One of the first mistakes that many people new to poker frequently make is the assumption that poker is fundamentally a game of chance and that with a little luck they can win, or conversely if they do not win it had more to do with luck than anything else. This is serious misunderstanding of the game because while luck does play a role, poker is much more a game of skill and recognizing this is absolutely essential for success.

Paying Close Attention to Everything

Beyond skill, luck, or strategy, the simple task of keeping yourself properly focused on the game and carefully observing everything that is going on is probably the single most important thing that a poker player has to do in order to excel at the game. Keeping yourself undistracted, cool, calm, and collected are obvious prerequisites to effective observation because not only do you have to see everything that is going on and be on the constant look out for clues about what the other players are up to, you have to be able to make sense of any information you get and determine ways of using it to your advantage. Playing poker well involves a lot of thought and concentration.

Remember that when watching the game you are not just watching the cards, tracking the specific cards that are knocked out of play and calculating the odds that cards you need will come up, but you also have to watch all of the other players as well. Knowing and understanding their style of play and looking for tell-tale hints about how good or bad their hands are is all part of the game. Further, assuming the other players have experience with the game as well, they all know you are observing them and will be trying to consciously mislead you to their advantage. The interaction and efforts to mislead and misdirect fellow players is one of the key elements of poker.