Poker is a game that’s made up of equal parts luck, mathematics, and sheer wit. You can win without luck or even good cards, but you’ll never take the pot without wit. Online games introduce an entirely new contingent: You can’t rely on your straight face and acting skills to double down on your bluffs, so the only way to convince the table of the strength of your hand is through your bets and timing. Let’s take a closer look at how to make the most of every hand.

1) Check Your Focus Before You Bet

To win, you’ll need to consider more than just your own hands. Never lose focus on the other players at the table. Most players are predictable, so diversions might be a sign that you can regain control of the table. If an opponent who rarely bets suddenly goes all in, it’s likely they have a good hand.

2) Adjust to Your Poker Variant

There are as many poker variants as there are poker styles. Texas Hold’em is undoubtedly the most popular in contemporary culture, but learning a few different styles will help you to come to grips with table dynamics.

  • Texas Hold’em: Community cards are dealt in three turns. First, three cards are turned, then one, and then another one, with betting in-between. If you’re the final player to bet, you have the most advantageous position at the table because you get to play with some knowledge of your opponents’ hands. This is your moment to intimidate or draw out those big bets.
  • Three Card Poker: Every player begins by placing an ante bet and is dealt three cards face down. Once you’ve called or raised, the dealer will turn over their cards. If they have a queen high or better, they qualify to continue and the best hand wins. This is one of the simplest poker variations, so it’s a good place to start.
  • Omaha Hi: Betting and blinds function in the same way as Texas Hold ‘Em, but the dealer turns four cards to every player face down. You’ll work with five face-up cards, giving every player nine cards to work with. If you love working with odds and hand rankings, this is your game.

3) Find the Right Poker Room

A great poker room will bring you lively tables at any time of the day and night. You’ll find that skilled players amplify the thrills, so you’re looking for traffic and a serious userbase. Great customer service is critical, of course, so always look for a stellar reputation, reliable software, and a range of payment methods. Sites like Comeonbetting.com check all those boxes, so stop on by to test your skills.

4) Adjust Your Strategy to Cash Games or Tournament Poker

If you’re playing a cash game, you’ll have to stick to buy-in minimums and maximums outside of no-limit games. That structure rewards careful players. In tournament poker, all players have the same buy in so that every player has the same opportunity to win—so you’ll need to dominate every game you play.

There’s little room for error. Cash games allow you to sit and leave a table on your own schedule, but if you go full tilt at a tournament, there’s no escape. You’ll need to become the master of your own personality weaknesses because they’re one of the top reasons great players lose their stacks.

RELATED: 10 Lessons Future Superhero Films Should Learn from the X-Men’s Saga

5) Find Your Risk Tolerance

When you play poker online, you’ll gradually find out how much risk you’re comfortable with. Everyone has their own style of play, but the winners are those who master their own personality flaws. Playing fewer hands aggressively will help you to develop discipline. If you’ve called the flop, but the cards don’t do you justice, don’t be afraid to fold. Tight players who never bluff keep their risk low, but if you never take risks, you’ll rarely win the biggest pots.

6) Ace Your Timing

A player who has folded is a player who can’t contribute more to the pot.  If the last flops haven’t been dealt yet, the last thing you want is to bully the table into folding, so be prudent with your bets and adjust to your position at the table. To the right of the blind, you have the opportunity to assess the confidence of every gamer at the table before you choose your strategy. Don’t waste your position.

Poker tests your character. It’ll draw our your flaws and challenge your strengths, so sticking to a great strategy is tougher than you might think. This is the time for discipline. If you hold to your rational thought but keep your emotions under control, you’ll soon become a repeat winner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Betty Bugle
Latest posts by Betty Bugle (see all)