This is how the school currently flows from start to finish. Seems to not work in Mozilla - oddness...
Welcome to the Go Compare Poker School. This section is intended for people who are totally new to poker, or have played a few times and need a reminder. You can pick and choose information to look at with the menu on the left, but we suggest working your way through the guide to make sure you fill in any gaps.
SKIP TO: Learning Poker or Online Poker guides.
There are many different variations of poker. Texas Hold `Em is the most popular form and that's what most people start with, so there'll be plenty of other people in your shoes.
Playing variations such as Omaha Hi/Lo and Five Card Stud, particularly Pot-Limit and No-Limit structures as a new player could be a potentially very expensive decision, as the ratio of good players to bad is not in your favour.
We also recommend starting with the Fixed-Limit betting structure. Some people may argue that this is bad advice because you may end up playing too loose when you switch to No-Limit or Pot-Limit. However, most new players will have a natural tendency to play too loose anyway, and we believe Fixed-Limit Texas Hold `Em is the way to get used to playing tighter. It also allows you to start to understand the texture of the flop, and other intricacies of the game whilst using the most simple betting structure.
This guide is based on Texas Hold `Em but it has relevance to all forms of poker. For information of other forms of poker check out our Rules pages.
Anyone who's seen poker being played but never played the game will have heard terms that they don't understand. As a new player it's essential that you read, listen and learn from other more experienced players than yourself. To make the most of it you need to understand the terms that you are likely to hear. Here are some of the most common terms that you need to be aware of, for anything else check out the glossary.
| FLOP | The first 3 community cards dealt as a group. | |
| TURN | The fourth community card dealt. | |
| RIVER | The fifth and final community card dealt. | |
| DEALER BUTTON | The dealer is marked by the dealer button. The position of the dealer affects which players are required to post the blinds, and the order of players to act. | |
Most forms of poker are based on 5-card hands, e.g. Texas Hold `Em. Although each player has 7 cards to choose from (2 'pocket' or 'hole cards' & 5 'community cards' ), it's only the best 5 of these which make up the best hand. The same is true of Omaha, 9 cards to choose from but on 5 making up the final hand.
There are other types of poker based on 3 card hands in which the strengths of a flush or straight are reversed, but we're not going to worry about them for the moment. Check out the specific rules sections for further information of different types of poker.
ROYAL FLUSH |
Simply the best hand you can have, must run from 10 to Ace of the same suit. |
STRAIGHT FLUSH |
5 consecutive value cards, all of the same suit. |
FOUR OF A KIND |
Four cards of the same value. When players are tied, the highest kicker determines the winner. |
FULL HOUSE |
Three cards of the same value and two cards of the same value. When players are tied, the value of the three card set determines the winner. |
FLUSH |
Five cards of the same suit. Highest card in the flush determines the winner. |
STRAIGHT |
Five cards of consecutive value. Ace can be high or low. |
THREE OF A KIND |
Three cards of the same value. When players are tied, the highest kicker determines the winner. |
TWO PAIR |
When players are tied, the highest kicker determines the winner. |
PAIR |
2 cards of the same value. When players are tied, the highest kicker determines the winner. |
HIGH CARD |
When you don't have any particular hand, the highest card wins. |
Knowing the rules is something that some beginners can sometimes take for granted. They'll get the basic idea but not spot that more information might be needed. It's important to know exactly what's going on. Do you know who wins if 2 players turn up slightly different full houses, how much you can bet in pot limit or exactly how the low hand works on Omaha Hi/Lo Split? If there's any holes in your knowledge or just something you want to check you'll find the answer's here.
As we have discussed this guide is based on Texas Hold `Em, so that's the only game we've supplied rules for in this section. For other poker variations you can also browse the full list of rules.
Make sure you're familiar with the rules and check out the glossary whenever you find a term you don't know.
So far we have seen:
Well that's up to you. You can continue with our guide that looks at basic techniques and tactics and playing poker online, or perhaps jump straight in a choose a site from our Online Poker Reviews section.
Most sites allow you to play games on 'Play Money' tables; nothing to win, nothing to lose. As you'll see further along in our guide, these tables are excellent for helping you to understand the rules and structures of different versions of poker and allows you to test the software without being forced to make a deposit. However do not use them for practicing and developing your game or you will soon find yourself developing all sorts of bad habits.
Poker is a highly complicated game. The old adage is true that Texas Hold 'Em can take just a few minutes to learn but years to master. But you don't have to have mastered the game to become a consistent winner. If you choose the right level and endeavour to keep learning and improving, online poker can be very lucrative, even at low levels. However, it's very easy to think you're a good poker player when you are not. Understand your strengths and your weaknesses and improve on both.
This guide is designed to give you a good understanding of the fundamental concepts, techniques and tactics for winning at poker, whether it's online or in a bricks and mortar casino. It is based on Texas Hold 'Em but many of the concepts described here can also be attributed to most types of poker.
We will look at the mathematics of poker, the importance of hand position and table image, as well as betting techniques such as bluffing and check-raising.
You are expected to already know about:
For further information on more advanced techniques, tactics and concepts for Texas Hold 'Em or any other form of poker, check out our Essential Reading guide.
To win at poker in any form you need an understanding of the maths, odds and probabilities of the game. This is especially true when you play on the internet because tells are so limited online.
A good knowledge of maths and an ability to spot betting patterns are the most powerful tools that the online poker player can have. Your aim is to figure out if the odds are in your favour; get your money in when they are, and drop your cards when they are not.
