How To Actually Win At Online Poker

Following are ten online poker winning tips. While they do not guarantee that you will win every single poker game they serve as a kind of checklist you may rely on.

- Playing too many hands Nearly all beginners play way too many starting hands, most top players typically play between 20-30% of their starting hands. It is a lot better to concentrate on higher value starting hands and help remove the luck element of the game.

- Know when to holdem, and know when to fold'em This is the biggest tip you will get, learn how to fold a hand, and do not be a fisherman, i.e. making a call, thinking you are going to get what you want. Many beginners keep betting regardless of the board or what their opponent's actions are suggesting. Pros frequently say it is the hands you can lay down that are often the key to profitable play.

- Choose less skillful opponents Sounds fairly obvious, but you should play at betting limits where you can beat the majority of players. Move down the limits if you are having difficulties winning cash. It is best to leave the ego at the door when playing poker.

- Keep an eye on your opponent's habits Especially, when you are not in the hand. The best time to try and read other players, is when you are not emotionally invested in a hand, you can make more prudent observations this way. Watch your opponents bet, how much they bet and in what position are they betting. Learning how your opponents play is one of the keys to success.

- Betting to gain knowledge To bet should not mean you always have the best hand. Pro players use various betting techniques to try to gain information. For example, a defensive bet is one that you can use early on to avoid calling a bigger future bet. A re-raise may be used to probe the credibility of your opponent's hand.

- Learn to put your opponents on a hand Once you have mastered Tips 4 & 5, try and put your knowledge to work. Try being in your opponent's shoes, and learn to put them on a hand. Ask questions like "Why did he re-raise me that amount?", and "Why did he only call in the previous betting round?".

- Learn how to bluff and semi-bluff ..at the right times against the right players, and at the right frequency. Bluffing is often a misunderstood concept, and many beginners dismay most pros use bluffs quite sparingly. A bluff can be very effective when used rarely, and where there is a seemingly low risk of being called by your opponent.

- Changing Gears Unpredictability is a strength in poker. Most pros can figure out a really loose player by waiting for the nuts (top hand) and being patient. However, an even easier opponent is a tight player or "rock", who plays only the Group 1 type hands. You need to change your game up, and let them see that you can run bluffs, and can play some lower value starting hands. These changes should be subtle and should not dramatically affect the flop rate we mentioned in Tip #1.

- Understand player position ..and how it is critical. Not only is it important to play strong hands, it is even more important in what position you play them. For example, the ideal position is the Button (the Dealer), as you are last to act, and have the advantage of watching all of the betting action before you need to make a decision. eg. If the action before you consists of a bet, a raise, and a re-raise, and you hold a pair of Tens, you might think that folding is the right decision.

- Read books and take notes Players can always learn more if they want to be a better poker player. Keep notes on what works and does not work for you, and eventually you will come up with a style of play that works uniquely for you and improves your game.

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Is Playing Poker Online Right For You?

Playing poker is a wonderful hobby and an engaging form of entertainment. Although many times in the past you may have found that you wanted to play poker but were not close enough to a casino to just hop in your car and run on in to take a seat at the poker table. This is where online poker gaming comes into the picture. Online poker is an increasingly popular way of playing poker from within the confines and comfort of your own home. As you are able to play many different types of poker games at casino establishments, online poker websites also make this type of variety with regard to poker games available to its poker players. Playing poker online via an online poker website is different in a few ways from playing in a physical casino environment. It is important to focus on those differences thereby enabling yourself to make the decision of whether or not playing poker card games online is the right option for you.

One way in which playing poker online and playing poker within a casino differs, relates to the betting limits which are imposed on the poker players. When playing poker online by way of an online poker website, the online poker player may not be required to put up as much money for an ante as the poker player that is playing this type of card game within the casino limits. This is one of the many advantages of playing poker in an online setting. Many individuals just want to play poker for fun or to make a little spending cash perhaps and are wary of risking large amounts of money in the process. The various online poker websites will allow the prospective online poker player to bet smaller amounts of money than the casinos will at times. This is an attractive feature of the online poker websites. If you are looking to spend small amounts of money, this might be the type of gaming situation for you. If money is no object, then maybe you will prefer to go to a physical casino. However, keep in mind that certain online poker websites will host higher betting limits.

