Playing the Short-stack in Poker Online

When playing in poker online rooms, the person with the fewest number of chips at the table is generally known as “the short stack.” It’s an unenviable position to be in and one that is far from ideal. However, if you’re regular player you’ll surely have found yourself in this kind of position for one of  reasons.

Losing your chips can be one cause

The first one will be due to the fact that you’ve lost your best online poker chips throughout the progress of your current game. In other words, whether it be down to bad luck or just poor play. You’ve ended up giving most of your chips away to your opponents.

However, if you decide to enter poker tournaments that have already been running for a little while, it’s more than likely you will sit down at the table in the last place. Either way, you need to think about how you’re going to add to your pile of chips quickly. A successful short stack strategy can be the difference between a strong player and an average one.

The main problem with finding yourself low on chips is that your room for maneuver is greatly reduced. In Texas Hold’em, the vast majority of poker online chips are bet on the turn and the river. Therefore, a player who finds themselves in the position of the short stack is unlikely to find that they can afford to play much past the flop round.

Taking a risk on marginal hands

With this in mind, when you find yourself with few online poker real money chips, you should make sure that you play big on strong hands that have a good chance of coming out on top rather than taking a risk on marginal hands such as small pocket pairs or suited connectors. This sort of speculative hands is best played with a deep stack of chips. This is mainly because you could easily find yourself being re-raised.

And also, because the chances of you hitting your straight/flush aren’t particularly high. With big pile of chips, you can afford to lose a small percentage because the potential reward is so high. That luxury is taken away when your chips are running thin on the ground. Taking a punt on making an improbable hand is likely just to decrease your stack of chips yet further. Instead, try to play big suited hands.

The strategy needs to be implemented

The players around you can also have a big impact on the way that your strategy needs to be implemented. If you find yourself in a position whereby the players seem to be playing in a very loose manner. Then try to stay patient and wait for a strong solid hand before making your move. If, on the other hand, the players behind you tend to be quite tight. Then you can relax your starting requirements slightly and throw your chips into the middle of the table with slightly weaker hands. Don’t wait too long and try to be the first to get your chips into the pot.

Short stack strategies should generally come into play poker when you find your chip stack is worth less than 40 big blinds. They need to be played with a clear head and a brave heart, but are ultimately very rewarding when they come off.

Happy playing!

 

 

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Mix Up Your Online Poker Game

The number one enemy of an online poker player is predictability. If opponents can put you solidly on pattern of betting relative to strength of your hand, you are doomed. This is why it is so crucial to mix up your game when you play Texas Hold’em.

What it Means to Mix Up Your Game

Generally, what mixing up your best online poker game means is shifting gears. That is to say, if you’ve been playing tight for a while and have developed a conservative image, mixing up your game might be to start throwing in a few bluffs or lose calls. Conversely, if you’ve been a maniac, bullying people left and right. You are also slowing down and playing only premium hands can pay great dividends. This is especially if you’ve just been caught bluffing a few times.

How to Mix Up Your Game

If you’re not accustomed to playing poker a way different from the way you normally do, it may take some getting used to. A good idea is to wait until a situation where you’ve had success with your given style. This way if shifting gears is not successful, you should still be ahead. The best time to switch up your game is immediately after your playing style becomes obvious.

For example, if you just got caught running a huge bluff in a big online poker India pot, it’s a great time to hunker down and wait for a monster. If someone has just remarked after you bet and dragged a pot about how you only put in chips with the nuts, it’s your cue to start bluffing and playing unusual hands.

Notes on Mixing Up Your Game

You shouldn’t necessarily take mixing up your game to extremes. If you’ve been playing tight, you don’t have to recklessly splash every pot with chips to take advantage of your image. A few well-timed bluffs or stabs at pots that no one seems to be interested in will be fine. If you’re a maniac, you don’t have to take a time-out from the game to switch gears, just play the best hands in early position and strong hands in late position, then bet your hand when you hit.

Happy playing!

 

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Poker Online Tips for Playing Multi-Tables

One of the biggest changes to modern poker online came with the introduction of multi-tabling. Every online poker room makes it possible for its players to play at several tables at the same time. This means that micro limits, which did not represent a reasonable source of winnings in the past, can now be used to actually make money. Taking advantage of the weak level of play there makes more sense now than ever before.

Live poker players and best online poker purists generally regard multi-tabling as yet another exaggeration a generation grown up on massively multiplayer online games have come up with. Their foremost argument is that by having to pay attention to so many tables. One will effectively rob himself of the chance to play his absolute best.