There are several ways of expressing the chances that an event will or will not occur. For instance, what are the chances that if you take one card from the deck that it will be a diamond? We know that 1 in 4 of the cards in a normal deck are diamonds, so this can be expressed as:
When using decimals, 1 is the same as 100%. So 25% is the same as 0.25.
To convert a decimal to a percentage you simply multiply by 100. e.g. 0.25 x 100 = 25%. To convert a percentage to a decimal you divide by 100.
It's sensible to think of poker in terms of it being one long game with lots of different sessions, rather than different games. Every time you sit down to play you're just carrying on from the last session. If you consistently make plays that make mathematical sense where the odds are in your favour, you will find that probability will be your friend. Keep on the right side of the odds and they'll make sure you're paid for it in the long run.
It can sometimes be frustrating seeing players calling your bets and hitting the cards, when the odds suggest they should have folded. Don't be frustrated! These players are your bread and butter when you start the game. If they keep calling you against the odds, you will end up better off than them in the long run!
If you're not convinced think about it with this example. What if we flipped a coin and said to you, "Call it. We'll give you a £100 if you win, you give us £50 if you lose." Presuming we let you repeat it as many times as you liked (and of course that you knew we weren't cheating!), you'd be fool not to accept. The odds are heavily stacked in your favour - you won't win more often than us, but when you win you'll get much more. Even if you lost the 1st time, the 2nd time, even the 3rd or 4th time, it wouldn't matter. You know that the longer you go on the more probability will come into play. If half the time you win, and half the time we win, you would actually be up £50 on average for every 2 coin flips.
All you need to do then is pick up your winnings and walk away when we suggest swapping places!
Unfortunately it's rarely that clear cut in poker and many other factors come into play, such as the betting patterns of your opponents and what you think they are holding. Make sure you get the basics right and you'll be able to move onwards and upwards.
The art of betting is all about getting the odds in your favour. As a poker player you need to find as many situations as you can where this is the case, and to get out of situations where it's not. If you are successful you will be a consistent winner. Even with just a slight edge, you will find that repeated over and over, you will win more money than you will lose.
The most simple example to demonstrate pot odds is with a drawing hand. This is where you are not holding the winning cards but if the right card hits the board they could improve into the best hand.
Let's look at an example:
There are 2 players left in the hand, your opponent in the small blind and you on the button.
You have 
+ 
.
The flop is 
, and the turn comes 
. The small blind bets. You believe that he has another Ace in his hand with a high kicker so is currently beating you.
What do you do?
If you call the bet in this example, you are hoping that a diamond will land on the river so that you make a flush. There are 9 diamond cards left in the deck and 46 possible cards remaining. That's a 9/46 chance. To get the probability of hitting divide 46 by 9, which gives 1 in 5.11.
1 in 5.11 is the same as 4.11 to 1. So, for the odds to be in your favour you need to win more than $4.11 for every $1 that you have to bet to be allowed to stay in the hand. To figure out what you should do for our example you need more information. We haven't told you how much you need to put in to call, or how much is already in the pot.
If there was $10 in the pot and your opponent bets $1, you could win $11 for your $1. This means that the 'pot odds' are 11 to 1. Your chances of hitting the best hand are 4.11 to 1. You should definitely stay in the hand.
As we've seen in the last section it's important to understand your pot odds in any situation. But that's not the whole story. Pot odds incorporate everything that is in the pot so far, but don't include the potential of more chips going into the pot if you do hit the card that you want.
Implied odds are caluclated in the same way as pot odds, except that you include the amount you can reasonably expect to go into the pot.
True odds are the odds that you actually get on your bet. However, it's almost always impossible to calculate your true odds. To do so you would need to know pot odds, implied odds, the chances of your opponent folding to a raise or calling or re-raising. You'd also need to know what other cards had already been folded.
The only odds that you can be sure of are the current pot odds. But you can have an idea of what you think your opponent will do. You can also speculate what you believe your opponent to have, and incorporate this information into your calculations.
The closer you can get to knowing your true odds the better your result will be in the long run.
The order in which each player acts in Texas Hold `Em is determined by the position of the dealer, or player representing the dealer, indicated by the dealer button. After each hand the button is passed clockwise around the table, which means that your position relative to the rest of the table, is constantly changing. The later you act, the greater your advantage in the hand. This is because you get to see what other players have done, before you have to commit any of your chips to the pot. The strongest position to be in is to be 'on the button', representing the designated dealer for that hand.
The differing strengths of different positions means that you should play a different range of hands pre-flop, dependent on your current position. For example, if you are in a late position with suited connectors such as 
+ , you could get good value to play the hand if lots of players have limped in. However, you would be better folding the same hand against a raise without any other callers. The reason for this is that you will usually not hit the hand you want, a straight or a flush, so when you do you want to be in a potentially large pot. With many players in the hand it can pay well, but up against just a couple of players you won't win enough money in the long run to justify the cost of playing the hand on all the occasions when you don't hit anything big enough.
Understanding the consequences of good or bad position is very important for new players to get to grips with. A lot of new players don't fully understand the importance of position and it becomes a costly part of their game. More explanation can be found in the Starting Hands section, as position very much affects the hands you can play before the flop.
As a beginner to poker it is essential that you recognise the value of playing the right starting hands. Players who can play well after the flop can play more hands pre-flop because their skill will teach them to know when to get out of the pot with a mid value hand. The range of hands that you should play depends on several important factors:
The ideas surrounding starting hands can get fairly complicated, but the basic concepts are pretty easy to follow. We highly recommend following the principles of highly acclaimed poker writers David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth. In their book HOLD 'EM POKER - FOR ADVANCED PLAYERS they categorise every possible Texas Hold 'Em starting hand into groups, and then describe which groups should be played and in what contexts.
