Online Poker Tells

In online poker you can’t rely on spotting if someone is sweating on a good hand, nor can you work out what kind of hand someone has by looking at their eyes.

The flip side to this is of course that you don’t need to wear sunglasses anymore or worry that you can’t stop your shaking or a flushed face revealing that you have the nuts!

In online poker, there are a whole new set of tells that you can use to your advantage:

Betting Different Amounts Depending On Strength Of Hand

Always bet according to how early or late your position is. If you vary it when you have a bad hand e.g. risking less, and bet more on a good hand then others will work you out easily.

Auto-Check

Most poker rooms provide a facility to auto-check. In fact, this option is usually set to check/fold. This is used by a lot of people, fish especially, when they have a poor hand but can’t be bothered to have to keep hitting a button until the hand is finished and the next one starts.

So they click this check box instead.

Usually, this means they have a poor hand and you can take advantage when you see a player quickly check - this means that this is often switched on.

Beware though, because some rooms have different switches.

Long Delay Implies Indecision

When it is someone’s turn to act and you see a long delay then it usually means one of two things. With fish, it tends to mean that they are unsure of what to do. This means that they probably have a marginal or good hand. If their hand was poor then they would dump it.

On the other hand, because a long delay is perceived as being indecisive on a not-bad hand, then sometimes people will try to fool you and act in this way deliberately.

3 Ways To Pour Your Poker Money Down The Drain

Poker is a game of decisions and discipline. If you are not focussed, it is easy to pour it all down the drain! There are 3 key areas that you need to get right before you start thinking about advanced strategies.

Play At Too High A Level

Why go to the high limit tables and lose your entire bankroll within the space of a few minutes.

There is no shame in playing at the lower limit tables. What’s more, the competition will be lower.

Never take a huge leap in limits, always make small and simple steps upwards and only when you are ready.

Remember that poker is a game of sometimes winning and sometimes losing. If your bankroll is too small then you can be playing a good game but an unlucky run can mean that you lose your entire bankroll.

Playing Too Many Of Your Starting Hands

Too many people, especially beginners, will play too many of their starting hands. Over time you will gain an appreciation for what is a good hand and what is a bad hand but there are still some simple rules that you can obey.

For instance, if you are early in position then do not play low ranked cards that are not the same suit, not pairs and not consecutive. Don’t even think about it - just fold!

Play more conservative than you might be used to and look at the effect on your bankroll in the long term.

Don’t Let Your Emotions Get The Better Of You

The best poker players use zero emotion, only logic.

A bad run of luck is part of the game, do not change your style or get more aggressive because you have had a bad run of luck. Emotions or “getting back” should have no part in your game.

Do this and you can expect to be spotted as a “fish” by better players who will string you around and take all your money from you.

Building Your Bankroll

Building your bankroll is an important skill to learn in poker.

There is no reason why even a beginner cannot do this successfully.

Immerse yourself into the game and learn poker strategy from sites such as this one.

Start with a bankroll of about 300 times the big blind. So if you’re starting out on the limit tables with big blinds of 10 cents that equates to you needing around $30 in the bank.

You are not planning to lose all of that 30 bucks. As you learn quickly and focus on not making stupid mistakes then that 30 bucks will surely grow. You just need this type of bankroll so that you can survive an unlucky string of bad beats. The other reason for having this size of bankroll is that it should never get so low that you start to change the way that you play.

Remember to take advantage of the deposit bonuses available. Take a look on the top right hand side of this page for the best bonuses. As you win more money, you should withdraw your cash and take it to another poker room and take advantage of the bonus there.

If you keep playing this “bonus whore” game then you will be able to increase your bankroll to a substantial amount within several weeks to months so that you can start playing the high limit games.

I recommend that you start with the bigger bonuses as you may need this safety factor when starting out as you will be making more mistakes. Later on, you will have learned from your mistakes and not need the bonuses as much - most of your increases will come from your big wins anyway.

Remember that as long as you keep educating yourself and play with discipline that you will see your bankroll experience a steady large increase over time.

Sit & Go Strategy - How To Win At SNGs

Sit & Go’s (SNGs) are a type of tournament that you buy yourself into. They can have as many as 10 players and the aim of the game is to finish in the top 3. As long as you are one of these 3 then you will leave with more money.

