There is a huge rush these days with nearly all poker players to play nothing but hold’em. One might say that this is where the action is and they would be right. But yet for many players and especially those who only play single tables then playing hold’em may not be the optimal choice. Texas hold’em is no doubt the most widely played form of poker that there is at the moment. As long as that form of poker is played on television as widely as it is then this situation isn’t likely to change soon.
But yet there is value to be found playing and specialising in other forms of online poker. The first ever game that I played online was Omaha Hi/Low split. I never played this game seriously but I had just read Ray Zee’s excellent book on the game and decided to give it a go. The play was ridiculously bad and I made easy money, it wasn’t great money but it was easy money and I wasn’t even a great O/8 player.
I quickly switched to limit hold’em but I never forgot those experiences playing O/8. Since then of course, the average players in all forms of online poker have become tougher to beat but I will still wager that playing other less popular forms of poker can be where the money is in 2010.
Specialising can be a very good thing in poker as you can often get drifters into your game who just fancy a change of scenery. It can be these types of players that are your biggest profit potential if you are a specialist in a certain game. Even if there are not too many games available then it may be worth your while to wait instead of playing until your chosen game fills up.
Or have you ever considering starting a game yourself? If you haven’t then why not? Someone has to start a game of poker and look at all of the advantages of starting a game yourself. Firstly you are now speeding up the process of finding a game. Most online players will not sit at an empty table but will place their name down on a waiting list with the fewest names on.
So all it can take to snowball into a full-ring game is one other player to sit with you and then two becomes three then four and so on. But this process also has one other decided advantage and that is if weaker players sit down with you then you could have these players all to yourself for a while until the better players show up.
If you are a decent hold’em player then there is nothing wrong with learning other forms of poker. Big multi-tabling regulars will shy away from this of course and rightly so but as I said earlier, I am aiming this article at single tabling players who also may not be great hold’em players or players who could do with learning another form of poker to give them more earning potential.

There is a huge impulsive urge with most poker players to want to test themselves at a higher level and play against better players. Of course the desire to move up isn’t always to do with wanting to test yourself against better players but also wanting to make more money. However in my experience, a combination of greed and naivety in poker can be very financially damaging.
It is a fact; if you move up a level then you should in theory be playing against better online poker players. But better poker players make better poker decisions. This then knocks on to better decisions hurting your bottom line. In fact it may just be the case that moving up a level would entail you almost having to learn a new form of poker as the game dynamics at your new level could be very different.
Let us look at NL50 as an example, if you are playing four tables and making a good earn rate then you have two options if you want to make more money. You could as most people do and move up to NL100 or you could also play more tables at NL50. It always surprises me how many players take the first option without first considering the second.
Look at the facts for a minute, you can already beat NL50 (providing of course that we are talking about an adequate sample size here). You have also built up a very powerful feel for what is happening at that level. The reason why you have built up that feel is simply because of the experience that you have put in playing at the same level. I have known some very good players who could not beat low-stakes games simply because they were playing their normal poker game.
The experience that you have built up at NL50 while being useful at NL100, it will also hinder you as well in certain situations. You cannot play the exact same game at NL100 as you can at NL50 because the players are better and are using different poker strategies. They will be more aggressive both in reacting to your steals and also when it comes to stealing from you. So keep in mind that building yourself up to play more tables is often a better option than moving up.

