How To Win At Poker | 🏆 Top 10 Tips For Winning Online Poker (2024)

10 Tips for Winning Poker Online – Follow them to improve your game – and your bottom line.

  • How To Win At Poker | 🏆 Top 10 Tips For Winning Online Poker (1)Reviewed by WSOP Winner Chris ‘Fox’ Wallace

How can you win at poker online? There are many different tips, tools and techniques that will help new players get up to speed, as well as ease the transition for live players that are new to playing online poker. With that in mind, here are the top 10 online poker tips for those new to the game or who simply want to improve their game and consistently win at poker.

TIP 1

Begin by Playing Low-Stakes Poker

Whether you’re a complete novice or are used to playing high-stakes live games, beginning with lower-stakes is advisable when starting out with online poker. There are several reasons for this:

  • Your first sessions will primarily involve getting used to the online poker software.
  • The pace of online poker is much faster when compared with live poker, and may take some adjusting to.
  • Lower stakes will allow you to explore and experiment with the software, the lobby and the gameplay without putting too much at stake.
  • Smaller stakes allow you to exercise goodbankroll managementwithout making a huge first deposit.
  • Without too much on the line, you can concentrate on evaluating the gameplay experience without stressing too much about any losses.

Generally speaking, online poker will tend to offer more difficult opposition than live games at comparable stakes. Starting low will help all new players gain a good understanding of how to play, and ultimately how to win at online poker. And don’t forget you can win real money prizes without risk when playing infreeroll tournaments.

TIP 2

Become Familiar with the New Aspects of Playing Online Poker

Use your first few sessions to get familiar with some aspects of poker unique to the online version, such as using the time-bank feature. For experienced live players, having a set amount of time to act – and a relatively short time, at that – can be a significant adjustment, and new players may also be surprised at the speedy pace of the online game. Use the time-bank to get a little more time for your decisions.

Compared with playing live, online poker players can generally expect to see more than twice the number ofpoker handsper hour that they’d be used to, and when a hand is over there’s rarely time to rest before the next one is dealt.

From the layout of the lobby, the in-game controls at the table, the cashier page, rake-back offers and other bonuses, there’s a lot to explore. It’s worth taking some time to get acquainted with the site before you even fire up a table.

TIP 3

Start Out by Playing a Single Table

One of the many benefits of playing online is the ability to play more than one table at a time, but we’d recommend leaving multi-tabling until you’ve gained a little more experience.

Learn to win at online poker consistently on one table first – there’s nothing wrong with starting slow, and this approach can help you understand many of the nuances of online poker without becoming overwhelmed. Once you feel confident playing a single table, you can begin adding extra tables one at a time, if you feel comfortable doing so.

TIP 4

Create a Distraction-Free Zone for Playing

For many online players, their home is their poker room – instead of driving to a casino, they just have to fire up the laptop on the sofa. And so distractions such as watching television, talking on the phone or surfing the web can cause them to make a mistake, either by playing a hand poorly or missing out on information that could assist them in future situations.

Developing an unprofessional attitude towards playing can translate into not taking poker seriously enough to win. Create an environment free from distractions to give yourself the best chance to win at poker.

How To Win At Poker | 🏆 Top 10 Tips For Winning Online Poker (2)

I have a solid routine – do some mental prep work, meditation or work with a primed mind. I don’t just wake up and start to play. I like a cold shower as well and deep breathing helps a lot!

How To Win At Poker | 🏆 Top 10 Tips For Winning Online Poker (3)

Jeff Gross

View Profile

How To Win At Poker | 🏆 Top 10 Tips For Winning Online Poker (4)

Reviewing a couple of hands you have tagged earlier is good preparation, having a playlist of music which suits your mood is good and actively drinking a lot of water.

How To Win At Poker | 🏆 Top 10 Tips For Winning Online Poker (5)

duggs

View Profile

TIP 5

Consider Making Key Hardware Updates

As we’ve discussed, playing on a laptop while sitting on the couch in the family room is a situation bound to create distractions. Playing at a desk, ideally in a room separate from the rest of your living space, can help establish a professional attitude while playing online poker. And if you’re playing a lot, investing in an ergonomic chair can help reduce issues with back pain.

Other upgrades can help towards your goal of winning at online poker. For example, a large, high-resolution monitor can reduce eye-strain and will make multi-tabling much easier, while a high-quality mouse can reduce wrist strain, as well as the time it takes to complete action.

