Sean Moronse asked: It does not really take a rocket scientist to understand the rules of play when it comes to poker. You just have to understand the basic rules of play, and know which hands to actually set down during the game. This poker cheat sheet is designed to help you understand some of the most basic principles of the poker in general, and to help you develop your strategies. After all, a card player is not defined by the amount he or she plunks at the table, but rather by the strategies he or she uses to win round after round.
Poker Cheat Sheet # 1: Learn The Game First And You Will Know The Lingo
It’s not enough these days to say that you are going to play poker. There are so many variations now to this card game that it is quite simple to get lost in “poker speech.” So, for clarification purposes, poker is poker is poker … except when people say video poker (which is really a computer game / slot machine); and Red Dog Poker (which is more similar to the game of Blackjack than anything else.) All other variations like Five Card Draw, Omaha, Primero, Seven Card Stud, Texas Hold’em and Three-Card Brag have the same winning principle: you need 5 cards to lay out a (hopefully!) winning hand.
Poker Cheat Sheet # 2: Know When To Fold And When To Go With Gut Instinct
Some of the most “notorious” card players believe in 2 things: luck and their gut instincts. Although these seem innocuous enough, you as a beginner should remember that poker is a betting game; and luck may turn sour oh-so-quickly; and your gut instinct may just be a gas build-up over the taco you had for dinner. Conservative playing is one way of learning from other players’ triumphs and mistakes. After all, you cannot expect to win all the time, and you certainly do not want to lose all the time. Bet conservatively at the start of the game. If you find your cards less than desirable, fold immediately.
Poker Cheat Sheet # 3: Stop Trying To Figure Out If Your Opponent Is Bluffing!
If you think that your hand has a fighting chance, then you can slowly build up your bets. The other card players on the table are heaping too much money on the table, and you keep wondering whether or not he or she is bluffing. Instead of wasting your energy figuring out the truth behind those hideous poker faces, concentrate on this one fact: your opponent may not be bluffing at all! And stop bluffing yourself. This risky move (according to stats) has only 1% chance of ever winning.
Poker is all or nothing. If you think your hand will win, then keep it. If not, it would be better to fold while you are ahead.
Poker Cheat Sheet # 4: Know Which Hands To Keep
Indubitably, face cards are the greatest things to get, since there is all likelihood of putting out a winning hand when you have a set. However, one or two or three cards mean absolutely nothing in a game of poker. You need five… always five. So instead of focusing you attention to just the face cards, (which many beginners are prone to do,) think of the 5 cards - the hand, and how it will fare in the game. A straight flush can win over a full house. A straight can win over a three-of-a-kind. And never discount the power of a high-card hand; that may also be the only thing your opponent has against you.
Alice
