Basics of online poker – Part 6

Playing poker online can be highly rewarding, both financially and competitively. Equally it can be ruinous to your bank account and personal life. How to maintain a balance between these extremes is vital and I hope I can share a few tips to newcomers of online poker in this article.

1. It is important to understand that although the rules of poker remain the same online as they do when playing in the flesh at a casino, there are subtle differences. Online you cannot see your opponents face and therefore it is more difficult to judge how your adversary is acting. Players online will play more hands as a rule and raise with cards that would generally be folded at a live table. For example: With Ace/10 facing a heavy raise, it would more than likely be folded at a live table. But online the player will probably play those cards. Players online tend to take that extra risk. So my tip here is to start out on the lower money tournaments until you have worked out the betting patterns and gained some valuable experience.

2. Remember to manage your bankroll. Most online poker sites set limits upon the amount you can deposit in a fixed period of time, or ask you to set your own limit. Do not break your own limits. If you find that you are doing this then maybe poker is not the game for you, because you are losing money. Another important tip I find useful is to withdraw regularly. Set a limit on this too. If you initially deposit $50, set your withdrawal level at $100. That way you can see the earnings you are making from the game and gain a certain level of satisfaction from your winnings.

3. There are many different types of tournaments you can play online. You can play cash games where you are using real money on every hand of cards. The blinds or limits are set in these games and never go up. You can also play tournaments. I would recommend these for any beginners. Tournaments involve the player paying a set sum to enter. Most online sites offer tournaments starting for as little as $1. Once the tournament begins, the total sum of money is offered up as the prize pool. So if a hundred players enter the game, then the top twenty placed will earn a portion of the total money prize. This format is one of the best ways of learning the game as it can be very aggressive with the blinds going up every number of minutes. Playing in the small tourneys is a great way of cutting your teeth and minimizing any loses you suffer.

4. Another method of learning the