Play enough poker online and you’ll come to a very real surprise: there’s more to the game than meets the eye. Just when you think it’s all about luck, here comes skill. Just when you think that it’s all about skill, here comes the psychological warfare aspect of the game. You could spend years studying poker and still find something new to learn about it. If you’re not a strategy person, this will irritate you. But if you dream about poker in your sleep, you might find this part very rewarding, albeit very challenging.
If you’re going to play online poker, there are some things that you need to know to really break out of the ranks of the “fish” and start putting good money in your pocket.
1. Learn to Love Microlimits
Microlimits is a great way to practice your poker and get better at it over time. We love microlimits, because if we want to play all day on a small bankroll, we can do that. You might want to jump into higher stakes poker, but that’s not what you want to do at all. It’s very easy to overestimate your poker skills and get eaten alive by more seasoned online players. Concentrate, keep your emotions in check, and stick to one table at a time. Multitabling as a new person is just going to give you grief.
2. Raise Stakes Slowly
A lot of poker players that are used to playing poker in person tend to underestimate the poker stakes online. They think that they should be playing high stakes poker, but they really aren’t ready for this at all. It actually makes a lot more sense to start slow and work your way up. Online, high stakes poker has a lot of challenge to it. So if you think that you’re going to breeze through, think again. There are people that make money off playing poker online, and they aren’t going down without a fight. Make sure that you plan accordingly!
3. Get a Heads-up Display
If you really want to get the best “field intel” possible within the poker rooms, you need to get a heads up display. They aren’t that expensive and they will connect to most of the major poker rooms. If there’s a room that you play at that doesn’t work with the software, contact support. If they can’t get it to work, then they will process a refund for you.
These displays help you see statistics on every player that you’re going to go up against. Some software packages even color-code players so you can see if they’re a fish, a shark, super tight, super loose…you get the idea.
4. Take Advantage of Practice Play
Practicing your poker moves is going to be the difference between yet another fake player dreaming of poker glory, and a seasoned player that knows that effort makes all of the difference in the world with respect to your earnings. You have the power to make good money from poker as long as you’re being careful, cautious, and discerning. Understanding the poker environment is better than getting angry about it. Keeping your emotions in check is very critical if you’re going to make money. Far too many people used to house games find themselves becoming belligerent when they go to play online poker. Bingo players are very common, where they go all in whether they have a good hand or not. Maybe you’ll win the hand, or maybe you won’t. Either way, they can cause a player to waste good money. It’s frustrating, but you have to get over it.
Overall, these tips should serve you well as you play poker this summer. With the extra time away from work and school, you’re bound to have a better shot at making some money!