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How To Get Good At Online Poker

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Don't bluff just because you think it's something a good poker player should do. Don't let your emotions get the better of you - Don't play when you're sad, mad, or tired. Your performance will suffer. If you're already in a bad mood, losing at poker won't help things. If you get too upset during a game, don't hesitate to take a break. To do this, I'm going to take you behind the scenes with some of the world's best poker players, and reveal exactly how they've been able to make millions of dollars online and in live games. But before we get into the specifics, there are two main reasons why professionals have an ‘unfair advantage' before the cards even hit the table.

  1. How To Get Good At Online Poker
  2. How To Get Good At Online Poker Real Money
Nathan Williams

Table Of Contents

Are you struggling to turn a decent profit at the poker tables on a consistent basis? Are your results best described as 'somewhere around break-even'?

First off, don't worry because you are not alone. This describes the results of the majority of poker players.

Often, however, it is just a few small poker strategy adjustments that can take your game from mediocre to amazing — from break-even to crushing it.

In this article, I am going to provide you with seven subtle but highly effective poker tips to take your game to the next level.

While I can't promise you'll win a lot of money with these beginner tips, you should add everything you find on this guide to your poker strategy if you really want to improve your poker games.

Continue reading to discover poker tips like:

I've also added something about pocket aces because you should be always careful when you get them. I have seen so many people play them the wrong way..

1. Think About Ranges, Not Hands

It doesn't matter what type of casino poker you play: one of the easiest ways to spot average and beginner poker players is to look at how they think about what their opponent has.

  • Beginner poker players try and put somebody on a specific poker hand.
  • Advanced poker players think in terms of ranges. This type of thinking that can be extremely important when calculating pot odds.

A range is the entire spectrum of poker hands somebody can have in a specific situation. For example, player X can have a flush, top pair, middle pair, bottom pair, a draw, ace-high or a complete air-ball bluff.

Good players who have already gone through a few poker strategy articles understand that player X will show up with this entire range of hands with various frequencies. They don't focus on identifying a single winning hand, but they try and figure out those frequencies and then make the best play.

Average players try to put an opponent on exactly (or some other specific hand) because that's 'what their gut tells them.'

If there's one thing you need to know when you learn the game, this is that poker strategy tips and 'gut feeling' don't go well together. Basing your tournament strategy or cash game play on what you 'feel' is never a good idea.

In the first video of this beginner's guide to poker tips for beginners, poker pro Jason Wheeler explains how uses every possible information available to understand his opponent's cards and choose his play.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Be Realistic

Don't put your opponent on a single hand but think about ranges. Nobody has a specific hand in poker — they only have a range.

If you are in still the process of learning the game and you need some help, have a look at the complete poker hands ranking.

2. Ditch Your Favorite Hand

A lot of people have a favourite hand. I know that every time I get dealt the old -suited my eyes light up and I want to play it so bad!

However, in reality, I know that -suited is a mediocre hand. Definitely not one of the best starting hands you can hey in a game of Texas hold em.

Free Poker Odds Calculator
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Calculate your poker odds FOR FREE with the PokerNews pot odds calculator!

It makes sense to play it in some spots — late position, for instance, in an unopened pot. But it should almost always be folded in early position.

If you currently have some favourite starting hands, that's fine — most people do. But don't give them preferential treatment and make bad plays with it.

Winning poker is about math and cold hard logic, not superstition.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Be Smart

Playing too many hands is a widespread mistake (see: Five Common Mistakes New Poker Players Make).

One of the best ways to avoid it is to introduce range-based thinking in your reads.

3. Adopt a Consistent Strategy

Another big key to becoming a great poker player (and perhaps one of the most important poker tips on this strategy guide) is to consistently apply a winning strategy.

It is not okay suddenly to change things up (e.g. to open with -suited from early position or turn yourself into a calling station) just because you are bored or tilted.

All of your learning, experience and study over the years has given you a body of knowledge telling you how to play Texas holder poker profitably.

But your poker strategy only actually matters if you apply it at the poker tables all the time. Every hand counts and every session counts.

How to get good at online poker tournaments

The best poker players, those ones who know how to win at poker, apply the same winning strategy over and over again, no matter how they feel or what their recent results have been.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Be Consistent

Poker is a long-term game. You need time to build your bankroll and find the right cash game or poker tournament strategy that works for you.

You should not change your strategy after a big win or a big loss (here's why).

