Poker is different from other casino games in one major respect.  When you play poker online in live games and tournaments, the object is to leave the table with more money than you started with.  In itself, this is not really a profound statement.  However, there’s more than meets the eye when you play poker online, in community halls with friends, or in brick and mortar casino action.  The challenges you face not only emanate from the other players at the table – the most serious competition that you’ll face is within yourself.

When you play poker online in online competition, there is no greater thrill than to upset your opponents by utilizing the poker bluff.  Bluffing your opponent is a manoeuvre that dates all the way back to the beginnings of mankind.  Bluffing is the act of giving others the impression that you have something at your disposal that you actually don’t.  But you can’t make a career of winning poker by utilizing the bluff on a regular basis.  It is proven poker strategy that you will win at the poker table by playing only those hands in which you have a good chance of winning, and by raising bets judiciously on those occasions.  The best online poker players end up playing only a small portion of the poker hands.  It is acknowledged that by dropping out early in those games when your cards do not project a winning hand, you increase your chances of playing winning poker.

Play Poker with Your Head, Not Your Heart

I’m sure that you’ve had difficulty with the professional poker tournament play on T.V.  It seems that, in every game, the vast proportion of players drop out upon receiving their drawn hand.  You might think to yourself that these players are lacking guts and heart, and are not looking to compete to the fullest in every game.  You would be correct in this analysis.  If you listen to your heart, you will find yourself playing in games that you have no chance of winning because your competitive juices have kicked in.  The biggest enemy of the poker player is his heart.  If you fall prey to the whims of your feelings, you will never be a winning poker player.

Some people go so far as to say that the best poker players are not competitive in every game, and that they give up too easily.  This is absolutely true!  If you play poker online, you must be cognizant that your natural instincts will tempt you to play in games that you have no reasonable chance of winning.  Don’t listen to your heart for, if you do, you will be betrayed.

Your best online poker strategy is to drop out early in games in which you figure not to be competitive, and go all out once you get the hand that you know gives you a good chance of winning.