4 Ways to Get More Out of Poker Video Games

For a lot of people, a term like “poker gaming” is virtually synonymous with online tournaments played for real money. While that’s certainly one version of this branch of gaming however, there are also plenty of more casual varieties that function more like ordinary video games. There are ways to get more out of poker video games than just tournaments.

These days, those with casual interest in poker have a lot of options to consider. There are some older PC games from online poker’s early-2000s heyday that are still accessible (and still quite good). There are dozens of different apps that can be played without any real money on the line. There is even a brand new poker game available on Steam that is arguably the most high-profile release in this category in a number of years.

With all of that acknowledged though, it takes a little bit of practice to get all that you can out of a free-play poker game. Without real money on the line the stakes are a little less significant, and of course some games are better than others. Rather than simply highlighting a specific game to seek out though, we want to offer direction to poker gamers by providing a few tips for how to get the most out of the genre in general.

Follow these tips and you’ll eventually be able to land on an excellent poker gaming experience, without ever having to sign up at a real-money platform.

1. Seek Social Elements

One reason that some ultimately do seek out real-money poker sites is that this is a game that requires a sense of competition if it is not to become monotonous. But that sense of competition does not in turn require money. For lot of gamers, it merely requires a social element. Just as other online multiplayer games thrive on players’ ability to compete against each other, discuss games, form teams, and so on, there are several free-to-play poker games that are based largely on communities of players. Games with social elements might allow you to chat during games, organize multiplayer tournaments with other gamers, look at leaderboards or accumulations of fake, in-game money, and more. These types of features significantly enrich the experience and turn poker gaming into more than just another arcade card game.

2. Know How to Win

If your plan is to find a poker game and simply start playing — and hopefully improving as you go — you’re in good company. This is how most people approach poker video games, and it does lead to gradual improvement. Playing games and tournaments will help you to figure out how aggressively you like to play, whether or not you’re a good bluffer, how well you read other players, and so on. Nevertheless, you’ll still get more out of your poker gaming experience if you do a little bit of studying and strategizing before you get started. Ultimately, winning at poker has as much to do with adopting certain strategies and mindsets as it does learning how to bet and bluff properly. If you read up on how to balance your moves, how to check your emotions, and how to manage your bankroll (even if it’s one of fake money), you’ll be better prepared to compete well. And you’ll enjoy your gaming more as a result.

3. Engage with the Culture

This isn’t necessarily a must, but it’s a good bet (no pun intended) that by engaging with poker culture a little bit, you’ll be all the more enthusiastic about your own gaming. Of course, this can mean a lot of different things. First and foremost, you might consider tuning in to some of the poker tournaments that are still televised on certain sports channels from time to time. Additionally, you might consider checking out some recent hit poke films. Mississippi Grind was an indie effort, but one adored by critics, and Molly’s Game was a fairly significant success deemed a “royal flush” by prominent film critic Peter Travers. And if you really want to go above and beyond you might consider reading a few books about the last 20 years or so of poker, such as “The Professor, The Banker, And the Suicide King” by Michael Craig, or “Power Hold’em Strategy” by Daniel Negreanu. Ultimately, any or all of these ideas should help to drum up your enthusiasm so that you get that much more out of whatever poker game you end up playing.

4. Improve Your Gaming Environment

Last but not least, you should seek to improve your gaming environment! Looking back at our post on how to become a better gamer with these 5 tips, we discussed a few of the ways in which any gamer can accomplish this with relative ease. Letting in more natural light can go a long way, for instance, and optimizing a gaming area (maybe through a better PC monitor, a less cluttered desk, or a terrific gaming chair) is crucial. These tips have less to do with poker specifically than those above but trust us: When you’re in a gripping multiplayer tournament, the last thing you want is to be distracted by a less-than-comfortable environment. Improve that environment, and your poker time — like the rest of your gaming experiences — will be all the better for it.