Poker Tips

Whether you are a poker pro or a beginner, the poker tips that are here in this site should help you perform better. The poker tips offered in this site are not rules of the games, they are sparks of ideas that you can apply in your strategies as you play. The poker tips that are given here can be used directly or they can be used as a guideline to develop your own strategies.

•  Dealer's choice

If you set the blinds, structures, buy-ins and type of games you've given yourself an edge before the first hand has even been shuffled up and dealt. Make sure you play to your strengths and others' weaknesses. Arrange to play tournament poker when your game swells with cash game specialists and lay ring games when sit-and-go merchants turn up for the home game action.

Make sure that you play at a cash level that you're comfortable with, otherwise you'll start bottling decisions. That way if, heaven forbid, you do end up down at the end of the night, it won't have hurt your pocket too badly. At other people's home games you won't necessarily get to enjoy this luxury, so make the most of it when you can.

•  Minimise your risks

There's nothing wrong with big- pot poker when you have big hands, but unless you feel that you're going in with easily the best of it then keeping the pot small and controlling it is often the way forward when playing against a complete noob. Players new to the game won't know if they're paying over the odds for a draw, which can leave you crippled if they then hit. Make them pay by all means but try not to risk all your chips.

However, if you're going to commit your whole stack but suspect you're facing a draw, it's much smarter to get your chips in on the turn (as long as the card doesn't scare you ) so at least the fish only has one card to hit.

•  Fake smiles

A genuine smile generally means someone's got a genuine hand. On the other hand it's incredibly hard to fake a real smile. So if you're heads-up in a hand probing for information and you get met with what can only be described as an uncontrollable Cheshire cat grin then it could be time to lay down your marginal hand. The giveaway tell is the eyes – if they're not looking happy then the smile is being put on and you should call, or, if you've got enough chips to make them drop their hand, raise.

There's an unwritten rule in poker that says you should never show your cards if you don't have to. Well, believe it or not, that rule isn't carved in stone and may not always be the best play. Sometimes showing your cards is good and can help you at the table in the long run. Here are three situations where you might want to show your cards.

•  Show a bluff

If you just pulled off a huge bluff with 7-2, it might be worth it to show your opponent. This is especially true if you think your bluff will put them on tilt. Another reason to show a bluff is to get the word out to the rest of the table that you're a bluffer. The next time you make a big bet with an actual hand, someone might put you on another bluff and pay you off. However, don't show all your successful bluffs, just a few early on to help you out later in the game.

•  Show a big hand

If you've just bet big on the river with the absolute nuts and everyone folded around you, instead of tossing that monster hand into the muck, flip it over and show it off. This lets the rest of the table know that you play good cards. It can also help you pull off a bluff later on because people will remember the big bet you made earlier with those good cards.

•  Show a loser

If you're sitting down at a new table with a bunch of players you've never played against before, don't be afraid to play a hand like a dummy and show it. What we mean here is to chase a horrible draw to the river, and then after you're beat, instead of mucking, turn it over and let everyone at the table think you're a fish or a calling station. If you get labeled as a bad player, when you call down to the showdown with the nuts, you might be able to get more action out of your opponents.