1. Don't Drink Alcohol When You Play

The money will flow in your direction either because you got lucky, someone else got unlucky, or through your opponent's mistakes. Drinking alcohol reduces your ability to make rational, logical decisions. That's a giant spanner in the works if you want to make some money.

Some people drink to be sociable. Others believe it gives them confidence. While that belief may be true, is it a good thing? How many people have you seen playing uber-aggressive because they have had a drink?It works for a while. They always seem to be the victor in those crazy spots, but over time the money flows back the most rational and logical route. So don’t drink and look out for the people that do, which brings me to my next trick ...

2.I used to suffer . I would watch online training videos and talk strategy with professional poker players, sit down in my home game and completely level myself.

Don’t bluff. They always call. Over the long run it makes much more sense just to bet it when you have it, and when you don't, just..........

3. Fold

A lot.

One of the biggest mistakes I made for years in my home game was competing for every pot. My hand ranking didn't matter to me. I was in a home game, and it was almost customary to play every hand.

Once I dropped the ego and started to reduce my starting hand range, removing trash, my win-rate increased.

Sure, I was viewed as an annoying, solid player. But it didn't stop me from getting action, because up until my change people thought I was nuts and so the image somewhat stuck.

Learning to fold, often, was a major moment for me. As was…

4. Don’t Play Games You Don’t Understand

It's far more cost-effective to learn the games in your own time rather than try to learn them during your home game.

I have seen players losing thousands as they get to grips with certain games. I have been guilty of this myself. Once again this is ego.

I remember the lads returning from a trip to Blackpool where they competed at the Grosvenor United Kingdom Poker Tour (GUKPT). They brought a game back called Maltese Cross - a derivative of double flop.

They loved it. I hated it. I lost a ton of money playing that game.

Then after a while, when people chose to play it, I would fold unless I had the nuts. It seems exploitable but this is a home game. People don't adjust.

Just fold in games that you are weakest in and play the ones that you have an edge.

So there are my 11 tricks for amateurs to get a leg up in a home game. What are yours?