subject: Some Information That Can Help You Be A Better Poker Player. [print this page] The explosion of poker has created celebrities out of the game's best known players. Televised tournaments featuring these poker pros and Hollywood stars is capable of drawing many viewers from all different walks of life. If watching these tournaments has made you want to start playing, you are not alone. Many people started playing poker the same way. But there is one overriding question: What is the best strategy to be a successful player?
The Ranking of Hands
The first and most basic thing to learn is the ranking of hands. These can be found from any poker website or book. The hand rankings are standard through all games of poker and never change. A standard poker deck contains 52 cards: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, and Two, with the Ace being the highest card. This range of cards is available in four suits: Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, and Spades. A poker hand consists of exactly 5 cards. The best possible hand is called a royal flush and is the Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten all of the same suit. The next best hand is the straight flush, which is any five consecutive cards of the same suit. It is followed by four of a kind, which, as the name implies, is four of the same card. After that is the full house, which is three of one card and a pair of another card. An example would be Three-Three-Three-Queen-Queen. This is followed by a flush, which is any nonconsecutive cards of the same suit. The next hand is a straight, which is consecutive cards that are not of the same set. Next is three of a kind, which is three of the same card. After that is two pair, which is a pair of one card and a pair of another card. This is followed by one pair, which is simply one pair of the same cards. The worst possible hand is high card, which is any hand that does not fit the previous classifications.
Tricks and Tells
The basic theorem of poker remains the same despite whichever game is being played: If you play your hand as you would if you could see your opponent's cards, then you win. Also, you win by convincing your opponent to play differently than he would if he could see your cards. It is possible to manipulate opponents by representing a stronger hand than you have by making large bets. If your opponent believes you he will fold a stronger hand and you will win the pot. This tactic is called bluffing.
Position is also of extreme importance. By being in position all other players must act before you, meaning that you have the chance of seeing what they decide to do before you are forced to make a decision. Also, you can examine their reactions and bodily gestures to pick up tells from your opponents. Tells are physical mannerisms that can be translated to indicate the strength of a player's hand. One example would be a player that puts his hands on top of his cards. This indicates a strong hand as the player wants to protect the physical cards.
While you can learn much about the game from tutorials and books, they are no substitute for learning by experience. The more hands of poker you play, the more you will learn about the game.
