Playing
Poker Online - Some Tips and Traps to avoid
Poker. It’s big.
It’s on TV. It’s stars make a million plus in a singe game.
With all the glitz, glamour and cash it may have slipped
your attention that one of the key skills in poker is –
observation!! In a live poker game there are relatively few
distractions, you can observe your opponents and watch their
body language as they play.
When you play online
all that changes! The TV is probably on, the family are
running around, the dog’s started barking and then the phone
starts to ring. It’s like everything in the world is
conspiring to distract you from your poker game. This is not
good for your game in general and especially not your poker
earnings
L
Oops you just folded
that KK when you wanted to raise the pot. Damn now you
called an all-in bet with junk and you meant to fold. Don’t
laugh, I've done both of these and its cost me quite a few
dollars. It’s really easy to click the wrong button at the
wrong time and make a play that isn’t in your best
interests! OK you may get lucky……
You retire to the
Den where it’s quiet and at last you can concentrate. That’s
more like it! Now let’s just reply to these emails, fire up
that search for a new BBQ and review the excellent
www.pokerwebonline.com site for the best bonus deals.
Hey what do you mean I’m sitting out – I wonder how many
hands I missed?
Multi-tasking is the
modern day buzz word, the modern day disease, and a total
killer for your poker profits.
Poker is a tough
enough game to win when you’re fully concentrating and on
top of your game: playing the best that you can. So why
handicap yourself by not giving the game the attention it
deserves. Don’t forget to have fun while you’re doing it.
To keep yourself
attentive why not chat and smack talk while you play, (no
abuse or foul language please), you may send a player on
tilt! Whatever you do, don’t forget to concentrate. It takes
a lot of focus and discipline, especially when the poker
game is slow and you’re just not getting any cards. Don’t be
tempted to try and push just to get some action – you’ll end
up losing more money than you expected in a short space of
time!
The best way to
split your attention is to play 2 or even 3 poker tables at
a time. This guarantees that you can’t focus your attention
on any particular table :-/ Especially when you have hands
going on all 3 tables!!
If you must do
this, (and I’m certainly guilty of it!!), play a poker
tournament and a ring game, or 2 tournaments. Try and avoid
playing multiple ring games, it’s just not profitable in the
long run unless you’re Howard Leaderer of Phil Ivey who
manage to play poker at an almost instinctual level.
Join a poker room
and pick a table that suits your style of playing. This can
be difficult at the lower limits, but if you observe what’s
going on and how the play unfolds, you’ll begin to get a
‘feel’ for the table after a few hands. This should not
prove to be expensive especially if you just you posted and
haven’t been through the blinds. If the table doesn’t suit
your style of poker, leave and find another table. It’ll be
far cheaper in the long run than trying to squeeze a profit
out of the table you’re on. You should always know when to
cut and run and when to stay - and not only on the table.
At the lower limits
you’ll see players leaving and joining all of the time. Pay
extra attention here as a change of just a few players can
change the complexion of the whole table and make it
unprofitable to continue, (or make it even more
profitable!!)
No matter what your
style, or the tables personality you need to play tight,
aggressive and sensible. Do this your bank roll will grow
over time – and maybe I’ll see you at the WSOP!! – I’m
All-In – wanna call?
J |