Important Steps to Knowing About Specifics of Playing Online Poker

It was quite common to see people all in pre-flop with a huge range of hands. Now that the poker boom has slowed down a bit, you should be finding that most players are playing a better game than they were four or five years ago. This is where learning to play short-handed poker can really reignite that poker boom that was funding everyone’s online bankroll years ago.

In this article you will learn a few core tips on what can make you one of the toughest opponents at the table. If you are an advanced player, then feel free to skip the first three topics in this article.

Let’s first go over what makes a short-handed opponent a force to be reckoned with:

1. Position

2. Pre-Flop Aggression

3. Post-Flop Aggression

4. Details

5. Table Adjustment

Position – The bottom line is that you want to be raising a wider range of hands from the later positions and tightening up in the small blind and big blind.

Pre-Flop Aggression – One of the reasons short-handed poker is so fun is because you should be raising a wide range of hands pre-flop. The plan of attack is to first find out the table texture, whether tight or loose, and figure out what range you will be raising pre-flop. You want to be aggressive pre-flop and also post-flop. As long as you are in there raising pre-flop and betting the flop almost every time, you will be a force at a short-handed table. A good tip I picked up from Phil Gordon was varying my raise amounts by position.

Post-Flop Aggression – The real key to short-handed poker is betting the flop. First, you will take down most of the pots on the flop. You have to remember that if two players have unpaired hole cards pre-flop, that they will both miss the flop 2/3 of the time. This is why betting the flop is profitable and knowing the reason why is essential. Second, when you bet the flop, many opponents will be inclined to trap you and just call. This gives you a free card and can be deadly if you hold a pocket pair or a draw. Occasionally you bet the flop and turn the best hand. This makes betting the flop even more profitable. Lastly, it creates an aggressive image and frustrates opponents. You will find that they will be playing out of their element when they are doing all the calling.

Details – When you first sit down, you should always be looking for hands that go to a showdown. Most sites should have a last hand button and you should use that constantly. Figuring out how your opponents are playing is a good chunk of the battle on a short-handed table.

When you arrive at a short-handed table, you want to figure out what everyone’s general range is. When I say range, I am talking about what they are raising with, what they are limping with, and even what they fold pre-flop (if they show). You should first start taking notes on EVERY PLAYER. I see a lot of newer players ignoring this and they are missing out on a ton of valuable information that could make them better. For instance, let’s say we just noticed a hand where a guy limped on 10-10 from the button.

This seems like simple advice, but knowing someone’s range gives you a huge edge.

Figure out how your opponents are playing their strong hands. Make notes on how they play a set or straight. Does your opponent bet it out, or slow-play it? If you see that he has slow-played all of his monster hands, and taken notes on that, then the next time he bets into you, you can be more inclined to re-raise him with just about any two cards.

The second thing you should do is find out who is multi-tabling in the lobby. This provides a small edge for us since it gives us an idea of who the good players are. Usually, someone who is playing a bunch of tables is an auto pilot. So as soon as you pick your tables, scan that lobby. What we will do next is re-raise these players with very marginal holdings until they respond to us. Do NOT take this overboard.

In that case you will run their jacks or queens right into the dirt. You should be re-popping these tight multi-tablers a lot. There are some good players who re-raise donks and it just doesn’t work well. They tend to call way too much and make it an unprofitable situation.

The last thing you should do is pay attention to the speed of your betting. It is pretty scary when a player bets that quick without really even taking much time to assess the flop. The quick check is another good move. A quick check is generally weakness. So when I do hit a flush or flop a set and I choose to slow play a big pot, I will check as fast as humanly possible.

Another good tip is betting the turn when someone quick-calls your flop bet. I almost always bet the turn when a player calls my flop bet without thinking. 90% of the time they are on a draw or even middle pair.

Through your short-handed experience, you will notice that little details such as the ones I provided will lead to more and more profit over the long run. There are plenty more small tips like these that I will be including in future articles, aimed at the more advanced players looking to pick up a few good habits to make a little bit more per hour. Higher limits are all about smaller details such as these.

Table Adjustment- It is important to adjust your range based on the type of table you are at. Generally, on most medium-to-tight tables, I am raising A-9 and up, suited connectors of 5-6 and up, any pair, and any two face cards from any position. This seems loose but I find it works for me. If you choose to play like this you must possess really good post-flop skills. On a looser table, I tend to tighten up and only raise AJ+, 77+, and even 910s and up.

Learning the basics is great, but you need to keep improving and playing your hands in a way that most people don’t. A good example is betting out trips when most people would check. Maybe even checking the turn after that. Feel free to trap in a short-handed game as well. Just mix it up.

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