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How to Play Online Poker

Early Position is usually defined as the first three players to act after the blinds (for a full table). A player in early position should only play strong hands, as there are players to act after them who may raise.

Middle Position

Middle Position is usually defined as the next three players after the three early position players. A player in Middle Position may play slightly weaker hands than an early position player as they have the opportunity to see some of the action before them.

Late Position

Late Position is usually defined as the last two players before the blinds. Players in Late Position may play a greater number of hands, as they are able to see the actions of the majority of the players at the table.

Folding

Learning the discipline of when to fold cards will save you a lot of money over the course of your poker career. A good player will fold far more hands than they play.
Generally fold any hand not listed above on the pre flop betting round.
A player should typically fold their cards if the flop does not pair their high card(s), make three of kind, or flop two cards to a straight or flush.
A player should usually fold if the betting actions of another player(s) convince them that they are beaten, or if they do not complete their straight or flush draws after the last community card is dealt.

Checking

Checking is a play that has advantages and disadvantages. Often you might consider raising or folding rather than checking.
A player should typically check if the community cards have not helped them.
Drawing hands are often checked in the hopes of seeing the next card for free.
If a player is unsure of whether or not they have the best hand at the showdown, then checking is often the best course of action.

Calling

Calling is very similar to checking in that it has advantages and disadvantages. Often you should consider raising or folding rather than calling. Here's why:
A player typically shouldn’t call if the community cards have not helped them.
Drawing hands are often worth calling a bet in the hopes of making a straight or a flush. Drawing hands usually require a slightly bigger pot or lots of players in the hand, as the odds of completing your draw are roughly about 4-1 against.
If a player is unsure of whether or not they have the best hand at the showdown, then just calling a bet is often the best course of action.
Know when to holdem, know when to foldem.

Betting, raising, re-raising and checkraising

A wise man once said that the very nature of poker is about betting and raising.
Betting, raising, and re-raising are instrumental weapons in a poker player's arsenal. And seriously, having an arsenal is not only a constitutional right in this country, but it also makes poker a heckuva lotta fun.
A player should bet, raise, or re-raise whenever they believe that they have the best hand. This is done to increase the amount of the bets in the pot and to protect their hand against drawing hands.
Players in late position may also bet or raise with strong drawing hands to either win the pot right away, or to enable them to receive a 'free' card on the next betting round when all the players who act before them check.
If a player flops or later makes a very strong hand, then checkraising becomes a powerful play to get extra bets into the pot. Players must be very confident that someone else will bet after they check for checkraising to be a viable option.
Betting, raising, re-raising, and checkraising are powerful tools when trying to deceive or bluff opponents, but only when they are used sparingly.

Bluffing

Bluffing is an important part of poker and is a valuable tool for poker players. Bluffing can often win pots, and it allows you to create deception and uncertainty in the minds of your opponents.
Bluffing works better against a smaller number of opponents, and often will not succeed against a larger number of opponents. Do not bluff players who tend to call too much. Bluffs tend to succeed better against players who are more willing to make a fold.
Be careful of bluffing too much, as opponents will soon catch on and will not be fooled.