Does the pokergame still has many secrets for you and do you want to improve your poker skills? Looking for pokertips? You need to realize that if you want to be a winning poker player you should study the game, athletes often have worked hard for years to come at the top, you’ll also need to invest to become a successful poker player. How can you improve your skills? Read the following tips for advanced poker players, perhaps it will give you some new insights, or just make you play a bit more aggressive, so you suddenly can win the game. Or take a look at our Texas Hold’em poker strategy pages.

Do not bluff against bad players
Do not try to bluff against fishes/weak players. Some bad players will call your raise with bad cards in the hope that they get a good card and make a strong hand. Weak/new players simply do not know when they have lost, and they will keep playing with their weak hand.

Bluf if post-flop gives flush cards
When on the flop there are three cards of the same species and all players have called they probably do not have a flush. Now you can pretend you made the flush and can make a bluff-raise. There is a good chance that you do pick up the pot right there. However, if you will be called or re-raised it is time to give up the hand because your opponent probably has a strong card. Ok, maybe they understood that you are bluffing and are playing back at you but that is part of the poker game.

Winning at a loose table
On a table where there is a lot of action (loose) the best thing that you can do is to play tighter when you want to prevent you quickly loose your chips. If you are aggressive in the game you can surely lose big pots and you may soon lose your chip stack. Do not try to bluff  to pick up pots because it is often against looser players. Minraising is usually a bad idea. If your opponent can call a min raise he probably can call a normal raise as well. And if you’re bluffing, and you want to force your opponent to give up the hand, min-raising is a very bad idea. Wait for a good hand or a good flop and then play it hard. Be patient and you can make a nice profit on a loose table.

Play also 0n other poker rooms
When your game is not going the way you like for example at PokerStars, try another pokerroom like FullTilt Poker or Pacific Poker. Often switching to another poker room or to another type of game will make you sharper and better and you will be able to improve.

Make notes of the “tells” of your opponent
The best poker players in the world have a database, a notebook, computer or another way to archive the “tells” of their opponents. Most pokerrooms offer this functionality on the web today! Fixed patterns in someone’s game can be quickly recalled. Your own notes could look like: “has a monster’s calling after a long pause” or “folds to check-raise” . With these notes you have an overview of how a player plays by one single click. Any tournament or sit-and-go game makes you build a nice database, and it also forces you to see how your opponents play.

The long wait in a tournament …
Know that the poker tournaments that are broadcast on television are very short. Differently to the previous tables, they often leave only the final table to see the variety styles of play. An experienced player will simply discard the most hands and play selectively. The selectively pick which battles you make  is the difference between winning players and the amateur. Until the final table plays usually with 8 to 10 players at the table you will play tight to survive, or from position.

Stack sizes of chips on the final table
When you finally reach the final table you will see that the stacksize will vary. It is important to have an overview how every player is situated:
• Large stack players can play in a very loose way on the table to put pressure (bully the table)
• Small stack opponents urgently needs chips and therefore will go in much faster with every reasonable hand.
• A player who’s calling a small stack player would normally have a good hand because the other players fold. Ask yourself if you also have good cards. See how many blinds you have and how long you can still play before you are finished.

Sometimes play your hand slow
A good variation is the slow play of a super strong hand to try to mislead and to win a bigger pot . Suppose you have JJ in your hand and the flop comes J88, you have a full house, the best hand possible. Now you can choose to raise, but you can also check the bets of others calling the turn or river, where you, with or without a so-called check-raise (first check if your opponent bet then make the re-raise), can build a big pot. The main reason is that many times your opponents probably did not hit anything – it is not likely that they have an 8.  You better give them a free hand so they can improve, making them perhaps playing/bluffing the pot.

Don’t play your AK always aggressive
The problem of an ace king is that you often only win if you make  a pair or better. When you have multiple players in a pot it is not recommended to put to many chips in the pot, but you better wait if your hand improves. Even when somebody raises it may be better to just call instead of making a re-raise. If you have a pair it is obviously time to be aggressive and play the hand strong to get rid of some players. Perhaps your fellow players will underestimate your hand because of your non-aggressive pre-flop play. More about playing Big Slick on our strategy page…

Learn how to calculate your pot odds
Pot odds are an important part of the poker game, it indicates whether you should call a raise from your opponent. In order to calculate pot odds, you know how many outs you have. These are the cards you need to make your winning hand. Here is an example how you can calculate ;
Suppose you have KQ and the flop is T-5-J. As you can see every nine or ace gives you the nuts (straight). Even if a woman or  king comes you have good chances to win the pot.
• What’s in the pot
• How much does it cost to stay in the pot
• How many chance do you have to make the best hand
Suppose that all $ 100 in the pot and it costs $ 10 to call. The chance of a straight on the next card is 8 cards, because there are 4 aces and 4 nines in the game. Your chance is approximately 2 x 8 cards + 1 = 17%, while it will cost you only 10% to call. If there are 2 cards your chance are 2x 17% = 34%.

Know your chances
Worth well to know:
• If you have AK you have 40% chance to score a pair or better
• If you have a pair you have a chance of 11% for a set (3-cards of the same)
• If you have a flush draw on the flop you have a 35% chance of making your flush
• If you have a straight draw you have a 30% chance of making your straight

How to play suited connectors
Suited connectors like JT but also like 76 are beautiful cards which offer many opportunities. Always try to limp in the pot with these cards, or see a flop as cheap as possible. These cards often give a flush or straight, and they are often unexpected. If the flop doesn’t help you it is very easy to fold.

How to play against a maniac
Once in a while you are up against a maniac, but how do you play them? A maniac will really play any card and make the most insane bets. It is very difficult to play against  the maniac, you never know whether the player has 27 off-suite or 2 aces. Bad timing playing back will cost you lots of chips. What is very important when you play against a maniac is not to bluf. Against a maniac bluffing will be very expensive because the maniac will not fold quickly. You should play tighter and once you get the good hand attack the maniac. Often you do not even have to bet because the maniac will do that for you. Do not be afraid to check and let the maniac make his big raise, just follow him any time he raises. Don`t show your strength and you’ll gain lots of chips.

Go all-in more often
Go all-in more often if you think you have the best hand. Regarding the  ” gap concept “, by David Sklansky, the hand you go all-in can be much weaker then the hand you call with. So if the pot is interesting make your move but be careful, a fish will go all-in easily with the same cards that he plays in a regular pot.

Bluff-bet
You can occasionally bluff-bet if an ace falls on the flop. Your opponents will fold when they don`t have an Ace themselves or a flush/ open ended straight draw, simply because there is no higher card like the ace. Of course this only works if there are not too many players in the pot or the players are very loose. And if you are re-raised immediately you are up against a slow player or if you are caught bluffing he is playing back at you. You can find more bluff tips here.

The calling of a raise to bluff
A technique which is used by experienced players is calling a raise with the intention to later go bluffing. You should use this tactic against players that you can push out of the pot with a big raise. The idea is to call a bet with possible draws, regardless of your own cards and that once one of the big draws hits you make a big raise. Your opponent must be good enough to see that you might have made your draw, don’t use this against weak players because they will play every hand.

This tactic also works if a player raised pre-flop and there are only small cards on the flop. If they will play a good high card you often raise the pot to win immediately. However, if they  play a big pair, of course you can lose lot’s of chips, be prepared to give up the hand if your opponent comes over the top.