WINNING POKER CONCEPTS

This article gives you advice that applies equally well to all forms of poker. This advice covers most of the games you would play in a home game and any Hold' em game in any casino in the country. After this article i will advance to specific practical advice that applies only to Hold' em.

Get Ready to Play
You have to be in the right frame of mind to play poker.
It is, after all, a game of skill you have to use your brain. So it figures that the condition of your brain should be of concern to you. Ideally, you should be fresh, well rested, and free of mental distractions and problems and have the desire and ability to play poker. You should have uppermost in your mind exactly what the object of poker is (to make money) and exactly how to go about it.

Here's some specific tips to help you get ready to play The Object of This Game is to Make Money. Unless you're playing with the kids for matchsticks or have to lose to the boss for job security reasons, you should look at your poker playing buddies as miniature walking, talking gold mines.

If you keep records of your poker sessions, and you will if you read this article, you'll see that your poker playing time is worth so much per hour to you. It's just like working for someone else for a wage. How much you make per hour is up to you, your skill and the games you choose to play in.

Be Prepared to Beat Any Poker Game
How much you like or dislike a particular poker game should have nothing to do with how profitable it can be for you. If you are to be a real Poker Player, you should be able to play any type of game you run into. The key to this attitude is the fact that you know that any type of poker game can be objectively analyzed and there is usually one best way to play. Concentrate on Making the Correct Decisions

The object of poker is to make money, but how do you go about it? How do you win money from nine other people who are trying to win your money? There are several answers to this dilemma.

First of all, you are often playing with people who aren't trying to win your money. They play because they like to socialize, they like the excitement of the game and it's what they want to do with their time. Even though the object of poker is to make money, that's not what you should be thinking about during the game. The only thing that should matter to you is the quality of the decisions you make. When it is your turn to check, call, bet, raise or fold, you should make the best decision possible at the time with the information you have.

Poker is a game of skill, but the real skill is in the decision-making. Wouldn't you agree that a consistent winner at this game is a good decision maker? And wouldn't you agree that the guy who loses the most money in your game makes the worst decisions?

Whoever makes the best decisions in the long run will win the most money in the long run. Your job in this game is to consistently make the best decisions you can when it is your turn to act and not to worry about the money or even how the hand turns out. Don't even worry about winning the pot you're in. Once you make the correct decision it doesn't matter what happens after that.