Poker Best Way To Win

Laura Klusaite

Table Of Contents

  1. In fact, every professional poker player on the planet would admit to using their knowledge of who they’re playing in conjunction with one of the following play-styles: Play aggressively to win a large pot with a strong hand; Play passively to try to win with a weak hand; Play aggressively to make your opponent fold a better hand.
  2. The home poker game is a tricky beast. You have to walk a fine line between socializing and competitive gaming. The best players are able to gab all night long, down a six pack and still walk away with a pocketful of 20s they can toss on to the dresser to impress the wife at the end of the night.

Apr 02, 2014 The easiest way to describe how a beginner should approach poker tournaments is this: Play as tight as possible in the beginning and loosen up as you get into the later levels. Of course this depends on your stack, but in general you should relax during the first levels. Don't get caught up in big confrontations unless you have a really big hand.

  • This is the most complete collection of Keno tips on the web
  • It's a perfect article to know how to win at Keno machines
  • It covers the best Keno numbers and the top bonus you can use to play Keno online

Poker Best Way To Win Scratch Off Tickets

Keno is probably the most underrated Casino game out there. Many players still imagine it as a game only played at the elderly home. Or that there is no way how to win at Keno other than being extremely lucky.

Let's get it clear from the get-go: that is not the case.

Contrary to the popular belief, you CAN use your smarts and skills to win at Keno.

And since you're reading this guide on PokerNews (and not some suspicious site promising to tell you how to win at Keno every time), it seems you're already using them to choose trustworthy sources on how to win at video Keno.

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Good for you!

You can find plenty of Keno strategies that are created to make you lose every time. That's what many Casinos want, after all.

And while you can't really beat the house edge at any Casino game, I prepared a few tips for you that actually work to win more at Keno.

It's not a betting system with a funny name. Neither it is a strategy cheatsheet what to do every single bet. And it's not the kind of tips that would get you kicked out of a Casino in Las Vegas.

But these are the Keno strategy tips that were proven to work by many players worldwide. And there's no harm in trying them yourself, especially since you start by playing Keno for FREE here.

1. Choose Casinos (and Games) With Better Payouts

Way

This may seem obvious to you but you'd be surprised for how many players it's not.

Even when you have your favorite online Casino to play Slot machines or other Casino games, it may not be the perfect fit to play Keno there.

You need to check how many variants of Keno they have and what are the payouts for guessing the right numbers.

In most online Casinos you can either choose up to 10, 15, or 20 numbers to bet on and 20 numbers out of 80 are drawn.

The best payouts online usually look like this.

How many numbers chosenHow many of them get drawn & Payout
OneOne 1 to 1
TwoOne 1 to 1, two 9 to 1
Three One 1 to 1, two 2 to 1, three 16 to 1
Four One 0.5 to 1, two 2 to 1, three 6 to 1, four 12 to 1
FiveOne 0.5 to 1, two 1 to 1, three 3 to 1, four 15 to 1, five 50 to 1
SixOne 0.5 to 1, two 1 to 1, three 2 to 1, four 3 to 1, five 30 to 1, six 75 to 1
SevenOne 0.5 to 1, two 0.5 to 1, three 1 to 1, four 6 to 1, five 12 to 1, six 36 to 1, seven 100 to 1
EightOne 0.5 to 1, two 0.5 to 1, three 1 to 1, four 3 to 1, five 6 to 1, six 19 to 1, seven 90 to 1, eight 720 to 1
NineOne 0.5 to 1, two 0.5 to 1, three 1 to 1, four 2 to 1, five 4 to 1, six 8 to 1, seven 20 to 1, eight 80 to 1, nine 1200 to 1
TenOne 0, two 0.5 to 1, three 1 to 1, four 2 to 1, five 3 to 1, six 5 to 1, seven 10 to 1, eight 30 to 1, nine 600 to 1, ten 1800 to 1

This progression can follow further if you can choose more than ten numbers. For example, if you can choose 15, for guessing all of the right you'd be paid out 10000 to 1.

