The way to win and make money at Texas Hold Em, or any other poker game, is to develop a good basic card playing strategy that works for you and stick to it.
Successful poker players develop a good strategy which works with their personality. An aggressive player, who isn’t afraid to take risks, should probably adopt an aggressive strategy. A passive player, who’s afraid of risks, should adopt a more passive strategy where she takes fewer risks. A player who’s good at bluffing should make the bluff his or her basic tactic. A player who’s good at reading other players and spotting tells should concentrate on that.
Don’t try and adopt a strategy that doesn’t fit in with your personality. This will make you uncomfortable and affect your play. Adopt the strategy that you’re comfortable with and stick with it.
The way to develop your poker strategy is obvious: play a lot of poker. The more familiar you get with the game and your abilities, the more ease you’ll have in developing a strategy. Learn what your strengths and weaknesses are and play to them.
You should learn as much about the game of poker and Texas Hold Em as possible. This means to study the game, watch it on TV, go to poker tournaments or casinos and watch the pros play. Observe what they do and don’t do. See if they do anything that you can do to improve your game.
Augment your knowledge by reading books and taking lessons. Many of the top pros have written great poker books and teach lessons. You can get lessons from the best poker players in the world via DVD and streaming video online. Take advantage of this resource and use it. In particular, look for strategies that you can use in your game.
Test your strategy by playing poker online or at the table with it then think about your results. One way to do this is to take notes, especially if you’re playing online. Write down what you did and especially what you did wrong. Then review your notes and try to see what you did wrong.
Another good idea is to talk about your game with other players if you can find some you trust. If you get the chance, ask a pro if he or she has any advice for you. Be careful here because some card sharks will give you advice designed to make it easier for them to beat you. If they do give you advice, especially criticism, take it to heart.
Always remember that poker is a game of strategy and the person with the best strategy usually goes home with the pot.