Another way in which playing poker on an online poker website differs from the casino atmosphere is the lack of other players in your physical vicinity. Casinos can make a person become a bit claustrophobic after awhile and if you are the type of individual that likes his or her own space, then online poker gambling on a poker gaming website might just be the answer. When you are playing poker online you are playing against other individuals; however, the upside to this is that you are not crowded in a small, stuffy area with those other players breathing down your neck, trying to get you to hurry up and make a move. Not only can this type of player behavior on the part of your peers be obnoxious but it can also make you decide to play in a way which you would not have done had you been given the time and space to think the move through. This is a definite plus to playing poker online as opposed to in a casino. If you are keen on the idea as well, then again, maybe online poker playing is your cup of tea.

A third way in which an online poker website may be right for you is if you enjoy excitement and would like to play more than one game at one time. By playing the poker game in an online setting, you are able to play more than one game at one time. This is not possible in a physical casino setting since the only way an individual could be playing at more than one table at one time would be if that person had really long arms, which is highly unlikely. Therefore, by utilizing online poker websites you are able to play two or three games at once. The choice is up to you. If you have the concentration skills to pull this off, then this would be another attractive detail that might pull you into playing in an online poker game setting.

A final way in which playing poker games via an online poker website might be right for you is if you want the convenience of not having to leave your home in order to enjoy some gaming entertainment. Online poker websites are extremely convenient for a number of reasons. First of all, you do not have to drive anywhere in order to play poker. You simply log on to the internet via your internet provider, connect with a specific online poker website and get down to business. A second reason why online poker websites are extremely convenient is that they allow you to jump right into a game without ever having to wait for a seat to open up. Lastly, online poker websites are extremely convenient options for the avid poker player in that they enable you to pay money and collect money via a few quick touches of the keypad. Payment systems companies that act as a go between from online poker player to online poker website enable money to be transmitted quickly and efficiently from online poker player to online poker website thereby ensuring that either or both individual(s) are paid in a swift manner.

Online poker websites are a wonderful alternative to the casino businesses of the past. Not to say that casinos are out of date, this is just to provide an alternative to poker players that may be interested in checking out this different type of gaming avenue. If any of the aforementioned items seem of great interest to you, then maybe online poker playing is something that you should take a look at. It never hurts to give it a try. It may just be something that you are happy to have discovered and will change your impression of gambling forever.

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Playing Poker For A Living

Life of an Online Gambler

If you’ve ever dreamed about getting away from the drudgery of working all day long to make some other guy rich, poker just might be the answer. But be warned; playing poker for a living isn’t all roses and lollipops. Playing poker for a living needs to be treated like a serious job because your livelihood depends on it. I can speak from experience when I tell you that as nice as it is not answering to a boss, playing poker for a living can be a stressful job. At the same time, it can also be an extremely well-paying job.

In this article, I’m going to tell you a little bit about what it’s like to play poker for a living. This article won’t cover things like expenses, health insurance and rent. For a complete breakdown of that stuff, check out this article titled “How Much Money Do I Need to Go Pro?”

Typical Day as a Professional Poker Player

I would typically play poker for 3 or 4 hours in the morning and then go make something for lunch. In the afternoon, I would find something else to do, like clean the house, meet a friend somewhere or whatever. In the evening, I would start another session to catch all the recreational evening players. I’d play for as long as I could stay alert. If I started to get distracted or groggy, I would log off and call it a day.

That all sounds nice and dandy but not every day went totally according to plan. Sometimes I would start out and immediately hit a downswing and have to spend the rest of the day digging myself back out of that hole. Even though I understood variance and knew downswings happened to everyone, it was frustrating to start the day off like that. What I had to do was learn how to put those hands behind me and continue on playing like normal.

Benefits of Going Pro

The best part about being a professional poker player is the money. The freedom was also nice, but there are few ways for a college student to make ten or twenty thousand a month from home. It was nice having more money than knowing what to do with it all. I got to go on trips, buy anything I wanted and save money for my future. There’s nothing more a young college kid (or anyone else) could ask for.

The freedom was important to me as well because I couldn’t stand working for other people. It sickened me to work for such pitiful wages when I knew the owners of the places I worked at were pulling in several thousand dollars a day off the fruits of our labor. It was also good to be able to take off work on a moment’s notice to attend to any emergencies or check out a fun event.