Unless you are playing multiple tables then you will find that you always have time to think through poker hands in online play more than what you think. I was sitting with a friend a few weeks back observing his game after he asked if I would critique his play. One of the first things that I noticed was that he was playing too fast.
He was only playing two tables but he didn’t slow down from making automatic folds to when he really did have something to think about. In one such hand he had just folded junk when the following situation cropped up. He had the A-Q in early position and insta-raised. It was folded around to the cut-off who called as did the button and both blinds.
We had a five way pot and the flop came A-K-10 two suits, he led out with a pot sized bet and got two callers. The turn card brought a third spade making a possible flush. He bet two thirds pot and was called by both players. The river card was a brick and he checked. The first player bet half pot and was called by the second player and our hero also called without a moments thought.
The split second he clicked “call” I told him that he was beat. The winner had the flush while the other caller had A-10 for top and bottom pair on the flop. His entire play was too fast and automatic and he needed to slow the process down. He started off with an A-Q out of position so he needed to factor that into his play.
He didn’t need to make a pot sized bet on the flop and he certainly didn’t need to make another bet on the turn or call the river bet and call. But the problem was that he didn’t allow himself any thinking time in the hand even though he clearly had the time to do so. I see these tendencies an awful lot in online poker and it is mainly to do with players at the lower levels who get used to the faster pace of online play. This problem can be made even worse by players multi-tabling.
There is always time to think in online poker even if it is only just for a few seconds. If you have audio prompts telling you that you need to act on other tables then you are wise to ignore them if you are in the middle of a crucial pot.

Having played a lot of lower-stakes NLHE this year and last, I think that I have a very good idea of the average mindset and game of players at NL50. One of the areas that I used to spot was in bet sizing. Often I would see players make double the big blind type raises. Usually these are raises with non premium hands.
What this raise suggests is that the player in question is trying to do one of several things. Either they are trying to build a pot with a decent but quite speculative hand or they are trying to prevent a raise behind them with a hand that they would like to see a flop with. As long as you do not overdo the play and you have the right situation then you can punish this play quite easily.
Let us say that you are in the big blind with 8h-5c and it has been folded around to the button in NL50 who raises to $1.00 and the small blind folds. While it is true that this player could be trying to induce action with a premium hand, the probability dictates otherwise. In all likelihood they are trying to either win the pot for the minimum amount possible or they are trying to fold out the small blind so that they can get position on you if you call.
As long as you do not overdo the play and pick your spots then you can re-raise here. But you do need to do this with information for one very important reason. When your opponent raises to $1.00 then there is only $1.75 in the pot. So a pot sized raise by you will be to $2.75 so you are risking $2.75 to win $1.75. This means that you need to pick and choose your targets well and ideally it should be someone who has a history of minimum betting from position and not someone who you have only seen do this once.
Because of the pot size and your pot sized raise then you will need to hit a good ratio of pots won when you make this play but you will do so if you are selective with it. What you don’t want to happen is to re-raise the wrong player and then escalate a pot out of position with a weak hand against a player who will either call the three bet or four bet you.

Before I proceed with this article, I am certainly not recommending that anyone automatically adopts a loose aggressive style of play at cash games or tournaments. In certain types of games then a LAG style will not only be important, it may easily be essential. In a heads up encounter for instance then loose aggressive will be the absolute minimum requirement that you will need to avoid from getting run over.
In full-ring cash games then being loose aggressive could mean playing as much as 20% of your hands which is a lot in nine and ten handed play. Tight aggressive will suit different personality sets but not others and if you find that too much folding leads to you becoming bored and then tilting then a loose aggressive style could fit you better.
But let us take a look at the advantages of the style and how it can make life difficult for opponents and especially at low-stakes games. If you are a multi-tabling grinder who is also playing for rakeback then you may be playing no more than about 13% of your hands in full-ring at no-limit play.
So a loose aggressive player who is raising a wider range will be doing numerous things. Firstly they will be stealing your blinds a lot more. They will also be re-raising your steals a lot more if they have position on you. They will fire at pots where you have marginal weak hands and apply pressure at appropriate moments.
This kind of play will show other rewards as well and careful and premeditated pot escalation with position can prove highly profitable against weaker players with predictable betting patterns. The LAG style also has one key advantage over the TAG style and this is that it forces players to either do one of two things. It forces them to either back down and concede the pot or to put extra money at risk and when extra money is at risk then the skilled LAG player loves this situation.
The type of game that he hates is one where the entire table is screwed down and no one is risking money. So the skilled LAG player will create situations of volatility by forcing the players to place money into the pot and they will do this especially when they have position on their side. So the LAG style is a very effective style but it is also a style that you need in your arsenal to go alongside a TAG style so that you can shift gears at the right times!

