Tips to Succeed in No Limit Hold’em

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Beginner’s Tips for No Limit Holdem

Popular poker TV shows like “Poker After Dark” boast a menagerie of  young players, with bankrolls to burst and massive pots to bluff.  They make poker look quite easy, and they give the impression that poker is all about “fun” and that anyone can make “quick money”.

Becoming a good enough player to earn money in poker however is about much more than playing “entertaining” hands or bluffing pots.   There is so much advanced strategy and mathematical concepts you must be aware of in poker. Before you’re able to play the game at a winnable level you’ll need to learn most of these concepts, such as 3betting and continuation betting for example.  In fact, to back my point up, over 85% of players online lose money playing poker.  These are the type of players who don’t know how to play properly i.e. “fish”.  The good news is that if you do take the time to learn the correct poker strategy, you’ll become one of the few players who actually make money in onliner poker!

Below, I’ve outlined really important tips which you’ll need to take into account before grinding the tables.

Tip 1: You Need to Be Aware of “Bankroll Management”

Poor bankroll management is the first pitfall most new players make in online poker.  “Bankroll management” means playing at the correct stakes or tournament “buy-in” level so that you’re not risking too much of your money in one game.  This prevents the variance and downswing in online poker making you go broke too easily.  A rule of thumb for cash games is to only buy into cash tables with a stack of at least 100 big blinds and which doesn’t make up more than 5% of your total bankroll.  For example, players who want to play a cash game where the blinds are worth $1/2 you need to buy-in with at least $200, and have a total bankroll worth $4,000.  Obviously you don’t need this much for small stakes tables but this was just an example with easy-to-use numbers.

Tip 2: Experience at the Tables is Your Biggest Asset

This tip sounds simple but it is still ignored by a minority of players. Although there’s so much information on the internet to learn online poker strategy that the sooner you start actually playing on the tables the faster you’ll learn. Imagine for instance spending years learning how to play tennis without even playing it in real life.  Although poker is a game of theory and knowledge you also need the experience to help you improve and make better decisions. 

Tip 3: Don’t Play Poker When You’re Tilted

Being “tilted” happens when you lose a bad beat or get sucked-out on in a really unlikely 2-outer hand.  For example losing AA to 55 after moving all-in.  Playing when “tilted” is really bad too especially for inexperienced players, because they end up making really bad or costly decisions and can’t get over the bad beats.  Basically being tilted in poker has the same effect of “road rage” when driving – and ultimately you’ll end up making bad decisions that you’ll regret afterwards.

Tip 4: Take Advantage of the Best Bonuses when You Play Online

Before you start playing online poker make sure you get the best poker “deals” or “bonuses”.  At poker sites such as Carbon Poker for example they give you a free $600 bonus as soon as you deposit.  This is really useful for building a bankroll with and covering you’re losses, so if you’re not taking advantage of poker bonuses in online poker you’re leaving money in the table!

For an even greater set of tips, read 101 Online Poker Tips from my friend’s  beginner’s poker site First Time Poker Player.  This is one of the best resources in my opinion for new players learning about online poker.


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