Texas Holdem Poker Strategy  

So you have been playing poker online for a while, and now you want to know how to start winning. Here are a few texas holdem poker strategies that will help even the newest poker player steadily win some cash in the online poker world.

Most sites do have free poker play where you can go and learn the actual game of poker before putting any money at risk. However, if you already know the basics of poker, I would not recommend playing for free to try and learn strategy. People that are playing for free have nothing at risk, and they play just as such. They will make calls they would never make if money was at stake. They bluff more because if they are caught they have nothing to lose.

WHICH GAMES TO PLAY

First, I would suggest playing in low limit sit-n-go tournaments. These put very little money at risk. While you may not win a lot right away, the objective here is to learn the ins and outs of online poker, and then work on winning some extra cash. Ultimate Bet is one of the best sites, I think, to get started with, simply because they have the lowest limit sit-n-go tournaments that I have found. You can play a $1 sit-n-go there with 6 or 9 people. This will give you hours of practice play, for hardly any money at all.

Once you are steadily winning the $1 tournaments, I would move to the $5 tournaments. These will be a little more challenging, but still cost a relatively small amount of money. If you play in the $5 9 person sit-n-go, you would only need to win 1 in 4 games in order get your money back, and even a little profit. If you were consistently winning at the $1 tournaments, then this should not be a hard accomplishment. Once you are steadily winning at these tournaments, I would suggest going to a low limit live game. They have games that you can buy in for $20 and the blinds are $0.25 and $0.50. There are much lower limits than this, but just like with free poker, people tend to play much looser within these extreme low limits.

WINNING STRATEGY

Alright, now that you know which games to get into, let’s talk about some texas holdem poker strategies that can make you a better player, no matter what limit you decide to play.

If you have played live poker for many years and are thinking of switching to online poker, for whatever reason, then there are many differences that you will need to be aware of. The biggest one, of course, is being able to read people. Online you have no expressions to read, no obvious tells, like when a player looks at their hand 6 times in a row when there is a possible flush on the table. You have to really look hard for tells in the online gaming industry. Some tells are easier to see. If you are the first to bet and everyone checks very quickly around the table, then they more then likely chose the auto check button, which means that their hands are not very good. If a player is taking a long time on a particular hand, and then raises, chances are his hand is a good one. Make sure to note his cards at the end of the hand so you can get an idea of what kind of player he is. On most sites you are able to take notes on players. Use this option. Though it may be tedious, it will make you a better player in the long run.

A lot of players like to play a lot more loose online because they are just clicking a button. There are certain times when loose play is better online, just as in live poker. A lot of players will call the first bet just to see the flop. I usually spend some time while I am playing using the following texas holdem poker strategy. Look at your hand. You can only fold or raise. There is no call or check available. This forces you to only play hands that you would keep all the way to the end. I don’t feel there are many hands in this category, and you have to be a very tight player to be able to do this. Doing this for about 30 minutes each session has a good chance of earning you a return on your money. It will also aid in making you a better poker player.

The preceding are only a few of the ways I have made a steady income in the online poker environment. Use these tips, and as you learn, you will come up with tips of your own. Then you will have your own individual style of play, the one that works the best for you. Good luck!

Thank you to Christine Conticchioe for this “Texas Holdem Poker Strategy” article.