Not bad, right?

These are the optimal payouts when playing Keno online. Don't go for anything offering less.

As a rule, online Casinos have better payouts than the brick-and-mortar ones. Thus, it's always better to play online.

And let's be honest, much more easier, too.

The best payouts I've seen are available at Quickfire (Microgaming) Keno platforms. There is a simple classic platform to play. Also, a colorful and cheerful one, called Monkey Keno.

If you play the later one, the numbers are not drawn but thrown to the board by a monkey. And they come in a form of coconuts.

But essentially, both of the platforms have the same payouts and odds of winning, and the return to player ratio is 94.9 percent.

Though, you may prefer Monkey Keno because of a few special features:

  • you can choose games randomly instead of selecting individual numbers
  • you can choose to autoplay the game
  • it shows hot and cold maps (the numbers which were drawn most and least in the game)

2. Play For Free to Get A Hold of The Game

Keno is not a complicated game. Thus, many Keno players dive right into the real money play. And they lose, a lot.

No matter what Casino game it is, always play it for free first to get a hold of the game.

There may be some major differences in payouts or minor differences in the game platforms. Casino may be lagging a lot and thus restarting the game before it's finished.

While it makes little difference when playing for free, it may cost you lots of bets when playing for real money.

And even if you learn the best tips on how to win at Keno and you're 100 percent sure of your skills, still practise for free first. You never know what can happen.
But it's always better if something wrong happens and yoou don't lose your cash in the process.

3. Select Between Four and Eight Numbers

When you have an option to choose up to 15 or 20 numbers with the same wager, the logical question is how many numbers is the right number?

Many Keno beginners believe the more, the better. It makes sense, considering the more you choose, the better chances of getting more of them correct you have.

But keep in mind that the payouts change depending on how many numbers you choose in total.

If you guess five out of five chosen, your payout may be 50 to 1. That's really sweet. But if you guess five out of 10 chosen, that reduces to 3 to 1.

So, what's the optimal number?

Think about it. When you choose less than four, any chance of winning is extremely low. There are 80 numbers in the Keno machine (or RNG), after all.

Then again, if you choose more than eight, you will always need to hit at least four or more numbers to get any extra money above what you've already spent for the wager.

And that's not that easy either.

Though, if there is a progressive jackpot attached to the game, it may be worth to choose more numbers. Especially if you play the the saying win big or go home.

4. Choose Consecutive Numbers or The Cold Ones

The next tip related to numbers is which numbers to choose when betting. A common advice is to choose the consecutive numbers.

When it comes to playing video Keno, the numbers are drawn by a random number generato, thus the outcomes are random. But many Keno players researched the outcomes and believe playing consecutive numbers can help you win a lot more.

Same goes for the cold numbers - the numbers that haven't been drawn the longest period of time.

Does it work betting like that?

Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn't. If you don't have a different betting strategy, you may as well try it.

If you play for free, you have nothing to lose. And maybe you'll discover what Keno numbers are most worthy of betting on.

When it comes to betting on cold numbers, or opposite, choose a platform that shows what were the most and least drawn numbers in the game.

One of such platforms is Monkey Keno.

5. Play at a Reliable Casino

If you want to know how to win at Keno game, many of your choices need to be related to a specific game platform and Casino. Since we talked about the payouts and platforms already, it's time to cover the Casinos.

The Casino needs to be trust-worthy. Even if you discovered a brilliant strategy on how to win at Keno every time, it's pointless if all your money will go to the illegal Casino and you'll never see your winnings.

My advice?

Not only it has both of the Keno platforms mentioned (the classic game of Keno and Monkey Keno), but there are also great Keno variants you can try for free and for real money - if you are not in the United States.

Yes - you can play all of these games FREE. No registration or deposit necessary.

And once you're ready to play for real money, check out this surprise bonus!

So - you only have one decision to make:

What Keno game will you play first?

