Free Poker Strategies and Tips for New Players

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Many people start off thinking that poker is a pretty easy game, they couldn’t be more wrong. Poker is pretty complex evenwhen playing free poker. When you get to the deeper advanced play level then math as well as sophisticated people skills become a must to become a great player.

There are however basic skills, and playing scenarios that as a new player are not so hard to pick up and will help you get some wins going. Read my poker terms glossary to find out what the terms used below mean.

Start by playing only decent cards.
Pocket pairs, Aces with high kickers, and suited connectors are a good start.

As you become more comfortable, then you can expand the hands you play to suit different circumstances and opposing players

Knowing how to bet is a must.
Generally limping into a hand, this is where there is no raise when you bet, is a good start.

This can help you in a couple ways. It does not allow other players a “tell” (meaning you give away an indication of what your hand might be) and it also allows you to play, and not put too much of your chip stack in play.

Now, there are times you need to call a raise, or make one yourself.
If you have a killer hand like a pocket pair, learn how to raise and call. Don’t limp in!.

This will greatly reduce your chances of a winning hand. The more cards out, the greater the chances of straights, flushes, or even higher winning hands become.

Now when you make a raise, the general rule is too bet the pot amount, this is the total amount on the table when the betting comes to you.

Of course this all changes based on the number of players at a table, and the chip stack in front of you. If you have a very good hand, and a pot bet would put more then 50% of your total stack in play, then it is better to go All-In. This will also help in keeping weaker hands from calling.

It is important for new players to pay attention at the table too.
One of the biggest and most important part of playing poker is watching and paying attention to the other players. Poker tournaments are great for this as you can sit and observe for the first couple of table rounds without it costing you too many chips.

Also, with all the books, and web sites promoting poker, its always a good idea to read, and learn. Poker is a fantastic game, and can be very rewarding. Like anything you want to do well, practice play free poker sites and study and you’ll win more and more.

Posted in Games