Play Poker Online - The Modern Version Of An Age Old Game

By Author: Casey Adams
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During the decade leading up to 2009, the popularity of televised poker, the near-universal reach of internet access, and growing interest in Texas Hold'em poker have come together to make playing poker online an extremely popular pastime. Texas Hold'em isn't the only variation of poker, of course. You can play Razz, Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo, or Omaha rules at dozens of different sites.

If you want to play to win money, however, you need to invest in the time it takes to develop the skill necessary to beat opponents you can't see. And that old gambling rule applies very strongly to playing online poker: Don't gamble what you can't afford to lose. Assuming you are playing responsibly, and assuming you're playing Texas Hold'em, here are some strategies to help you develop a winning game. This article assumes you know how to play Texas Hold'em.

It sounds old school but it works: take notes. You can use the website's note box (if they have one), or just a pen and paper. You can draw a rough diagram of the table and make note of others' showdown hands. Or, you could keep track of your own hands and make an educated guess ...
... about whether you need to play a little tighter or if you'd be OK playing a little looser. If you stick with only a few poker sites, you'll often find the same few players, and if you gain some insight into what betting patterns they tend toward, you can fine tune your own game to take advantage of that.

Remember that online poker goes faster. If you're used to casual games around a kitchen table for m-ms or pennies, you may need to adjust your style to the faster pace of online poker games. If you don't make a move within a site's 20 second limit (limits vary), your hand will automatically fold. You can usually ask for extra time when it's a critical situation, like an all-in call. Nonetheless, you need to get used to the fast pace of the online game.

Learn to read the flop efficiently. You need to get to where you can look at the flop and guess what best hands the other players might be able to make from it. More importantly, you need to read the flop and figure out your best possible hand. Can you draw to a flush or a straight? How are your opponents playing their hands? Fast and loose? Or cautious and tight?

What signals are you getting from the table? In a live game, suppose you're in first position and you check. If everyone else checks rapidly in succession, it probably means that nobody has a really good hand. Conversely, if a player takes some time before raising, write down what that player brings to the showdown. This will give you an idea if you're playing against a loose or tight player.

Finally, stick with online poker tournaments with small buy-ins until you get your sea legs. You may not win much in these smaller tournaments, but you'll gain valuable experience and more importantly, avoid losing a large chunk of cash in a tournament with higher buy-ins and more experienced and confident players.

Online poker combines luck and skill. While you can't do much about your luck, you can certainly improve your skill with practice.
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