PokerGTA

Have Your Poker Training Aides Handy

A strong advantage to playing online poker is that you can use training aides while you’re playing at the computer. You can have books, charts, tables, and notes in front of you to assist you in making decisions, a practice that is totally legal and ethical in online poker. Having instructional paraphernalia handy is especially useful if you are a novice at poker. For example, you can put a starting-hands chart in front of you and refer to it when making a decision about whether to call or fold from a middle position. Be careful, however, not to slow down the game.

If you are an experienced player and have been keeping notes on your usual opponents, you can drag them out and put them by your computer. Maybe you remember the online name of someone who you’ve played before. Taking a look at your notes, you see that she’s a loose player who might raise with any two cards, or maybe she’s a solid player who will play certain hands in one situation but not in another one. In a sense, you’re “reading” your opponent by reading your notes! Most of the major online poker sites allow you to take notes and keep files on players. You can review your notes by simply placing your mouse over that player at the table and right-clicking it.