Poker, despite its image as a mere game for gamblers, is actually a game of skill. There’s a reason why there are professional poker players who play the game for a living, and it’s not because of sheer luck. People get to make money out of this game simply because they’re better than who they’re playing against.

It’s not about the cards falling your way all the time. No matter how unlucky you think you may be, you can actually make some decent money out of poker if you put in the work to study the game in order to get ahead.

Whether you want to pursue a career path in professional poker or you just want to crush your friends in your weekly poker nights, here are some tips to keep in mind that will surely help you win more.

Know the Winning Hands

Being familiar with the rules and the winning hands in poker is something that casual players can still miss. It’s not uncommon for someone to think that a straight beats a flush. Of course, you wouldn’t want to have the perfect read that your opponent has three of a kind and go all-in with two pair thinking that you have him dominated.

From worst to best, here are the hand rankings in poker:

• High card
• One Pair
• Two Pairs
• Three of a kind
• Straight
• Flush
• Full House
• Four of a Kind
• Straight Flush
• Royal Flush

Utilize Position Wisely

Position is huge in poker. Every round, there are players who are advantaged and disadvantaged just because of their position.

Those in late position have an advantage over those who have to act early because players who act later have more information. They can see whether the players ahead of them check or bet or re-raise and can therefore assess the strength of their hand in relation to the moves made by other players.

When playing poker, be more careful when playing in early position in order to not set yourself up to getting outplayed by the opposition.

Don’t Play Every Hand

It’s easy to get carried away when playing poker, especially when all the cards are coming your way. What’s better than cracking aces with 6-4, right? However, luck doesn’t last forever and it’s important to stay disciplined, especially preflop.

It’s essential that you’re selective with the hands you play and that you only play cards that have a good chance of making strong hands. Patience is key in poker. While it may seem boring to just keep folding for hours on end, it’s always fun to make money, and playing disciplined is the best way to win consistently on the tables. 

Fold at the Right Spots

Just because you only play the strongest preflop hands doesn’t mean that you automatically win every hand you decide to play. Things can get awry pretty fast once the cards are on the board, and before you know it, your aces have a 0% chance of winning once the fourth card is on the board.

Folding is a skill in and of itself. It doesn’t mean giving up at all, so remember to set your ego aside when playing poker. In fact, folding correctly is actually a way of outplaying your opponent. Whenever you think you have a decent yet beatable hand, and it’s obvious that other players are more interested in winning the pot, don’t be afraid to make the right play by mucking your cards. Money saved is money won. 

Only Bluff When Profitable

Bluffing is one of the most fun aspects of poker. Few things feel better than going all in with air and making your opponent fold in a huge pot. However, bluffing is also one of the easiest ways to empty your bankroll. 

You should only bluff when you have a solid read on your opponent and you’re fairly certain that he will fold. There are players who don’t know how to fold at all and your air can get easily beat by the lowest possible pair despite your tremendous bet size.

Observe Your Opponents

The way other players play should influence the way you’re playing as well. As mentioned earlier, you should only bluff when you have a solid read on your opponent, and you develop these reads by observing the moves that they make on the table.

This is a great way of passing the time when you’re not playing in a hand. Folding doesn’t mean that you should just wait for the next hand. By observing other players, you get to see how others play and you can use this information to your advantage. For example, if you develop a read that someone bluffs too much, you wouldn’t be afraid next time to call with top pair when facing aggression from him.

Start at Low Stakes  

Like any other skill-based endeavor, improvement comes from experience. In poker, it’s essential to play as much as you can while losing the least possible amount. To avoid gigantic losses, play at low stakes first. 

If you take a look around, you will find hundreds of online casinos. Most of them are fantastic and offer thousands of games, and even unique features, such as the demo mode, which will allow you to play for free. 

In addition to the things we’ve mentioned, there are all sorts of impressive casino bonuses that you can use. Even though every betting website has its own unique offers, some promos can be found on almost every operator. Of course, they might have different names, but if you take a look at their Terms and Conditions, you will see that they will provide you with the same things.