We've summarised this information in the following pages, but we must stress that the full explanations in the book will provide a much greater understanding of the concepts than we are able to provide here. It is also on our list of recommended reading. Take it from us, it's worth every penny, many many times over.
Defined as the three positions to the left of the blinds in a 10 player game. Note that it's important to know what sort of game you are playing in to able to gauge the likelihood of seeing much action happen after you.
| GAME TYPE | PLAYABLE HANDS |
|---|---|
| Typical | Groups 1-4 |
| Loose Passive | Add some of group 5, especially suited connectors |
| Tough | Groups 1-3 |
You need to temper your selections according to how the game is going. The aggression level of the game affects HOW MANY hands you should be playing. So if the game is very aggressive you might want to tighten up to protect your money, attacking when you have premium hands. In a more passive game you can get away with playing a few more hands.
You should decide on the type of hands that you play according to how loose or how tight your opponents are. For example, in a loose game you may get value with suited connectors, being likely to end up in a large multiway pot. In a tight game you are unlikely to get the loose that you need to give suited connectors value. This is especially true in an game.
If there has already been a raise only play groups 1 & 2, maybe even only the stronger group 2 hands. If the raiser is a loose raiser and you believe you are likely to have better cards, you may want to re-raise to try and isolate him in the hand, rather than calling and allowing others in behind you.
In a particularly loose game you can call a raise with some group 3 hands, but not AQ. You must be sure there will be callers behind you to get proper value.
Defined as the next 3 seats from the early positions, 4th, 5th and 6th to act pre-flop.
| Game Type | Playable Hands |
|---|---|
| Typical, un-raised pot | Groups 1-5 |
| Loose | Add group 6 |
| Loose Aggressive | Remove weaker group 5 hands such as KJ and T8s |
If there are no callers already throw away suited connectors and small pairs because there won't be enough action to pay you off when you hit a big hand.
With no callers almost always raise groups 1-3.
If there has already been a raise almost always re-raise AA, KK, QQ, AKs, & AK. Occasionally re-raise with hands like T9s or 88, but only do this if you think your opponents are observant enough to notice.
Almost always raise if:
Defined as the button plus 1 or 2 to the right of it.
Usually play aggressively if short handed, unless the remaining players are loose. If it's a multi-way pot, also play less aggressively if you're holding a good multi-way hand such as suit connectors (unless you're likely to get good action on a big hand anyway), but less aggressively if you're holding high cards, such as AQ.
If no-one has called or raised you should almost always raise a playable hand, usually groups 1-7. If there's already 1 or 2 callers, usually raise groups 1-3.
To cold call a raise only use premium hands unless it's a multi-way pot, when you can call with hands like T9s and 88 that will pay well if you hit. Remember, you must be able to get rid of these hands if you hit a mediocre hand or this will end up costing you. Also, take into consideration the position of the raiser and how loose he is.
For the purposes of deception you can sometimes re-raise a medium pair or a hand like JTs. This does require your opponents to be observant enough to notice.
If only one late raiser is already in, almost always re-raise with groups 1-3 and sometimes with group 4 if it is a weak raiser. This is because they may well be trying to steal the pot.
On the button with no-one in already, raise with hands 1-8. Many players raise with Ace-rag. If you do this it needs to be against player who will check on the river if they have nothing, even if you've shown weakness on the turn by checking.
The blinds are different from the other positions because before the flop you will be the penultimate or last player to act. For the rest of the betting rounds you will be at the start of the betting order. This means that you are able to play more hands than in early positions because you know what everyone else has done. But you must always keep in your mind that you will be 'Out of Position' for the rest hand. Calling with weak hands on the small blind is a classic beginner mistake and can be very costly if you call players down with mid pairs or low kickers.
Just as in other positions you should be more inclined to play hands such as suited connectors or Ace rag suited, when more players are in the pot. Evaluate the potential value of the hand, from the table type, the number of players already in and whether or not there has already been a raise(s).
When you are in the big blind and no-one raises, you have the option to check. In general you should only raise in this situation with premium hands. However, you may want to occasionally raise with hands such as medium suited connectors if several players have called. This is partly for the purposes of deception. Also, when you do hit a big hand you may win a very large pot because the raise will usually be remembered, and your opponents may well not expect you to have the cards that you do. In this situation you will need to remember that you may well have to fold your hand if you hit only a moderate strength hand.
Another exception to the rule of only raising premium hands is when everyone folds except for the button and/or the small blind who have flat called. A lot of players will take this as a sign of weakness and raise a wide range of hands. This can win pots even when you miss the flop and can be a good tactic to ensure that in future hands these players fold where they would call, fearing a raise.
If everyone else folds whilst you're in the small blind, we would usually recommend not just calling. This may well result in being raised by the big blind to put the pressure on you. The main thing in your decision is the type of player you think the big blind is. If he's very tight you can get away with raising a few more hands. If he often aggressively defends his blinds you can get away with less.
Whatever you do make sure you mix it up a bit. If you get the balance right of how many to raise and how many to fold, you can keep the big blind thinking that when you raise you may well have a good hand, and you can steal a few extra with the weaker ones. Flip it the other way when he thinks you'll raise just about anything in that position, you're more likely to get more out of him when you do hit. However, he'll bluff back at you when you miss.
If you find a player who will consistently call and then fold if he misses the flop you should really put the pressure on them. The odds are in your favour as he has to hit a hand to win the pot.
When everyone folds round to the players in late positions, you will more often see a raise than a call. They have seen no-one else liked their hands, and an opportunity to 'steal' the blinds opens up. Again you need to figure out what type of player has just raised you. Be more inclined to fold to selective raisers, and more inclined to raise back at those who regularly try to steal the blinds.
