Top 10 Easy Poker Strategy Tips That Will Help Your Game

Poker strategy is the secret weapon behind every winning hand, and in the UK where poker’s popularity continues to soar, knowing the basics can make all the difference. In this guide, you’ll find the top 10 easy poker tips and strategy tips designed specifically for beginner to intermediate players who want real results without diving into complex maths or expert-level tactics. We’ll show you how to play smarter, make better decisions, and avoid common pitfalls at the table. Whether you’re enjoying a casual game with friends or testing your skills online, these straightforward tips will instantly boost your confidence and sharpen your game.

Best Poker Strategy for Beginners – Understanding Poker Position

One of the most important concepts for beginner poker players to grasp in poker is understanding table position, which is a key component of a solid pre-flop poker strategy. Your position at the table plays a significant role in influencing the decisions you make during a hand. Generally, poker positions are divided into three main categories: early, middle, and late positions, along with the blinds.

Early position (such as the player immediately after the big blind) is challenging because you act first after the flop, turn, and river, giving your opponents more information about your play. Middle position offers slightly more flexibility but still requires careful consideration. Late position, particularly the dealer button, is the most advantageous, as you act last in each betting round, allowing you to observe your opponents’ moves before making a decision.

For beginners, adopting a tighter and to play tight range of hands in earlier positions is key to avoiding costly mistakes. Focus on stronger hands, such as high pairs or suited connectors, and steer clear of weaker, speculative hands when seated in early positions. In late position, however, you can widen your range and play more aggressively, taking advantage of the ability to see how others bet before making your move, while aggressive poker early ensures you also capitalise on your position. Understanding and utilising table position will help you make better decisions, improve your overall strategy, and seize opportunities to maximise your winnings.

💡 Tip #1: Poker Starting Hand Chart by Position

Having a solid starting hand chart tailored to your table position is crucial for building a strong poker strategy. It acts as a reliable guide to help you decide which hands to play and which to fold, depending on whether you’re in early, middle, or late position. By understanding the suggested starting hands for each position, you can reduce mistakes, maximise your winnings, and approach every decision with confidence. Remember, your position at the table directly influences the hands you should consider playing.

1: Early Position

In early position, it’s essential to play a tighter range of hands since you’ll be at a disadvantage, acting first after the flop. Focus on strong starting hands such as high pairs (e.g., AA, KK, QQ) and premium suited connectors like AKs or AQs. Avoid speculative hands like low pairs or off-suited connectors. Playing conservatively in early position reduces the risk of costly errors and ensures you’re entering the pot with competitive hands.

2: Middle Position

Middle position gives you more flexibility than early position, allowing for a slightly wider range of starting hands. In addition to strong hands like high pairs and premium suited connectors, you can include hands such as medium pairs (e.g., 77, 88, 99), suited broadway cards like KQs or QJs, and even some playable offsuit broadways like KQo. While caution is still advised, you can take advantage of seeing some early actions before committing chips.

3: Late Position

Late position, including the cutoff and button, is the most advantageous at the table. Here, you can adopt a wider and more aggressive range of starting hands since you’ll have the benefit of seeing almost all other players’ actions before making your decision. Along with strong and medium hands, you can also play speculative hands like low suited connectors (e.g., 45s, 67s), small pairs, and suited Aces with lower kickers (e.g., A5s). This positional advantage allows you to steal blinds, bluff effectively, and apply pressure on your opponents in a cash game.

💡 Tip #2 – Players and Position Are Key

A fundamental but often overlooked part of poker strategy is position. Your position relative to the dealer button has a significant impact on the decisions you make during a hand.

Why Position Is Important

Being “in position” means acting after your opponents during each betting round. This gives you a clear advantage, as you can observe their actions before making your move. On the other hand, being “out of position” means acting before your opponents, making it harder to gain information and control the size of the pot.

