I am fortunate to be able to share my experiences and some winning poker guides with you in hope that you can improve your game to play winning poker. No doubt you will have some experience or at the least have seen poker either on TV or at a live event. Have you ever found it curious why some professionals are regularly on the final table of big events? This fuels the question as to how much skill is involved when playing online?

The cards are random and whilst some players will get dealt better cards than others over any given period of time, by and large, all is equal. To think that some players are just tremendously lucky and get dealt winning cards all the time couldn’t be further from the truth.The term ‘swings and roundabouts’ couldn't be more appropriate here.

Poker is a great game and one of its big appeals is that it is a game of skill. You will be dealt 2 cards in every hand dealt. Do you think it matters that you got dealt 2-3 off-suit? Suppose you pretend it is a pair of Aces? Will your opponents know? Well they will really only gauge the strength of your hand from either your betting or from any tells they can pick up during the hand.

I think you see where I am going. The beauty of the game is that it is what your opponents think you have that really matters. If they think you have a monster hand, who will know you have a terrible hand. This is what makes the game so appealing to millions across the world. In playing winning poker you must learn what hands to get involved with, learn how to read players and learn when to be aggressive, bluff and when to fold.

Selective play is the key and over time you will learn (through losing your stack) that there are many key factors that you need to take in to account, like the number of players in play, their chip counts, your chip counts, the blinds and anything else you have managed to pick up in the way of information about how your opponents play.

I find that there are two types of player who play, particularly online. The first are the people who are just catching part of the wave and getting involved as everyone else is and the second type is the player who is committed to posting a profit. I play regularly on PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Party Poker and I see time and time again players playing with no regard for their hard earned money. Needless to say, it always puts a smile on my face as a fool and their money are easily parted, particularly on a poker table.

Take the time to learn how to play. If you are just starting out, stick to the premium starting hands and don’t take more than you can afford to lose to the table. As a general rule, you should not take more than 10% of your total playable balance to the table. If you are buying into a poker tournament the same principle applies. If you have $500, you should only buy into a $50 tournament. By doing this are protecting your money and keeping yourself in the game. If you take your entire bankroll to the table and lose (which can happen to best player), you are out. In playing poker to make money, you need to have money management skills.

Next Guide - See Importance of Bankroll Management in Poker.