First Time Playing Poker: What You’ll Learn
Poker Basics: Learn the fundamental rules and hand rankings to get started with poker and build a solid foundation.
Game Etiquette and Terminology: Familiarize yourself with essential poker etiquette and commonly used terms to feel confident at the table.
Common Strategies for Beginners: Discover basic strategies that can help you make informed decisions for your first time playing poker and improve your chances of winning as a novice player.
Managing Your Bankroll: Understand the importance of setting a budget and managing your bankroll to ensure a sustainable and enjoyable poker experience.
Online vs. In-Person Play: Explore the differences between the first time playing poker online and in-person, and find out which option might be best for your first experience.
Let’s cut to the chase.
You don’t have time to grind through 30-hour tutorials or read a dense poker theory textbook. Boring. You just want to know what to do when you sit down at the poker table — how to not embarrass yourself, how to win a hand, and how to avoid getting stacked by that bozo who won’t stop talking.
Whether you’re headed to your first casino tournament, playing a home game with friends, or just want to stop bleeding chips online, this guide is your answer.
Why Most Beginners Lose at Poker
Most people learn poker from someone they know — a friend, a dad, a college roommate. Here’s the problem: if you’re just starting out, you have no way of knowing if the person teaching you is actually good at poker.
And odds are, they’re not.
That’s why so many new players pick up terrible habits. You get taught to play way too many hands, chase bad draws, and bluff in ridiculous spots.
As someone who has taught hundreds of beginners poker classes, the good news is this: you’re better off starting from scratch and learning from here.
No experience is infinitely better than faulty experience. We don’t want to have to correct your mistakes. Let’s get it right the first time.
First, Let’s Talk About How the Game Actually Works
When you play No-Limit Texas Hold’em, each player is dealt two private cards (known as hole cards) and tries to make the best five-card hand using any combination of those two and five community cards dealt face-up in the center of the table.
You match your private hole card to the public community cards.
But poker’s less about matching and more about betting. You win a hand by either having the best five-card combo or by getting everyone else to fold.
That’s how it works in a nutshell. Now let’s talk about beginners poker strategy.
Rule #1: Fold. A Lot.
Want to win more poker hands? Start folding.
Sounds counterintuitive, right? But professional poker players fold 80% of their hands before the flop. Yes, that means you might sit there for an hour without playing a single hand. That’s not boring — unless you find making money tiresome.
Folding more preflop is the fastest way to increase your profitability.
Here’s why it matters: most people play garbage. The simplest way to win at poker is to play stronger hands than your opponents.
If you’re losing at poker, this is likely why. You’re playing too many hands. Tighten up, fold more, and instantly improve. Boom.
Rule #2: What Hands Should You Actually Play?
If you’re totally new to poker, here’s your first filter. Only play hands where BOTH cards are:
- An Ace, King, Queen, Jack, or Ten
These are called Broadway cards, and yes, they’re stars. They hit strong pairs, top pair with strong kickers, and make the highest straights and flushes.
Ask yourself this:
“Can it make a royal flush? If yes — play. If not — fold.”
That’s my fast and dirty rule that works wonders. It’s restrictive, but it keeps you out of trouble. Most beginners lose because they get trapped with second-best hands.
Looking for a little more flexibility? If you want to expand your range slightly, here are the three types of hands you can play:
Pocket pairs (2♠2♣ through A♦A♣)
Two face cards (K♠Q♦, Q♣J♠, etc.)
Suited connectors (8♥9♥, 6♣7♣ — same suit, consecutive numbers)
But don’t fall for the biggest beginner trap…
Rule #3: Suited Cards Aren’t That Special
Just because your cards are the same suit doesn’t make them good.
J♠3♠ is not a playable hand. Don’t let the matching suits seduce you. Suited cards only add 2–3% to your hand strength. That’s it.
If you’re counting on hitting a flush, know this: you will flop a flush only 0.84% of the time. And even if you get a flush draw on the flop, it only completes by the river 35% of the time.
So unless your cards can also make strong pairs or straights, fold ‘em.
Rule #4: Understand Position (And Stick With It)
One of the most powerful tools in poker is table position. That means where you’re sitting relative to the dealer button.
Players who act last have the advantage because they get to see what everyone else does before making their move. So if you’re “on the button,” you’re in the best seat in the house.
“Think of it like this: the later your position, the more hands you can play. The earlier your position, the tighter you need to be.”
In early position (first to act), only play your very best hands like strong pairs and high Broadways. In late position, you can get more creative.