So, let’s take a look at a few casino bonuses that every bettor should experience at least once.

Welcome Reload Bonuses

One of the things you can expect to find once you open an account on a given online casino is a welcome bonus. Most betting operators put a lot of emphasis on their bonus for new customers because this is what attracts many new players.

There are different types of welcome offers, but the most common ones are the reloaded bonuses. Usually, you will receive a 100% bonus on your first deposit, which will be capped at a certain amount. However, there are some places where you could get a bonus on your first two, three, or even four deposits.

The most critical condition that you need to check about this bonus is the rollover requirement. In most cases, it should be around 30x, but there are some operators where you might have to wager a specific promo at least 50 or even 60 times.

No deposit bonuses

Once you claim your welcome promo, take a look at the online casino’s bonus section and see whether there is a no deposit offer. The bonuses that do not require a deposit are sought after by every bettor, which is not a surprise considering you will receive something for free.

Typically, those rewards will give you a small amount of money that you can use on a specific casino game. However, some betting operators also have a no deposit bonus in the form of free spins.

Each online casino has different requirements that you need to comply with to receive this reward. In most cases, you will get it once you confirm your registration or phone number.

Free Spins

Last but certainly not least, we have the free spins promo. Pretty much every casino player loves to try out all kinds of slots, which is why every gambling operator has an abundance of options.

Apart from using the demo mode to try out the slots for free, you can also take advantage of different free spins promos. They will also allow you to play for free, but you can win real money, which is impossible in the demo mode.

Most online casinos have at least a few free spins promos, so don’t worry.

Ever since online casinos became really popular, the gambling industry changed dramatically. Land-based casinos are nowhere near as popular as they once were. Nowadays, people like the fact they can access thousands of games from the palm of their hand.

Thanks to dedicated mobile apps and perfectly optimized mobile websites, people can enjoy their favorite hobby from pretty much anywhere around the world, as long as there is a decent internet connection.

Apart from the people who make a transition from land-based to online casinos, many new bettors haven’t even visited a “physical casino” before. Hence, they don’t know much about playing casino games. We know that some of the people reading this will fall into this category, which is why we’ve decided to share a few things that you need to do before you start playing online casino games.

Learn how everything works

Unlike a few years ago, there are many things you can do if you want to learn more information about the online casino industry. Some people like reading this gambling guide by Nostrabet because it’s detailed and helpful. 

Furthermore, you can watch numerous YouTube videos and other types of online content that will help you out. The idea is to understand how each type of online casino game works and how to make the most out of your bonuses.

Check out the different casino software companies

One of the things you will notice is that every online casino works with multiple casino software providers. Most of these companies have a lot of experience creating casino games, so operators prefer to use them instead of developing their own games.

Most casinos you will come across have included multiple world-class companies. However, there are some exceptions, which is why you always need to look at the available games and their providers. Some of the most reputable names are NetEnt, Microgaming, Play’N Go, Pragmatic Play, Evolution Gaming, Yggdrasil, etc.

Look for an option called Practice Mode

Every online casino has unique features, most of which are cool. One of the things that you can find on many betting websites is the so-called “Practice Mode” or Demo Mode. This is one of the best features in the iGaming industry because it allows every bettor to play most of the casino games for free.

After you click on this option, you will get a virtual balance for the given game, which will allow you to learn everything about it. Most casinos only enable this feature for their slots, but we’ve seen operators that allow clients to try out some live casino games as well.

The demo option is ideal for new gamblers who are not sure what they want to play on. After you test several games and find something you like, check all of the different deposit options, and start playing for real money.

In most cases, online casinos will allow you to make an instant deposit. Just make sure that there aren’t any additional fees that you have to pay.

Gaming is one of the most popular hobbies in the world, especially among younger people. Apart from playing for fun, many games do this for a living. Nowadays, people play video games for a living and compete in tournaments, with prize pools that can reach up to $40,000,000.

