How To Be Good At Online Poker

Posted onby admin
How To Be Good At Online Poker

Tip 10: Develop A Good 3betting Strategy. Whilst 3 betting aggressively is a strategy many players employ, especially in online poker circles, failure to apply optimal 3 betting strategies has certainly led to a lot of spewy poker. Simply attacking opponents who are suspected of opening wide doesn't cut it in the modern poker world. Poker coach Tadas Peckaitis says that some of the key traits that make a good poker player are intelligence, focus and patience. (photo by Flickr) Back in the day, not many people talked about poker and poker players in a serious way. The amount of buy-ins (BI) you’ll need will vary depending on what variant of poker you play, and whether you play cash or tournaments. The general consensus is that for No-limit Hold’em your bankroll should be at least 25-40 buy-ins. For Pot-limit Omaha, it needs to be much larger, because of how much more variance there is. And that is, you need to play good poker hands in order to win. The number one reason why many amateurs lose at Texas Holdem is because they play way too many trashy hands! So in terms of actual numbers you want to be playing around the top 20% of hands dealt to you in a 6 person poker game and the top 15% in a 9 person poker game. The open limp is infrequently used by good-quality poker players. Usually, there’s only one case where limping gets you places. If a game is really passive, and you will see the Flop cheaply, possibly even with a suited connector with good implied odds, it’s worth limping.

Poker bluffing is a very important aspect of the game of poker.

In basic terms bluffing in poker is when a player fakes a move and also fakes his face against his desired or real motives, luring his opponents to act in a desired way.

To be successful in poker bluffing, the bluffer must know the thoughts of the other players so as to create a game plan for winning.

Life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well.

The understanding and awareness of certain factors are very important in poker bluffing.

Some of which are the types of poker players at the table, the number of the opponents on the table, the ability of the bluffer to read the plays of his opponents, the cards on the board post-flop, the image already created by the bluffer for himself at the table, the size of the pot already on the table and his position in the hand.

Before I begin with my list I would like to share you my favorite bluffing video featuring Chris Moneymaker in the 2003 WSOP for some inspiration. He really shows us how to bluff in poker.

EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT

Get this article as a beautiful, easily save as a PDF or print for daily use.

Get an amazing infographics covering poker bluffing

Get a free copy of our popular eBook “21 Secrets to Dominate the Poker Tables Like a Pro“.

Top 10 Poker Bluffing Tips

So there are many tips and how to guide on how to master the art of poker bluffing. Here is my very own top 10 of different ways to bluff in poker. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

How To Be Good At Online Poker

Winning with poker bluffing requires you to not play every hand, and you should always reserve your bluffing for the moments of better chances of winning.

Most people can’t skip a round even when they are given a lousy starting hand because they get bored when they fold.

They cannot stand to wait for the next hand and play anyway, leading to loss of money to them.

However, it will eventually be discovered by people if you never put any money on the table without having four of a kind first, leading to smaller pots on your winning hands because your opponents will definitely fold.

You should always bluff a maximum of 2 players at a time if you want to be successful at poker bluffing.

With many active players at the poker table, you are not likely to scare more than 2 away.

Going against this rule causes one of the unmoved players to call your bluff if he has a really good hand.

In most cases, pots with more than 2 players are not profitable for bluffing because the more the opponents you are betting into, the less willing a player would be to call.

You should not bluff when playing against bad or newbie players, as these people frequently call bets regardless of the strength of their hand.

They do this because they still don’t know what the game is all about, and are thus happy to call down bets with mediocre hands.

Inexperienced or bad players do not have the ability to fold, while a good player first tries to understand the strength represented by you.

This rule should be followed even if you feel you have a stronger hand.

Your bluffing should always be based on the pot odds, which means you should always display the attitude of a person with a winning hand each time you bluff.

In most cases, a player anticipates folding of a minimum of one hand when he bluffs.

But, you will be exposed if your bluff fails because there is no fold.

A player is not likely to fold if there is more money in the pot because he has more to gain by playing while your bluff will fold more hands with a small pot.

Therefore, a bluff should not be wasted on a large pot.

Bluffing is a good strategy which can be done when you actually hold aces full of kings.

It could even be done if you had low bets and a good hand, as that is a tactic which engages your opponents, forcing them to add to the pot for you to end up with a bigger pot when the hope of winning is lost.

