Online Poker Strategy: How to Play Online Poker

The year was 2003, and an accountant from Tennessee won a ticket to the World Series of Poker from an $86 online satellite. What resulted is one of the most well-known stories in WSOP history. That year, the poker world watched Chris Moneymaker, an unknown poker player, beat 838 players to win $2.5 million in his first live tournament. By 2006, the WSOP featured over 8,000 players, all trying to copy what became known as the “Moneymaker effect.”

And it all started with online poker. See, online poker is a bit different than live poker. It’s faster and a bit more competitive. That’s why players need a solid poker foundation and strategy. 

Online poker is a bit more competitive because it’s faster, people use stat tracking software, and some players even collude. 

So, pull up a chair and come along with us as we explore the world of online poker. We’ll cover a practical online poker strategy for beginners and improving players by discussing some strategies of winning online poker players. 

Understanding the Basics of Online Poker

To start, you’ll want to have a basic understanding of online poker. Of course, you’ll need to know the basics by heart. Memorize this list of poker hands from strongest to weakest: 

• Royal Flush: A-K-Q-J-10, same suit.
• Straight Flush: Five consecutive cards, same suit.
• Four of a Kind (Quads): 3333.
• Full House: 33388.
• Flush: all same suit.
• Straight: 45678.
• Three of a Kind (Trips/Set): 888.
• Two Pair: 3366.
• One Pair: 66.
• High Card: Nothing matching anything above.

To help you memorize these hands, play free online video poker. You’ll also need to remember how betting works. There’s a big and small blind that travels around the table. Think of this as the ante to start the game, but only paid by two players per hand. Everyone then gets 2 cards face down, and the first round of betting begins. After that, three cards are dealt face up. This is the community hand that the players who remain in the hand will use. Then another round of betting. One more card. Another round of betting. And then the last card and round of betting. The players that remain in the hand then use 3 of those 5 community cards plus the two cards they have to make the best 5-card poker hand.

You’ll notice that online poker strategies have to be a bit different, as online poker is a bit different. Here are some ways that it’s different:

• Faster gameplay.
• You have a HUD that displays info.
• You can’t see the other players, nor can they see you.
• Some players use statistical software that helps them notice patterns.

Despite online poker strategies being different from live poker, there’s one thing that never changes: the need for strong poker fundamentals. Be sure to read our blog for more online poker strategies.

Preflop Online Poker Strategy

Most strong poker players agree on one thing: the best poker strategy is one that uses a tight and aggressive pre-flop strategy. This is really important if using a poker strategy for beginners.

Play a Tight and Strong Starting Hand Range

Online poker tips recommended that beginners should fold any starting pair lower than a 6 and any unsuited cards that aren’t a 10, ace, or facecard. In percentages, the top 15-20% of pre-flop hands can reduce being outkicked or being stuck with only a few outs by as much as 70%. This massively reduces the number of tough situations you may find yourself in.  

According to most online poker tips, If you find yourself with a decent pre-flop hand, you’ll want to bet it strongly. That should push out the hands we’ve just mentioned, you should avoid playing. By doing this, you’ll reduce the number of players in the hand that can get lucky. You should never just call the big blind with a strong hand. This is called limping in. It’s rarely a good poker strategy. 

Be careful, though, as position, meaning when it’s your turn, is very important in online poker strategies​. Following the best strategies for online poker, i​t’s always best to be in the last position each betting round. That way, you can see what your opponents are going to do and make your decision based on that.

Positional Strategy: Early, Middle, Late Positions

The poker strategy starting hands we mentioned earlier is more of a general rule. You’ll always need to tweak the hands a bit depending on your position at the table. If you are in an early position, meaning the big blind is 1-3 seats away to your left, you’ll really want to tighten up your hands. This means you’ll only want to bet with paired face cards or aces. You can also play cards like AK and AQ. 

Once you’re in the middle position, you can loosen up the range of pre-flop hands a bit more according to the best strategies for online poker​. You can start betting paired cards higher than 8s, KQ, A10, and AJ. It’s only when you are in a late position can you really start playing wider ranges like pocket 6s, suited 78s, and any combinations of face cards like JQ and cards like 10K. Having the advantage of seeing what other players do pre-flop is very important.

