What does it take to transform from a complete novice to a card shark? Practice, patience, and a willingness to improve.
- Learn the rules to a few different poker games. The most popular game at the moment is Texas Hold 'Em, but Omaha and 7 Card Stud are also very common. You can learn poker rules from friends or a simple web search.
Download an online poker room that will allow you to play for virtual money. There are many of these, including pokertactics.org, ultimatebet.com, pokerstars.net, and fulltiltpoker.com.
Create an account and use your free play chips to play poker. Pay attention to which hands tend to win most often and how often certain hands arise. This should become second nature over time.
Once you've played some poker and think you have a good grasp of the rules and tendencies of most players, you're ready to start reading up on poker strategy. Websites like duckspoker.net and pokertips.org as well as books like Doyle Brunson's Super System can be invaluable resources.
When you are consistently winning with play chips, it's time to put something at risk. If there is a casino within driving distance, make the trip and place some low stakes poker. Most casinos offer either a $2-4 or $3-6 Texas Hold 'Em game. These games are usually pretty soft (easy to beat) and provide a good starting point for the novice poker player. If you don't have access to a casino, create a real money account on your favorite online poker room and play whatever limits you feel comfortable with. (Though this is not legal in the US)
Apply the information you've studied to actual competition. Real money players are much better than the play money opponents you've been beating on the internet. If you play with discipline, patience, and intelligence, you are likely to win money.
Continue to play. Talented poker players acquire their skill from thousands upon thousands of hands of experience. If you continue to play poker with discipline and an open mind, you should improve consistently.
Read some books on poker by seasoned poker pros to pick up some tips and tactics.
Learn how to calculate the odds of winning a particular hand and use this information to inform your play.
- Poker is a game of patience. Do not play a hand if you don't think you have the best one at the table. Think of poker as a 10,000 inning baseball game.
Don't be discouraged if you hit a losing streak. It can be disheartening to see your money float away, but even the world's best poker players endure downswings. If you continue to play solid poker, you will climb out of it.
- Because of the inherent danger of wagering money, never play poker if you don't have your personal finances in order.
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