Ask HN: How to Master Poker?

Learn how to count cards in a deck and look at face cards already dealt. You can guess what cards are in what hands if you do that.

Read a lot, play a lot. Keep a swing book and write down what you've learned and review it often. You are about to take the first step on a long journey. Here's the first page of my poker swing book: Buy into a Poker game with the idea of completely destroying it. Pay attention and attention will pay you. It's difficult to conceal character. Over time, the worst player in the world catches just as many good cards as the best player in the world. Don't open limp and attack open limpers. Don't cold call. Raise or fold. It takes a stronger hand to call a raise than it takes to raise. Reraise 3x the original raise. Never reraise with QQ or JJ preflop (unless you are very seldomly balancing with a limp reraise). Play tight EP loose LP. Don't overvalue flopped bottom two pair--you are probably up against top pair or an overpair with 5 outs as well as draws, and you can be counterfeited by a higher running pair on the board. Also go slow with top and bottom pair. J 10 is the best connector hand. It's the only 2 cards that can make a nut straight 4 ways: 9 8 7, Q 9 8, K Q 9 and A K Q. It can't make a bad straight. Change gears suddenly. Once they catch on, change gears again. Play mostly tight in a loose games, and mostly loose in a tight games. Targets of plays need to have at least a 20 BB stack; preferably 20x your bet. Set mine small pairs. But not against small stacks. Raise suited connectors, midpairs and broadways in late position if no one raises in front of you. Bet or raise big Aces, but fold if reraised. Bet JJ +AK 6 BB. Only go for a limp reraise rarely. Commit stack in low SPR hands. Fold one pair hands when facing a turn raise. Don't call down with inferior cards! Continuation bet 1/2 pot, but don't raise dry flops if you have a monster. Raise pot with top 2 pair and no pair on board but be careful with bottom two pair and top and bottom. Ask yourself, "Given how I’ve played the hand so far, what might my opponent think I have?” What we does he want me to think he has? What sort of hand might he actually have?” Don't bet so much that a hand you want to call, will fold, or so little that a hand you want to fold, will call....Especially on the River. Don't help your opponents play correctly. Big pots and big bets are for big hands: Big bets mean big hands. Don’t make or call big river bets with mediocre hands. Big pots and big bets are for big hands. Don’t forget. Make sure that you bet or raise enough with your good hands so they can’t profit by playing longshot draws. Don’t justify optimistic calls Whenever you bet or raise, always have an answer in your head to the question: “Will I pay off a big raise on this hand, or will I fold if it comes to that?”