If you’re thinking of getting into online poker, it’s a good idea to work to develop an intelligent online poker strategy before even getting into the games. Online poker is slightly different from the poker that is played in the casino atmosphere, also. The live atmosphere in a casino can be a bit more intimidating, though the games are almost the same.
Considering how popular Texas Hold ‘Em games are these days, most people wanting to play online poker should try to get a basic strategy for holdem games — whether limit or no limit — down before attempting to play any such games for money. The first part of an overall strategy for playing effectively when it comes to no limit holdem games is to work at practicing starting hand selection.
Starting hand selection refers to improving the quality of your online poker play by learning which hands you should play when they are dealt to you. People mistakenly assume that, with holdem, there’s really no need to worry about the two cards being dealt, but this isn’t exactly true. If you’re just a beginner, playing tight poker is recommended. This means folding if your two cards aren’t good enough.
It’s probably a better idea to keep the adage “tight is right” rather than fooling yourself into believing that any two cards you’re dealt can be improved enough on the river and other deals to the point where you can pull something out consistently. Especially at the beginning, playing tight poker — meaning folding if your two cards aren’t up to speed — is probably a good idea.
Therefore, look at a hand selection strategy that involves examining your position, carefully observing the action that goes on ahead of you and also how strong your own hand is. If you are in an early position that has to act before cards are flopped, play tight. When you’re looking at the action ahead of you (such as raises) you should try to have a strong hand and if not, just fold.
Lastly, always look at your hand relative to where your position is on the table. If you have an early position, you need to have big pairs or cards like the Ace/King or Ace/Queen in order to stick. If you’re in the middle, most pairs can suffice as well as some big cards such as that King/Queen or an Ace/10. If you’re late, you can pretty much play any pair, big cards or the Jack/Ten.