The latter part of this statement is certainly true: you will not be able to bring your absolute best to several online poker India tables at the same time. When multi-tabling though, your absolute best may not even be required. What you need to focus on is to be good enough to compensate the edge. You give up by leaving your best game behind, with the sheer volume of hands that you play.

Give smaller edges

Your edges will be smaller, but they’ll be put to work more often. This means whether you reach a reasonable level of winnings only depends on how many hands you play per hour. This is the mechanism behind successful multi-tabling. You give up a small edge for the chance to gain one which can be as big as you’re capable of making it.

The most difficult stage of learning to play poker at multiple tables is the start of course. Obviously, if you’re having trouble making money at one table, you shouldn’t even consider multi-tabling. If you’re a long-term loser, by playing multiple tables, you will only add to your losses. As soon as you feel confident enough in your ability to handle a single table, you may want to add one more. Don’t forget to sign up for Rakeback before you get to multi-tabling. Playing multiple tables will mean more hands/hour which means you’ll pay a lot more in rake too. You may even want to consider a prop deal, but that may restrict the limits you can play on.

Rake back is essential

Don’t tell yourself that you don’t need to rake back because you’re only a beginner at multi-tabling. Rakeback has nothing to do with actual poker skill. The more of a beginner you are, the more you’ll need it. As soon as you feel comfortable playing at 2 tables. Add one more and don’t be afraid to move back down to fewer tables if you feel overwhelmed at any time.

You are overwhelmed whenever your time out at a table on account of the time you spend on another one. The last thing you want is to give up value on one table because you’re too busy limiting your losses on another. One of the most important skills called upon in multi-tabling is the ability to prioritize.

Whenever you’re multi-tabling, you’ll be confronted with several decisions in a short amount of time. Not all these decisions will be equally difficult though. As a matter of fact, most of the time you’ll be up against easy calls, only a few of your decisions will require more time than the minimum possible. This is why it is important that you’re able to think about one decision while acting automatically on the other tables.

Don’t forget table selection

The fact that you’re playing at 6 tables doesn’t mean you should settle for even one table where making money is next to impossible due to the players there. Use a 4-color deck, organize the layout of your table, minimize the intricacy of the interface and take notes on your opponents. Sitting in the same seat at each of the tables you’re involved in will also help shorten your decision making.

Happy playing!

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9 Tips for Online Poker Players to Note

If you are a fan of online poker game, you will no doubt need some tips to try your hand and skills on your game. And who can give you better tips than the experts?

Mastering the subtle art of playing the best online poker games is potentially most important for the players. In our experience, new players can take note of the following tips. Let’s have a look at them:

Don’t play every hand or play too many hands

One of the biggest mistakes new players make is playing too many hands and playing hands out of position. We will skip the “position” part and just focus on playing too many hands part.

Stop Bluffing

A majority of online poker real money players have seen all the big-name pros pulling off huge bluffs on TV, but playing online poker is not TV, and bluffing is an art and not something you should do on a regular basis. Don’t get me wrong, bluffing is a part of the game, but it is not a huge part.

Don’t keep people honest

You do not need to take a stand against another player just because he’s playing too loose. You do not want to be the table sheriff! even if you are sure he is just betting and bluffing.

Don’t throw good money after bad

In poker online sometimes things just don’t go your way. One card can change and ruin a hand and sometimes it can be extremely frustrating and we end up calling additional bets even though we know we are beaten.

Pay attention to the table

When you are first learning Texas Hold’em it can be challenging enough to remember your cards. You can have a major advantage if you pay close attention to the flop and other players. After every flop, you should know what the best possible hand could be, and you need to gauge how strong your hand is by comparison.

Don’t Play mad, sad, or tired

Poker is a challenging game and it will take all of your mental energy to focus and play your “A” game. Never play when you are sick, angry, or upset because you will not be able to play poker effectively.

Pay Attention to other players

Of course, this proves impossible when playing online poker, but when you are playing “live” poker you should be watching the other players especially when you not in the hand. Watch players when they bet, win hands, lose hands, etc. everyone gives off tells and information and these bits of information will help you win more money playing poker.

Play within your bankroll

This is another tip that will hit home with a lot of players. When they take a bad beat or make a mistake, then lose their bankroll and have to start over. Of course, it is ok to take a shot at higher limits if there is a good game, but you should never be able to lose your bankroll because of a few bad beats. You need to have a cushion.

Games are supposed to be fun!

