poker tips and tricks
❖❖❖❖❖ POKER TIPS AND TRICKS ❖❖❖❖❖
❖❖❖❖❖ POKER TIPS AND TRICKS ❖❖❖❖❖
Online poker tips and tricks
Stay ahead of the game with our tips & tricks to become an outstanding poker player and master your game on the spot
❖❖❖❖❖ BASIC POKER RULES ❖❖❖❖❖
What are some basic poker rules?
Once you’re familiar with how the game is played, there are still some poker rules that you should know about before you start to play for real money in an online casino. The exact details of the rules listed below may differ between variants, but these are the typical things you should be aware of.
Blinds
Most forms of poker have big and small blinds. These are sums of money that must be paid by two players each hand, to boost the value of each pot. This is totally normal and isn’t something you can avoid; just hope you have a good hand when it’s your turn to pay blinds.
Decks
In virtually all forms of poker, a single deck of cards is used. This is to prevent bizarre hands like 5 or 6 of a kind emerging. Measures like shuffling and burning mean that players still can’t accurately predict what cards will come out next.
Rake
When playing in a land-based venue or in an online casino, the house will take a certain percentage of the pot or the tournament buy-in to generate profits. This figure could be anywhere between 3-10% and is completely above board and difficult to avoid.
Chips
The number of chips you get when you sit down at an online poker table can vary hugely. It will depend on things like table limits and whether you’re playing at a tournament or not. Check this out in advance, so you don’t end up feeling like a fish out of water.
People
How many people can play varies slightly from casino to casino. In theory, 20+ people could play at a single Texas Hold ‘Em table. In practice, most casino/online poker sites limit tables to around 10. Any more than 10 or 12 players at a table, and hands simply take too long to play out.
Cards
How many cards you get, and whether they’re facing up or face down, varies widely depending on the poker variant you’re playing. Make sure, before you start playing, that you understand all the rules of your chosen variant.
❖❖❖❖❖ TABLE POSITION ❖❖❖❖❖
Importance of table position
Think the strength of your starting hand is all that stands between you and a juicy pot? Think again. Poker games online are all about where you’re sitting in relation to the action, and Texas Hold’em is no different.
Late position
Early position
If you’re in a late position (as in the last or near last to make a betting decision) you will get a good chance to see what everyone else does before you. Half the table may have folded their cards, or a couple of players may have just called a bet. If you’re last to act you may want to punish such passiveness with a raise.
Play strong hands in the late position, but mix it up with marginal hands like Q-10, J-9, A-9, and so on in an upraised pot. Plus, your aggressive play before the flop can add credibility to any strong play you might want to use on the next round if a garbage flop falls and you want to try a steal. Be ready to fold your high pair if you get a lot of action with a threatening flop
Conversely, if you’re in an early position, such as after the big blind or next to them (Under the Gun, or UTG+1), you should stick to playing with strong hands that will hold up to raises. It’s all well and good raising A-10 UTG, but what if a player re-raises you from a late position – what are you going to do now? And if you call, you’ll be first to act after the flop has been dealt with. You will have no idea what the player in the late position is going to do after you.
Some players advocate not even playing ANY hands in early position, but if you do, make sure they’re decent.
Play strong hands in the late position, but mix it up with marginal hands like Q-10, J-9, A-9, and so on in an upraised pot. Plus, your aggressive play before the flop can add credibility to any strong play you might want to use on the next round if a garbage flop falls, and you want to try a steal. Be ready to fold your high pair if you get a lot of action with a threatening flop.
❖❖❖❖❖ MULTI-TABLING ❖❖❖❖❖
What is multi-tabling in poker?
If you’re looking to play seriously, learning to multi-table poker online is a key element of your online poker career.
Multi-tabling simply means loading up your screen with as many real money poker tables as you can possibly manage at once. Many pros will play between 16 and 24 online poker games simultaneously as this allows for faster play, more volume, and a higher ROI (return on investment).
Poker terms glossary
Take a bad beat without looking like a fish with our poker glossary. Learn the most common terms and phrases for your next game.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Action | The Player’s turn to bet, raise or fold |
| All-in | Committing all your chips in a poker hand |
| Backdoor | A draw requiring two connectors or same-suited cards to complete |
| Bad Beat | An unlucky loss against the odds |
| Bankroll | Amount of money a player sets aside for poker |
| Big blind | Mandatory bet before cards are dealt (by a player after two seats after the button) |
| Boat | Full house |
| Blind | The mandatory bet is placed before cards are dealt |
| Bluff | Bet or raise without the best hand in order to induce an opponent’s fold |
| Board | Shared or community cards |
| Bubble | A Player eliminated before the money in a tournament |
| Burn | The card the dealer discards before dealing community cards |
| Button | A seat where the dealer is sitting |
| Call | Bet the amount of another player’s bet |
| Check | Choosing not to bet but stay in the hand |
| Chip | A token is used in poker to represent cash, with different colored chips representing different cash values. |
| Continuation bet | A bet made post-flop by the player who bets first pre-flop |
| Drawing dead | When a player cannot win the hand, regardless of community cards to come |
| Fish | An inexperienced or bad player |
| Fifth street | The final community card, or river, dealt out |
| Flop | The first three community cards dealt |
| Flush | A hand consisting of five cards all the same suit |
| Fold | Throwing away your hand |
| Fourth Street | The turn card |
| Full house | A hand consisting of three-of-a-kind plus a pair |
| Freeroll | A free tournament with no buy-in and a pre-determined prize pool to be won |
| Freezeout | A game without a re-buy option |
| Gutshot | Uncompleted straight requiring one card |
| Heads-up | A poker game between two players only |
| Kicker | The highest unpaired card in a hand used to break ties |
| Limp | To call the big blind pre-flop |
| Loose | A reckless or aggressive player |
| Monster | A very strong hand |
| MTT | A multi-table tournament |
| Muck | To fold a hand without revealing hole cards |
| Nuts | The best possible hand |
| Offsuit | Hole cards of different suits |
| Outs | The cards remaining in the pack that can complete a winning hand |
| Overpair | Holding a pocket pair higher than possible using community cards |
| Play the board | Using all community cards to create hand |
| Pocket pair | A pair in your starting hand |
| Position | A player’s turn in the betting order |
| Quads | Four of a kind |
| Rags | Terrible opening hand, like 7-2 off suit |
| Rainbow | A flop consisting of cards of different suits |
| Raise | To bet more than the previous bet |
| Rake | A percentage of pot taken by the card room |
| River | The fifth and final community card |
| Satellite | A tournament awarding entry into a larger tournament |
| Set | Three of a kind, including a pair in the hole |
| Showdown | Two or more players revealing cards to decide a winning hand |
| Side pot | Extra pots contested after a multiple all-in |
| Sit and Go | A tournament that starts once all seats are filled (normally a single-table tournament) |
| Small blind | Mandatory small bet before cards are dealt (made by player seated after button) |
| Straight | A hand consisting of connecting cards |
| Split pot | An equally divided pot for tied hands |
| Tilt | A loss of control of your emotions in a poker game, means you become aggressive and angry. |
| Top pair | A pair including a hole card and the highest community card |
| Trips | Three of a kind, including only one hole card |
| Turn | The fourth community card |
| Under the gun | The first player to act before the flop |