You should also pay attention to the opponents who have folded already, because a player who is out of a hand tends to register more emotion on his face.

If a person folds an eight, it is easier for you to know before two eights are on the board.

In addition, if you notice that a player is upset, there are more chances of you being able to bluff the remaining opponents in the hand and take the pot.

Though bluffing is a common poker strategy, a long time is needed to really be good at it.

You should know when to bluff, making it a strategy that should be launched by experienced players.

Most inexperienced players think that to really become a winning poker player, they need to bluff.

This is not true, because it is possible to be a winning poker player without even bluffing once.

Thus, your bluffs should be limited as much as possible.

They are to be used only in situations where you are sure your opponent will be forced to fold.

You should never be compelled to bluff because you have not done that for a long time.

If all signs indicate that your opponent has a strong hand, you should not bluff.

If you cannot just sit without doing anything, using a semi-bluff is a good idea. This is the type of bluff backed up by a decent poker hand.

The semi-bluff works if you are both having the same hand, and though it is an aggressive move, it is not as risky as a true bluff.

It is a large bet that is being made by you to avoid a showdown, but you would not be helpless even if the showdown were to still occur.

If your betting shows a consistent trend, you should bluff.

For instance, if you had a pre-flop raised in a game holding 6-6, and the flop produced A Q 5 after getting a caller, it would be an indication of the best time to bluff because of the consistent trend.

At the same time, this should be done carefully and not too frequently during the course of the entire game, or you would be caught by the other players that you were just bluffing.

The secret of an effective bluff here is not making the others to be aware that you are following a specific trend or that you are bluffing or not during the game.

If you completely missed the flop after pre-flopping with a good hand, it could be a good idea to repeat that bet.

In some cases, this is a good time to bluff because a better hand could still be made with subsequent cards.

Now, many of the other players are aware that your bet pre-flopped the last time, and don’t know that you missed it.

If you represent your bet, pressure will be put on the other players because they will have the suspicion that you now have something better than you have actually.

Bluffing also works when there is a pair on the board.

The reason is that the chances of a person hitting a hand are reduced.

When you have 2 cards, and they are the same cards on the board, it means they are less of a flush possibility (not the same suit), less of a straight possibility (not ordered), and that out there, there are only 2 other cards which could match them to make a set.

It could be that those 2 cards had not yet come, or were either buried (especially in a low pair, would people often fold lower cards pre-flop).

In this situation, it is like having 2 cards coming on the flop, and statistically, this means only a few people would have a drawing hand or have hit their hand.

Therefore, you have a good opportunity for bluffing.

final thoughts

Poker bluffing is an art because the player needs to consider a lot of factors.

At the same time, the paradox of bluffing is that if nobody has ever caught you bluffing, you are either not bluffing enough or you are one of the best bluffers.

You would be bluffing too frequently if you were caught almost every time you bluff.

Late positioning and sensing weaknesses should form part of your bluffing strategies and though they do not usually win a pot, they narrow it down to a few people.

Now you should go and practice your newly learned poker bluffing skills by playing some real poker.

How long will it take to become a winning player?

So, you’ve been playing poker for a little while but you’re not winning money just yet. So you started to wonder... how long will it take before I start winning money from poker?

Quick answer: 3 to 24 months for most players I’d say. However, not all players have it in them to become consistent winners in online poker.

If you asked this question on a poker forum, you would struggle to get even one reply with an ounce of seriousness in it. The problem is that there are so many variables involved that it’s impossible to give an exact answer.

The variables that will affect how long it takes to become a winning player.

  • The time you spend playing poker.
  • The time you spend reading strategy.
  • Where you get your strategy from.
  • How intelligent you are.
  • How quickly you learn.
  • The stakes you play at.

...and that’s just a handful. One player may be able to progress in to a consistent winner within a few months, whereas another may never be able to win money from Texas Hold’em (or whatever variant they play).

However, this wouldn’t a very interesting article if I just left the answer to the question as “it depends” (even though it really does). So, here are a few rough guesstimates to satisfy your quench for tangible answers.

How To Become A Good Online Poker Player

By the way, a winning player is defined as someone with a positive winrate, regardless of how small that winrate may be.

1) The super quick learner - 3 to 6 months.

