Online Poker - Tips For Playing

Now, before the cards are dealt we need to understand the rules of online poker and choose our strategy and approach. Poker rules, tips and tricks are to be found in literature and I can suggest that you read at least two of the books below if you are serious about your online poker.

» Getting Started in Hold'Em by Ed Miller
» Small Stakes Hold'Em: Winning Big with Expert Play by Miller, Sklansky, Malmuth
» Internet Poker: How to Play and Beat Online Poker Games by Lou Krieger, Watterson
» Winning Low Limit Hold'Em by Lee Jones
» Find These Books On Amazon...

You don't have to understand every word of the books above: the idea is to get familiar with the concepts of betting, hand categories, aggressive play and other basics you need to know in order to become a winning online poker player. Remember, books are assisting tools and should not dictate every decision you make at the table. You will automatically develop instincts as you go along, many will totally contradict what's written in these books. When that happens, you've come a long way and are certainly not a beginner anymore.

There are several software programs to assist today's online poker player and one is called Poker Tracker(pokertracker). It is a tool that allows you to store statistics, track your play, see previous results and much more. I suggest trying it out or purchasing it before you start playing, I promise you it will come in handy.

Finally, it's time to start playing cards. As mentioned before, take a small part of your bankroll to the table with the lowest blinds and grab a seat. Play for a hour or a hundred hands, it doesn't really matter at this point. What does matter is analyzing your session afterwards. I would certainly ask myself this: Did I enjoy playing poker? Did I play too conservatively? Should I have done this and that differently? Why did I come out as a winner/loser? If these things did occur to you, there's definately a chance for you to become a successful player.

But don't get your hopes up yet, there's still a long way to go. Knowing what you did right or wrong is one thing, forcing yourself to adjust when the same situation arises again is a whole different animal. It's time to learn how to play winning poker.

We've come to the point where we've learned the basics of the game, how to properly manage our bankroll and even played a few hands to get a feel of the game. Now it's time to try and increase our bankroll with a good sign-up bonus. Most poker rooms hand out these bonuses to new players so once again, we need to look for a place to play. Go to the poker room reviews section on this site and check out all the sign-up bonuses listed. Choose one that suits your current bankroll, I recommend the Prima Network bonuses, they are easy to clear, even for beginners.

Somewhere inbetween playing and analyzing, why not take the opportunity to visit one of the many online poker forums on the internet. It is a pefect place to disuss the game (and other things) in depth. Sharing your thoughts with other players as well as listening to what they have to say is a perfect way to better understand what's happening on and off the poker table. Many if not all forums have entire sections dedicated primarily to newbies & beginners, many of whom are trying to learn the game from scratch, just like you. Yours truly have spent countless hours on poker forums and I tell you, I've picked up a whole lot of useful pointers and great information for free. You should too.