Live poker is a tremendous game – but it’s not for everyone. Sometimes, you’ll get put at a table with people you’d rather not be around. Then you’ll be dealt somewhere around 30 hands in an hour, or one hand every two minutes, and most of those will be instant folds. This is assuming you can find a live game near you; some people choose to play underground instead, and that brings its own set of problems.
If this sounds like you, online poker could be the solution. Instead of 30 hands an hour, you can expect closer to 100 hands when you’re playing at Ignition Poker. And that’s if you’re playing a single table. You can play up four tables of cash poker simultaneously at Ignition, and up to 20 tournament tables. You can also 2-table Zone Poker, which allows you to fold and get seated instantly at another table with another hand. Like most things on the internet, online poker is a much more efficient way of doing business, but there’s still a transition to be made from the live felt. Here are three tips to help you make that transition more smoothly.
Fold More Preflop
Since you’re getting dealt more hands per hour, and paying much less rake than you would at a live venue (including the California cardrooms, where it’s a fixed rate instead of a percentage), you’re not forced to open with as many hands online if you want to make a profit. A hand like Ace-Jack offsuit that might be an open from under the gun when you’re playing live is a relatively easy fold when you’re online.
Exploit Less
In tandem with opening a stronger range of hands, you’ll want to find the optimal balance between betting for value and bluffing, and stick with that ratio for the most part. This goes double for the anonymous tables at Ignition Poker. If you find an obvious target for exploitation, then adjust your play as you see fit, but keep in mind that you won’t have the same amount of time to make creative decisions online – you’re always on the clock.
Easy with the Multi-Tabling
There’s always the temptation to load up your screen with as many tables as possible, taking advantage of the online format to increase your volume. But there’s only so much your brain can take. If you want to try multi-tabling at Ignition Poker, start by moving down in stakes and playing two tables. Once you’re comfortable with two, try making it three; if that’s too much, go back to 2-tabling. Everyone has a sweet spot, so find yours, keep poker enjoyable, and we’ll see you at the tables.