The best position to be in each round is on the button according to the best strategies for online poker. This means that after the pre-flop, you’ll get to bet last in each betting round. Here is where things can get interesting. For example, if everyone checks, you may be able to steal the pot with a bet. 

Open-Raising vs Limping

If you follow the best strategies for online poker, it’s almost never a good idea to limp in. If you’re sticking to your poker strategy and only playing strong hands, it’s a good idea to bet at least 2.5x the big blind. Other players will know you’re strong, and it’s a decent way to try to seize control of the hand. Remember, if you limp in, you invite other players to try to get lucky.

Using the best online poker strategy to build your image will shape how other players play against you. If you’re getting cold cards, you may be forced to play a pre-flop hand that’s outside of your poker strategy. This can be useful, as if you become what’s seen as a super-tight player, others may simply fold every time you enter a hand. 

You can test out these poker strategies by playing poker games online.

Postflop Online Poker Strategy

If you’re sticking to your online poker strategy, you should have less to worry about post-flop. If you open with a strong bet, a lot of lower cards that might be useful when the flop comes will have already been pushed out. 

Use C-Bets Wisely

In the best online poker strategy, a C-bet is known as a continuation bet. If the flop isn’t anything significant, it’s a decent idea to c-bet as preflop raisers succeed 60-70% of the time. A decent c-bet is around 50-75% of the pot. This will target folders. However, if there are several people in the hand, you may just want to check for pot control. Hands with multiple people see c-bet chances of taking the pot drop to 30-40%. Always consider this info in your poker strategy.

You’ll also need to consider whether the board is dry or wet. Most of the best strategies for online poker consider a dry board something that doesn’t really help any player. For example, K72 rainbow. A wet board, J109, has a higher chance of someone hitting something. Remember, you bet pre-flop aggressively. So, there’s a decent chance you’re facing a strong hand now, so play these hands with caution. The basic online poker strategy that works best is to be more aggressive on dry boards and more cautious on wet boards.

Read Board Texture and Player Tendencies

You want to pay close attention to board texture as it can help you understand how to bet. Along with board texture, it’s a good online poker strategy to read players as well. You’ll want to focus on how players bet in various situations. Most online poker tips say you’ll always want to pay attention to hands that are played out when you’re not in the hand. This will give you valuable information on each player. 

If you notice a player plays passively, you’ll want to be more aggressive. On the other hand, you’ll want to play cautiously against aggressive players.

Value Betting vs Bluffing Online

You’ll want to include value betting in your online poker strategy. You’ll always want to value bet something like top pair with a good kicker. If you’re playing micro-stakes, you’ll want to bet 66% of the pot. It’s generally not a good idea to bluff online. Because it’s easier to bluff online, as other players can’t see you, more people tend to do it.

Essential Online Poker Strategy Concepts Every Player Must Know

No matter what your online poker strategy is, you’ll want to include these basic things:

Bankroll Management Basics

Always be sure to track your wins and losses according to most online poker tips. And never play with any money not set aside for poker. You’ll want to make sure you always have enough money for 30-50 buy-ins. 

To avoid bankroll tilt drain, you’ll want to always adjust your buy-in amount to stay within the 30-50 buy-ins in your bankroll. This will help prevent you from running out of money to play poker with. If you play with an advanced poker strategy, you can lower that number to around 20-30.

Table Selection & Lobby Strategy

How much money you make is connected to your table and lobby selection. This is something you should consider in your poker strategy.

You’ll want to find tables that have lower average pots. Once you join, look to see if there are players who are limping in or c-betting. This is the easiest way to tell if the table has any fish. If not, find another table.

Playing Fewer Tables to Improve Performance

Your online poker strategy shouldn’t have you playing more than 4 tables at once. Anything more and it’s too difficult to focus on each player’s style and habits. Remember, you’ll want to leave any table where players show signs of strong play.

Using Poker Tracking Software (If Allowed)

If it’s allowed, you should always throw some sort of poker tracking software into your poker strategy. They monitor and display info on when and how each player bets and raises, when they bet or raise, how often they call, the number of hands they play, win rates, and much more.

