Texas Holdem Online at Full Tilt Poker

Full Tilt Poker has been the site of some of the Internet’s softest games ever since the passing of the Unlawful Gambling Enforcement Act in 2006. Some poker content sites and forums continue to spread myths stating the Texas Holdem games at Full Tilt are tougher than other sites. This is likely attributed to the fact that when Full Tilt first opened for business in 2004, they were the only reputable site offering a large sign up bonus and this bonus attracted a lot of tight bonus whore type players. Today online poker has a totally different landscape with Full Tilt being one of just a few major players still servicing US residents. The reason they have the most fish now is because they by far have the most exposure in both international and US markets. Now that we’ve debunked the rumors about Full Tilt’s competitors let’s get into some tips about beating their Texas Hold’em games.

To get started playing Texas Holdem online for real money, Visit the Full Tilt Poker website.

Winning Poker is About Scouting

First of all let me start by saying this is not your typical article on Texas Hold’em strategy that discusses things like starting hands, betting strategy, bankroll management avoiding tilt, pot odds, implied odds, continuation betting, fold equity, Meta game and all that other good stuff. Don’t get me wrong all that stuff is important, but what I’m about to discuss here is by far the most important concept to crushing online poker games; this is a primary reason so many college kids are earning six figure incomes playing poker online.

Let me make it real simple and then I’ll elaborate further: The players who make the most money are the ones that best scout their competition. That’s it in a nut shell, plain and simple. If you’re the second worst Texas Hold’em player in the entire world it wouldn’t matter if you could somehow find the worst player in the world sitting at a heads up table waiting for a game.

The great thing about Full Tilt Poker is that the see flop percentage, average pot size and hands per hour is available for all Texas Hold’em games right from the lobby. These stats provide vital clues as to which games might have the weakest opponents. For example: A table with high view flop percentage, high hands per hour and large pot sizes most likely means there is an all in donk fest going on – personally I avoid these tables, though these are likely great tables for below average players to scout for a while and get an idea of each players all in ranges.

Personally the tables I find the most interesting are ones with an above average see flop percentage, an above average pot size and a lower than average number of hands per hour. To me this is a clue that this might be a passive game with multi way pots making it to the river, or at least the turn, more often than typical games. At a table like this I can not only spend time mining for sets (trips when holding a pair) but I can also look for seats where I’ll have position on the weakest opponents.

Each player will have their own preference as to which type of table they want to scout first. The basic concept of scouting is to simply sit, watch and take notes (tip: if using Full Tilt Poker’s note feature – be sure to include a date and table stakes next to each entry.). Once you’ve determined ideal tables wait for a seat to open where you’ll have position on one or more of your identified marks, meaning sit so you’ll be acting after the weakest player by sitting to their left (having them on your right).

In this article I’ve only covered the very basics of scouting, if you’re not using software such as PokerTracker, I strongly encourage you to start doing so immediately as it is not only the ultimate tool for scouting it also helps you look at and improve your own game (see: pokertracker.com).

Know When to Quit

Let me leave you with one final piece of advice: No matter how good a game is if things are not going your way, x-out and leave. If things are not going your way for an extended period of time and you’re confident that you’re still playing optimal poker switch sites, perhaps go to PokerStars or Bodog Poker for a while. It could possibly be that you’re playing in games that for whatever reason are not entirely above the board. This does not mean the sites are cheating you, but could mean your playing against a group of colluders that have not yet been detected, or could mean that a scouting syndicate (a group of scouts working together) has spotted a weakness in your game or a tell in your betting patterns and you’re now one of their marks. No matter what the reason might be, sometimes its just not your day, week, month. If you’re not beating the game no matter how good you’re still playing – switch sites and use an entirely different username.

To get started playing Texas Holdem for Real Money Online – Download Full Tilt Poker