cards of the same suit
  • Full house-3 cards of the same number and 2 cards of the same number
  • Four of a kind-4 cards of the same number
  • Straight flush-5 cards of the same suit that are in numerical order
  • Royal flush-5 highest ranking cards of the same suit

Now that you know the most important aspects of poker, you’re ready to start playing. No matter what the situation is, keep these basics in your mind. You’ll play a better game and you’ll be ready for any situation that might come your way.