Find the Good Players before You Try to Bluff them
When you start out in an online poker tournament, get to know your opponents before you play against them. You don’t want to risk your chips against someone you don’t know, because you might be setting yourself up to get beat. Since you can’t take the time to run a background check on your opponents, take the first few rounds to get to sit back and observe your online poker opponents-their mannerisms, their playing style, their card selection, and a number of other factors can let you know how to play against each and every one of your opponents.
I could have used this advice at the tournament I played a few nights ago. I was up against a few strangers, and I had neglected to pay attention to one player who didn’t say much. After a few hands I felt that I had a bead on enough players to make an early bluff and build up my stack for some later rounds. Unfortunately, the only person to call my bluff was that quiet guy across from me who I’d been ignoring up until then. He made a great read, got my chips, and proceeded to show me for the rest of the game what a strong player he was.
My ignorance cost me a lot of chips that night, so make sure you’ve got some idea of each player (especially the good ones) at your table before you try to make a move. Remember this when you play poker online.
