A Beginners Guide to Playing Poker Online (& Winning)

Today I'm putting my cards on the table, my virtual ones of course. What am I talking about, Online Poker of course. It's been a favourite past time of mine for quite some time and has only just been usurped marginally by the Drive to Survive series on Netflix.

Recently, after visiting the Bahamas for the Pokerstars PSPC, I have returned to the UK hungry to play more online poker to enhance my skills. Since getting back, I’ve played around 10 tournaments online, won 3, been on the final table in 5, survived the bubble in 2 and crashed out a few times unplaced. Not a bad record if I must say so myself.

I do get asked quite often, how can I improve my online poker skills, so I thought save some time and energy and sketch a few handy tips here on the blog. 

Choose the right stakes

Online Poker has more variance which means you're going to have more swings than you will in live poker. This is for a number of reasons, one of them being that the edges or the skill gap between the players is smaller simply because you can't look your opponent in the eye and say, 'you're good kid real good, but as long as I'm around you'll always be second best see' before laying down a royal flush. It's harder to make great decisions all the time because you're data points are more limited. If you’re playing online cash games, people tend to play within a much tighter range, pairs, AK, AQ, AJ, KQ. However you’ll get much more variation when playing tournaments, especially if you’re close to the rebuy period or if you’re playing a KO tournament.

Trust the site or app

Never keep money in an online poker account that you're not comfortable risking or cannot afford to lose. I would consider sticking to the tried and tested sites that I'm sure you're all aware of. Personally I use Pokerstars.

Manage your environment 

You'd think you'd have more control in an online poker tournament than you would in a casino. But then your missus comes in and tells you to look out for the Amazon delivery and all of a sudden, you're out of the zone. You have all the distractions at home that you wouldn't normally get elsewhere; other family members, watching old repeats of the Antiques Road Show or your cats licking their privates in the corner of your eye. It's important to establish some boundaries and create a zen-like environment. I'd recommend listening to The Dave Clark Five with BeoPlay noise cancelling headphones. I've had mine 7 years and they're still going strong. 

Be ready for the faster pace of online poker 

You don't have time to think out every angle, every manoeuvre or order a Vesper to an imaginary barman. This is the fast, no quarter given white-knuckle pace of Online poker and time waits for no hand. Lean on your instincts if they serve you well. Develop a quicker pace when playing people in person to develop that muscle-memory when transitioning online. 

Don't check too fast

Many people have trouble transitioning to online because they are used to relying at looking at the opponent in the eye and thinking, 'I can't believe you turned up here in a Superdry hoody and matching tracksuit bottoms. Have you no dignity man?' and looking at them and getting into the psychology and all the nuances online.

The timing of check and your raise is everything. The time spent on them I mean. People act very quickly to check when they have nothing, although I’ve also used that exact quick-check manoeuvre as a trap myself to great effect. If you have a half decent hand, you're more likely to ponder a raise or a re-raise. Quick checkers, are the first to check out.

Play Fewer Hands

The less hands you get tangled up in, the more you'll pay. Play with purpose and don't get drawn into any petty ego-led pots just because the players name is No1ManUTD fan. Let him have his tiny Carabao Cup-esque win, then be ready to send back down the M62 with a 7-0 drubbing. 

Realise your place on the table

If you're flat-calling players from early position openers and there are players behind you, there is a good chance you will not even see the flop. You'll get re-raised from players behind you which is always annoying. You want to scream, hey buddy boy this is not your fight, this is between me and Johnny big-balls over here. So be sure to flat call players but don't have too many players behind you ready to do the same to you. Chances are you won't even get to see the flop.