List Of Poker Angles
One of the fundamental rules of profitable poker is to play opponents that are worse than you, this is arguably the biggest angle one can have; if you are in the top 25% best poker players on a site, you should be looking to play the 75% of players who are worse than you. You will lose in the long term by playing opponents who are better than you. Find the fish and then exploit them; a good place to find fish is at the jackpot and bad beat cash tables, where players often play with skewed judgement because of the chance of winning the jackpot / bad beat prize.
Choosing not to play at online cardrooms that only offer poker and looking for sites which have casino and sportsbook clientelle is another angle. A site that only offers poker to its customers is more likely to attract a better quality of player who is more serious about the game than a site which offers casino and sportsbook betting, where you're more likely to find novicy players who are there to gamble and have fun rather than play profitably. We have more about this in
How To Choose An Online Poker Room.
Sites which advertise heavily in non poker related areas will attract a higher ratio of novicy type players. Cardrooms that advertise in casino magazines are generally a good place to find weak players, any cardroom that advertises outside of the normal poker channels is a good starting point.
New poker sites that offer large signup bonuses are a good place to find weak players, especially ones that have a big advertising campaign to promote themselves; you are looking for the sites that attract weak players rather than a site which appeals to the 'experienced' poker enthusiasts.
Player note taking in poker is one of the most obvious angles that you can have, yet the majority of online
poker players don't even use this feature, despite nearly every cardroom offering this facility. Recording how an opponent played the last time your paths crossed will stand you in good stead the next time you meet, as you will have more information to use to assist your decision making process.
There are two schools of thought over whether it is better to play against known opposition or unknown; playing regulars is good because you have the chance to take advantage of the notes you have made for them; the obvious downside to this is that the players you see regularly are more likely to be above average standard and that's not what we're looking for. Playing with strangers, although we have no notes on them and have most likely never seen them on the site before, we hope that they are below average players and therefore exactly the type of opponent to profit from most easily.
Look for people who like to play on multiple tables/sites and exploit the fact they can't be giving each table their undivided attention, sometimes their attention is divided between 3, 4 or more tables. The downside is that they may be above average players, if you can find a weak multi tabler, that can be a real goldmine, though.
Poker table selection through reading and understanding the lobby is an underrated skill; master this to exploit an angle before you've even sat down, so many people sit down at the first available seat; by spending a few minutes scouring the lobby, you can gain a significant edge, one that is likely to have a big positive effect on your bankroll.
The ability to change sites in search of a juicy game is an often overlooked edge, all it takes is a little spreading of your bankroll over a few sites.
Limit Hold'em lends itself to a small edge for beginners. You are limited by how much you can bet, so fish are protected against making technically incorrect moves like calling all-in with bottom pair when their opponent holds top set. Because the size of the bets are limited, an inexperienced players losing edge is much smaller. Alternately, an experienced player is able to have a much bigger edge over weak opposition in a no limit game because the liabilities are higher.
Straightforward play can be just as useful an angle, too much fancy play can be a bad thing, especially against opponents who are'nt skilled enough to appreciate what you've just done. Against fish, playing solid poker is an angle in itself.
Using the chat facility is an angle, you have the potential to distract or even influence your opponents actions based on something you've typed. This works both ways, it's advisable to turn the chat facility off if you feel it is effecting the quality of your play.
Understanding the mathematics of poker is a huge egde; you will be making more well informed decisions if you understand the underlying mathematical concepts.
A lot of tiny edges add up to one huge edge over your opponents, make sure you afford yourself the same opportunities that your opponents have over you.
