Playing Texas Hold'em Online, The Professional Guide - Chapter 2

Why is Online Texas Hold'em Poker So Different?

Texas Hold'em Poker has become the fastest growing game on the Internet. Play it a few times and you will understand why. It's addictive. Fast. Enter‐training. Colorful. And there you are, playing live with people from all over the globe, a great virtual casino experience ‐ and real money is being won by people just like you and me. What's not to like?

Well, you say, "I would like to win more often . . ."

Like the people who play slots or video poker terminals (VLT), most people just play poker online for fun. Don't get me wrong.

They would love to win; they just aren't prepared to do the homework necessary to get really good at the game and win consistently. Who has time for that?

The Pro's do, that's who!

And the Pro's like Online poker. Unlike VLT's, the odds are not stacked so much in favor of the house and players can Actually, make consistent profits if they understand the game well enough. I have an uncle who is amours in our family. He has an unusual career. He has made a great living playing professional poker for over 40 years. (He was known in the trade as a 'rounder', for details see the dictionary at the end of this book.) And he has made more than just a decent living, he has several homes and a yacht he moors in Florida. He's an interesting character and he has taught me a lot. Much of this book is based on his advice and teaching.

My uncle says there are two major differences between casual players and professionals.

One ‐ Professionals always know exactly whom they are playing with.

Don't be deceived. When you play poker, you are not playing against the cards you are playing against the other players. Great poker players never forget this. The goal of our book is to teach you how to better understand the guy or gal sitting across from you at the virtual poker table. A better understanding of the dynamics between humans at the table alone will dramatically improve your chances of winning.

Two – Pro's understand the odds.

This book will teach you how to calculate odds using actual game examples and give you shortcuts that will help you to increase your chances of winning every time you play.

"Odds don't tell you how to play, they tell you how to bet."

First you need to understand why reading about the conventional 'brick and mortar' game of Texas Hold'em (the kind you play in a real casino) certainly won't hurt, but it will definitely not prepare you for the unique experience of playing the game online.

WHY IS ONLINE POKER SO DIFFERENT?

Online poker adds several interesting wrinkles to the game of Texas Hold'em. So much is changed in fact, that there are a who le new set of game strategies. The odds of winning the online version of this game are now stacked even more in the favor of the better‐educated players. This is one of the secrets to real success at the virtual table.

1. YOU CAN WATCH.

If you walk into a bricks and mortar casino tomorrow and decide you would like to just watch a game of Texas Hold'em to better understand how it's played, security will soon hustle you out of the building. Poker is not a spectator sport at casinos. If you want t to learn the game ‐ you need to play. And playing when you're a rookie (or as the pros call it – a 'fish') can be a very expensive learning experience.

On the other hand, online, you can watch a real game as long as you want, for no cost and for no risk. Watching a table can teach you a lot about the players and their betting style and the ga me in general. Watching players for 'free' is one of the great advantages of online poker.

Taking notes is another great strategy in Online Poker.

There is nothing wrong or unethical about keeping notes on other p layers. Some Online Poker rooms even provide a feature that allows you to take notes online while you play. This feature facilitates the building of a database around the playing styles of consistent players. Our advice is to record what kinds of hands they play, how quickly they react, and to record detail on betting and raising behavior.

In the heat of the game, you may not always have time to go through all of the details. But one day, a regular player will join your table with a healthy stack of chips and you will appreciate knowing everything you can ahead of time about their playing style.

2. YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT'S IN THE POT?

At a regular card game, you need to do some rough guessing at pot totals. (The other players rarely encourage you to go digging through the pot to come up with a tally). Online, the total is calculated for you to the penny. This makes calculations about how much to bet very accurate. Why is this important?

You will learn later that one of the keys to winning is a system used by pros for decades called Pot Betting. The more accurate your knowledge of the pot, the better able you are to know exactly how much you should be betting on a given hand. Online Poker is a Pot Betting dream come true. Sharpen up your math skills a bit, and you are on the road to making money.

3. YOU HAVE MORE TABLE AND BETTING CHOICES!

Have you ever walked into a real casino looking for a seat at a card game? You may be lucky to find a few dozen. Which one is the best for your playing style? You won't know until you sit down and play a number of hands. And if you don't like your company at that table? You move to another table and try again.

There are thousands of online casinos with dozens or hundreds of tables at each one for you to choose from. You can pick from a wide‐range of betting options and from an infinite variety of different player combinations – combinations you will have observed before putting down your hard‐eared money.And you can do this in a matter of minutes right from your computer screen.

Never have there been so many options for the poker player willing to learn. Remember, you are not just playing against the odds, you are playing against other players and in a mathematical sense, the table as a whole. This is the real key to winning. Look for a table with the greatest number of weaker players and you will have an automatic advantage.