Sometimes we all forget that poker is a game and games should be fun. If you are not having fun and enjoying playing poker, then don’t play! You might just need some time off, but do not let poker affect your life and well-being.

Poker is a great game and meant to be enjoyed and can be very rewarding. it important to keep this in mind sometimes when things are not going well at the tables. Poker is a game and money is how we keep score.

Happy playing!

 

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Poker Online Strategy for Playing Trash Hands

It often happens that you have taken risks in poker online. Of course, betting always involves risk, but the risk becomes much more when the cards you are betting on trash. Trash cards are the cards of very low value, which have meager chances of winning. But as you are on the table and have made the initials bets, taking the risks is often the right decision.

The important thing to keep in mind while playing online poker India is the right time when you should take this risk. You have to make up a strategy. As your odds of winning are less, you win will totally depend on luck. If luck does not favor you, you can keep on playing trash hands a hundred times and loose in a row. So, avoid such a thing from happening, what you need are an alert mind and a sound strategy. You don’t have to fold every time you get a trash hand. It’s not only the hand that wins. If you take the right risks at the right time, you may just end up being lucky.

Recognize weak hands

An important thing to learn is to recognize best poker online hands are weak by their value but have the odds of winning. For instance, if you consider the card combination- Q-4. This hand is very weak, but in case your opponent happens to have a card with only a Q in it with something of value lesser than 4, you will win. No matter how low the chances of this being the case may be, but they cannot be totally overruled. Your opponents may have a stronger hand than you.

The more the number of opponents on the table, the more are the chances of your loosing. But as we said before, such risks should be taken at the right time. If you are alert, enough you will get a rough idea of the type hands in the possession of your opponents and you will be able to make the right moves accordingly.

Some cards are trash individually but make good connecting cards. Cards that are suited usually are good options for such sets. However, you should mind the gap between such cards. If they’re just one card missing between the connecting cards, the chances of this gap being made up are good. But in case the gap is two or more, then you should not think about trying to connect them, as the chances of having the right cards being dealt are extremely less. You can’t make it straight if you need 2 or more cards and so it is not advisable to keep waiting for something like that to happen.

Choose smaller pairs

You should prefer pairs which are smaller. Pairs are thought to be trash by some people but they are not all that useless. You can indeed make successful flops with such pairs, but the timing of such flops has to be right. If you have such a pair in your hand, don’t wait too much, because the more you wait, the lesser your winning chances shrink.

In online poker real money, you get to know if your trash hand is good enough or not, at the flop. To gain the most, you should observe the hands of your opponents after the flop. Look at the kinds of hands that they had and make a comparison of these hands with yours. In case you find that your trash hand is better than your opponents are, take the opportunity to raise your bet. But in case, you see that your trash hand really deserves to be called trash, then stay tight and don’t hurry into making the bets.

The final and the most effective solution for avoiding losses due to trash hands is to fold. Don’t be egoistic and play on just for the sake of completing the game. If you don’t see yourself winning, fold. After all, poker is all about grabbing the chips and so there is no use of playing on if you don’t see yourself being able to do that.

Happy playing!

Read more:
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Online Poker Tips for Playing on Flop in Texas Hold’em

Poker is an interesting online game, where the players tend to use their mind. Here are some tips for how to bet on the flop with some common hands and situations in Texas Hold’em online poker.

If everyone checks on the poker online India flop, you should bet on the turn even if you have nothing. Most of the time your opponents will often fold in such a situation. Exceptions to this are when there are too many players or just loose players in the group.

If someone suddenly bets into you or raises, and you are considering folding, be sure to first look at the number of chips that the player has in front of him. If he is practically out of best online poker chips it’s likely that he is bluff raising/betting because he knows he will go all-in on that hand anyway.

Bet with an ace or minor card

If you have overcards on the flop, you can bet with an ace or two minor over cards, but you should fold if someone raises your bet. If someone bets before you on the flop you can call with two overcards, but be sure to fold them at the turn if your hand does not improve. You can call with two major overcards (ie A-J) if someone raises your bet on the flop. You can also check-call a bet on the turn with that kind of hand unless the board looks threatening.

A small pair with an overcard kicker is a strong hand that you can call, even cold call, a raise with on the flop. You should probably fold it on the next round if it was raised on the flop and you haven’t improved the hand and someone bets before you.

Players can bluff-bet

Sometimes you can bluff-bet if the flop contains an ace. Your opponents will often fold in such a situation if they don’t have any pairs or an open-ended straight because it’s impossible for them to have any overcards when the flop contains an ace. This will usually only work if your opponents aren’t too many or too loose.

