For players that feel insecure with their poker play hand selection with a chart can be a great way to create a better game play. While pre-maid poker charts can help a player a lot they should not be seen as magic solutions to guaranteed winnings. There is so much more to poker and you will see that every game can take an unexpected twist. Each poker table will be influenced by its participants and therefore there can never be any rules for successful hands. Use poker charts with some common sense and they can kick you off in the right direction.
Who should use a Chart?
A chart for poker hand selection can be a great aid for any player regardless of level. A beginner will certainly feel more secure knowing what starting hands are worth the while and which ones are dead ends. A more experienced player could get some useful insight to his own play by using these statistically prepared charts. By using a hand selection chart you could realize that a hand you would have discarded could actually be worth the while to go through with.
Memorize the Chart
It isn’t comfortable to sit and look at the chart while you are playing. Poker games can move fast and you want to keep an eye on what is going on with your opponents and read their play as well as the cards that you are dealt. You could start by sticking to what seems easiest to remember from the chart and not take chances on hands you feel unsure about. You can use practice games and games with very low limits to study the charts in real play so that you won’t put too much at stake before you know if it is really worth it.
Understand the Chart
However useful the poker charts are they are no fast ways to immediate success. If you don’t understand why a certain hand should be played or not you can’t really blame the chart for your failure. If the charts look like rocket science to you it means that your poker play isn’t good enough for you to use them. In such case it is better that you work on your basic play and understanding of the game and save the charts for later. Even when you know what the poker chart is describing you better make sure that you’ve understood just when and where to apply it.
Put the Chart away
There are those who claim that hand selection with chart can only bring a player to a medium level of play. If you feel that you aren’t winning as much as you would like by the help of charts you should consider putting it to the side. Sometimes creativity is what will let you win a game and too much reliance on a poker chart will disturb this important element. Knowing when to put the chart to the side is just as important as knowing how to use it in order to bring your poker play to higher levels by the help of pre-set hand selection.