well
this isn't a bad one. Poker really is a complex game for those looking
to master it. There are many different facets to the game and many
different ways in which the game can be played, some profitable and
others not. It is important that as you play, you also continue to
improve. The only way you can do this is by reading books, blogs,
forums, getting involved in discussions or reading up on some
leading tips and suggestions that you can take on board to help your
game. This article is aimed at those little gems that aren't so obvious,
the reason we aptly included the word 'Secrets' in the article.
The truth of
the matter is that a large number of players lose money online because
they opt to run before they can crawl. Many have to lose money before
they concede they aren't gods gift to poker. Sometimes confidence comes
at a price. Throwing your money around before you fully understand
certain key concepts likebluffing,
value betting, expected value and the use of odds to support your
decisions, is likely only going to have one result. Yes, it is important
to be confident, however there is a distinct difference between
confidence, arrogance and stupidity. Start small and when you remain
profitable at a level, only then should you look to move up to higher
stakes.
Online poker requires a different approach to that of playing in Brick and Mortar games (live) and learning the secrets of playing poker online will increase your potential to win and your bottom line return on investment.
Online Poker Secret # 1 - Preparation
Understanding
the differences between online poker and playing live is important.
First and foremost, it is important to understand how your state of mind
differs when your playing online. So, before we go any further, let's
talk about state of mind before you sit down to play. Let's for a moment
imagine that you are traveling to a land based tournament. From the
second you step out of your house, all the way to the casino, you are
mentally preparing for the contest. Even waiting in the lobby, talking
to other players, you are getting in the frame of mind needed to play
your best game. It is also very true that the build up to a live
tournament can be an exhilarating one - all the time getting you ready
to play your best game. By the time you actually see your first hand, a
couple of hours might have passed and having had all that time to
mentally get in the right frame of mind, you are ready for the
challenge.
Let's now
imagine the preparation you undergo before playing online. You make a
cup of coffee, switch on the computer....the phone rings, it's a double
glazing salesman who you finally manage to convince that you are not
interested (not that that happens!). Your PC loads and then you double
click your site icon and open up your room. Find a tournament and your
off. Now compare the preparation and state of mind between the two
examples. You only have to look at how real this scenario is, to
appreciate the difference. Many players do not appreciate that you will
only play your best poker when your mind is in the state to do so. Go
for a walk around the block, have 10 min's quiet time .....disconnect
the phone. Seem too much? You wouldn't blink an eye doing this at a live
tournament, so what's the difference? It might cost the same amount to
enter the tournament. Play to win - don't underestimate the value of
mind set when playing poker. It is hugely important to make sure that
you prepare mentally, keep distractions to an absolute minimum and you
are in comfortable surroundings. You want to give yourself every chance
to play well.
Settings and surroundings whilst playing online poker
Ensure that
everything is set up to keep distractions to a minimum. This can be
settings on your PC or something in your house. Do you want to hear the
noise of virtual chips going into each pot? Well how about the phone
ringing, or your friend typing messages to you on Skype? Some people are
distracted easily, others not. You know yourself better than anyone.
Over time you will develop your own set of preferences, the reason they
are called preferences. The onus is really on you to work out the
optimal conditions that induce you to play your a-game. Some things
which you wouldn't think would annoy you actually will, so play about a
little and figure out what works and what doesn't. Don't assume that you
like the sound on or off...try it both ways.
Likewise, most of the top poker rooms offer
a chat box, a small window in which you or other players can chat to
other players on the table. Most of the chat is limited to abbreviations
like "nh" (nice hand) "ty " (thank you) or "yw" (your welcome) - and a
few less polite ones but i won't go into that here. Some players will
use this chat box do induce bad play (tilt)
as part of their strategy. It can seem an easy prospect to ignore
players chat but at times when a player is upset by a run of cards you
can see some demoralizing comments. Some players can handle comments,
whilst others can be affected by nasty comments. It is therefore a good
idea to turn this option off to avoid the possibility of distraction.
That way, you don;t have to worry about it.
Another key
area to be aware of is that your computer is most probably located in a
room common with many other activities that you undertake in that room
on a day to day basis. Try (if possible) to move your PC or Laptop to an
area that is associated with the least distractions that you can
achieve. If you have a study, close the door. The common player does not
put any thought into distractions, however they often have an effect.
You can't be playing your a-game when the phone rings every 20 minutes.
Minimizing distractions is key to having a winning frame of mind.
Online Secret 2 - At the table Pre-action buttons
Some pre-action
buttons should not be used unless you are tying to induce a bluff.
Don't play down the importance of these buttons or the story on table
that they tell about the cards that you have in your hand. Use them only
when there is a reason to.
Muck Button
For
instance...you have the option to muck lost or losing hands. It is not
uncommon for players not to use the 'Auto Muck' button even showing
hands to their opponents from time to time. If you play a hand to the
river, don't win and end up showing players that you went to the river
with rags you will be attracting unwanted attention from the observant
players on the table, and you will lose both respect and your ability to
bluff. Good players play to the river when the outs justify the play -
showing your cards when you have called a number of bets when then the
outs were not even close to justifying your contributions will only make
you look weak. As soon as this happens you will spend your time
fighting to win pots and defending your blinds. The ONLY way to avoid
this - never show your cards.
Don't show bluffs unless you have a plan!