If you really feel like your approach needs to change, make sure you read this article on Handling the Ups and Downs of Low Stakes Poker first.

4. Always Have a Reason

Big-time winning poker players will sometimes break from their standard, successful strategies, but always for obvious reasons.

An average player might start raising -suited in early position because he is bored or wants to make something happen.

An elite poker player will raise with this hand in this position on occasion because he notices the table is playing passively and there are a couple of recreational players in the blinds.

There is a clear reason then to believe that raising -suited in early position (typically a fold under normal circumstances) might be a profitable play in this situation.

If you can produce a well-reasoned argument why deviating from your regular strategy might be more profitable, then it is okay. It is the 'because I feel like it' or 'I am bored' reasoning that has to go.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Be Reasonable

Think. Use your experience to analyse the situations, and then understand 'why' you would take one road and not another.

If you don't have enough experience to evaluate different situations yet, you better go back to the free games and grind.

5. Know When to Fold Your Aces

Another clear difference between average poker players and great poker players is the ability to fold an overpair.

Do you know that little sick feeling you get when you have and a tight opponent raises all-in on the turn? You make the so-called 'crying call', and he turns over the set yet again.

Free Beginner Poker Sites

Playing online poker for free is the best way to hone your poker skills and practice with no risk.

You need to start paying attention to that feeling a little bit more often.

Certain patterns are easily recognizable at the lower stakes — especially when you play online poker — where it is 100 per cent the correct play to fold your overpair.

Good players can let go of any emotional attachment to their pretty-looking hands. Average players get married to their aces or kings instead, and can't let them go even when they know they are beat.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Aces Lose Too

Starting with the best of all poker hands isn't enough to guarantee you a winning hand.

Ask anyone for good poker pro tip, and they will all tell you the same thing: sometimes, you'll need to fold those Aces.

For more info on this specific topic, have a look at this article on How to Play Pocket Aces.

6. Realize Tilt Only Hurts You

Tilt is a destroyer of bankrolls, dreams, and poker careers.

I can't tell you how often I receive emails or comments from people who describe to me how they've tilted vast amounts of their bankroll away when things went badly at the poker tables.

The reality of poker is that sometimes things will go badly for you, and there is absolutely nothing that you can do about it.

This is what you sign up for every time you sit down to play card games.

There's always the possibility you might run terribly. You might run lights out as well, though.

When you allow yourself to lose control of your emotions and throw your strategy out the window, the only person you are hurting is yourself.

All those hours you've spent trying to learn and improve your game were basically wasted because you decided to choose your emotions over reason when it mattered.

Respect the work that you have done. You owe it to yourself to maintain more composure and stop throwing away money when the cards go south.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Relax

The psychological side of poker can be overwhelming, and you need to be ready to deal with it.

Swings happen and bad beats will come. If you don't know how do deal with this, have a look at the poker tips Italy's poker pro Rocco Palumbo shared with PokerNews at the PokerStars Championship in Prague.

If these poker tips work for Palumbo, they may as well work for you! Different versions of blackjack.

7. Don't Play Bad Games

One more way beginner poker players can sabotage their poker results is by stubbornly playing in games that are full of decent-to-good regulars.

If you can't find somebody at the table who is playing very poorly, then you have to ask yourself why it is that you are even there.

If you only play poker for the mental challenge or recreation or pleasure, then this is fine. This poker tip doesn't necessarily apply to you.

Play Online Poker with Your Friends!

Use this guide to set up your next home game online and play online poker with your friends for free or real money.

But if winning real money or chips is at all a priority for you, then you need to remember you don't turn a significant profit in poker by pushing tiny edges against good poker players.

You win big by playing against players who are making significant fundamental errors and giving away their money over the long term.

As the classic movie Rounders reminds us, 'If you can't spot the sucker in your first half-hour at the table, then you are the sucker.'

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Choose the Right Games

Don't sit with the pros if you can't beat them. Selecting the right games is key to your successes in poker — one wrong move, and you are out.

Again, there's no shame in playing free poker games or in looking for the best freeroll poker tournaments to play online if that's what you need.

Final Thoughts

The divide between break-even beginner players and big-time winners is not as wide as many people think.

It is often just a few simple little adjustments you can learn over time that can carry you over to enable you to start winning at a higher clip.

A lot of it has to do with starting to view the game in a much more cold, detached, mathematical, and logical way than you presently do.

