Tips To Win More At Online Poker

Watching movies about playing poker might give a person the incorrect idea that poker can be played like some sort of mystic art. Movie characters always seem to destroy opponents by magically drawing fantastic hands, like just waning the cards bad enough will somehow make them materialize. This, of course, is not true, and if a person wants to win more frequently at online poker, they’ll have to do a lot more than simply hope to receive amazing hands.

Getting better at poker can be very tricky and challenging, with years and even decades of practice for a true poker master to be created. But there are also a few simple, easily implemented tips that can take a player from being amateur, to professional. Let’s take a look at a few simple poker tips that can help a player win more frequently:

Be Patient

Many amateur players get a feeling that if they don’t bet, and call other player’s bets, that they’ll be seen as a bad sport, or inactive and boring player. This is the exact wrong attitude to have about the game of poker. Although poker is a game about having fun, being active simply to be part of the game is a one-way ticket to landing up broke.

Patience is a key aspect of poker, and very important to keeping the bank balance high while a favorable hand comes along. There is nothing wrong with folding repeatedly, and biding time until the right hand comes along to strike.

The tricky aspect is that if a player only bets and calls only when they have a great hand, that their patterns will soon become predictable. But this in itself can be a advantage. If other players get the impression that a player only bets when they have a great hand, it creates the perfect opportunity for a killer bluff.

Skillful** Bluffing **

Keeping other plays off balance, and guessing, is what bluffing is all about. Keep in mind that players can only judge what is being done by the actions taken by the player. If a player folds for five turns in a row, and then lays down a large, sudden bet, the assumption is that the player has managed to draw an amazing hand. But if a player folds for five hands in a row, and outs down a moderate bet, the assumption is that the player has drawn a low value hand.

Playing with these perceptions is key to bluffing, and never sticking to one strategy will always have the other players guessing. Also keep in mind that in 5 and 7 card draw poker that the number of cards drawn is an indication of a hand’s value. If a player has drawn only 2 cards, the assumption will be that the other 3 cards had value. It is not uncommon for professional poker players to draw just a single card, even when it does not make sense, only to throw off other players for a bluff.

Luring In The Fishes

Getting a great hand in poker only comes around every so often, so taking full advantage of it is an absolutely essential part of being a good poker player. But, is throwing down an enormous opening bet the right way to handle a great poker hand? Not necessarily. If it worked into a bluffing technique, and hoping that other players thought it was a bluff, then yes. But the more common way to make use of a great hand is to draw players in.

Putting down a small first bet will get an idea of which players are willing to go with the flow. Any players calling a small bet will now feel moderately invested, and so another small bet is a good idea. If players call the second small bet, a bigger bet can now be placed. Even if they player fold for the bigger bet, a decent pot will still be up for the taking. If any players call the bigger bet, it can only be hoped that the hand received is better than whatever that player happens to have.

This is what makes poker such a great game.

Quit While You’re Ahead

It’s a cliché, but for very good reason. If the goal is to make money playing online poker, quitting while the bank balance is high might as well be rule number one. Once a big win has been achieved, hanging on to that cash is as easy as cashing out of the game, and banking the money.

The concept of winning streaks is an illusion, and there is nothing in any logical world of probability that says a big win equals another big win. Simply taking the cash and exiting the game is the ultimate poker trick, and one that separates successful players from unsuccessful ones.