How To Make Money Online Poker? This is the question most often asked by those close to me when I tell them about my passion for the game. Whether you’ve played “live” before or are a complete beginner, the transition to online poker can be complicated.
However, the right habits, the right tools, and the right mindset can accomplish great things. Here are several tips that will help new players to win online poker.
Start by playing low limit tables
It is always good to make your mark when starting with low limit tables. The cheapest are NL2 (i.e. blinds 0.01 / 0.02 € and a max buy-in of 2 €). These are good limits if you barely know the rules. If you already play poker, I recommend the NL10, or even the NL25, to have a more serious game and suffer less from rake. Rake is the commissions taken by the poker software on each hand. Their amount makes profitability more complicated at low limits.
This advice also applies if you are a poker player who is used to playing NL200 or NL500 casinos. Online poker is very, very different. The level is raised to such limits whereas in a casino, with tourists looking for adrenaline, it is more common to have mostly bad players even if there is a lot of money at stake.
Become Familiar With Aspects Of Online Poker
It can be confusing to play poker online. You feel like you’re playing a video game, and not a card game with money in the middle of the table. Features like free time (reserve time to think about a hand), automatic rebuy (put money back on the table automatically when you go below 100 blinds), history features and more require a bit of learning.
We must also be interested in other aspects than the simple game. How does the lobby of the site work to find the best tables and the best poker tournaments? How to control your raise with the cursor? What is the loyalty program and the possible bonuses?
In addition, you have to know how to cash in the speed of online poker. Live, you play between 10 and 20 hands per hour in a French casino. This figure is at least tripled for a 6 player online cash game table. This means more opportunities to have good hands, but also requires increased focus.
Start with a single table
One of the big differences in online poker is that you can play multiple tables at the same time. Indeed, you do not go to a classic casino to put chips on two tables and run between your two places each time to play or not. With the software, it is very easy to have several tables open.
But, this ease leads to a common mistake: playing too many tables at the same time. There are a few players who have made it their specialty to play more than twenty tables at the same time and remain big winners. But, in reality, many lose profitability by wanting to play too much. This was the case when I tried 20 table sessions, but also when I hit 8 tables. My best game is at 4 tables and up to 6 it can still be worth it.
When you are starting out, play one or even two tables. Familiarize yourself with the players’ habits, the use of the poker site, and try to guess who has what with each hand. It is the best reflex to take to develop your expertise.
Create a distraction-free play area
In online poker, you no longer have the physical stress of sitting at the table. With this in mind, the only distractions are then your thoughts or watching the beautiful girl or the handsome man passing in the aisle of the casino …
On your computer, it’s easy to find distractions during games. It could be watching a movie, browsing websites, participating in forums, working, making a phone call… These distractions occupy your brain, but can cause costly mistakes.
Develop habits that show you see poker as a serious occupation. For my part, I eliminate all web browsing, listen to music and play on a screen where only the poker tables and the software lobby appear. As my female dogs stick to me all the time, I start each session by letting them settle in comfortably and once they don’t move anymore I start.
I also play well on a desk, a bed or a sofa. The main thing is really to form your bubble. Thus, you can play several tables while concentrating perfectly.
Using poker software
Software like trackers is a big help in poker. For years I have used software like Hold’em Manager and Poker Tracker. A few years ago, it was even possible to buy hand histories. So when you sat down at a player’s table, you had plenty of information about the player you are meeting (eg number of raises preflop).
Poker sites have made it their business to fight this type of software and some like Pokerstars even prevent the player from playing when they detect software. However, there are still some. It’s a good thing to pick one up when you start playing really seriously.
But, there are other tools you can use. The easiest way is to calculate the odds. For example, you paid for a raffle and are wondering if it was a good thing to do so. Go to software like Cardplayer’s, enter the info and see how many chances you had to win. It’s great for learning the main odds of poker.