The games with those types of tournaments are called eSports, and they are slowly becoming one of the most popular online betting options. More and more people are giving up on regular sports in favor of Dota 2, CS: GO, League of Legends, Overwatch, FIFA, and many more titles.

If you haven’t tried betting on eSports yet, here are a few things that you need to know.

Most eSports have fantastic odds

Apart from being interesting to watch and bet on, almost every eSport has fantastic odds if you compare it to other types of sports. This means that you could potentially win more money as long as you understand the given game and successfully predict your bet.

After choosing one of the many sites for esports betting, don’t forget to check out the live betting section. This is where most eSports shine because you will find multiple live markets, most of which have impressive odds.

You always need to read the latest news 

One of the things that make eSports so appealing is the fact all games are dynamic. In other words, things change fast, so unless you follow the given game up close, you might miss out on many betting opportunities.

The good news is that there are loads of ways of learning more information about this industry. There are numerous live-streaming platforms and websites that will bring you the latest news, so just search for them.

Expect to find unique promotions

Most online bookmakers have all kinds of promotions for their new and existing customers. Typically, every website will have one bonus for its new customers and a few for those that already have an account. 

However, certain bookies focus only on eSports, which is why you can find loads of exclusive eSports promos that are not available for anything else. They will usually provide you with a bonus if you bet on a given event, but this might not always be the case.

There aren’t that many markets yet

Apart from the bookies that are solely focused on eSports, most other betting websites don’t have that many markets for these types of sports. In addition to the usual ones, such as 1×2 and a few handicaps, you won’t find many other options. This is pretty strange because eSports have enormous potential when it comes down to markets. Each game is different and has so many things to offer, which means there could be thousands of additional markets.

We hope that most bookies will add more options in the future. For now, if you want to have more betting markets at your disposal, you need to find an eSports-only bookie.

Las Vegas is one of the best cities in the world for tourists to visit. Whether you’re a keen gambler looking to play on some of the famous slots available in the various casinos, or whether you’re looking to take in a live show, there is nothing that comes close to Las Vegas.

However, some of us may not have the ability to get to Sin City on a regular basis, which means that we need to improvise to make it feel as though we are getting a Las Vegas-type experience. One of the best ways to do that is through an inspired party that you can hold at home, and these are some of the tips that you should follow in order to have the most realistic experience.

Poker Tables

Of course, the one thing that must be present as a Las Vegas-inspired party is poker tables. Playing various games such as blackjack and poker is the reason why millions of people head to the area every year, and you can set up a poker table in the one of the rooms in your house.

You could have various tables with different games depending on how many people you have attending, with each table having a different game. You will be able to set the blinds and bets on these tables depending on whether you’re playing for fun or seriously.

This will ensure that even newbies that haven’t played the games before will feel like they can get involved, as it won’t be nearly as daunting as playing in Vegas. However, one of the types of games that you won’t be able to play are slots, which means that you can take advantage of the Yggdrasil designed games on some of the leading casinos.

Decorate The House

To make it feel more like Vegas, you can decorate your house with a number of aspects that are relevant to Sin City. You can have banners of different cards around the house, as well as having sculptures around the house, as they are most typically found in iconic casinos in Vegas such as Caesars Palace. Decorating the house can be done as little or as much as you wish, but it is an excellent way to ensure that the Vegas-themed night is one that your visitors will remember for a long time.

Put On Food

Food is one of the most important things that those visiting Las Vegas talk about. If you’re having a themed party outside of the States, then you will be able to put on a selection of nibbles for your visitors that are American themed. Meanwhile, if you’re wanting to have a themed meal, then you can cook a Vegas sized steak dish that will be the envy of all your visitors. Adding food for your visitors is one of the aspects that will make your themed night stand out, and will ensure that you go that extra mile. You could even make some jello shots for good measure if it’s an adult-only party.