POKER TIPS FOR NEW ONLINE PLAYERS

Know Your Opponents Online

90% of poker players online are losing players. This percentage is astounding but true. There are so many donkeys playing online. Even if they have solid fundamentals they don’t follow the basic rules. They play too long of hours, play when they shouldn’t be, and go on-tilt way too often. This is why so many good players choose to play online because there's lots of money to be made.

What seperates top players from all the losing players is that they have discipline in their game. Losing players play way too many hands and get stuck in bad spots. Anytime you feel like going on-tilt, playing marginal hands, or playing when you shouldn’t be just remind yourself that not doing these things is what makes you part of the elite 10%.

Begin Playing Low-Stake Sit n Go’s

Even if you think you’re a better than average player, you should start off online by playing  'play money' games. If you're insistent on playing for real money right away, then you should start by playing low-stake sit n go's. Sit n Go’s are a good way to get started because they are slow-paced. It takes awhile to get accustomed to the fast-paced action of online poker.

Better to Bet, Rather Than Slow-Play

Because so many poker players are willing to call large bets online, slow-playing is not necessarily a good move if you have a big hand pre-flop, or you connect post-flop.  When you’re on the fence as whether to slow-play a good hand, or to bet, lean towards the side of betting. If you get called your opponent is most likely on a draw so make sure to bet big, at least 3-4 times the big blind. You want to make it expensive for anyone you believe is drawing to make their hand.

Try Playing More Than One Table

Multi-tabling is a tricky subject. Some players are very good at it, and some just can’t concentrate playing more than one table. If you're interested in playing more than one table you should test it out, and see if you can handle it. Just about all online poker pros 'multi-table' because it allows them to win more money per hour.

Table Search for Donkeys at High Limit Tables

Before you sit down at a table online you should search to see what kind of players you will be up against. A good habit to get into before you sit down is to click on the 'Average Pot' tab located in most lobbies under the list of tables to choose from.

You can also install Poker Tracking Software onto your computer which will feed you instant information about the players at your table. You get access to millions of hands worth of information on your opponents. An icon is displayed next to your their names showing you what type of player they are.

Best Times to Play

The majority of online poker players come from the US and the UK. If you are from the US, the optimal time to make money would be from 10:00pm – 3:00pm, especially on Friday and Saturday. For UK players the best time to play would be early in the morning from 5:00am-8:00pm. Fatigue is what makes these the best times to play. Players often become tired and are unable to make good decisions after playing for long hours. This makes them easy targets.

Since the UK is five hours ahead, US poker players should avoid playing late at night because they would be playing against players who are fresh. In order for players to be up against tired opponents, they should play early in the morning to catch the players who have been up all night or desperate to win their money back because they're losing.

Why Your Credit Card Might Not Work

Online poker is a grey area in the finance world and credit card companies don’t like to touch it. Currently there is a federal ban on online gambling in the US, and that is the reason you cannot deposit money with most credit/debit cards.

However, there have been some recent developments concerning poker players in the US. The chairman of the House Financial Services Committe, who is opposed to the current legislation and tried to overturn the 2006 ban, introduced a bill that was approved by his committee in August 2010. This bill establishes a federal regulatory and enforcement framework under which internet gambling operators could obtain licenses authorizing them to accept bets and wagers from individuals in the country. This legislation would continue to prohibit internet-based sports betting in all states except Nevada.

Before you try to deposit money onto a poker site using your credit card, make sure you are abiding by the legislation from which you live. Some credit card companies have been known to reject deposits onto poker sites regardless if the law allows it.

Online Poker Safety Issues

One of the most commonly asked questions among new players is whether online poker is safe or not. They are often worried whether their money is safe when they deposit, or if they are going to get cheated at the poker table. In my years of playing poker online, I have never heard of a single player having had money stolen from them, or their account identity being ripped off. It just doesn’t happen.

Cheating is a totally different story. Cheating in online poker does happen, but it’s just as common in live games as it is online. The only real way to cheat online is to work in teams of two or more. Cheaters will use 'instant messaging', 'co-op raising', or 'chip dumping' as their methods. Always be on the lookout for players who seem to be working in teams, and never be afraid to report them to the site you're playing at; they will never know it was you that did. When you report people who cheat it benefits all the people who play on that site and protects the integrity of the game.

Freerolls

Freerolls are free poker tournaments that the poker room hosts for their players. They are free to any player with a poker account, and are a great way to begin playing poker. Most of these games are populated by people who can’t deposit because they’re not old enough. Usually poker rooms give priority to players who have real money accounts. If you play real money games, you can accumulate points to play in bigger freerolls.

Referring Friends

Most poker rooms will give you money for each friend you refer to their site. The money is usually released upon playing a certain number of raked hands. This is a nice perk but be advised that once you refer a friend, that friend gets tracked to you. The poker room now knows there is a relation to you and that player, and they might not allow you to play at the same table.

Check/Fold Buttons  "Be Careful Where You Point Your Mouse"

The check/fold/raise buttons are all preset when you play poker online. This helps speed up the game tremendously by allowing players to make their decisions ahead of time. Be careful when you use these buttons because they can give away tells to your opponents.

Also, watch where you are clicking when you play. Just about everyone who plays online poker has accidentally hit the call button when they meant to fold, or the fold button when they meant to call. This can cost you a lot and there is no way of getting it back. Pay attention because the call boxes can pop up out of nowhere.

Pace Yourself or You’ll Go Broke

New players need to pace themselves when playing online. You can lose a lot very quick if you are new to online poker. You play five times as many hands online as you do in live poker, so the money can go fast if you are unskilled. Winning takes time, so be patient.