How Position Impacts Your Play

🃏 Early Position (EP): These are the first seats to act after the blinds. Playing from EP requires a much tighter starting hand range since there are still many players left to act behind you. Assume they could have strong hands and play conservatively.

🃏 Middle Position (MP): Offers slightly more flexibility than EP but still demands a cautious approach.

🃏 Late Position (LP): Includes the dealer button and the cutoff seat (one before the button). In these positions, you have more information on your opponents’ actions, allowing you to widen your starting hand range and play more aggressively.

Understanding Your Opponents

Position is crucial, but so is understanding who you’re up against.

• Are they tight or loose?
• Aggressive or passive?
• Do they bluff frequently or only play premium hands?

Tailor your strategy to your opponents. For example, play more aggressively against tight players who fold easily, and adopt a more cautious approach against loose, aggressive opponents who frequently bet and raise.

💡 Tip #3 – Play Fewer Hands and Play Them Aggressively

One of the most common mistakes novice players make, lacking proper poker skills, is playing too many hands. They jump into pots with weak or marginal hands, hoping for lucky cards on the flop. This often results in steadily losing chips over time, which can be avoided if you learn to play fewer speculative hands.

Why Play Fewer Hands?

Focusing on fewer, stronger hands allows for better quality play. Premium starting hands like pocket pairs (Aces, Kings, Queens), strong Broadway cards (AK, AQ), or suited connectors (such as 10-J of the same suit) have a higher expected value (EV).

By narrowing your starting hand range, you increase the likelihood of holding the best hand when entering a pot.

Why Play Them Aggressively?

Playing strong hands passively (just calling) gives your opponents the chance to outdraw you or take control of the pot. Instead, bet and raise aggressively with your good hands to:

🎯 Build the pot when you’re likely ahead.

🎯 Protect your hand by forcing opponents to pay to see more cards.

🎯 Gain valuable information based on how opponents respond.

Aggressive play also helps establish your table image as a strong player, making your bluffs more believable and your bets more respected.

Finding the Balance

This doesn’t mean you should never play speculative hands or slow-play in certain situations. However, in general, focusing on playing fewer hands aggressively will make you more profitable and harder to predict at the table. If you want to practise your skills on different platforms, some poker sites not on Gamstop offer varied player pools and flexible playing environments.

💡 Tip #4 – Learn Pot Odds

Understanding pot odds is essential for making mathematically sound decisions in poker. Pot odds help you determine whether a call, raise, or fold is profitable in the long run by comparing the size of the pot to the cost of calling.

What Are Pot Odds?

Pot odds compare the current size of the pot to the cost of calling. For example:

• The pot is £100.
• Your opponent bets £20.
• You must call £20 to stay in the hand.
• The pot will then be £140 (£100 + £20 + your £20 call).

💰 Your pot odds are £140 (total pot) : £20 (cost to call), or 7:1.

Why Pot Odds Matter

Pot odds help you decide if the potential reward is worth the risk of calling. To do this, you compare your pot odds to the odds of hitting your drawing hand (like completing a flush or straight).

For instance, if you need one card to complete a flush, the odds of hitting it by the river are roughly 4:1. If your pot odds are better than 4:1, calling is profitable in the long term.

How to Use Pot Odds in Practice

➡️Calculate the pot odds.

➡️Estimate your odds of winning (drawing odds).

➡️If pot odds are higher than drawing odds, call.

➡️If not, fold.

By consistently using pot odds, you can avoid costly calls with low equity and maximise profits with strong drawing hands. You can also take advantage of casino bonus offers when selecting where to play, giving you a greater bankroll to take advantage of the right odds.

💡 Tip #5 – Don’t Go on Tilt

“Going on tilt” means letting emotions negatively impact your play. It’s one of the biggest reasons players lose money, even when they have the skills to win.

What Causes Tilt?

Tilt often occurs after:

• A bad beat (losing despite having the best hand).
• Facing a player who successfully bluffs multiple times.
• Frustration due to personal mistakes.
• Fatigue or lack of focus.

