Improve Your Poker Game in 4 Simple Steps

Posted by Harry Kane on Friday, February 12, 2021

While poker may have once dominated the burgeoning iGaming space at the turn of the century, it has since been overtaken by games such roulette, blackjack and slots (which currently account for more than two-thirds of the total online GGY).

While poker’s halcyon days may be long gone, however, this niche retains a cult following of interested players, while the first quarter of 2020 saw and unexpected boom in poker revenues throughout the UK.

In this post, we’ll offer some actionable tips on how you can increase your poker game and compete more aggressively with the best players.

1. Play Fewer Hands, But Play Them Aggressively

Despite its name, there’s a limit on precisely how many starting hands you can play before the flop in No Limit Texas Hold ‘em (which is one of the most popular poker iterations in the world).

However, it’s always wise to minimise the number of starting hands that you play as a general rule, as this may cause you to seep your chip stack and see your bankroll eroded in absolutely no time at all.

Instead, you’d be far better served by playing a smaller number of tight playtable hands within a specified period of time, prioritising quality over quantity and ensuring that your bankroll is managed with relative caution in the process.

Not only this, but you’ll also have to play these hands with a consistent level of aggression, as this will enable you to wager in a committed manner and disguise the strength of the actual hand in your possession at any given time.

Make no mistake; the aggression and intensity that you play with should be applied without exception, even in instances where you hold speculative cards such as the six or seven of spades.

This represents the best and most effective pre-flop poker strategy, creating a quick and relatively easy way for you to optimise your profitability over time.

Just remember that you’ll need to have confidence in your wagering strategy if you’re to play convincingly and with aggression over time, while discipline is also a prerequisite when ensuring that you don’t invest too much in the wrong hand.

Ultimately, this will ensure that you’re incredibly difficult to play against, while it also makes it far easier to manage your bankroll effectively and avoid overpaying at the worst possible times.

2. Never, ever be the First Player to Limp

In case you don’t know, the term ‘limping’ refers to the process of only calling the big bind pre-flop when you’re the first player to enter a pot.

The reason that you may not know this is that it’s an action very rarely taken by players, and there are a couple of primary reasons for this.

Firstly, you can’t win the pot before the pot before the flop in the same way that you could if you raised, so this is a significant admission of defeat before you’ve even got out of the gate.

Secondly, this action affords those behind you incredibly enticing pot odds, making it far more likely that the maximum number of players choose to play their hand. This can create intense levels of competition and make you less likely to win the pot, so it’s the type of decision that lacks any kind of merit or strategic thought.

Of course, you can limp in instances where at least one other player has done this before you, as this will afford you superior pot odds to join the action. This is commonly referred to as over-limping, and it’s something to look out for if you want to hit something good and rewarding on the flop.

3. Try to Fast Play Your Strong Hands to Increase Returns

Slow-playing is a common mistake amongst new or inexperienced players, as well as those who are risk-averse and simply too afraid to chase their opponents out of the pot when they have stronger hands.

While this type of misjudgement is usually eradicated over time, you can still take proactive steps to identify this as a potential flaw from the outset and strive to play your strongest hands quickly and aggressively at all times.

The question that remains, of course, is how can determine the strength of your hand post-flop? Well, if it’s unlikely that you will be outdrawn, you can definitely look to fast play your hand and strive to drive home your advantage as effectively as possible.

Also, give some consideration to the number of scare cards in play, and whether there may be any obstacles that may prevent you from getting paid on later streets.

Also, you may proceed if your opponent’s range is heavily weighted toward hands that hold no showdown value, but don’t be afraid to proceed with caution if you feel uncertain at any point during the hand.

Remember, the explanation of fast and slow playing techniques is incredibly in-depth but following these basic rules will help you to make the most of the former and your strongest hands.

4. Last, but Not Least, Fold When You’re Unsure

While we’ve spoken about how to play with confidence and aggression, this doesn’t mean that you can’t fold when the circumstances allow.

In fact, too many players make the mistake of correlating a folded hand with weakness, when in fact the ability to lay down even a good hand (such as a pair of Aces) often separates from players from those who are less successful.

Make no mistake; you should never be afraid to fold your hand and minimise your losses, as the failure to do this can often lead to slashed bankrolls within a very short period of time.

However, developing this ability takes time and experience, particularly as the notion of folding goes against our natural instincts. After all, our minds are naturally curious and motivated by success, and this compels us to see hands through to their conclusion and satisfy our most basic and inherent instincts as individuals.

Just try to bear in mind that failing to fold remains the single quickest way to lose at poker and make an effort to retrain your brain when playing online.

This should enable you to make informed decisions in real-time, particularly in instances where you’re simply unsure and unclear on how exactly to proceed.