Online poker is loads of fun, and yes, you can make money. But there are some common pitfalls you must avoid if you want any kind of sucess in poker tournaments or playing Texas Hold em.

First, pay attention. The easiest thing to do when playing online poker or in a tournament is to get distracted. Set yourself up in a room with as few competing sounds or visuals as possible. Turn off the T.V., no radio, and no children coming in and out. Distractions are the enemy of your abilities.

Stop talking. Many poker players think, because the game is online, that they can talk all they want. Perhaps you can. But it’s not recommended. Don’t wast your brain cells talking noise, this only leads your opponents to a window from which they can tell how your mind works.

Don’t make enemies. If you lose a pot playing Texas Hold em, take it like a grownup, with no whining or complaining. Because if you lose poorly, you may make enemies who are then looking to take you down. Sometimes players have a choice to take out one of a couple of players, why make the decision easy for them by being an arrogant jerk? Don’t. Accept occasional defeat and move on.

Don’t play with the Auto-play functions. You are separated from your opponent by a mile or hundreds of miles. No matter. The only tell that your opponent can give you in online poker, and the only one you can give them, is how fast you play. If you are using auto-play, your opponents may use that to their advantage. You know the signs - quick play means a strong hand, long play means weak. By varying your game speed you invite questions from the other players. That plays to your advantage.

Don’t play with more than you can lose. It’s common in online poker, and it can be avoided with just a little common sense. It’s simple and a tactic you should have noted when you began to learn poker. Start playing with what you can afford to lose and no more. Doing anything else only invites desperation. The other players will sense that and exploit your weakness. Remember, online poker is not just a game of numbers, it’s also a game of strategy. The better strategy you have, a part of which is limiting the weaknesses in the part of the game you control, the better  poker player you will be.