Playing Winning Poker
From Elite Poker Rooms
by Mathew Tuman

GET YOUR MIND RIGHT
In order to play poker and win you have to be in the proper frame of mind. After all, it is a game of skill and deception. Ideally, you should be well rested, free of distractions, fresh, and above all sober. Most importantly you should be focused on the main point of playing poker, making money. Unless you are playing with family or the Little Sisters of The Poor, you should see your opponents as opportunity. How much of an opportunity they are depends on your skill and the games in which you play.


THE POWER OF CORRECT CHOICES:
So how does one go about outsmarting 9 other people who are trying to outsmart you? Well, luckily there are several strategies that can be used.

First off, usually you will actually be playing against the equivalent of the little sisters of the poor; People who wish only to have a good time, socializing with others while enjoying the excitement that playing poker brings. Here is one of the most important ideas you can take from this article. Most of your opponents in the casino environment are not there because they are poker players. They are there because they are gamblers. And gamblers love to gamble their money away. The quality of their decisions is not something they are very much concerned with. It is this fact that gives you the inside track for a given hands pot. When it is your turn to call, bet, raise, fold, or check, you should only think about the quality of your decision. This is the real skill that must be mastered when playing poker. Play the best you know how, make the best decision you can, and in the long run the money will flow like water.

BE AGGRESSIVE:
Passive poker players, those who check often, do not win many hands or money. Good things tend to happen when you bet. After all, if you always check how could you ever bluff or use deception when playing a hand. There are a dozen ways to win a particular hand, and having good cards is only one of them. Be smart, study your opponents, and remember, "Fortune favors the bold and the smart" so make good, aggressive decisions ,and you'll be dominating Vegas in no time!

IDEAL OPPONENTS:
1. Players who drink alcohol
2. Nail Biters
3. Loud, smiling, talkative players
4. Players who expose their hands
5. Young poker players
6. Nervous players
7. Rich players