The prize money is typically split as follows: 50% of the buy-in for 1st, 30% for 2nd and 20% for 3rd. You can try gunning for 1st place every time but if your name isn’t Mike Caro then you might end up losing. Better to aim for survival rather than outright 1st place, at least in the early stages.

Typically you get quite a mixed crowd at SNG tourneys. Most of them are not very good, in fact I would say that you will find perhaps 3 good players maximum and sometimes zero! Frankly the top players would rather be elsewhere and might just play SNGs for fun.

In the early stages, just play really tight and let the loose players play themselves out of the tournament. Only play the premium hands and don’t bother with the marginal hands. This strategy will see you through to the last 5 when you should return to trying to play a normal tight-aggressive game.

Now you need to just hold steady and don’t do anything reckless. Seize your opportunities and use your logic and not your emotions.

Do all this and you should regularly rank in the top 3 of SNG tournaments and get to take home some nice prize money, at worst you’ll get a 200% return on your entry fee!

The Psychology Of Bad Beats

Coming back from bad beats and knowing how to handle them is so important in your poker career.

Bad beats are when you go all in on a sure thing and, against the odds, you lose to your opponent.

Many people will first of all blame the poker room or claim a bot or logging software is at work. This is very rarely the case.

Others will become focussed on winning their money back from the person who “stole” their chips. Never let emotions get the better of you. It is in many ways best to just leave the table and come back later to another table. Best to retreat and fight again another day than be fatally wounded or suffer an even larger setback in your emotional lust for revenge.

The fact is, bad beats are just part of the game in poker. Poker is a game of probabilities and your chances of winning are very rarely equal to 1. Someone can nearly always beat you, no matter how favourable the odds.

Don’t modify the way that you play. You must look to the long term. If you have been playing profitably so far then in the long run you will continue to do so. If you suddenly change your play and become more tight then you will probably miss too many opportunities and begin a long term losing streak.

Get back into the game and do not change your style because of a few bad beats. Check your history. If you made mistakes based on the information available then learn from them. If you made the best decision based on the available information then you have nothing to regret. Keep playing this way and you will profit in the long term.

Especially in poker, we have a game where you must use your logic over your emotions. Even worse than your opponents beating you is for you to beat yourself.

The Different Types Of Poker Players And Why You Need To Know Them

To win at poker you have to understand who you are playing. Some newbies make the mistake of thinking that as long as they concentrate on their own game then they can be profitable in the long term. WRONG! Don’t make this mistake.

Generally speaking, there are 4 types of poker player who each have a particular combination of the following attributes:

First of all, they are either loose or tight. To be loose means that you play nearly every hand with little regard for the odds. To be tight means that you play very few hands and are betting only when it is nearly a sure thing.

Secondly, players tend to be either aggressive or passive. To be aggressive means that you often raise or bluff and are not afraid to do so. To be passive means that you generally call quite a lot.

Loose-Aggressive

This is the worst kind of player. He will play caution to the wind and have scant regard for the odds. By being aggressive, he will win many small pots. But it is obvious that his cards are not always so good to justify him raising say 3 times in a row. You can teach these guys a lesson by re-raising them when you have a good hand to test them.

Loose-Passive

This type of player is sometimes called a “calling station” because they call at every opportunity. They feel that they need to stay in the game to “see the cards” but don’t realise that the price of these calls adds up and is never outweighed enough by wins because they are not aggressive enough. They will gradually over time lose their money.

Tight-Passive

This type of player is sometimes called a “rock”. They will often fold before the flop and only play their good cards. They lack the courage to try bluffing so this makes them extremely predictable. If a rock decides to raise then make sure you have some damn good cards to beat him with, otherwise you should fold.

Tight-Aggressive

This is the best type of poker player that everyone tries to aspire to be. You should not be so cavalier so as to chase a situation where the odds are stacked against you. At the same time, you should chase your winners and try to increase the pot. These players will also surprise others by concealing great hands and will also play weaker hands when they can build the pot up to justify taking a chance.

Flopping Two Pairs

Flopping 2 pairs can be deceiving. The beginner might think that they are in luck and sure to win. However, the experienced player knows that this could also be advantageous for his opponents and is therefore a dangerous situation not to be underestimated.

