Card Games That Can Help You Improve at Poker

There are countless different methods and resources available out there that can help you become a better poker player.

However, there may be ways to improve your poker skills, even away from the poker tables or studying the game.

Many other card and social games have plenty of similarities with poker in that a similar set of skills is needed to excel in both.

If you are not a one-trick pony and you prefer to play many different games, you should be aware of which games other than poker can help you become a better poker player.

If you get into these games, you will be surprised to find out how many similarities there are between them and how many skills are applicable in both.

Blackjack

Blackjack is one of the most popular card games in the world, and unlike poker, it does not require you to play against other players.

Blackjack is played against the dealer, and it gives you an opportunity to play anytime you want for any stakes you want, without any pressure.

To become a proficient blackjack player, you will need to memorize a strategy chart not unlike the preflop hand charts you will need for poker.

The very idea of memorizing such charts is similar in both games, and if you are capable of memorizing one, you will be capable of memorizing the other as well.

You can also choose to play on online casinos like fairplay-club.in, in which case you’ll be able to reference the charts whenever you need to refresh your memory.

What’s even more, blackjack is a game in which you will constantly be weighing your risks and your rewards, another similarity with poker.

Overall speaking, great blackjack players tend to easily become great poker players as well as similar learning patterns can lead you to perfection in both.

Rummy

Much like poker, rummy is played against other players, and there are many versions of the game you can play, with Gin Rummy typically being the most popular among poker players in the world.

Points are counted in a different way in rummy than they are in poker, but there are still plenty of skills that you can use in poker once you have learned them in rummy.

rummy and poker games

For starters, if you want to be a great rummy player, you will need to have a great memory, which is a skill that you can easily use in poker as well.

In poker, great memory will help you find and exploit patterns in your opponents’ games and remember the different lines they took in different situations in the past.

What’s even more, playing rummy against live players will help you develop live reads, such as recognizing the facial and other ticks people may have when they are holding a very strong or a very weak hand.

To top it all off, learning how to play rummy well can be a great source of extra income for a poker player, as many poker games have people playing rummy for cash on the sides, and those games can be extremely soft.

Fantasy Card Games

Many of the best poker players of recent generations emerged as players of Magic: The Gathering, a fantasy card game that requires strategy and skill to win at.

There are dozens of other great fantasy card games out there, and they all have a lot of similarities with Texas Hold’em and other forms of poker.

fantasy card games and poker skills

In fantasy card games, you will be playing against live opponents, as you do at a poker table, and you will need to predict their moves, counter them, and find strategic ways of coming out on top.

Many of the best fantasy card games in the world are actually very complex, and people who can excel at these typically do very well in poker as well.

Video Poker

If you are completely new to poker, I would say that playing video poker is one of the best ways to memorize the hand rankings and learn about the odds.

As you play video poker, the hand rankings will constantly be in front of your eyes, and you will be chasing draws left and right.

After some time, you should have a pretty good idea of how likely different draws are to come in, as well as which hand beats which, all of which will make you a good enough poker player to start playing the real game.

Casino Hold’em

Casino Hold’em and other forms of casino poker games are a great way to get started with poker without the pressure of the other guy staring you down.

Granted, you will not have as many decisions to make in this game, and your decisions won’t make you a winner in the long run.

However, it will help you get comfortable with the game, hand rankings, betting streets, and the overall atmosphere at a poker table.

Players who play casino poker games typically have an easier time transitioning to poker than blackjack or roulette players, for understandable reasons.