Emotional and/or superstitious poker players almost always lose or struggle to remain even.

Elite poker players, meanwhile, know they are in it for the long haul and don't get overly wrapped up in each hand or moment. They continue to make the most profitable play again and again, no matter what.

Free Beginner Poker Sites

Playing online poker for free is the best way to hone your poker skills and practice with no risk.

Online

Nathan 'BlackRain79' Williams is the author of the popular micro stakes strategy books Crushing the Microstakes and Modern Small Stakes. He also blogs regularly about all things related to the micros over at www.blackrain79.com.

This article was originally published on Feb. 13, 2017. Last update: Oct. 12, 2020.

  • Tags

    cash game strategytournament strategyonline poker.live pokerstarting hand selectiontiltmental gameno-limit hold'emgame selectionpremium handsrange readinghand reading

If you're looking to play real-money poker right away, there is usually very little delay in getting money transferred to your account via credit card (particularly if you're in Europe) and you can be up and running on real tables in less than 15 minutes.

If you're trying to deposit money at one of the US poker sites on the net it may take a little longer, but customer support staff are available in real-time at most sites and to help guide you through the process.

Good

Calculate your poker odds FOR FREE with the PokerNews pot odds calculator!

It makes sense to play it in some spots — late position, for instance, in an unopened pot. But it should almost always be folded in early position.

If you currently have some favourite starting hands, that's fine — most people do. But don't give them preferential treatment and make bad plays with it.

Winning poker is about math and cold hard logic, not superstition.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Be Smart

Playing too many hands is a widespread mistake (see: Five Common Mistakes New Poker Players Make).

One of the best ways to avoid it is to introduce range-based thinking in your reads.

3. Adopt a Consistent Strategy

Another big key to becoming a great poker player (and perhaps one of the most important poker tips on this strategy guide) is to consistently apply a winning strategy.

It is not okay suddenly to change things up (e.g. to open with -suited from early position or turn yourself into a calling station) just because you are bored or tilted.

All of your learning, experience and study over the years has given you a body of knowledge telling you how to play Texas holder poker profitably.

But your poker strategy only actually matters if you apply it at the poker tables all the time. Every hand counts and every session counts.

The best poker players, those ones who know how to win at poker, apply the same winning strategy over and over again, no matter how they feel or what their recent results have been.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Be Consistent

Poker is a long-term game. You need time to build your bankroll and find the right cash game or poker tournament strategy that works for you.

You should not change your strategy after a big win or a big loss (here's why).

If you really feel like your approach needs to change, make sure you read this article on Handling the Ups and Downs of Low Stakes Poker first.

4. Always Have a Reason

Big-time winning poker players will sometimes break from their standard, successful strategies, but always for obvious reasons.

An average player might start raising -suited in early position because he is bored or wants to make something happen.

An elite poker player will raise with this hand in this position on occasion because he notices the table is playing passively and there are a couple of recreational players in the blinds.

There is a clear reason then to believe that raising -suited in early position (typically a fold under normal circumstances) might be a profitable play in this situation.

If you can produce a well-reasoned argument why deviating from your regular strategy might be more profitable, then it is okay. It is the 'because I feel like it' or 'I am bored' reasoning that has to go.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Be Reasonable

Think. Use your experience to analyse the situations, and then understand 'why' you would take one road and not another.

If you don't have enough experience to evaluate different situations yet, you better go back to the free games and grind.

5. Know When to Fold Your Aces

Another clear difference between average poker players and great poker players is the ability to fold an overpair.

Do you know that little sick feeling you get when you have and a tight opponent raises all-in on the turn? You make the so-called 'crying call', and he turns over the set yet again.

Free Beginner Poker Sites

Playing online poker for free is the best way to hone your poker skills and practice with no risk.

You need to start paying attention to that feeling a little bit more often.

Certain patterns are easily recognizable at the lower stakes — especially when you play online poker — where it is 100 per cent the correct play to fold your overpair.

Good players can let go of any emotional attachment to their pretty-looking hands. Average players get married to their aces or kings instead, and can't let them go even when they know they are beat.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Aces Lose Too

Starting with the best of all poker hands isn't enough to guarantee you a winning hand.

Ask anyone for good poker pro tip, and they will all tell you the same thing: sometimes, you'll need to fold those Aces.

For more info on this specific topic, have a look at this article on How to Play Pocket Aces.

