How to play poker

Opening for a raise is almost always the ideal way to enter a pot when the action has been folded around to you

By following some of these relatively simple tips, you can hopefully avoid turning a small loss into a huge one

The Pros and Cons of Open Raising and Three Betting (With Hands that Can’t Call a Raise)

Now that we’ve laid out a foundation when it comes to the importance of position, let’s break down how, why, and when to make a pre-flop raise

A pair of Aces does sound strong. In reality, though, the strength of a pair of Aces is not absolute

If you have discussed poker with an experienced player, you may have heard about the concept of being decision-based, rather than results-based

Find out what lies behind the “Beginner’s Luck” phenomenon in the article from our new academy author Matthew Ebner

To be a Pro Poker Player isnot easy. Player and Poker Blogger Alexis Savvides guides us through the skills needed to make it in the ‘big league’.

In part one, we discussed the importance of position in no-limit hold’em and laid out a few guidelines on which hands to consider playing from different positions at the table. However, before making a single bet or raise, you should not only understand which hands to play, but the reasoning behind playing them.

In this article, the differences between tournament and ring game poker is discussed, from the obvious differences to the less obvious strategic considerations. Knowing these differences can help you avoid some of the common problems faced by beginning and even intermediate players by guiding you to the right type of game for your bankroll, temperament and play style. This article is intended for beginners.

Poker has skipped the frames of usual game-entertainment long time ago. This is a whole universe with its own history, heroes and stereotypes. And, of course, with its own prejudices.

Did you know that, despite popular belief, bluff in poker is not an essential component? Moreover, champions do their game without bluff at all. And the fact that, online-poker is not a factory for cheating unsuspecting players? After all, here are the same strict rules and standards as in the usual IRL-poker. And, of course, it is worth mentioning the great delusion that poker is uncomplicated game, where any layman can win if only to luck.

“Poker is a science, an art and a beautiful strategically and psychological game. I like to describe it as chess, but fun!” — Alexis Savvides, poker theorist. Read his article about 10 most famous myths in our Poker Academy.