Online Poker

[RobFunk]

Really, I don't know very much about this. So instead of sitting here and wondering like a dumbass, I figured I'd come here and ask the knowlegable people of the RX community.

Does anyone actually make consistently good coin at this?

Is virtually any online poker place good to play at?

what bothers you most at these places?

what's the best games to play?

Any tips?

I'm not looking for survey type answers, any tid bits or 2 cents regarding online poker would be helpful. "stay away" and "it sucks" are ok posts also. Just trying to learn something here.

 

[ironlock]

Leaks kill people.

I could make a living playing limit and no limit tourneys, but inevitably, I come home drunk, I jump into a 6 handed game, go on tilt and dump my wad.

 

[ironlock]

I've ran 200 up to $3000 every time I deposit, only to lose it in a few ill advised sessions.

 

[RobFunk]

whats your game ironlock?

 

[Woody0]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by RobFunk: <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

"Does anyone actually make consistently good coin at this?"

Depends what you mean by good coin.

The yardstick for offline cardrooms is for skilled players to win 2 big bets an hour falling to 1 big bet an hour around $75/150. Obviously at higher levels you need to be more skilled to win. Online, the game plays about twice as fast and you can play 2 or 3 tables simultaneously so these figures need adjusting. Playing low limit 1/2, 2/4, 3/6 this year I've made about $5 an hour at Party Poker and $10 an hour at Ultimate Bet, so it's a retirement hobby. BTW I play 8/16 and 15/30 offline where I feel I get more information, since you can see your opponents.


"Is virtually any online poker place good to play at?"

The major places are all solid financially. There is some specialization. Poker Stars is good and difficult for learning tournaments. Party Poker is huge and has lots of weak players in low limits.


"what bothers you most at these places?"

It's a technical thing but a lot of them really screw up the blinds. At Party if a player on your immediate right leaves you may miss posting the big blind and post the small. That's to your advantage but unfair, and shows that most places were programmed by non-players.


"what's the best games to play?"

All the action is in Texas holdem. I would not suggest any other game for a beginner.


"Any tips?"

If you're starting get Lou Kreiger's "Holdem Excellence" and/or "winning Low Limit Holdem" by Lee Jones. About $20 and well spent.

Also don't forget to get your bonus when signing up. I have several accounts and change my room based on recurring bonus offers. You always need to play enough hands so they recover the bonus from the rake, although you can of course win AND collect the bonus.

 

[theswami]

Robfunk-

Here are a few random thoughts from someone who is far from an authority on the topic:

There are people who make a living playing online poker. Your term "good coin" is relative. What you view as "good coin" some may view as pocket change.

I've played online for a while and find that it is one of the greatest movements for all my hobbies. It's something I've always enjoyed doing but couldn't do often given that I live in the live poker wasteland of the NY/NJ area. The once/twice a month game with my friends just doesn't cut it. I stick to the major rooms (or those with which I'm familiar) since they offer everything I need. One could argue that you can find better bonuses or softer games elsewhere but for me I'll only play at Party/Empire, PokerStars, Paradise and maybe Ultimate and WSEX.

What bothers me most about online play is the potential for cheating, slow play, intentional disconnects, and the fact that I don't feel the cards and chips. Cheating does happen but in my experience it happens so infrequently and/or the culprits are so bad at it that the affect on what I need to get out of my experience is minimal. If I made a living at online poker I might feel differently since every dollar counts and losing that $20 big bet to someone who intentionally disconnects means a bit more than it does to me at this point. Cheating/angle shooting has cost me $$ but given what I have taken out of the game and the alternative (NOT PLAYING) it is well worth it.

Regarding games, the best games to learn/play if you are in it for the money are those where the edge for good players is maximized/most beneficial. IMO, if you are a very good player at no-limit, pot-limit, and omaha you can do well since most people don't know those games as well and you can exploit players' weaknesses.

Tips:

recreational: have fun and don't play over your head.

pro: keep meticulous records and be professional (treat it like a job rather than a game).

 

[TheGeneral+]

If you have any sense of poker and the time/discipline, you can slowly grind nice profits online. Don't get greedy.

 

[peskypup]

my main tip would be to start at the smallest room and only consider going higher after 2 weeks' clear winning profits there.

It gets harder at the higher rooms

 

[blueedwards]

swami, how can someone cheat in on line poker?

 

[Woody0]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by blue edwards:
swami, how can someone cheat in on line poker? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

They can but the rooms have methods to detect it. He mentioned deliberately disconnecting when faced with a difficult call/fold which allows you to go all-in for the pot at that time.

Can't talk about other methods since there is no point is disseminating what is unethical/illegal and will get you thrown out of sites.

 

[poopsicle]

You want to make money playing poker?

Take $2k and start buying into $200 sit n go's. Play 3 or 4 at a time and play tight until you hit the bubble, then go all out loose and take it to a coin flip. If you win 35% of the time and play approximately 10 hours, you will make about $5k a day.

 

[DarrylParsons]

Q. Does anyone actually make consistently good coin at this?

A. Yes. Some make a very good living at it.


Q. Is virtually any online poker place good to play at?

A. My favorites are Poker Stars, Party, and UltimateBet. Don't know much about the others.

Q. what bothers you most at these places?

A. So many players, can't really get to know too many of them -- I mean playing styles, weaknesses etc.


Q. what's the best games to play?

A. NL holdem tournaments IMO, all formats and all limits. Holdem because it's the most popular game, and NL because when someone goes on tilt, they really dump their chips.


Q. Any tips?

Just do what's most enjoyable. Even the top players are in it for ego and/or enjoyment, with money being only secondary, although most won't admit it.

 

[theswami]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by blue edwards:
swami, how can someone cheat in on line poker? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm sure there are more way than I can think of but here are a few:

1) If there are ways to hide IP addresses what stops someone from setting up 2 or more PCs and sitting at a table with a few unsuspecting players and knowing the cards for all the hands they control. This obviously would allow the cheat to manipulate the pots and have a better sense of the odds of winning.

2) Related to one above, collusion between 2 or more players where they share cards and manipulate pots.

3) Intentional disconnecting. This is more of an angle shot but essentially a player would pull the plug on his PC when faced with a bet that he didn't want to call. Many rooms would allow the player to keep his equity in the pot up to that point and play the hand out.

4) Flat out hacking the software. I'm less concerned about this since I would suspect that the rooms can control this better.

I've seen numbers 2 and 3 employed although only on a VERY small percentage of the tables I play.

The positives of online poker outweigh the negatives for me and thousands of other players.

 

[blueedwards]

swami, i think you have a criminal mind...and i respect that.

 

[theswami]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by blue edwards:
swami, i think you have a criminal mind...and i respect that. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

No Blue, its called paranoia and cycnicism.

When I first started playing I thought about the ways that I could be cheated and tried to look out for it.

Reminds me of the first, last, and only Rx contest I entered. Within the first week there were a few angle shots and I immediately dropped out. ALL forms of gambling bring out the worst in even the best people.

 

[blueedwards]

very true.