Online tournaments

I love tournaments and think they’re one of the greatest features of online casinos. Because all aspects are automatic (shuffling cards, counting chips, and so on), the game moves at a more rapid and exciting pace than tournaments in real casinos.
If you ever want to try your luck against me in a tournament, you can usually find me playing poker. Most of online tournaments often have profitable overlays, which means the casino pays back more money than it takes in , making them a great value for your gambling dollar.

Tournaments

Though not totally exclusive to the Internet, Sit and Go (SNG) poker tournaments have blossomed online. Their principle is simple: Rather than compete in a long, full-fledged tournament you simply sign up (sit down) and wait until your table (six to ten players) is full. Then you play until only one player is holding chips.

SNGs are popular because they appeal to people’s love of instant gratification and risk-avoidance; games rarely take more than an hour to crown the champion, and losses can’t exceed your initial buy-in. Howard Lederer, popular host of the TV show, Learn From The Pros, considers SNGs the perfect training ground, providing valuable final table experience for larger tournaments. Here are some tips from Howard on improving your results in the trendy SNG format.

- Start out conservative. Initially the blinds, the mandatory bet before a hand starts, are small, so the chips to fight over are few. Establishing a tight image early by playing only select hands is a good idea because that may help you steal pots later with weaker hands, when the stakes are higher.
- Play for third place. The standard prize structure for a ten-player tournament pays 50 percent of the entry fees for first, 30 percent for second, and 20 percent for third place. So if you can survive until the final three, you guarantee yourself a profit.
- Go for the gold. After you make the top three, shift gears and aggressively play for first place. The difference between third and second is only 10 percent, but finishing first is worth a whopping 30 percent extra.

Internet game rage

The anonymity of the Internet means you can play poker naked if you want. (Just don’t share that information with your online opponentsit may ruin the game for them.) But anonymity also has a dark side. Most online games have chat options, allowing players to type in their thoughts and comments. The fact that they can’t see the other players turns some normally meek, well-behaved people into raging bulls at their key­boards, especially in poker. Their mission in life is to point out the mistakes of everyone else at the table, and they caustically attack their oppo­nents, trying to drive them over the edge.

No matter how good you are, a skillful jab in the right place at the wrong time can throw you off your game. Consequently, a thick skin is critical


to maintaining your cool and managing your game. One of the best ways to keep your focus is to never stoop to the bully’s level. If you’re verbally attacked, don’t retaliate. Instead, be courteous or employ one of the best features of Internet casinos the mute button, which silences any player at the table.

Online poker players also tend to bluff more, par­tially because you can’t see their eyes or facial expressions. And the deception involves more than just the cards. The names or pictures of play­ers at your online table may have little in common with the actual person you’re competing against More often than not, SexyVegasVixen, who just cleaned you out in Omaha, isn’t sexy, nor a vixen, nor is sfrefrom Nevada.