Poker is a worldwide phenomenon with tons of tournaments happening online and offline every single year. Poker professionals, mid-level players, and beginners alike play hard and play to win.
In light of recent events, the poker world has seen a higher incidence of online play. More poker aficionados have signed up to various online platforms.
Among favorite poker variants, online Pot Limit Omaha, online Texas Holdem, and online Caribbean Stud Poker are the most challenging and satisfying in terms of winnings.
Newcomers might feel that getting into the game, especially in an online environment, is a daunting task. But, online casinos offer a lot of support for newbies in the form of tutorials and articles.
If you’re looking for a new hobby and poker is an attractive alternative, playing online will prove to be easier than you think. Learning the poker terms, ways of playing, the art of bluffing, and doing aggressive card-plays are all part of the process.
Top Online Poker Tips for Beginners
When approaching online poker it makes sense to first do a little bit of research to see what you’re getting into. The following top tips for beginners will help you ease into it so you can avoid feeling overwhelmed by the plethora of information that exists about playing poker.
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Learn the language
When you’re starting anything new, learning the rules of engagement will take you a long way. Learning the rules of poker is not hard.
Learning the underlying details about playing poker, instead, is definitely a challenge. Start off with reading about the basic rules, make sure you know the suits and other winning combinations of cards, and practice every chance you get.
It is true that practice makes perfect. So, playing a few friendly games at home with friends or signing up for some demo poker sessions will help you hone in on your knowledge and skills.
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Play fewer hands
Not every hand is a winning hand. As such, being careful about the cards you have in your hand will dictate the number of hands you should be playing.
Going too deep too fast is a recipe for disaster in online poker. Be more cautious with your starting hands. Knowing how to make your starting hand selections will keep you from losing money, teach you some valuable lessons, and might actually keep you on the winning streak.
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Keep an eye on your opponents
Just because you’re playing online doesn’t mean you should get distracted. Yes, online poker rooms are designed to attract your attention and keep you playing, but all the stuff happening around the card table is there just for engagement purposes.
Keep clear of big losses by paying attention to your opponents’ cards, as much or even more than your own. If you feel that someone else has a stronger hand, don’t be afraid to fold. Losing a little bit of money, in the beginning, is better than losing all of it at the end.
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Consider your position
Table position is an important element to consider when playing poker. This holds true for most poker variants but is especially vital in online Texas Holdem.
Being the last to play, in this case, is the best position. This is because you’ll get a better sense of what hand other players might have and this will give you an edge over them. It also allows you to carry out more aggressive card-plays, even if you hand is not as strong as you’d like.
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Don’t play against professionals
In every game or sport you play, they say that playing against someone better than you will challenge you and motivate you to become a better player. While this may hold true most of the time, it’s not necessarily applicable to online poker.
Starting slow and playing with people that are not as good as you will help you win a bit of money right off the bat. This will motivate you to keep learning and winning since at some point you’ll have to start playing in the big boy’s league.
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Keep your limits low
When it comes to limits, it’s a matter of affordability and experience. The more experienced players will set higher limits, obviously, because they have more experience in playing the game.
The less experienced players will come in at lower limits. This is a good thing because you might not afford to lose money playing high limits when you’ve just started to learn how to play poker.
Take it nice and easy, play low limits until you get the hang of it, and then you can start raising your limits.
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Get your head in the game
If you’re just looking for a new hobby, perhaps playing for real stakes is not such a great idea. But, if you’re serious about learning poker, and maybe even making a career out of it, then staying focused on the game is one of the most important things you can do.
Always keep an eye on your opponents, what moves they make, and how they act in certain situations. In this way, you’ll start to figure out their tells, when they’re bluffing, and when it’s a serious bet.
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Know when to call
Just like knowing your limits, you also need to know when to call. Staying in the game long after you should have called will have you leaking money all over the place.
You’ll always know where you stand if you pay attention to the amounts that other players are putting into play. If others are playing high and your hand is not that strong then the safest thing to do is draw. If others are keeping their bets low and you’re waiting for one card to complete your hand, then by all means keep playing.
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Forget the Suits
Since we’re on the subject of suits, it’s not always a good play to wait it out until you get that one special card to complete your suit. This is a common amateur mistake and you’ll need to pay attention to the overall flow of the game to make sure you don’t lose out in waiting for the right card.
According to poker professionals, a flush only comes around every once in a while. There’s a 2% chance for that to happen, so you’ll have better luck with a mix of cards that are not suited.
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Learn to bluff
Learning to bluff is necessary for playing poker. You’re not always going to have a strong hand, but if you put your poker face on and play hard you might win just by playing aggressively and bluffing.
Still, too much bluffing is not good either. As a beginner, it’s better to play your cards as they come and focus on learning as much as possible from each game.
Conclusion
Learning the rules of play, bluffing, and playing low limits are all great techniques you can use to advance your poker skills. Remember to start slow and work your way up. Even the most seasoned players began at the bottom. So, don’t rush and make sure you’re still enjoying the game as you rise in rank.