Skill Tools

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Everyone who learns to play poker climbs the "poker ladder" over a period of time, as they learn more and grow each poker skill.

Progressing up the poker ladder from a beginner toward becoming an advanced or expert player takes a combination of skills, time and experience.

In particular, the following skills areas are tested by PokerTester's Texas Holdem test:

• Starting Hands - which starting hands you select to play, from which positions and under which circumstances, has a big impact on how well you do in poker.
   
• Betting Strategy - how you choose to bet makes a huge difference in your winnings at poker.  Choosing to bet or raise when you should've called or folded, for example, will make the difference between cashing out or making the final table in a tournament, or going home early with empty pockets.
   
• Playing the Odds - knowing how and when to play the odds is critical to making money and building your stack in poker.  This includes quickly calculating outs, pot odds and determining whether your hand is a money-maker or loser (statistically).  While you can't play strictly by the odds, it's an important factor of the game, since there's always an element of chance involved.
   
• Bluffing and Trapping - one of the most important skills in the game of poker is successful bluffing.  The ability to bluff and trap successfully is so critical because in poker, you won't typically get that many super-strong hands, so knowing when and how to bluff and trap typically makes all the difference in how well a player does at poker.
   
• Reading Players - the ability to understand what a player is likely doing at any point in the game, as well as successfully reading their hand strength, is a critical skill.  If you learn to do it successfully, you'll know when to fold when holding the second-best hands and when to raise or go all-in against a bluff the opponent is making.
   
• Heads Up Play - playing properly in a one-on-one situation is critical, since there are many occasions where you'll be pitted against just one opponent, either in a particular hand or at the end of a tournament.  Winning heads up play is what separates the Champions from the rest.
   
• Advanced Play - knowing a number of advanced techniques will enable you to confuse your opponents, keeping them off balance and wondering what's going on, preventing them from easily reading you as a player, or gaining certainty about your hand strength.
   
• Tournament Play - as much of today's play is centered on tournaments, both large multi-table tournaments as well as satellite and sit and go tournaments, knowing and using proper tournament strategy is an important skill to develop.
  

The above core skills areas are tested by the PokerTester.  Your abilities in these key areas will, in large part, determine your level of play and how successful you are at the game of poker.

Ready to test your poker skills and find out where you are on the poker ladder?  Click here to begin.