Five Online Poker Secrets to Easy Wins
Online poker has its own set of plays and feints to help you get ahead. When looking to solidify your own position at the table, consider these five tips that are not very well known to put you in the lead:
1 - Keep an eye on the average chip stack. Most online casinos in operation today automatically calculate and display the average chip stack at a table, though if not a simple calculation can be done on your end to track this regularly (while Microsoft Excel or similar programs can allow you to easily track this and update it as necessary). This is a great tool at your disposal as it can help you better understand and anticipate how a player will react in different situations, generally those whose chip stacks are below the average play more aggressively and those with larger chip stacks play more defensively in order to protect their position and help ensure their survival into the final rounds.
2 - Play to win. This may seem like a fairly obvious concept, but many players still approach a game during the middle of a run with the objective of simply surviving until the end, even if they are currently down compared to their peers. If you find yourself in one of these positions don't hold back - push yourself to power through and take calculated risks to get yourself back ahead as you will only find yourself in a downward spiral otherwise.
3 - Leverage your stack's advantage. This can mean many different slight changes in your plays depending on the particular situation. For instance, when ahead in chips never limp into a pot or go against an opponent with a short stack unless you have a great hand (as they'll most likely be playing tight and go all-out once they get a break). At the same time, play more aggressively before the flop to try and knock out the other players and pressure any raises done by mid-stack holders if you have at least a moderately decent hand.
4 - Hit hard before a break. Most players won't care much about their hands before taking a scheduled break, so hit the pot as hard as you can and try to catch players in positions they're most likely to fold from and give you an easy win. If done right, you may be able to get through a few rounds before a break and give yourself a strong advantage going into the next round.
5 - Always play your pocket pairs. This may seem more of an obvious statement rather than a major secret, but be sure to always play your hand through if dealt two pairs in the flop (provided that one of those pairs isn't sitting on the table). This is an extremely strong hand that will likely win against your opponents most of the time in an online setting, so take full advantage of what you're dealt and hit as hard and as fast as you can - hopefully taking down another player in the process.
Online poker has its own set of plays and feints to help you get ahead. When looking to solidify your own position at the table, consider these five tips that are not very well known to put you in the lead:
1 - Keep an eye on the average chip stack. Most online casinos in operation today automatically calculate and display the average chip stack at a table, though if not a simple calculation can be done on your end to track this regularly (while Microsoft Excel or similar programs can allow you to easily track this and update it as necessary). This is a great tool at your disposal as it can help you better understand and anticipate how a player will react in different situations, generally those whose chip stacks are below the average play more aggressively and those with larger chip stacks play more defensively in order to protect their position and help ensure their survival into the final rounds.
2 - Play to win. This may seem like a fairly obvious concept, but many players still approach a game during the middle of a run with the objective of simply surviving until the end, even if they are currently down compared to their peers. If you find yourself in one of these positions don't hold back - push yourself to power through and take calculated risks to get yourself back ahead as you will only find yourself in a downward spiral otherwise.
3 - Leverage your stack's advantage. This can mean many different slight changes in your plays depending on the particular situation. For instance, when ahead in chips never limp into a pot or go against an opponent with a short stack unless you have a great hand (as they'll most likely be playing tight and go all-out once they get a break). At the same time, play more aggressively before the flop to try and knock out the other players and pressure any raises done by mid-stack holders if you have at least a moderately decent hand.
4 - Hit hard before a break. Most players won't care much about their hands before taking a scheduled break, so hit the pot as hard as you can and try to catch players in positions they're most likely to fold from and give you an easy win. If done right, you may be able to get through a few rounds before a break and give yourself a strong advantage going into the next round.
5 - Always play your pocket pairs. This may seem more of an obvious statement rather than a major secret, but be sure to always play your hand through if dealt two pairs in the flop (provided that one of those pairs isn't sitting on the table). This is an extremely strong hand that will likely win against your opponents most of the time in an online setting, so take full advantage of what you're dealt and hit as hard and as fast as you can - hopefully taking down another player in the process.
