Betting in poker is relatively straightforward, depending on the game choice, and betting online is much the same as betting in live games and tournaments.

Online poker offers many benefits over playing poker live in casinos and cardrooms, especially for newer players. Betting becomes much easier online, as does the ability to take notes and think more clearly about betting amounts and strategies during play. With no one watching your actions, the comfort level increases, and so does the focus on your action instead of your surroundings.

Time and Pace in Online Poker

One of the biggest benefits of playing poker online is the ability to make decisions without guilt or judgment from other players. The option to make decisions quickly is obvious, but so is the choice to slow down the play and think about betting sizes and strategies. No one will criticize you for looking at notes on opponents or charts on how to play a certain hand from the button. (Just don’t open the chat box.)

The ability to take the time to think about betting is a huge benefit to new poker players. It not only allows the time to get used to the action, calculate pot odds, and take notes, but it also eases the pressure to play at the pace of the others at the table. Poker is a very mental game, after all.

Poker Betting Amounts

In poker, there are minimum betting amounts. While the minimums and betting caps are easy to learn for live poker games, online poker sites like BetMGM Poker make that process easier. 

When playing online, the poker software allows players to type in their own betting amount but also provides suggestions. By hitting one button, a player can bet the minimum, raise the minimum, or even bet half-pot or pot amounts. This avoids spending time doing the math and instead allows more of a focus on betting strategies.

Calculating betting amounts is difficult for some players, especially when just getting started in the game. Online poker removes some of that pressure. Being able to look back at one’s own hand history is another way to review plays and the effectiveness of certain betting amounts.

Top 5 Poker Betting Tips for Novice Players

Poker players use online poker for many reasons – convenience and education among them. It provides the optimal learning space, especially for beginner concepts like playing position and learning strategies around betting amounts. 

For those just getting comfortable with the game, there are several ways to make online poker work optimally for you:

1. To avoid getting tilted by math difficulties early on, use minimum bet and pot bet buttons, for example.
2. Watch how much opponents bet in certain situations, such as on the button or from the blinds. (Read about mastering the button in poker and everything to know about poker blinds for more information.)
3. Try Limit Hold’em before No Limit Hold’em or Pot Limit Omaha to get comfortable with betting amounts.
4. Choose to raise more than call, as raising is more powerful and wins more hands without going to showdown.
5. Review hand histories after a session to examine plays – especially hands that you won uncontested or lost at showdown – to determine how to improve for the next session.

Register at BetMGM Poker now to get started.