Poker is no longer restricted within four walls of a casino. There are several online platforms that let gamers access their favourite games from the comfort of their homes. However, a seasoned player who enjoys poker games at a traditional casino may feel lost in the myriad amount of high and low stakes poker games available online. In order to excel at these online games, gamers should have a strategy for online poker.
If you are new and interested in online poker, then keep reading to find a few tips that will help you outline the basics of your online poker strategy.
Online Casino Platform – First Step in Strategy for Online Poker
The first step in a winning strategy for online poker should always start with the gaming platform itself. Fair play is the keyword here. Gamers should ensure that the online casino gaming platform is certified by a well-reputed testing agency and player protection organization such as eCogra.
This type of certification ensures that the website ensures fair play to all of its users. Along with fair play certification, gamers should also check for licensing too.
Online Poker Rules – Second Step in Strategy for Online Poker
The online gambling and poker industry is not a carbon copy of traditional poker games. There are a few rules involved that a gamer should understand before proceeding with the online poker games. A well-reputed platform will always detail all the rules for the gamers before the play starts.
Fun Mode – Third Step in Strategy for Online Poker
Once gamers have familiarized themselves with the rules of online poker games they can then proceed with playing the game itself. However, it is advisable to start extremely small.
A lot of well-reputed online casino platforms provide fun-mode for poker games where gamers can play games without wagering real money. What this does is, it provides gamers with the necessary practice that will enable them to play real money games with confidence as well as help them understand the basic know-how of the game without the added stress of losing money.
Start Small – Fourth Step in Strategy for Online Poker
Gamers should always start playing games with low stakes. Small wagers and bets help gamers gain confidence when they start playing in the Real Money mode of online poker games. Poker games allow gamers to win money but there is also a chance of them losing money too. Losing a large amount of money at the beginning of their online poker experience would affect their confidence, leading to a loss of interest or extreme caution.
As gamers gain practice and develop familiarity with the rules of online poker games they can switch over to high stakes games where they can progressively bet higher amounts of money.
Single Table – Fifth Step
A key advantage of online poker games is Multi-Tabling. Here, gamers can play more than one table at a time. This sounds like a fun benefit and it is, but only if the gamer is a pro-online poker player. Multi-tabling for beginners or average gamers show a reduced win rate thus casing gamers to lose money.
For beginners and gamers that are trying to hone their skill at online poker, single-table is the way to go since it reduces confusion and distractions. Multi-tabling can be an option once the gamers get better at online poker.
Self-Rules – Sixth Step
Before venturing into high stakes online poker games, it is a good idea for gamers to start preparing a set of self-rules for themselves. These rules can help gamers keep track of their play patterns and set hard limits so as to avoid aggressive and impulsive actions during online playtime. Gamers can form their rules as they indulge in fun mode or low stake online poker games.
Key among the self-rules is tracking time. Gamers should always set a time limit for their online poker playtime. They should keep their concentration ability in mind while setting their time limit. Exceeding this limit can cause gamers to lose concentration and this can eventually lead to bad moves and loss of money. In addition to time limits, gamers should also carve out breaks for themselves in order to avoid falling into monotony.
These are just two examples of self-rules. The list of self-rules can best be made and judged by the gamers themselves. Gamers should understand their weaknesses and take precautions to avoid succumbing to it and this can be done by analyzing their play and creating their own self-rules.
Mental State and Physical Surrounding – Seventh Step
While playing high stakes online poker games, gamers should analyze their mental health. Extremely negative or positive emotions can cause gamers to lose their concentration.
In addition to mental state, gamers should also keep their physical surroundings in mind. Online poker games allow gamers the advantage of playing from home but along with this comes a major disadvantage of distractions. Gamers should ensure a distraction-free zone to avoid a lax attitude while playing online poker games.
Wager/Bet Limits – Eight Step
Gamers should always set bet limits in order to avoid unexpected losses. Once gamers hit their limit, even when on a winning streak, they should always make it a strict rule that they exit the game.
Timed Games – Ninth Step
Much like multi-tabling, timed games too can be a challenging option but gamers should reserve these games for when they have fully honed their online poker skills.
Rules for Poker Tournaments – Tenth Step
Once gamers are comfortable with online poker games, they can participate in online poker tournaments. These tournaments also have a set of rules that should be followed. Gamers should keep in mind that usually online poker tournaments have a lot of participants.
For starters, gamers should prepare for long playtimes since the buy-ins to these tournaments are low and the number of people playing is huge. Next, gamers should adopt a by-the-book play or ABC poker play at the start of the tournament. Elaborate moves is not often a good idea during the start.
It is also a good idea to not worry about being unpredictable or adopting a balance style play due to the sheer number of gamers in a tournament.
Conclusion
In conclusion, to form a winning strategy for online poker gamers should always start small and progress as they get better at the games. It is also important to set limits to keep track of play patterns to avoid losses. Additionally, gamers should analyze their mental state before engaging in play and also ensure a distraction-free zone.
Finally, as gamers get better they can increase the stakes and adopt challenges such as multi-tabling and timed games.