When you flop two top pair, you will be in a strong position. However, the fact that your pairs are top will mean that you are susceptible to a straight draw. And depending on the community cards dealt, you are still always vulnerable to a flush draw. Be wary of anyone raising at the river - either they have a great hand or they are just a loose cannon.

When you flop top and bottom or simply bottom two pair then late high cards on the turn and river could nullify any advantage you currently hold. Best to bet early and flush out any fish that are lurking. However, if you have two pair that includes an Ace, you are strong and should play aggressive.

If you already have a pair pre-flop, and then make it two pair on the flop, then someone could conceivably have flopped trips. The lower the card, the less likely, unless you are facing some quite loose opposition that has scored a luckly low triple. This all depends on what how high or low value the tables you are playing on are. If they are low limit, then you should probably check/fold here unless you are in late position and a great many other players decide to fold and thus increase your odds of winning.

How To Play The Blinds - SB or BB Strategies

Position is a critical factor in poker and the blinds are considered the worst positions to play from. Clearly here our strategy should be to take any cheap chances that we can and limit any losses.

The ideal situation is that everyone checks and you get to see the flop for free. Whilst this might happen on some no limit tables with very loose players, this is extremely unlikely to happen in reality. Most likely someone will raise and you will be forced with a decision to call/reraise or to fold.

Whatever you do, don’t fall into the beginners trap of possessing mediocre cards and deciding to throw some more chips in just to see the flop. If you keep doing that then you will lose money.
However, if you are up against a lot of players then the possible payout is quite high and it would be worth calling a raise, even with not-so-great cards. On the other hand, if many people have already folded then the future value of the pot will be reduced and you should fold on anything but the nuts!

The best thing to do is to fold on mid-range hands. If you have the nuts then obviously play it out. If you don’t, then so long as players remain in the game, the odds are in your favour. Otherwise, fold in this situation.

Remember, poker is a long term game - you should play when you think your chances are good and not play when you think they are bad. In the long run, this will balance out and you should profit handsomely.

Flopping A Pair

When you flop a pair, there are a variety of tactics to use depending on the strength of your hand.

If you flop top pair with a high kicker, then it is best to raise, especially if playing from late position. If you are playing from early position and are confident then you could even check-raise if you are confident that someone in later position will bet (the earlier round should give a clue).

If you flop top pair with a medium or low kicker then things are much different. Reason being that if anyone else also flopped a pair then there is a high likelihood that they have a better kicker than yours. It is worth staying in the game if you can get a free card but if there is a lot of action before you then forget it. On the other hand, if you are in late position and most people fold then it may be worth pursuing. A good aggressive raise could halt a betting rivalry between you and whoever is left in the game. At least there will be less competition that might beat your hand, remaining in the game.

If you flop low pair then it is probably best to just fold or try to get a free card, regardless of position.

If you had a pocket pair that doesn’t improve, and the other cards are all lower, then this is a strong position. Be aggressive.

Poker Odds - Why Pot And Implied Odds Are Important

Like all card games, poker is a game of probabilities. Put simply, you need to assess each situation for what it is.

If you stand a good chance of winning a lot of money for relatively little investment then go for it.
If you stand a small chance of winning some money for relatively high investment then pass on the opportunity.

It is difficult to compute the odds during a game because you are often limited for time but with experience it will come. You may find it easier to use a poker calculator. These are software programs that sit on top of most poker room software and analyse the probabilities for you as the cards are played.

Poker players use the term pot odds to show the cost of calling to stay in the hand. Let’s say that the pot has $100 in it and you need to play $10 to call and stay in the hand. That is basically a 10 buck investment to potentially win 100 bucks.

If you had 3 hearts and the final card was to be played then you stand a 1 in 4 chance of getting that monster hand. With a 1 in 4 chance it obviously makes sense to pay this $10. You might not get the flush (you probably won’t) but in the long run you will win from these kinds of decisions.

On the other hand, if the pot only contained $15 then risking $10 to win $15 based on a 1 in 4 chance is not worth it at all.

These odds show why it is important to bet aggressively. Not only will this improve your odds of not being beaten by an opponent’s hand but it will also make the pot much more attractive compared to your investment. Do not let other players cheap access to the pot.

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