Just Until Payday

Playing poker online differs from live casino tables in that you can’t actually see your opponents to pick up on tells. However, many online poker rooms provide special features not available at a casino tables and using these features can help you sharpen your game. Take advantage of statistical poker information about your own play at the table. Look for a “Stats” feature that will detail how many hands you’ve played, your small blind action, how many flops you paid to see, how many hands you won with a showdown and how many pots you took without a showdown. Examining this information can help you discern if your play is too loose or too tight, so you can make the required adjustments. In a live casino game, it is too difficult to keep track of this information, but online poker can provide a clear record of your betting patterns. If there is a replay feature to revisit the previous poker hand, use it when you become distracted and have not seen the other hands at a showdown. Sometimes in the heat of the moment, it’s impossible to focus on anything but your own cards. The replay feature lets you see what your opponent was playing. Sometimes players show their losing hands, but it’s only on the screen for a split second. Looking at the replay gives you information about other players’ styles and betting patterns by letting you know they called with weak hands, or lost to bad beat because they did not bet out on a strong hand.