By Matt Matros

Try to play correctly from the outset

As a poker coach, I’ve had a wide variety of players ask me for advice. Some are middle-limit players who are trying to take their games to the next level. Some are regulars on the tournament circuit who just want to bounce ideas around. Some are rank beginners. I’ve found, however, that whatever a player’s skill level, his strategy is largely formed by how he learned to play poker in the first place.

There are generally three methods that players use to learn poker. One method is to start by playing every hand. In all likelihood, this will initially result in a large loss of money. But then our player will begin to play fewer and fewer hands until, eventually, he hits the sweet spot, where he can actually turn a profit. A benefit of this method is that it forces the beginner to learn how to play with subpar holdings. A downside is that he may go broke before he ever learns how to play well.

A second approach is to start out playing extremely tight, probably taking a small loss or grinding out a small profit almost every session, with very few swings toward the extremes. As the new player gains experience, he gradually adds more and more hands until, eventually, he becomes…. read rest of article at Card Player Magazine