I love love Texas Hold ‘Em poker, especially the online versions of the game. I spend much of my time playing online poker rather than any other type of poker. It’s fast-paced and a little bit like the brick and mortar casinos, but with Internet poker, the rules don’t really have to be as detailed or complicated.

Like any poker room, you’re going to find some players huffing and puffing about the same thing. Some people play too many hands. Some people lose their cool and get angry and vengeful. And, yes, some people cheat, too.

I’ve seen it all in my countless hours playing poker in casinos. There are people who will track and card count to the point that they’re unable to have a normal life. Some people attempting to collude, in other words, team up on another player in order to share information and beat the other player.

The fact is, Internet poker is probably the most honest form of poker played today. The game is very personal and every single hand has the potential to win or lose you money. Almost every single poker hand you play is enemy to someone else. And, although it doesn’t capture the same myth of hubris and testosterone pumping adrenaline increases and heart rate like you’d get at a monster craps table, the strategy is the same.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that there are ways that you can actually prevent most of the above from happening to you.

A smart poker player is intent on defending their stack of chips. When someone says something to you like “you have a lot of chips in this pot,” you’re not being a deceptive player. You’re actually having a very profitable hand.

So in order to defend your stack of chips, do your best to give off false signals and impression that you’re a tight player. Don’t be afraid to mix up your calls and your raises. After all, those who know you’re not constantly raising your blinds will be delighted to take your chips when you have a real hand.

Concentrate on your own cards. Do not try and impress the other players by looking at your cards as soon as they’re dealt to you. First observe the players around you and then look at your cards. If the players around you are playing loose, you can probably take advantage of that. If the players around you are playing tight, you’re probably up against a solid hand.

Just remember that at all times you are playing a particular game of pokerace99, always remember to focus on your own cards.

As a general rule of thumb, if you’re dealt a hand that’s worth more than a nick nick, you should cover the betting. Even if you’re not exactly sure of the value of your hand, someone else might be up to a higher level of deception. It’s better to join the party than to run away from it.

Nothing helps you make the correct reads faster than the immediate information available to you on the table. Whether you have read the basic strategy text book or not, read the average poker book and even the most advanced material on holdem. You have to know the nuts and bolts of texas holdem poker, so when you read about them, you know precisely what to do. So when you read about guarantees, don’t discount the fact that a player can claim one. It happens more often than you think.

The two words that separate amateur and professional poker players are practice and experience. Don’t expect to win at this game if you don’t invest some time and money learning.

In the final analysis, you can become good at poker, or at least become adept at the sport, but whether you’re a beginner or graduate, the real check of whether you’re ready to lose money is whether or not you can afford the time and dedication it takes to learn. Don’t be in a hurry. Don’t try and turn pro after just a few games, this doesn’t work. Take your time and learn.

This is especially true of games such as Texas Holdem which have a high learning curve. If you have the time and can learn the rules well, then you’re probably better off playing free poker for a while; whereas, if you don’t have the time, don’t play for money unless you have studied the rules well.