Happy playing!

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5 Ideas to Improve Online Poker Skills

Poker is a tough game. If you are not steadily improving your online poker skills, the game is certain to pass by, ensuring you ultimately become a losing player.

Here we have five ideas that, if applied wisely, will ensure you stay good. While you may already implement these ideas regularly, it is always helpful to have them in your mind.

Treat yourself like a mental athlete

It is a well-known fact that most world-class athletes eat an almost perfect diet and perhaps visit the gym as well. Since poker online India is a mental game, you should treat your mind as if it the body of the best sportsperson, assuming you actually aspire to be the best in poker. Negative food and drinking habits diminish your mental capacities. The sooner you get destructive substances out of your system, the better. If you want to get success at poker in the long term, treat your body and mind well.

Study the players who beat your games

While it is fun and exciting to watch pro players compete at the highest levels, it is usually not the best way to learn. It is important to understand that the hands they play rarely give an accurate picture of the pro player’s overall game plan. When you see one of these players attempt an insane bluff, understand that they have a specific image and are attempting the bluff for a specific reason. They are not running the bluff just because they feel like bluffing or because they bluff almost all of the time. Studying them is an important trick for success at best online poker.

Think about your opponents’ ranges

If you routinely put your opponent on one specific hand, you are certainly playing poorly. If you put your opponent on one hand from the start, you will make significant blunders due to not assessing each situation properly.

Stop continuation betting with 100 percent of your range

While this advice was spot-on a few years ago when most players folded too often, in today’s games, you should lower your continuation bet percentage a bit. You should tend to check when the board does not favor your range, as well as when you have absolute trash when you have a marginal made hand that cannot withstand significant aggression, and when you fail to connect with the board in a multiway pot.

Double and triple barrel more often

Most players now know to continue against flop continuation bets with a somewhat wide range including made hands, draws, and the occasional hand that has only a little potential to improve but will have lots of bluffing opportunities. They also know to continue against turn bets with any sort of made hand or reasonable draw. However, when you make a sizable river bet, most opponents will give you credit for a strong value hand.

Happy playing!

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Poker Online – Bluffing in Hold’em Poker

Bluffing is one of the most thrilling aspects of playing Texas Hold’em poker online. But contrary to popular opinion among amateur players, becoming a successful bluffer involves more than just mastering your poker face. Keep reading to learn psychology and the statistics of convincing your opponents that you have the upper hand.

Tips on the Psychology of Bluffing

  1. Bluffing in online poker games is a necessary part of your strategy. It’s not a question of if you should bluff, it’s a question of when you should bluff. If you don’t bluff at all, you’re likely to lose in the long run.
  2. Pace yourself. If you bluff too often, it’s more likely that you’ll get caught. The exception to this rule is when you’ve recently been caught bluffing and then land a great hand. Use this to your advantage by luring your opponents to raise.
  3. Take note of your table image. Even for experienced best online poker players, if you’re on a losing streak and your table image has been impaired, now is not the time to start bluffing. Chances are you’ll get chased by your opponents.
  4. Be aware of your opponent’s tells – especially the experienced players. You’re not the only player at the table who might be bluffing and you need to know what you’re up against.
  5. Exploit ‘scare hands’. When the community cards show the possibility of a strong hand, it’s a good opportunity to pretend that you hold the nuts. The downside is that under these circumstances, everyone else at the table can do the same.
  6. Beware of bad players. They might not have the skills to read the board correctly, and subsequently, to notice that you’re playing as if you have a strong hand.
  7. Compensate for your bluffing strategy when playing online. Since your opponents can’t actually see you, and since there are many novices at the online tables, it is more difficult for a fellow online player to notice when you’re trying to indicate that you have a strong hand.

Tips on the Statistics of Bluffing

  1. There are few players at the table. This is true for two reasons: 1) the fewer hands are on the table, the less the chance that someone has a decent hand; 2) the fewer players are on the table, the fewer people you have to convince.
  2. No one has raised and you’re in late position. Just remember: this is a fairly obvious bluff, and is, therefore, harder to pull off.
  3. There’s a mediocre flop. Most players will fold under these circumstances, and you can use it to your advantage. But you first have to gauge your opponents to determine if bluffing is the right move here.
  4. A pair is showing on the board. The lower the pair is, the more useful this strategy becomes. For example, if the pair is 7,7 there is a good chance that these cards have already been folded.
  5. You’re at a high or no-limit table. There’s not much of an advantage to bluffing in a low limit game. It is more likely that someone will call this bluff because it only requires a small bit to see your cards.
  6. Your opponents have a short chip stack. This is a great opportunity to exploit your opponents’ weak spots.
  7. You have some possible ‘outs’ (also known as a ‘semi-bluff’). Bluffing with ‘outs’ just means that the game is not over yet and there’s still a chance that the turn or river cards will bring you a decent hand.

