Last hand before the break

Here is a GREAT online poker secret that I learned (and use frequently now) from Phil Gordon:

Take a shot at stealing the blinds the last hand before the break, no matter what your position is.  Many poker players will fold hands they would normally call with because they are either tired, need to use the bathroom, want to talk about their bad beats etc.

Staying Alive

Here is a great online poker secret from Phil Gordon about Poker Tournament Strategy.

“Tournaments are about survival”. Doubling up early means much less regarding your chances of winning than doubling up with just a few tables remaining.  The fewer fifty-fifty chances I take, especially early in a tournament, the better off I am.”

First to the pot

“When the board is paired, the chance of someone having actually ‘caught a peice’ of the flop is much smaller than if there are cards of three different ranks on the board.” – Phil Gordon

The online poker secret here is: Regardless of what you have, if no one else has bet, BET!

Opponents & Pot Committed

“When a player enters a pot before the flop and has more than half of his chips in action, I consider him 100% pot committed.  Given the opportunity, he’ll put in the rest of his chips before the flop.  if he doesn’t get that chance, he’ll likely use them all to chase the pot after the flop.” – Phil Gordon

And the online poker secret is: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO MAKE A BLUFF AT THIS POKER PLAYER!!!!!!

Don’t play over-eager

If you arrive in a game, online OR offline, and you are over-eager to play poker - this is generally going to affect the way you play.  You want to get into the game, and you want to start playing – but if your hands are not good, you may find yourself wanting to play them just to get into the game.  If your hands are ok, you may find yourself over playing them.  And if your hands are great, you may find yourself not getting the value you need out of your hands!

A great online poker secret would have to be, play when you are calm, relaxed, in a zone, and ready to focus.