Rule #5: Learn Preflop Charts (Or Use Flashcards Like I Did)
When I was first starting out in my poker career, I made 180 color-coded flashcards to memorize which hands to play in which positions. Green stickers for “raise,” red for “fold.” That’s how serious I was about mastering starting hand ranges. Because, once again, preflop folding is everything.
Fortunately you don’t have to go full nerd like me. But even reviewing a basic preflop chart for what hands to play from each seat can put you ahead of 90% of your opponents.
The poker cheat sheet I give beginners breaks it down like this:
Under-the-gun (early): Play only AA, KK, QQ, AK, AQ
Middle position: Add AJs, KQ, 99, 88
Hijack/Cutoff/Button: Add suited connectors, smaller pairs, and more Broadways
Raise when your chart says raise. Fold when it says fold. Preflop charts work best when obeyed.
Rule #6: Know Your Math (Without Doing Math)
Poker is a math game — but I’m not expecting you to bust out a calculator mid-hand.
Instead, memorize key stats:
You’ll miss the flop 2/3 of the time
Flush draw completes by the river: 36%
Open-ended straight draw: 32%
Gutshot straight draw: 16%
Flopping a set with a pocket pair: 12%
Flopping two pair: 2%
Pocket pair vs two overcards: 51% (a coinflip)
These are your fundamentals. They tell you when you’re likely ahead — or drawing dead.
Rule #7: Master Pot Odds
Let’s say there’s $100 in the pot, and someone bets $25. Now the pot is $125, and it costs you $25 to call. That’s 5-to-1 pot odds.
If you have a flush draw (36% chance of hitting), you only need about 4-to-1 odds to make calling profitable. Since 5-to-1 is better, you should call.
This is the math behind good decisions.
Poker is about making the right move over and over again… even if you lose the hand sometimes. You’re not guaranteed to win a hand even if you have 80% likelihood of winning. But if you keep running that same scenario repeatedly, you should come out ahead.
Luck doesn’t win over time. Math does.
Rule #8: Tell a Story With Your Bets
Every action you take at the table — checking, betting, raising — is part of your telling a story.
Raise preflop? You’re telling the table, “I have a strong hand.”
Bet after the flop? That’s called a continuation bet (c-bet)… you’re continuing the story that you have a good hand.
“The sequel often needs to be stronger than the original.”
If you continue betting on multiple streets, you’re telling an even more convincing story that you have a strong holding. Bet only once or twice? Not as believable. Bet three times? Now we’re talking.
But be warned — if your opponent keeps calling your big bets, then they’re telling a story too. They clearly think their hand is worth sticking around.
Rule #9: Practice Online to Fast Track Your Skills
One of the best ways to improve quickly is to play online poker.
Live poker = 30 hands/hour
Online poker = 90 hands/hour
Online + multitabling = thousands of hands/day
That’s how 21-year-old kids beat Vegas pros. They’ve seen more hands in six months than live players do in six years.
Online is faster, cheaper (you can play for pennies), and more aggressive — which is good. You want to train against better opponents.
Start at low stakes where you can get in tons of volume. You’ll level up fast.
Rule #10: Meet a Friend Who’s Actually Good at Poker
Yes, you should be skeptical of most poker advice. Which is why a trusted poker friend with actual skills is invaluable.
Run hands by each other. Debate plays. Share bad beats.
My husband was a professional poker player for over 15 years. I’m not saying you need to marry your poker partner, but it doesn’t hurt!
Poker is an emotional game that requires mental resilience. You may find you want someone to commiserate with over bad beats and share your wins. The highs are high, the lows are low, and hopefully you can learn from both together.
Bonus: You’re Going to Lose Sometimes. That’s OK.
I remember one of my memories of my first time playing poker at a casino with my father.
It was my last hand and I was just racking up. Of course, I was dealt pocket Kings.
I got it all-in preflop vs. my opponent’s had Ace-King. I was around a 70% favorite.
But the flop came Ace-high. I was stacked.
I looked over at my dad and said, “I’m sorry… I had to call.”
He said, “I’d be more upset if you didn’t.”
What he understood was this: You can make the right play and still lose. That’s part of poker. What matters is that you make the right play again and again — and over time, the math wins.
Final Thoughts: Don’t Just Play. Study.
Poker is not a guessing game. It’s not about who “feels lucky” or who’s the biggest alpha at the table.
It’s a mental game of logic, probability, psychology, and discipline.
So before your first time playing poker, do yourself a favor:
Fold more
Memorize basic hand charts
Learn poker math
Respect position
Practice online
Think before you bet
And find people to talk poker with
Because this game — if played smart — can be more than fun.
It can be profitable. So why wait? OtsoBet Online Casino is waiting for you!
