For MONEY or for FUN?

When playing poker online, there are two types of games to consider - for FUN or for MONEY. If you already know how to play your favorite Poker game and you're serious about playing for MONEY, don't bother with the for FUN games unless you want to get familiar with the look and feel of the table.

Players can be very loose when it comes to play money, and that can throw you off your game. There's no excitement in playing for play money unless you're getting into very very large amounts; and even in those cases, people can be fairly loose.

Scoping out a table

You wouldn't walk into a movie theatre without knowing what's playing, so why would you walk into a poker room without knowing who's playing? Before sitting at a poker table, take a few minutes to get the "feel" of the table. Is it loose (people betting/calling/raising with low cards) or is it tight (people folding often).

How does each person at the table play? Some people play very loose, some people play very tight. Does a player call low raises with a poor hand? It's important to know how each person plays so you can make the best decision possible when you find yourself toe-to-toe.

You should also be aware of how you play and how you appear to play. Do you play tight? Do you play loose? Do you want to be seen as a tight player, or a loose player?

Playing it safe

There are many strategies to poker, but when you're new, it's best to play it safe. The safest way to play is to minimize the money that leaves your stack (no kidding?). To do this, you should avoid raising any hands, just call them. You'll probably not call many hands unless you hit at least a high pair off the flop. This means you will likely fold most of your hands. This is how a very tight player plays. It's safest to play tight when the table is loose.

Stay tuned for more tips!

Digg

Del.icio.us

Reddit

StumbleUpon

Email this page to a friend
Go to the Message Boards
Contact the editor