Drawbacks to Going Pro

As nice as being a professional poker player is, there are several drawbacks that you need to seriously consider. First, the future of the career is unknown. Do you think you’ll be able to play poker for 20 years and retire from it? There are many unknowns there including government regulation and abundance of strategy resources for the fish.

Secondly, if you go pro, you’ll have a major gap in your resume if you ever decide to return to the working world. The general population is astoundingly ignorant when it comes to poker so if you tell a future employer that you were a professional online poker player, the odds are they will assume you were some kind of degenerate. It’s frustrating but that’s how it is.

If you have a family that depends on you to make a living, going pro is even more stressful. Not only do you have to worry about yourself, but you also have to worry about your family. If you have a major downswing, you need to have a back up plan in place to feed your family. Otherwise, you and them will just be out of luck.

Going pro also puts a major strain on your bankroll. When you constantly cash out for living expenses, it makes it harder to keep a steady bankroll. It’s difficult to move up in stakes and improve your winrate because you are constantly taking money out of your bankroll. When you play recreationally, you can keep that money in your bankroll for as long as you need.

Speaking of strain, being a professional is a seriously stressful job at times. No matter how great you are, you will experience the occasional monster downswing. During those downswings, it’s difficult to stay positive. If you hit an exceptionally vicious downswing, it can easily affect other areas in your life. It takes a special mindset to be able to separate your job from your personal life.

Should I Go Pro?

Only you can answer that. In the vast majority of cases, I recommend players against going pro. Your living expenses will constantly eat away at your bankroll unless you bring in a nice chunk of money every month.

Even if you have a good month or two, it doesn’t mean you should go pro. As a professional, you need to be able to win month in and month out. Every single month everything starts over and you need to win enough money to pay your expenses once again.

By not going pro, you can treat poker as a second income. If you work all day at a job and bring in extra money from poker, it’s like having two jobs at once. You’ll also get benefits from your job like health insurance and retirement. When you play poker for a living, you have to figure those things out on your.

12betpoker Pre-flop action and starting hands

One of the most common mistakes rookie players make is that they play too many hands. Poker is the kind of game that presents many temptations. Seeing hand after hand how others get hit by the flop on rags, can and will drive players to act on rags themselves, however, if you want to squeeze any long-term value out of your play, that's not the way you should approach things.

The very first thing you can do to improve on your play is to adopt some sort of starting hand selection method. Keep in mind that a good poker player can indeed beat a weak one on rags, but acting only on positive EV will give you much better chances, especially if you know you're not skilled enough for extreme plays.

If you do decide to adopt basic hand selection, you have to make sure you're disciplined-enough to stick to it. The downside is, you won't be involved in many pots, and you'll spend most of the game waiting around for good starting hands. The good side is, you'll have a lot of time to study your opponents, make reads and observe betting patterns.
Exactly which hands you can act on, depends on the number of players you're confronted with. The more opponents there are, the tighter you have to play it.

If there are 9 other people around the table, don't play anything other than AK, and if you get pairs, from 99 upwards. As the number of players decreases, you too can gradually loosen up (bear this in mind when playing in STTs)
When faced with 6 players, unpaired cards you can play are anything from AJs upwards, and the pairs are 66 and up.

If you're in a short handed game, or in a heads up, the starting hand values plummet. In a heads-up for instance, you should play aces with just about anything suited, kings with 9s and above suited, queens with T and above suited, and jacks with 9 and above suited. Play any air you get.

Remember, in a heads-up, you need to become really aggressive on all these hands, as aggression is the key concept here.

What exactly should you do with these hands before the flop? Raise and re-raise on QQ and above, and also on high connectors like AK. You want to make as many players holding low cards, fold as possible.

NL Hold'em is especially unforgiving with those who chase windmills on weak starting hands. Don't commit that mistake.
Make sure your raises do not get out of control. You want to leave some chips if you get re-raised or called.

Limp in with anything weaker than AA, AK, AQ, KK or QQ. you don't want to waste a lot of money on those hands.

Don't forget to mix up your play every now and then. You want to avoid becoming too predictable.

12betpoker Advanced Poker Tips

The Smarter you play,the luckier you'll be
Good Monday, Practice Play Makes Poker Perfect! - 12BetQoutes

If you were to ask one of the top poker players about the secrets to their success, they'd probably send you packing. Why on earth would they give away information which could be used against them?