Similarly,
never show that you bluff all the time. Showing your 2-3 off suit might
seem like a good idea at the time, but start thinking about the long
term. Whilst you may feel like a legend on that hand having pushed a
good player off the hand with utter rags, the very fact that he is a
good player does not bode well for your prospects. Having won the hand
you perhaps command some respect....show your 2 3 off-suit and you are
far less likely to get away with similar bluffs on that table. This is
an important point as you won't win a tournament or cash game if you
can't get away with bluffing. Even small ball poker will be a challenge
as your opponents will be calling you with weaker hands than they would
otherwise have done. Successful bluffing requires your opponent to give
you credit for a hand. If they know you bet with any two cards, this is
considerably more difficult. Should a player on your table ask you to
show, which they will from time to time, just muck your cards. You are
under no obligation to show your cards. Why show the player he made a
good fold - this will only improve his state of mind. It is much better
for you that he is frustrated through not knowing whether he laid the
best hand down.
Players who
have been pushed about and lost a few pots, particularly where they
thought they should have won, will from time to time begin betting
irrationally (go on tilt). Inducing this irrational play from players
can be very profitable as they will either play the right hands badly,
will play from the wrong spots or commit too many chips to situations
that don't warrant their contribution.
To look at an
example, let's imagine you hit your trips on the flop and you bet
heavily all the way, with your opponent calling you to the river. You
force one final bet and your opponent folds to a bulging pot. Your
opponent now doesn't know whether he has been bluffed or not - put
simply, he won't be best pleased. What's more this will play on his mind
and distract him from playing his best game. You show your trip Queens.
Do you think your opponent feels better or worse? Your opponent likely
had worse that trips or he would have called so the likelihood is that
you have made him feel a whole lot better for making such a good lay
down.
You are not
there to make your opponents feel good about their game. You want to
keep them guessing and try to infuriate them by mixing up your game.
Don't show your cards!
Raise / Check Buttons
The raise and
check buttons can equally give a huge amount of information away about
your hand. Don't use them unless you intend to mislead your opponents.
Let's look at an example. You are last to act in a $20-$40 game of
Hold'em and you hold pocket aces. You have raised pre flop and have got callers. The flop comes A-K-4 rainbow. You have the following choices in terms of pre-action buttons:
Check / Fold
|
Check / Call
|
Raise Any
|
A little bit of
a relief seeing the Ace. You know that you have flopped a huge hand and
you also know that you will likely raise any bet that comes your way.
You check the pre-raise button which automatically raises any bet when
the action get's to you. Observant opponents will realize that you could
be sitting on a huge hand as you raised so quickly. They will now know
that you were prepared to raise any bet (especially if you weren't first
to act - as you didn't know the first player wasn't going to raise),
conclude that the hand is not worth playing and stay away from it which
will mean that you win less money. Regardless of whether you hit a
monster hand or air, take your time - make it look like it isn't an easy
decision.
You can however
have some fun using these buttons. At times you can use them when you
have a weak hand, trying to represent a monster. You do need to be
careful - what if the player acting before you goes all in!
Online Poker Secret #3 Game Selection
When you
playing online poker for the first time, it is better to just focus on
learning how to play the game. Play games you are familiar with, at
least until you develop the basic skills. You are not going to be much
competition for good players at the game, especially if you lack certain
abilities in general as a poker player. If you would like an
introduction to the games that are available online, check out ourpoker
games section. Alternatively we have a massive selection of easy to
understand poker rules which go over the rules of your game and the
order of play.
Online Poker Secret #4 - Virtual Chips
Playing
with virtual chips can be a tricky one . They don't exist any any form
other than on your computer screen as a graphic. Try to compare the two
experiences, firstly sitting in a Casino you make a physical exchange,
taking cash from your wallet that you got from the ATM, handing over the
cash and receiving your playing chips. You will likely then do a quick
count to make sure you have been given the right value of chips. While
you are at the table watching your stack fall or grow and you are fully
aware of the relationship between the chips and the amount of money they
represent. You therefore respect your chips and their value. You will
also likely base some of your decisions on the amount of chips you have.
Online, this
relationship is abstract. You cannot feel the chips, you didn't need to
go to the bank, withdraw from an ATM or put your hand in your wallet to
get cash. The value of money online can be somewhat hidden, however your
virtual chips still represent real money. Many players, especially
those fairly new to the scene will find it difficult exercising this
control, however it is essential to ensure you maintain control over
your game. Virtual or real, money is money. It has the same value
whether online or not. so give your chips the same respect. Remember, a
loss online has the same value to a loss anywhere else!
Managing your moods
Unlike playing
poker in a Brick and Mortar game, you have the perfect opportunity,
playing online, to better manage your moods. Playing face to face, when a
player sees a chink in your armour you will likely be put to the test.
Online, no-one will see any mood swings unless you make it very obvious
(typing in the chat box). It is still important to control your moods as
a bad mood will mean you aren't playing your a-game, which is what you
need to be doing.
This is however
only part of it. We talked already about the importance of finding your
a-game and some tips in setting up an environment that is conducive to
this. If you are in a bad mood, you will not be playing your best game
so the best advice i can give you is to stay away from the tables. You
have an advantage playing online as you can get up and walk around or
shout at the screen and no-one will be the wiser. Don't let your pride
get in the way of your bankroll. When you feel like you should get up
and leave a game, do it. You will probably never see half the players at
the table again so no-one will be the wiser. What's more, leaving a
table could be down to anything so don't read anything into it. You're
not obliged to play for a second longer than you feel is right.
Take a look at your inner self
Well i have
given you some of the key secrets to playing online. You know yourself
better than anyone so you're the best person to understand what makes
you play well, what angers you and what distracts you. Make a list,
write them down and have them somewhere that is visible (maybe next to
your PC). Doing this will ensure you play within an environment that
helps you play the best poker that your abilities allow. It's often the
little things that others overlook that make the difference between
profit and loss.
Poker"DEMOCRACY"
