The KGB Oracle Forums General Public Discussion (PUBLIC) The Pub @binbs

hey, in real life poker im pretty good(ive never been to vegas and i know i wouldnt be able to comete with the pros, but i dominate the hometown game), anyways ive tried to get into online poker quite a few times and every time it goes terrible for me, from what ive read u play online all the time, wondering if u could give me some tips or anything to help me with online binbs

Start by signing up on a poker forum and read a few books in your free time.

Here is what is recommended:

Harrington on Holdem I and II.

Teory of Poker.

No Limit - Teory and Practice by Sklansky.

Here is the forum that I frequent. Excellent poker players here who will help you analyze your play in a hand.

2 + 2 forums

awsome thanks alot man

do u have to be 21?

not sure, use my parents checking accout though

Way to go, Mord. Some rules are lame and should be broken =P

yeah forsure haha

When you blow their checking account im sure they'll say, "Well that was your college fund, guess you'll be flipping burgers between classes all semester long. No frat parties 4 U!"

lol

haha, whenever i play i give them money to put in the account, never just start spending there money lol

I've had quite a bit of succcess at the online poker game myself. I don't play much anymore (work 60 hours a week, don't have time to keep tabs on the players like I used too) but here's what I really learned over time...


Online poker is much more about patience and playing the numbers then live poker is.

While there is still a place for and it is totally possible that you can sit at an online table and bluff people out of their money, it is a lot less likely. There are a couple of reasons for this. The main reason is that when you're sitting down at an actual table, you can observe peoples mannerisms much more easily and freely (sweating, jittery hands, noticibly increased heatrate, someone is drinking a lot while playing, ect.)... obviously you are always in the position to get suckered by someone who is a pro and eats people who rely on bullying alive in a real table game in person, but this is exemplified to a great deal in online poker for 2 huge reasons.

#1: You can't see someone in online poker, while you can to a certain extent pick out betting patterns from the more inexperienced players... it's impossible to pick up concerte tells. You don't know if the person has drank a bottle of whiskey from the time you started the table to the hand they are playing now... they could hear their mom calling down the stairs "dinner time!" and go all in for no legitimate reason. There's just so much more possiblity and oppertunity for erratic play online. More excuses and the most important thing... no one can see you online. You can play like an idiot, turn your computer off. Go to the grocery store and walk past a guy you just beat on crappy hands or lost to on crapy hands and neither of you would know. Human nature is to not be embarassed when people can see you... if your identity is hidden though, people are more prone to take risks and it is harder to bully them out of a pot.

#2: The online environment is full of beginner players... this is due in large part to convience. I play in actual casinos a lot these days. These are places where you have to pony up 200-500 dollars of your own money to have a seat. You're going to be playing at least $5/$10 at the lowest buy-in tables (online you can find .10/.20 tables, big difference). Real casinos are also places where you have to leave your house and drive too. You can't flip a switch, click a button and take a seat at Ceaser's Palace or the Hollywood Casino poker room... therefore people who go to casinos for the most part are more experienced players who have been playing poker and don't feel like getting totally embarassed in person by other people.

Something to go along with #2... you can tell when a total newbie to the poker game walks into a casino and sits down at a table with you. Weather they are drinking a bunch with a group of friends... getting nervous with their chips... losing focus when it's their turn to bet and forgetting table order... it's easier to pick these things up in real life then online. Online the programs prevent people from doing stupid things when it isn't their turn to play (except for chatting, but few good players are actually going to sit in the room and chat).


So yea... basically my key to success was just grinding it out. Play tight. Not so tight as to you only play aces because then when you get them everyone is going to fold. But play it tight, see less pots all the way through, don't chase as much, play the numbers and rely on the inexperience of the average online player in relation to knowing these things... let them chase the stright, you play your two pair. Let them go after the flush, you play your set.

You're going to have bad beats every once in awhile, just like in real poker. You will actually start to think that the bad beats happen a lot more in online poker then in real life (everyone does when they first start).

The thing you need to keep in mind is this... THE most important thing I can say...

you play A LOT more hands online then you do in real life in A LOT shorter time.

Remember this!

You are going to play 40-70 hands an hour online. You are going to play 20-30 hands an hour in person. This means every hour you are going to see at least twice as many good hands, you are going to see at least twice as many crappy hands.

A lot of people forget that, and that is their downfall. They lose patience, they get on a bad roll of cards and they totally panic and start playing hands they normally wouldn't play. Just keep calm and be glad that you can fold and get through the boring, bad hands faster online then you can in real life.


These are the basics... just stay composed, try not to drink a lot when you are playing online (no more then you would at a real table), don't let your friends sit there and tell you what hands to play or not play, never bet more then you can afford to lose, never play when it's inconvient to play or you are not in the mood to play and remember to have fun and stay calm, win or lose.

That's about it, hopefully it will save someone some money down the road.