6. Realize Tilt Only Hurts You

Tilt is a destroyer of bankrolls, dreams, and poker careers.

I can't tell you how often I receive emails or comments from people who describe to me how they've tilted vast amounts of their bankroll away when things went badly at the poker tables.

The reality of poker is that sometimes things will go badly for you, and there is absolutely nothing that you can do about it.

This is what you sign up for every time you sit down to play card games.

There's always the possibility you might run terribly. You might run lights out as well, though.

When you allow yourself to lose control of your emotions and throw your strategy out the window, the only person you are hurting is yourself.

All those hours you've spent trying to learn and improve your game were basically wasted because you decided to choose your emotions over reason when it mattered.

Respect the work that you have done. You owe it to yourself to maintain more composure and stop throwing away money when the cards go south.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Relax

The psychological side of poker can be overwhelming, and you need to be ready to deal with it.

Swings happen and bad beats will come. If you don't know how do deal with this, have a look at the poker tips Italy's poker pro Rocco Palumbo shared with PokerNews at the PokerStars Championship in Prague.

If these poker tips work for Palumbo, they may as well work for you! Different versions of blackjack.

7. Don't Play Bad Games

One more way beginner poker players can sabotage their poker results is by stubbornly playing in games that are full of decent-to-good regulars.

If you can't find somebody at the table who is playing very poorly, then you have to ask yourself why it is that you are even there.

If you only play poker for the mental challenge or recreation or pleasure, then this is fine. This poker tip doesn't necessarily apply to you.

Play Online Poker with Your Friends!

Use this guide to set up your next home game online and play online poker with your friends for free or real money.

But if winning real money or chips is at all a priority for you, then you need to remember you don't turn a significant profit in poker by pushing tiny edges against good poker players.

You win big by playing against players who are making significant fundamental errors and giving away their money over the long term.

As the classic movie Rounders reminds us, 'If you can't spot the sucker in your first half-hour at the table, then you are the sucker.'

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Choose the Right Games

Don't sit with the pros if you can't beat them. Selecting the right games is key to your successes in poker — one wrong move, and you are out.

Again, there's no shame in playing free poker games or in looking for the best freeroll poker tournaments to play online if that's what you need.

Final Thoughts

The divide between break-even beginner players and big-time winners is not as wide as many people think.

It is often just a few simple little adjustments you can learn over time that can carry you over to enable you to start winning at a higher clip.

A lot of it has to do with starting to view the game in a much more cold, detached, mathematical, and logical way than you presently do.

Emotional and/or superstitious poker players almost always lose or struggle to remain even.

Elite poker players, meanwhile, know they are in it for the long haul and don't get overly wrapped up in each hand or moment. They continue to make the most profitable play again and again, no matter what.

Free Beginner Poker Sites

Playing online poker for free is the best way to hone your poker skills and practice with no risk.

Nathan 'BlackRain79' Williams is the author of the popular micro stakes strategy books Crushing the Microstakes and Modern Small Stakes. He also blogs regularly about all things related to the micros over at www.blackrain79.com.

This article was originally published on Feb. 13, 2017. Last update: Oct. 12, 2020.

  • Tags

    cash game strategytournament strategyonline poker.live pokerstarting hand selectiontiltmental gameno-limit hold'emgame selectionpremium handsrange readinghand reading

If you're looking to play real-money poker right away, there is usually very little delay in getting money transferred to your account via credit card (particularly if you're in Europe) and you can be up and running on real tables in less than 15 minutes.

If you're trying to deposit money at one of the US poker sites on the net it may take a little longer, but customer support staff are available in real-time at most sites and to help guide you through the process.

And, of course, if you're just looking to play free online poker you can sign up for any online poker site and access their play-money games or you can play free online poker games or freerolls and win real money!

Read our online poker reviews here to get started.

How To Play Online Poker in 3 Easy Steps

The quick version of getting started in online poker for those who are impatient:

  1. Choose a poker site
    Download and install the software by looking at our list of best poker sites
  2. Create a poker nickname
    This will be your name at the tables.
  3. Start playing
    Start at the play-money tables until you're comfortable with the ins and outs then switch to real money when you got the hang of it

1. Where to Play Poker Online

Your first move is to choose a place to play at.

All of the online poker sites that we recommend here in our toplists are very safe, secure and licensed businesses. They run on reliable software and manage their online payment systems very securely.

