Poker is a captivating game. The strategy, the tactics, and the psychological and mental work one needs to invest in playing the game all make it enthralling. If you’ve been captivated by the game — whether by witnessing an online poker game among friends or at any of the major poker tournaments — learning how to play poker will greatly increase your enjoyment of the game. 

If you’re keen to begin your journey but don’t know where to start, this guide is exactly what you need. This blog post explores how to play poker, from the basics to some slightly more advanced ideas such as game theory. 

Getting Started with Poker

As Julie Andrews’ character says in “The Sound of Music,” “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.” In poker, that means learning and memorizing poker basics, such as the hands and their rankings, table positions and what they mean, and the difference between playing poker cash games and tournaments. Familiarizing yourself with the various terminology used in the game will also go a long way. 

Once you learn how to play poker in its most basic form and the most important poker rules, you’re ready to start exploring the vast number of online resources on the game, such as video tutorials, courses, and books.

One of the best ways to learn something is by observing how it’s done. For this reason, one of the best ways to learn poker is to watch experts – like Darren Elias – play, whether in an online poker tournament or at a land-based casino. Observing them will expose you to the basics of the game, and you’ll gain a wealth of insights about various aspects of strategy and tactics. 

These two components of poker are integral to your development as a committed poker player. While each is demanding on its own, your initial learning should include both online and live poker. This means going from the basics of how to play poker for beginners to advanced strategy, such as pot sizes, table positions, stack sizes, opponents’ playing styles, and so on.

Tactics, on the other hand, are the exact actions you take to execute your strategy as you navigate every hand you are dealt. Tactics are applied on a play-by-play basis and shouldn’t be thought of as cookie-cutter rules that you take to the game. You’ll slowly develop your own strategies as you gain experience as a part of your poker journey. 

Finally, remember that as much as watching the masters play may be insightful, nothing lets you learn how to play poker faster than playing the game yourself. When you practice, you put the knowledge you’ve gained to the test, and you’re able to quickly determine where you need to focus to improve your game. 

Where to Play Poker Online

When starting your online poker journey, some of your education will be to watch games online, where you can take notes about various elements of the game, such as the betting order, counting stacks, pot sizes, and pot odds, or when to check, bet, raise, or fold. As a spectator, none of this requires you to put your own money at risk. 

However, to learn poker and truly get a feel for the game, you’ll need to start playing. You don’t need a large bankroll to start, since online sites offer micro- and small-stakes poker games of all types. You must also choose the best site on which you can play online poker legally. At a state-regulated online poker site, you can trust that they’re fair and are operating legally. 

Once you choose an online casino, you can focus on how to play poker online. It’s at the virtual tables that you’ll discover online poker tips, explore your own game strategies, practice what you learn through articles like these, and even choose the best online poker variants for your style of play. 

Poker Math: Why You Should Embrace the Numbers

When you hear things like frequencies, variance, and odds, you may start panicking, especially if you struggle with math. But you don’t need to panic, as there are methods and tricks to help you with the formulas you will need. Ultimately, when mastering poker math, as long as you can do basic addition, subtraction, and multiplication, you’re good to go. With practice, some of the math will become quite intuitive. 

Being proficient in poker math will help you make informed decisions rather than depending on your intuition, which can sometimes be wrong. It will also keep you from making mistakes beginner poker players make all too often. If you know the math, you’ll understand things such as your expected value (EV), when to fold, call, or raise, the pot sizes and pot odds, and even learning to bluff as a beginner poker player. 

Poker Folding Frequencies

Poker folding frequency is one of the important aspects of the game to learn from the beginning of your journey. Folding frequency simply refers to the expected likelihood of a player mucking (discarding) or turning in their cards to the dealer. It’s used to determine how often and when a player will release their hand rather than continue and/or increase their bet. Knowing how to fold correctly in poker is as important as knowing how to call or raise and will determine how profitable you’ll be in the long run. 

Your folding frequency also says a lot about you. If you fold often, it shows other players that you’re conservative and play tight. On the other hand, if you fold less often, it could mean you’re not risk-averse, and your opponents may begin to consider you as unpredictable and/or aggressive. 

Note that folding frequencies differ according to positions on the table. That being said, exploiting the numbers to your advantage is the hallmark of a seasoned poker player and should be the goal of any beginner. 

Game Theory Optimal Poker

One of the hottest concepts in the poker world is game theory optimal (GTO) poker. This strategy, underpinned by game theory, is about balanced, unexploitable play. While exploitative play bases action on tells and other perceived weaknesses of the opponent, GTO involves making choices that will achieve the best possible outcome using the given set of hands. In short, GTO-inspired play amounts to playing against the game rather than the opponent.

Learning GTO poker strategy, even as a beginner, is important because it gives you a strong understanding of the overall strategy used by yourself and others. Whether online or live, playing at a poker tournament or in a cash game, GTO can be an important part of the game. In addition to that, using GTO makes it hard for your opponents to exploit you since you’re always adjusting your hand ranges. 

The bottom line is that even poker strategies for beginners should include at least a basic understanding of GTO and how to apply it as you move forward.

Play Poker Online at BetMGM

As mentioned, you won’t improve your game if you don’t try your hand at a few games and play poker with real money, and where else to go than BetMGM Poker? Register today to get 24/7 access to all kinds of poker online games, ranging from No Limit Hold’em to a number of versions of Omaha. Use an online poker welcome bonus and start your poker journey today.