The internet is overwhelmed with online poker tips, many of which do not actually improve your chances of making money from online poker. The 5 techniques in this article are used by professionals, and should be in every poker player's arsenal.
1. Start tight
When you first enter an online poker tournament, you have no information on your opponents. By starting the tournament slowly (only playing premium hands), you give yourself time to judge which players are loose, tight, aggressive and passive. Gaining this information will help you make decisions later on in the tournament. Because the blind levels start as a small percentage of your stack, there's no point risking your chips on a mediocre hand. If you're serious about making money from online poker, and not just playing it as a hobby, writing down notes about opponent's play-style is a necessity.
2. Play at the right level
Never play in a tournament where the buy in is more than you can afford to lose. If your decision-making ability is hindered by you being 'scared' of losing your money then you're playing in a too high-staked tournament.
3. Use all information available to you
Although you cannot spot physical tells in online poker, there are still several 'computerised tells' which you can utilise. These include:
- How quickly your opponents act
- Your opponents betting patterns
- What your opponent says in the chat box
- Which cards your opponents 'showdown' with
 4. Mid-game play: tight/aggressive
This should be your 'bread and butter' poker strategy. Tight poker means you're very selective with your hand, only raising with Queens, Kings, Aces or Ace King, and only limping in with smaller pocket pairs. Aggressive poker is where, once you're involved in a hand, you're there to win the pot. Even if you don't connect on the flop, you need to make a continuation bet. As you've been playing tightly, players will give you a lot of credibility.
5. Know when to play loose
Playing loose definitely has a place in online poker tournaments. The best time to start playing more hands is towards the cut off for paid positions. If a tournament pay the top 10 places, when there are 20 players left everyone starts to fold more and more - wanting to make the money. This is the time to start stealing blinds, you should never play poker to 'make the money', the top 3 positions earn a huge percentage of the overall prize pool, and that's where you want to end up!
These 5 techniques require practise to perfect, but once they're learnt you will be the shark at the poker room. Try these tips out for free, sky poker offer no deposit poker bonuses - meaning you can start an online poker bankroll without depositing a penny!