It's time to learn beginner poker strategy here at KKPoker!
As a new poker player, understanding the basics of poker is essential to your enjoyment and your learning progression. Playing poker is key to building knowledge and confidence. Still, even experienced players admit that poker study such as reading and reviewing previous plays/hands is the real ‘edge’.
If you want to continue growing your poker knowledge, start by reading the important beginner poker strategy hints and tips below to help you achieve your goals!
Tip 1: Power of Position
Table position is important in all poker formats. Once you have mastered the basic rules, understanding the 'power of position' becomes essential.
The hands you decide to play are very much dictated by your position. For example, being in an early position will vastly reduce the hands you should play. With many opponents left to act, increasing the probability of calls or raises, you are advised to raise only around 10% of your hands when in an early position.
Equally, being in a late position (for example, Button and Small Blind) will allow you to play more hands, depending on your opponent's previous actions, such as calls and raises. A basic strategy rule to follow is raising 50% of the hands you are dealt when in the Button position - if all your opponents have folded before you act.
Hand Example: In most scenarios, Ace-King should be open-raised from all positions, as it is regarded as a strong holding. In comparison, a hand such as Ace-Three unsuited would typically be open-raised in late position, as there are fewer opponents to face who could have a stronger holding.
Hint: Having ‘position’ on an opponent means you get to act after them.
Whatever your table position, it is important to remember that other table dynamics will affect your decision making, such as your chip stack (in relation to how many Big Blinds your chip stack is worth), your opponent’s chip stacks, and factors such as what stage of the tournament you are currently in.
Tip 2: Bet Sizes
Bet sizing in no-limit poker games is one of the first decisions you will need to make at the poker table.
Beginner players may find the increasing blinds in tournament poker confusing, but there are a few simple tricks to make your bet sizes solid.
To ‘Call’ would be to place the same bet as the Big Blind. For example, if the Big Blind is 100, betting 100 would be a call.
If you wish to raise, a standard raise size in unopened pots would be 2 – 3x the Big Blind.
Big Blind = 100
Raise 2x = 200
Raise 3x = 300
New players can stick to the 2x or 3x rule to make any math simple and quick at the poker table.
For reraises (also known as 3-bet, 4-bet, etc.), it would be standard to raise again between 2-3x.
For example, BB = 100. Player 1 raises to 200, Player 2 3-bets to 600.
Tip 3: Low Stakes
Playing real money poker can be a new and daunting experience, so it is vital to have bankroll management and play stakes that suit your bankroll. If you have a $100 bankroll, you should play tournaments with a buy-in of $0-$5.
Apart from the KKPoker Freerolls ($0 buy-in), which are a great way for new players to learn for no risk, our low stake games are also excellent value to experience real money poker pots.
NLH games start from 0.01/0.02 cent blinds, with the table featuring a minimum buy-in of $0.4 and a maximum buy-in of $2.
TIPS FOR DEALING WITH POKER 'SWINGS' AND LOSSES
Tip 4: Folding
Am I folding too much or not folding enough?! It is a question poker players often asks themselves.
Having a good understanding of position and hand ranges will make your preflop decisions to fold much easier. When it comes to folding postflop, it will become trickier.
Postflop folding decisions should be based on your current hand rank holding, pot size (in relation to your chip stack), the community cards, and your opponents’ actions/tendencies, such as Bet Sizes and their previous aggressiveness. Consider all these factors to help decide on your postflop decisions.
The most difficult folding decisions often come when your holding is just a pair, especially against aggressive players. So it is important to notice player tendencies when making decisions.
Tip 5: Bluffing
Bluffing to win a pot is a real thrill, but it's essential to think about the reasons why you are bluffing and the overall hand situation.
For new players, bluffing should be seen as a more advanced poker skill to learn.
Bluffing in the correct situations will become easier to understand once the poker fundamentals are fully bedded into your mind. So, for now, don't worry about trying to win every pot, and instead concentrate on getting value from your opponents when you make strong hands.
However, your first tip is to think of bluffing as ‘telling a story.’
Therefore, how you decide to play the hand right from the beginning will have important implications on whether it is correct to bluff on the flop, turn or river.
Tip 6: Observations
Keeping track of your opponents' tendencies is a good way to compare your knowledge, as well as pick up 'tells'.
Online poker 'tells' can mainly be observed when looking at opponents' betting actions.
For example, a passive player opts to limp (call the big blind amount) and then call or fold when facing a raise. In contrast, an aggressive player instigates the raising and may often reraise if given the opportunity.
Tip 7: Lingo
Poker jargon is fun to learn and will also be necessary when discussing everything poker with fellow enthusiasts.
Important poker terminology to learn includes table positions (Under the Gun, Cutoff, etc.), Betting (3-Bet, 4-Bet, Cold Call, etc.), Draws (Gutshot, Open-ended straight draw, etc.)
Many poker hands have slang terms as well, such as Pocket Rockets (AA), Deuces (22), and Cowboys (KK)
Tip 8: Play Against Friends
Create private Club games at KKPoker and play against friends for a unique way to play and learn online poker strategies.
Sometimes you may feel more comfortable playing online against friends. It is also a great way to try the KKPoker customizable settings such as Bet and Raise amounts, which will help your overall strategy and speed up your table actions.
Tip 9: Get a KKPoker VIP Card
Learn more about your opponents and enjoy exclusive benefits when you purchase a KKPoker VIP Card!
VIP Cards offer exclusive features across many KKPoker games, such as All-in Equity, Rabbit Hunting, Detailed Career Report, Detailed Rival Report, Extra Disconnect Protections, Exclusive Emojis and more. VIP cards start from just $5.99 and can be purchased in 30, 90 and 365 day-periods for even more value!
Tracking your results and hands using the KKPoker Career Report and Rival Data features will help you understand important stats, which can be studied to improve your future play.
Tip 10: Download and Play KKPoker
Practice makes perfect, right?! Become part of the KKPoker community today and have access to free and real money poker games in a fun and completely mobile online environment.
The key to learning and improving at poker is enjoyment! You can grow your poker passion at KKPoker by taking advantage of the many benefits of traditional game formats, including NLH, PLO and MTT, the popular SNG (Sit 'N' Go), plus the new 6+ and AOF (All-In Or Fold) games.
KKPoker also offers a wide variety of Freeroll Tournaments, Missions, and Events where you can earn free rewards, including Game Tickets, VIP Cards and cash prizes!
