HOW TO WIN AT ONLINE POKER!
I know, it sounds like one of those websites that pops under your yahoo email talking about making $5,000/day posting links for Google or whatever, but it isn't. This is a proven strategy that will make you winning player at the tables.

Step 1: HOLD ONTO YOUR MONEY: Bankroll Management
This is the first step that you need to understand before you can start to become a winning poker player. No matter how well you play, if you don't practice proper bankroll management, you'll go broke before you can say General Motors.

Bankroll management is about making sure that you have enough cash in your account to withstand the inevitable poker down swings. For a cash game always make sure that no more than 5% of your bankroll is at the table at anytime. For table games, don't buy into a tournament for more than 2% of your bankroll. Below is for people who didn't actually read any of that:

• Never let your stack at the table represent more than 5% of your bankroll
• Never buy into a tournament that costs more than 2% of your bankroll

The rules of bankroll management are easy to understand, but sometimes, very difficult to follow. It's fun to move up to a higher table when you are doing well and your bankroll can handle it, but it's tough to move down limits, because it's easy to feel like you're "too good" for that. Which brings me to my next step, Self Control.

Step 2: YOU AREN'T THE BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD: Self Control
To be a winning player, you have to do the best you can to take your emotions out of the game. When you're taking giant stacks off of FAILING fish, you feel like you can't be beat, even after the cards turn. Then you find yourself tilting your cards away because you can't believe these fish are beating you.

You need to keep a level head whether you're doing well or not. Once again, easier said than done, but here is some help on how to do it. If you are losing a lot of money quickly, it's a good idea to sit out and come back in a couple of hours or take the night off. Often when things turn bad, they get worse because you're play is affected. When you're hot, remember to switch gears. If you keep playing the same style, your luck will run out and the table will have a good read on you.

Step 3: THREE THINGS ARE GUARANTEED(DEATH, TAXES, RAKE): Get Rakeback.
Rakeback is the tax refund check of online poker. Rake sucks, it takes hundreds of dollars a month from you and you don't even realize it. But, with rakeback you can get up to 50% of the rake you pay BACK at the end of the month. For an average player, that's around $100 that you wouldn't have had otherwise. If you don't have rakeback the odds are against you and it's much harder to build your bankroll.

Step 4: PLAY THE PLAYER, NOT THE CARDS: Take Player Notes
I know, it's a poker cliche, but its EXTREMELY important. So many players just play their cards like Grandma Annie at the bingo hall, but they are easily exploited by good players. It is important to notice how players at your table play certain hands and use this information to out play them. You can use the "notes" features on most sites to "tag" fish and remember how they play and how to beat them. I will be posting a full length blog on this topic in the next couple of days.

Step 5: READ THOSE BOOKS: Correct Poker Strategy
I know, this is the deal breaker. But it really is the ONLY way to win in the long run at online poker. You need to be able to calculate (at least roughly) pot odds, know when to check raise, know how to value bet, and everything else that goes along with beating the game. I will post often about this topic here in the blog.

Well, there it is. If you can put these five steps together, I guarantee that you will be a winning poker player in the long run. This gives us a good start for future posts. Check back often for more detailed posts on each of the 5 steps!