4 Poker Movies Worth Watching To Boost Your Game

There is nothing better than kicking back, relaxing, and enjoying a nice game of free online poker during your spare time. Playing free online poker is great because it allows you to learn poker, to meet new people, and to play a very enjoyable game, without having to risk losing any cash.

Some of you may enjoy poker at the casino, or even a poker night round at your friend’s house perhaps. No matter which settings you choose to play poker in however, sometimes, through no fault of your own, your mojo just deserts you and you just can’t seem to find your form or to stay on top of your game. Playing poker is tougher than a lot of people realize, and if you’re looking to learn poker for the first time, you will need all of the help you can get. If you’re looking to boost your motivation and your experience, it may be worth checking out a few popular poker movies perhaps.

Here are a few poker movies which are worth watching that will help you to boost your game.

4 Poker Movies Worth Watching To Boost Your Game

Casino Royale

Who doesn’t enjoy a good Bond movie here? Yes, here we have Casino Royale, starring Daniel Craig as James Bond for his very first time, and what a debut!

Casino Royale just oozes charm and sophistication and really glamorizes the exciting world of poker. Much of the movie is centered around Bond battling the wonderful Mads Mikkelsen, who plays the head of a lead terrorist organization, in a high-stakes game of poker. The poker scenes are very intense, and whilst poker purists may argue that professionals would not play in such a manner generally we’ll let it slip because the movie will leave you just itching to get at the poker tables.

Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels

This British gangster flick from Guy Ritchie doesn’t actually contain too many poker scenes, but the primary storyline is centered around a very high stakes game, so again, we’ll let that slip. The movie features a hapless group of small time petty con men who try to outwit an East End crime lord in an illegal poker match. The match is rigged, the friends lose and subsequently have to come up with a considerably large amount of money to pay off their debts otherwise they’ll begin to lose parts of their body.

Maverick

If you want to get a sense of how poker used to be played in the Wild West of the USA, Maverick is a fantastic watch. Starring Mel Gibson as a poker ace, Mel and his buddies travel to the biggest poker tournament of the year – a winner takes all, five-card draw riverboat game. Tense, cool, witty, and exciting, this is a poker movie that will certainly motivate you to step up your game.

The Cincinnati Kid

Considered by many to be one the best movies ever made, not just one of the best poker movies, one of the best movies, the Cincinnati Kid is a must watch for poker lovers. Starring the amazing Steve McQueen, the movie is centered around McQueen’s character making his way around New Orleans, with the intention of entering, and winning, one of the biggest poker tournaments in the world.

When and When Not To Go Poker All-In

 

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If you’re looking for a hugely popular card game enjoyed in countries all over the globe, you’d struggle to find something more popular than poker. Poker is a game that many of us know and love, yet mastering the poker rules can be very tricky for beginners. Whilst there is a certain degree of chance involved in poker, it is also a very skill-oriented game. For people looking to learn and master the various poker rules currently out there, it may be wise, to begin with, free online poker.

Playing free online poker will allow you to learn the rules, without risking any real cash. One aspect of poker which a lot of poker players struggle with, however, is knowing when and when not to go all-in with poker. Even some of the pros struggle with this quandary from time to time. If you’re looking to familiarize yourself with poker rules, here’s a little help in regards to when you should, and should not, go all in with poker.

What does going all-in actually mean?

Put very simply, when people refer to going ‘all-in’, they are referring to the fact that they are choosing to bet all of their chips/money on that particular hand. Some games have no limits on how much a player can bet, so they can bet as much, or as little, as they like. When players go all-in, however, the game becomes a great deal more interesting and exciting. Once a player is all-in, they will either lose everything or potentially earn a vast quantity of chips/money.

When do players go all-in?

Players go all-in when playing poker, for a whole variety of different reasons. Primarily, many players decide to risk everything when they are confident that they have a very strong hand. By going all-in with a strong hand, they are confident that no other players will have a stronger hand than theirs. Alternatively, some people decide to go all-in as a bluff. Even if their hand isn’t particularly strong, by going all-in, this causes the other players to think that they have a strong hand, and they are far more likely to fold because they won’t want to risk losing everything they’ve won up to that point.

When should a player go all-in?