TIP 6

Master the Art of Bluffing

You won’t always get dealt the best cards at the table, so bluffing is an essential part of any winning player’s strategy. Getting better at bluffing will enable you to win even when you don’t have the best hand, but before deciding to bluff you need to consider things like your position, stack size, table image and the play of that hand so far. Bluffing is one of the trickier skills to master, even for thebest poker players. Luckily for you we’ve put together a full comprehensive guide onhow to bluffsuccessfully!

TIP 7

Use Software Functionality to Your Advantage

Many different poker-specific software tools are available – see below – but the best way to start using software to your advantage is through a feature already present on mostpoker sites: the note-taking function. One of the great things about playing online is that you can make notes on your opponents during play, which are visible whenever you encounter them again.

Also available on many poker sites is the ability to color-code players. Developing a color-coded system for identifying the relative strength of players can help with table selection. For example, let’s say you always tag the best players at your table with a red tag. If you see a table full of red-tagged players in the lobby, you’ll know to steer clear.

TIP 8

Consider Purchasing Software

Software programs likeHold’Em ManagerandPoker Trackerprovide a head’s up display feature (HUD) that gives information about your opponents by tracking all of the hands you’ve played together. This data will then be available to you at-a-glance, whenever you meet that player at the tables.

These programs often also include ahand history replayer. While a lot of poker sites offer a free hand history tool, they lack much of the functionality available in more advanced programs. The ability to replay a cash session or entire tournament away from the tables is an invaluable study tool for any poker player.

Sit ‘n Go Wizard is a learning tool for tournament players which can help you gain an understanding of ICM (the independent chip model – a mathematical approach to evaluating equity in the late stages of a tournament). It’s a great tool for improving your calling and shoving ranges, which is a big step towards learning how to win online poker tournaments regularly.

TIP 9

Explore Free Software

Some of the best internet poker software (for use while studying) is actually free.

  • PokerStove, and similar programs, allow you to calculate your equity versus a range.
  • HoldemResources.nethas many features useful for tournament players, including a Nash Equilibrium calculator (a mathematical tool aimed at producing game theory optimized play).
  • The App StoreandGoogle Play Storeoffer many free downloadable apps to improve your game, includingDTO Pokerwhich evaluates your decision making at a granular level.

TIP 10

Explore Efficiency Software

Other poker software is available to assist more established online players with multi-tabling. If you’re making the transition to intermediate level play and beyond, this type of software can be very useful.

Programs such as Table Ninja and Auto Hot Key can help to maximize efficiency, for example by setting up hotkey shortcuts to make certain actions (e.g. raise 1.5x the big blind) faster, automating tournament registration or setting up custom layouts for multi-tabling.

For both the experienced live player and the poker virgin, there are plenty of tips to follow to make your introduction to online poker as pleasant and profitable as it can be. Sticking to the tips in this guide should help you become a more successful player when it comes to playing poker!

If you like this article you may also like ourPoker Oddsfor Dummies andPot Limit Omahaguides.

Return to thePoker StrategyContents page, or get ready to play at our recommendedreal money pokersites.

Poker guides on CardsChat

How To Win At Poker | 🏆 Top 10 Tips For Winning Online Poker (6)

Poker Strategy

How To Win At Poker | 🏆 Top 10 Tips For Winning Online Poker (7)

Odds Calculator

How To Win At Poker | 🏆 Top 10 Tips For Winning Online Poker (8)

Odds for Dummies

How To Win At Poker | 🏆 Top 10 Tips For Winning Online Poker (9)

Poker Starting Hands

Looking to level up your Poker Skills further?

View More Guides

How To Win At Poker | 🏆 Top 10 Tips For Winning Online Poker (2024)

FAQs

How To Win At Poker | 🏆 Top 10 Tips For Winning Online Poker? ›

The best strategy for beating online poker at the lower stakes in particular is still TAG. This stands for tight and aggressive. What this means is that you are very selective about what hands you decide to play before the flop and you are also always aware of your position at the table.

How to win online poker consistently? ›

So here are my 12 best online poker tips used by pros:
  1. Learn to crush the micro stakes first.
  2. Don't be afraid to re-raise a lot preflop.
  3. Don't call 3-bets out of position very often.
  4. Respect the power of the 4-bet.
  5. Move up stakes when you have 30 buy-ins.
  6. Don't bluff the fish (seriously, just don't)

Is there a strategy to online poker? ›

The best strategy for beating online poker at the lower stakes in particular is still TAG. This stands for tight and aggressive. What this means is that you are very selective about what hands you decide to play before the flop and you are also always aware of your position at the table.

