This is a brief outline of the various terms you are likely to hear throughout the game. We won’t go through the information already provided here, though.
Aggressive Players:
You may be called an aggressive player one day. If so, that can be a good thing for you! An aggressive player is someone that plays heavy bets. For example, in the first round they may bet high initially. By doing this, they cause the other players to question whether their hand is good enough, causing most players to fold out of the game. The goal is to push the other player from their comfort zone so that you benefit from this.
It can be hard to be an aggressive player when you are learning but once you get the feel for the game, this is a good way for you to build your cash or winnings quickly with the right skill level.
Conservative Play:
On the contrast to the aggressive player is the player that’s conservative. Although this is a feel good position because it’s playing the safe road, it’s not going to allow you to win any big pots. If you are known as a conservative player, you are less likely to make the big antes.
A conservative player is one that usually bets on the minimum required to bet to stay in the game or is the person that folds when their cards aren’t what he’s looking for. It sounds good, but the problem lies in the fact that when you do this, over and over again, other players learn that about you.
Then, when you do up the ante or you do stay in the game that means that you have a decent to good hand. They will know that and fold. You are left with a small ante.
In addition, a player that is considered conservative is also likely to fall victim to that of a bluffer, something we’ll talk about in just a bit.
Finding the middle road between the conservative and the aggressive player is the prime place to be in poker.
Bluff:
As part of the process of learning to play poker, you need to learn how to bluff. Bluffing simply means that you will try to look like you have better cards than you actually do. There is no way for you to be successful at the game of poker without knowing how to bluff and how bluffing works simply because it is a fundamental aspect that most poker players know.
The player that bluffs and does it well is a player that is most likely to excel because he or she will get higher bids on their cards than they technically should get. The successful bluffer is someone that can scare the other players in the game into believing that they have excellent cards.
On the flip, sometimes it can be advantageous to actually be more negative in your bluffing strategy. By allowing others to believe that your cards aren’t as grand, they will believe they have a better opportunity to win. In this case, you may be able to get them to risk more only to have this work in your favor later by allowing you to cash in a higher amount.
The Tell:
The question then arises about whether or not you can tell when a player is bluffing in order to know exactly what you should do with your hand. A “tell” is a good way to do this. A tell is a mannerism that you have that shows that you aren’t telling the truth in some manner.
Everyone has some way of revealing that they are bluffing and learning what someone else’s “tell” is can help you to clearly see when someone isn’t being up front with you about their hand.
For example, some individuals may be unable to look other players in the eye when they are bluffing. They may look over your shoulder. Others will sweat more so, especially when there is a larger pot on the table!
In addition to this, you also have to flip the coin on yourself. Knowing that everyone reveals small things about their bluff, you should learn what yours are so that you can try to hide them more so.
You may have heard this before as it’s called having a “poker face.” Developing the ability to hide your reactions to cards in your hand or what other people do, is a clear indication of your success at the game. Working on it will take time.
Additional Terms To Know
Here are a few more terms that you must know to play the game and play it well.
- Hand: A “hand” is your set of five cards. Your card combination.
- Play: A “play” is one round of poker, from the shuffle and dealing of the cards to the next one.
- Pot: The “pot” of money or tokens is where bets are placed. The winner gets the “pot.”
- Hand Tie: On the rare occasion that two players were to have the exact same hand, the pot would then be divided in half between the two. If the pot can not be easily divided, the person that had the highest bet during the hand will win the additional funds.
- Ante: The “ante” is a term that is used specifically for the money or tokens placed in the pot at the very beginning of the game to build the pot.
- Rake: If you are playing in a poker room, a “rake” is a commission that is charged. It is a small portion of the funds that are won at the end of most hands. It’s the way that they stay in business.
- Showdown: Once all betting is over, the “showdown” happens in which the winner is determined.
- Flop: In poker, a flop is a term used to describe the dealing of the first three face up cards. A flop is used in Texas Hold’em and Omaha poker, where community cards are used as part of the game.
From these terms you can learn a bit more about the game. But, what’s important is to know what they mean when another, more experienced poker player says them!
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