WPT General Poker Tips

Watch the other players more than the cards. Picking up tells on other players and will allow you to read their poker face and know when they are bluffing. These tells are often subtle, which is why professional players look at the other players before they look at their own cards

It takes a long time to reach the "long run." Poker is a game of skill in the long run with a lot of short-term luck. If you are playing better than your opponents and play your "A" game at all times, you will win. Just understand that you will still have many losing nights and big fluctuations in your bankroll in the course of becoming a winner in the long run.

Be tight and aggressive. The players who win the most money are rarely the ones who win the most pots. The key is to be selective (tight) and only play with good cards such as high pairs or high cards with flush or straight potential. When you do enter a pot, play your hand aggressively.

Pump it or dump it. Unless you have "the nuts" and want to suck players in, you should rarely just call another player's bet. When another player bets, you should either raise (pump it) or fold (dump it).

Remember - it depends. What makes poker so challenging is that no two situations are alike. Rather than try to memorize a formula, you must constantly evaluate the other players, the odds, and the specifics of a hand.

Quit when you're behind; play when you're ahead. Human nature dictates that when you are losing, you want to get even so badly that you'll play all night and start chasing longshots. It also tells you to lock in a profit when you're winning. What you should do is stick to a set loss amount before you start, and if you are winning keep playing to take advantage of the momentum.

Know how much money is in the pot. By keeping a running count of the money in the pot, it allows you to know if you are getting enough return to justify risking your chips. It's not enough to know the odds: you must also know the payoff.

Take Advantage of position. When you are the first to act, you should be even more selective in the hands you play. When you're the last to act, exploit that advantage by playing even more aggressively.

Strong usually means weak and weak usually means strong. As a general rule, a player who is acting strong by staring at you or betting forcefully, is usually weak and is trying to bluff you out of the pot. The player who is acting weak by appearing disinterested, is usually strong and is trying to suck you into the pot.

Start with good cards. It's like cooking, the better ingredients at the start, the better the chance of success. Starting with bad cards puts you in the position of "chasing" to make a winning hand.

Don't go on "tilt." Controlling your emotions with money on the line is the toughest thing to do at the poker table. When you lose a hand, especially a "bad beat" when another player hits a long shot to beat you, you must maintain your cool and play the next hand without emotion.

What makes poker so challenging is that no situations are alike. Rather than try to memorize a formula, you must constantly be evaluating the other players, the odds, and the specifics of a hand.