How to play poker

Here’s a little something that you might not know about me… before I worked in poker and TV, I was actually a geography teacher.

I worked in a bunch of schools in inner city London, teaching mainly History and Geography before moving into Special Needs education for a few years.

It was a challenging career to say the least! I really enjoyed working with teenagers though and there’s something really satisfying about getting new information or skills across to another person.

Being able to speak in front of 30 VERY critical teenagers about a subject as dry as geography certainly has made speaking in front of a TV camera about a topic I love as much as poker, sooooo much easier.

Instructional videos on how to play poker

Which leads me to something else you might not know yet…. I’ve made some introductory instructional videos on how to play poker for Party Poker! They are geared towards the casual players who are just starting to become interested in this awesome game and they help you navigate your way through the Party Poker software as well as giving a few tips on basic play for beginners in MTTs, SNGs and Cash games.

One of the most important lessons to get under your belt when first starting to play poker, is Bankroll Management. In the video, I talk about the wide range of views on what percentage of your entire roll is appropriate to sit with at a table. People do vary on that but I definitely lean towards the conservative and suggest only sitting with a small percentage, much less than the 10% that some people would say.

The strategy in the how to play poker videos is good for people who want a framework to help them when first looking at poker. There really is nothing wrong with being a bit of a ‘nit’ when you’re starting out. It’s helpful to gain a solid foundation and understanding of the strength of your hands and positional advantages before you branch out into more creative play.

Hopefully you find some good hints in the videos and please feel free to leave feedback. It’s the first time I’ve been in a ‘teacher’ role for years and I’m excited about them and hope you like them!