Poker games online are becoming very popular, as a matter of fact, most poker players prefer playing online as opposed to in person. Even online video poker is being played more statistically than video poker in the casino! People from all around the World are finally realizing you can do all the gambling you want in the comfort of your own home and at your own pace. No more paying for airfare, outrageous hotel fees, gas (especially at over $3.00 a gallon), food, etc… Not only that it’s nearly impossible for online poker cheating to happen and in real life at the casino it definitely can happen. Why do you think all those cameras are installed in a casino? Cheating is definitely going on and even though casino owners try everything they can to prevent it, it’s impossible. There is one solution to solve the problem though. That solution is to play online poker. Online poker has turned your average Joe into the World Series of Poker winner and the World Poker Tour Winner. Take a look at the history of the World Series of Poker and you will see that half of them came from online and over half of them won an entry into the tournament by playing online poker tournaments. Online poker tournaments, especially Sit-N-Go’s can be a great source of income if you learn the secrets behind winning them over and over again.

If you don’t know about Sit-N-Go’s, let me explain. A Sit-N-Go is basically an online poker tournament where poker chips are used at the poker table instead of real money. You only risk losing the buy-in of the tournament instead of all your bankroll. The top 3 finishers out of 9 make it to the money. Third place gets 20% of the overall prize pool, second place gets 30%, and first place gets 50%. That’s a huge jump from first to third so it is best to gun for first every time instead of playing tight just to make the money. The secret behind mastering these Sit-N-Go’s is when there is around 5 player’s left in the online poker tournament. This is where all player’s start to play tight in fear of them not making it to the money. When you get down to 5 players, You MUST start playing aggressive, stealing player’s blinds and showing them who is boss. Don’t back down to ANYONE. If you play aggressive and don’t let other player’s bully you around, you will find much more poker players respecting your game and you will also notice that they will hardly EVER bluff you again. Online poker rooms definitely give you a mixture of players that play tight, loose, aggressive, maniacs, etc…These player’s are all around the world and it gives you a good learning experience and a chance to experience what the World Series of Poker or the World Poker Tour would be like when you get to play in it one day. Stick to your game, play aggressive when there is 5 player’s or fewer left, and you will be on your way to success in the online poker world.

In standard cash tournaments or free poker typically the top 8-10% make the money and even then only a handful make more than twice their buy in.

The great chunk of money goes to those close to the final table. In double or nothing tournaments, half the participants win twice the buy-in.

For example, if there are 100 players with a buy in of $10 the top 50 win $20, the bottom 50 get nothing.

In this free learn how to play poker lesson lets assume 100 players in a double or nothing poker tournament.

At the start, when blinds are small, play unambitious, steady poker.

Do the mainstream moves. Move all-in with A-A or K-K and hope someone with a weaker hand will call. If you have a Pair, hope to flop a Set. Build your stack size by 50% or more.

You can also try “small-ball” poker. While the blinds are low, call with hands that have great pot odds when involved in multi-player pots, like with 8-7, A-5 suited.

If you hit hard on the Flop, say Straight or Flush, knock out someone or double up someone who has a Pair. If you don’t hit, fold, and wait for the time you will hit.

This is how you should play until you’re about 5 away from the money places

Now, you are one of 55 players left. And lets say you are 55th, what’s the best thing to do?

Because 50th place gets just the same as 1st place, there is not much sense moving all-in, unless the blinds are eating you.

Play patient and steady. What usually happens is that those from 40th place below get impatient and move all-in because the blinds are eating them, too.

When they get impatient they’ll kill themselves off fast, patience, in poker, always wins in the end!

Now lets say your are 48th of 55 and get A-A, what to do, move all in or call and all in?

In a normal poker tournament, if top 30 win money and you are 27th with 33 players left, you can move all-in with A-A because your callers will be A-K, A-Q or K-K and you are a significant favorite. You can move up from 27th to say, 15th to 20th, and you can win more money later.

But in double or nothing, Ask yourself: What if you have 9000 chips and win $10 when you could win $10 with just 4500 chips? It will be unnecessary. 50th place is the same as any place above it.

What about calling an all-in with someone who has 3000 chips? Will you do it? It depends on what player we are, but I would not do it.

The bigger stacks can collaborate on knocking the smaller ones out. Stay out of the way.

If you are on top, say you have five times your starting stack or better, consider it your responsibility to knock the smaller stacks out if you have the opportunity.

Don’t overdo it, however. In this instance, I would rather snooze away from the table and let the more adventurous big stacks eat the smaller ones.

If you have, say, just thrice your starting stack, don’t call all-ins unless you have nuts or a strong hand close to nuts. I did this once in a Flop with A-5-8 and I have A-10. I have 3200 chips (about 1.5 times my starting stack) and someone moved all-in his 920 chips.

One player between us folded (If he called he may have A-x, and I don’t know what x is, so if we get involved in a pot he might push me and I wouldn’t be able to continue with my A-10) so I called. The player who moved all-in bluffed with 9-2. If you are on top, you can just wait. If you are near the bottom, just have more patience and don’t knock yourself out like the others who have less patience do. Because once you reach 50th place in our 100-person tournament, you will feel just like a champion.