Everything You Need To Know About Playing Online Poker
Before diving in and making a deposit to play online poker, you should draw up a checklist of the following. While these suggestions may seem obvious and elementary, too many players overlook them. Online poker is very much a hobby for most people, but you wouldn't go to the golf club without your clubs would you? This is a brief article outlining some good tips and tools that will help you along the way to becoming a better poker player.
Poker Tracking Software
Tracking software logs all hand histories that you and your opponents play, from these hand histories tracking programs can compile a wide array of player statistics, these statistics will provide vital information on both your opponents, but also on your own playing style, this is especially useful for plugging leaks in your own game. Even recreational players are using tracking software these days, without it, you're immediately at a disadvantage at the tables. The two market leaders for tracking software are Holdem Manager 2 and Poker Tracker 3, is one better than the other? It's debatable, both have their good and bad points. Pokertracker boasts a longer list of supported poker rooms and networks, whereas Hold'em Manager 2 has a great leak buster program in built. I would suggest trying both if possible, as it often comes down to personal preference when deciding which software to buy. Being able to read and interpret your opposing player's statistics will give you a massive edge over players who don't use poker tracking software.
For tournaments and SNG players, tracking software isn't as important but you should utilise it to gain small insights into your opponents tendencies. In addition to this, you should be investigating your competitions tournament and Sit and Go playing history. There are a number of sites that track all these results such as Top Shark and Official Poker Rankings. If you want to get an idea of the opposition before playing a single hand, then you may want to consider buying bulk hand histories from Poker table ratings, you'll know your opposition before they get to know you and your tendencies. We have a concise article on reading and interpreting player statistics. Both Holdem Manager and Poker Tracker offer free trials, take advantage of them and discover which tracking software fits your needs before committing to buy.
The Right Computer Hardware - Monitors for Poker
Most people assume that any old laptop, pc or monitor will suffice, however this couldn't be further from the truth. It's important when considering laptops that you go for a model that supports a high screen resolution. This is essential for quality multi-tabling, having overlapping tables on a low resolution screen is far from ideal, i'd even go as far as to say it can be tilting just to watch someone trying to multi-table this way. You may be thinking to yourself, I'll just buy a decent monitor and connect it to the laptop, but you'll regret this decision as soon as you have your laptop on the move and you've no access to a good monitor. A minimum supported screen resolution of 1600 x 900 is recommended.
If you're considering buying a desktop machine purely for poker, then a dedicated graphics card may not be necessary, providing it supports full HD resolutions. A machine with an i5-i7 Processor and a minimum of 4gb of ram should be sufficient to handle numerous tables and other applications such as Holdem Manager or Poker Tracker. As with the laptop, the monitor screen resolution will be critical for multi-tabling with ease. Remember to check the maximum screen resolution supported by both your graphics adapter and your monitor.
Please feel free to contact support by submitting a ticket or even calls us on skype for hardware recommendations.
Playing Environment
There are a number of benefits to having a clean and tidy desk space and working area, an uncluttered and tidy working space will reduce the amount of potential distractions. Architects have long maintained that our living space can affect our behaviour, feelings and thoughts, if you're going to be spending long hours playing in one room, try and make your environment as enjoyable as possible. While playing, it's best to avoid distractions, this includes browsing the web, instant messaging and watching video clips etc, they can all potentially harm your win rate, focus on your decision making process, rather than the latest episode of Game of Thrones, besides, Game of Thrones deserves your full attention too!
Moneybookers or Skrill VIP
If you don't already have an account I would strongly suggest signing up. Having a moneybookers vip account allows you to conveniently deposit and withdraw from all major poker sites using a variety of currencies. There is a wide selection of online money wallets for depositing on poker sites, but moneybooks is the Cadillac of eWallets! If you're wondering why you should bother when you have a credit card, consider this. You get access to state of the art security ensuring your account remains 100% secure, when you use moneybookers you're not submitting your credit card details to various poker sites and services. It's an extra layer of security that will protect you even if your computer or email accounts are compromised. It costs nothing to sign up. Tip - To avoid fees deposit direct from the poker sites instead of uploading funds to moneybookers first, alternatively you can upload funds from your bank account free of charge.
