Online poker has experienced growth in the last 12 months, just like the rest of the online gambling industry. With flexible deposit options and legislation easing up in several American states, players are taking to the felt in high numbers. That’s why we’re dedicating this article to giving you seven quick win tips to improving your skills in 2024. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you will be pumped up and ready to improve your poker skills. Remember though, all the skills in this article require some input from you. It’s impossible to become an expert at anything without hard work. So, if you’re reading this hoping for a lazy way to win at poker, you won’t find it. You need to put in the time and effort to get the benefits.
7) Cheat Sheets and Guides
The quickest way to improve at most things is to take advantage of basic guides. They are easy to use and often free to download. Texas Hold’em Questions give their visitors a free poker cheat sheet to use. It basically provides tips on hand rankings, hand selection, basic odds and advice on position. These guides are perfect for beginners who want to improve fast. I recommend downloading and printing them off. Keep them near your desktop or laptop when you play and you will make fewer mistakes. Remember, these guides are primarily for low stakes games. They are unlikely to work at the highest stakes where players are adopting advanced strategy.
6) Forums
One of the best ways to improve at anything is talking about it with others. Forums provide a productive way of learning. You can ask questions and tap into the minds of other poker players with more experience. They are usually very welcoming and happy to give tips and advice to new players. This can range from basic questions on how to play to specific hand analysis. If you haven’t joined a poker forum yet, make it a priority. They don’t cost anything and will have people ready to help you improve. Some internet forums even have sub-forum areas dedicated to beginner questions. This can be a great way to start. Think of forums as a time-saving device. You’re reaping the benefit of other more experienced minds. Remember to have polite etiquette and be gracious and you’ll get lots of support in return.
5) YouTube
Is there any subject YouTube doesn’t cover? There are literally thousands of videos on poker playing to watch. Naturally, there’s a wide range of quality too. Some are poorly made and giving outdated advice on how to play but there’s also some hidden gems of content. Spend ten minutes researching and see which ones have a high number of subscribers. If they have tens of thousands of hits, they are probably doing something right and offering good practical poker advice. Be careful though, some videos are aimed at advanced players who spend their time in high stakes games. Moves in high stakes games rarely work in low and mid stakes due to the different dynamics.
4) Rail the experts
Most online poker rooms allow players to watch before playing. This can be an effective way to learn the table dynamics and how people play. It also affords viewers the opportunity to watch from experts. If you have the time and interest, I highly recommend railing the late stage of a tournament or a mid stakes 6 max cash game. You’d be surprised how much you can learn just watching people play. It’s a reliable way of improving your skills. Take notes, save them and refer back to them at a later point. It’s also an awesome way to learn new poker plays you never thought of before. If you make use of the hand history feature, you’ll see how experts size their bets, what hands they play and what actions they take on various rounds of betting.
3) Read books
Reading is a tried and tested technique to improve knowledge. It’s back to basics and a guaranteed way to improve. Provided you have the time and like reading, it can be the most rewarding ways of learning. Amazon has dozens of poker books dedicated to Texas Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha. It doesn’t matter if you’re a full ring cash game player or a 6 max tournament player, there’s books on the subject that will help. Always check the reviews first and only consider the ones that are positive. There are lots of poker authors that are offering obsolete advice. Once you’re happy, make your order and set aside some time each day to read about poker.
2) Play poker
This is an obvious one but it’s true! Proficiency comes from experience. The more you play and gain experience in different scenarios, the more you will find solutions. There’s a saying that you have to be a loser before a winner at poker. In other words, nobody is born an expert. All your favorite players lost at the start of their poker playing. So, don’t be put off if you don’t win the first session you play. The more poker you play, the better you will become. If you don’t want to risk money, try freerolls or clear bonuses to gain experience. It won’t cost you anything and you will understand how the games play a bit better.
1.) Read articles
Most of the best poker sites keep an active blog. I recommend bookmarking your favourite ones and checking them on a regular basis. The great thing about the major poker sites is that they keep their content fresh. You don’t have to scroll to 2012 to find strategy ideas. They will publish content every week or two. It’s a brilliant way to stay engaged with players and provides food for thought. Most of these sites will also have a mailing list that you can subscribe to. I find this makes great reading material when you get some down time and want to expand poker knowledge.
