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SPS PODCAST

20 Quick Tips Every Online Poker Player Needs to Know

BY

Sky Matsuhashi

on April 28, 2023

Here are 20 quick online poker tips that are sure to boost your results. Even if you already know a lot (or all) of these things, it's helpful to be reminded of them occasionally.

Watch me cover the 20 quick tips on my YouTube channel:

 

Download the audio podcast here and listen as you follow along with the quick tips below.

1. Position is King!

When you have position, you give yourself more time to think and act. You also get to see what they do before you have to act.

Position gives you the ability to pot control (bet or check before the next street). Plus, your opponents must contend with your position on every street if they choose to remain in the hand.

My position + seeing them check 2 streets + my bet won me this pot.

 

2. Preflop Raising > Calling or Limping

By raising instead of calling or limping, you can win the pot right now. Calling or limping is done in hopes of winning the pot later. Plus, raisers have a range advantage over their calling opponents, making it easier to bluff them later.

I earn good profits when 2betting, and I'm losing when calling 2bets.

 

3. Look for 3bettors BEFORE Open-raising or Calling

“3bets are the bane of 2bets.” You already know this because making a 3bet is much preferred to facing one, right?

If there are 3bettors still to act, raise or call with a plan first in case they 3bet you. Narrow your range, raise to a larger size or preempt their 3bet by doing it yourself.

Plus, leave tables with lots of 3bettors. They'll make poker a pain as YOU want to be the one 3BETTING THEM!

 

4. Learn HUD Statistics

HUD statistics are a friend whispering your opponent's tendencies in your ear. This is one reason we play online, so you should learn all you can about every statistic in your HUD.

Choose one statistic at a time and learn about it in PokerTracker 4 under Configure > Statistics. Play with purpose and work to make reads and plays using the statistic.

Get the best HUD in the business, the Smart HUD for PokerTracker 4:

Yep, 3bets are the bane of people like this who open a lot and fold to 3bets a lot.

 

5. Play the Player

EVERYONE has tendencies you can exploit (live and online). Your HUD (#4 above) is the perfect tool to help you play the player.

Maniacs love bluffing, fish love calling, TAGs love folding… exploit these tendencies!

Check-calling a maniac's triple-barrel bluff.

 

6. Target the Fish

Fish are the best source of profits! They make the most mistakes, and throw chips around with their recreational, unskilled play.

Be sure to isolate limpers, raise fishy blinds and 3bet 'em to get 'em all to yourself

Table select to find fishy tables.

 

7. Limping = Fish

See a limper, tag 'em as Fish and isolate 'em. Other fish indicators are short stack buy-ins, failing to top off and calling stations.

Also look for a large gap between VPIP-PFR > PFR. Like 4 of the players on this table (37/9, 60/9, 43/13 and 40/10):

 

8. Warm-up with Study Notes

Choose one strategy/topic to study each week, take notes on the items you consume. Notes are how you take your studies with you into the future.

Reviewing notes in your pre-session warm-up refreshes the strategy and leads to A-game play.

 

9. Use Sticky Notes

Write down important notes and attach them to your monitor to help remind you of key strategies as you play.

 

10. Use Poker’s Ultimate Question: “What are they doing this with?”

They act, you ask yourself this question and the answer will lead you to the correct response. Train this question as a habit in your studies.

No idea what they're doing? Just fold.

 

11. Use a Tick Sheet to Keep Focused

You can create a tick sheet for any strategy you're practicing. Some ideas:

 

12. Hand Off That Mouse!

Avoid “finger tilt” (a term from Tommy Angelo) in dangerous situations (like holding KK on a dangerously wet board).

Return your hand to the mouse after you've thought through the situation and decided on a play.

 

13. Breathe

Take a second and a breath… think through the situation. This also helps avoid finger tilt.

 

14. Ditch Distractions

Twitter, email, Netflix, Candy Crush all take focus away from your goal…

Making great reads and decisions!

Also, play a comfortable # of tables where you have enough time to think and act properly.

 

15. View Chips Stacks in BB's

This is helpful for basic strategy analysis. “9bb” is better than thinking “$.45” or “$2.25” (9bb's at different stakes).

Helps for playing different stakes and also when moving up, and of course, for tournament play.

 

16. You're Going to Miss the Flop… “How can I steal it?”

How often do ranges hit top pair or better and the best draws? Not too often:

Being in position, the preflop aggressor and stat reading all help to steal more. Make a plan for stealing post-flop before you enter the pot preflop!

 

17. If They Can Find a Fold, Bet

Your ranges miss the flop very frequently… but so do theirs! When you miss the flop, and you think they can find a fold… bet!

Look for folding stats, dry boards and any signs of weakness.

 

18. Don't Bluff the Unbluffable

“If they ain't folding, you ain't bluffing.” Go for max value instead.

But, if they're folding later, be willing to bet to that street. In the above hand, Villain 353 doesn't fold on the flop, but folds on the turn. I have to be willing to barrel to the turn before I make this first flop cbet bluff.

 

19. HH Reviews: Always Put 'em on a Range

Use Flopzilla Pro when you review hands and put your opponent on a range every time. This will train hand reading, range understanding, player analysis and equity understanding.

Use Poker's Ultimate Question to help you build the range (#10 above).

 

20. Use the PT4 Note Editor, NOT the Poker Site's Software

You want to have access to any notes you've taken while reviewing hands. Use the Smart HUD's note editor for notes (the small orange square in the top left corner):

 

Take Action with These Quick Tips!

Put each of these 20 quick tips to work starting today. Work on 'em one at a time until you get 'em all down pat!

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Sky Matsuhashi

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