“Who’s giving you poker advice?” by Marc978

Good poker players don’t go it alone. They talk strategy with others, read books and blogs, and ask plenty of questions. But who should you trust? Player and volunteer Marc978 shares his opinion below.

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It’s a good idea to seek advice from other poker players and exchange ideas regarding strategy. The question is — who should you take advice from? 

In my opinion, it’s important to actually know the person who’s giving you advice. At the very least, you should have a good idea of what their reputation is at the poker tables. The last thing you want is to listen to someone who plays recklessly with their chips.

Asking your friends for advice is a good idea because they know you and the type of player you are. They may have noticed your strengths and shortcomings, so their advice may be valuable in improving your play. Just be sure to ask friends who’ve seen some success and built up a good bankroll, rather than ones who find themselves regularly doing free top-ups.

However, be careful when you’re asking players you don’t know for advice! Their intentions may not be noble. If a player is regularly defeating you at the tables, it might be tempting to hear them out. But if they’re suddenly giving you tips, it could be bait. Think critically to avoid taking bad advice that might make it even easier for them to defeat you and win more of your chips. Be wary!

There are several great sources online for getting poker advice. The Replay Poker blog has valuable resources on basic strategy. Though these articles offer more general tips rather than being tailored to your play, it’s a good foundation to build upon. 

On the Replay Poker forum, players talk out strategy daily, and many are ready and willing to help you out wherever you feel stuck. Try visiting the Poker Strategy category and share a hand you think you could have played better.

Finally, if you’re playing for real money, you could seek a poker coach who can help improve your game. It could be a worthwhile investment.

Seeking advice is a great way to improve your skills. Just know who that advice is coming from!