You must stay away from the idea of calling and folding if you miss the flop. If you consistently do this your hourly rate will plummet.
Your table image is the way that your opponents think that you play, or are playing at that moment. Creating a false table image, i.e. making your opponents believe you are playing in a different way than you actually are, can be a highly valuable achievement. If for example you have developed a tight table image, you may find that your opponents fold quite easily when you bet. If It's generally accepted that you should try to vary your actual play from your table image to and confuse and deceive your opponents.
KEY CONCEPT: If you are new to online poker, we highly recommend the following as your usual plan of action. As we suggested elsewhere, start with low fixed-limit Texas Hold 'Em. Play tight at first to build a tight image, and then start to throw in a few bluffs when you see that your opponents are often folding against you. Playing this way will get you into a position where you can bet out every time you hit a reasonable hand but also get away with a few extras.
"There's no such thing as an unsuccessful bluff."
Or so they say. There's a lot of truth to this idea, but it must be taken in context. For example, if you are thought of as a 'straight up' player, only betting and calling with good hands, throwing a bluff or two into the mix is definitely a good idea. If it works and your opponents fold, you win the hand. If it doesn't work your opponents see you are capable of a bluff and will be more likely to call your bets when you have the best hand, therefore making future hands more profitable. However, if you're seen as a wild player that bluffs a lot, your chances of making everyone fold will be less, and you should bluff less.
The more you play the more you will get used to spotting opportunities to make your bluff. It all depends on how you've played the hand so far, your current table image, and the chances you think there are of making your opponents fold. We're not going to go particularly in-depth on bluffing, but you can find more information from our Essential Reading section.
It's very important to have the check raise as part of your weaponry. A check raise is exactly what it sounds like: you check hoping your opponent will bet, and you then raise. If your opponents are aware of the fact that you are a powerful check-raiser they will be less likely to put in bets against you when you show weakness with a check. This will often allow you to see an extra card for free in future hands.
The free card is actually a bit of a misnomer. A typical example is being in a late position, holding 4 cards to a flush, and needing the fifth to complete your hand. If an early player bets out on the flop and there are a couple of callers, you can raise in the hope that the players will only call, and then check all the way round to you on the turn. If you do not complete your hand you can check, meaning that you get to see the turn and the river for your initial raise on the flop. Your 'Free Card' is therefore not actually free, but discounted. Be aware that your opponents may be aware of what you are doing and may either re-raise you, or bet again on the turn. Your attempt to get a 'free card' could therefore cost you more money.
Whilst there is a huge amount of literature on the Internet based around how to play poker well, there is a large percentage of it that is either inadequately sourced from books or is just plainly bad advice. That's not to say that you shouldn't use Internet based advice, just be cynical until you know not to be. We highly recommend getting your head into some good old fashioned paperbacks, especially those on our Recommended Reading list.
Playing poker from behind a computer screen is vastly different from playing in a bricks and mortar casino. It's essential that you understand the differences, as well as exploring the tools that are available to help you.
This guide is designed to give you an understanding of what'sthe basic concepts of playing poker. It's mainly based on Texas Hold `Em, and presumes you know the rules and hand rankings.
There are lots of things that you have to think about when you play poker online rather than face to face. We'll look at things such as:
If you are looking for more advanced techniques and concepts for Texas Hold `Em or any other form of poker, check out our Essential Reading guide.
|
|
|
There are some very obvious differences between playing poker online and playing in a bricks and mortar casino, but there are also a lot that you may not think of.
The whole experience of playing poker face to face is exactly that. It's an experience. A thing that you go and do. Even if you're not really aware of it, you prepare yourself for playing live. You've got your journey to the venue, banter with other players, handing over your hard earned cash to get back the chips that represent it - lots of things happen before you sit down and the cards are dealt. Even if you have a home game and your mates come to you, you'll still prepare - readying the cards and chips, maybe sorting out music, food and drinks.
Playing online has no preparation period. All you need to do is sit down at your computer, open the software and choose a table. It's a simple as that. Any self respecting online poker player will be fully aware of this, and many have routines that they go through to help themselves mentally prepare for their coming session.
In this section of the Poker School we will look at some of the aspects of playing poker online that you must think about if you want to get the most out of it. Everything here as an impact on how much money you win or lose, in just as serious a way as the tactics you choose to play the game.
You might be an accomplished player on the felt, the same game is very different viewed through a computer screen
It is important to choose a site or sites that you are comfortable with. You want to be concentrating on the game, not struggling with a below par notes system or wasting time figuring out what's happening because the site doesn't give clear enough information. Read through our reviews to see which sites you might like.
Once you have chosen your site you need to make sure that you know exactly how everything works. This is where play money tables really become useful. Whilst they are terrible for learning how to win at poker, they are perfect for becoming familiar with the software; where all the buttons are, how to choose the best options for sound and graphics and all the other things that you will need to use during your game. They also mean that you can properly check out whether you want to play at a site before depositing any money.
If you check your favourite site and find a perfect game straight away then great. But a lot of the time you'll find something that is alright, but not as good as you'd like, or maybe the only good game is at higher stakes than your bankroll can handle. So why not check other sites as well. There are always great games happening somewhere on the Internet, and once you've found one that's half the battle over. If you can't find a profitable game online, you're not looking hard enough.
Most poker sites are part of a larger network. This means that when you are playing on a site you may be playing against players from other sites. If you find a network that you like with good software and profitable games that suit you, it's then worth making yourself aware of what other sites are on that network. You may find one with a better regular bonus or freerolls than the one you currently use. You may want to open an account with another site on the same network to take advantage of a new player bonus and then switch back for a better regular bonus. Just like with any service, you need to know what's on offer to get the best of it.
