Anybody who decides to play poker for money is obviously taking a big risk. In fact, the game of poker is all about risks. It is for this very reason that some people are scared to hit the felt and put their money on the line. However, one thing everyone needs to realize about the game of poker is that there are good risks and bad risks; those who know what the good risks are will be the ones who come out winners in the end. Keeping this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the risks which will fatten your pockets over the long run.

There are plenty of poker players who prefer to limp into pots pre-flop by just calling the big blind so that they can see the flop cheaply. However, this takes away a few advantages that one can gain from making a solid raise pre-flop. Some of the advantages you can gain by raising before the flop include taking control of the hand, possibly being able to steal blinds, pushing people out of the hand, and getting information about your opponents’ hands.

But players also need to be careful because one can’t be raising pre-flop with second rate cards. That’s why you need to stick to only raising pre-flop with premium hands – or at least close to premium hands. You should at least have pocket 10’s or connectors of K-Q strength if you’re going to make a pre-flop raise. Some players even like to stick to tighter hand requirements like pocket jacks or A-K with pre-flop raises. It all just depends on how aggressive you want to get with your risks.

Don’t be afraid to go all-in

This risk isn’t so much for cash games since players here can bring as much money to the table as they want to…or can afford to. But not being afraid to go all-in is definitely something which tournament players need to keep in mind since people can’t win tourneys without getting everyone else’s chips. Furthermore, you simply cannot consistently go deep into tournaments by sitting around and waiting for others to make mistakes. Blinds go up as the tournament progresses and you have to make moves!

Of course you want to pick and choose good spots when going all-in since you only have a finite amount of chips in a tournament. So the best thing to do is study your opponents at each new table and wait to make your move on a weak opponent after gather enough information. Also keep in mind though that you’ll sometimes get lucky and hold the nuts when someone else decides to challenge you by going all-in.

Know how many chips to risk

One mistake that a lot of players make is betting the wrong amount of money in pots. They either risk too much money or they risk too little depending on the hand they hold and what they should know about an opponent. The key thing to keep in mind with your bets is that they should be big enough to make a statement about your hand, yet small enough to where you’re not risking too much with a second rate hand.

With second rate cards, you should bet half the pot or less for fear of there being better cards on the table. With near-premium hands, you should be making pot-sized bets or bigger so that you can both knock opponents out of the hand who could later beat you and get others to commit more chips to the pot. 

Know when not to take risks too

The decision to be aggressive and make huge bets and raises is made a lot easier when you’re holding excellent cards. However, there will be plenty of times when you aren’t holding the nuts and must scale back your aggression. If you’re holding a pair of suited connectors such as 9-10 then you obviously have a chance to hit a drawing hand on the flop which could also lead to a monster hand.

But you’ve also got to realize that suited connectors and other drawing hands are only as good as the board allows them to be. With this being the case, you should try to see the flop, turn, and possibly river as cheaply as possible. This is where checking and calling becomes the smart move so that you don’t risk too much when trying to hit your monster hand.