Four Tips for Online Poker ? Tells, Mixing it Up, Preflop Rasies and Changing Gears

Tip One: Mix Up Your Play: Once you have mastered the fundamentals of a particular game (for the purpose of this article we'll use No Limit Texas Hold'em) it's very easy to lapse into predictable play. This is particularly true when playing online. While live casinos are literally designed to keep people involved and stimulated, your home or office most likely has the opposite effect-which can lead to just "playing by the book." If you find yourself playing robotically: failing to adjust your play to the table, failing to notice the tendencies of each player, making moves without asking yourself "what am I trying to accomplish?", then it may be time to tweak your game a bit. Instead of waiting for Queens, Kings or Aces, raise with a 7/2! Not only will it help get you out of your funk, but it'll also keep your opponents off balance.
Tip Two: Online tells: The most reliable tells in online poker revolve around betting speed. The easiest ones to pick up are the "dramatic pause" tells. A long pause followed by a bet usually means the player is strong and wants you to think he is weak. A long pause followed by a check usually indicates a weak hand. This player either wants you to check so he can get a free card, or wants you to think he has a strong enough hand to "think" about betting. You'll rarely be check-raised by anyone who took a long time to check, it's not a normal betting pattern. When check-raising most players want everything to look as normal as possible to help make sure you'll put in a bet before they spring the trap. If you do get a check-raise from a player who paused heavily before the original check, be very careful. You should also watch for instantaneous bets and raises on the turn and river. This usually indicates a powerhouse hand and an attempt to get you to call by intimidating you into it.
Tip Three: Limpin' Ain't Easy: Although this applies to both live and online play, we see it so often in online poker games that it had to be included: don't limp when you're the first to enter a pot! The logic behind this tip us that since you have no money involved in the pot, if you fold you lose nothing. Therefore, if you're going call you had better have a hand that expects to earn money-and if your hand is a favorite, you should raise. In addition, you will also stop giving away valuable information about the hands you are playing (astute players will quickly divide your holdings into raising and calling hands). By raising every time you enter a pot, you reveal the minimum amount of information possible. (It should also be noted that in Hold'em there a number of hands that are not worth a call, but are worth a raise-however, that's another article.) In short, the best way to think about this rule is that if a hand is not strong enough to raise with, it is not strong enough to call with.
Of course, in poker, there is an exception to every rule. If for instance, you're holding Aces and you know that the maniac to your left will raise if you limp in, then by all means, limp away. However, this play is a much more advanced move and you had better know what you're doing before you try it. Not only do you risk wasting a big pocket pair, but you may easily end up going broke if your opponent limps behind you and makes two pair on the flop with a K,5.
Tip Four: Short-Handed Play: Most likely, a good number of the tournaments you'll be playing online will be Sit-and-Go's (9-handed games that begin as soon as 9 players signup to play.) When playing Sit-and-Go's you'll inevitably be faced with short-handed play (or at least you hope you will be). When playing short-handed, aggression is key. I'm sure you've seen it before: the game gets down to three or four players and suddenly the guy on your right is going nuts! He's raising, re-raising, and completely dominating the game. To the beginner, or to those inexperienced in short-handed play, this wild-man appears to have just thrown caution to the wind. He finally shows down a hand and he's holding K,9! However, he probably won the hand-and he probably stole a bunch o' blinds before that. So what's his trick? Aggression. A complete poker player must learn to play a solid aggressive game. It's simply not enough to sit back and wait for good cards during 9/10 handed play, only to fall apart when you're close to the big money spots. For example, have you seen T.J. Cloutier at a final table? He's about as tight as they come until he reaches short-handed play. That's when he comes out firing. He does this because he knows that if he doesn't, someone will-and then it'll be him getting run over and not the other way around.
I know this tip may make you a little uncomfortable if you're generally a tight player-but believe me, once you learn to enjoy short-handed play it's probably the most fun you'll have a poker table.

Bio: Nick Standlea is an owner of Hold'em Shirts & Gear and Hold'em Shirts & Gear (CafePress). For additional poker articles visit Hold'em Shirts & Gear's article library.

