Online poker is very different from playing with your pals or even in poker tournaments. It has some marvellous advantages over traditional poker. You can 'sit' at a table anytime as well as more importantly you can leave anytime. Your opponents will be from a pool of several thousands of online players who 'sit' at tables at random. Sometimes you will see the exact same 'faces' i.e. their pseudonyms. It is totally impersonal. In traditional poker you may actually take a dislike to some players because of their mode of play or their expressions etc. but in online poker you leave all those emotions behind you.
There's a notion around that playing online poker exposes you to fraud. I think this is false.
People at your table don't know you and it's unlikely you know them. Two people cannot play from the exact same computer. The exchange platform will not allow it. You are playing for yourself only. I think it would be impossible for two people to 'rig' a game. Assume two people were in contact by mobile phone. what do you think information can they give except what is in their own hands. They cannot see yours or anyone else's. Whenever they attempted to raise the stakes that may be their undoing if somebody else has a red hot hand! And after that think of the cost of the phone calls.
Online poker (or any poker for that matter) isn't for fools. You need to focus on what you are doing. If you are in a penny ante game (and you'll find plenty on the betting exchange) learning how you can play poker then treat that game as if you were in a 'big' money game. The guidelines are exactly the same and the strategies that work in small games will continue to work in big games.
The best game is Texas Hold 'Em. When you probably are aware you are dealt two cards and after the first round of betting three cards are flopped through the computer. Everybody uses those cards in conjunction with their own to make the very best five card hand. After the first three cards are flopped by the exchange computer there is yet another round of checking or betting. Then another card is flopped and another round of checking or betting follows. Finally the fifth card is flopped by the exchange computer and the final round of betting or checking takes place. The very best hand will be the winner. The very best hand is dependent upon using one or two cards from your hand and three or four cards from the table. In certain cases the cards on the table constitute the winning hand on their own own and the pot is divided through the players remaining in the game.
Let's assume you know the general rules of poker e.g. the rankings of hands - best hand a Royal Flush (10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of same suit) down to one pair or if perhaps there is no pair then the hand with the highest ranking card from the Ace down. In Texas Hold 'Em I feel you must not play unless you are dealt a variety of cards from the 10 to the Ace or perhaps a pair. Of-course if you were to rank those sets of two cards the very best set will be two Aces, then two Kings down to a pair of deuces. After them an Ace and also a King will be the best and after that an Ace and Queen, Ace and Jack, Ace and ten. Should you have an Ace and any other card they too are worth playing with. But if you want to be clinical about this game don't play at all until you get a combination as described above. Do not be tempted to play with two of a suit unless they're one of the combinations described in the paragraph.
Bluffing is part of poker. There is absolutely no doubt about that. But I think it really is less crucial in online poker. The reason I take this view is this. Within the traditional game of poker you played the additional players and playing the game. You read their expressions and their body language. You can sense if a player was bluffing. This isn't the case with online poker. You'll find no faces and no body language. I have found that when folks bet, and many more importantly once they look-at a bet, they usually have strong hands to back up their actions. You could occasionally try the short corner - if everyone has checked and there is only you and one other person left to check or bet in which case you could try a bluff. You only have one individual to fear because the other players would have bet if they had anything worthwhile. Of course this isn't always the case and those who check might just be waiting for a bluffer to operate. The only way you shall find out is to try a bluff.
Poker, like fishing, requires plenty of patience. You can't make cards win. You can't force your luck. Some days you are certain to get cards that leave you second best on numerous occasions. Those will be the worst possible cards. You will not win every time you play but if you follow the simple rules above you will win a lot of the sessions. Stay calm and be patient. There's no use cursing at your computer!
How long should you play for
This really relies on your stamina. Some players can play for many hours but I would advise everybody to take breaks. I think that after one hour you begin to lose your focus or get bored. Stop - sit out and take a break. Walk around the home, go to the loo or have a drink or snack. The cards will still be there when you come back. If you feel sleepy which is getting late pack it in.
