Always know what the best hand is at the time you make a bet

If you don't know what the best hand is, stop and think it over for a few moments until you do. You should never put money into the pot before you know where you stand.

For example, if the board shows three cards, AKT, and you hold QJ, you may have a straight, but someone holding 47 has you beat with a flush. You might draw out on them if a fourth diamond hits giving you a Jack high diamond flush, but you must realize that your hand is not the best hand at the time if you are going to bet your straight.

By taking a moment to look at the board and determine what is the best hand, you also begin the habit of trying to put your opponent on a hand. You should always try to figure out what your opponent may have before you commit any money to the pot.

Don't make a raise unless you think you can call a re-raise

In other words, if you're going to play strong don't back down if someone wants to play stronger. You may or may not re-raise, but that's not the point. You have to be able to handle being re-raised.

Don't make a call unless you think you could raise

The idea here is that you should only be playing hands when someone else bets where you think you have the best of, and you want to make others pay to draw out on you. Meaning they have to pay for the privilege of beating you.

The trick here is to be in the best of it odds wise more often than not because you will not win all of the time. Learning what the odds are can be a tricky thing, but that comes over time. (The percentages they display on the World Poker Tour are the odds.)

If someone draws out on you, take note of what they were playing, but don't get upset

Part of playing poker is to have people gamble. If no one gambled, there would be no point to the game. Since it takes no skill to get dealt two Aces, no one would play unless they had the best hand all the time. Therefore, the game would always be determined by the luck of the deal.

That's not poker. That's a game called Bingo.

So pay attention to what people gamble with and use that to your advantage.

Be a happy loser and a humble winner

No one likes to give their money away to a show-off. Basically, give them some sugar if you are going to punish them.

If you catch a lucky card that gives you the best hand, simply say, "Yup, I got lucky. You had me the whole way. I can't believe how I lucky I got." All the while thinking to yourself, "Yeah! That was a huge pot! I rule!"

Learn how to switch gears in tournaments

If you're playing a tournament, know that as time passes and the number of players dwindles, it becomes more important to play hands that are less than optimal.

It's better to win a bunch of small pots than to lose a few big ones

Basically, don't get fancy. If the pot's big enough and you think you have the best hand, go ahead and push as big a raise as you can into it in an attempt to take it down at that point. Don't feel bad about not making as much as you could have had you let people stay in with weak bets.

The more often you let people stay in by not making strong bets, the more often they will suck out on you, destroying you as you lose big pots.

Some basic starting hand conditions

If you are playing Hold 'Em, here are my recommendations for playable starting hands -- the two cards you are dealt before any betting occurs in a hand. You should muck (fold) the hand if it does not fit this criteria.

Parting words

There are many more playable hands than these and many more tactics and strategies, but this selection will keep you out of serious trouble for the most part as you start out while also allowing you to get a grasp on strategy in the game.

Good luck!