New to Online Poker: Follow These Tips
Poker is among the biggest and most played games globally, both in live and online casinos. It is also one of the challenging games to play, considering it needs skills, strategies, and a bit of luck. Players who are still new to poker are always given poker tips telling them what is good and bad. However, the best way to use these tips is to find what to learn before you start playing. If you are getting started, your goal should be profitability. Therefore, these tips will set you on the right path towards growing your skills and making profits.
- Learn the Hand Rankings
While understanding basic strategy and rules is crucial, learning the hand rankings make the difference if you are a beginner. Take your time to understand the hand rankings to avoid being in a spot in the middle of the hand, thinking you are beating a straight with your flush. Learning all the positions in online poker games improves gameplay.
- Be Selective with your Starting Hands
You might be tempted to play all the hands when playing online poker. Try to avoid such temptation by being selective with your starting hands. Most of the hands you play will be behind on the flop, and you will be losing money if you play a bad hand. Try to choose the right starting hands, pass on a marginal hand, but go all the way on a monster hand.
- Be Aggressive
Aggressiveness is the only way to play a good poker tournament. If you cannot bet a lot of chips and push players out, you have no reason to play premium hands. Being aggressive is a great tip to consider when you are still a new online poker player. If you have small pairs and suited connectors, you can bet hard against weak players who fold more in online poker games.
- Start Small
Even though low games are not interesting to play, you should consider them to help you learn your poker strategy. While playing these low stake games, watch your bankroll to avoid losing your money. Playing low stakes builds your comfort when playing poker, knowing that you are not risking a lot of money. In addition, your skill increases when you move up the stakes in the long run. By the time you are moving to higher stake games, you will understand how the whole game operates.
- Master the Art of Bluffing
If you make a good bluff, you will force players to fold. You will miss the flop or a turn if you do not bluff. Mastering poker means understanding how and when to bluff to fold the better hands. While bluffing lets you win even without the best hand, you have to take note of a few things. These are the stack sizes, your position, table image, and the hand’s play.
- Protect Your Blinds
Older poker strategies suggest that you fold your hands in the small and big blind. However, today’s strategies indicate that you must defend your blinds at all costs in some types of poker games. While sitting in the big blind and facing a raise, you have better pot odds to call. This is considered a discount, and you will be the last person to play pre-flop. You can choose to call with more hands than playing a different position.
- Understand Your Table Position
Using your table position to your advantage is an unbeaten online poker tip. You might have to raise and re-raise in early positions where you act first. You may be aware of your opponents’ actions in the late positions. Understanding your position at the table informs the type of hands you will call or raise and how aggressive you will play pre and post-flop.
- Learn to Fold
Sometimes, folding a poker hand gives you a higher chance of winning various types of poker games. In online poker, you are dealt with a lot of cards. People also play aggressively in the fast-fold cash games and turbo Sit ‘n Gos meaning you cannot play many hands when the next one takes time. Even when you feel like you have a strong hand, folding prevents you from calling too often in the wrong situation. Fold when you are unsure about calling, folding, or raising.
- Play Only One Table
Playing only one table is one of the best poker strategies if you are still new to playing online poker. Your goal should be playing poker while concentrating on all the information. Therefore, avoid playing multiple tables and stick to one. Get all the information you can get about the table before moving to the next one. Learn how your opponents play and concentrate on your position while playing aggressively. This tip is the only way to grow your poker skills.
You have nine of the essential tips and strategies every new player has to master. Experts have tried and tested these tips over the years to grow poker skills. While experienced players can consider more tips, these can take you from beginner to pro within a few plays.
