Top Online Poker Tips

When you play online poker you’ll want to gain every possible edge you can over your competition. There are plenty of ‘fish’ (weak players) to be found in online poker games. These are players who jump into a game and expect it to play out like a game of chance, usually without any respect for poker strategy. Their money is quickly taken by more experienced online poker players. If you’ve followed the lessons in our poker school and read through this online poker guide, then we hope you’re well on the way to gaining the experience necessary to profit from online poker.

In our poker school section we offer plenty of strategy advice, including typical mistakes made by beginners, and also the mistakes made by intermediate poker players. If you’ve not read those poker lessons yet, then we recommend you do – and fix any leaks in your game. However, the advice that follows is particularly appropriate for online poker. If you’re going to be a successful online poker player, we recommend you read these tips carefully, so you can steadily increase your online poker bankroll.

Stay Focused on the Game

Many online poker players make the mistake of playing while distracted. They decide to watch a movie, talk on their phone, cook dinner, or surf the web while playing online poker. Show respect for the game by eliminating all distractions before you login to an online poker room. Playing online poker well requires a great deal of mental focus. You’ll need to pay attention to your cards, your chip stack, the actions of your opponents, the overall flow of the game, and more. This is particularly true if you’re playing on multiple tables. If you find your focus wavering, then stop playing. You should only play online poker when you can bring your ‘A’ game to the tables.

Avoid Tilt

Keeping your emotions under control is vital for success in poker – and even more so when it comes to online poker. You must quickly learn to avoid going on tilt, otherwise you’ll end up a losing player. Tilt is what separates winners and losers. If you have a tendency to go on tilt after a bad beat, then learn to spot the cues – and then leave the game before any real damage is done. If you’re playing on multiple tables, the symptoms of tilt can spread rapidly across all tables, and before you know it – a winning session has turned into a bankroll busting nightmare. Simply tell yourself “I refuse to go on tilt” – and mean it!

Game / Table Selection

If you’re playing online poker cash games, then choosing the right table is a must, and so is moving when things get tough. If you find yourself being outplayed hand after hand, simply return to the lobby and find a different game. Most of the biggest online poker sites have an enormous amount of traffic at virtually any time of the day. There’s no shame in bringing your chips to a different table, and experienced poker players know the importance of good table selection. And it goes without saying that you should be sticking to tables that are within your bankroll.

Analyze Hand Histories

Every hand you play online is recorded to hand history files. Live poker players don’t have the luxury of easily recalling the precise details of hands they’ve played, and can only estimate other useful statistics about their play. On the other hand, online poker players have access to a wealth of information. You can choose to ignore this valuable information, or you can decide to make use of it. If you want to improve your game then we highly recommend you review your hand histories after each session – and if you’re looking for advice then consider posting interesting hands on the Pokerology forum, where you can get feedback from our members. This is one of the best ways of improving your game!

Don’t Play Poorly Because of Anonymity

Sometimes a player will make mistakes in online poker because of the fact that they’re playing anonymously. Although many poker players might not realize it, part of the motivation for doing well in a live poker game is creating and preserving a reputation among fellow players. In online poker, you’ll be hiding behind an avatar and an adopted handle. This beginner mistake should be easy to get around for most players. Remember, you’re playing for your own fun and personal gain. If increasing your bankroll is at least part of motivation for playing online poker, you should be able to find it in yourself to strive to improve your game and make smart poker decisions consistently.