With the online poker boom taking the world by storm there are millions of people playing online every sing day. Since the ratio of good poker players to poor one is very low you can all but guarantee that there are thousands of novice players out there whose money is there for the taking. These quick simple tips will help assure your success at the table as well as minimize your bad beats. They are broken down into 3 categories: strategy, recognizing tells, and finding experienced players to help mentor you.
Strategies
1) Play Tight- This is the best piece of advice I can give. Loose players will win big hands here and there but they also loose more money, to other players as well as to the online site in the form of a rake. By playing tight and committing only to tops hands you protect your money and give yourself more leverage to take bigger pots when you hit your big hand.
2) Understand Your Betting Position - Playing tight is effective but it doesn't hurt to limp into a hand with A 8 or suited connecters. But, you need to be strategic about the hands you decide to jump into. If you're the 4th person to act at a table of 10 and you call the big blind there is a good chance the pot might be raised before the action goes all the way around the table. That puts you in a position where you will either fold your hand and lose money or pay to see the flop with a weaker hand. You're better off playing those hands when you are in the small blind or are 8th to act.
3) Switch Strategies - Since you are going to be playing tight 95-99% of the time, switching strategies for a few hands will completely throw your competition for a loop. If you decide to bluff a hand to steal a large pot, other players might think you have them beat and fold to your large raise. You can usually get away with this for a hand or two to pick up chips, but don't get careless. Pick your spots and keep the loose play and bluffing to a minimum to reduce your odds of getting burned by a better hand.
4) Play Regularly - Reading the tips I've provided is pointless unless you plan on implementing them on a regular basis. Practice makes perfect, or practice makes money. There are a TON of poker websites that offer play money games, real money games, as well as free roll tournaments. Putting $50 into an account can last months if you are playing 5/10 cent blinds, and hopefully you will make money so that $50 will be you first and last deposit! If you're not comfortable parting with your money I recommend playing in free roll tournaments. They cost nothing to enter and pay out money to the top 5-10% of the players. If you go the free roll route I recommend signing up for 3-4 different sites since they all have different free roll schedules. You can learn more about freeroll schedules and sites at PunchBook.
Recognizing Tells
5) Playing with Pokey McGee - Many online players are involved in multiple games and are only playing top 5 hands. If you are heads up with one of these players it's a good idea to raise small. These plays will usually fold. To go along with that, if that person raises (especially pre flop or at the turn) it's a good idea to get out of the hand and watch.
6) Pounce on Emotion - We've all gotten burned by big hands and been ecstatic about winning a monster had too, but good players keep their cool in both situations. The nice thing about online poker is that people tend to voice their frustrations via the chat function more than usual. If a person takes a bad beat and is swearing or attacking other person chances are they will over bet to try and regain some of their losses. If you have a halfway decent hand do hesitate to call those big raises, these are the players that fund your account!
7) Masking Bluffs - Picking up on tells online isn't especially new and some players will take 10-15 seconds longer to give the impression that they have a strong hand. Realistically, when you land on pocket aces you're either going to raise or if you're the slow playing type you're going to fly under the radar and not do anything to get noticed. The guy who is taking time to think, especially at low stakes tables, is trying to mask his bluff.
Online Poker Communities and Forums
Finding a Poker Mentor - People who love poker and strive to get better hang out at poker chat rooms and post on poker blogs and forums. Just like people who are into running marathons or fly fishing they are looking for ways to get better. You can learn from these people as they are always sharing ideas and tricks. If you are sharing information and building rapport with strong players they will help you get better. There are millions of people online; they do not view you as competition but as a means to get better for themselves.
Like I mentioned earlier, this is all useless if you're not practicing these tips and trips regularly. To master the game of Texas Hold Em takes a willingness to seek out information and apply your learning's. You've already taken the first step by reading this article! Choosing a poker room that is right for you can be a challenge since there are so many. I've sorted through all of the rooms and have reviews for 5 rooms I think are great (and one popular room that is a liability) on my website: www.punchbook.com. Please stop by sometime and let me know what you think of it!
Good Luck!
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