Be sure to complete your PokerNews experience by checking out an overview of our mobile and tablet apps here. Stay on top of the poker world from your phone with our mobile iOS and Android app, or fire up our iPad app on your tablet. You can also update your own chip counts from poker tournaments around the world with MyStack on both Android and iOS.

The promotion presented on this page was available at the time of writing. With some Casino promotions changing on daily basis, we suggest you to check on the site if it still available. Also, please do not forget to read the terms and conditions in full before you accept a bonus.

Table Of Contents

Are you struggling to turn a decent profit at the poker tables on a consistent basis? Are your results best described as 'somewhere around break-even'?

First off, don't worry because you are not alone. This describes the results of the majority of poker players.

Often, however, it is just a few small strategy adjustments that can take your game from mediocre to amazing — from break-even to crushing it.

In this article, I am going to provide you with seven subtle but highly effective poker tips to take your game to the next level.

Editor's Tip: You can try all the poker tips on one of these free poker sites. Playing online poker for free is the best way to hone your poker skills and practice with no risk.

Try them — your bankroll will thank you.

1. Think About Ranges, Not Hands

One of the easiest ways to spot the difference between average poker players and elite ones is by how they think about what their opponent has.

  • Average poker players try and put somebody on a specific hand.
  • Advanced poker players think in terms of ranges.

A range is essentially the entire spectrum of hands somebody can have in a specific situation. For example, player X can have a flush, top pair, middle pair, bottom pair, a draw, ace-high or a complete air-ball bluff.

Good players understand that player X will show up with this entire range of hands with various frequencies.

They try and figure out those frequencies and then make the best play.

Average players try to put an opponent on exactly (or some other specific hand) because that's 'what their gut tells them.'

Watch the video below to understand how poker pro Jason Wheeler uses every possible information available to understand his opponent's cards and choose his play.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Be Realistic

Think about your opponent's range instead. Nobody has a specific hand in poker — they only have a range.

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They will show up with different hands to varying degrees.

2. Ditch Your Favorite Hand

A lot of people have a favourite hand. I know that every time I get dealt the old -suited my eyes light up and I want to play it so bad!

However, in reality, I know that -suited is a mediocre hand.

It makes sense to play it in some spots — late position, for instance, in an unopened pot. But it should almost always be folded in early position.

If you currently have a favourite hand, that's fine — most people do. But don't give it preferential treatment and make bad plays with it.

Winning poker is about math and cold hard logic, not superstition.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Be Smart

Playing too many hands is a widespread mistake (see: Five Common Mistakes New Poker Players Make).

One of the best ways to avoid it is to introduce range-based thinking in your reads.

3. Adopt a Consistent Strategy

Another big key to becoming a great poker player (and perhaps one of the most important poker tips you should know) is consistently applying a winning strategy.

It is not okay suddenly to change things up (e.g. to open with -suited from early position) just because you are bored or tilted.

All of your learning, experience and study over the years has given you a body of knowledge telling you how to play this game profitably.

But it only actually matters if you apply it at the poker tables all the time. Every hand counts and every session counts.

Elite poker players apply the same winning strategy over and over again, no matter how they feel or what their recent results have been.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Be Consistent

Poker is a long-term game. You need time to build your bankroll and find the right strategy that works for you.

You should not change your strategy after a big win or a big loss (here's why). If you really feel like your approach needs to change, make sure you read Nathan Williams' Handling the Ups and Downs of Low Stakes Poker first.

4. Always Have a Reason

Big-time winning poker players will sometimes break from their standard, successful strategies, but always for obvious reasons.

An average player might start raising -suited in early position because he is bored or wants to make something happen.

An elite poker player will raise with this hand in this position on occasion because he notices the table is playing passively and there are a couple of recreational players in the blinds.

There is a clear reason then to believe that raising -suited in early position (typically a fold under normal circumstances) might be a profitable play in this situation.

If you can produce a well-reasoned argument why deviating from your regular strategy might be more profitable, then it is okay. It is the 'because I feel like it' or 'I am bored' reasoning that has to go.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Be Reasonable

Think. Use your experience to analyse the situations, and then understand 'why' you would take one road and not another.

