If you have seen the movie Rounders than you have heard the line as spoken by Mike McDermott. “Always leave yourself outs”, he said. McDermott wasn’t speaking specifically about the cards in this situation – he was referring to life itself, your online poker bankroll, and your stake in the game; the moral of the story is, don’t blow your roll in one shot.
If you have no bankroll, you have no chance to win. If there are no cards that can improve your hand, you muck. If there are no chips to put into future pots, you’ve mucked for the last time.
Play Poker to Win, Not to Gamble
Poker can be a gamble if that’s what you want it to be. Lord knows we all love a little action-induced adrenaline rush now and then. However, poker online shouldn’t be a gamble if you’re looking to win money.
Decide on and Employ a Buy-in Strategy
How many chips you buy when you sit down at a cash table has little to do with the maximum or minimum allowed buy-in at the table. It has to do with your predefined buy-in strategy. Are you playing a solid stack and picking off the short-stackers? Are you going to be playing a short stack yourself?
How many chips do the other players have, and what sort of stack do you want to start out with in relation to that? That’s what you need to ask yourself. Winning poker strategy begins long before the cards ever hit the table. Learn more about buy-in strategy.
If You’re Afraid, You’ve Already Lost
A solid online poker real money player can’t be afraid to shove their chips into the middle, and they can’t be afraid to fold the winning hand. It’s about knowing/learning what plays are the most valuable in a game of poker. You may have to shove your chips into the middle of the table without so much as a pair to take down a huge pot.
Chips Move in a Clockwise Motion
You’ve heard all the sermons when it comes to position, but here’s one you may have missed… Nobody cares about the guy to your right. If he bets, you can re-raise and steal the pot from him at any time. If he checks, you’re free to bet. He’s not very scary at all.
Take Advantage of Online Poker Coaching
Spend a buck a day on Poker Coaching, stay level headed, learn tricks of the trade, get a new perspective, and improve your poker games online!
Get a Feel for the Table Reserves
Every poker table has a table ‘reserve’ that is the amount of a bet that will be called by mediocre hands. You want to get the hang of that bet as soon as possible. Either way, once you have a feel for the table reserves you can take advantage by adjusting your opening bet accordingly.
Staying Even and Grinding Forward
Every time the button makes its way around the table, you’ll have been charged a small blind and a big blind. To stay even, you simply need to pick up one small pot (including the big blind, small blind, and perhaps one caller (taking rake into account) to stay even.
Practice Bluffing
Here’s a tip. If you’re not really a bluffer, and unsure about getting into the pot with absolutely nothing in worth having in your hand, try this:
Pick a card from the deck, any card at all. Let’s say the six of diamonds. Now every time you see the six of diamonds preflop before a raise has been made, you raise. No matter what the second card is.
Remember this is practice, so bluff when you can afford to fail; you’ll be surprised how often you win the pot!
Texas Hold’em No Peaky
Another tip for improving your Texas Hold’em game is playing your cards without ever looking at them. A key part of a poker game is learning to read your opponents, and believe me, playing against them, without knowing what your cards are will help.
Keep Your Emotions off the Table
Sometimes we get mad during the game. Shocked, and horrified by the crazy things people due. In fact, a very common strategy is the tilting of other players, getting them off their game, and subsequently separated from their bankrolls.
It’s ok to get steamed, everyone does, and it’s a great time to take a break, grab an apple, crunch loudly, refill your water, and get back to the mindset that best allows you to do business at the poker table.
Play with your mind sharp!
Get plenty of rest, leave once you’re tired. You’ll funnel less. We become more passive when we’re sleepy, and passive is no way to play poker.
Happy playing!
Read more:
Learn the Myths about Online Poker Players
Take Down the Online Poker Table Bully