by John Imamura

Created on: December 11, 2009   Last Updated: April 02, 2010

My advice for any beginning poker player trying to improve their game is simple.  The first thing you need to establish is your budget.  Its just like they say "bet with your head not over it".   This will prolong your poker career, trust me, you can always increase  your limits when you become more advanced in poker  Once you have determined your limit, you will be able to play in games or tournaments that you can afford.  Since poker can be complex, here are five tips to be  a successful beginner poker player.

1.  Know your position- A easy rule is to only play strong hands when you are first to act, you never know what any other players are holding because if you are one of the first players to act you can't get a feel for what people have.  If you are one of the last players to act you have more information to make your decisions.  Study habits of how others play it that position before you make your bets.

2.  TIght agressive-   This is a conservative approach but a safer style.  You may not win a lot of huge pots but you will win pots.  Don't play marginal hands, play strong hands and bet them hard.  You will usually win a lot of medium pots this way.  Make sure you have a good feel of the table before you start betting your chips away.

3. Observe!  Watch everybody closely.  You can learn a lot about people when you watch them.  Sometimes you can read facial expressions, body movements, and attitude.  The expression "tilt" comes from people that get reckless when they get a bad beat or our losing  a lot.  Always look for the player on tilt, you can win  a lot of money if you hit your cards.

4. Know your Outs- Start learning the strength of your hand.  You may have two pair but if there are straight and flush draws out there, you may not have the best hand on the river.  Try putting a bet out when this happens and see who calls or re-raises.  This way you know to be careful if they hit the card they need.  If someone bets, calculate if the size of the bet is worth calling to the size of the pot.  You may not have to pay a  a lot to hit your draw.

5. Play, Play, Play-  The more poker you play, the more you see scenarios play out.  Poker is a game of decisions.  The more right decisions you make the more pots you rake. 

Poker is the game "that takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master."  You won't win money all the time but if you keep practicing, you can start winning more than you lose.  There will be ups and downs, but to be successful in poker you have to stay level headed and know when to take a break when you run card dead. I also recommend that you read poker books and educate yourself about strategy and you will find that you will be more competitive and win more often.  Shuffle up and deal!

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