---

Google News Updated : Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:13:38 GMT Hillary Clinton's Staff Looking to Avoid Embarrassing Anti-Obama ... - FOXNews Times Online Hillary Clinton's Staff Looking to Avoid Embarrassing Anti-Obama ... FOXNews - 58 minutes ago Hillary Clinton's staff is trying to avoid an embarrassing anti-Obama demonstration by her supporters during the floor vote at next week's Democratic convention in Denver. Clinton Will Attend Fund-Raiser for Towns New York Times Clinton for VP? She Says Ask the Obama Campaign ABC News CNN Political Ticker - New York Times Blogs - Newsweek - U.S. News & World Report all 546 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:15:16 GMT Microsoft's Photosynth wilts under pressure - Computerworld Washington Post Microsoft's Photosynth wilts under pressure Computerworld - 44 minutes ago By Gregg Keizer August 21, 2008 (Computerworld) Within hours of its launch, Microsoft Corp.'s new photo-stitching service went dark, overwhelmed by demand, the company said Thursday afternoon. New Microsoft photo site spends first day offline The Associated Press New Microsoft Tech Converts Photo Soup Into 3-D Image TechNewsWorld InformationWeek - PC Magazine - TG Daily - Christian Science Monitor all 323 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:28:59 GMT GM to Invest $500 Million To Build Chevy Cruze - Wall Street Journal Turkish Press GM to Invest $500 Million To Build Chevy Cruze Wall Street Journal - 3 hours ago By KATHY SHWIFF General Motors Corp. will spend more than $500 million in the US to build the Chevrolet Cruze, a next-generation compact car. GM announces $500M investment for small car The Associated Press GM to invest $500 million in small car plant MarketWatch Reuters - CNNMoney.com - CNET News - BloggingStocks all 266 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:10:12 GMT IAC Officially Breaks Up - Wall Street Journal Los Angeles Times IAC Officially Breaks Up Wall Street Journal - 55 minutes ago By DAVID BENOIT and KATHY SHWIFF IAC is left as a collection of more than 35 Internet companies -- including search engine Ask.com, dating site Match. IAC: And Then There Were Five Forbes Diller's IAC Split May Fail to Boost Investor Returns (Update2) Bloomberg The Associated Press - MarketWatch - FOXBusiness - CNNMoney.com all 280 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:17:40 GMT Marlins let one slip away in San Francisco - Sports Network The Associated Press Marlins let one slip away in San Francisco Sports Network - 39 minutes ago San Francisco, CA (Sports Network) - Marlins reliever Kevin Gregg's wild pitch in bottom of the ninth inning scored Emmanuel Burriss to send San Francisco past Florida, 4-3, in the finale of a three-game series. Giants walk off on Gregg's wild pitch MLB.com Giants beat Marlins on wild pitch in 9th inning The Associated Press San Jose Mercury News - Rotoworld.com - Akron Farm Report - Flamarlins.com all 81 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:33:45 GMT UPDATE 1-Microsoft enlists Seinfeld for ad campaign--source - Reuters UPDATE 1-Microsoft enlists Seinfeld for ad campaign--source Reuters - 2 hours ago By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Comedian Jerry Seinfeld will star in a $300 million marketing campaign for Microsoft Corp aimed at burnishing the image of its computer operating system, a person familiar with the effort said on Thursday ... Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates to star in anti-Apple ads TG Daily Seinfeld to be pitchman for Microsoft The Associated Press Slashdot - Bizjournals.com - GameSHOUT - Ars Technica all 474 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:27:28 GMT My Super Sweet 16: The Miley Cyrus Edition - E! Online E! Online My Super Sweet 16: The Miley Cyrus Edition E! Online - 3 hours ago Miley Cyrus is about to show up all those spoiled brats on My Super Sweet 16 who think they're cool being flown to their party by helicopter or when they're carried in like a princess by a group of hot dudes. Miley Cyrus to Celebrate Turning 16 at Disneyland People Magazine Miley Cyrus Sweet 16 KFSN Press-Enterprise - The Gossip Girls - United Press International - Best Syndication all 87 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:21:48 GMT RSS to HTML Increase Traffic

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Slot Machine Odds

It probably more appropriate to call slot machines entertainment than... Read More

Soccer Livebetting

Live betting is one of the main sources of income... Read More

Tips To Ponder Before Buying A Poker Table

Poker tables come in al shapes, sizes and prices.Folding poker... Read More

Poker Tournaments

Most people believe that poker tournaments are for the most... Read More

How to Beat Roulette with A Simple 3 Point System

Many players try to beat roulette by buying a "sure... Read More

Why Use an Internet Sports Book to Make Wagers?

Although I started using online sportsbooks almost ten years ago,... Read More

Introduction to Texas Holdem Strategy ? 3 Concepts

Concept #1 ? Pot OddsLong-term profits in holdem come from... Read More

The Secret of Come Betting

Pssst...! Wanna know a secret?How about the secrets of come... Read More

Gambling Tips

In order for a player to enjoy a more pleasant... Read More

Video Poker - Should You Play Maximim Coins?

The arguments are almost endless about whether or not to... Read More

Online Bingo - Internet Craze

Traditional Bingo has been a popular pastime for many years... Read More

Blackjack - What Are the Odds?

It goes without saying but we'll say it anyway: the... Read More

5s in Blackjack

Counting cards in blackjack is a way to increase your... Read More

The Concept of Value in Sports Betting!

In sports betting you need to make sure that your... Read More

Do You Want to Discover the Three Hidden Secrets of the Poker Playing Professional?

What's the difference between an amateur and a professional when... Read More

Gambling Addiction Basics

The coming age has brought with it numerous new pathological... Read More

4 Tips to Improve Your Online Poker Game

Online Poker has increased in popularity exponentially over the past... Read More

4 Poker Tips the Pros Wont Tell You

In the past few years, professional poker playing has exploded... Read More

The New Face of Poker - Internet Poker

There are several online poker rooms that offer Poker games... Read More

How to Handicap Football Like The Pros

Hello my name is Chris Liput professional handicapper with Fast... Read More

Poker Online Freeroll Tournaments

Poker online freeroll tournaments are a huge way to leverage... Read More

The Eternal Allure of Gambling

I just spent three days in the land of milk... Read More

6-max Texas Limit Holdem: Pre-Flop Play

Position is even more important in 6-max play than in... Read More

Megabucks Slot Machine

"Deposit, click, pull, spin, bells, lights, wait, patience, one, two,... Read More

Please Help My Husband, Wife, Partner, Spouse, or Other Family Member to Stop Gambling

It doesn't matter whether you are the husband, wife, partner,... Read More