Is there really a right or wrong way to play poker?

Branimir84 · Jan 22, 2022

Of course there is. The right way is the winning way, the wrong the losing.

When faced with various coaching that says slightly different things to know which is more relevant you need to know which is more profitable at the tables. It can be difficult to determine that if you are a casual player (like me).

One rule of thumb is to always look for the most latest's. Poker is an ever evolving game, poker advise from 3 years ago in regards to what to do with a certain hand may not apply anymore because player tendencies have changed.

Other rule is, well honestly look at who is giving the advise and how profitable of a player they are. Or organization they are representing. Who do they have on roster, who do they coach from professionals how well they are doing, etc.

And does their advise apply to you. They may be (and most are) for higher level of play then where you play. For higher stakes, for stronger average player fields.

Yeah its actually an entire process to even recognize what coaching to take lol. We all have are tendencies but ultimate judge is the result at the end of the day. It determines the right way.

thwenth1983 · Jan 22, 2022

Poker is a game of technical, theoretical knowledge and skill

Good morning everyone, is there a right way to play poker?
Of course there is and the best poker players in the world do it.
I think poker is very similar to chess, these games are very complex and difficult to master.
You will analyze the accuracy of the moves in chess and there are games where the player has 99.6% accuracy and in poker something similar happens the best players make most of the time the best decisions.
In poker, if you play using the concepts of theory you are playing correctly.

alien666dj · Jan 24, 2022

For me, the right game of poker is a game plan, work on yourself and your game, bankroll management. Everything else is a bad game.

marvinsytan · Jan 24, 2022

the right way to play poker is to have discipline with your pre flop range and take it from there

Nano5722 · Jan 24, 2022

SopianaeExtra said:
This is some good advice, but it still sounds funny to me: If everybody is employing a hypothetical optimal strategy, in the end there will be still only one winner left. Sometimes being successful in Poker equals to being plain lucky, I'm afraid.

There can be different situations on poker table. Most of the players, who are successive, are playing the same good level of the game. They know when to bet and fold, when to raise, they will not pay, if they understand, that this is a bad decision.
Sure you need some luck in poker, just because if everyone is playing the same good level, the ammount of the money, that you will take from the tourney will depends of how much luck you will have in key hands.
Also it,s important to say, that some people can,t hold a good level of the game for many hours. Maybe they can play good for couple of hours, but you need to have patience to play for 10-11 hours sometimes in a big tournament, and not everyone can make it. Sometimes people begin to make mistakes, or wrong decisions, just because they are tired of the game and they need to have a rest to have a fresh mind a game and be ready to show a good level of the game only after this.

KozakAlex · Jan 24, 2022

Yes, I agree I'm also a wrong player, I don't use tables or poker rules. I play on intuition when I want to, then I put Allin, compare or reset. Just because I want to. That's the style of the game.

Havik · Jan 24, 2022

Sivraj said:
I know this question might really sound stupid. But listening to different poker players telling you to play like this, play like that, play this card don't play that card. Limp with this hand, don't limp with that hand. Raise with this hand or go all in. Follow this poker chart cause I always win. It gets to the point where you kind of shutoff poker coaches or players in general. The one thing I learned in my poker journey from watching the pros and trying out things is you have to play according to your situation and do what works for you. If it means playing with any hand or playing with very very little.

The main reason I ask this is what really is the right way or wrong way to play when everybody has their own style. Rather its tight or aggressive. Some players even play with shitty hands that people wouldn't dare bet the farm on and still win. Poker is a game of personality some people play certain low value hands that represents something significant in their life like a close ones phone number, social security, birth date numbers, jersey numbers etc.

What is the right or wrong way to play poker?

Of course not, Poker is a great game because you can play it however you choose. I think having fun and enjoying the game is most important.

ChubbySin · Jan 24, 2022

Sivraj said:
I know this question might really sound stupid. But listening to different poker players telling you to play like this, play like that, play this card don't play that card. Limp with this hand, don't limp with that hand. Raise with this hand or go all in. Follow this poker chart cause I always win. It gets to the point where you kind of shutoff poker coaches or players in general. The one thing I learned in my poker journey from watching the pros and trying out things is you have to play according to your situation and do what works for you. If it means playing with any hand or playing with very very little.

The main reason I ask this is what really is the right way or wrong way to play when everybody has their own style. Rather its tight or aggressive. Some players even play with shitty hands that people wouldn't dare bet the farm on and still win. Poker is a game of personality some people play certain low value hands that represents something significant in their life like a close ones phone number, social security, birth date numbers, jersey numbers etc.

What is the right or wrong way to play poker?

"What is the right or wrong way to play poker?"

My opinion ahead.

There is a hard statement to swallow, and there it is: in Poker, any two cards can win at showdown.

I don´t believe there is a right way to play Poker, however I believe having better ways for playing it, based on maths, experience and events occurance.

MishkaZL · Jan 24, 2022

Obviously, each player has or does not have their own notions of how to act in certain situations. But in general, in my opinion, the right game is when you remain patient and do not play with junk, because otherwise this great game turns into bingo.

ShadyFei · Jan 24, 2022

BetterThanAvgButNotByMuch said:
Dewey Tomko sums up your answer starting around the 1:30min mark to about the 2:45min mark of this interview "Poker Legend Dewey Tomko Tells Stories About Doyle Brunson & Stu Unger" on Youtube.

