Hello and welcome to a beginners guide to online poker. As i'm sure you are aware, there are many risks involved in playing poker online. The game itself is about taking calculated risks to either win or lose what is at stake. This guide is intended to help new players minimize the risks, answer questions about the game and most importantly, help you to make money instead of lose money.
It is debated weather or not playing poker is gambling, but in the words of one of the great players of all time Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson "Of course it's gambling. Are you some kind of bozo? Although that doesn't mean that some folks are better at it than others..". In my opinion it is gambling. Because you gamble on what will happen next. The reason some are better than others is because they constantly, over a long enough period of time, calculate risks and make decisions based on their evaluation of the situation. They make money because they make more good decisions than bad decisions. Conversely a player that constantly makes bad decisions will lose money in the long run. Most new players will often make a string of bad decisions. They may not, however, lose a great deal of money. In poker you can be rewarded for making a bad call. Consequently, like a child rewarded for bad behavior, the player will go on with the same bad calls and lose a lot of money in the long run. Hopefully in this guide you'll pick up tips and use the advice given to gain a better understanding of the game of poker and start off on the right foot.
