How to make poker more fun and entertaining
Poker can be a lot of things to a lot of different people. For the professional or semi-professional, profitability and win rate are essential. For recreational players, improving and enjoying the game are more important. No matter the reasons why you play, everyone wants to make poker fun and entertaining. This article offers suggestions to help you do just that.
Stick to your limits
It’s a mistake to think playing higher stakes games is the best way to ramp up the fun levels. This is simply not the case. Playing outside of your limits will make poker more stressful and losing more painful.
As a rule, you should only play with money you can afford to and are happy to lose. That way, you can never be too disappointed with the outcome of your session. If in doubt, you can always start with Play Money games and freerolls and then move up to micro-stakes when you’re ready.
Even if you’re playing at the lower stakes and not betting lots of money, you should also consider how much time you spend at the tables and aim to balance poker with other aspects of life.
It might sound like a serious start for a conversation about how to make poker fun, but trust me this is one of the key recommendations. PokerStars has lots of responsible gaming tools to help you stick to your limits, such as deposit and play limits.
Try different poker variations
Mix it up with Spin & Gos
Texas Hold ‘em is the most popular form of poker. Online, you’ll find hundreds of Hold ‘em cash games and tournaments running around the clock.
Look a little closer, or make use of game filters and searches, to find different poker variations such as Omaha, Stud, Razz and Triple Draw. Not only are they fun to play, they also provide a new challenge.
Along with these different poker variations, you can also play Hold ‘em poker formats such as PKO, Spin & Gos and KickOffs, or switch between cash games, SNGs and tournaments.
In other words, there’s loads going on in the online poker world. Don’t be afraid to mix it up to make the game more interesting.
Play live poker at home or casino
Online poker is awesome. You can compete against players from around the world from the comfort of your home or on the move. Live poker offers a completely different experience. If you only tend to play online poker, then be sure to give it a whirl.
Nothing beats the thrill of a major live poker game
Many major casinos have card rooms running tournaments on a daily or weekly basis, with cash games on the side. Check out your local casino to find our their poker schedule.
Attending live games is an opportunity to sit down with others doing a shared activity that you all enjoy. It’s sociable. Be friendly and interested in other people and you’ll find yourself in good company at the tables.
Home games are another way to reinvigorate your love for poker. In this case, you just invite friends around for a casual game, snacks, and a good laugh. Home games offer even more opportunity to try out wacky and fun poker games.
Playing live with friends and at casinos is a guaranteed way to keep poker fun and entertaining.
Join poker communities
Online poker can sometimes feel a bit lonely. To counter this, many long term players involve themselves with poker communities to meet people, chat, and learn. Doing so makes poker much more fun.
Twitch is an easy going and engaging place to start. There you can watch your favorite PokerStars streamers in action, follow their thought process, and join other viewers for a chat. PokerStars TV also offers a variety of content, including occasional cards-up streams.
You can also check out PokerStars Community to ask and answer questions, explore features and chat with other players.
Learn and improve
Let’s face it – winning is fun! And you don’t have to be the next big pro to appreciate the feeling of winning a big pot or taking down a tourney.
Raise Your Edge and have fun with PokerStars Learn
One of the major appeals of poker is that anyone can win. It’s just that better players win more in the long run. If you want to improve your chances of winning, and therefore add an extra element of fun and excitement, then aim to get better at the game.
It’s not just about winning. Learning is fun in and of itself. You can read, watch and train, then bring those lessons to the tables and test them out.
PokerStars Learn is full of resources to get you started, such as articles, videos and free courses.
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