UrbanNerd.com

I have been playing poker, and online poker for awhile now, and found that alot of the tricks and tips I have gotten over the years have actually improved my game by atleast 80%. I figured, being the nice guy I am, I would share some of the knowledge with you if this was something that you were interested in, and hopefully make you better as well.

Online Poker 101 – A Beginners Guide

On a weekly basis this column will present you with the “Do’s and Dont’s” of online poker.
This is one mans insight, with roughly 2 years of playing online poker at varies websites.

Do NOT Play Poker Online until you learn:

– How to cheat by knowing others’ cards
– How to spot cheaters and avoid cheating tables

- How to cheat by knowing others’ cards

It is not possible to know everyone’s cards, BUT if you have a friend at the table,you can easily share what cards you have by IM or telephone. This information gives you an edge against other players. You can also collude with each other in order to bet and raise people out of pots, even if you don’t have good cards. For example, if you are sitting 2 seats before the button and your friend is sitting on the button and no one has called in ront of you, you can raise 2 bets and your friend can 3 bet before the flop. 90% of the time, no one will call and you will steal the blinds. If you are sitting across the table from each other, you can help trap others in the hand when either player hits a strong hand. For example, say you flop the nuts. You are in early position and you bet. If there are callers behind you, your friend can raise the pot for you after they call. You can either smooth call or re-raise to increase the pot. In order to trap players, you need to have other players between you. I don’t condone cheating in poker and if you get caught, you will forfeit all of your money in your account. The only reason I teach you this is to bring up my next point.

- How to spot cheaters and avoid cheating tables

With over 50,000 players at the larger poker sites, there are bound to be friends that are cheating and it is almost impossible for the poker sites to police. So you have to be a smart player and look out for yourself. Fortunately, all cheaters are out to make an easy buck so it’s not too difficult to spot them. As you learned above, if you ever notice 2 players that play hands often together, you should take notice and report them to the casino. High stakes limit (10/20 and up) and high stakes no limit ($400 and up) are much more likely to have cheaters, so if you play these stakes, and then you should be extra careful. I would especially avoid high stakes no limit tables online.

Next weeks column will deal with “How to make a profit from deposit bonuses” and
“How to win consistently by following the 80/20 rule”. Until then, money won is
better then money earned!