To many amateurs, online poker betting means nothing more than pushing in their chips, but a savvy online player knows that online poker betting is an important part of their poker skill arsenal. Any avid poker player will tell you that winning hands takes more than good cards. With no faces to read or false signals to send, online players have to rely on strategic betting and bluffing in poker to subsidize the hands they're dealt.
Strategic Betting
On Playing Expert's basic poker strategy page, we gave new players an introduction to online poker betting structure and other basic poker rules. Now we will teach you how to use your chips to protect and improve your hand. Virtually every poker variation has at least two online poker betting rounds, and each of these should be used carefully. Every bet you make tells your opponents a story and gives you an opportunity to strengthen your position in the game.
Strategic betting is especially important in flop games like Omaha and Texas Holdem where your hole cards are your only unique advantage. There's a reason why many of the winning hands in these games are determined pre-flop. If you don't protect a good starting hand by betting aggressively pre-flop, then you give players with lesser hands the opportunity to overtake you later in the game.
Also, remember our first online poker tip when playing in a tournament: be unpredictable. It's easy to get into a pattern when you're playing hundreds of hands, but betting too consistently can tell your opponents more than you want them to know.
Bluffing and Semi-Bluffing
Online poker betting is about more than supporting good hands. Bluffing in poker is a big thing; it's a critical poker skill. Plus there's no greater thrill than winning hands with nothing. That said, there's a right time and a wrong time to bluff. Bluff too often and your opponents will start calling you on it. When is the best time to bluff? When you're in a late position and the other players are folding, checking or betting weakly. This is a good indication that no one at the table has a strong hand. Also, if you're playing a flop game and the board cards are weak, you can be pretty sure that no one is sitting on a monster hand, reducing your chances of getting trapped.
Semi-bluffing is another good poker skill to add to your strategy arsenal. With a semi-bluff, you already have a reasonably good hand, but you bet more aggressively to imply that you believe you have the best hand. It's very similar to bluffing in poker, except if you are called you still have a good chance of winning the hand.
