Choose the best Site- Simple, huh? Play at a site where you feel comfortable. Find a site where the competition is soft and plentiful. Locate a site that offers the games or tournaments you are searching for. Selecting the best site is a matter of personal preference. Check out several sites and find the one that’s suitable for you.
Choose the right Game- Take advantage of your online poker room’s lobby. Most lobbys list such basic information as flop percentage, number of hands played every hour, and average pot size. You can scout the different tables from here. Also, if you have a buddy list; you may search for players that you know to be weak.
Have a buddy list- If you play regularly, you will see some of the exact same players over and over. You should quickly be able to tell the tendencies of several players. Whenever you find a player whose game you can exploit, put him or her on your buddy list. You will find lots of “buddies” if you pay attention.
Pay Attention- When you play online it is easy to become distracted. Quite easy. Let’s see… there is email, the baseball game you’re watching out of the corner of your eye, the phone, the children, the dog. And, since all it’s important to do to play online is to just fire up the computer, it is easy to play whenever you are distracted or tired.
Play Only When you Are Prepared and Rested- Imagine what one benefit you would have over your average opponent if you just followed this rule. Many players play online on a whim. Maybe they have been online for hours and just impulsively click on their own favorite poker site just to unwind. Likely the only thing that can be unwinding is their bankrolls. So provide your playing sessions a little bit of thought before you decide to play.
Play for only a Set Time or Specific Range of Hands- Do not fall into the trap of “just one more hand” syndrome. Prior to deciding to start determine a specific time-limit or hand limit to give your game focus. Playing for just one more hand has a way of turning into many more hands. And, if your playing with a just one more attitude, I doubt in case you are paying much attention or taking any notes.
Take Notes- This really is a great way to keep your focus when you’re not in a hand. Develop your own shorthand for keeping notes. As an example, I might write, “CC w/ junk” (cold calls with junk) if I’ve noted a player who continually comes in for two bets with hands he shouldn’t.
Work with a Four Colored Deck if Available-Why wouldn’t you. The internet card icons are much smaller than real world cards. It’s easy to mis-read a club for a spade or vice versa. If changing to a 4 colored deck saves you from making one mistake, it’s well worth the time it takes to change.
Adjust the Chat Feature- Ensure this really is set to your preferences. Maybe you like the chat. It keeps you involved and you pick up tells from others chat. Great, leave it on. But if you end up in anyway distracted, turn it off. Many sites also let you turn individual player’s chat off.
Avoid the Auto Functions- If you sometimes use the auto buttons to “Raise Any Hand” when you are strong or “Call Any Hand” when you have a good draw, good observant players will pick up a tell on you. Best practice is to always wait for your turn and try and take the exact same amount of time to make your play.
There you have ten tips to help your online poker play. Some take a bit of effort. Some just require a one time adjustment of your options. All are pretty simple. But I believe if you follow them, it’s going to help your online game.