Learning to play Texas Hold’em poker is a very difficult task, if you are a beginner. It has a lot of rules and strategies that are not very easy to understand. But once you know them, you will save a lot of money and become a better player.

In this article, let me share with you some basic skills, strategies and techniques to win more at Texas Hold’em poker.

1. Bluffing and analyzing the cards: Do not bluff unless you have a very strong hand. If you bluff, other players will figure out your hand. For example, if you have 5 clubs and the flop is 7 clubs, 10 clubs, 5 spades, you are in a very strong position. Bet big and try to take the pot down in 3-5 moves.
2. Predictors and super-professionals: When you see the pre-flop raises from a pro, make sure you look at the hands he is holding. He may have a monster or he might be setting a trap with a very strong hand. If you are not sure, take a free card or two and analyze his actions again and decide if you should risk your money in the pot.
3. Loose – aggressive play: Many people think that Texas Hold’em is the best game for being a loose – aggressive player. It is a fact that this is the best strategy for your average poker player. The most important thing to be learned when becoming a loose-aggressive player is to determine a budget for your bluffs and an exit strategy once the bluff has been identified.
4. Tight- passive play: Tight players are very selective on the starting hands they play. They will wait for their perfect hand or at least he will double up a lot before raising. When he does play a hand, it will be most likely that the tight-aggressive player will be in the majority of pots. Look for opportunity, and if the opportunity is there, place a large bet, and he may fold.
5. Take advantage of your position at the table: If you have a position and no one enters the pot in front of you, then you can raise with a wider range of hands. This technique is more effective when you are in the blinds and early positions.
6. When you see opportunity, attack: Loose players make money by taking advantage of other players. Even if you have odds against you, if you make a loose raise you will almost always get a call. On the flip side, if you see nobody enter the pot and you have a monster, a simple bet here is risking a few chips to take down the pot.
7. Bet when you have a good hand: Loose players are prone to missing the flop, making it a bit of a gamble. When they do make their hand, they will either bet to hard or remove the odds by continuing to call. If you are in the blinds and early positions, you can tell when they are on a flush or straight draw and simply bet out. In late positions, you can’t tell with any certainty what they have, but you can take down the pot if you hold a decent hand.
8. Do not bluff: People love to bluff and players can often be lured into a false sense of security. When playing loose, you can however take advantage of the trust level players have towards their hands, and as a rule of thumb, if you have a good hand you will most likely get paid off.
9. Multi-table players: Many online poker rooms support multi-table play. When playing tight, you are better off playing with other tight players at other tables. Take advantage of the loose players at the lower tables to build your chip stack. Don’t be tempted to play loose and you will see your bankroll grow faster.
10. hesitate to call: hesitating to call is a common NL freshman mistake. You need to be aggressive, sure, but be confident. If a flop of 5, 6, 7, J, K and Q falls on the river, the K10 you would have showed up with should have been the winner.
11. playing far too many hands: The number 11 is a bad luck number. The average NL player will play far too many starting hands as compared to the other players. Cut that number down and you will be sure to be in profit.
12. Never pursue reload bonuses: Playing with reload bonuses is a good idea, if only to get more money to play, but don’t be fooled into thinking it’s profitable. There’s nothing worse than losing a reload bonus to a machine which patterns your play!