Column 3: Overlooked Internet Poker Strategies

While it’s true that casino poker rooms are packed 24/7 these days, most of the poker being played is actually on the internet.  There is always a game going on.  Whether its 1 cent-2 cent or $500-$1000, someone is always there to play.  And, if you play it right, it can be very profitable.  I’m going to provide a few tips that have brought me success.

                Let’s start with limit hold’em buy-ins.  The first thing you want to do is pick a limit your account is comfortable with.  You don’t want to sit down with $100 in a $5-$10 game because you can get wiped out in five minutes.  I always like to have more money than anyone else at the table so I can be “in charge” so to speak.  It can be very intimidating if you have say $100 and your opponents have $20.  A good rule of thumb when buying into a limit game is to have at least 50 times the amount of the big blind.  So if you’re going to play$1-$2, buy in for $100.  If you’re going to play $3-$6, buy in for $300.  You will be much more comfortable this way.  And remember, you don’t have to use that whole amount, just have it there for security. 

              Another very important part of limit hold’em on the internet is game selection.  The internet offers a wide variety of limit games that you don’t find in brick and mortar casinos.  There are ring games (10 handed), short handed games, heads up games, wild games, tight games, etc.  The key is finding the one that works for you.  For example, if you like to play tight, take your time, and wait for premium hands, playing in a short handed game (6 player or less) is not for you.  This is because in a short handed game of say five players, you’re paying the blinds 2 out of every 5 hands dealt.  And if you’re waiting for only good hands, your stack gets eaten up by the blinds in the meantime.  So the approach you want to take if you’re going to play tight is to play in a ten handed game so that it doesn’t cost you as much to sit back and wait for those strong hands.  However, if you’re a more aggressive player and like to be in there raising a lot, short handed is a much better option.  This is because while others are waiting for good hands, you’re stealing their blinds and quickly building your stack.  And with five opponents, there is less of a chance you will run into a strong hand. 

I’ll give you one more quick tip to limit hold’em.  Before you actually play at a table, sit down and watch the action for a while.  Watch how people are playing to determine what type of game it is and figure out what approach will work at that table.  It’s amazing how much knowledge you can gain about your opponents just by watching 10 or 20 hands – and it doesn’t cost anything to watch. 

                One of the most popular poker games on the internet is sit n’ go no limit hold’em tournaments.  These are predominantly 10 person tournaments with three payouts: 50% for first, 30% for second, and 20% for third.  These tournaments can be very profitable if played correctly.  The first thing about choosing a sit n’ go is deciding what monetary level to play in.  They usually range anywhere from $5 to $5000 dollars.  The problem a lot of people I’ve talked to have is they think that the $5 tournaments are the easiest to beat.  This is absolutely not true.  I imagine it’s a combination of beginners playing at this level and also people not really caring about losing their $5.  For example, if your opponent bets into you with a marginal hand and you raise him all in on the assumption that he doesn’t have a very good hand, you would expect him to fold.  The problem is he’s thinking “oh well, it’s only $5.”  He makes a bad call because he doesn’t really care, and you lose.  Now say he’s paid $30 to get into the tourney, all of a sudden he’s not going to call all of his chips with marginal hands and it’s starting to resemble real poker.  I find that I have much more success at the higher levels in sit n’ go tournaments because people actually care about the money and the game isn’t so wild.  Trust me; sometimes it’s easier to play against a professional than an amateur who doesn’t care.

                These are just some tips to set you up to make more money on the internet.  They’re not how-to instructions by any means but they will definitely help.  Sometimes people get so eager to play online that they just rush into any game and overlook the basic principles.  Take the time to think about and strategize the games before you sit down and start clicking that mouse.  I’m sure it will cut down on the amount of cursing you do at the computer screen.  If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at xrokpoker@yahoo.com.  Until next time, take care, and good luck.