This was one of the first bits of advice that I was given when I first started playing poker.  “You can’t win at poker if you keep folding”.

At the time I thought yeah, yeah… but actually it is very simple but yet very good advice.  You shouldn’t play weak opening hands and you should be cautious when you are in a weak position – but that doesn’t mean that you should keep folding.

If you keep folding, you will use up all your chips paying your taxes on the blinds… and the other players will think that you are extra cautious and they will know that you only play very good hands… they will read you like a book.

Come on… mix it up a bit… take a chance once in a while, nothing wrong with a strong semi-bluff to make them sit up and say ok this guy or girl can play poker!

If you get a strong hand that you know can beat them hands down, then back your hand, raise the betting and make them play and pay! And don’t let others bully you if you think that you have a good hand.  Only if you know you don’t have a chance of winning then get out and fold, the earlier the better because it will cost you less.

Betting takes a lifetime to get right and even then you still get it wrong sometimes… but I will try to give you a little more on betting…

The best way to learn about betting is to actually do it.  You can read every poker guide there is and study all the poker strategy, but when you are faced with the real situation then you have to make a quick decision and that only comes with experience.  So the best way to learn betting is to just do it!

When I was young boy there were two influences I had that helped me learn about betting.  I used to spend some time with my grandparents, they enjoyed their horse racing and playing bridge.  At first I used to think these hobbies of theirs were boring, but then I started to take more interest in them.

My grandparents taught me how to bet on the horses.  I took more of an interest and learnt about odds and the different bets you could make.  It was fun, we didn’t take it seriously, it was always small amounts of money that they put on the horses.  Sometimes they won, sometimes they lost but a lot of fun was had backing the horses.

The other thing I learnt was how to play bridge.  It took a while to master the bidding – which is really like betting to see how many hands you will win.  My grandmother told me it was all about signals that you gave to your bridge partner.  So if you said “two hearts” that meant you had a medium strength hand with hearts and you thought you could win a total of eight hands out of the thirteen etc etc…

Well betting in poker is the same – whatever you do, whether it is raising, calling, checking, folding… you are giving a signal to the other players.  And, importantly the other players are giving you signals or information.

The amount that you raise is a key signal – and it takes a while to master how much you should raise by.  Too much, and you scare people off, or they think you are bluffing.  Too little, and they think you have a weak hand or trying a bit of slow play to lure them in…

My best poker guide is remember that betting is an art form, not a science!!   An art form is practiced over and over to become a master, a science is learnt!

We visited my sister and her family on Saturday.  She has two teenage sons that interrogate me every time I am there.  I get asked so many poker related questions that I come away wondering if these two will ever do any school work or will they become poker professionals… my sister and her husband would never forgive me!

As much as I told them to go to my poker blog and find out for themselves, they were not interested, they wanted answers now!

“So, uncle Jason… can you give us a brief guide on betting?”…

“Well guys, this is a long subject and I am not sure we have time for it all…” I reply, nervously looking at my sister.  Who by now is starting to get the “irritated look”, which I know only too well!

The problem is they have seen poker tournaments on TV, they follow poker games online and they have seen how much money can be won… so they think it is easy and this is the life for them.

How do you get it across to teenagers that it is not as easy as it looks, without breaking their spirit?  So I think up something fast that will be short and to the point.

Here’s a beginner’s guide to poker betting – “You have to be sure when to bet – either fold early or decide to bet and raise often – don’t get caught in between”.  Now let’s go get some food…

“Is that all?”, they cried…

I thought it was a good, concise guide to poker betting, don’t you?

The question that is asked the most often by poker players is,”When should I bluff?”

Books have been written on this topic.  So if you want to know exactly when to bluff, then go find a good book on bluffing and study it.  There is no way I can explain the finer details of bluffing in one blog post.  I will however… let out a few of the bluffing tips that I do know…

I don’t have the exact answer for you because it depends on so many factors.  A general guide to bluffing is that you have to learn when to bluff and that only comes with experience.

My best advice is to start with semi-bluffing – which means that you don’t really have anything to start off with but your hand could turn into something, when the community cards come into play.

Bluffing also depends on what kind of character you are, some people take to it naturally, whilst others are uncomfortable with it.

Take a look at this entertaining film clip showing the poker pros bluffing, Phil Ivey vs Paul Jackson, who can out-bluff who?  $1Million in the pot… nerves of steel!

And if you want entertainment read all the comments on YouTube… oh boy.. everyone has to have their say…

Here’s another clip… nice bluff… but once again its the player with the stronger nerve that pulls through.

Ok here’s another big tip… if you are going to bluff, then act strongly and decisively… don’t dither around too much… but then again if you are acting strong… then that may be a tell that you are bluffing.  Now do you see what I mean, its tough to give advice… you gotta learn it!

Here’s an example of how to get poker bluffing wrong.

I hope you learn something about bluffing in poker, if not, then I hope you at least find the film clips entertaining!

