Play Poker Online
But what is the craze about “online” poker? It seems like nearly everyone is getting in the action nowadays. Maybe it’s because you can play anytime of the day or night in your underwear. Ha-ha! Without a doubt, gambling is fun and exciting. Poker, especially Texas Holdem’ is a game that requires a lot of skill, but also a lot of luck. Don’t get poker mixed up with playing the slot machines, because it is way different. Anybody can play a slot machine, but it does take true skill to be a GOOD poker player. Poker is both mathematical and psychological. A lot of people may argue that it is a card game. It partially is, but it’s mainly a people’s game. A poker player must keep his/her head in the game (not be distracted by anything outside of the table) at all times. You must not go on what is called tilt. Tilt is when a player lets his emotions run the way he/she is playing, rather than making logical decisions. For example, your boyfriend or girlfriend might have just broke up with you. This can cause you to go on tilt, and you can lose a lot of money that way. You have to almost be like a rock on a firm foundation with no emotions, at least while sitting at the poker table. (or in front of your computer for that matter)
PokerStars, Party Poker, Empire Poker, PokerChamps, Pacific Poker, Bodog, and Doyle’s Room are just a few examples of the rooms you can play in online. There is literally tons of them out there. It usually consists of signing up for an account, and then downloading a piece of software known as the poker client, in which you use to access the tables. Every client is at least a little bit different. They all have their advantages and disadvantages. You just have to find and use the ones you like the most. You have the option to either make a deposit and play for real money, or you can play for fake money just for the fun of the game and the learning experience. If you’re new to the game, I’d recommend starting off playing on Party Poker or Empire Poker, but as soon as you start getting better, get rid of those clients, because it is primarily made up of “fish” (people that aren’t that skilled). You’d think that you would want to play against these players, but you don’t. Part of playing poker is being able to read your opponents (even online), and unskilled players are completely unpredictable and hard to read. There is such thing as a “bad beat”. When you start off with the best hand, and somebody suckers you out with the last card, when really they originally had nothing. That’s another thing that can cause you to go on tilt. But, anyways, once you become familiar with the game, I’d recommend moving on to PokerStars or another site of your choice. Doyle’s Room is great for real money play.
PKR is a new poker client that was just designed and introduced. They don’t have real money tables for those in the U.S. yet, due to the bill that is being passed through Congress to ban online gambling, but you can play for play money, and this site is way different than any other poker client out there. It enables you to design your own 3D character. The whole game is 3-dimensional. The other clients aren’t, and they don’t allow you to do have the stuff that PKR does. I recommend trying out PKR. The only downsides to it are that it takes a long time to load due to all of the graphics, but sometimes it’s worth the wait.
So, assuming that you have now chosen a poker client, and you know the basic rules of the game. How do you read players online? What are the tells to look for? Just because you can’t see the people, doesn’t mean that there aren’t tells. Here are just a few: USUALLY when a player takes a long time to make a moveâÂ?¦He has a good hand. And it is the exact opposite if somebody is holding a weak hand. He will click the “check” box, and it will RAPIDLY check. Another thing to watch out for is check raises. There are times when this doesn’t apply, but most of the time if a player checks, you bet, and then he raises you (all in one betting round)âÂ?¦He has something. One of the most important tells is an easy one. Keep a watch out for who raises pre-flop. They are MOST LIKELY holding something good. Pay attention to your positioning as the “dealer button” goes around the table and bet accordingly. Also, take into account the chip stacks of the players that you are playing with. Somebody with a large chip stack is way more likely to be playing looser, than a player with a short stack, in which will be playing tighter. But don’t forget to consider the way each player is playing individually.
I know this game can be difficult for someone to pick up on, because it is so in depth. There is always something more to learn, but if you haven’t mastered it already, you can with the right combination of STUDYING and PRACTICE! So, hit the tables and GO ALL IN!