We have all seen the movies where the great poker players happen to be able to down their whiskies but still win. My advice is do not try this in front of your PC. Drinking alcohol slows down your thought processes. Of course drinking alcohol can have a relaxing effect but over indulging will make you make wrong decisions. I sometimes play after dinner having had a number of glasses of wine but in general I would advocate not drinking alcohol at all ahead of playing poker.
There's a notion around that playing online poker exposes you to fraud. I think this is false.
People at your table don't know you and it's unlikely you know them. Two people cannot play from the exact same computer. The exchange platform will not allow it. You are playing for yourself only. I think it would be impossible for two people to 'rig' a game. Assume two people were in contact by mobile phone. what do you think information can they give except what is in their own hands. They cannot see yours or anyone else's. Whenever they attempted to raise the stakes that may be their undoing if somebody else has a red hot hand! And after that think of the cost of the phone calls.
Online poker (or any poker for that matter) isn't for fools. You need to focus on what you are doing. If you are in a penny ante game (and you'll find plenty on the betting exchange) learning how you can play poker then treat that game as if you were in a 'big' money game. The guidelines are exactly the same and the strategies that work in small games will continue to work in big games.
The best game is Texas Hold 'Em. When you probably are aware you are dealt two cards and after the first round of betting three cards are flopped through the computer. Everybody uses those cards in conjunction with their own to make the very best five card hand. After the first three cards are flopped by the exchange computer there is yet another round of checking or betting. Then another card is flopped and another round of checking or betting follows. Finally the fifth card is flopped by the exchange computer and the final round of betting or checking takes place. The very best hand will be the winner. The very best hand is dependent upon using one or two cards from your hand and three or four cards from the table. In certain cases the cards on the table constitute the winning hand on their own own and the pot is divided through the players remaining in the game.
Let's assume you know the general rules of poker e.g. the rankings of hands - best hand a Royal Flush (10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of same suit) down to one pair or if perhaps there is no pair then the hand with the highest ranking card from the Ace down. In Texas Hold 'Em I feel you must not play unless you are dealt a variety of cards from the 10 to the Ace or perhaps a pair. Of-course if you were to rank those sets of two cards the very best set will be two Aces, then two Kings down to a pair of deuces. After them an Ace and also a King will be the best and after that an Ace and Queen, Ace and Jack, Ace and ten. Should you have an Ace and any other card they too are worth playing with. But if you want to be clinical about this game don't play at all until you get a combination as described above. Do not be tempted to play with two of a suit unless they're one of the combinations described in the paragraph.
Bluffing is part of poker. There is absolutely no doubt about that. But I think it really is less crucial in online poker. The reason I take this view is this. Within the traditional game of poker you played the additional players and playing the game. You read their expressions and their body language. You can sense if a player was bluffing. This isn't the case with online poker. You'll find no faces and no body language. I have found that when folks bet, and many more importantly once they look-at a bet, they usually have strong hands to back up their actions. You could occasionally try the short corner - if everyone has checked and there is only you and one other person left to check or bet in which case you could try a bluff. You only have one individual to fear because the other players would have bet if they had anything worthwhile. Of course this isn't always the case and those who check might just be waiting for a bluffer to operate. The only way you shall find out is to try a bluff.
Poker, like fishing, requires plenty of patience. You can't make cards win. You can't force your luck. Some days you are certain to get cards that leave you second best on numerous occasions. Those will be the worst possible cards. You will not win every time you play but if you follow the simple rules above you will win a lot of the sessions. Stay calm and be patient. There's no use cursing at your computer!
How long should you play for
This really relies on your stamina. Some players can play for many hours but I would advise everybody to take breaks. I think that after one hour you begin to lose your focus or get bored. Stop - sit out and take a break. Walk around the home, go to the loo or have a drink or snack. The cards will still be there when you come back. If you feel sleepy which is getting late pack it in.
We have all seen the movies where the great poker players happen to be able to down their whiskies but still win. My advice is do not try this in front of your PC. Drinking alcohol slows down your thought processes. Of course drinking alcohol can have a relaxing effect but over indulging will make you make wrong decisions. I sometimes play after dinner having had a number of glasses of wine but in general I would advocate not drinking alcohol at all ahead of playing poker.