Mobile and online casinos now give players access to poker 24 hours a day, in particular the variant Texas Hold’em. Before you start throwing money around, however, remember the golden rule of betting: only risk money you can afford to lose, and you’re betting for fun. Betting because you need to win is called desperation.
There are six other secrets to get you head around, if you’re going to seek out poker at online or mobile sites.
-
You Can Play Free
Most poker sites will have a free-play section, where you can wager and win credits only. It still provides an adrenaline rush like playing for money does, but it allows you to practise your card skills risk-free, too. You must be able to work out odds to play poker effectively. You also need to be able to read people, and free play gives you time to practise both skills.
-
Polish Counts
Success at poker is very much a matter of keeping up appearances; often it is about convincing other players that your hand is dynamite, when in fact it’s dreadful. Poise and confidence are key. So be sure you know how all the hands are ranked, from High Card to Royal Flush, and that you understand technical terms like blind, ante, flop, river, turn, call and kicker, if you don’t want to expose yourself as an easily-fleeced newbie.
-
Adjust To Table Position
The dealer and the blinds move one place around the poker table with every hand, meaning that the betting starts with a different player each time, too. Sometimes you will be the last player to bet, sometimes the first, and most of the time somewhere in between. This influences how much information you get about the other players’ hands before you must bet, and professionals will adjust betting strategies according to where they are in the cycle. The more info you get about the rest of the table, the more adventurous you can get on strong hands.
-
It Can Pay To Fold Aces
Pocket Aces or picture cards are a strong hand to open on, but sometimes as the pool cards come down and the other players bet, it becomes clear that a straight or a flush is looming. If the river appears, your opponent is still betting and all you have remains that pair, it’s time to consider how expensive it will be to see the hand through…
-
Milk The 1 In 10
Statisticians and poker pros alike will tell you that most of the money won in poker comes from 10% of the players: those who bet on more than 40% of their hands, chasing improbable draws. It is up to you to learn how to calculate odds, to learn how to spot tells made by other players, while keeping your own bluffs undetected, to know when to walk away from bad odds and above all, to know when the potential win is valuable enough to take a bigger risk. If you can master all these skills, you can fleece that 10% at the poker table, every time.