Poker is a very popular game around the world whether it be at a high-level tournament or a chilled-out game at home with friends. However, for some pleasure players, it can be fun to try and improve their game to the next level. Here we outline just a few of the ways in which a beginner can greatly improve their poker game. Firstly, as poker is a game of focus and concentration, it is important to learn to be unemotional. Anger and sadness are highly detrimental frames of mind, and can quickly result in poor playing choices and an end to any hope of a big win. Likewise playing even a bit tipsy can also severely impinge on any rational judgments that should be made. If you feel like you are spiralling out of control, then simply walk away. Many beginners also make the mistake that when you are in a hand of poker you should stay in. This is far from true, and in fact it is better to play less than half the hands you are dealt until you can quickly see which hands are good and which are not. Likewise, though poker is known as the game of bluffing, this is something that should be used sparingly. Expert players will soon see through a bluff and the consequent tell will give them all the ammunition they need to take you down. It is also a good idea to check on occasion. This simply means to not place a bet for that round. By doing so you can hope to open the bets once again on the next round. This check-raise method can make players go higher than intended and can actually knock some of them out, forcing a quick end to the game. Finally, when you’re a novice everything you think you know about poker probably comes from the movies. If you try to copy what you see there, you’re sure to fail. For the most part, it is important to maintain one’s cool and not play beyond the limits of both bankroll and individual skill level.