Learning to Play POker

Texas Hold'em has quickly become a staple on TV, in casinos, and
in living rooms around the country.
You must know how to play, and how to play well. Whether you
want to beat your friends in a friendly home game, or make some
money playing online or at a brick and mortar casino, or compete
in a tournament, the following tips will show you how you can
begin a journey which can be fun and rewarding.
You can begin by...
PLAYING FOR FREE
Admittedly, playing poker free without anything at stake is
usually boring and unrewarding.
However, the majority of online poker sites still offer the
option to play poker using free money. Anyone who opens an
account receives a small sum of play money he or she can use at
the play money tables. There they can play in the same manner
that the real money tables use.
Now clearly the level of competition and the quality of the
strategies are not those you will usually find at a real money
table. That is not to say that the free tables are not without
purpose. Since the site will keep records of the amount of free
money you win, there will be a steady increase in the level of
play as you start entering into tables where the stakes are
higher. For instance, if you were to start out with 1,000
dollars and slowly work your way up to a sum of 20,000 dollars,
allowing you to enter into tournaments where the buy-in is 3,000
and up, then you would be playing against higher caliber
opponents. As a result online poker for free does have its own
level of competition and depth.
When you have mastered the play money tables, you can then begin
playing at the real money tables. Take the time to play for free
and think of the decisive advantages it presents:

1. Gain a knowledge of the best starting hands in texas holdem.

2. You learned to harness the power of position at the poker
table.
3. You have grown in your understanding of betting and the
various betting strategies
4. Grasped the ability to speak poker slang without looking
like an idiot at the tables.
5. You understand there is a proper code of conduct known as
poker etiquette.
So what are you waiting on? Do a search on online poker reviews
and find the poker-client that best suits your needs. While you
begin learning to play poker for free, you should...
BUY THE BEST POKER BOOKS
A large number of poker players find their introduction to the
game of Texas Holdem through some of the best poker books.
With Texas Hold'em experiencing such a rapid growth in the past
several years, there are more poker books than ever before,
however you want in your possession the best poker books. Read
poker book reviews and find the top poker books especially for
beginning poker players. However, take the time to search the
Internet for information on how to play poker and the different
Texas Hold em starting hands before starting out.
Good poker books can help you improve techniques to your game
that you may have not known or have ignored. You also might find
that during a bad poker run, re-reading your favorite poker book
can help you return to the essentials and point out some
probable weaknesses in your game.
Do yourself a favor and read nothing but the best poker books
that will help you to learn how to play poker. Now there is one
other tip you should utilize if you want to learn how to play...
FIND A POKER COACH
If you are serious about learning to play poker and wanting to
win money, you should consider a poker coach. You are aware
every professional athlete has a "go to person."
Hank Haney tutors the prolific Tiger Woods to keep him in check
and perfect his swing. Heck, even Michael Jordan himself had a
mentor. Every paid athlete regardless of the sport has a tutor
or a trainer to maintain his or her discipline... Always helping
with strategy and perfecting the game.
Poker is a people game and coaching is a people thing. A poker
coach can see what you are doing wrong and immediately correct
you. That is hard and perhaps impossible to do on your own.
If you're serious about playing poker then you should take
playing poker serious enough to find a good poker coach. Having
someone to critique your play may save your bankroll down the
road.
Learning to play poker takes a minute to learn and a life-time
to master. With the aforementioned tips it will make learning to
play easier. Good luck at the tables.
http://www.learntowinholdem.com