Top 10 Online Texas Holdem Tips

So, you’ve decided to play a little Texas Holdem online. Fantastic! But, before you do, you’re gonna want to prepare for that online part. You see, while the transition from live to online play might seem easy enough, assume-ing these formats are identical - as the saying goes - “makes a (bleep) out of ‘u’ and me….” To help steer you away from a slew of bad puns, then, we’ve come up with 10 tips we wish we’d received when we started playing online Holdem. What do we expect in return? Nothing, of course, but your undying readership – and first-born child in some applicable jurisdictions:

GP's Top 10 Online Holdem Tips

10. Patience is a virtue: Don’t play every hand. Some people believe “you have to pay to play,” but playing every hand (or even just the blinds) is the quickest way to lose your money. Wait for your hand, calculate the odds and play your cards.

9. It’s harder to bluff in online Texas Holdem: Generally speaking, poker tells aren’t quite as obvious online as they are in person. This doesn’t mean, however, that they’re completely nonexistent. While you may not be able to see someone’s smile when he flops a nut straight, you can still pick up on his betting habits. Pay attention to how all your opponents bet in certain situations and occasionally call or raise, just to see how they respond. When you realize that “Bob0915” always bets heavy on the turn, that can be your green-light to take him down on a clutch hand.

8. Just because you’re gambling, you don’t have to gamble on every hand: As the great Kenny Rogers once said, “You’ve gotta know when to hold'em, know when to fold'em.…” Even when you feel pot-committed, there's no harm in folding a hand you know you can’t win. In fact, it’s probably the wisest play you can make.

7. Don’t be predictable with your bets: Concentrating exclusively on what cards you have, what cards you need, and what cards will help you is basically an info giveaway for your opponents. The best way to bet, then, is to consistently switch it up, using slowplay, fastplay, semi-bluffs, bluffs and straightplay each in its turn. Don’t let other players profile you. Otherwise, your run will be short-lived.

6. Avoid big bettors: These guys usually don’t know what they’re doing. Sometimes, however, they do and are merely suckering you into a bet you have no business calling. So, unless you believe you have THE winning hand, stay away from them.

5. Fastplay top pairs and very strong hands before the flop: This puts more money in the early pot and forces out weak and garbage hands that could get a lucky flop and beat you. Pay attention to the pot odds pre-flop. Driving them below most opponents’ out odds is a surefire way of making early-seated low pairs and draws reconsider their calls.

4. Play starting low pairs cautiously: When holding pocket sixes down to pocket deuces, you should only play them if the price is right. If you don’t flop trips or quads, folding is usually the way to go. If you do hit your hand on the flop, however, you can bet one of two ways: If nothing on the board looks like it can beat you (no flush or straight opportunities), slowplaying it is your best option; if, on the other hand, a flush- or straight-draw has hit the felt, aggressive betting is the way to go because it will force out those who could stick around and pull trump on the turn or river.

3. Get caught bluffing once in a while: Luring someone into looking you up is a great way to remain unpredictable. Sure, you’ll occasionally lose a chunk or two when your bet goes south. But, in the long run, you’ll get calls from weaker hands down the line when you have a strong hand and need the action.

2. Probability is a huge factor in Texas Holdem: In any kind of poker, odds should be the cornerstone of your strategy. The chances of finishing a drawing hand, the probability of getting an overcard, the percentage of times you're going to flop a set to match your pocket pair… All of these are important considerations in Holdem, and the ability to calculate them is key to winning. In online games especially, statistical knowledge should be the deciding factor when choosing whether to bet, call or fold. So for those of you who “ain’t too good with numbers,” you’d best become good - and quick - because you won’t survive long without playing Holdem by the book.

1. Bet against an opponent’s ace with two high overcards after a garbage flop: Maniac and passive players have something in common: Neither understands Texas Holdem. They rarely have much starting-hand knowledge and usually can’t read the out and pot odds. Some will be selective and wait for two suited cards, while others have an “any two will do” strategy. These players will blindly call raises with hopeless hands and go all the way to the river looking for miracle cards that rarely - if ever - show. Often enough, then, you’ll make more money off a bad player’s mistakes than from your own good plays. This is mostly due to the fact that bad and new players are only interested in their own cards on a scratch flop and will totally disregard your overpair.

- Jared Holden

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12-Dec-2008, 19:54

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