When playing poker, whether it is free online poker, or a live game, knowing the poker rules of when to go all in is very important. In some instances, going all in can be considered very smart. These include:

• You know that you have a very strong hand and you are confident that you will be called.
• Your chips are running low and you need to win big to stay in the game
• You’re confident that your opponent is, on a draw, short of just one card of a winning hand and going all in will prevent them getting that card.

When should a player not go all-in?

• Your starting hand is good but players have already folded and the pot is very low.
• Your hand is fairly impressive but is certainly very beatable.
• You do not want to risk losing everything at this particular point in the game.

Four Lessons I’ve Learned From Free Poker

I’m not a great poker player but I’ve learned so much from it. Having a poker mindset is so useful in real life. After playing poker for a while and really understanding the basics of the game, I  began to see the difference.

The game trains you to make critical decisions, read body language, understand people much better, spot opportunity, handle failure, improve math skills and much more.

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1. You will definitely improve your emotional control and become immune to stressful situations. You will know how to control the anger better and manage the aggressive reactions. It is important to recognize when the emotions are influencing your decisions in the game, so you need to focus, concentrate and calm down before you do or say anything because the biggest losses in the casinos have been done, thanks to the emotions that interfere in the game. You can work better on your emotions, meditate or workout in order to improve the emotional control. You can also control the breathing while you are at the poker table because this can help a lot.

2. You will learn to discover your weaknesses in whatever situation you are trying to handle in your life just by playing the poker game. Maybe you have been too much aggressive when it comes to the pocket pair, or you are too fast when is your turn to play, so often you make mistakes. Fixing that will help you to improve the game and in your life as well.

3. It is easy to blame the cards or the luck in the game when actually you are the one who is playing with the cards. You need to learn how to play with the cards that are given to you and give your best in order to win the game. Some people spend a lot of energy complaining about the cards they have been dealt with, instead of focusing on the game. Do not worry about the things you can’t change and go with the flow of the game. Instead of wanting better cards or better things in life, just focus on what you are given.

4. You learn to cherish the present, not the past. The poker has the different outcome every time, so do not rely on the previous winnings or losses, because every next time you will have different results. If today you have won a game, tomorrow you might lose everything, and this is the way the game works, so do not rely on the past experiences and results, just pursue the future ones.

Why Learning Poker Game Can Actually Improve Your Health Condition!

In this day and age when people are cooped up inside their offices in front of their computers all the time, there is seldom any time for exercise. Doing the same job day in and day out can be bad for your mental health as your brain is not getting enough exercise to keep itself active, this may adversely affect your mental health. So what are some ways one can ensure better mental health as they grow older?

One of the best ways to increase mental health is to play poker! So why should you play poker and how can it benefit you?

Improves Problem-Solving Skills

When you learn poker and play with seasoned opponents, one of the things which you will learn which will greatly benefit you will be the ability to be better at solving problems. When you play poker you have to choose strategies, look at your cards, calculate your risk and what moves your opponents can make, all this involves a lot of mental thinking. The problem solving and critical thinking skills you acquire by playing poker will make you better at other areas of your life.

Helps You Make Friends

Poker is not a solitary activity but requires opponents. Hence when you set out to learn poker and subsequently play it, you will do so with other people. This means you will make friends with those who you are playing against. Even if you choose to play free online poker, you will befriend others in that online poker playing community. Making friends has long been proven to better people’s mental health.

Keeps Dementia and Alzheimer’s At Bay

As people grow older, dementia and Alzheimer’s are a real risk. Playing poker or even trying to learn poker, aid critical thinking and activate certain regions of the brain. When the brain is activated, it is in a way getting exercise. Hence, there have been studies which have shown that if a person plays a game which increases their critical thinking abilities, they have a lower risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

Relieve Your Stress

Playing poker is a recreational activity and effectively reduces your stress. If you learn poker and play it every once in a while, your stress levels actually decrease as playing poker encourages the production of dopamine in your brain. Playing free online poker is a great way for you to play poker without the risk of losing your money. Hence, this only leaves the playing part in the game which means this is like any other game and you can easily relax as you play.

Poker is a great way to keep your mental health in check hence encourage you to not only learn poker but also venture into playing online poker once in a while to keep up your mental health and overall well-being.