Among the large number of available poker sites, the choice for most poker players usually comes down to a number of practical details:

  • The game variety
    What games can you play?
  • The poker bonus offered
    How much do you get for opening an account?
  • The poker traffic
    How many players are there?

Poker Bonus

Never sign up at an online poker site without securing the best online poker bonus. Playing with a bonus is always better than without a bonus. A poker bonus is a sum of cash that the poker site transfers to your account to reward you for your registration with the site.

Sometimes a bonus is paid straight out to your account, no questions asked. These are usually small amounts, typically between $5 and $10, that are part of a special sign-up promotion.

How To Get Good At Online Poker

888 Poker is offering players $8 free to sign-up right now, for example.

How To Get Good At Online Poker Real Money

For most bonuses though, there are usually some playing requirements involved. That is, you must play a certain number of hands at the site before the bonus is paid out. If you check out our top poker bonus list, you can see the poker sites currently offering the best bonuses.

Game Variety

Most people who play poker play Texas Holdem, and this is the one game that all online poker sites offer. If that's your game and you want to play Texas Holdem poker exclusively, you're pretty much set at every poker site in the world.

On the other hand, it you're looking for less popular poker variations, like Crazy Pineapple or Badugi, things may get a little more complicated.

Most variations of Omaha poker are very common, though, as are most variations of Seven-Card Stud, but for the other games you may have to pick a very specific poker site to find your desired game.

Poker Traffic

Some poker sites are extremely big, with traffic and action 24 hours a day (see Poker Stars) and some are much, much smaller. So the question really comes down to you: Do you want to play poker in a crowded environment where you never see the same player two days in a row, or do you prefer a cozier place where you get familiar with your opponents?

Both can be great, but each has its strengths and weaknesses. A small, cozy atmosphere sounds great most of the time, but keep in mind low traffic is the number one reason your preferred games may not always be available.

At the truly small sites, there simply may not not anyone else who wants to play your game at your preferred stakes. This is rarely a problem for Texas Holdem, but it may be for more exotic games like 5 Card Draw or Pineapple.

Your geographical location plays a role, too. Some sites have mostly American players, and the traffic booms during American evening hours. Other sites have a mostly European player base and the traffic peaks may be eight hours earlier every day.

If you're really ambitious you may even move your game from the first category of sites to the other and then back again to match the variations in traffic over the day.

2. Create a Poker Nickname

To play poker online, you must have a nickname. Before you rush away and make up some random name, though, realize that you may have to live with this name at that poker site forever.

Most online poker sites are fairly restrictive about allowing players to change their nicknames, although more and more sites are letting players change up their nicknames when they choose.

Also realize that your nickname may actually give away some information to your opponents. Make sure that whatever your nickname gives away is either not important or not true.

Omen Est Nomen ('names have meaning')

It's very common to see nicknames online that are supposed to radiate self confidence, aggression or fearlessness. Names like IAlwaysWin, UFoldNow or NumberOneAce, etc.

If you're thinking of choosing a more humble name, like MrNiceGuy or SplitThePot, realize that a soft name just might invite increased aggression from those kinds of opponents.

If they think that maybe, just maybe, your nickname actually says something about your game style, they may very well put in one or two extra bets and raises against you. It's probably not a good idea to draw that upon yourself - unless of course you're simply setting a trap

Famous Poker Nicknames

Among the famous poker pros who play poker online, nickname types and strategies vary. Many use their own name, like the most well known live pros Phil Ivey, Gus Hansen and Patrik Antonius. Self-assured nicknames that signal aggression, skill or just a lot of luck are also quite common:

Some examples:

  • #1_Lucky_One – Phil Hellmuth
  • Urindanger - Di Dang
  • NoMercy - Isabelle Mercier
  • I_Tilt_You - Ilari Sahamies
  • Quiet Lion - Richard Brodie
  • LuckBox - John Juanda
  • TexasLimitKing - Alexandros Dalaklis
  • Who is next - Noah Boeken

Some of the more famous poker nicknames however don't always have a message to convey:

  • Durrrr - Tom Dwan
  • Ziigmund - Ilari Sahamies
  • OMGClayAiken – Phil Galfond
  • ElkY - Bertrand Grospellier

Either way, when you create your account at the poker site you'll probably notice that a lot of names are already taken. In this case you can either try another name, or if you're attached to the one you tried, add some combination of numbers and other symbols to it, like # $ _ - and +.

