A lot of new poker players I found online seem to make irrational decisions all the time, including going all-in pre-flop with a hand of unsuited 7-2. This is due to the lack of understanding and love for the game as well as lack of focus. Focus is very important whenever you play poker, since there are continuous analysis and constant situation assessing to do.

The first rule of thumb is to never play poker when you are drunk. You will quickly lose control over your judgments whenever you get drunk, decreasing your capabilities in playing poker substantially. I once suspected that those new poker players going all-in with 7-2 before even seeing the flop are actually drunk.

Next, always make sure you have a game plan. It is not hard at all to formulate your own poker game plan, especially if you have read many poker resources such as the one you are reading right now. Having proper game plan will allow you to make quick decisions, often final ones, when they count.

Make sure you play close attention not only to your own hand but also to your opponents’. You need to be able to assess the relative strength of your hand, and therefore you need to predict your opponents’ hands based on their movements and possible tells.

When you play at brick and mortar poker rooms, you need to also focus on concealing tells. Don’t leak information to your opponents if you want to win a lot of pot cash.