Just because they are fish does not mean that you will always win or always be able to bluff. Remember, bad players don't know that they are making a huge mistake when they play weak hands, but sometimes those weak hands, called all the way to the end, make miracle monster hands that will beat you on occasion (also known as "sucking out" the pot). How can you best play against multiple fish? Bet/raise strong starting hands such as big cards and pairs, and play strong drawing hands (suited connectors and suited Ax) as cheaply as possible, and bet/raise if the flop hits you.

This is one of the most valuable features of poker sites such as PartyPoker. Because players in online  poker often switch tables quickly, take notes about their play, so when you see them again you will have an idea what to expect. Right-click on their name and jot down some information about their playing style.  Even if you never see them again, taking notes makes it much easier to learn from your play and to develop your ability to read players. Key issues to take notes on: tight or loose, passive or aggressive, predictable or not, raiser or calling station.  Also note whether they bluff, play predictable strategy or chase draws. Also, try to keep some quick notes about what kinds of starting hands they play, including those they raise before the flop (all pairs? Only big pairs? Any ace?) This information will give you a huge advantage down the road. 

When you play against an obviously poor player, make sure you remember who they are! The best way to do this is to add them to your Buddy List. Many good players do this, because at a later date, all you need do is go to the "search tables" button, and you can locate your favorite weak players and join their game. We think you should add all kinds of bad players to your buddy list, including maniacs and calling stations. When you are in a game with a maniac and a few calling station fish, the pots will be large, and you can clean up if you make your hand. The risk with playing against so many fish, though, is that you will experience more suck-outs.

Know your outs.  Be able to calculate (on the fly) the odds of making your hand once the flop occurs.  The easiest and most basic way to do this is to use the Four/Two Rule.  The Four/Two Rule uses your number of outs to calculate the percentage chance of making your hand.  Here is how the Rule works:

1.  Determine the number of "outs" you have to make your hand (for example, if you have four cards to a flush, you have nine outs). 

 

2.  With two cards still to come after the flop, you multiply the number of outs by four (in the example, 9x4, which equals 36).  Thus, you have a 36% chance of making your flush (the true percentage chance is actually 35%, but this is a quick and easy calculation to do in your head and a rough approximation is enough).  

 

3.  With one card to come after the turn, you multiply the number of outs by two (in the example, 9x2, which equals 18).  Thus, you have an 18% chance of making your flush (the true percentage chance is actually 19.6%). 

One of the new (to most people) features of the online games is the ability to use a four-color deck, where each suit is a different color. These are very popular with good players, because these decks assist you in reading the hand quickly and accurately. With four colors, you are less likely to miss seeing a flush draw or flushes.

The little computer graphics of people sitting in each seat are cute, but they don't matter to the game, and they are a distraction. You can change the settings so that each seat just has the name, location and chip amount for each player. The avatars just add unnecessary clutter to the screen, and you run the VERY real risk of stereotyping players based upon their avatar. I know a great male player who plays as a female avatar, because he knows that many poor players will stereotype a woman as not as good as a man. Big mistake.

Often at showdown, only the winning hand is shown.  However, regardless of whether you were in the hand or not, you should click on the hand history in the upper right-hand corner of the screen to see the hand history. Even though the losing players at showdown didn't show their cards, the hand history will show you what hand they had. This is useful information when trying to get a read on your opponents. You should add what you learn to your player notes (as discussed above).

Don't be in a hurry to sit and start playing. Poker is a game of patience. Sit down at the table and let the button go around a full rotation before you play. It will give you time to evaluate your opponents. The worst thing that can happen is to get dealt a strong hand early and then get caught in a massive raising war between two players you don't know. They could be two maniacs for sure, but what if one of them is a maniac and the other player is super-tight? Most likely, that super tight player is holding the nuts while you are bumbling by with top pair or two pair.  Not a good move. So be patient, take notes in the meanwhile and save money in the long run.

There is a temptation in the online poker scene to play multiple tables.  It is easy to do, and give you more poker-playing action.  But it is a double-edged sword.  Playing poker requires concentration, even at the lower limits, and if you are multi-tabling, your concentration is split between tables, and thus your decision-making will suffer.  You will also be less aware of how your opponents are playing.  Even if you are very proficient, you should play no more than two tables at a time.  Any more than that, and you will lose track of your bankroll, the action, betting patterns and more.

This is our final suggestion, and admittedly, it is a Pollyanna-ish statement.  Be able to differentiate between true tilt and simple bad luck with the cards you are getting.  You may play perfectly and still lose.  Just because you are playing your A game does not mean that you will always win in the short-term.  As my grandmother used to say: sometimes you are the windshield, sometimes you are the bug.  It might be time to take a break.  If, however, you decide to stay and play, it is critically important that you do not let on to the other players -- either through chat or through your play -- that you may be on tilt.  If they think that you are, they may try to push your buttons and goad you into poor play.

 

But at some point you will find yourself in a situation where you are losing and/or playing terrible starting hands, your bankroll is dwindling, and you know you should stop playing, yet continue to play.  Tilt is deadly to your bankroll -- you can drop all your longterm profits in a matter of minutes if you go on tilt.  Tilt is also dangerous to your state of mind as a poker player.  Be able to recognize when you are on tilt and intervene on your own behalf.  Take a break.  Find another table.  Play another day.  And finally, ponder this: the cards have no memory.