Quick tips on how to improve your game. These tips will not make you a pro overnight, but if you are not thinking about them, then you are losing money!

(1) BANKROLL MANAGEMENT:

• This is the most commonly overlooked or misunderstood aspect of a winning poker player's game.
• You should always consider your bankroll before you decide to sit in a game. Now, you will find different people will suggest different ways to look at this, so you need to find what suits you. I do not think you buy-in to a live game with less than 100 BB (big-blinds). Some are more comfortable with 50BB, and yet others say you need to come in with more. This buy-in should not be more than 10% of your bankroll. If you are playing on-line, you can find some really low limit games. I think you should lower this buy-in limit even further.
• Again, I'm not telling you exactly what you should do here, but something that you should definitely consider.

(2) POSITION:

• I see a a lot of inexperienced players coming into pots out-of-position all of the time. They also do not take advantage of position when they have it. THIS IS A BIG MISTAKE!
• When you are just to the left of the blinds, or in early position, you should be coming in to the pot with much stronger hands. You should be playing much more "tight" from this position and should only be calling/limping into the pot with hands that can stand a raise, or you are looking to play a big multi-way pot. A good example of a hand like the would be suited connectors.
• When you are in late position (closer to the button), you can change your starting hand requirements. Here you can play a little bit more "loose."
• When you have position, you have a distinct advantage over your opponents throughout the rest of the hand. You get to see what everyone else does first. This means that you have a little bit more information before you act on your hand than your opponents do. Pay attention and use this information.

(3) PAY ATTENTION:

• This seems obvious, but I often see players looking around, talking on their cell phone, and watching TV. You are missing valuable information about your opponents.
• This includes when you are not in the hand. After you have folded, you are pretty much getting free information. Pay attention to how someone bets. Did they look down at their chips immediately after the looked at the flop? Did they sit up in their chair? When the cards are shown, did you have any idea of what the players had? If not, you are not using the information given to you.
• Although many people attempt to "guess" what their opponent has when they are playing against them, you should also be trying to figure out what everyone has after you have folded. It takes time to be able to read your opponents, but you should be attempting to figure it out every hand.

(4) DON'T GO ON TILT!:

• This is something that everyone struggles with. Tilt is when you are upset and begin to play badly. It usually happens when you have suffered a really bad beat or you felt that you misplayed a hand. Of course there are other things that put people "on tilt." This could be a loud obnoxious player, a rude floor person, or someone who just keeps raising every single pot.
• If you feel that you can not play your best game, then you shouldn't play. I feel like this is especially true if you are playing a No-Limit / Pot-Limit game. When a single mistake can cost you a lot or all of your stack, playing when your making emotional decisions can be very costly. The game won't be going anywhere, so just step away for a bit. Maybe this is a good time to get a meal or just get a cup of coffee. Until you can calm down and come to the conclusion that you are not going to let those past events affect your play, you shouldn't sit back down.
• Again, this is tough and requires discipline. If you could easily deal with being on tit, you probably wouldn't have gone on tilt on the first place.

These are just a few things that you should be thinking about when you decide to join a game, whether it is live or on-line. Keeping these things in mind will put you well on your way to playing winning poker. It takes a lot of effort and discipline to be good at this game. It's just like the old saying goes, "its a tough way to make an easy living." While you may not be looking to become a professional, these tips will help you win, and winning sure is fun!

Author Name::Kris Maxwell