When you're just starting out in poker it is hard to get your head round all the combination of hands that can be made up when the flop goes down. So get yourself a deck of cards, and give them a good shuffle. Deal three cards for the flop and imagine all the possible hands that could occur from these three cards. Don't use the top card, but the one after it, and go through the "what if" scenario again. Do the same for the river. Keep practicing and you will find reading the board becomes second nature to you. If you have a pal in the same situation, make a game out of it - the winner gets the beers

Originally Posted by Running Nose II

When you're just starting out in poker it is hard to get your head round all the combination of hands that can be made up when the flop goes down. So get yourself a deck of cards, and give them a good shuffle. Deal three cards for the flop and imagine all the possible hands that could occur from these three cards. Don't use the top card, but the one after it, and go through the "what if" scenario again. Do the same for the river. Keep practicing and you will find reading the board becomes second nature to you. If you have a pal in the same situation, make a game out of it - the winner gets the beers

This is a very good advice! I also have an actual deck of cards on my table almost all the time. I usually deal three cards to the table and try to figure out the nuts as soon as possible and spot draws that could easily destroy those nuts later. Then same on turn and on river. This practice has made my board reading skills much faster and helps me to evaluate my own hands compared to possible nuts.