If you don't have enough experience to evaluate different situations yet, you better go back to the free games and grind.

5. Know When to Fold Your Aces

Another clear difference between average poker players and great poker players is the ability to fold an overpair.

You know that little sick feeling you get when you have and a tight opponent raises all-in on the turn? You make the so-called 'crying call', and he turns over the set yet again.

You need to start paying attention to that feeling a little bit more often.

Certain patterns are easily recognisable at the lower stakes — especially when you play online poker — where it is 100 per cent the correct play to fold your overpair.

Good players can let go of any emotional attachment to their pretty-looking hands. Average players get married to their aces or kings instead, and can't let them go even when they know they are beat.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Aces Lose Too

Starting with the top of all poker hands isn't enough to guarantee you the pot.

Ask anyone for good poker pro tip, and they will all tell you the same thing: sometimes, you'll need to fold those Aces.

6. Realise Tilt Only Hurts You

Tilt is a destroyer of bankrolls, dreams and poker careers.

I can't tell you how often I receive emails or comments from people who describe to me how they've tilted vast amounts of their bankroll away when things went badly at the poker tables.

The reality of poker is that sometimes things will go badly for you, and there is absolutely nothing that you can do about it.

This is what you sign up for every time you sit down to play.

There's always the possibility you might run terribly. You might run lights out as well, though.

When you allow yourself to lose control of your emotions and throw your strategy out the window, the only person you are hurting is yourself.

All those hours you've spent trying to learn and improve your game were basically wasted because you decided to choose your emotions over reason when it mattered.

Respect the work that you have done. You owe it to yourself to maintain more composure and stop throwing away money when the cards go south.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Relax

The psychological side of poker can be overwhelming, and you need to be ready to deal with it.

Swings happen and bad beats will come. If you don't know how do deal with this, have a look at the poker tips Italy's poker pro Rocco Palumbo shared with PokerNews at the 2017 PokerStars Championship Prague.

If these tips work for Palumbo, they may as well work for you!

7. Don't Play in Bad Games

One more way average players regularly sabotage their poker results is by stubbornly playing in games that are full of decent-to-good regulars.

If you can't find somebody at the table who is playing very poorly, then you have to ask yourself why it is that you are even there.

If you only play poker for the mental challenge or recreation or pleasure, then this is fine. This poker tip doesn't necessarily apply to you.

But if winning is at all a priority for you, then you need to remember you don't turn a significant profit in poker by pushing tiny edges against good poker players.

You win big by playing against players who are making significant fundamental errors and giving away their money over the long term.

As the classic movie Rounders reminds us, 'If you can't spot the sucker in your first half-hour at the table, then you are the sucker.'

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Choose the Right Games

Don't sit with the pros if you can't beat them. Selecting the right games is key to your successes in poker — one wrong move, and you are out.

Again, there's no shame in playing free poker games or in looking for the easiest poker games to play online if that's what you need.

Final Thoughts

The divide between break-even players and big-time winners is not as wide as many people think.

It is often just a few simple little adjustments you can learn over time that can carry you over to enable you to start winning at a higher clip.

A lot of it has to do with starting to view the game in a much more cold, detached, mathematical and logical way than you presently do.

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Emotional and/or superstitious poker players almost always lose or struggle to remain even.

Elite poker players, meanwhile, know they are in it for the long haul and don't get overly wrapped up in each hand or moment. They continue to make the most profitable play again and again, no matter what.

Nathan 'BlackRain79' Williams is the author of the popular micro stakes strategy books Crushing the Microstakes and Modern Small Stakes. He also blogs regularly about all things related to the micros over at www.blackrain79.com.

This article was originally published on Feb. 13, 2017. Last update: November 28, 2019.

Be sure to complete your PokerNews experience by checking out an overview of our mobile and tablet apps here. Stay on top of the poker world from your phone with our mobile iOS and Android app, or fire up our iPad app on your tablet. You can also update your own chip counts from poker tournaments around the world with MyStack on both Android and iOS.

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