More Than Just A Straight Face: Top Three Tips For Winning A Poker Game

There aren’t many fans of card games who don’t understand how to at least play the game of poker. You might not be able to harness the skills of a professional player who competes in national and international tournaments, but playing poker is a great way to make a little money on the side, especially when you’re playing casually with your friends and family members. If you want to improve your chances of winning the average game, there are several tips you can follow to do just that.

Texas Holdem Is Not The Only Game

Even though it is definitely one of the most popular types of poker games played today, it is important for you to keep in mind that Texas Holdem is definitely not the only type of poker game that is played. When you are dealing with a solid group of experts who have been able to establish their own successful track records, you will more than likely be required to broaden your horizon into many other popular types of games, including Stud and Omaha, according to the Art of Manliness. If you are searching for effective ways to play online card games and win cash, your poker repertoire is going to need to consist of a little more than just Texas Holdem.

Master The Poker Face Mentality

Keep in mind that the art of playing poker requires the ability to effectively play against the actual players instead of their cards. You can have the weakest hand out of all of the other players and still walk away as the winner of the entire game simply by harnessing the poker face mentality. Many people have made the mistake of thinking that to have a poker face basically means that you are not smiling or showing any emotion whatsoever.

Studies have confirmed that the most effective poker faces encompass the player’s entire body—not just their face, according to Economist.com. Even if you have an emotionless face, and never crack a single smile throughout the game, you can still show revealing signs that will leave you vulnerable and exposed to your opponents. Keep in mind that your behavioral patterns can also tell on you, especially when you play online card games and win cash. Just because the other player cannot see your face through the computer screen doesn’t mean that you are not telling on yourself through the way you play the game.

Learn When To Show Your Hand

Even though you definitely want to keep your hand to yourself for the majority of the game, if you truly want to experience long-term success as a masterful player, you will need to know when the perfect time to show your hand is as well. One study shows that the very best time you can make this happen is when changing your overall table image, which is how you are being perceived by other players throughout the game.

For example, if you have been playing rather tightly by continuously folding unless your hand consists of pocket aces, switch things up a bit to throw the other players off your scent. Doing so will force them to make unwise decisions based on their false assumptions of your future moves just to be sorely disappointed as a result of their misjudgment, according to Yahoo. Whether you are playing in a casino or just want to play online card games and win cash, these tips can really come in handy when it comes to developing your skills in general.