  • Plays at least 3 hours a day every day.
  • Reads quality strategy articles daily.
  • Has subscribed to a training site and watches strategy videos daily.
  • Participates in strategy forums and posts hand histories for review.
  • Purchased tracking software and actively analyses their play on a regular basis.
  • Is generally a very intelligent person - capable of getting a degree in some form of science if they put their mind to it.

How To Be Good At Online Poker

Three months, in my opinion, is an attainable time frame in which a very clever individual with the right tools can turn from a complete beginner in to a winning player.

This would involve some serious dedication, passion and through a strong desire to win money from online poker. If you’re a bright guy or girl and you absorb information from quality sources, I don’t see why you couldn’t achieve a positive winrate within 90 days.

This timeframe is certainly not for everyone though.

How To Get Really Good At Online Poker

If you are a super-quick learner.

If you keep going at this rate you should see a lot of success. You have the potential to rise up the stakes very quickly as long as you make sure you keep your bankroll management in check.

However, be sure to not burn yourself out. Poker can be draining, and a week break here and there can actually be beneficial to your game. Be careful not to demand too much from yourself if you have early successes. Variance can hit you for six if you’re not accustomed to the swings.

2) The hard worker - 8 to 12 months.

  • Plays around 10 hours of poker a week.
  • A bright individual and tries their best to think logically about their decisions.
  • Browses poker forums for advice but doesn’t participate in discussions too often.
  • Genuinely interested in reading about poker strategy, but only reads for about an hour or so every now and then.
  • They have tracking software, but only know the basics of it for when it comes to helping to find leaks in their game.
  • Subscribes to a training site and enjoys to casually watch training video series’.

The hard worker has a similar passion to learn about poker as the “super quick learner” above, but they likely have other commitments outside of poker that reduces the amount of time they have to play and learn about the game. If they could spend some more time playing though, they would.

They have a strong drive to improve and it means a lot to become a winning player, but it’s not everything to them. They are happy to do ask best as they can with the time they have available without letting poker take too much precedence.

If you are a hard working player.

If this describes you and you’re not quite a winning player after the first few months, you should be confident that you’ll get their eventually. Keep the desire there and give it time, you’ll be a winner eventually if you stay on track.

Keep at it basically and don't give up.

3) The casual player, but still wants to win - 18 months to 24 months.

  • Plays about 2 or 3 hours of poker on a good week. Home games account for a fair amount of play time.
  • Can think logically, but probably doesn’t put as much brain power in to poker as they could.
  • Only started to browse over different poker forums after about a year, but still hasn’t created an account.
  • Googled a few strategy related topics but is not a frequent strategy reader.
  • Has heard of training sites but suspects that they might not worth the money. Considering checking them out though.
  • Bought tracking software but only really uses it to keep track of wins and losses.

How To Become Good At Online Poker

These players are very slow learners and could definitely put a lot more effort in to their game. On the other hand, they probably don’t mind taking their time when it comes to learning good strategy, although deep down I’m sure they wish that they could have become a winning player sooner.

Casual players gradually draft in all the important tools for improvement over a longer period of time as they are skeptical about their value. They’ll eventually participate in forums, read articles, subscribe to training sites and purchase tracking software, but it happens over a longer period of time due to their lower drive to become a winning player.

If you are a casual player.

If you’re one of these players, there is so much room for improvement that you can drastically slash the time it takes to turn that negative winrate in to a positive one. Stop being so tentative and invest in training sites, software and time spent participating in forums. They are incredibly valuable, honestly.

Disclaimer.

All of these time frames for the different player types have no scientific or mathematical basis. They are just my best efforts to provide numbers in response to a vague question that is incredibly difficult to answer. All these estimates are from my personal experience with a bunch of guesswork thrown in for good measure.

There’s a good chance that you will fall way out of these estimated time frames, so don’t follow them too closely and get disheartened if it’s taking you longer to progress than you would like.

How To Be Great At Online Poker

Just remember that every video you watch, article you read and hand you analyze is another step forward toward a positive winrate. Keep it up and you’ll get there one day.

Go back to the interesting Texas Hold'em Articles.

Can You Afford Not To Use
Poker Tracker 4?

“I wouldn’t play another session of online poker without it”

“I play $25NL, and in under 1 week PT4 had paid for itself”

Comments