5 Strategies to Make Your Next Online Poker Game More Exciting

Poker rocketed to the kind of global fame that bordered on frenzy in 2003 when Chris Moneymaker (yes, it's his real name) won the World Series of Poker (WSOP) as a complete unknown. In so doing, he beat some of the world's most prolific and successful professional players. The event was televised, which galvanized an entire generation of amateur poker players to try their hands, excuse the pun. The chance of becoming wealthy virtually overnight was an irresistible prospect. As a result, the world of online poker exploded. Names like Daniel Negreanu, Phil Helmuth, Chris Ferguson, and Phil Ivey became icons to all these newly minted players. Both for their prowess at the table and their gamesmanship antics.

New online poker sites sprang up all over the Internet, offering all kinds of poker variations. Some of the biggest names in real-world gambling started their own dedicated online poker rooms, while new market entrants became incredibly successful. The arena became fiercely competitive, as every site vied for a piece of this lucrative new pie. They generated enormous amounts of revenue, to the point of having enough spare cash to sponsor European soccer teams, for instance. As a result, these brands became household names, even among those who'd never been dealt a card in their lives.

Today, online poker remains just as popular, even if much of the hype has died down. It's become pretty normal for those with a taste for it to hop online and spend a few hours at the virtual tables. Regular players frequent the best online poker site they've discovered, driven by things like promotions, bonuses and lucrative tournaments. Other features like fast transactions, game variety and, most recently, the acceptance of cryptocurrencies, also encourage players to stick with their favorite sites.

How Online Poker Differs from the Real-World Game

The most glaring difference between playing poker online and playing at a physical casino is that you're unable to see the other players. This removes one of the most crucial elements of a successful poker strategy, reading physical tells. Many professionals would rate this ability above all others, as poker is as much psychological warfare as it is about making hands. In the real world, you can influence other players to fold or fall into your trap by reading their body language. This is obviously impossible online. Which clearly begs the question of what strategies you can still use successfully online? If you're prepared to put in the effort, you can gain an edge on your opponents, make the game more exciting, and hopefully rake in some profit. Here are a few strategies you can adopt:

1. All the Basics Still Apply

Here we're talking to players who have already studied the basics of the game, specifically Texas Hold'em, as it's the most popular version of online poker. You've learned which opening hands to call with from one of the many situational charts online. These are guides to what you should do when dealt specific hand combinations in specific positions at the table relative to the blinds. They're based on a statistical analysis of the relative strength of your hand compared to all the possible hands dealt pre-flop.

They also tell you whether you should call, raise, fold to a raise, call a raise, or reraise. Stick to these guidelines, as they provide the best indication of hand potential and how likely you are to win the pot statistically.

2. Always Remember the Pot Odds

If you've learned further statistics, you'll know about pot odds too. It's critical to constantly monitor these during the hand, as they have a serious impact on whether you win or lose over the long term, or even during the course of the game at hand. If you're not familiar with pot odds, this is the ratio of the amount of money already in the pot vs the current bet required to stay in the hand. If this ratio is lower than the percentage chance of you making a hand, then you'll lose more times than you'll win. This means that folding is the better option. If it's vice versa, you'll win more times than not.

Of course, the element of luck is significant in poker, so don't get upset if the statistics don't always play out for you. Stick to your guns and don't be tempted to deviate in hopes of winning more pots. That's a good way to throw away money at the poker table.

3. Don't Just Limp in Preflop

Yes, we know we've just told you to observe starting hand standards, many of which do not recommend raising preflop. However, unlike real-world poker, the majority of players raise preflop online. The most likely reasons are a lack of knowledge and a gambling mentality, where the thrill of winning a big pot is the overriding driver of behavior. This means that you'll be faced with preflop raises on almost every hand.

If you simply fold all the time, you may as well leave the table, as you won't have the chance to play hands that you normally would without a raise. To counter this, start raising preflop yourself to even things out a bit. You'll often benefit by beating other players who have happily (stupidly?) called with inferior hands. In short, control them rather than letting them control you.

4. Find the Fish

The fish. Don't we all love them? It's one of the first things to do when you arrive at a table. Luckily, you can identify them in pretty much the same ways as you can in real life. Don't stop paying attention once you've folded, especially if someone has raised significantly. Finding out what kind of hands they hold onto or raise with will give you a good idea of their opening hand standards and how well they understand odds and statistics. Once you've found them, play tight and very aggressively, they'll likely call more often and on bigger bets.

5. Make Notes on Other Players

This might sound a bit over the top, but if you're serious about poker, it's another strategy that will help you win more by having a reference for each player you've played against previously. It doesn't have to be complicated. Just create a spreadsheet and notes about each player you encounter at a table. Perhaps they have no starting hand standards at all. Maybe they're extremely wily and really know their stuff. Any information you can glean from the way they play goes into your sheet. When you're up against them again, you can simply consult your notes to refresh your memory on how to handle them. Over time, you'll accumulate valuable insights on everyone you've shared a table with.