There is no doubt that online poker is one of those games where you can lose big money. You can also win big money. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, you can play for hours on end for just a couple of pounds, if you play with your brain and not your heart. You certainly don’t have to be a poker champion to enjoy an afternoon or evening of poker.

Online poker is designed to meet the needs of a wide range of people. You have tables that cost as little as one pound to join with antes and bets in the penny range. You can also play on tables where you only need five pound to join, with antes and bets in the 20-50p range.They are the low cost tables, designed for players that want to have fun, or who want to just develop their skills. There is one thing for sure, when testing an ‘all in’ strategy, I would much rather do it with a pound or two in the pot than with ten, twenty or much higher.

One of the things that new players have to learn early is strategy. As the old Kenny Rogers song goes, “you have to know when to holdem and know when to foldem”. I will add then that you need to learn how and when to bet and how and when to go ‘all in’. If you play the tables long enough, you will soon see the renegade punters that have an all or nothing strategy. They will play a couple of rounds, perhaps wait until one or two players have been eliminated, then they will start their ‘all in’ plays – their aim is to either scare players off or to win big quickly. Often, they will fail. Smart players often let them knock each other out, only playing and betting when they have a good hand.

You don’t have to be a champion to play and win at online poker. You just need to be a little smarter than some of those around you. You will see your money go a lot further, your time at the tables will last longer and, who knows, by being a little smarter you may just win more. Now that would be nice!