How to become good at online poker? ›

10 best poker strategies and tips are:
  1. Play fewer hands, but play them aggressively.
  2. Don't be the first player to limp.
  3. Go for 'Semi-Bluffs' aggressively with your draws.
  4. Fast-play your strong hands to build the pot.
  5. Fold if unsure.
  6. Defend your big blinds if you have the right hand.
  7. Play solid poker early in tournaments.

What is the secret to winning at poker? ›

If you want to play poker and win, you need to play against weaker players than yourself. Think about it like this: If you are the 9th best poker player in the world, you will be the best player at almost any table. But if you join a table with those 8 players that are better than you, you become the sucker.

Why do I keep losing at online poker? ›

Poker players normally lose due to a lack of patience and discipline. Some players can't resist the urge to play any good pairs they have, regardless of what their opponents have. Even if a player has a poker strategy, they may be unable to stick to it due to a lack of discipline.

Is it better to run it once or twice in poker? ›

On top of lowering variance, players may be more likely to get it all-in with less equity when they know you will run it twice. Unstudied players think their chances of winning the pot go up as they run it more times, but this simply is not true based upon what we've already spoken about.

Is there skill in online poker? ›

In sharp contrast to this legal assessment, the scientific literature which emerged in parallel has largely converged to the conclusion that (online) poker was a game of skill.

What is the most profitable form of online poker? ›

These are 5 most profitable poker formats to play.
  1. No Limit Hold'em cash games.
  2. No Limit Hold'em tournaments.
  3. Pot Limit Omaha cash games.
  4. No Limit Holdem Sit and Gos.
  5. Spin and Gos.

What percentage of people win at online poker? ›

And only about 10% are significant winners (i.e. make a meaningful side income or can consider going pro). There are many reasons why such a low percentage of poker players are winners including the rake, getting beat by better players and tilting too much.

What's the best poker strategy? ›

Winning at poker

In my opinion, the most crucial strategy to understand in poker is playing in position. By playing in more situations when act last, that extra information about your opponents actions can be used against them. You can: Bluff them if they show weakness.

How to play poker smartly? ›

7 Tips for How to Win at Poker
  1. Learn Hand Rankings, Rules, and Positions. You cannot expect to play poker without understanding the rules. ...
  2. Use Low Stakes While You Learn. ...
  3. Play Fewer Hands Aggressively. ...
  4. Learn When to Fold. ...
  5. Attack When Opponents Show Weakness. ...
  6. Bluff Effectively. ...
  7. Think of Your Opponent's Cards. ...
  8. Patience.
Mar 29, 2023

What are the best starting hands in poker? ›

The best starting hands in Texas Hold'em poker are undoubtedly the pocket pairs with pocket aces on the top, followed by pocket kings and pocket queens. The pocket pairs (Ace-Ace, King-King, Queen-Queen) are the best hands to play in the preflop betting round.

What wins most in poker? ›

Poker-hand Ranking System

Royal Flush – The best hand possible in the game of poker. To have a royal flush, a player must have five consecutive cards, from 10 through an ace, all of the same suit. For example, a 10 of hearts, jack of hearts, queen of hearts, king of hearts, and ace of hearts.

How to improve your poker skills? ›

8 Tips to Learn How to Get Good at Poker!
  1. Master the Basics. ...
  2. Study and Observe: Learning from Experienced Players. ...
  3. Practice, Practice, Practice: ...
  4. The Art of Bluffing: Mastering the Strategy and Timing. ...
  5. Calculating Pot Odds: Making Informed Decisions. ...
  6. Bankroll Management: ...
  7. Know When to Fold.
Sep 20, 2023

Is online poker a skill or luck? ›

But most people who play poker seriously know different though. Poker is 100% a game of skill in the long run. However there is a large element of luck in the short term. Professional poker players mitigate the luck aspect by consistently making mathematically superior decisions and therefore winning in the long run.

Does anyone win online poker? ›

Or they want to know if you can still make a lot of money playing online poker in particular. So here is the short answer. Yes, poker is still very profitable but you have to be willing to work hard to get it. It is not as easy to make big money in poker anymore.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Dr. Pierre Goyette

Last Updated:

Views: 6179

Rating: 5 / 5 (70 voted)

Reviews: 93% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Dr. Pierre Goyette

Birthday: 1998-01-29

Address: Apt. 611 3357 Yong Plain, West Audra, IL 70053

Phone: +5819954278378

Job: Construction Director

Hobby: Embroidery, Creative writing, Shopping, Driving, Stand-up comedy, Coffee roasting, Scrapbooking

Introduction: My name is Dr. Pierre Goyette, I am a enchanting, powerful, jolly, rich, graceful, colorful, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.