Expertise in poker is built over time, and the more you play the better you'll become at assessing the table, choosing which tricks and tips would be useful and where. Here, we will walk you through the attributes a winning player possesses, what ways you could improve your overall game and the tell-tale signs to deduce which players are the weakest links. Having them in the back of your mind will prove invaluable and give you a competitive edge over your friends and acquaintances.

Here's a brief overview of the related links which will help you make the right decisions:

Working on your game

Players like yourself with little experience can elevate themselves to a higher level, even if it's just the next table up. All you need is some optimism, determination and an easy-to-follow guide. This section informs you about balancing the books, playing live, conquering your fear of intimidating players and playing for the right reasons.

Attributes of a winner

Professional players are a combination of sportsmen and businessmen, succeeding in an area which requires equal parts discipline, endurance and luck. How do they do it though? From money management to hand selection, psychological awareness to the initial table selection, here we have 10 attributes you could benefit from having.

Spot a fish

In terms of poker, a 'fish' is a weak player who doesn't know what they are doing and is liable to get eaten up. Their lack of experience can prove disastrous for them. This section goes into detail about not only the ways to spot a fish, but also how you can adjust your play accordingly, even if it's to show them some support and help them out.

Raising your game

Regardless of whether you're new to poker or not, overlooking important details is a rookie mistake. Here’s our list of 30 common mistakes you might be making and how you can improve your performance.

Improve concentration

Focus, focus, focus. One of the biggest problems poker players face, regardless of experience is concentration. Here, we suggest ways to help you build up your mental strength and improve endurance.

12betpoker Sit & Go top tips

 New to Sit & Go tournaments? Our 15-step guide shows you how it’s done.

Eat.Play.Repeat. - 12betQoutes 

1. Sit tight at the start

Play tight (stick to good hands) during the early stages, when the blinds are small. Small pots aren’t worth the effort and you want people to take notice when you start betting aggressively later. Play big hands strongly and fold everything else.

2. Watch for hands with potential

Some hands could surprise you. Suited connectors , small pairs and aces with a suited kicker (a tie-breaker card of the same suit) could turn into a major hand, so be prepared to play them. But if someone raises, or the flop doesn’t bring anything useful, you’ll need to fold. 

3. Bet big on big pairs

Big pairs (aces, king and queens) are your friend. If a few players have limped in (called the big blind) ahead of you, you should raise enough to double the amount in the pot. Either people will fold and you’ll pick up the money, or they’ll make a mistake and try to raise you with a weaker hand. If you’ve got kings and they’ve got aces, that’s bad luck, but statistically the odds are small enough to risk it. 

4. Seize the moment

If the flop brings you a big hand, act on it. A lot of players will call you with a top pair, even if their kicker isn’t up to much. So if you find yourself with two pair and a high kicker, don’t wait to make your move. 

If you check, and someone else bets, then raise big or move all-in. They’ll fold and give you a nice pot or, more typically, call, even though they’ve only got a one in three chance of winning. 

5. Hang in there

If you’re short stacked , don’t panic – you can come back from the brink. Just be patient and wait for something really good to come along. Make it as hard as you can for people to walk away with your chips.

6. Scare off the weak bettors

You'll see it time and time again – players paying the minimum before the flop and trying to steal the pot with a small bet. If you’ve got a hand, raise. If you have a drawing hand (halfway to something big) or something so-so then call. Usually they haven’t got anything, so you’ll come out on top.

7. Match speed with confidence

Turbo Sit & Go tournaments are great fun, but instead of playing patiently, you need to move fast. Overpairs, top pair/top kicker and even flush draws (when you're a big stack) are a chance to jam the pot (bet aggressively or go all-in).

8. Put the pressure on

Continuation betting is essential in Sit & Go tournaments and will win the pot a lot of the time. If someone re-raises and your hand can’t take it, then you can fold. But generally, a post-flop bet of around half to two-thirds of the pot is a profitable move. 

9. Know when to back down

In a Sit & Go, you can sometimes play hands you wouldn’t touch in large tournaments. But if someone raises and you’ve only got a top pair with a bad kicker, it's time to take cover.

10. Pick on someone smaller

If you’ve got a large stack, then put pressure on the short-stacked players. Raise their blinds, move them all-in (if you don’t mind being called) and they’ll make a mistake sooner or later. 

