Online Poker Strategy

Remember that online poker plays to the same rules as offline poker, so you can use all the general poker strategies that you may already know from playing live games. There are also some online-specific tips you need to conquer the online game.

Playing for Free

Join any online poker site and you'll be given a certain amount of play money, which you can use before you make a real money deposit. Now it's true that poker is a gambling game, and without the risk of money you lode a large part of the game. So why would you want to play for free on the Internet? There's a simple answer... To get better without getting poorer.

There's a myth surrounding free money tables on the interent - that nobody takes them seriously and that you can't get a decent game. But that's not true. Free money tables are packed with people just like you, who are using the gift horse to get better before risking real money. Sure, you'll find a few maniacs who call anything and everything just because they can, but they're few and far between.

Also remember that playing for free is a winning strategy. It doesn't matter who you are, when you start playing poker you'll be losing much more than you'll be winning, but the amount of time you keep on losing dpends how quickly you learn. for some people it's a month. Others need a few months to hone and perfect their skills. But whatever the length of time, it's immensely profitable to spend it on the play tables. Build up your skills and confidence here, and then think about making your first real money deposit.

Money Management

When you start playing for money you'll find that it's extremely easy to lose track of how much you're spending. Make sure you keep an accurate record of how much you've deposited, how much is still in your account, and ultimately whether you're up or down on the whole deal.

Decide what you want to get out of the experience. If you're playing poker to make money then you shouldn't have to keep making deposits. This is a sure sign that you're losing. If you're just playing for entertainment and you don't expect to make a profit, decide how much you can afford to lose per month and don't put any more in your account. You can set your own levels on most online sites - this is the amount per month that you don't want to exceed. hit this amount and it won't matter how hard you try, the online site won't take your cash.

The bottom line is that if you're playing for real money you should play responsibly at all times. No one's going to stop you from gambling away all your hard-earned cash if you're not prepared to stop yourself.

Distractions

Distractions are the scourge of the online poker player. If you're playing in a casino, the only thing to do is study your cards and opponents. Play in your living room and the distractions are almost endless - you could feasibly be playing poker while watching TV, surfing the internet, cooking dinner and talking to your partner. And it might seem obvious, but these other activities will have a massively detrimental effect on the quality of your poker play.

Everyone knows this and yet almost everyone does it. Don't fall into the same trap. If you're playing poker, concentrate. If you want to watch the big game on TV and eat a tosted cheese sandwich, turn your PC off.

Multiple Tables

Unless you've got a doppleganger, you'll only be able to play one game of poker at a time in the real world. This isn't true for online poker, where you can play many tables simultaneously. In fact a lot of professional players swear by playing more than one table at once on the basis that if they're winning consistently on one table, they'll win four times as much by playing four tables.

Now this may be true for some, but not everyone. Some people find it physically impossible to deal with more than one table, while others claim that it's not possible to play optimum poker unless you're focussing on one game. Our view is that online poker is fast enough without having to spice things up, but you should do what feels right for you. If you find that your brain can cope with numerous decisions, and you're playing winning poker across a number of simultaneous games, then go for your life. If it feels wrong, and you're getting stressed at having to make snap decisions then just play the one table. As with anything to do with poker it's about what works best for you. However one thing you definitely shouldn't do is play more than one table until you're an extremely experienced player.

Online Tells

Everytime you're dealt a big pair you start shaking and sweating profusely. It's a bit of a giveaway in real life, where players can see you across the table. But it's not a problem online where your opponents can't see you, your hands or you're perspiration. However, this also means you can't rely on getting visual clues from your opponents, something that's a huge part of the game in real life.

That's not to say that you can't pick up other signals online; you just need to be looking for different things. And in the absence of physical traits, your opponent's betting patterns are the best way to decide what kind of player they are, and whether they've got a strong hand or are trying to make a move on you.

Look for the amount of time they take to make a decision, and when they deviate from the norm. and look at the sort of hands they're raising or limping with pre-flop, and try to guess what cards they've got in their hand in the future. It's amazing how often you'll get it right. See if the player on the button keeps attacking your big blind. If he's raising you more than 50 per cent of the time, then you can be sure that he's not waiting for premium hands. Use this information and - unless you get unlucky and your timing's wrong - he'll probably back off.

Also try to identify the tight players who always fold unless they connect on the flop, and the agressive players who always bet on the flop regardless of their cards. And keep an extra-sharp eye out for anyone you suspect is using the auto-bet buttons - there's no easier way to follow someone's betting patterns. And don't use them yourself. They might be tempting, but bar typing your hole cards into the chat box it's the best way of letting your opponents know exactly what you've got in your hand. Make your opponents work for information - never give it away for free.

Make Notes

How are you going to keep all this information in your head? Easy - make notes. Play online on the same site regularly and you'll see the same names cropping up time after time. You can give yourself a massive advantage in these games by making notes on these players for when you next play them. A lot of online poker sites actually provide a note-making facility on the interface, so you can just click on the relevant player and type in a few lines. Next time you're playing against them you'll be able to access your notes instantly and play accordingly.

Say you're playing against player X and you notice that he only ever raises pre-flop if he's holding an Ace or a big pair. If he's holding an Ace and connects on the flop he'll carry on playing aggressively regardless of his kicker. If he doesn't - and he's not packing a big pair - he'll generally fold to any meaningful bet. He's playing very basic poker and being able to recall that information with the click of your mouse means you'll be able to pick him off at will, and avoid losing much when he's packing a real hand. When you've developed a list of bad players, look for them every time you're online. A lot of sites let you search for players by name. If not, scroll through the tables manually.