5 Tips to Prepare for a High Stakes Poker Game

Since high stakes poker takes a nice chunk of change, most players want to do whatever they can to win. Add this to the fact that the pots are usually quite substantial, and it shouldn't come at much of a surprise that these games can get aggressive or nerve-wracking. We listed 5 tips below to help you play the best high stakes poker game you can.

Prepare for Bad Hands

The first tip is to expect bad hands. You won't win every hand and you'll probably end up losing at least a little bit of money. If you go in prepared for bad hands, you'll be less disappointed and surprised if you're dealt one, Paul Phua touches on this in his interview with Phil Ivey. With that said, make sure you keep holding on to some hope that you'll get good hands and win. A positive attitude will help you get better outcomes than a negative attitude.

Only Make Calculated Decisions

Since there's usually a decent amount of money at stake, it's important to try and only make calculated decisions. It's important to remember that there's always the chance of something unpredictable that requires you to think quickly. As long as you're making as many calculated decisions as you can, you'll have less chance of making the wrong move or losing a lot of money. To help prepare you for this part, you should try and play a few lower stake games and practice your strategy.

Find a Mentor

If possible, you should try and find a mentor. Look for someone who has a lot of experience with high stakes and poker in general, as well as a few wins under their belt. Not only will they help you get as prepared as possible, but you'll be able to play against a really good player. The more practice you get, the higher chance you'll have of winning the pot.

Learn Everything About Tells

Learn everything you possibly can about tells. If you can learn as much as you can about them, you'll be able to have an easier time noticing when your opponents have them. Being able to pick up on these can mean the difference between winning or losing. Keep in mind, some people have tells that aren't as well-known and they might be easy to miss. If you notice this, try and catch what you can and use them against your opponent later.

Study, Study, Study

One final thing you can do to prepare is to study. When you think you've studied enough, study just a little bit more. Not only can you look up information about high stakes games, but you can watch some of the best matches to see what strategies you can use and what you should expect. As stated above, the more you study and learn, the better chance you'll have of taking home the prize.

After taking some time to prepare and playing a few lower stake games, you'll be ready to move on to the big dogs. While all of these games are expensive to play, some are a little less than others. It's a good idea to start small and work your way up. You'll be playing the match of your dreams in no time!

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