Whatever game you are playing, free poker online or pay poker, it is always about skill, with an added pinch of luck.

As we all know, 52 cards make up a deck and whatever 5 cards are dealt out, one of those will always win. You could be looking at a completely awful hand of a pair of 2s, or even an A high, but whatever they are, one will always win. That is the great unknown of poker, which cards are going to win for any given hand.

When dealt cards you must first decide whether they are suitable to your style of play. Then the decision is whether to fold, call or raise the big blind.

Each and every poker player has a unique style of play. Some will play 3 4 off suit, whereas others may only play face cards. That is a style of play. I know of many players who will play nearly every hand pre-flop as long as the bet is within their comfort zone.

Once the flop is seen, it becomes more interesting and a bigger decision needing to be made. If you are holding 3 4 off suit and the flop shows AKJ, what is the likelihood that you will continue with the hand? I would imagine you would fold, unless it is a check through until the turn card is shown.

No poker player is the same, and its important to remember that you can never bee 100% sure how each player will play a hand. I have been in a game once where a player had a 3 4 offsuit and they made a big bet after the flop. They were obviously bluffing, but they pulled it off. This isn’t something that I would do personally, but it proves how each player is very different.

For this reason, it is essential that you study each of your opponents where possible before sitting down with them at a table. You should be able to grasp enough information about their game play to figure out their moves when playing them.

As advantageous as this may be, you are not always going to win every time by adapting this approach. As I stated earlier, any given 5 cards will win a hand and they may very well be holding Q 10 and flopped a straight. But the odds are in your favor to predict certain scenarios after learning others’ style of play.

As much as you can rely on studying opponents playing styles to help you win, you must also remember that its your own playing which will win you a game of poker. Have a go playing free poker online and practice, practice, practice before moving on to money games.