And now for my next bit of advice, my ‘poker guide’ to the beginners out there, in fact not only to the beginners its also for some of the more experienced players.  Often people can’t be bothered to study the numbers behind poker, they just want to play… forget about the math, that’s too complicated.

Know your poker odds

But the reality is that you have to know the odds in order to be confident of your betting.  Know the probabilities or chances of each hand winning.  Use an odds calculator if that makes it easier for you.  And, one benefit of playing online poker is that you can have all sorts of tools open to help you as you play.

But the point is – it is a good poker guide to learn the strengths of each hand don’t just accept what the odds calculator gives you, so you know exactly how to play the hand i.e. raise, call or fold…. but also how much to raise by.  If you over play it, your opponent may fold too early.

If you know your odds, your poker game will improve dramatically!   Let’s face it, it’s really all about the probability of your cards beating your opponents. Or put another way, what is the probability of my opponent having a better hand?

Simple really…. ahh but maybe not so simple… that’s what makes the game of poker so great and attracts millions of people to play it!

What are the best starting hands in Texas hold’em? To be successful in hold’em, you need to be selective about the hands you play. A good poker guide is that you should fold the average hands most of the time and wait for big hands to come into the pot. There are a few different categories when considering hands in Texas Hold’em.

Pairs

Two matching cards, anywhere from 22 to AA. If you have a big pair like QQ, KK or AA, in most cases a poker guide is to almost always raise.  You are really looking to get all your chips in the middle pre-flop most of the time.

As pairs get lower, they become more speculative hands.  An unimproved 99, TT or JJ could still be the best hand after the flop.  However, you must proceed carefully.

With lower pairs like 88, 77, 66, etc., what you are really looking to do is flop a set (three of a kind). If you don’t, you should get rid of the hand if there is a bet (with some exceptions, for example, you have 66 and the flop comes 345).

High Cards

Cards like AK and AQ are high card hands. The problem with any high card hand besides AK is that they can be trouble hands. You can flop a dominated hand and get into real trouble.

However, a good poker guide is that if you are first in, you should usually raise with these hands. Play them as aggressively as the board and your opponents will permit.

Connecting Cards

Two consecutive cards like JT or even with some spaces in between, like QT or KT (called one- gappers and two-gappers, respectively. Only play these hands if you can do so cheaply and if they have some high card value as well. These hands don’t hit often, although you can get paid off if they do.

Suited Cards

Two cards of the same suit. Unless they include the ace of the suit and sometimes the king, it’s best to avoid these hands.

You probably won’t flop a flush. Even if you do, you may get no action or get action from someone with a bigger flush.

Suited Connectors

These cards are suited and connecting. They are great to play in late position when you can see a flop cheap and get some great information after the flop.

A good poker guide will say that you need to hit these hands hard, however. If you only get a small piece of the flop, it’s often better to check fold than to call multiple bets on a prayer.

The internet is the main factor behind the online poker revolution.  Today, millions of people all around the world are playing Texas hold’em poker and other games in the comfort of their own homes.  They can learn poker texas holdem through online learning sites, free sites, poker guides and finally they can master texas poker and can play with real game sites.  This new way of playing naturally demands other skills than live poker.  Guidepoker.com will help you become a winner at online casino games.

The pace is one of the things that makes internet poker special.  Players switch tables rapidly and the hands fly by without any time wasting.  You also have the opportunity to play at multiple tables. There’s a lot of money to be won online but your bankroll could be gone just as fast, learn how to tackle these special circumstances here at guidepoker.com.

Tells are an important part of poker, but how do you read your opponents when you can’t see them?  There are ways to do this, and of course we have the answers you need.  A good poker guide will teach you what to look for and to work out people’s tells.

We hope you will find our poker guide valuable – good luck!

There are so many so called poker experts out there calling themselves the poker guide. But on my blog I will try to be open, honest and straight forward about all aspects of poker.  

Many poker players are natural gamblers or have converted from playing casino games onto poker.  Then along came the internet and changed everything.  Now at a click of the mouse you can change to playing online casino games whenever you wish.

There’s a lot of money to be won online but you have to learn the intricacies of poker, don’t just go out there and think that you can win straight away.  To become a really good poker player and to win money playing poker, you have to learn poker strategy – how to be better than the other players at your table.

To get the most out of your poker bonus codes, you should read this article about estimating your monthly rakeback.

Find the best places to play bingo games in the Bingo Hideout Directory, everything from free bingo to UK online bingo.

We hope you will find our advice valuable.   Good luck!

And then a few more places to keep you informed and to help you get ahead:

• Tired of Poker?   Maybe it’s time to move on to Texas Holdem.   Don’t know the rules?   Don’t worry we have all the Texas holdem rules you’ll need.
• Texas Holdem poker is a very popular variant of poker game in the casinos and poker rooms.  It is easy to learn and you can become a winning player with a little effort.  It is a favorite game of many poker online players.
• Sportsbook Reviews, Online Sportsbook Guide, Live Lines, Sports Handicapping Articles and Free Sports Picks.
• Casino Detroit Magazine, your source for information on Detroit area casinos and gambling.