Online Poker Strategy Beyond The Basic Rules

Online poker players are likely to find there are very few difference between a face-to-face game and a computerized one. While the feel of the cards won’t be present and it will be impossible to see other gamers’ faces, online poker strategy is generally the same as on the table playing. There are, however, a few key differences. Knowing them and how to overcome them is the best online poker strategy of them all.

To begin learning online poker strategy, it’s a good idea to be familiar with the games being played, the sites you’re interested in playing on and so on. To get started with online poker strategy, do these things:

Choose a site. Online poker strategy shouldn’t even be a concern until a site for playing on has been picked. To do this, it’s a good idea to review the options, look at licensing and security considerations and even check out past player comments. This online poker strategy can be a fun one to put into play, because the options of sites is pretty amazing. Once a site has been chosen, check it out on a trial basis.

· Study the site. Perhaps the best way to master online poker strategy is to make sure a site is understood and its features make sense. Being a great player in person might not translate when there are buttons to push and keys to be familiar with. The best way to put this online poker strategy into play is to actually run though several games in trial mode before putting money down.

· Wait your turn. A lot of online sites allow players to make moves before their turns. While they won’t register in their entirety until the appointment time, sometimes clues are given away. Raises, folding and so on, should all be done during the correct round. This online poker strategy can be a hard one to put into action since it’s tempting to respond right away. Think of this as the online poker strategy that allows you to bluff and play cards close to the vest and this tip will make sense.

· Take care with money. It can be tempting when playing online to throw online poker strategy out of the window. Don’t! Make sure you bet as you would in a table game to make this online poker strategy pan out for some won hands in your column. Overzealous play, even online, can tip your hat to your opponents. Following this online poker strategy can save you lost money and help you maintain a good online “poker face.”

Learning how to play with online poker strategy is mostly the same as playing in person. The games are the same, the style is the same, but the feel might be a little unusual for some to get a handle on. To follow online poker strategy to the letter, it’s a good idea to not only understand the game, but also this new way of playing it.

Sit and Go Strategy

A sit n’ go (SNG) tournament is typically a single-table tournament with an unscheduled start time. When a predetermined number of people register, the tournament begins. The number of participants is determined by the site and the game. Several sites use 9-person tables, while others use 10-person tables. Stud variations typically seat 8 players. Stakes range from $1 to several hundred dollars, but the focus of this article is the lower-limit, No Limit Hold ‘Em SNGs, the $5 and $10 buy-in levels. Multi-table SNG tournaments are now available on many sites, but we will focus on the single-table versions for this article. These tournaments provide the player with several things: the ability to play in a tournament setting without committing several hours of time; the ability to hone short-handed and late-tournament tactics; and the thrill of winning a tournament with very little risk due to the low stakes involved.
Typically, SNGs pay out the top three places. First place receives 50% of the prize pool, with second and third receiving proportionately less – finishing lower than third rewards you with experience, but no money. So our goal, first and foremost, is to finish no lower than third. With a third-place finish, we are guaranteed a profit on our tournament buy-in, and we are then free to take more risks while playing for the win.
This strategy for playing SNG tournaments is divided by blind levels. You must be able to adapt your style of play to the escalating blind structure in any tournament. You must be even more adaptable in SNG play, as you are not only adjusting to the escalating blinds, but you must also adopt different playing strategies based on the shrinking number of players at the table. This is not like a massive multi-table tournament, where new players will be sent to your table to replace the players that ‘bust out’. You will begin with a full table, and usually within one hour the field has dropped to two or three players. So you must stay focused and remain flexible in your playing style.
Level 1-3 (7-9 players) – Usually in the first level of blinds at least one player will go all-in and lose. If you have found a particularly loose table, 2-3 players will be sent to the rail in the first few levels of blinds.
The key to these first levels is to play tight. Maintain aggression when you have solid hands, but play extremely conservatively early on. Be very wary of overvaluing your hands, and be willing to fold almost anything to a raise. Raise pre-flop with A-A, K-K, Q-Q, A-K and that’s all. It’s often wise just to fold most other hands outright. One of the most overvalued hands in these early rounds is A-X, suited or unsuited. Don’t commit too many chips to hands like A-7, A-5, A-J or any other speculative hand