A majority of the best poker players are those that pursue the game professionally. These players have managed to turn poker from just another fun card game to a sustainable source of livelihood.
Therefore, pro poker players are the best option when seeking poker advice. This is why we are bringing you poker gambling tips as given by some of the top-rated pro players like Arshad “Sheddy” Siddiqui.
The game of poker has been gaining popularity over the years, with the recent trend being the migration from retail to online poker. Poker tournaments like the World Series of Poker have also become more popular over the years.
Whether you are playing online or in-person, the tips discussed below will help enhance your skills.
Manage Your Bankroll
It is important that you have a poker gambling budget because you do not want to run out of the money you are bringing to the table. To make your money last, you will need to manage it and grow it, which calls for effective budgeting.
To stay in the game, you have to make sure that your stakes are affordable in the long haul. You might have the confidence that you could be on a hot streak and this will tempt you to take a shot at higher stakes. You should not forget that poker is a long game and the cream will always rise in the end.
By the same token, you should also avoid playing stakes that are too small if at all you are taking the game seriously. If the stake does not mean anything to you, you are less likely to learn from your mistakes and it will be impossible for you to progress in the long run.
Therefore, you should consider the amount of money you have invested in your chips, and let the chip count influence your actions on every hand.
Know Your Opponent
In professional poker, it is important that you get to know your opponents. This way, you will have an understanding of what they are capable of and you can be prepared to counter them in advance. Learning your opponent’s tendencies is vital to your success.
A great way to do this is to learn poker from the best players at the WSOP or any other major event. Currently, WSOP is all everyone is talking about. So, discover the WSOP 2022 schedule and watch the games.
That said, it is also possible to learn an opponent’s potential weaknesses and habits when playing in-person. When playing online, focus more on studying their timing.
If they respond fast when they are strong or when weak, that is one way to begin understanding their tendencies. Observe how they respond when they get raised. Do they four-bet you? Do they call all the time? These are observations that will let you know what they are capable of.
With a better understanding of your opponent’s habits and tendencies, you can easily predict how they are going to respond a little better, and at that moment, you can act accordingly.
For instance, if you learn that an opponent is less likely to bluff on the river in Texas Hold’em, you can confidently fold a marginal hand if they bet big at that point in the hand.
Start from a Tight Baseline
Playing from a tight baseline typically means playing conservatively. Applying this strategy during the early hands of a poker game will help you study the table and your opponents. It will also help influence a misinformed perception of you by other players, which will work in your favor.
When your opponent’s view you as a conservative player from the beginning of the game, it will be easier to pull off a bluff later on without raising any suspicion. It is easier to work off a tight baseline as a strategy than a wild or lose one.
It will finally get to a point where your opponents will be exploitable, which means more profit.
Learn and Master the Art of Value Betting
Value betting means betting only when you are confident that you have the best hand at the table. This way, you will get paid the hand’s pot by a hand that is slightly worse. Mastering value betting is one of the most critical aspects of professional poker.
For instance, say you are seated at a Texas Hold’em table and there is an Ace-high board after all five cards have been flipped, and you are holding tight to a Queen and an Ace. In such a situation, the odds are in your favor to win the hand and take the full pot, and you must make a high-value bet.
If an opponent has an Ace-10, they will call, and if they do not like to fold, they might bet even more. If in such a scenario you learn that you are playing against a conservative player who does not want to give up chips, you should bet smaller. But if you are confident that you have a stronger hand, you should bet big.
Focus on One Type of Game at First
When playing online poker, your options are split between cash games and tournaments. It is advisable that you focus on one or the other if you are a beginner. Learn and master one game type to the point where you feel comfortable during playing sessions.
With cash games, you must trade money for chips. You can purchase as much in chip value as you can afford within the limits of the minimum and maximum buy-in. In poker tournaments, every player buys in for the same amount of money and you all receive the same chip value.
One would ask, but how do you choose between tournaments and cash games? If you are a conservative player, you should consider starting with poker tournaments. If you feel that you can handle playing lots of hands, cash games are the best option for you.
However, both poker tournaments and cash games require varying skill sets for you to become consistently profitable. Some skills overlap between the two options.
It’s Time to Pick a Spot at the Table
Now that you have all the information that will help you play like a poker pro, it is time that you put it into action. You can choose to play either in-person on virtually through an online casino. Keep these tips in mind and you will soon find out that they are not only fun, but are also profitable in the long run.