6 ways to practise your poker skills

Learning poker takes more than memorising hand rankings. These six approaches give you ways to study decisions and practise between games.

Study the basics

Learn the rules, hand rankings and betting sequence of the game you want to play. Understand what makes a starting hand useful before working on more complicated decisions.

Practise

Free games let you try decisions without wagering money. Use practice to learn the controls, follow the action and test an idea. Afterwards, review what happened and which decisions you found difficult.

Review your strategy

Start with an approach you can explain, then compare it with the situations you encounter. Tight-aggressive and loose-aggressive are descriptions of playing styles, rather than promises of a winning result. Notice where your approach works and where you need to adjust.

Watch poker

Recorded hands and streams let you pause and think through another player’s choices. Before seeing the result, ask what you would do and why. Compare your reasoning with any explanation the player or commentator gives.

Study bluffing

A bluff aims to win a pot without the best hand. Consider the opponent, the betting so far and whether your bet tells a plausible story. Bluffing too often or in the wrong situation can be expensive.

Learn when to fold

A strong starting hand can become less useful as the board and betting develop. Reassess the hand with the information available instead of continuing merely because you liked your first two cards.

If you are new to the rules, read about poker games for beginners before choosing a format to practise.