ONLINE POKER 101: Step 1, Gathering Intel
Posted by Pajamas Poker on November 4th, 2009If you’re new to the online gambling game then the first thing you need to do before you get your poker on is Gather Intel. The world of online poker is a crazy place and before you go depositing your hard earned duckets at a gambling site you should know if the site and it’s players are right for you. So, we’re going to throw down a short list here of all the ducks you should get in to a row before you begin your quest to becoming a legit online poker player.
- Learn to Play Poker
I know this one is a no-brainer but you need to know how to play poker before you hit the virtual felt tables. If you don’t know how to play Texas Hold’Em just turn on ESPN 2 at night and watch the real pros do it… but seriously it isn’t that difficult to learn how to play or excel at.
- Learn the Lingo
Poker is full of all kinds of crazy acronyms and abbreviations, make sure you learn those first thing as they will help accelerate your learning curve. Poker as a whole is a simple game of probability and people learning, and all of these acronyms will help you achieve both faster. Step 2 of our Poker 101 will be an in depth review of all the important acronyms, so be sure to check back for that tomorrow.
- Choose Your Game
Most poker sites offer multiple variations of popular card games, including but not limited to Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha Hold ‘Em, Black Jack, 7 Card Stud, Razz and the “all in one” H.O.R.S.E. Each one of these games is extremely different from the other, so if you are starting out I would play them all for a bit to get the feel of the one you want to stick with. Out of this list Texas Hold ‘Em is easily the most popular online game type and it is the one we both recommend and play daily.
- Choose Your Table Types
Once you pick your poison it’s time to figure out what kind of table betting you want to play at. Most poker sites offer various types of game play tables including Limit, No-Limit and Pot-Limit, so play them all and get a feel for each one. No-Limit is the game of the big boys, which means you can go all-in at any time so if you play no-limit just know your limits or you’ll see yourself finishing in last place. Another aspect of choosing the right table is choosing the table type. There are Single Table, Multi-Table, Sit & Go and Heads Up… find out the one you like playing in and stick with it.
- Find the Right Site(s)
Not all online poker sites are created equal so you need to find out which one of the sites is right for you. Remember to take into consideration how comfortable you are with the look and feel of the interface, the lobby, the cashier, etc. If you are going to be a serious poker player you’ll be staring at these screens for hours and hours so you want something that doesn’t make you want to gouge your eyes out. You need to also try and get a feel for the types of players each site has, if there are a lot of sharks at a certain site and you are just getting started, then another site may be a better option until you get your feet wet.One thing we also strongly advise you to do is do your research about the companies behind the site you are going to deal with. Search around on the web and see if anyone is complaining about slow pays or shady dealings at a site. None of these sites are based in America so you need to be able to trust them with your money so do your homework so you don’t get screwed. We also make sure to do a thorough search of news sites to see if there have been any breaking stories regarding these places. For an example, two years ago Absolute Poker had an employee cheat random Joes out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, so be wary.
Pajamas Poker has experience and can “vouch” for the following US Friendly poker sites: Full Tilt, Poker Stars and Ultimate Bet. We play on these sites every single day and have had no problems with any of them, we’ll be giving full reviews of each site in the coming weeks so check back for those.
- Practice, Practice, Practice
To be a good poker player it is no different than any other skilled profession, you must practice. The more you play the faster you’ll be able to react in tough situations. You’ll also become a very good “reader” of people and within 10-20 hands at a virtual table you’ll be able to peg 95% of the players to a certain play style which will help you exploit their weaknesses. If you know a player’s tendencies it doesn’t matter if they have the better hand or not.
- Set Your Bankroll Limit and Stick To It
Bankroll is a term to describe the financial backing you are willing to sacrifice while playing poker. If you can only afford to have $50 at any given time in your bankroll makes sure to stick to it. If you lose that $50 don’t go adding more money until you can afford it. If you lose half of your bankroll your first priority should be to try and make that half back without losing the other half, so don’t go joining a $22+2 dollar game out of desperation. Think of your bankroll as your lifeline, as long as you have money in that bankroll you are a fighter, when you don’t you’re a dead man, protect it at all costs and most of all don’t be overly aggressive.Most players start small and build up their bankroll, so if you find $1 games boring, don’t deposit more money into your bank, earn more money by succeeding in the lower tournaments and then play the higher dollar games only after you’ve won the lower ones, that way if you lose you still have your initial investment there as a safety net. We will be going into much more detail regarding bankrolls in the near future, but when you are just starting out just remember to not overextend yourself and play the lower money games to work yourself up to the bigger games.
- Make a List of Goals
Sure making a list sounds strange but it is perfectly normal. Before you start out on your poker journey make a list of your goals and what you’d like to learn and achieve. Also make sure to take notes as you go through the “Gathering Intel” steps so you can know where you are lacking and excelling on your journey.
- Set Your Limits
Nothing is fun once it starts feeling like a job, so make yourself set hard limits when it comes to gaming online. Set both financial and time limits so you don’t ignore the truly important things in your life… basically, don’t let the virtual world absorb your real world.
- Gather Tools
When you are playing poker online it affords you the ability to use software tools to help you make decisions while playing poker. The most popular tools used today is real-time odds calculators that help you as you play. We use and swear by Tournament Indicator, as you may have been able to tell from this post. Calculatem Pro is another real-time odds calculator that we have used and also enjoy, it really gives you an edge on the competition.Some of the other tools out there are Calculatem, Holdem Genius, Sit And Go Shark and Poker Crusher. We know that finding the write tools is key and we will be giving full reviews of all of these tools soon, but we can vouch for both Tournament Indicator and Calculatem Pro being amazing tools that have more than paid for themselves. Look for their reviews next week.
Well there you have it. The Pajamas Poker top ten list of gathering intel before you begin your run at being a poker god. Poker is a game, and you need to remember that. There are endless possibilities with online poker and you can have a tons of fun while making a ton of a money but you need to always remember it is a game and that you can step away at any time. If you have an addictive personality or are under the influence of drugs or alcohol while playing you could seriously hurt yourself or your family by overextending yourself at the tables. If you have a problem maybe you should find out before you go down the wrong road.
Now that you know the basics all you have to do is get out there and start to play, again we recommend playing at Full Tilt, Poker Stars and Ultimate Bet over all others. Be sure to check back tomorrow for Part 2 of our Poker 101 class.