You can browse through our networks section to see which sites each network comprises of.
Software is one of the most fundamental elements of what's going to make you comfortable with a site, and therefore more likely to win. In any poker game it is important that you can tell what's going on. But in online poker you have a very limited amount of time to make your decisions, so it must be very clear for you to see at a glance.
Make sure you're comfortable with the notes system. It needs to be easy to access, with enough space for plenty of notes. Any player serious about making money from poker online needs to use the notes well. Don't be under the impression that if you use a tracker for example that you'll be able to get away with not taking notes. You need every edge you can.
A lot of people choose their poker sites based on the bonuses that are on offer. We fundamentally believe that this is the wrong way to do things. If you can get a bonus as part of your normal play that's great, but you must be sure that you are playing the game that suits you most, i.e. the most profitable one. You will make more money playing a good game than chasing a good bonus. For example, if you spend 10 hours playing at a site to clear the requirements of a bonus, but there are better and more profitable tables elsewhere, that's 10 hours of playing at a worse hourly rate than you would have been. If you look into it properly, most people will more often than not find that the bonus amount will not be as much as the better result that a more profitable table would have been. And of course, most bonuses will take longer than 10 hours to clear.
Operating multiple accounts online and staying aware of all the offers that are available is a good way of maximising your profits. But are they really paying off? Beware of thinking too much of these 'bonuses' as something extra. They are in essence a discount on a service - it is not free money. As an online poker player you are charged for the privilege of using the service in the form of rake on ring games, and as the fee that is put on the top of tournament buy-ins. Particularly when looking at regular monthly bonuses, they work as a discount on the fees that you pay. Poker sites do their maths well and you can be sure that when you are awarded with bonuses that the company has not lost out. None the less, you could be financially better off by playing on one site with a bonus as opposed to playing the same game on another site on the same network which doesn't have a bonus or you have already received it from.
It is important that you make sure that you don't chase bonuses. If you are playing in games that you would be playing anyway, then that's fine. A bonus for your play is always welcome. But if you chase bonuses and end up playing in games that you wouldn't normally play otherwise, then you need to be careful. There's no point in getting a £25 bonus if you lose £50 trying to get it (or even if you win £50 less than you would have done). Only go for bonuses that are suitable for your own play.
Another element to consider is your money management. If you hold accounts with 10 different sites that each gives you a monthly bonus, you need to have enough money in each of your 10 accounts to be able to fulfil the requirements of each offer. Either that or you need to deposit and withdraw lots of times, which can introduce problems with having to wait for money to clear from one account to then be deposited into another, or with currency exchanges. Also, it's not necessarily going to draw favour with your bank if you've got loads of entries for depositing to gambling websites every month!
Make sure that you find a method that is suitable to you that allows you to play at the levels that you are most comfortable with, and with enough of a bankroll. Beware of spreading your money too thinly, as coming into a game with less money than you are used to or are happy with can affect your game for numerous different reasons.
We have just pointed out some of the negative elements of bonuses. Now make wise decisions about what to go for, and then smile to yourself that you're getting the best deal that you could. Don't allow yourself to think that you could be getting more when to do so would put you in uncomfortable and unprofitable situations. Used well bonuses can make your poker life a lot easier and more rewarding. Enjoy!
Banking is a very important element of online poker that you can't afford to forget about. Poker is about giving yourself every little edge that you can, to get as much of your opponents' cash into your pockets as possible. In a bricks and mortar venue, when you finish your game and pick up your chips from the table, you just have a quick trip to the cashier to get them to hand over your cash. Playing online means getting someone to handle your money for you and they may well charge for that. Add in a less than favourable currency exchange to the mix, and you could gift a chunk of your winnings away. If you're not careful you could easily end up losing around 5% on all of your transactions. Choosing your banking methods well is therefore very important.
We cannot stress enough that the best way for you to keep all of your winnings is to not pay anyone to transfer your money, or to allow currency conversions to take place. The easiest way to do that is to:
*Some poker site operators may charge for using some types of debit cards although most will not. All good sites will supply complete information of charges for whatever payment method you can use.
Remember that just because many sites will only have games in $USD, it doesn't mean that you can't have an account in your own currency. In this case the same exchange rate would be used when buying into and cashing out from a game, so you wouldn't lose out there. Technically you might lose out on a fraction of a penny each time, but good sites will round the fraction up as well as down.
Use our Online Poker Reviews search filter to find sites that allow you to have an account in your own currency.
Some sites, with some payment methods, will only allow you to withdraw to the value of what you have deposited. Usually the reason for this can be quoted as `security`. Hmmm.
This is not usually well documented, for obvious reasons, and will probably take you by surprise. It's not that common but it does happen. If you find yourself in this situation try to find other withdrawal options that suit you, and it may be best to empty your account and leave them to it. You'll usually find that you can use a different site on the same network that allows you to use your cards as you want to. It doesn't hurt to tell them why you're leaving either. Complaining in the right manner can sometimes even get you a small complementary credit to your account.
You should avoid:
Some people may want to avoid using a debit card because it is intrinsically linked to your bank account. This could be a costly mistake. You might perhaps want to use a different bank account than you use for your normal day to day banking. This might also be a way of making it easier to track your progress in terms of wins or loses.
As we've already seen using debit cards can often be the cheapest way to transfer your money from your bank account to your poker account and vice versa. There usually won't be a charge for this at all, but check with the site to be sure.
