The only guide you will need to get started with online poker in India.
Poker is meant for everyone, whether it is to practice decision-making, have fun or become a pro. The online era has made poker accessible to everyone, you can now play for peanuts or millions of rupees online in your pajamas while sitting on your sofa. As a poker player in the 21st century, our games may be harder to beat but they are much easier to find and play.
Be careful though, online poker is a beast of its own. Whether you are a live player transitioning to online poker or an infrequent player browsing the offering online for something to play. You need to keep several factors that need to be considered to pick the games that are best for you. Here are some key considerations you need to make when shifting to or getting started with online poker.
Hands go BRRRRRRR
In online poker, the pace of the game is MUCH faster, usually, you will end up playing 3-5 times as many hands in an hour online than live. It is also pretty normal to play multiple tables online, with 4 tables, you are playing 10-15x number the hands that you would play live! The grinds will be long, you will get mentally and physically exhausted. Make sure you are well-rested and hydrated mentally prepared to play optimally for a large number of hands. You will lose attention and focus if you are not used to it, a good idea to do 10 minutes of meditation before you play a long grueling session. Make sure you have lunch/dinner are planned as you will seldom get time to cook, even order food!
Start with the lowest buy-ins
As a newbie browsing the offerings of poker websites, it may be tempting to play high stakes for “money that matters” but I recommend strongly not to do that. You want to learn poker before you start going for the gold and the glory. Whether it’s tournaments or cash games, start with the lowest stakes possible. The point is to have fun with poker, to learn poker, not to compete without developing any skills and losing large amounts of money to highly skilled players. If you are meant to play the highest stakes available, you will reach there in due time, never play poker with money you can’t’ afford to lose. Because it makes you play scared poker, and as we all know, scared money is dead money. You will play optimal poker when you stop caring about the money, when it becomes just a tool to keep score long term. Focus on mastery, don’t get greedy.
Make sure you get maximum value on your deposits-
Poker sites love it when new players make deposits on them, they have generous welcome packages and insane bonuses for people making their first deposit. Make sure you compare the pros and cons of all the deposit offers you are considering and get the one that gets you maximum value, try to avoid getting a locked bonus as a deposit bonus unless you plan on grinding hard as you will need to make a substantial amount of points (that are awarded based on how much rake you make) to withdraw this money or any winnings earned with it. We have curated a collection of the best deposit offers available in 2021 for new poker players, you can access them here.
Instant No-deposit bonuses are awesome!
Seriously you don’t have to pay a dime, you get a free ticket or some free cash to play with. What more can you ask for? Take EVERY no-deposit bonus you can find before it expires as these add pure value for you. Treat it with the respect you would give to real money, use them well and you could end up building a bankroll with zero investment, no-deposit bonuses are rare and time-sensitive, you can find some of them here, make sure you keep watching this space for new no-deposit bonuses to get your online poker bankroll started.
Play on trusted poker websites.
Play only on trusted established platforms that follow industry standards when it comes to ethics, transparency, and fair play. You do not want to go fish chasing on shady sites because that is how you lose your bankroll and sometimes even your private data. If pros don’t play on a site 9except for sponsored pros) you probably shouldn’t as well. Don’t trust claims of “insane value’. In the Indian poker websites scene, there are now a few established platforms that have maintained high standards of integrity for a long time, click here to browse verified and trusted platforms and their respective pros and cons
Get used to the U.I- Play freerolls before you start playing real money on any poker website in India as it accustoms you to the quirks of the U.I, on that note, please NEVER use the check fold button, or the raise any, call any button. Take your decision when your turn comes, this is not an Olympic sprint and you are not Usain bolt, take your time, the quality of your decisions always matters, time taken per decision mostly doesn’t. Treat them like they don’t exist, ostracize them, don’t even look at them. They are just bad.
Get the best Rakeback in cash games
Rake eats a major chunk of your profits in cash games, fortunately, poker websites offer Rakeback to players who play cash games consistently. If you are someone who plans to put in significant volume playing cash games online, Rakeback will greatly increase your winrate and make your poker more profitable without you having to learn anything. Make sure you select the best deal that gets you maximum value in your games. You can compare different Rakeback offerings from reputed poker websites here.
Get two internet connections- Last but not least, get that second internet connection, If you don’t already have one, get a power backup as well, While it’s great for cash games since you don’t want to be forced out of a good cash game, for tournaments it is vital as being deep in a big tournament and having the light or internet go off will win rate give you the most frustrating nightmare of your life. Be prepared for connectivity issues at all times as you don’t get to decide whether they happen when nothing’s happening or in a game-changing spot.
And with that, you are ready to take your first steps towards online poker. take it easy and have fun, adjust and adapt as necessary. If you want to learn how to play better poker online, you can also check at this article on…#a7 tips*. I wish you all the best with your adventures in the realm of online poker
