Patience Or Rush: How Should You Play Your First Poker Hand?
When you sit down to play a poker game, you need to have your game face on. There are several plays that you can make, but you always have to ensure that you choose the right one for the game at hand. Here are some of the things you should think about when playing your first hand.
Keep Calm
This is an opening bet. You need to keep calm and stay focused on the game at hand. Though you might be dreaming of that autumn getaway you have planned if you can win a little profit from this game. These are the kinds of distractions that can get in the way of a good game of poker, and you don’t want to trip up here on the very first hand. Make sure that you are focused on the game from the very beginning.
Are You a Blind?
If you are a big or small blind then you are going to have to play since this is an “enforced bet”. How you play will depend on your pocket cards, and the possibilities that they are going to grant you a win of some sort. However, you might not be a player with a blind, but still have a good hand on your side. This is a great opportunity to dive in and try, especially if you have grabbed a high ranking pair in the pocket, such as AA.
Read the Other Players
From the moment that you are dealt the cards, you have an opportunity to start analysing the other players. This is a lot easier at an in-person table compared to if you were to play online at a site like GGPoker. However, that does not mean that there is nothing that can be learned when playing online. Playing online compared to in-person playing has many different nuances. Watch as closely as you can – the first round can be as crucial as a bet before a showdown.
Patience
If you have a fine hand but not a great one, you might want to put out some feelers and see what else others might have. Taking a little time to be patient can quickly reveal someone else’s bluff if they are eager to pull ahead. By taking a leisurely approach to a betting increase, you might be able to catch a careless player out.
Rush
Likewise, you might also decide that you want to be aggressive if you have picked up a good hand. Though you still have to contend with the community cards, a pair of pocket aces is a great way to kick off a round and it can be one of the more difficult hands to beat. If you are confident that you will be able to push for a win based on just the cards in your hand alone, putting a rush on things might be enough to intimidate the other players into folding.
Learning how to make the right move from the off is an incredibly important skill to pick up in poker. You need to make sure that you have a good perception of your position in the game at all times, and this needs to click into place as soon as you start to play. Will it be better to push or be cautious? More often than not, this will come down to the cards in your hand. The easiest way to learn what is the right move for you will always be to actually get some play hours in and build up your confidence at the poker table – whether it is a physical or virtual one.
Keep Calm
This is an opening bet. You need to keep calm and stay focused on the game at hand. Though you might be dreaming of that autumn getaway you have planned if you can win a little profit from this game. These are the kinds of distractions that can get in the way of a good game of poker, and you don’t want to trip up here on the very first hand. Make sure that you are focused on the game from the very beginning.
Are You a Blind?
If you are a big or small blind then you are going to have to play since this is an “enforced bet”. How you play will depend on your pocket cards, and the possibilities that they are going to grant you a win of some sort. However, you might not be a player with a blind, but still have a good hand on your side. This is a great opportunity to dive in and try, especially if you have grabbed a high ranking pair in the pocket, such as AA.
Read the Other Players
From the moment that you are dealt the cards, you have an opportunity to start analysing the other players. This is a lot easier at an in-person table compared to if you were to play online at a site like GGPoker. However, that does not mean that there is nothing that can be learned when playing online. Playing online compared to in-person playing has many different nuances. Watch as closely as you can – the first round can be as crucial as a bet before a showdown.
Patience
If you have a fine hand but not a great one, you might want to put out some feelers and see what else others might have. Taking a little time to be patient can quickly reveal someone else’s bluff if they are eager to pull ahead. By taking a leisurely approach to a betting increase, you might be able to catch a careless player out.
Rush
Likewise, you might also decide that you want to be aggressive if you have picked up a good hand. Though you still have to contend with the community cards, a pair of pocket aces is a great way to kick off a round and it can be one of the more difficult hands to beat. If you are confident that you will be able to push for a win based on just the cards in your hand alone, putting a rush on things might be enough to intimidate the other players into folding.
Learning how to make the right move from the off is an incredibly important skill to pick up in poker. You need to make sure that you have a good perception of your position in the game at all times, and this needs to click into place as soon as you start to play. Will it be better to push or be cautious? More often than not, this will come down to the cards in your hand. The easiest way to learn what is the right move for you will always be to actually get some play hours in and build up your confidence at the poker table – whether it is a physical or virtual one.
