Poker is the most popular card game that has taken the world by storm. Nowadays, almost everybody plays poker whether it is in casinos, home settings or even over the internet. Every poker player looks for ways to improve his or her game. If you are looking for ways to improve your winning chances for your future games, this article has got you covered.

 

 

First and foremost, whatever type of game it is you’re playing, you need to learn the basics first. You must understand the reasons behind the actions you make to up your chances of winning in every game you play.

 

 

Making a check means that you’re playing safe. People make checks to see the community cards. This is beneficial for you if you’re playing tight and if you want to see whether your hand has a chance of forming a good five-card combination. Should other players make a raise and if your hand isn’t good at all, this will let you fold with minimal losses. Another reason is that this can also conceal any good hand that you have. Doing so can bait other players to make a raise, and you should follow up with either a call or a re-raise.

 

 

A call is made due to several reasons. It could be that the player wants to see the rest of the community cards to base his judgment from if he is still unsure if he’s going to play his hand or not. Another reason why people call is to avoid a re-raise. If a player makes a raise if he is sure about his hand and all the other players call, then the player who made the raise cannot raise any further. Another reason why people make calls is to conceal the value of his hand. For instance, if you already have a full house in your hand, you shouldn’t go and give it away by betting a huge sum. You should let the other players raise for you and you should make a call. Doing so will hide the true nature of your cards and you can make that huge raise during the river stage of the game. You can also call to make a long-ball bluff, in which you bluff at the later part of the round, making people think that you’ve concealed a good hand, while in fact you haven’t.

 

 

One obvious reason to raise is to make the pot grow. If you have a good hand on you, making a raise may bait people to add some chips to the pot, thus increasing the amount of winnings for you. Another reason to make a raise is to force those players who might have a good hand in the later part of the game to fold. If you manage to get a five-card combination in the early stages of the game, it is sometimes wise to make a raise so that those players who are waiting for a particular card will back out, thus lessening your potential for defeat. Another good reason to raise is to bluff. Although you should only take advantage of bluffing every once in a while, it is effective once you make people think that you are not the ‘bluffing’ type.