I'm a newbie at Poker, anything I should know?

[Mike]

Well, it's my friends birthday on the first of August and he's having a poker night for around four hours. I've only played once or twice, but I suspect I can't rely on Beginners luck this time around. As far as I know none of us are very experienced with the game, so I'm wondering if there is anything I can do to get ahead. And Masters of the Betting around here that could tell me the tricks of the trade?

 

[Johnny D]

Play on the website http://www.jollyrogerpoker.com

You can play for fake money.

 

[Vegas Matt]

When playing really bad players, all you usually have to do is sit around and wait for cards. The biggest mistake really bad players make is that they never fold. If you try to get super aggressive by betting at them a lot, you'll almost always get called by someone with a crappy hand like middle pair and lose.

Here's a general idea of the kind of cards you should play, but you don't need to limit yourself to just these, it's just a guideline:
- Play any pair, and raise into the pot with big pairs like AA, KK, QQ or even JJ.
- Play most aces (especially suited), but beware of people who make huge raises, they may have you beat.
- Play any two face cards, but again, beware of big raises pre-flop.
- Play suited connectors like TJ, 9T, 89, 67, down to about 45.
- Fold all junk hands like K2, J4, 23, etc, etc. Remember, we're going to save money by not getting involved in pots with really crappy hands, which will effectively cause us to get a bigger stack by not throwing away chips.

Raise into pots with the big pairs and AK or AQ, call small raises or limp with anything else. You don't want to invest too much pre-flop because there will be people making loose calls that will call any raise after the flop if they hit anything at all. Remember, you're just going to play your cards. That means betting when we hit something, and folding when we don't.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[jbauer14]

if they bet, you raise
if they raise, you reraise
if they reraise, move all in!

 

[Kade]

Hi... some good advice from the last guy. I would just say if you're looking to get better in the long term, the most important thing you can do is practice. Playing online is a great way to do that... and you don't have to spend money if you just create an account and play in anything calling a "Freeroll." You can win money... the sites run them for publicity and to encourage people who like their site to make a deposit.

There are a lot of subtleties to the game... betting patterns and trends you might begin to notice, things your opponents say to you during a hand, positioning at the table dictating bets, etc.... However I would say if you are looking for something short term to gain an advantage... you should know the basics and play using the fundamentals. Here are some very important tips...

1) Always raise when you have a good hand. This would be considered and limited to any pair over pocket 8's, A-K or A-Q. You could raise with hands like A-10, A-J, J-K, Q-K, or suited connectors... but for a beginner, it's probably best to see the community cards first to get a better sense for how you are fairing against the other players.

2) As the other guy mentioned... hands like suited connecters (like 7 of clubs, 8 of clubs) for example, are good because they increase your chances of hitting a straight of flush by a lot. These sould be considered a marginal hand though because it's still very hard to make a big winning hand like a straight or a flush. For a hand like this... try to see a flop for as cheap as possible.

3) Always bear in mind your position at the table. In other words... your turn for that hand in the betting order. If you are going to be the last to act, and all the players before you folded or just called...raising is a much better idea because nobody has shown much strength.

4) Never be afraid to fold. A good fold is just as important as winning a good pot. If you think you are beat... you probably are.

5) Try to avoid calling very big best or all-in's with just a pair. And always be aware of how many suits or connecting cards are visible on the board. Always keep in mind what the best possible 5 card combination would be at every stage of the hand... and weigh your hand against that... plus the probability somebody has that beat.

6) Try to mix up your play. If you are doing to same thing or betting the same amount everytime you have a good hand, people will begin to catch on. Try playing a very good hand slow for example. Check, and when your opponent tries to bet and take the pot... crush him.