I think that there is a tendency for online poker players to try to get too fancy at times in certain situations. I really do think that too much knowledge can potentially harm a player and especially with regards to online poker. There are many faults with regards to your average online poker player and one of them is that they make too many emotional decisions and they often play in a way that suggests that they are trying to out psyche the opposition.

This may work in live play and high-stakes play but at the lower stakes levels then you are far better off simply making the bog standard straight forward play. If you are playing NL50 and it has been folded around to you in the cut-off and you attempt to steal raise and the button either floats you or three bets you then you simply do not need to start a war.

If you are multi-tabling then just make a conscious note that this player is either loose aggressive or has decided that you are out of line too often and is playing back at you. If you decide to show him who is boss then what you are doing is turning your play into emotionally driven play. You could then be setting yourself up to either make a big mistake or to play back at your opponent at the wrong time when they are sitting there with a hand this time.

Simply fold the hand and tighten up and try to use your new image against this player to your advantage. Hope that you see some powerful hands so that you can raise with a legitimate hand next time. You can use the fact that your opponent has played back at you several times to your advantage without having to escalate the situation into a personal war.

If you start to become emotional when your opponent isn’t then you are handing them a tremendous advantage in future hands. Playing online poker in many instances simply isn’t like playing live poker. If more players simply played straight forward ABC type poker most of the time and especially in low-stakes games then success would be more easily achieved. Quite often simplicity really can be the true genius and this is where more knowledgeable players can often be led astray.

Selecting limits that are not only appropriate to your skill but also to your bankroll are key to being able to make money in poker betting. There really are no secret formulas to playing certain limits in poker but there are numerous different guidelines that must be adhered to. For instance, if you are not sure about whether or not you can make money in online poker then for heaven’s sake, err on the side of caution.
I often hear people say that if only they played at a higher level then they would be able to beat the games. This view is totally warped and does not address the main reason for the losses that have been incurred. If you are a losing player at NL25 for example then do not make the mistake of thinking that you could beat NL200 simply because your opponents will respect your bets and raises more often.
The reason why you are losing at NL25 is not because of your opponents playing in a certain way. This is merely the excuse that you are creating for yourself in your own mind. If you know the relative weaknesses of your opponents and you are still losing then you are losing because you are failing to make the proper adjustments.
If you are failing to make the proper adjustments at NL25 then what makes you think that you will make the proper adjustments at NL200? All poker levels present the player with a set of questions or puzzles that they need to figure out and answer. So if you cannot figure out the correct answers to a NL25 puzzle then what makes you think that you can figure out the correct answers to the NL200 puzzle?
The way that your opponents will play from level to level will differ but they will present you with totally different challenges at each level. So at NL1000 then it is no use complaining that your opponents are too aggressive and if you had a hand then you would stack them. You need to find the correct and proper way to counter that aggression. You need to find an answer to the puzzle.
So if you want to select your level in poker then do not play at any level that you don’t have any experience of beating except if you are merely taking a shot. If you have never played any higher than $5-$10 limit then taking a $30,000 bankroll and playing $30-$60 with the sole intention of playing down to the felt is asking for trouble.

There are big debates in the world of online poker on how many tables is the optimal number to play. I feel that there are no concrete answers to this problem for the simple reason being that there are so many variables connected with this subject that one could spend an entire week studying this one topic.
Much of what is correct for any poker player is down to what suits them personally not just as people but also as individuals. A players own poker history, their level of knowledge, their level of multi-tabling experience and also how they like to play poker all impact on what is the ideal number of tables for them to play.
I know players who do not like the thought of ever playing more than one table because to them, online poker is all about trying to replicate the live poker experience as much as possible. So it is not all about maximising earnings for many people and is more to do with the actual “feel” of playing poker.
But then again, many players could quite easily be maximising their earnings by playing one table so they are literally killing two birds with one stone so to speak. Much of what we are talking about here also comes down to how you want to play poker. If you want to play heads up no-limit then you really shouldn’t be playing too many tables playing this form of poker.
It is the same with six max games although even at this form of poker, I know players who have successfully played as many as 24 tables and made money….I take my hat off to them. I don’t necessarily jump to the conclusion that just because I cannot do something personally that no one else can. If your objective is to make money by getting rakeback and playing half decent poker and exploiting novice players then playing as many full-ring games as you can could just be your optimal way to play.
Strangely enough this may suit players who are merely break even players or slight net plus players. Some people may argue that playing more tables does not allow you to watch your HUD or read your tracking data, but that’s just my point……if you are not doing this anyway simply because you cannot be bothered and you cannot be bothered to concentrate well enough to watch the other players then playing more tables will not handicap you. This is for the simple reason being that you are not taking advantage of those tells anyway and you are not making your money that way.