Happy playing!

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Basic Playing Style of Online Poker Card Game

Poker comes in many forms and even more variations of specific popular games. While almost all the forms use a standardized ranking system and similarities in the play of the cards, there are three basic “families” of online poker games to choose from. These are determined mostly by the specifics of how the cards are dealt and wagered upon.

Straight Poker is the most basic of online poker India forms. The play is simple, with a complete hand dealt with the players. And then a round of betting and raising taking place until the winner is determined. A favorite variation of this is Draw Poker where, after the first round of bidding, players are allowed to exchange a number of their cards for new ones in hopes of forming a better hand. This allows a second round of betting and raising with each hand played.

The next oldest family of best online poker games is Stud. Originally played with three cards, five-card and seven-card varieties quickly came into being. In Stud Poker you do not hold your cards but leave them laying on the table. As the cards are dealt, first the hidden “hole” cards and then beginning with the rest face-up, each subsequent card dealt initiates another round of betting on the final outcome.

Having its origins in the 20th century, Community Card Poker has become an extremely popular form of play. This poker form gives the player several hold cards of their own to use. Along with a series of cards laid out face-up on the table that can be used by any or all players as part of their final 5-card hand. Omaha and Texas Hold’em are two of the most popular variations of Community Card Poker.

Basic styles of the game

However, regardless of the type of online poker real money you play, there are basic styles that can be strategically used during gameplay to enhance your gambling earnings. Learning to use these styles and recognizing them in others can give the observant player that extra winning edge.

The art of Aggression consists of strategic opens and raises, forcing the pot up even on weak hands. The Bluff is a critical element of Aggressive play but must not be allowed to control all your plays, making you predictable to other players and more easily taken advantage of. As an example, only playing aggressively on strong and will signal your opponent when to fold quickly and cut their loss.

Check-raise style

The Check-Raise style of play bases its usefulness in its deceptive nature. For a Check-Raise, you may have a good enough hand to continue with but Check anyway in hopes that someone else will open the hand. If this happens the player is then free to match the opening bet or raise as the play commences. The greatest loss is limited only to the initial pot investment if the hand is not opened.

Strategically the Isolation play is one of the most formidable styles you can encounter. There are elements of both the Bluff and Aggression in an Isolation attack against a specific player. It usually involves making a Raise on a hand with the hope and intent of forcing another player to drop out of the hand. Used primarily against those who predictable raise to weak hands. It can also be used to narrow the playing field down to a specific opponent you wish to defeat.

Happy playing!

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Playing Aces on the Flop and Beyond In Poker Online

The poker online flop is the trickiest part of the hand when you have aces because you’ll either commit to going all the way with the hand or realize that you beat. As long as the flop doesn’t look really, really bad. You should lead out with a bet of roughly 2/3 the size of the pot. An example of a fairly safe flop is J 42 offsuit. That is a great flop because it improves players who have hands like AJ. And it misses players with hands like 78 suited who are looking for big draws.

An example of a bad flop of poker online India would be something like 8 10 J, or K 5 4 of the same suit. In first example, hands like 10-J or 8-8 have hit  flop hard. And have a great chance of beating you in a huge pot. In second example, if you don’t have the ace of the suit that is on the board. You’re in a really tough spot. Because if fourth card of that suit peels off on turn or river, you’ll have a tough decision to make.

What happens in a bad flop?

In the case of a bad flop like the ones listed above, an online poker real money player usually still leads out if there are only one or two opponents in the hand, but if they show any strength, the player becomes very cautious with his/her hand. If we feel like our opponent already has me beat, or has a really big draw, we’re not opposed to folding aces on the flop to a raise or a strong bet.

After you play poker the flop, the rest of the hand will pretty much play itself. If you pin your opponent on having a lower pair, just continue to value bet to extract maximum value out of them. If you think your opponent has a draw, continue to make them pay to draw, and if the draw hits on the turn or river release your hand. Follow the tips above, and you’ll have no problems with aces. Good luck!

Happy playing!

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