More than 2.5 million people worldwide play online poker everyday across the multitude of poker sites, and of that number, less than 10% are making a good profit. Two factors exist that prevent many players from profiting in Texas holdem poker, one is the software program of the poker sites, and the other is the players themselves.
You can stop losing your bankroll to online poker sites by becoming more educated and taking control of the game. Here are four steps you can take to learn how to stop losing your bankroll.
- Understand what’s going on with your poker game. Did you know that online poker sites use a series of computer generated programs to induce you to make your poker decisions? That means that the programs can Alexander the sequence of your poker decisions and essentially turn the game to your advantage. Although you won’t be able to see or change the sequence of the programs, you can use a simple technique to identify the problem. Watch for unusual activity in your play while you are sitting at your computer. Is your computer Crunching numbers at the same time that the cards are being dealt? If you see this happen, immediately name the problem, and allocate a solution.
For example, you logged into your online poker site and as you are playing, you notice that you are constantly rushing decisions. Had you been using a poker calculator [http://www.lapak303.com/poker-calculators.php], you would know that you are essentially creating a PayPal account for your poker account. This means that the amount of hands that you are playing is going to be less than what you would normally do. Essentially, the poker room is taking from your pockets to pad their coffers.
Make sure that you don’t fall into this same trap that people do. Beat yourself up over your mistakes. Learn to be comfortable enough with the game that you are not going to let a bad beat alter your play. In other words, if you fold top pair before the flop and you flop top pair, just because you invested in the pot, you are not going to let the game affect your actions.
If you are not going to be completely truthful with yourself, you need to get comfortable with the game. You are not going to be able to make any real money that’s real without being completely honest with yourself about what’s going on in your brain.
- Avoid the lets say’s of poker. If you are a tight player, you will not make any money at online poker. If you are loose, you will play and play until you run dry. The combination of these two will always pull you down.
One of the biggest lets on your game is getting into a pot with a weak hand. When you decide to play a hand, you need to have a good read on your opponents. Your reads should be so accurate that you feel like you are in the drivers seat even when you are playing against Brad Pitt.
- Have a solid bankroll. You can’t expect to win any large pots or to get deep runs when you only have a $300 bankroll. Trust me when I say, you will walk out of there as a winner. It is extremely important that you have enough money to play multiple tables at once. Only by having a big bankroll can you play the largest Sit-N-Go’s with a high frequency.
- Know when to quit. This is the most important concept of all. The best players know when to quit. You will not win until you learn this. Not only do you have to know when to quit, you must also know when to stick around. If you stick around in a tournament you will definitely lose.
- Go for loose tables. The lovable poker face says it’s good to play at a loose table, but you really want to play at a tight table. When you go to a table with too many people chasing cards, you are going to lose. The books say that you should play more cards at a tight table, but they’re wrong. You want to play at a loose table, but if the cards aren’t landing, it doesn’t matter how many people are there trying to make money.
- Never tilt your poker chips away. You are not supposed to tip the dealer. If you want to get into a snit, cool your heels, wait your turn, or collar the dealer with your fingers if you want to get out of a hand. Letting the dealer know you want to quit can help save you from losing even more money.
- Protect your hand! This might seem like common sense, but you will often see people misplay their hands either by overplaying, or underplaying certain hands. What could be more important than defending your hand?