How Tilt Affects Your Game

When tilted, players often:

⚠️ Recklessly play too many hands.

⚠️ Make moves that are overly aggressive or too passive.

⚠️ Fail to think clearly or consider their opponents’ actions.

⚠️ Lose patience and focus.

These behaviours lead to costly mistakes and quicker losses.

How to Avoid Tilt

• Recognise your triggers: Understand what situations throw you off balance.
• Take breaks: Step away from the table if you start to feel frustrated.
• Focus on the process, not the outcome: Poker is about making good decisions over the long term. One bad hand or session doesn’t define your ability.
• Practise mindfulness: Stay calm, breathe deeply, and reset your mindset.
• Set limits: Know when to stop to protect both your bankroll and your mental well-being.

Intermediate Poker Strategy Tips: Take Your Game to the Next Level

Once you’ve nailed the basics of poker, understanding position, playing strong hands aggressively, calculating pot odds, and managing tilt, you may also want to explore what’s available at some of the top UK casinos that feature a range of poker and table game options.

Intermediate poker strategy is all about refining your skills, thinking more strategically, and developing a flexible approach to adapt to different opponents and situations.

These tips will help you progress from a solid player to a confident competitor. Success at this level isn’t just about the cards you hold but how you think, how you read the table, and how you use mathematical and psychological insights to gain an edge.

💡 Tip #6 – Every Detail Counts

In intermediate poker, you learn that every detail can influence the outcome of a hand. This means focusing not only on your cards and position but also on your opponents’ tendencies, betting patterns, table dynamics, stack sizes, and even timing tells.

Small things – like how a player sizes their bets or the speed they act – can reveal clues about their hand strength or strategy. Ignoring these details could cost you big pots, but spotting and interpreting them correctly can lead to profitable decisions.

Successful poker players view the game as a complex puzzle where every detail matters and nothing should be overlooked.

💡 Tip #7 – Master the Maths

While intuition and psychology are key, poker is fundamentally a game of maths and probabilities. Understanding the numbers behind the game helps you make better decisions that maximise your expected value (EV).

This includes calculating pot odds (you should already know this), implied odds, equity, and hand ranges. By mastering the maths, you reduce guesswork and can confidently decide whether to call, fold, raise, or bluff.

Intermediate players begin to study combinatorics (the number of possible hand combinations an opponent might have), expected value calculations, and use equity tools like PokerStove or Equilab to break down hands and analyse scenarios.

💡 Tip #8 – Tell a Convincing Story

Poker is as much about storytelling as it is about cards. Every bet or action you take should “tell a story” that fits the narrative you want your opponent to believe.

For example, if you’re trying to make your opponent fold, your betting pattern needs to represent a strong hand consistently from pre-flop to the river. If you’re bluffing, your story must be believable based on the community cards and your previous actions.

Crafting a convincing narrative through your betting and timing makes it easier to manipulate your opponents’ perceptions and push them into making mistakes.

💡 Tip #9 – Develop a Well-Rounded Poker Game

Poker isn’t just one skill – it’s a combination of:

Since studies have concluded that there is a strong element of skill to winning at poker, rather than it being a game of pure chance, to be a strong player, you need to work on all these areas. Don’t rely solely on one aspect, like aggressive betting or maths; blend them together. Identify your weaknesses and continuously sharpen your strengths.

A well-rounded approach allows you to adapt to any situation or playing style at the table.

💡 Tip #10 – Embrace GTO (Game Theory Optimal)

GTO means playing a balanced strategy that is theoretically unexploitable. Instead of trying to outguess your opponents in every hand, you build a strategy where your bluffs, value bets, and folds are perfectly balanced.

GTO play makes you unpredictable and prevents opponents from exploiting your tendencies. It’s especially effective against strong, aggressive players who look for weaknesses to target.

