Here are some thoughts and tips from a few poker professional about how to be a good poker player.

“A hand can be won with luck or lost through bad luck. Play more than 1,000 hands, and luck and bad luck even out”
Eike Adler, Poker coach and author

“Poker is very comprehensive. And it is immensely important to understand the game from the beginning. Poker is a matter of experience.”
Katja Thater, Professional Poker player

“Luck does play a certain role, but play only with money that you can do without.”
Jan Meiners, Poker professional and author

“Don’t get married to a hand. (Be ready to throw your hand away when it is obviously beaten no matter how good a hand you started with.) This happens a lot with Ace King. Also, don’t try to beat the other players; let them try to beat you. Memorize this.”
Chris Moneymaker, 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Champion

“Don’t try to steal a pot by trying to bluff a bad player, a big loser or a big winner, and be sure to vary your playing strategy. The player whose game is always the same becomes an easy mark for good poker players.”
Chris Moneymaker, 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Champion

“Focusing too much on getting your money in good can actually be a part of playing badly overall. Great players are going to get their money in bad once in awhile, especially if they’re playing against someone who’s playing way too tight. However, they’re actually going to make money over the long run because of all the small pots they win when their opponents are unwilling to challenge their raises without a strong hand. What this means is that if you try too hard to get your money in good all of the time, you’re susceptible to being bluffed and are going to lose more often over a long period of time.”
Chris Ferguson, 2000 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Champion

“In tournaments, I play lots of hands. I’ll put my money in with all kinds of connected cards, especially when in position. I might limp, I might min-raise or raise a little more than the minimum, depending on the circumstances. I’m looking to keep my table off balance so they don’t know where I’m coming from. My overall goal is to pick up a lot of small pots without a lot of resistance. I might raise in position and hope for a call from one of the blinds. If I raise pre-flop with something like 6-7, I might miss the flop entirely, but the raise puts me in control of the hand. On the flop, I’ll likely bet if checked to, even if I miss. That small bet on the flop will usually win me a small, but helpful pot.”
Erick Lindgren, Professional poker player