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The Most Common Myths About Online Poker

There’s a lot of misinformation out there about poker. Unfortunately, there are many myths relate to playing online poker, and these myths give a false impression of what it’s really like to play poker online.

These myths have been spread by losing players because they become discouraged and will do anything to justify their losses, which is a common theme with many of these myths. You can’t believe everything you read on the Internet, and it’s important to be able to separate the myths from the facts.

Here are some common myths associated with playing online poker.

The Myth – Online Poker is Rigged

The Fact – This is easily the most common online poker myth. You often see players complaining that “online poker is rigged” in the comments of YouTube, Facebook and elsewhere online.

No reputable online poker site would risk their reputations just to try and earn a few more bucks. Online poker sites already make huge profits the rake they’re collecting from each pot.

The reality is that you’re going to see more bad beats due to the increased number of hands you’re playing each hour compared to live. Also, online poker sites that licensed and regulated are required to have their software tested to ensure randomness and fairness. If the games are rigged, they aren’t licensed.

The Myth – If You Make a Withdrawal You Will Go On a Run of Bad Luck.

The Fact – There is no such thing as a cash out curse when you’re playing online poker. There’s an element of luck involved, and sometimes you’re just going to get unlucky. In online poker, you play more hands and will receive “bad beats” more often.

Often, the players making this claim are those that have been on a heater and decided to cash out their profits. Then when they’re off their heater, they blame a cash out curse rather than looking at their own lack of skill.

The Myth – Poker Sites Create “Action Flops” to Create Bigger Pots

The Fact – The rake is capped in online cash games, meaning that once the pot reaches a pre-specified amount, no additional rake is collected by the poker room. As such, there’s no incentive for poker sites to inflate pots.

The Myth – You Can’t Win at Online Poker Because You Can’t See Your Opponents

The Fact – Despite not being able to see your opponents you can develop reads when playing online poker. More importantly, although reads are important, it’s not as important as really understanding the mathematics and strategic aspect of the game. If you can’t beat the low stakes games online, then the reality is that you’re just not a very good poker player.

The Myth – Poker Is All About Bluffing

The Fact – A lot of new players have been introduced to the game through televised poker shows like High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark. Many poker fans see players like Gus Hansen and Tom Dwan make aggressive bluffs and take down big pots and assume you need to be super aggressive to beat the game.

But you have to understand that it makes for more exciting viewing to showcase the huge bluffs then it is to watch players folding all the time. The truth of the matter is that blind aggression in poker is a recipe for disaster as you will be bluffing way too much. Patience is a virtue, and you should be looking to pick good spots to bluff. You don’t need to win every hand that you decide to play.

The Myth – Move Up To Where They Respect Your Raises

The Fact – This is another of the biggest online poker myths out there. Frustrated players will suggest this because fishy players will call with bad hands and sometimes those junk hands will get rewarded.

These bad pre-flop calls aren’t always getting lucky. You want the fish playing wide ranges and making bad moves, you will profit from their mistakes in the long run, and this is more likely to occur at the lower limit tables as players are more likely to be inexperienced.

Moving up to higher stakes doesn’t mean your raises will get respected. Instead, it means you will play against players who will figure out your style of play faster and take advantage of you – even when you’re raising.

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