Though pure GTO can be complex, intermediate players can start integrating GTO concepts into their game – learning when to deviate based on opponent tendencies (exploitative play) and when to stick to GTO principles for protection.

Final Thoughts

GTO strategy is a powerful framework that can take your poker game to the next level by offering a balanced, mathematical approach to decision-making. While it might seem intimidating at first, even grasping and applying basic GTO principles can greatly enhance your performance at the tables. The key is striking the right balance between GTO and exploitative play when you play at online poker sites, depending on the opponents and situations you encounter. With practice, study, and experience, you can incorporate GTO concepts into your gameplay and become a more skilled and adaptable player.

FAQs

What is the best strategy for poker?

The best poker strategy combines elements of Game Theory Optimal (GTO) play and exploitative play. GTO ensures your decisions are balanced and difficult for opponents to exploit, while exploitative play allows you to take advantage of specific weaknesses in your opponents’ strategies. A strong understanding of poker fundamentals, along with the flexibility to adapt to different situations, is essential for long-term success.

Is poker a game of skill or luck?

Poker is a mix of both skill and luck. While luck plays a role in the short term, influencing the outcome of individual hands or sessions, skill becomes the deciding factor over time. Successful players consistently make better decisions based on probability, psychology, and strategy, enabling them to outperform less-skilled opponents in the long run.

What is the most profitable poker style?

The most profitable poker style is generally a tight-aggressive (TAG) approach. Tight-aggressive players carefully choose strong starting hands (tight) while applying pressure with calculated and well-timed bets (aggressive). This style maximises opportunities to win pots while minimising unnecessary risks, making it highly effective against a variety of opponents.

What are the most important poker tips for playing poker as a beginner?

When starting out, one of the most important poker tips is to focus on bankroll management and playing solid hands. Avoid loose calls and only play when you feel confident. Remember, poker is a game that rewards patience and smart decision-making, especially if you’re looking to crush poker tables consistently, whether at home or in a poker tournament.

Should I ever be the first player to limp in a poker hand?

Being the first player to limp is usually not the correct play, as it can lead to multiple players entering the poker table, weakening your position. A solid and aggressive poker approach is generally more effective, especially if you’re holding strong hands post flop or even ace high in certain spots.

How can I manage my bankroll while I play cash games or tournaments?

Effective bankroll management is key, whether you play cash games or tournaments. Always set limits and stick to stakes that match your bankroll. For example, many professional poker players recommend only risking a small percentage of your total poker money on any given game, ensuring you can stay in the action without going bust.

Is it better to play online poker or stick to live games?

Online poker offers convenience and the chance to study your opponents’ playing styles over time. If you’re aiming to improve your game, many players find online poker games to be faster and more varied, which can help you develop a winning strategy—especially when working on developing solid preflop ranges and understanding how opponent shows weakness players in a heads up pot.

How do I deal with enticing pot odds when I have a relatively weak hand?

Even with very enticing pot odds, it’s essential to consider your position, your chip stack, and the overall strength of your poker hands. Slow playing or calling with a relatively weak hand just because of great pot odds can lead to trouble. Instead, think about the potential of your hand to win the pot and whether it’s truly worth playing in the long run.

What’s a good tournament poker strategy for early stages?

In early stages, it’s best to play solid poker early and avoid unnecessary risks. Tournament poker strategy often involves a survival oriented playing style to keep your chip stack healthy. Avoid multiple bets unless you’re confident, and save your aggressive bluffing strategy for later rounds when the blinds increase and half the players have busted out.

What is the best position in poker?

The best position in poker is the dealer position, often called the “button.” Being on the button allows you to act last in each betting round, giving you the advantage of observing your opponents’ actions before making a decision. This positional edge provides more information and helps you execute strategies more effectively than players in earlier positions.

Resources

• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4346402/
• https://blogs.cornell.edu/info2040/2021/11/03/game-theory-optimal-gto-texas-holdem-poker-theory/