Over the years, limit poker has been my number one game for long periods of time. In six max play especially, the need to get involved and fight for what is in the middle is of paramount importance. It is for this reason why there are such large swings at this form of poker. When you also factor in that the mere nature of the game dictates that you will see a much larger percentage of rivers then it is little wonder that in the modern online game, such large bankrolls are needed.
In six max play, you must not back down to the slightest aggression that comes your way from your opponents. This applies of course to any form of poker and limit play is no different. In loose aggressive games then you basically have two options, either leave the game or fight fire with fire.
I have seen numerous players let their VPIP’s fall below 20% in six-max limit play and this is getting into dangerous territory. This can sometimes be an inclination that these players are multi-tabling but in many cases they are simply getting pushed around by better and stronger players. If players who have VPIP’s of say 17% are playing too tightly pre-flop then the chances are that they will be playing too tightly post flop as well.
Playing too tightly post flop is a catastrophic error in limit hold ‘em and even worse than playing tightly pre-flop. At least when you play tightly pre-flop you are avoiding making post flop errors that cost entire pots. But the process of losing an entire pot is something that as a limit player can simply be the difference between being a successful player or not.
If you find that a particular game is too aggressive for you then do not fear, simply leave the game. This in my opinion is by far the best option. In no-limit play then a few bad players can still pay you off and especially in full-ring play but a tight player really has no place in a very aggressive six max game. This process of leaving the table may seem incredibly wimpy and it may feel like you are running away. But quite often, making money at poker often involves not playing poker rather than playing.
It is often the games that you don’t play in and the seats that you don’t sit in that makes you a winning player at the end of the year. So take my advice and don’t be afraid to leave the table because if you feel uncomfortable then you are feeling that way for a reason and that reason is usually because you are outgunned……swallow the pride and leave the game.

Strange as this may seem, playing online poker can be extremely tiring. The process of sitting in a chair sat upright all the time while staring at a computer screen can leave players feeling mentally drained in a short space of time. Also the process of constantly staring at a monitor can also have a very draining effect on a player as well. I started out playing full-time when I played online and I found that my earn rate improved when I dropped down the number of hours that I played.

There is little point in playing poker for six hours if for four out of those six hours, your concentration is so low that you are leaking money. If you are playing at a level where your opponents are not very strong then you can maybe play on auto pilot as mentally drifting off will probably not do you a great deal of harm.

What I mean by high concentration play is to try and play poker at all times during phases when your concentration is either at its maximum or is close to it. This will always be close to the start of the session. Now these cut-off points will vary from player to player as to when your concentration will start to diminish.

I could maintain my concentration for well over two hours years ago and recently it has shrunk to about thirty minutes or so. But it is vital that you accurately establish what your limits are with regards your concentration and when you hit that barrier for when you start to move into the danger zone of making plays that are on automatic pilot.

As I said earlier, there is nothing wrong with automatic play, multi-tablers or players who multi-table large numbers of games do this all the time. But the difference is that they are both good or playing against lower stakes players or more than likely both.

If you find that you are starting to drift in poker games where drifting would be fatal against strong players after say a mere forty five minutes then drop your sessions down to thirty minutes. If your aim is to be a full-time player and you don’t like the sound of doing this then don’t fool yourself. You cannot play profitable poker if you are constantly making mistakes due to concentration lapses.

These days, it is the non-playing poker skills that players need in order to be able to beat the game. Good money management skills, good discipline, good game selection, using good software like Poker Office (which I use) and maintaining good concentration.