For those people out there who are thinking about playing poker online, the good idea to understand that you need to have a good online poker strategy if you hope to succeed. Develop a strategy before playing any poker online, too. Online poker is a bit different than casino poker, though the two games are very similar. Casino atmosphere can be somewhat intimidating, which is what makes online poker attractive.

Considering how popular Texas Hold ‘Em games are these days, most people wanting to play online poker should try to get a basic strategy for holdem games — whether limit or no limit — down before attempting to play any such games for money. The first part of an overall strategy for playing effectively when it comes to no limit holdem games is to work at practicing starting hand selection.

Starting hand selection refers to improving the quality of your online poker play by learning which hands you should play when they are dealt to you. People mistakenly assume that, with holdem, there’s really no need to worry about the two cards being dealt, but this isn’t exactly true. If you’re just a beginner, playing tight poker is recommended. This means folding if your two cards aren’t good enough.

What “playing tight” implies is that you are playing things close to the vest and conservatively. This is especially good when it comes to holdem games and your hand selection. Sometimes, the two cards dealt can be improved even if they are poor. But this is a big risk. Many people who stick with their initial two cards and never fold end up out of the game and out of money soon enough.

Therefore, look at a hand selection strategy that involves examining your position, carefully observing the action that goes on ahead of you and also how strong your own hand is. If you are in an early position that has to act before cards are flopped, play tight. When you’re looking at the action ahead of you (such as raises) you should try to have a strong hand and if not, just fold.

Lastly, your hand strength refers to where your position is. If you’re early only play big pairs or big cards like the Ace/King or Ace/Queen combo. If you’re in the middle, most pairs are good for openers as well as most big cards of King/Queen or Ace/10 or better. If you’re late you can play all pairs, big cards and the Jack/10. Always think hard about selectivity in starting hands above all.