It is natural to assume that casino poker and online poker are the same things. However, that’s not the case. Casino poker games have a house edge that you cannot beat where online poker is a game you play against other people. As such, the strategies for casino poker games are different than online poker games.
Today, we will give you five online poker strategies that generally do not work in casino poker. Avoiding these mistakes will help you lose less when playing casino poker games like Three Card Poker.
Bluffing
Let’s get one of the most popular strategies out of the way right now. Bluffing is a key skill that you need to play online poker. If you don’t bluff or are horrible at bluffing, you generally will not be a good poker player. But bluffing is pointless for casino poker games.
With casino poker games, you are making fixed bets against the house. Your opponent will never fold regardless of what cards you or the other play has. In a lot of games, you don’t even have an option to fold after a certain point. Making a bet because you think you can make a computer fold is pointless and a waste of money. If you’re sure you will lose and have the option, just fold.
Playing Junk Hands
In online poker games, sometimes you can play junk hands profitably depending on your opponent and the situation. If you do this in casino poker games, you are just giving money to the house. For example, if you are dealt J-6-2 offsuit in Caribbean Stud Poker, you cannot win the hand. After the deal, you need to dump the hand. Playing the hand will result in you losing an extra bet to the house.
Many casino poker games have a basic strategy that requires you to fold certain junk hands. If you can’t fold, you can opt to not put in extra money on those hands. Save your money and don’t play junk hands.
Making a Crying Call
There is a lot of situations in online poker, particularly limit poker, where you will make what’s called a crying call. You know you’re beaten, but the pot odds justify a call. In casino poker games, you will never have pot odds to make a crying call.
Even if the bet is just one unit if you have a losing hand and can fold, do so. Save your money to try and win a hand later on.
Mixing Up Your Play
The best way to keep an opponent guessing in an online poker game is to mix up your play. Mixing up your strategy is a good way to win more money over time. However, when you play casino poker games, you need to play like a robot.
Casino game strategies are static strategies that do not require deviation. That’s because you’re not playing against another opponent. You’re dealing with yes or no variables and changing things up doesn’t gain you an advantage. Play the same strategy the same way all the time.
Dropping Down or Moving Up in Stakes
There are times where you get to a point where you can move up in stakes in online poker in order to increase your overall winnings. You can play tougher competition and win more money. Adversely, there are times where you can start winning more when you move down in stakes because the competition is softer and your skill is superior.
For casino poker, moving up in stakes will only win your money when your luck is holding out. The house edge is exactly the same at $5 per hand as it is at $1 per hand. If you’re lucky, then you’ll win more. In poker, skillful players can expect to win more at higher stakes as skill trumps luck. Adversely, moving down in stakes doesn’t mean you’ll stop losing. It may allow you to lose slower than you did before, but if you’re still getting unlucky, playing lower will not help.