Here’s the best poker tip you’re going to get so listen closely: Don’t play very many hands!You should only be playing 18-20% of the hands at a standard nine-handed table. You generally want to be playing good hands when you are just starting out.

But what are good hands? You can start with 9-9, T-T, J-J, Q-Q, K-K, A-A and A-J, A-Q and A-K. You can loosen up that range if you’re playing against less than eight other opponents.

Also: Try to avoid calling a lot. The call is one of the poker newbie’s favorite plays. It’s easy to understand why: New players aren’t sure what they actually have and whether it’s any good. Rookie poker players would rather call than bet because they don’t want to risk even more on what might not be as strong a hand as they originally thought.

Here’s the thing about poker, however: Betting is much stronger than calling. How come? You can win a pot without showing your cards by betting. You can’t do the same thing by calling. It’s that simple.

Furthermore experienced poker players will take beginner poker players for a ride. Once an experienced poker player finds a good hand they’ll simply bet a moderate amount on every street as the rookie pays them off on every street.

For all these reasons it’s worth putting in a bet or re-raise in even if you don’t feel completely comfortable doing it.