Poker pros have a lot to say on winning poker strategies. Using his 'fundamental theorem of poker,' prominent poker master David Sklansky maintains that when you play your hand the same way you would if you could actually see your opponent's cards, you gain.

And, when your opponent plays his cards differently from the way he would play them if he could see your cards, you gain once again. This thought-provoking theorem is the foundation for a selection of poker strategies.One benefit to online poker is that you can use free money games to practice these kinds of strategies.

For instance, bluffing is a method experienced (and unfortunately not so experienced) poker players use to induce their opponents to play in a different mode than they probably would if they could take a pick at their hand.

However, success in online poker games requires entirely different knowledge. The same strategies that are considered brilliant when playing in traditional, land-based gaming venues, simply don't work when playing in virtual poker rooms. Here goes an example for what we mean by "simply don't work." Many traditional poker play strategies rely on body language. When a player is successful in 'reading' his opponent's body language, he can easily beat him.

Online Poker Avatars don't sweat

For instance, there are players who always sweat when they have poor hands. So, whenever you see them sweating at a poker table, you can easily conclude that they have no luck. But, what do you do when your opponent is not sitting next to you, but in a faraway country where you can not see him, and your only interaction is via the web? This means you need to look for other useful strategies.

A strategy most useful for online poker players is hand reading and out counting. This strategy is all about making an educated guess regarding the possible cards your opponent may have based on the sequence of other players' prior actions.

Educated guesses about your opponent's cards can help you avoid making wrong moves and induce mistakes by your opponent. Although this strategy may seem as somewhat complicated to novice poker players due to their lack of experience, it is quite useful to seasoned poker pros who are already accustomed to playing online.

Understanding odds and being able to quickly calculate them is vital to online poker play and is the reason you see so many online pros winning major live tournaments as well. Be sure to read onlinepokereport's strategy pages for specific strategies to improve your game.