Be patient - Fold early and often. Top Internet Poker Hold'em players might fold 80% of their hands before the flop. The idea is to only play when you have an advantage. The sad truth is, most of the time you don't have an edge and you can tell just by looking at your first cards. By folding a lot early, you give yourself a stronger average hand when you do play. That makes it easier to follow the second rule.

Be aggressive - Don't be afraid to raise. The fewer opponents that are in the pot with you, the more inclined you should be to raise instead of call. Often the best choice is to raise, next best is to fold and the worst choice is to call. The exception is when there are a lot of other players in the pot. Now the odds are that somebody has a pretty good hand. In this case you can fold your medium-strength hands and call with good draws.

Know when you're beat - Don't be afraid to fold when you know you're beat.

Get inside your opponent's head - What do you think he has? What do you think he thinks you have? What does he think you think he has? If you can outsmart your opponent on this level, you have the advantage. But it takes practice.

Know your opponents - If mathematics was the only skill required for winning, the best players would all be mathematicians, and they aren.t. Knowing your opponents is equally important. Observe their actions at the table. Analyze their decisions and the choices they make.

Know your table image - How other players at the table perceive your play alters the way they play. If they think are you a tight player, they will be less inclined to call your raises; if they think you are an overly-aggressive player who frequently raises with marginal hands, they will be more inclined to call. Good poker players are able to vary their style in play to take advantage of the present situation and to make their play less predictable.

Special Tips for Beginners - Every poker player was a beginner once upon a time, and that probably meant they were bad players. If you think you fall into this class, does it mean you should give up the game? Absolutely not! Even Michael Jordon was once cut from his high school basketball team and look what he accomplished. If you are just starting out, don't be discouraged by your current skill level. You can improve and a few simple guidelines can go a far way in preventing beginner mistakes. Here are some to remember.

1- Playing too many hands - Hand selection is one of the most important keys to winning. Most players play too many hands. Money players know that sometimes you have to release hands, avoid unnecessary danger and dump speculative hands when the risk overshadows the potential reward.

2- Playing above your limit - Sometimes the gambling and money aspect of poker gets to people too much. They play in games they cannot afford or games where the competition is simply too stiff. When you are starting out, stick to a consistent, lower limit. Learn how to play and beat the game before you play in higher-stakes games.

3- Becoming too emotional at the table - Bad beats will happen. Losing streaks will happen. There will be annoying players at the table. Deal with it and don.t let your emotions over take your judgment.

4- Understand pot odds - Few beginning players understand pot odds, and they often call too much. If your hand needs improvement, the concept of pot odds can help you determine if you should call to see the next card on the board.

5- Over-valuing suited hands - Having a suited hand is a plus. However, you should not play a hand just because it is suited. The first two things to consider about a starting hand are the ranks of the cards and if the cards are paired. These are by far the most important factors in the value of a hand. After this, you should consider if they are suited or connecting.

6- In summary, good poker strategy involves mastering the art of choosing good starting hands, employing pot odds, and aggressively
betting your winning hands.

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