Good, entertaining interview if you have the time to listen to it by the way.

What a great interview. I could listen to that guy all day. Thanks!

pakyut · Jan 24, 2022

For me as long as you win. It is always right.

canabero · Jan 24, 2022

marvinsytan said:
the right way to play poker is to have discipline with your pre flop range and take it from there

basically i play micro games but i have played some high stake mtt's.
in high stakes preflop game is irrelevant, the most hard part of the game is post-flop , you can drive crazy if you can't read your opponents there, you need to have conviction of how to play hands that are not QQ-KK or AA. it's very naive to think if you have something like AQ in late position, you'll always raise and then everyone will fold or for having high cards you will connect for sure a pair or better. you need to have an extra plan when things get complicated, sometimes just fold or bluff, there in not a simple answer for this,

DiegoRamos · Jan 24, 2022

Sivraj said:
I'm playing both for money and fun.

Yes, but you must ask these questions on every hand.

So it's not just saying whether or not your move is correct.

Do you understand?

EarnDAStack · Jan 24, 2022

Plays that are losing EV are wrong lol.

There are millions of ways people try and rationalize this but it's pretty straight forward. General heuristics can have their place but things like "Tight is right" has no place in a game like Texas Hold'em where you miss most boards and fold equity is an incredibly important consideration in the development of a strategy.

There are times to be tight and there are times to be an absolute aggressive madman, knowing when you need to be each or anywhere in between the two is how you become a good poker player. Talk to others about what spots require what types of strategy but when people try and paste over the most complex game in the world with a 5 word catch phrase they are selling snake oil.

johnsonmad · Jan 24, 2022

Everyone has a different path to getting better. Making mistakes are part of the game and part of learning.

pocketace222 · Jan 24, 2022

Of course... you don't want to be the person calling every hand or never playing. So many ways to play the game. You have to be very flexible. Watch the pros pick up some game, practice with different strategies and figure out a game for you

TulasMoreno · Jan 24, 2022

there are a lot of perspectives but somthing we have to consider is that most of pros, take similar actions in same situations, so theres a way to play that we have to follow as much as we can.

neptun1914 · Jan 25, 2022

For me correct way is to try to take decisions based on facts. Try to calculate pot odds, draws probability, ranges, outs and such basic concepts. When you have some base you can add more advanced concepts and adapt your game to the players with which you play and the games in which you play. Such mix of good foundations with further own developments and adaptation to the situation is for me the best way to play. Of course it is not easy and that is why so many players are really big winners in this game.

Joe · Jan 25, 2022

My opinion is that essentially +EV plays are correct and -EV plays are incorrect.

Luan · Jan 25, 2022

I believe that you have to assemble your own strategy based on the strategy of professionals, my game is very solid at the beginning of the game, because at the beginning of a tournament you will have to have a lot of patience to manage to play because of the structure of the tournament that you play in my case and as soon as I play, everyone has their own way of thinking!

Bnobob · Jan 25, 2022

The Big Gameee¹

each hero must have his skill and trust his game; You can't win if you're not willing to lose

kamel · Jan 25, 2022

Always when there is some dummy call and I lost against sick call, i try to explain myself that in long run im better, we cant run away from sick calls or playing allin with shitty hands in smaller stakes thats the way the poker is, available for everyone but in tournaments is not a spin this is long term run and there is no place for mistakes.\

alabos · Jan 25, 2022

I think no........bluff......fair play.....play safe or aggressive player i think its all the good way to play but its hand by hand different play .....i think sometimes good bluff is good and play is low pocket paur aggressively and play safely too for not loosing all.....

Cooking · Jan 25, 2022

I think if you're a profitable player then you are playing in the right way

Claudiunm · Jan 26, 2022

That's a good question. And the answer is yes. There is a correct way to play Poker!

There is luck and there is Unlucky. The two want to be your partners in the game
In each round you will be dealt two cards (or more, depending on the version of Poker).
So who's with you, luck or Unlucky?
Luck is a treacherous friend.
Unlucky wants to destroy you.
Then comes the third element: Skill.
She will reach your ear and whisper softly who is next to you. Lucky or Unlucky. She will give you advice, always speaking softly:
-...Fold...,
-...Limp....,
-...Call...,
-....Raise...,
-....Tri-Bet...,
-...All-in...
-...Respect the opponent....

But she always speaks softly and you have to be attentive to hear what she tells you. Because there is a fourth element that makes a lot of noise and ends up muffling the sound of the Skill:
The Ego. He screams in your ear:
-THIS HAND YOU HAVE IS INVINCIBLE!
-HE IS bluffing!
- YOU CAN'T GIVE UP THIS KK!
...

So my friend, stifle your Ego. Learn and listen to the skill. And you are 70% more likely to win. The other 30% is not under your control, as you are not playing chess.

Is there really a right or wrong way to play poker?

Branimir84

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thwenth1983

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alien666dj

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marvinsytan

I'm going to win The PokerStars Sunday Million

Nano5722

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KozakAlex

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Havik

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ChubbySin

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MishkaZL

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ShadyFei

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pakyut

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canabero

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DiegoRamos

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EarnDAStack

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johnsonmad

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pocketace222

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TulasMoreno

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neptun1914

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Joe

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Luan

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Bnobob

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alabos

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Cooking

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