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How Can New Poker Players Learn the Game?

How to learn poker

For many people trying to get into the world of casino games, poker is the starting point. It is the game often glamorized by TV shows like reality series King of Vegas, movies like Molly’s Game and James Bond flick Casino Royale. An article about the most popular casino games by investment research company Market Realist also confirmed that poker is in the top five favorite casino games, as 4% of all casino visitors and 5% of young adult casino visitors said that they enjoy the game.

However, as poker is a game that was created in the early 19th century, those getting into the game now have some catching up to. Learning how to become a skilled poker player doesn’t have to be difficult, though, and there are ways that new players can quickly become great.

Watch Poker Game Streams

Something that poker players now have over those who learned the game in the 19th and 20th centuries is that live streaming of poker gameplay, both live and online, is now incredibly popular and accessible. Streaming sites such as Twitch, Mixer, YouTube, and Facebook have all made it possible for people to watch streams of people playing video games, playing casino games, or just talking about the weather.

Twitch is one of the most prominent sites for watching poker players and poker tournaments. There are more than 15 million active daily users on Twitch and the poker stream category has one million followers and often gets thousands of viewers. There are channels such as poker training site RaiseYourEdge which broadcasts tournaments and offers suggestions for playing the game, as well as professional poker players like LexVeldhuis who also perform at a very high level and often talk viewers through their decision process.

Take Classes from the Pros

Some may enjoy a more traditional poker education feel, however, which is why many pros hold online classes that go through the steps of becoming skilled at the casino game. These classes are rarely free but they can take new players from being amateurs at the card game to being able to confidently go into a game and win it, having a very good idea of what they’re doing.

One popular poker training site is Run It Once, which was created by Phil Galfond, a professional poker player who has won multiple World Series of Poker bracelets. There are multiple membership tiers which all cost money, but those who sign up do get access to more than 2,000 poker training videos. Another training site is Upswing Poker which was created by Doug Polk, a player who has won three WSOP bracelets. Ryan Fee, who has won more than $3 million, is part of the Upswing Poker team. Then there’s MasterClass by Daniel Negreanu or the MasterClass by Phil Ivey. MasterClass access costs money but these two courses offer more than three dozen poker training videos to help new players.

Are Video Poker Games Alive in 2019?

Another way that new aficionados can learn how to play in 2019 is, simply, to play the game. Applying the skills learned on those streams and on those training site videos can be one of the best ways to see what it a strong strategy against more experienced opponents and which strategies need a bit more work before you can be successful on a consistent basis.

What’s more, players who haven’t yet become part of the online or offline community and found people to play with can also opt for real money video poker games. Video poker games like Mystery Bonus Poker and Joker Poker offer the fun of slot games and poker in one, making them great for casual poker players who are learning all about poker hands and their values.

Video poker games are popular in 2019 and there are several quality games to choose from. But there’s also the five card draw variant, which isn’t often used at poker tournaments. The players more likely to play online video poker are new players, but this just confirms that the games are good for learning more about how to play.

Poker may be one of the most popular casino games to learn but it’s also one of the hardest. It may take some time to get skilled at poker, but poker skills do come with big rewards, from its entertainment value to potential wins.

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