Do you play a lot of poker with friends or maybe at your local casino? Does everything seem like a routine to you: you buy into the game, play, and go home? Along the way, you might be giving away chips since you are forgetting the basics of a good poker game. Here’s is a good list of poker basics to remind you:

Wait for your turn before looking at your cards

When the dealer distributes the cards, there is a good temptation to check your cards out right away. Unknowingly, you are giving a lot of information to your opponents when you check your hand early. You should wait for your turn to act before you look at your card so you do not give away vital tells to those who will be acting before you.

Check you opponents out

As much as your opponents want to read your game plan, you should try to find out what they want to do. Have that good habit of picking information out of your opponents. See how they are holding their chips. Observe who is raring to raise. You might not always get it right but somehow you will learn a lot about their mannerisms and how they play their cards.

Do not look at the flop, look at the players

You do not wait for the dealer to reveal the flop. You need to look at the other players and see their precious reactions. The experienced players might not give away reads but not everyone will be able to keep it a secret.

Think and focus

Try to do your basics poker math and see what are the card odds and the pot odds. Practice this and make it a habit so it will become your second nature. Focus and eliminate distractions before making a decision. If you are not focus on how you want to play your card, you might slip, miss something, commit mistakes, and lose money.