Talk It Out

Poker players of all skill levels should constantly work to improve their own game. Whether you primarily play live or in online poker sites, one of the best things you can do is find another player you respect and talk about hands that you have played. You should be willing to dissect and analyze your own hands as well as theirs.

It is an easy trap to believe you have played each hand perfectly and you only got knocked out or lost a big cash pot because some donkey got lucky. It may be true that a donkey got lucky, but it may also be true that you played the hand horribly. Having an extra set of eyes look over hand or think about a hand after it is done gives you the benefit of hindsight and a new perspective. Since poker is a game that is highly situational there are hundreds of factors to consider and you may not be able to think it through as clearly as someone who was not involved.

If you do not personally know anyone who has the time or wants to talk about hands you can post your hand in a poker forum such as wedoitallvegas.com. You will have access to hundreds of other players who play hands differently and you will get all of their insights. You do not have to listen or follow their advice but it is helpful to think about hand histories in a new way.

Do not be afraid to be wrong. Do not have so much pride that you refuse to think you played a hand poorly. Being able to overcome pride is just one of the steps to playing better poker. Criticism can be tough to take but as long as it is constructive do not be afraid to suck it up and take it.

Performing hand analysis by yourself or with another person can be time consuming but if you are a true student of the game you should be looking to improve any way that you can. Thinking about strategy, bet sizing, position, and analyzing your own play can give you an edge over a lot of players. To play a good a profitable game you need to put your poker chips in ahead and hand analysis can help give you an edge.