Moving from Other Games to Poker is Easy
Moving to Poker
Moving from one game to another can seem daunting. You must learn the rules, know where to play an who with. It may seem difficult at first but rest assured, it is not as hard as you may think. There are lots of other games that have transferable skills to poker. We will take a look at some of the other games and how they are in some way, similar to poker. This will make moving to poker easier.
Chess
Ok, so chess doesn’t involve cards or reading your opponent for tells but the critical thinking skills, planning and game theory are similar. Chess players can play defensively or offensively – this is the same for poker. One can play passively or aggressively. Chess players think several moves ahead. This is something that expert poker players do too. They are not confined to thinking just what to do now, they are setting up a bluff on the turn or thinking what to do on the river if the scare card comes. The foresight and forward-thinking skills from chess can definitely making moving to poker easier.
Blackjack
Even the most basic of blackjack players understand how many cards in a deck, how many suits and the value of each card. This skill, albeit basic can be utilised at the poker table. The understanding of values will be worthwhile when considering hand rankings.
Video Poker
Texas Hold’em and video poker share the same hand ranking order. You may not be playing against a real person but an appreciation of how strong a hand is will make moving to poker more simplistic. I’ve seen lots of beginners fail to grasp that a flush beats a straight. Knowing the rankings intuitively is very important to playing poker properly. The worst thing you can do is make a call thinking your hand is best to be beaten by a hand you didn’t know beats you….
Scrabble
The concentration and attention to detail a scrabble player has will be of great value when playing poker. The best poker players are picking up on everything that is going on, they know things others don’t because they are focusing on the table. The ability to concentrate and focus on every action at the table can’t be understated, you will gain information that will help you make better decisions.
If you make better decisions than your opponents, you will win in the long run. It’s that simple.
Conclusion
As you can see, moving to poker doesn’t have to be daunting. If you have experience in other games, use the skills you’ve developed to help you as a poker player. This article has made the comparison from several games to highlight this. There are sites like GameRules.com which have all the rules and ways to play other games. Check out which one you are competent in and see if those skills can used to help you as a poker player.
