Internet Poker Strategy

Online poker strategy has some important differences vis a vis live poker. Most importantly, in online poker, you lose the ability to read your opponent’s physical behavior. For example, when you play online, you won’t get to see an opponent’s eyes dilate when he gets a good hand. So how do you “read” an opponent in an online game?

Be sure you’re at the right table. If you choose to play at a table with the wrong game, the wrong limits or the wrong players, even the most strategic poker play online won’t save you from bad bets or bad decision. You’ll almost certainly end up playing poorly, even if you think you’re playing online poker strategically.

Just as in a live game, you can analyze how an online opponent talks by using the chat feature of most online poker software. Chat allows you to open a private window in which you can converse with an opponent. For example, if a player opens a window and chats aggressively, it could be that he’s holding a weak hand and using this strategy for online poker to conceal it. On the other hand, a player who avoids using the chat feature may be holding a strong hand and is trying to stay under the radar by using this low-key strategy for playing online poker.

Another feature of online poker room software is the action button. In strategic play for online poker, wise players do not overuse them. To use an action button, a player programs it with an action before it is his turn to play. When play moves to this player, the programmed action executes immediately. This “tell’ shows other players information about his hand. For example, if a player has a strong hand, he will consistently use the “raise any” action button.

Delay or hesitation is another playing strategy for online poker tells that betrays the strength of an opponent’s hand. A player who stalls and then raises is likely to have a strong hand. A player who stalls and then calls, has a weak or marginal hand. Either way, this online poker playing strategy should be played accordingly.

Tempo goes along with delay or hesitation. The best way to play online poker strategically is to not let the tempo dominate you. One poker site advises “staying under the radar’ rather than getting sucked in to a tempo that does not favor you.

Focus on understanding your opponents and this will lead you to successful strategic play for online poker. Try to find patterns in their behavior. Discover and analyze their habits and playing styles. If you find yourself at a table with players whose habits and behaviors are unpredictable and/or irrational, move on. Playing successful strategic online poker requires a lot of self-control and this is one place where you absolutely need to exercise it, even if it meaning leaving the game.