In recent years, the game of poker has risen in popularity thanks mainly to televised poker tournaments like the World Series of Poker. As a result, plenty of people have flocked to poker tables from brick and mortar casinos to online casinos. Even users of the social networking giant Facebook are playing poker for fun. In fact, I would not be surprised if people hone their poker playing skills playing those casual hold 'em games.

If you are just starting out with playing poker, more often than not, you are looking for tips and tricks that will help you be the last man standing…or sitting in the poker table. The thing about poker is that you would need skills to play at a high level. This means that you would have to spend some time perfecting your game if you want to make poker playing a way of making a living. On the other hand, it also means that you are not as hopeless as you might think. There is always a way for your to improve your game and it starts with knowing how to play smart.

When starting out, it is understandable that you might find advanced techniques to be too challenging or too hard to grasp. Don't worry though, you can start with the basics and move up from there. And one of the basics that you should learn is that you do not have to play every round. At the same time, you do not have to fold all mediocre cards.

In hold 'em, you would have five community cards that can make your mediocre hand look like a winning one so learn when to push your luck and when to fold.

Another way to play safe is to play only on a clear head. If you are in a bad mood or you are drunk, do not play poker. Your judgments would be clouded which is no way to play poker. Many players end up losing a lot of money because they play with impaired judgment and you surely do not want to be like them.

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