Poker Tips

There has been quite a bit of discussion and subsequent disagreement about what the most important thing in Poker is.

These Tips include:

* Making good decisions

* Bluffing well

* Eliminating tells

* Reading other players well

* Picking the right tables

* Picking the right games

* Playing agressively

* Trapping players

* Money management

* Having a good bankroll

* Having a positive attitude

* Playing at the right time

* Playing the right levels

While these suggestions are all good, is any one of them really the single most important thing in poker?

We think not! As important as all these suggestions are to winning, we propose another suggestion which we think is probably the most obvious thing in poker; Yet is the most often violated rule for playing poker successfully.

It is the "one rule" you will probably violate more often in each poker game you play. It is also the one rule that, when violated, will cost you more frequent and larger losses than any other rule.

Our most important suggestion for success in poker is: PATIENCE

* Patience to wait for quality hands to play.

* Patience to win one pot at a time.

* Patience to wait for the right game.

* Patience to wait for the right table.

* Patience to wait for the right time to play.

* Patience to wait for the right time to move up in levels.

* Patience to build up your bankroll before moving up to higher levels.

* Patience to learn new poker games well before playing.

* Patience to learn and read all you can about playing winning poker.

* Patience enough not to play junk when you just don't get the cards.

* Patience to play well even when you are losing.

* Patience to wait for the other players to make mistakes, go on tilt, or just get tired.

As you can see, patience covers a lot of things. Most likely, there are many more important winning qualities related to poker that you could add to this list.

Just as patience should be your most important objective when playing; It should also be your objective to find players who do not have patience, then play against them. So, by all means, look for players who lack patience due to:

* Being tired

* Being drunk

* Being on tilt

* Being low on chips

* Being nervous

* Being anxious to play

* Being short on time

* Being lucky or unlucky

* Being there just for fun

* Being there just to gamble

* Being there to socialize

* Being there to lose

Naturally, we expect that if you find yourself Being any of the above, You, by all means, should have the Patience to wait for a better time to play.

Every single poker book will tell you to not play or at the very least just play against poor players when you are not feeling your best and in all honesty this can't be argued with. Unfortunately the reality is for a lot of players the only chance you may get to play is for an hour or two in the night maybe you're tired after getting back from work but you are still keen to play and there may not be enough hours in the week for a more suitable time, or maybe you've had a glass of wine with your dinner with your partner and she/he is gone out shopping and now you have the house to yourself and have that valued time to play poker.

In other words the reality of life means we are not always at our best at the limited times we have for playing poker, even still maybe we shouldn't play but we're gamblers, we're poker players it's hard to resist sometimes and when we play online it's just too easy sometimes to just go ahead and play even after a drink or two.

Again do not misunderstand me I am not recommending it's ok to play under these circumstances but again the reality for some of you is that you will play in games below your very best at least some of the time. So if you are going to commit one of the cardinal sins of poker and I believe it's one that over 90% of players do to some degree what is it you should do to minimize the damage and perhaps even come out on top. I recommend avoiding shorthand like the plague especially if you are under the influence or feeling more than just a little tired. In shorthand play you have less time to think. You are involved a hell of a lot more and there is all round more pressure on you. If you are not feeling you're best in this you need to have very weak opposition indeed. I also recommend avoiding no limit tournaments where just one mistake and you can be out.

If playing when your faculties could be better, it is best to find a ring game with at least 7 opponents and preferably the full 9 opponents giving you more time to consider your decisions and less intensity than the turbulent short handed tables. Pick a table where you know there are at least 2 or 3 weak players and lastly try to play in a table where the stakes are at the low end of what you normally play for. Also consciously remember that when you have drink on board that you are going to be rasher, make a conscious decision to bluff that little bit less than usual and in general play to the conservative side of your game.

Finally though I still think you should avoid playing when not at your best, feeling just slightly tired or maybe after 1 alcoholic drink may be ok if you can stick to the advice given, under worse circumstances than this then maybe you should really just wait another day. Whatever about playing when you're tired or maybe not as stone cold sober as you should be I think the worst time of all to play is when you are emotionally upset, your decision making can be all over the place and you can be more affected than you are even aware. Then when things go pear shaped on the poker table too, what a downer that can be.

In summing it up then I say absolutely never play when emotionally upset. Do not play if you have had enough alcohol to make you merry. Do not play if even after that second cup of coffee, you can't keep your eyes open. Overall I never recommend playing when outside influences are too much of a distraction.