Bodog's Secrets to Online Hold'em Week 10: Fifteen Tips For Better Play

by Bodog Poker | Jul 12 2010

1. It's OK To Fold
After you've had five or six hands pass you by without any joy from the deck, it can be frustrating to not dive into a hand, especially if you're a beginning player.  If you do get into a hand with marginal cards and find that the flop doesn't go your way, fold and nip your potential losses in the bud.

2. Don't Bluff Just To Bluff
It can be tempting to take a flyer on a hand and just see what happens.  This is a good way to fatten other people's wallets.

3. If You Do Bluff, It's OK If You're Caught
Anything that makes your game more unpredictable to the other people at the table is a plus.

4. Be Patient
This ties in to #1. It can take a while before the cards go your way and you might find yourself playing just to play.  Don't fall into this trap; stick to your guns!

5.  Don't Play Drunk
Obvious, but not, especially if you're trying to relax while enjoying a few hands of online poker.  One drink is fine, but pounding back five or six scotches and cursing your luck isn't relaxing.

6. Don't Play When You're In A Bad Mood
This one's something that many, many players have fallen victim too.  You'll have trouble focusing if you're in a bad mood and poker is a game that depends largely on your ability to concentrate and deduce.

7. Don't Call Just To Call
If you're being pushed out of a hand, it can be very tempting to make sure the other player is "being honest."  If they are being honest, you're basically going to give them extra chips for little effort on their part.

8. Pay Attention To The Cards
Even if you're not playing in a hand, do the math on the potential hands that could be made after each stage of play.   This ties directly into...

9. Pay Attention To The Other Players
If you're not involved in a hand, watch the opposition.  If it makes it easier to up your game, think of it as spying on the enemy.  Every play they make gives away information about them.  They may be the sort of player that chases flushes or they could be wishy-washy on the river.  Every piece of information that you collect, you can use.

10.  Don't Play Over Your Limits
Just don't.  

11. Do Play For Your Skill Level and Bankroll Amount
If you're just starting in the game, stick to the action you can afford.  Don't take a winning streak as a sign you're ready to level up before your bankroll can take the potential hits a downward trend might inflict on you.

12. Online Poker Play Is Very Different From Casino Poker
If you've played real-life games and are just now working in online poker, you've got to make adjustments to the speed of online poker versus slower, real-world games.  If you're used to playing online the pace of real-world Texas Hold ‘em can seem positively glacial.

13. Online Poker Players Are Different From Real-World Poker Players
If you normally stick to online poker, the myriad tells that are available to you now can be overwhelming - or so you might think.  Players that stick to real-world games work hard to control their reactions and can actually deceive a novice that's just come from online games.  Be wary!

14. Know When To Stop Rebuying
If you're in a rebuy tournament, and you're considering going back in for a third pass, let it go.  It's just not your game to win.

15. Don't Give Up
It can seem trite, but it's true.  Manage your bankroll as much as you want, but if you've bought into a game, play it to the end.  If nothing else, you get valuable information on how to play better in later games or you might just get them on the rebound.

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