Gaming Tips : Turn Yourself Into a Poker Champion

Here's my plan for making you a champion at Texas Holdem Poker tournaments.

Exercise before

Pre-game preparation is the key to winning any competition. Some players have several mistakes in their pre-tournament routine, so working on this aspect of their game is a likely start to a winning plan.

1. Relax. Poker is poker no matter what the wager. When you enter to the Poker Room be positive and you'll pick up some chips.
   
   
2. Enjoy it. Poker is only a game. For sure it doesn’t happen every day to wake up with a chance to win a year's salary in one 12-hour sitting. So feel good playing.
   
   
3. Your gaming strategy. Poker is a mental game. So decide what your goal is and make your gaming plan. If you want to win, play tough and try to collect chips. If you just want to cash, just be aggressive with good cards in good position.
   
   

Pre-Flop

Get used with the starting hand requirements. You have to know what a good hand looks like. So remember what you've learned and:

1. Squeeze it. The competition organization is slow. With 50 minute levels and $5,000 chips, tight is right to start. This isn't a sit-n-go where battles are necessary. Put your money in when your cards are good, that way, when you hit your hand on the flop, you know you're a favorite.
   
   
2. Don't give too much weight to hands. Pocket Jacks it's not that good of a hand. Usually try and keep pots small except you have a powerful drawing hand (suited connectors, A-K suited or pocket deuces). It's correct to isolate with big pairs, but not JJ and lower. These hands are too flexible after the flop, so don't entrust too much without seeing the first three. Also, remember hands ranging from AK-A10 are drawing hands. They're really powerful when you heads-up against another weaker Ace.
   
   

Make a flop

1. Action and information. Knowing what you have on the flop help you to figure out what the other people have. That’s the point for making reasonable bets. If you missed and want to win it, stand for. If you hit and want to win it, bet somewhere between half the pot and the whole thing. Your opponents' action will inform you about their hand. Just pay attention.
   
   
2. How to make theright choices. Several things will enlighten your flop analysis. Pre-flop reads, position, number of players, strength of your hand, pot-size and so on, the list is endless. Now what is the difference between a good player and a bad one? The difference in play comes when the flop hits. Choices you make on the flop, especially bad ones, add up later in the hand. If you played a weak ace, then hit your weak ace on the flop. Otherwise, you may be tempted to turn one problem into three (flop, turn, river), especially when your opponent has a stronger kicker. Think, and then take action. Take your time and you will succeed.
   
   

Determine the turn

1. Think about the flop information. You've put money on the flop to either win it or get information. If you have a bad hand at the starting of the turn, it's time for plan B. If you played the flop right, then turn card should complete the thinking process. If your hand is still the best, end the hand. If you suppose you're beat, you can try to see another card for free. If the opponents bet you off the hand on the turn then good for them. Trap them when you have a lock.
   
   
2. Your shell fire. Many people will call a flop if they hit second or third pair and even top pair with a weak kicker. Their hope is to get to the face-off without putting in anymore chips. If they're weary you have a better hand, more chips will make them even go off, and win you the pot. Good players can fire again. Be a good player.
   
   
3. A kind of bluffing. If the turn brings you let’s say a straight or a flush draw then bet for value. You've already defined the opponents hand on the flop and they too have defined yours. Pay off large when you hit your draw on the river. They won't put you on the draw because you bet the flop and the turn, so get value by a) Winning the pot with the bet on the turn, or b) Winning a big pot on the river. If you miss the river, your hand might be good anyway.
   
   

The River

Usually most errors are made here. Don't make gaffes on the river, they will drop you.

1. Try to get some value. Good players make two types of bets on the river: value bets and bluffs. A value bet is made when you're pretty sure you have the best hand. If you're the first to act and you have the third-best hand or higher, you must bet for value (1/2 to ¾ of the pot). If you have the nuts, bet ½ of the pot to induce a call, or even better, a raise. You don’t win with a big bet if you check and if they check too. In case you have nothing, you need to decide how your previous stakes were perceived. Don’t’ bluff if you looked like you were drawing. If you represented strength and your opponent appeared to be drawing, then go ahead and try to squeeze reasonably. Bet like you're trying to get value, if they missed then cha ching, the bluff succeed. If they make a good call, bang the table and say good call. If you're unconfident if you're medium hand is good, check and be willing to call a reasonable bet.
   
   
2. Have nuts on the river. Why risk everything knowing you can't win? Many people desperately try and win the pots with blank hands, only to see a call from someone who value bet their power. Also, re-raising without the nuts is a bad move. Try to get more chips or to get your opponent to fold only when pretty sure you're ahead or you think you're winning anyways. But even then you have to take care. Check it down and see who played the hand correctly.
   
   

Final Advices

1. Triumph. Someone has to win the tournament, so why not you?
   
   
2. Be Focused. Errors are made when you don’t pay enough attention. Don’t play when you are tired, upset, or frustrated. In this case even if you have a good hand it may happen to play it bad.
   
   
3. Be Calm. Your angry may dispel your attention and make you enemies. Remember that bad beats are a part of the game, and adjust your play accordingly. Make friends not enemies and the other players will want you to have you in the game like until the end. In this way all players may have a good time.
   
   
4. Be the raiser not the caller. Always try to have two chances to win.
   
   
5. Draws. Drawings are a part of the game, but don't risk everything on a draw and remember to draw to best odds. If there's a 3-1 chance of winning the pot (flush) and it will cost you 1,000 chips to win 4,000, then go ahead and draw. Don't draw unless you can hit close to the nuts, because it might break you when someone else is drawing higher.