11. Watch the stacks

Chip stacks can go up and down quite dramatically, especially as the blinds increase. It’s important to keep an eye on that, as you’ll want to avoid head-to-heads with the chip leaders and hone in on the small-stacked players. Don’t give up if you’re in last place. As the short-stack you can use an all-in push to scare opponents when you can. You'll either pick up lots of blinds or potentially double-up and head back towards the top of the field.

12. Don’t fade away

If you're really short-stacked (with seven or fewer big blinds left) now’s the time to step up and to make the most of any opportunity. K-8 suited, J-10, 6-7 suited, small pocket pairs – these types of hands could be your lifeline and you should bet with confidence. If you pick up the blinds, great. If you get one caller, you’ve got about a two in one chance of succeeding, which is better than letting yourself get chipped away by the blinds until there’s nothing left. 

13. Burst the bubble

On the bubble, you’ll want to take control as people often get cautious when there’s a prize at stake. If you’re a big stack, move all-in when you can to pick up blinds and possibly knock someone out. If you're a short-stack, put your chips on the first big hand you get so you can double-up, or move all-in on the button with any two cards if no-one’s raised yet.

14. Get aggressive

When short-handed (down to three or four players) it's time to get in and raise pretty much whenever you can (as the blinds get bigger, you can’t wait for a rock-solid hand). Don’t do anything stupid, but raises and re-raises in the right position, followed by aggressive play after the flop (when you've made a hand) are the way to get through to the final. 

15. Finish them off

When it's down to two, you need to crank things up again, raising until your rival has nowhere left to run. Most of the time they won’t have a hand, and if your stack’s big enough, then that could be all you need. If you’re the one being chased, a big re-raise should stop them in their tracks (the pot odds at this point might tell you that it’s right to call anyway). Against one player, a top pair could be all you need, so go ahead and take the glory.

New Player Dos and Don'ts: Avoiding Emotional Play

If you’re around a Texas Holdem table long enough, it’s only a matter of time before you see someone going 'on tilt'. It can mean a lot of things, but essentially it comes down to a player not being able to control their emotions and then letting that emotion affect their decision making. Usually, it turns out for the worst. The more you play, the more you’ll realize just how critical it is and how often the worst case scenario becomes a reality. There’s definitely more to Texas Holdem than knowing that a flush beats a straight, or what blinds are. If it were that easy, everyone would win an equal amount of the time. So, as you go forward, take a few of the following recommendations about emotional play to heart:

Don’t: Play with ego
Good players love to see a big ego sit down at the table. They’ll goad them into making bad calls and outrageous bluffs and it will be easy to take their money. If you feel you have to go to war every single hand, you have no business coming to the poker table. And know that if you do, you’ll find yourself relieved of your bankroll very quickly. Playing good poker involves backing down. A lot. And picking your spots to be aggressive.

Do: Figure out how to calm down
Even if you come to the table with your emotions in check and the chip gone from your shoulder, it won’t take long for a bad beat or a run of bad luck for the chip to start creeping back up. So you’ll need to figure out quickly how to push the reset button and get back to where you were in the first place. Maybe a quick walk around the casino helps get you back on track. Remind yourself what your goals are. Learn to do whatever you need to get back to focused poker. And if your relaxation methods aren’t working, go home. Come back another day.

Don’t: Let opponents get to you
Whatever it is that’s upsetting you, don’t let your opponents know abou it. You folded the best hand, or tipped someone off and lost some action… whatever it is, a savvy opponent will see you’re upset about it and use it to their advantage. They’ll needle you into even more bad, emotional plays. Shake it off, and keep playing your best game. Don’t let them see you’ve been knocked off track. If you do, they’ll roll right over you.

Do: Constantly monitor your emotions
It doesn’t matter how many Texas Holdem strategy books you’ve read, how much online poker practice you have logged, or how well you understand poker strategy: A half hour of 'steaming' can ruin hours of solid play. To be successful at poker, you constantly have to assess your emotional state. Taking a bad beat and trying to show that opponent what a terrible player they are will ruin you. Playing a little poker to blow off some steam will also likely get you in the same boat.

Learn to identify when you’re playing with any agenda other than winning money with correct play. When you are, fix it. Fast!