You will usually have no troubles either depositing or withdrawing with this method, but you do need to check that you will be able to withdraw to the same card. Some cards/sites will not allow this to happen, so another withdrawal method needs to be used.
With some site / card combinations you might find that you can only withdraw to the amount that you have deposited. This means that you will need to organise another method for withdrawing any money beyond that. Check with the site first if this would cause you a problem.
There are lots of companies that have set up with the specific purpose of moving money over the Internet from one person or organisation to another, which are known as E-Wallets. The most obvious reason to use these companies is security. If you only give your bank or card details to just one company rather than every site that you use, there are less opportunities for fraud being perpetrated against you.
Another bonus is that only one contact with your bank means that you don't have to have lots of unwanted entries on your statement, because you can move money from one poker site to another without it going through your bank account. Many also offer the option of a pre-paid ATM card which means that you can withdraw your money from ATM machines.
The negative side of using such institutions is that you are opening yourself up to the possibility of greater charges than aren't strictly necessary. This could be in the form of direct charges for withdrawing or depositing money or commission on currency conversions. Also you may be required to pay for your ATM card. Some of these companies, particularly the smaller ones, have below par customer service and we would advise contacting them with several questions before choosing to sign up for one of their accounts.
 |
Click2Pay is becoming ever more popular. The easiest method to fund your account is with a debit or credit card. To withdraw you can use the Click2Pay debit card to withdraw funds through ATM machines throughout the world, or you can have a cheque mailed to you. Be aware that there is a $10 fee to get the Click2Pay debit card. |
 |
You will only really encounter E-Cash Direct when using sites on the Cryptologic network. For most of the sites on the network, but not all, they deal with all the banking and customer service. This can be an advantage if you use multiple Cryptologic accounts because if you call the support team they'll usually be able to deal with each of the accounts. |
 |
FirePay currently only accepts users from the USA, Canada and the United Kingdom. It is possible to make transactions to and from your FirePay account directly to and from your bank account. |
 |
Neteller is a very popular choice amongst online poker sites, and indeed there are several that actively encourage it's use. The obvious advantage is that one account can be used to service many different poker accounts, but beware of hidden charges and spurious currency exchanges. |
 |
PayPal is a massively popular option for people wanting to transfer money over the Internet. It was bought out by E-Bay and since then has become even more popular. There are a lot of poker sites that use it, but most certainly don't take it for granted that yours will. |
 |
Western Union is a well established company. If you're looking for a trusted name this could be it. It's known mostly for the ability to transfer money to friends and family around the world but can also be used to make online transactions. |
Most poker sites use cheques but it will be the long way round. When withdrawing you will first of all have to wait to get the cheque, which can take a few days in itself, and then you need to get to the bank and wait for it to clear. For larger amounts cheques may be free, but there will often be a small charge for this service. We can't really see any reason to use cheques except when other methods can't be used for other reasons, but if that's the way you like to do things it's always available.
This is where you pay money directly to and from your bank account without using cards or cheques. Make sure you are aware of any charges that apply before making a wire transfer. They can sometimes be quite expensive, but not always.
In the last section of the poker school we've been looking at managing the banking for your accounts. But there's more to think about than just the methods that you deposit and withdraw with. Your challenge when playing online is firstly to find a good game to sit at, that suits your needs and is going to allow you to win as much as possible. If you have one poker account you can pick between all the tables available on that network. But if you have another account, on a different network it's then possible for you to browse twice as many tables to make your choice. We recommend having at least one account on each of the major networks as well as with the major independent sites to maximize your options.
So now you have a new dilemma. How do you spread your bankroll out? To make use of the extra tables that extra accounts provide you need to have funds within each account to be able to take a seat at whatever table you want, or at least have the ability to deposit very swiftly.
The amount of money that you need to have in your account depends on the limits at which you play. It is important to not spread yourself too thin as you may lose a little and end up in a situation where you are tempted to buy-in to a table with too few chips. If you do this you do not give yourself enough of a buffer, and a few bad cards can mean the end of your bankroll before you've had a proper chance to play. It also means that you may be required to deposit again, which is never good for the soul!
Try to figure out the levels that work for you. Some people believe that it's best to not withdraw from your account and just try to build the balance up and up. Others prefer to have a set level, skimming off any winnings above that.
There's no substitute for experience when it comes to poker. The more hands you play the more experience you have and hopefully the better player you will become. The online poker revolution has allowed many young players to break through into the professional circuit, simply because it is now possible to play hands much faster, and at any time you choose.
However, you need to ensure that your experience has value. Many people turn to 'Play Money' tables to practice before playing for cash. This is a mistake, do not make it yourself.
'Play for fun' tables allow players to play a game in the same way as if they were playing a cash game but without using real money. You can't win anything, you can't lose anything. Except maybe a little bit of pride. Some sites will also offer tournaments that use play money. However if you are looking for tournament practice you'd be better off trying to find a decent quality freeroll than using a play money tournament.
These tables are often considered to be practice tables but in reality if you are looking to learn the tactics of the game you are looking in the wrong place. In fact, if you play too long on the free games you will probably pick up some costly bad habits. Do not be fooled into thinking that if you can win at the practice games you'll be able to win at real money games.
The way that people play on 'Play Money' tables is not just different from the way that they will play in cash games, it's not even the same game. Every now and again you will find a table where all the players are there to learn the game, and if that's the case then great, but they are few and far between.
Having said all that 'Play Money' tables do have their purpose. They are great for getting to know a new site, understanding what all the different software options are and how to change them.
