10 Tricks for Winning Poker Online Every Time

By Alice Hill
RealTechNews

This must be the day for weird info here at RTN, but for any online gamblers, we have some tips to winning. I’m just glad that I don’t like to gamble, but for those who do, here you go:

By Dave Kushner

Always Hit the Tables On Friday Nights
Find easy marks among the nine-to-fivers getting home from happy hours and disappointing basement poker evenings. “Friday and Saturday nights from 5 p.m. to midnight PST are classic times for finding lots of loose players who are parting with their cash,” says poker pro Thomas “Thunder” Keller. Troll low- to mid-limit tables—no higher than $30 to $60—to snag pickled fish.

Be (and Beware) The Flirting Girl
That chick crushing you online just might be a dude looking for an edge. “If there’s a cute girl talking to you,” says 2003 World Series of Poker champ Chris Moneymaker, “you may not try as hard to bust her out.” This strategy can work for you too: Pretend you’re a flirty girl and guys won’t bust you. This trick will not work in your weekly prison game, however.

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Never Use the Auto Button
Ostensibly, the Auto button speeds up your games by logging your bet, check or raise before your turn comes around. But it’s also a dead giveaway as to what you’re holding. Sharks will interpret your instant checks as a sure sign that you’ve got a garbage hand; instead, insert a thoughtful pause before you make your move.

Bring Big Money to the Table
Make sure you deposit a high enough proportion of money in your online bankroll to ride out your inevitable short-term losses. Moneymaker says the biggest mistake newbies make is coming to the table without enough cash. “You should have at least 40 times the big blind,” he says. So for a $1/$2 game, don’t sit down with less than $80.

Fold. A Lot.
Stick to low-limit tables—such as $2/$4—and play tightly until you learn the ropes. Fold the majority of your hands while other suckers blow their wads. As Mike Sexton, host of the World Poker Tour, puts it, “The most profitable play in poker is to fold.”

Shut Your Hole!
Since sharks can’t see your sweating brow online, they’re clamoring for any info they can get on your hand. The less you say, the better: Never discuss your cards after a hand; leave the trash-talking to stooges on ESPN; and, if you absolutely must chat, kiss up to the player on your right. “They’re the ones who are going to bet before you,” says Alex “The Insider” Outhred, World Poker Tour producer. “If they like you, it will take a little edge off their play.”

Be Smart About Your Table
Don’t randomly choose a room in which to play. Most sites offer detailed stats in the lobby that give you a sense of the action you’ll face inside. Look for the percentage of people who see the flop. The lower the percentage, the tighter and more conservative the players; the higher, the looser the play. “To get the most action,” says Outhred, “do the opposite of everyone else.”

Play Low-Cost Tournaments
For big-money action, stay away from the rolling cash games where opponents’ bankrolls can outmatch yours. Instead, play low-cost buy-in (under $20), single- or multi-table tournaments, where everyone starts with an equal stack of chips.

Keep Tabs
Take detailed notes on other players using programs such as Poker Tracker or those provided by the sites. Ignore mediocre players who call every bet—just note the patterns of strong or weak bettors. Knowing how well a player bluffs, for example, will help you bust him the next time you meet.

Start Training
Smart players practice—just not in no-money Internet games. The on-line free-for-alls are full of loose players who don’t behave at all like they would in a money game, and the results mess with your head. “You start thinking you’re better than you really are,” says Outhred, “and that’s damaging to your game.” Instead, use simulation software such as Poker Academy (poki-poker.com) or Wilson Turbo Poker (wilsonsoftware.com).

Glossary

Action
Betting.

Big Blind
A forced bet, equal to the minimum wager in a game, made before the deal by the person two seats to the left of the dealer.

Buy-in
The amount of money required to enter a game.

Fish
A weak player, also known as a sucker.

Loose
Describes a player who bets often.

Tell
An obvious tic—such as fumbling with chips (off-line) or betting quickly (online)—that may reveal the strength of a player’s hand.

Tight
Describes a player who consistently bets conservatively.

Source: SyncMag