Internet Poker Theory

Poker emerging onto the internet has altered the game beyond comprehension. Poker went from a backroom basement game to becoming broadly accepted among….. hell everyone. Well maybe not the congress but who really cares what they think anyway.

In this article I wanted to give the overall theory of Internet poker. We’ll go over the fundamentals which have been making players money over the past 10 years. Also we will touch on the important subjects because, well, this article is on Internet poker theory.

We now have a basic free poker ebook that gives all sorts of tips for playing online.

The Fundamentals of Winning Players

So what’s the number one fundamental that every player should go by to end up a winner at Internet Poker? The answer is consistency. You can study poker strategy theory until your eyes bleed and pop out of their sockets. The biggest factor on whether you win or lose in the long run is consistency. It’s probably boring as hell listening to me tell you that. I mean what’s more boring than talking about consistency? People don’t want to hear it either. They want the “secrets” the pros use.

Well, hate to break it to you but there are no secrets at internet poker anymore. The few secrets about cheating at internet poker were exposed. That’s a whole other article about how players manipulate multiple accounts, chip dump, etc.

Consistency is a vague term but here is the general meaning when we talk about a winning Internet player. Of all the biographies and interviews that we have done and read about, consistency means not going on tilt, sticking to your game, and following what other successful players do. Once you become a winning player it’s staying consistent and playing as much as possible increasing your win rate. Sounds boring and simple but it’s the truth.

First and foremost is going on tilt. Intermediate poker players stay as intermediate poker players because they tilt so much. Tilt is usually what holds them back from progressing into a “Good” poker player. Heck tilt can turn a great poker player into a terrible player when it comes down to the bankroll. This theory is important when discussing Internet poker because tilt is magnified when playing online.

Secondly is sticking to your game plan. Ask yourself what makes you money? Do you find yourself better at sit and go’s or cash games or are you a multi-table specialists. Once you find what makes you the most money devote a larger portion of time to that area.

Following other successful players is another great way to propagate their strategies into your play. All the online poker pros we list are some of the best ever. Even during the interviews we did most of them say that consistency is what makes them so good. They all stick to the games they feel they have the best opportunity at winning. Look at Taylor Caby. He usually only plays heads up cash games because that is what his style suits. Justin Bonomo stays at the multi-table tournaments and for good reason; he wins so many of them.

Here are a couple quick tips to help you choose what might be your specialty game. If you like to be patient and are risk adverse then multi-table tournaments should be your choice. Players who are ancy to play hands and have no patience might be better suited playing heads up cash games. People who can multi-task might choose playing sit and go’s while playing 4 or 5 at a time.

Evolution of Internet Poker

Internet poker has stayed relatively the same for the last 10 years. Innovations in depositing and safety/cheating issues have developed but the overall game has stayed consistent. Cash games, sit and go’s, and multi-table tournaments have continued to be the bread winners for both players and gaming sites. Prize pools have increased significantly and more free money in the way of freerolls and bonuses are given out every year. The bonus size has increased dramatically but the scheme of releasing has stayed the same. Players must still play enough raked hands to release their bonus to play with exceptions at PacificPoker who continue to capture market share by offering the deposit bonuses instantly.

Poker Sites Market

New online poker rooms continue to try and break the market by coming out with unique ideas. No rake schemes, themed poker rooms, and 3D versions are the latest trends but players still want the basics. The theory around making an online poker room a big hit is the sites must have a few basic concepts down. The poker room needs large player databases so that players don’t have to wait to play games. Player safety is also an issue when new internet poker rooms launch. Poker players are skeptical and must feel safe when depositing large sums of money.

Compatibility feats are also on the minds as poker rooms move into smaller niche sites such as Macintosh poker compatibility. Internet poker players also want easy to use software with a deposit bonus that is fair to both the poker room and the player. And most of all they want to play at a “Popular” poker room where friends and professionals play. PartyPoker continues to lead the market because of their initial boost in market share from being one of the first sites available.

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