If you pay attention to the little things, the big things will take care of themselves. I love that quote, it applies to so many facets of life, and poker online is one of them.
A lot of people think that poker is too complicated for them to learn, but if you are just starting out, poker online can be a simple game. That’s not to say that poker isn’t complicated, there are innumerable things to consider if you want to play your very best. If you’re just starting out, however, it’s impossible to learn everything at once-you’ll just get overwhelmed and frustrated.
As a beginner, you only need to know a few things to get started. When you’ve got these down, you can start picking up more poker wisdom as you play.
Be picky about your hole cards. As a beginner, you’re not quite ready to bluff yet, since you’re opponent-reading skills aren’t fully developed, just stick with playing the best hands. Pocket pairs down to 9’s are doable, and A-K or A-Q are good hands to start with as well.
Bet or fold. If you can’t play your hand aggressively, you probably shouldn’t be playing it at all.
If think you’ve lost the hand, just fold. It’s tough to fold high pair or two pair, but if there’s a draw on the board and someone’s betting into you, it’s not worth it. When you gain more experience, you’ll be able to read your opponents, but when you’re just starting out, play it safe.