Here is a quick summary of how I started in poker.

I play many online casino games, mostly poker variations and some blackjack and video poker too.

I started playing poker, NLHE specifically, around 2 1/2 years ago and immediately started making money. However, since I really didn’t know how to play, my beginners luck run out and that trend quickly turned around. Around this time I discovered bonuses and with the addition of bonuses I could make a little money overall although I was losing money playing the game.

Around four months after I started playing, I had a really bad month and lost a decent amount of money even though I was clearing bonuses. I really wanted to continue playing but at that time I was playing at Paradise and the $50 tables were the smallest buy in that I could play. I couldn’t move down and my confidence was shot so I ended up becoming discouraged and only played on and off for the next 6 months or so.

Around that point I was introduced to PLO8 and immediately was drawn to it. Unfortunately just like NLHE, I started winning before I really knew how to play and became discouraged when my luck ran out. However this time I did the smart thing and starting playing limit O8 (which at .5/1 is an aquarium) until I really understood the game.

I had 1 losing limit month, then 2 break even months, then something clicked and I started winning. I had a couple of winning months, then switched back to PLO8 and destroyed that game for a couple of months.

After that I went back to NLHE, because I wanted to be positive in all of the games that I played. I started playing the NLHE $25 tables and beat them to a bloody pulp for about a month. Then I attempted to move up to the $50 table and got my ass handed to me, so I moved back to the $25 tables, recouped my loses, and decided to go back to PLO8.

I made that decision a few months ago and since then have played some PLO8 $25 tables to get myself used to seeing 4 cards again. I have been playing well so I think that it is time for a run at the $100 tables.

I plan on posting in this blog for some of the sessions that I play. I will keep the results on in the first post updated and I will post specifics for each session. Those specifics will include (1) the stats for the day, (2) any hands that I think I played well, (3) any hands that I think I played poorly and (4) any hands that I had questions on.

Hopefully this will force me to analyze my game and help me move to the next level in poker.

The following are great beginner Texas Hold’em poker tips for helping you win online money.

The first tip to help you make profits if you are starting at poker is to raise your big hands pre flop. Beginners fail to do it, maybe because they do not understand the logic of that move. It will make the pot larger and get rid of limpers. This leads to bigger pots when you are the favorite, and in NLHE you want to win the big pots.

Another crucial tip advised by some of the most profitable online poker sharks is never to draw to the idiot side of a straight. The reason is that you must know to fold big hands. In this case you will almost always lose the big pots, as they occur when another player has the highest side of the straight.

The next tip is that unconnected cards of medium and low face value are to go to the muck. Also strong players know that low pairs must be mucked most of the time, except for the occasional set mining attempt in a pot with limpers.

Another recommendation is to play aggressively with your open-ended straight draws after the flop. Be aggressive with an ace or two high over-cards after a rainbow unpaired board, when no one could possibly have hit the flop hard. If a player raises at such garbage flop, fold because he must have a strong hidden hand.

Solid poker players suggest to learn how to catch bluffers instead of always folding passively to their bets and raises. Learn to make guesses if your opponents is bluffing to make you fold or if he has a strong hand. You must take chances and try calling bluffers otherwise you will be the preferred target of the most tricky players.

A more advanced tip is that you should know how to bluff yourself as well, as this will add money to your bankroll. Omitting to bluff at times is a leak which makes you too predictable. Analyze your competitor to determine if he can be forced to fold with no effort, or if he bluffs a lot himself.

Beyond pure Texas Holdem strategy tips, you need also to select the poker room that fits you best. If you have never played poker before, a good way to learn the game is video poker. Visit a site like http://onlinevideopoker.com full of information about the variations and subtleties in the game of poker and video poker.