Anyone can play poker, but if you want to continuously win, you have to find out what the experts are doing. While there’s no foolproof way to guarantee wins and absolutely conquer online poker, good players succeed because their years of experience allows them to develop winning strategies along the way.
Here are five tips to keep in mind if you want to succeed at online poker:

1. Pick the hands to play

Novice players are usually excited to play every hand they are dealt with just so that they can continue playing — don’t do this. Not every hand is worth playing and you should learn to discern the differences. Every poker expert knows this and it is always a large part of their strategy. For example, strong hands in poker always begin with high pairs or suits. If you have any of these types of combinations, you can be confident and even aggressively raise your bet if you wish.

However, if you are dealt low pairs at the beginning, don’t get too excited or attached to your hand. Sometimes, you must let go of the cards you were dealt with and hope for a better hand in the next round.

2. Play with confidence

A strong poker player is a confident poker player. If you know you have a winning hand, and the odds are in your favor, there is no better way to reveal your confidence than to raise the stakes and increase your bet. Take note of the style of other players, and if you know they typically fold when you begin to play aggressively, take advantage of the situation and challenge them with low pairs. Placing bets, raising stakes and putting on the pressure is what confident players do while other players feel the fear of losing.

3.Learn how to bluff

Bluffing is an art, and the best players do it so well. This is where you will need your poker face because your opponents are always trying to read you, just as you are trying to read them. They want to know what you have and if your hand is really as strong as you are making it appear. If you can successfully disguise your hand, your opponent may believe that your hand is very strong, and this will force them to give up and fold. Bluffing is a useful strategy and can help you improve your overall poker game, but use it wisely and cautiously.

4. Be humble

This may sound strange, or even counterintuitive, but being humble is a large part of success — especially in online poker. After a few wins, it is easy to think you are big time and your ego may tell you that you’ve figured it all out. This is why “checking your ego” might sound somewhat basic, or even like a cliché, but it’s something people hoping to become pro poker players should seriously consider.

In fact, many poker experts study themselves and some even make a list of their mental strengths, weaknesses and things they need to improve on. The practice of self-assessment opens the doors to transitioning from a good to a great poker player.

5. Learn from films

Poker, with its excitement, prestige and style, has been featured in numerous films. Anyone who watched these films can gain free poker lessons of what to do and what NOT to do. Examples of good films to review are Rounders, which is considered a cult classic, and Molly’s Game, which was an awards contender just a few years ago. Even good films like these shouldn’t serve as an end-all guides to poker. Experience is still the best teacher, so if you truly want to improve, get into a game and just play.

Playing poker is fun especially since it can now conveniently be played online, anywhere and anytime. With the convenience of the internet, you can enjoy playing poker at home, on your mobile device or anywhere you wish. By following these tips, you will become a better player and have even more fun winning every hand.