Slow and Steady Improvement
There’s so much to learn when you play poker online that it’s easy to get overwhelmed. The key is to focus on getting better one game at a time. Here are three areas with which most poker players have problems.
Be More Selective with Your Starting Hands
One common mistake among new players as well as some experienced players is that they play way too many hands. Your hole cards are the first indicator of how your hand will turn out. Cards with a low flop expectation are not worth betting your money on. Every time you put money into the pot, you face a risk of being raised or in the case of No Limit games, you face the risk of going all in. Know which hands are likely to draw to a good hand on the flop, and keep an eye out for these hole cards:
Be More Aggressive
Another problem that many online poker players face is that they don’t play aggressively enough. Whenever you hear that some player gets a bad beat, it’s often because they weren’t aggressive enough with their betting.
Passive betting allows players to attempt to draw their hand for a minimal amount of chips. If your pocket Jacks turn into a set on the flop, look for hands that can beat yours. If the flop comes out 9 of Clubs, 2 of Spades, and Jack of Clubs, you need to consider that another player may have either a flush or straight draw. A passive player will check or make a minimal raise, which will give his opponents a free look to see if the next card will make their hands.
An aggressive player makes his opponents pay dearly for the right to see the next card. A big enough raise will scare out all but the most reckless of drawing hands and is a very effective way to protect your winning hand.
Work on being more aggressive-if a hand is worth playing, it should be worth raising.
Be More Observant of Your Opponents.
Many players make the mistake of playing their hands the same against every opponent instead of playing each opponent according to his or her strengths. Every time you play poker, it’s important to take the time to learn your opponent’s tendencies and playing styles.
When you play poker, figuring out your opponents should be your first priority. Observe each player and categorize him as well as you can. Try to separate them into tight/aggressive, tight/passive, loose/aggressive and loose/passive players.
The next time you play poker, find a part of your game that needs improvement, and focus on that aspect. Every time you play, focus on improving a single part of your game, and eventually you’ll turn all of your weaknesses into strengths.
