When you start playing poker, the likelihood is that you?re not going to be very good to begin with. Even if you?re ok with the terminology and rules around a game of poker, there is a lot of tough competition out there, with many people playing online poker almost round the clock.

The first time I played poker on this online casino website I?d signed up to, I lost my money straightaway, simply because I made a few rookie errors and was playing against superior players. That taught me a valuable lesson ? to keep my bets small and to accept that I should fold if I had a poor hand. Gradually, though, I?ve developed my skills and now have my own poker strategy that has helped me win a few games.

The tips below should help you to keep a game like poker where it should be ? in the fun zone!

Set aside emotions

In order to play poker well, you need to be calm and relaxed. Don?t play when you?re stressed out or have worries on your mind, otherwise your concentration will be affected.

Pay attention

Make sure you follow what?s happening to other players in the game and what choices they are making. This way, you can pick up useful clues about what kinds of hands they may be holding. This will also influence your own decision making.

Play sober

Gambling decisions and drinking alcohol don?t mix ? or rather, they don?t mix well. You can feel too relaxed when you?ve had a few beers or glasses of wine and this can impair your decision-making.

Be prepared to take some risks

Part of the fun of playing poker is taking some risks now and then. If you play it too safe, you may hold onto more of your money, but any progress you make will be very slow. If other players get wise to the fact that you?re very concerned about losing money, they could bully you with raises and make you fold before you?re ready to or even if you are holding a good hand.

Take a break from playing

If you play poker for too long a session, you?ll increase your chances of failure. Play a few hands and then have a change of scene, away from the pc. Come back to poker later on and you?ll be on the ball more than if you just sit at the screen all day.

Know when to stop

With any gambling activity, you should always operate a ?time to quit? policy. Set yourself a loss limit and stick to it; don?t be tempted to top up your account if you run out of cash. Hopefully, you?ll quite before then, but if you?ve played yourself out of funds, use this moment to walk away.