Basic Poker Concepts

To begin with you should first concentrate on learning the basic poker concepts. The knowledge and abilities that compose basic poker skills are not a pill to be swallowed once. Poker skills have to be continuously practiced and worked on to develop properly.

Understand Blinds and Antes

Every poker game begins as a chase for the antes or blinds. An ante is a small portion of a bet contributed by each player to seed the pot at the beginning of each hand. A blind is a forced bet by one or more players before any cards are dealt.

In Stud games, players usually ante whereas in Texas Hold'em and Omaha Hold'em, blind bets are used.

Regardless of whether a blind or an ante is employed, every game needs seed money to start the action. Without it, players could wait all day for unbeatable hands before entering the pot. Playing for an empty pot would make for a slow and boring game. Blinds and antes serve the same purpose: to tempt and tantalize players, enticing them into the pot and creating action because there's a monetary target to shoot at.

Know Your Opponents

Suppose you're playing Texas Hold'em and have been dealt AS KS (short notation for Ace of Spades and a King of Spades), and your opponents are two friends of yours, but more importantly, two poker players who are known for calling much too frequently.

How would you approach the situation knowing what you do about your opponents?

Can you take advantage of the fact that your fellow opponents are likely to call when in fact they should be folding. With a strong hand such as AS KS you would place a significant bet and entice these two players into call.