Every player at a poker table is dealt from the same deck, and even the best players lose a lot of hands. Over a few thousand hands, though, the players who understand their opponents tend to finish ahead of the ones who only understand the cards. That second skill is mostly psychology, and it can be learned.
Reading opponents
At a live table, players can watch each other. Some people look at their chips as soon as they see a good flop. Some stop talking, or hold their breath for a second when they bet. Good players know this, and some of them fake it, so one tell on its own doesn’t say much. Playing poker online is different, because there is only a name on a screen and a timer.
Some players always act within a second or two. When someone who has been quick all night suddenly sits and thinks, that is worth noticing. Real money online poker is only available in a handful of states, such as Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Michigan, and players must be 21 or older.
Bluffing
A bluff only works if the story makes sense. If a player raised before the flop and keeps betting on the flop and the turn, the opponent has to believe the cards are there to back it up. A player who bets big on one street and checks the next gives the bluff away.
There are two kinds of bluffs. A pure bluff is made with a hand that has almost no chance of winning, so it only works if the other player folds. A semi-bluff is made with a hand that could still get better — like four cards of the same suit waiting for a fifth. If the opponent calls, the player can still hit the flush. Some opponents are poor targets. Players who call almost every bet will not fold, so it is usually better to bet for value against them.
Table image
Other players form an opinion within the first few orbits. One who has folded for an hour looks tight, and when that player finally raises, the others tend to fold. One who has been raising often looks loose and is more likely to get called. Good players know this and use it. After a long quiet stretch, a raise from a tight player is taken seriously, so it is a good moment for a bluff.
A loose player who has been raising a lot will get called more often, so that is the time to bet on a strong hand. Online, it works the same way, except the opinion comes from hands that were shown at the end and from how often a player has folded or raised. Some players write notes on opponents they see again.
Tilt
Tilt is the word for playing badly because of anger. It usually begins with a bad beat. Say a player gets all the chips in with a pair of aces; the other player has a worse hand, and a card on the river gives him the pot.
After that, the player calls something that should be folded, or raises because he is annoyed. The only real cure is to get up. Five minutes away from the table is enough for some people, and for others, the day is over. Being tired makes tilt come easier, and sleep and exercise help sharpen your mind, so a session that starts at midnight is a poor idea.
Patience
New players want to be in every hand. Sitting through ten in a row without playing one feels like wasting the evening. The experienced player at the same table has folded nine of them and is paying attention to the tenth.
She has noticed that the player on her left only bets big with strong hands and that the one across from her calls too often. When a good hand finally comes, she knows who will pay her off. Online, the hands go by so fast that it is easy to click through them without looking.
Skill and luck
Poker has more skill in it than most casino games, since players make choices that change the result and the other players are people who can be outplayed. Luck still decides a lot over short sessions, and a good player can lose for weeks. Some people sit down at a poker table hoping to make money online.
A few of them do, but those players have usually spent years studying the game and writing down their results from every session. Most players lose more than they win over time, and rent money should never depend on it. Poker is better treated as a hobby that costs something than as a job.
