For those serious about their online poker experience, the following tips are designed to help the novice avoid the traps used by more experienced online poker players.

1. Online Poker Chat

The online poker chat can be a valuable tool to shake the novice player. Experienced players use the chat feature to take the novice player off their game by providing a distraction. If you feel the need to trash talk or make friends you are better off finding a sports chat room or playing free online poker.

The online chat feature is a psychological tool used by the experienced player and can be effective in many ways. They may try to anger you, or “trash talk” you in order to get you into making bets out of spite, they can attempt to befriend you in order to make your betting more passive or they may even use it to gain extra information concerning your last bet. When asked about your last hand you should always lie! Do not give your fellow players any sort of edge and always keep them guessing. You are here to make money, not friends, keep that in mind when you are playing online poker.

Your best bet is to turn the chat off and focus on your winning strategy until you feel you can use the chat feature to take other players off their game.

2. Betting Help Software

All online poker rooms use random number generators to choose the cards presented to you. Right there you should see that any software that may be offered to you does not help.

There are sites all over the internet offering you their “winning software” or their mathematical formula to beat the odds, none of which work! In most cases they are selling you a random number generator of their own, making their odds and plays less reliable than your own. There is no such thing as an online card counter, the best way to win a game is to follow your strategy and play the hands you feel you have a chance at winning. There are no shortcuts that will make you a better player, spend your time building your understanding of the game through practice and reading.

Making yourself familiar with winning combinations and what are the best first draw cards will take you further than any software offered ever could. Play smart and play to win!