Some famous online poker players have immortalized this kind of poker nicks:

  • Erik123 - Erik Sagstrom
  • Annette_15 – Annette Obrestad
  • Mazak14 - Mats Rahmn

In the case of Annette Obrestad the figure signifies her age when she created the poker account – four years before winning the Main Event of the World Series of Poker Europe.

Choosing a Poker Variation

In today's world of poker, Texas Holdem is very dominant. Virtually everybody plays Texas Holdem and every online poker site has it. It's the game you see on TV, and the game that decides most of the biggest poker competitions world wide.

Of course that makes Texas Holdem the most natural choice for a beginning poker player. If not for any other reason, it's probably the only poker game that you can play with your friends at home who don't know poker very well.

So, Texas Holdem is a natural and easy choice. But before you make up your mind, consider a few reasons for choosing another game as well.

Omaha

Omaha is a game on the rise in popularity. More and more players are discovering this exciting game, and the typical opponent you'll find at the lower stakes is much less proficient than at the holdem tables. If you learn Omaha, you'll probably have a greater edge than in Holdem.

Seven Card Stud

Seven Card Stud is another very popular poker variation, and maybe the most classic one in the US. It's being played less and less these days, but it stimulates a different set of skills than holdem and if for example you have a really good memory, you could find yourself with a substantial edge here.

Mixed Games

Even if you stick with holdem as your first game, remember that you can always try other games at most poker sites. Playing different games is a good way to improve your holdem game actually, as it can make you discover some new angles. It's a lot of fun too.

Besides, mixed games have become a very popular new breed of poker these days and and there are lots of mixed events at the World Series of Poker, not the least of which is the $50k Poker Player's Championship.

The most well-known of the mixed games is probably HORSE. It contains five games – Holdem, Omaha High/Low, Razz, Stud and Stud High/Low.

3. How to Play Poker Online - The actual game

Once you're up and running and feel comfortable in the game, where do you go? How do you go from pure newbie to pro? Getting better is part of the fun in poker, and there's no end to how much a player can improve.

Some players ask if books are any good. 'Isn't it better to play and learn from experience?' This question could be answered by another question:

'If you're going to war, what do you bring: a machine gun or a tooth brush?' The correct answer, of course, is: both. Playing a lot of poker AND reading good books is definitely more effective than either method in isolation.

Learn about strategy, rules and watch others play poker

Of course, all poker education doesn't come from books. A lot of good advice is shared by members of poker forums, and many pros have gone the 'forum way' to reach their greatness.

The good thing about a forum is that the communication isn't one-way. You can ask questions and engage in discussions on poker theory and strategy concepts, or even discuss actual hands that you have played.

More and more sites also offer instructional poker videos. Typically you'll be observing successful online pros play online, and hear them comment on their game in real-time.

This can be very interesting and useful, but it's mostly something that you have to pay for.

Analyzing Poker Hands You've Played

When you play poker online, a very important tool for improving your game is the 'post game analysis', that is, when you sit down and review the hands that you have played.

Slot iphone 6 plus price. When you look at the hands a second time, you may see them in a quite different light. Now there's no adrenaline pumping in your veins, and no timer counting down to zero.

Chances are good you'll discover flaws in your game. Situations where you should have played differently. Sometimes you can't even understand what you were thinking.

Each time this happens, you'll learn something. You'll pick up some small idea or insight and embed it in your overall game plan the next time you hit the tables.

Poker Stats - Tracking Your Results

Besides replaying hands you have played, you should also use the power of statistics to your benefit. With statistics you may discover patterns in your game that aren't clear when looking at isolated hands one at a time.

Things like what percentage of dealt hands you actually play, how often you raise it up pre-flop, how many showdowns you lose, etc. are important statistics in poker. There are a few very useful statistic programs available for poker players like Poker Tracker and Poker Office.

The best way to gather statistics for your game is by downloading hand histories from the poker site to your computer. Most poker sites allow you to do this automatically, which allows you to make sure that you have all the data and don't miss out on any important pieces.

When you play live poker, or if you just want to keep track of your online poker games on a session level, you can also use a free Bankroll Tracker tool, like the one here at Poker Junkie.

If you've read this far and still feel excited about poker, chances are you have a bright future in the game. Good luck, or shall we say, good skill!

Further Reading:





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