So where should you look to find a game that will allow you to learn without giving all your money away? Our suggestion is very low limit tables, the lower the better. We're talking nothing higher than about $0.10 / $0.20 in a fixed limit structure. The reason for this is that there are many terrible players on low limit tables who want to have the thrill of wining or losing money, and they can't get that thrill from these micro-limit tables. They are in most part gamblers as opposed to poker players. Whilst these players will be exactly what you are hunting when you progress, if you get too many of them on the same table it can be exceptionally difficult to win. The odds can be totally thrown off because there are so many hands competing for the same pot. This is when you can get caught up in bad play and suffer a lot of seemingly bad beats. Don't worry, with a bit of hard work learning the game you'll be taking their money soon enough.
The way you will properly learn the principles of the game is to play against people who have some knowledge of the 'proper' way to play and are trying to learn themselves. If you get one or two wild and crazy players with no idea how to play well on your table you can learn how to take their money, but it's probably best to leave the table if there's more than that. So stick to the micro tables until you are ready to start moving up the levels.
For tournament practice try to find good quality freerolls. Freerolls do not necessarily have the same problems as 'Play Money' tables in terms of learning, but avoid tournaments with high levels of entrants and low levels of prizes. Move on to the next page for further information on freerolls.
Poker sites want you to play at their site rather than someone else's site. One of the ways they try to do this is to give away free money in the form of freerolls. These are tournaments that are free to enter but have a real money prize.
Some will have no entry requirements, so anyone can play in them just by signing up for an account with the poker site. Others will only be for players who have made their first deposit recently or perhaps who have played a certain number of raked hands in the previous few days.
CHECK OUT THE LATEST FREEROLL INFORMATION
Some people dismiss freerolls as a waste of time, and frankly many of them are. Avoid playing in tournaments that have a large number of entrants with a small overall prize pool. The bigger the prize pool the better, the fewer entrants the better. This may seem obvious, but it's more than just about the prize you could win. In freerolls with very little 'value' you will often find that players will go crazy, particularly within the first few levels of the tournament. The mentality of a lot of players is that they'd rather gamble early on - if they win they've put themselves in a good position and if they lose they haven't wasted much time. If you do decide to play in tournaments like this try to find opportunities early on where you've got a high hand or pocket pair where you can go up against just one other player, who might be over betting their hand. If you're lucky enough to be faced with an early raiser whilst you hold a high pocket pair it's worth over betting and going all-in. They might fold but considering the context you've got a good chance of being called with an inferior hand.
Many online players play more than one table at a time. A lot of players find it easier to play a tight game by doing this, as it allows them more action more quickly and alleviates the potential of boredom. It's even possible to find videos on PokerTube where players show off their abilities to play 16 tables at the same time. Before considering playing more than table you must first ask yourself a few questions:
All of these are important questions, but the first has to be the most important. After all if you don't usually win, increasing the amount of tables will just make you lose more. It's generally the case that by playing more tables you will lose some of your edge because you can't pay as much attention to your opponents. Therefore your hourly profit will decrease by table, but increasing the tables may provide a better overall hourly rate. The trick is to figure out the right amount of tables for you.
When you play poker in a bricks and mortar casino you are surrounded by your poker environment. You can feel the felt under your fingers, the chips in your hands and hear the chatter of the players around you. At that moment, poker is your world.
Playing poker online is a totally different experience. Your screen is your poker world, which is just a few square inches out of your surroundings. That pile of bills that you haven't got round to sorting out, the email from your friend that you should have replied to by now and a plethora of other things are available to distract you whenever you mind chooses to wander.
You need to find ways of making sure that you can pay proper attention to your game and to your opponents. Some people will even have a hat or a cap that they choose to wear when they are playing to be give themselves a fixed reason to not do the other things: I'm wearing my poker hat, so if I want to do anything else I have to take it off and stop playing first.
Some people like to play in the dark so that the screen becomes more obviously the focal point of their environment.
Whatever your reason for playing poker, whether it be just for fun, to make a profit or for the challenge of the game, fundamentally you want to win. The more you pay attention to the game and to how your opponents are playing, the more likely you'll be to succeed.
Contrary to the beliefs of most people unfamiliar with online poker, there are indeed online 'tells'. You can't look your opponents in the eye, notice their heartbeat throbbing in their neck or evaluate why they threw their chips in the middle rather than placing them. But there are still giveaways. The main element to online tells is the time that a player takes to choose what to do, which is especially true of the fixed limit game, as there is nothing to naturally delay the action like using the software to make your choice of how much to bet, like there are with the other game types.
Some of the main things to look for are as follows:
| Tell | What It Often Means | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Long pause followed by a check. | Weakness | Your opponent is trying to make you think that he's got a hand and is trying to induce a bet from you so he can check-raise. Often he'll have a draw and doesn't want to pay for another card, so wants you to check. |
| Long pause followed by a bet. | Strength | Your opponent wants you to think that he's got something to think about, that he's unsure of his bet. He's probably got a very strong hand. |
| Instantaneous check. | No hand | Some players use the automatic buttons to play their hand before they've seen the previous players' actions. If a player instantly checks, he's probably got nothing and will fold to a bet. You can discount this player when trying to figure out if a bet will push your remaining opponents out of the hand. This is why we advocate never using these auto-play buttons. Be aware that this technique may be used as a 'false tell' to deceive you, but only when the software includes a check only pre-select option. Many will use a Check/Fold option which cannot be used for this type of deception because you risk automatically folding your good hand if someone else bet's! |
| Quick check as part of a check-raise. | Strength | In this case the quick check was probably to indicate weakness to lure you into the trap. Be aware that this might be used as a 'false tell'. The better you get at observing your opponents the better you'll get at sensing which players might do this. |
As much as tells online can be helpful (and many think the highest levels of fixed limit online poker are won and lost on tells) you must be well aware that these are not fool-proof. Make sure you pay attention to the game and see if you can apply any of these to your opponents. If they fit into these stereotypical tells make a note of it. If they don't and they surprise you with what they actually have, make a note of that too. As always, keeping good quality notes on your opponents is a major key to success.