This is a huge advantage. And because it is, it’s a huge disadvantage if you aren’t using it.

Taking Notes and Tagging Player Types

Your online poker strategy should include color-coding different types of players: green for fish, red for nits, yellow for regs, etc. You should also take notes on how they play in different types of situations. Over time, you’ll forget and can fall back on your system.

Advanced Online Poker Strategy for Experienced Players

At some point, your poker strategy will include a more advanced poker strategy like: 

3-Betting and 4-Betting Strategy

It’s best to follow the best online poker strategy:

• 3 bet value: AK or QQ and higher
• Light 3 bet: Axs, suited broadway
• 4 bet: AK and JJ or higher
• Fold equity: You need to calculate bet size/bet size + pot size.

Range Construction and Balance

Great players are able to look at what’s on the board and construct a range of hands other players might have based on how they’ve played the hand so far. They also find a nice balance in their play. Meaning they would play the nuts the same way they play a bluff. This prevents people from finding patterns in their play.

Blind Defense and Steal Strategy

Most good poker strategies show that strong players defend their blinds about 40% of the time. This will prevent players from betting just to get you to fold. They also raise wide from late positions just to get people to fold. Back off if you see players calling or raising this online poker strategy often.

Mental Game & Discipline: The Hidden Part of Online Poker Strategy

Sticking to your poker strategy involves a strong mental game and discipline. Here are some of the things you’ll want to do:

• Avoiding tilt: since you’re only using money in your bankroll, this should be easy.
• Recognizing fatigue: take a break when you get tired.
• Bankroll protection: understand that the money you’re using is for poker. It’s not needed to live life.
• Playing in distraction-free environments: Don’t listen to music or watch movies while playing. Focus only on the game.
• Knowing when to stop sessions: cold cards, too tired, on a losing streak.

Common Online Poker Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

It’s easy to make mistakes using a poker strategie online. Here are common mistakes in the best strategies for online poker​:

• Limit tables: Don’t play more than 4 tables at once
• Bluff too often: Do it. But not often, or you’ll always get called.
• Ignore position: pay attention and stick to the online poker strategy we’ve mentioned.

Some other mistakes include playing tired, playing strong tables, and buy-ins that are too high.

Building Your Own Online Poker Strategy: Step-by-Step Plan

It’s important to build a poker strategy that matches your budget and play style. Here’s a quick look at how to create the best online poker strategy:

• Know poker hands inside and out.
• Only play on 1 table and add from there as you learn.
• Track your results.
• Review how you played week by week.
• Try to identify what you did differently when you win and lose.
• Manage your bankroll after playing every game.

Conclusion

Remember, winning at poker requires you to fully understand the basics, follow the best online poker strategy you can create, and be disciplined. You’ll want to follow the basics we covered. To see real change, you’ll need to stick with them over a period of time. If you’d like to practice, head over to Spinarium, the trusted online casino, to check out more poker content as well as hop on a table. If you’d like, you can also check out other free online casino table games.

FAQ — Online Poker Strategy & How to Play Online Poker

What is the best online poker strategy for beginners?
A good poker strategy for beginners is to only play pre-flop cards of 66 and higher and aces with face cards.

How many hands should I play when starting?
You’ll want to play between 15-20% of pre-flop hands, especially if you follow a poker strategy for beginners.

Should I bluff often in online poker?
No. According to online poker tips, people tend to bluff more online. So, they tend to call more bluffs online.

How do I manage my bankroll for online poker?
According to the best poker strategie online, play in buy-ins that allow you to keep 30-50 buy-ins in your bankroll.​

Do online poker tells exist?
Yes. However, they are not physical. They are in patterns that players fall into.

How do I choose the right online poker stakes?
Stakes that allow you to keep 30-50 buy-ins in your bankroll.

Is online poker harder than live poker?
No. It’s just faster. And online poker tips are different.

What software helps improve online poker strategy?
There are many types of software available online. A quick Google will help you.

How many tables should I play at once?
It’s best to start with 1 or 2. No more. Unless you use an advanced poker strategy.

How long does it take to become good at online poker?
It depends on how closely you stick to this best online poker strategy. It often takes between 6 months and a year. Longer for an advanced poker strategy.