Poker - Online Tips and Advice

I'm currently on a hiatus from online poker. The summarize the reason, I can only say that I feel extremely screwed by online poker at the current time. Let's just say that statistically pocket aces are suppose to hold up in any significant race, yet I lost with them 3 times in a span of 45 minutes (at one moment, I was holding pocket aces simultaneously in two different tournaments. Both were cracked on the turn and river (the donkeys pushed all in with Q7 and KJ - both caught runner runner)after I called obviously bluffs). In any case, I have found a site called twoplustwo.com to be a very interesting site for poker players. The site offers quite a bit of insight into the game and the message boards are filled with useful information (sometimes about opposing players you'll come up against). You'll find various stategies related to cash and tournament play. For those of you first visiting the site - you will want to look up the list of acronyms to familiarize yourself with site jargon. The one thing I have against this site is that there are some who feel that experience will lead to better results - and while I respect this opinion for live game play, I don't think the rule holds up online. Experience in live games allow you to understand the nuances of the game (i.e. identifying tells) that result in better decision making. Online, you are left with very few tells (you can't see an opponent twitch) other then the so called "click tell" (which doesn't work against a player like me, who consistently takes a long time to make a decision). Sometimes, I think that some players who have years of experience think themselves wiser to the game - but tell that to guys like Jamie Gold who have won millions on very little experience. Suffice to say, a majority of the significant money winners online are "novice" players who continue to get better and better (there is an arguement to be made about the new style of poker being played).

Some of my favorite quotes from recent poker games (live and online):

- "I knew I was going to get lucky...I could feel it" (spoken by a donkey who cracked KK with 4-2);

- "How am I a donkey? I won didn't I?" (online player who was attempting to justify calling a raise 15X the big blind with A-2 - which cracked AK);

- "I don't believe in luck" (online player who called all in 5 times in a row and won all 5 times. Respective hands being 3-7, K-3, 2-2, 5-6 and J-9);

- "I'm playing this way, because everyone else is" (online player justifying aggressive play with 7-2);

You know you're a donkey when:

- You refuse to acknowledge your luck;
- You will call an all in with bottom pair;
- You can't drop small pockets;
- You don't understand pot odds;
- You state "I'm just playing my cards";