Tip One: Mix Up Your Play: Once you have mastered the fundamentals of a
particular game (for the purpose of this article we'll use No Limit Texas
Hold'em) it's very easy to lapse into predictable play. This is particularly
true when playing online. While live casinos are literally designed to keep
people involved and stimulated, your home or office most likely has the opposite
effect-which can lead to just "playing by the book." If you find yourself
playing robotically: failing to adjust your play to the table, failing to notice
the tendencies of each player, making moves without asking yourself "what am I
trying to accomplish?", then it may be time to tweak your game a bit. Instead
of waiting for Queens, Kings or Aces, raise with a 7/2! Not only will it help
get you out of your funk, but it'll also keep your opponents off balance.
Tip Two: Online tells: The most reliable tells in online poker revolve
around betting speed. The easiest ones to pick up are the "dramatic pause"
tells. A long pause followed by a bet usually means the player is
strong and wants you to think he is weak. A long pause followed by a
check usually indicates a weak hand. This player either wants you to
check so he can get a free card, or wants you to think he has a strong enough
hand to "think" about betting. You'll rarely be check-raised by anyone who took
a long time to check, it's not a normal betting pattern. When check-raising most
players want everything to look as normal as possible to help make sure you'll
put in a bet before they spring the trap. If you do get a check-raise from a
player who paused heavily before the original check, be very careful. You
should also watch for instantaneous bets and raises on the turn and river. This
usually indicates a powerhouse hand and an attempt to get you to call by
intimidating you into it.
Tip Three: Limpin' Ain't Easy: Although this applies to
both live and online play, we see it so often in online poker games that it had
to be included: don't limp when you're the first to enter a pot! The logic
behind this tip us that since you have no money involved in the pot, if you fold
you lose nothing. Therefore, if you're going call you had better have a hand
that expects to earn money-and if your hand is a favorite, you should raise. In
addition, you will also stop giving away valuable information about the hands
you are playing (astute players will quickly divide your holdings into raising
and calling hands). By raising every time you enter a pot, you reveal the
minimum amount of information possible. (It should also be noted that in
Hold'em there a number of hands that are not worth a call, but are worth a
raise-however, that's another article.) In short, the best way to think about
this rule is that if a hand is not strong enough to raise with, it is not strong
enough to call with.
Of course, in poker, there is an exception to every rule. If
for instance, you're holding Aces and you know that the maniac to your left will
raise if you limp in, then by all means, limp away. However, this play is a
much more advanced move and you had better know what you're doing before you try
it. Not only do you risk wasting a big pocket pair, but you may easily end up
going broke if your opponent limps behind you and makes two pair on the flop
with a K,5.
Tip Four: Short-Handed Play: Most likely, a good number of the
tournaments you'll be playing online will be Sit-and-Go's (9-handed games that
begin as soon as 9 players signup to play.) When playing Sit-and-Go's you'll
inevitably be faced with short-handed play (or at least you hope you will be).
When playing short-handed, aggression is key. I'm sure you've seen it before:
the game gets down to three or four players and suddenly the guy on your right
is going nuts! He's raising, re-raising, and completely dominating the game. To
the beginner, or to those inexperienced in short-handed play, this wild-man
appears to have just thrown caution to the wind. He finally shows down a hand
and he's holding K,9! However, he probably won the hand-and he probably stole a
bunch o' blinds before that. So what's his trick? Aggression. A complete
poker player must learn to play a solid aggressive game. It's simply not enough
to sit back and wait for good cards during 9/10 handed play, only to fall apart
when you're close to the big money spots. For example, have you seen T.J.
Cloutier at a final table? He's about as tight as they come until he reaches
short-handed play. That's when he comes out firing. He does this because he
knows that if he doesn't, someone will-and then it'll be him getting run over
and not the other way around.
I know this tip may make you a little uncomfortable if you're
generally a tight player-but believe me, once you learn to enjoy short-handed
play it's probably the most fun you'll have a poker table.
Bio: Nick Standlea is an owner of Hold'em Shirts & Gear and Hold'em Shirts & Gear (CafePress). For additional poker articles visit Hold'em Shirts & Gear's article library.