Can You Make a Living Playing Online Poker Tournaments?

If you are someone who loves poker, you have most likely played a hand or two of online poker in your time and wondered if it is an excellent way to make money. Depending on who you are and how you play, online poker can be a great way to make some, even a lot, of money.

When you dream of winning and decide to play a game on Borgata online, here are a few things you should remember before you start your journey.

Study First

Every pro player will tell you that studying and reading about the game is essential for success. You need to understand card combinations, probabilities, etc. Not only will this make you a better player, but it will also give you better insight into your opponents.

Never forget that online poker isn’t a game against the casino or a computer but against real people. Being able to understand their strategy using their betting choices, when they check or not, and everything in between will help you get a leg up on the competition.

Understand Strategy

You need to have a complete understanding of strategy and how your moves look to other players. Good players will recognize if your pre-flop all-in is legitimate or a way to try to scare them out of the hand.

You also need to have multiple strategies at your disposal; you can’t play the same way against a highly aggressive player as you would against a more passive player. You need to adapt to the situation you are in because, during a tournament, you will come across every kind of poker player there is.

Poker is Skill-Based

Online poker is 100% a skill-based game. As mentioned already, you are playing against real players, which means your skills need to be at their very best if you are going to win. There is also only one way to improve these skills, and that is to practice.

It is also a good idea to “sit in” on a few games. While you can play a few hands, take the time to watch other players and see what they do in certain situations. Watching others will give you a quick and easy lesson in approaching different hands.

Understand Your Opponents

As mentioned earlier, you will play against many different players during a tournament. Some will be aggressive, others will play cautiously, some may be new, and others may have years of experience under their belt.

Considering poker is as much about your hand as it is about your opponent/s, you will need to be a master at spotting play styles and making decisions.

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Choose Your Variant

The next thing you need to do is to choose the variant of poker you want to play. Each variant plays differently and, therefore, also requires a different strategy. While the best players can clean the table in all of them, it is best to choose one or two that you are most comfortable with.

For instance, Hold ‘Em is a classic style of poker that has multiple betting steps, you’re able to check, and the hands tend to last longer. Five-Card Draw is simpler, but this means there is also less time to gauge your opponents and their strategy.

All variants have their pros and cons; the most important thing is to pick one and understand how hands play, the flow of the game, and all the small nuances it includes.

Understanding Tournament Types

When it comes to playing a tournament, there are several choices. There are buy-in tournaments, knockout tournaments, speed or hyper tournaments, and many other variants.

It is essential that you know how these tournaments operate and how you can win money from them. Some allow you to leave with your winnings whenever you choose, while others are a fight to be number one, with everyone else leaving with nothing.

Money Management

Bankroll management is an essential part of tournament play, especially if you can buy back in. Considering you are using your real money, you need to keep up with what you have, what you have won, and what you have lost.

If you are new to the game or you’re playing against highly skilled players, you may want to consider betting small and ensuring you have enough to get back into the tournament; If you are playing against less skilled players, you can maybe afford to take a couple of risks.

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Biggest Online Poker Winners

Considering online poker has been around for a while now, there have been many players who have used the platform to build a healthy winners pot and become some of the best-known players in the world.

Phil Ivey

Phil Ivey is often called the “Tiger Woods” of poker due to his ice-cold plays and strategy, as well as being a master of every kind of poker. Over the years, Ivey has won an incredible $20 million playing online poker, and while there are many players that are near the same level, he, more often than not, tends to come out on top.

Patrick Antonius

A man who has proven that skill will always beat bankroll, is Patrik Antonius. The Finn started his online poker career with only $200 and grew it to $20,000 in a few months. He then went on to win $18 million over the next few years.

Antonius and fellow pro, Viktor Blom, have also had one of the most famous online poker hands of all time, with Antonius coming out as the winner and bagging over $1.3 million with one hand, the biggest win for a single hand ever.