Online Poker Tips and Strategies

Like any other pasttime, there's no special knowledge or skill needed to have fun at online poker. But if you want to improve - and hopefully make some money at the same time - there are lots of online poker tips and strategies to keep in mind.

The first important strategy is to FEEL COMFORTABLE playing before you risk your hard-earned beer money. There's no need to play for real money right away - all online poker rooms will let you play in games for free, until you get the hang of it. Even if you've played poker with your friends for years, or have played in real-life poker rooms, the online poker world feels a bit different, just sitting in front of your computer. But here's a tip: you'll find lots of tables to choose from - always look for free games where the players take things seriously. If everyone is playing every hand, you'll never really get to practice your game and improve.

Once you start playing for real money, possibly the most important strategy is to MANAGE YOUR MONEY properly. There's always a real temptation to play almost every hand - after all, you can always get lucky on the flop, or the turn, or the river, right? Unfortunately, poker is a game of odds, and the odds are that by playing every hand, you'll go broke quick. Wait for a really good starting hand (except for the occasional bluff, of course), and hang onto your chips for when you'll really need them - survival, especially in tournament play, is key. Our tip comes from the best players in the world, who will tell you that they usually play just two or three out of every ten hands - that means they throw away more than two-thirds of all their hands!

Needless to say, when you're playing online poker, there's no need to worry about keeping a "poker face" - your opponents can't see you! But there's an online poker strategy that is right up the same alley: BE UNPREDICTABLE. That doesn't mean you should play foolishly - but on the other hand, for example, if you establish yourself as a "tight" player who always has to have a great hand in order to play, that's the perfect setup to try a bluff. And even if you're caught, you've accomplished something important - you've placed some doubt in your opponent's mind. When you make a bet, they'll never be quite sure whether you're bluffing or not. Tip: be aware that other players will be doing the same thing; don't fall into the easy trap of assuming that they'll always behave rationally - being able to deduce when someone is bluffing is what makes poker such an art!

One of the things that's difficult for beginning poker players to understand, is the importance of position on the table. Since the button that signifies the dealer moves around the table, you'll be playing in all different positions throughout the game. That leads to an important strategy: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR POSITION. If you're one of the first to act, you may be able to force opponents to lay down decent hands, or to check-raise with a strong hand. If you're on the button, you can watch everyone else act first, and gather enough information to lay down a questionable hand that might have gotten you into trouble in an earlier position. Tip: remember the strategy from above when considering your position; it's easy (and often fatal) to always act weak in an early position and strong on the button - once again, remember that being unpredictable will always pay off in the long run!

The more you play, whether it's in free games or for real money, the more experience you'll gain and the better player you'll become. The temptation will then be to play for higher and higher stakes - and that can be a very dangerous game indeed. So the most important strategy of all may be: DON'T BE DAZZLED BY THE HIGH POTS AND PLAY OVER YOUR HEAD. The rush of playing poker is almost the same whether you're playing at a $1/$2 table, or for high stakes - remember that first and foremost, poker should be fun, not life-and-death. But if you're still tempted by the big bucks, here's a tip: a small investment in online poker tournaments can lead to big returns - many of the online poker rooms even will let you shoot for a seat at the World Series of Poker or the World Poker Tour, with millions of dollars in prize money, for an investment of just a few bucks!