Mistakes to Avoid When Playing Texas Holdem at US Poker Sites

Texas Holdem is easily one of the most popular games played at online US poker sites. With so many people playing, it’s not surprising that there are a lot of rookie mistakes being made. If you’ve got an account at one of the many US player poker rooms, you’ll want to avoid this mistakes when playing Texas Holdem online.

Going in on Every Hand

You don’t have to get in on every hand – and not just to save your chips, either. Sitting out a hand or two gives you a chance to observe the play and get to know how other players tend to play their hands. That gives you an edge when you decide to get in on a pot.

The players who do best at Texas Holdem in US poker sites only see the flop between 20 and 30 percent of the time. When should you go in? According to the pros, you should play your hand when you’re holding quality cards, or conversely, if you’ve got middling cards, but the majority of other players have folded.

What kind of “quality cards” are we talking about? Some players will tell you that you shouldn’t even think about it unless you’re holding a high pair, but there are some other power positions that qualify as quality – a couple of suited face cards, for example.

Bluffing

Lots of players in US player poker sites pride themselves on their bluffing abilities. That’s not usually a good strategy in Holdem, where there are enough community cards that most players can figure out whether or not you’ve got the goods in your hand. If you’re going to bluff, time it right.

Aggressive Playing

You’ve got a decent hand, so you should play the heck out of it, right? Not necessarily. If you raise too much too early in the game, you could end up knocked out of the game way too soon if someone overtakes you on the flop or the turn.

Chatting

Save the chatting for when you’re not playing or at least, when you’re not playing for money. Chatting is a distraction, and even more so when you’re playing online. Most US poker sites have a chat facility so you can exchange banter with others playing at your table. It’s a good way to lose. Just play your cards.

Of course, you’re bound to make mistakes when you first start playing at online US poker sites, but if you pay attention to what’s going on around you, you’ll soon be playing like a real pro.

How to Fund Your Account at US Poker Sites

While there are no online poker sites operating inside the United States, there are a number of offshore poker sites that are happy to accept US players. One of the biggest issues that US players run into when playing at US poker sites is funding their accounts. Since the US Department of Justice started cracking down on banks and money transfer companies, most credit card companies and banks won’t transfer your cash to offshore US player poker sites. That doesn’t mean you can’t play, however. It just means you have to find other ways to fund your player account at US player poker rooms. These are the most popular methods of adding money to your account at US poker sites.

Credit Cards

Most US player poker sites accept credit card transfers to fund your account, but your credit card issuer may not allow the transfer. Your chances of having your deposit accepted are better if you’re using an international credit card that’s commonly accepted in foreign countries.

The only real way to find out if your issuer will transfer money to a specific site is to try it. Alternatively, you can check online discussion boards on sites that provide US poker site reviews, where online players exchange information with each other. You’ll find lots of discussions about which credit cards from which issuers have been accepted at various US poker sites.

Debit Cards

Most reloadable debit cards are issued by major credit card issuers, so you’ll run into the same issues and have the same workarounds. This is especially true if you’re using a debit card issued by your bank and connected to your bank account. Prepaid reloadable debit – the kind you can buy at your local convenience store or department store – are often a better bet for this kind of use. Again, the discussion boards and websites that provide online US poker site reviews can help you find debit cards that will be accepted at US player poker rooms.

Western Union/Wire Transfer

Nearly every online poker site that accepts US players will accept a wire transfer via Western Union or another international money transfer service to fund your account. Most of them have instructions onsite to explain how to set up a wire transfer to get money into your player account.

Online Transfers

Online money transfer services, such as PayPal, are another way to fund your account – though you won’t be able to do it through PayPal because the company will not do transfers involving gambling. You’ll find a list of money transfer services each site will accept online at the US player poker sites.

If you enjoy playing poker online, it’s important to figure out a trusted and trustworthy way to transfer money to fund your player account. Websites that offer reviews of US poker sites are an excellent resource to help you figure out how to safely get your money from your bank account to your online player account.