Hiding your own tells is as important as spotting your opponents' tells. One method of doing this is to always take the same amount of time make your choice, however this can backfire, as if you try to time it right, very subtle differences in the speed of your click can give you away. A better suggestion, made by Matthew Hilger in his book Internet Texas Hold 'Em: Winning Strategies for an Internet Pro is to randomly vary your time taken according to the colour of the last card dealt, for example take 2 seconds if it's a red card and 4 if it's a black card.
Once you become very comfortable with your own style of play and how you are best to react to particular situations, an additional choice is available, which is to act quickly with everything. This can be particularly good for those who like a strong table image. If you play tight for a while after sitting at a new table and keep betting quick when you do hit a hand, those who pay attention to this style and see your hand will more easily associate you with a strong player who bets strong when he's got the cards and folds when he doesn't. After a little while you can start bluffing a bit more, keeping this quick betting style.
Tracking software can allow you to analyze both your own play and the play of your opponents, as well as presenting you with the odds that you are currently faced with, giving you an instant calculation of the pot odds at the same time as your chances of improving your hand. Cheat sheets can be thrown out the window!
Whilst it used to be the case that this software gave you an advantage above most of the field, now it seems that not using it puts you at a big disadvantage.
Some software packages allow you to get a licence for free if you sign up to a new site through their links and play a certain amount - you can of course also choose to pay the fee up front.
This is arguably the most crucial requirement for online play. There is nothing worse than hitting a huge hand, seeing chips being thrown into the mix with careless abandon and knowing that you're going to drag a massive pot, just to see your internet connection drop out for a few seconds, gifting what should be your money to one of your hapless opponents. Make sure that nothing like this is going to happen to you before you put a single penny into the game. Oh, and don't play with the power lead with your feet.
It is important to choose a site or sites that you are comfortable with. You want to be concentrating on the game, not trying to figure out what's happening because the site doesn't give clear enough information.
There are several schools of thought as to how to pick your screen name. Some people believe that you should always have a strong sounding name, regardless of your ability. Others think that you should choose something which gives a different impression than your style of play.
We believe that there is no reason to do either of these. Calling yourself 'ProBoy12' doesn't mean everyone will be scared of your bets, and 'Sweetiepie69' is not going to make all your opponents underestimate you.
Information about your opponents is very valuable to you, just as information on you is valuable to them. So why try to give any impression of yourself? We suggest choosing something that is neutral; maybe some random letters like 'gtfy'. It gives nothing away and your opponents may even be distracted by trying to figure out it's non-existent meaning. Whatever your opinion is, make sure you choose well because with most sites once you've got a screen name, you're stuck with it.
Once you have chosen your site you need to make sure that you know exactly how everything works. This is where play for fun tables really come into play. Whilst they are terrible for learning how to play the game, they are perfect for becoming familiar with where all the buttons are, for choosing the best options for sound and graphics and all the other things that you will need to use during your game. They also mean that you can properly check out whether you want to play at a site before giving them any of your money.
If you check your favourite site and find a perfect game straight away then great. But a lot of the time you'll find something that is alright, but not as good as you'd like, or maybe the only good game is at higher stakes than your bankroll can handle. So why not check other sites as well. There are always great games happening somewhere on the Internet, and once you've found one that's half the battle over. If you can't find a profitable game online, you're not looking hard enough.
Don't play when you're tired. Don't play when you're drunk. Don't play when you're distracted. Just don't.
It can be difficult at the best of times to fully immerse yourself into online poker. And at the worst of times it can be almost impossible. Your screen only fills a small portion of your world, rather than surrounding you like a bricks and mortar casino or poker room does. If you want to win online you must watch your opponents and concentrate on the game. Be nice to yourself and move that pile of bills out of view, turn off your favourite messaging program and clear your space so there's as little as possible ready to distract you. One thing that can help a lot of people is doing something that allows your mind to slip into poker mode and away from the other distractions of the day. That might be a walk round the block, putting the dog in the back room out of your way or maybe even have a poker hat. When you wear the hat you play poker and nothing else, when you don't wear the hat you don't play poker. Find whatever it is that will help you to be in the right frame of mind to concentrate.
Don't try to squeeze games into short amounts of time. It will usually take a while to get to grips with your opponents, and if you happen to have lost in that time you then don't have the opportunity to take advantage of your gained knowledge of the table. And if you feel in a rush, you're much more likely to try and force the game. In just the same way as you should enter a game when the time is right, you should also leave a game when the time is right. If you're expecting a friend over sometime soon, or someone else is going to need the computer or anything like that, it's probably best to leave the poker until later.
With online poker it is very likely that your opponents will change fairly regularly, but not all at the same time. It is sensible to get the table image that you are after right from the start, because first impressions last. When new players come to the table, part of their impression of you will be made from the way that the other players play against you. If you want a solid table image then play tight to start, if you prefer a wild image then play wild at the start.
Poker is a personal thing. Different people do things in different ways, so we're leaving this one blank for you to fill in. Have a think about all the things that make you feel comfortable and the things that hinder your game, and make sure that you give yourself the best possible chance of winning.
Congratulations, you've come to the end of the Go Compare Poker School. Hopefully you will now have a better idea of strategies and techniques of how to win playing poker online. Make sure that you check out our recommended reading pages for some great books that can help you improve your game.