A question that I get asked by poker players on a frequent basis, is "is there a basic, simple strategy that I can apply to change my poker game right away?" While this may seem like a complex question, with many, many different answers, really there is something that most online poker players can do immediately that will improve their game drastically.  The answer to the question is just quit playing crap cards!

Obviously there are tons of different poker strategies that you can employ at various times depending on whether you are in a cash game, multi-table tournament or a Sit n Go. Of course,  you have to take into account, what type of players are at you talbe. Are they aggressive? Re-raisers? Limpers?

Then you have to look at your position at the table in any given hand. Is it late in the tournament? Are you  on the bubble? Final table? Is it a deep stack tournament? Turbo SNG?

All these things will determine on a case by case basis what strategy you want to use at any given time.

However, if you want a simple place to start, just quit playing junk. Most internet players tend to be quite loose. Online games lend themselves to this far more easily than live table games in a bricks-n-mortar establishment do. You can make all kinds of silly plays and if you bust out, just find another Sit n Go. I think many players get addicted to the action, they live to see the flop. The allure of the flop is in their minds at all  times. Probably at some point in the past they doubled up by hitting a flush with they 9-2 suited and now they want to hit it again. Maybe they threw away6-3 off suit and 3-treys came on the flop so they vowed never to miss that opportunity again. Whatever the reason, the vast majority of online poker players see way too many flops.

Just by tightening your starting card requirements, you will shore up a major hole in your game, stay out of trouble and last longer in any tournament that you play. The problem with playing junk is that you have ot be very disciplined when it doesnt hit. Most players are not. If they decide to play Q-4 off suit and that Q hits on the flop they just cannot lay it down and are many times out-kickered before they even make that bet on the flop.

Or, they think that they can pla 9-3 off suit and then bluff every one else off the pot when the flop comes A-7-5. This may work once, but it won't work all that often in online games. You just get too many players playing hands online, and the likelyhood of someone having that Ace is way too great.

So, the answer is play less hands. Wait for better cards. Look at your stats, Full Tilt, PokerStars, Bodog, they all show how many flops you are seeing and how many hands you win out of those. Check these out and determine what percentage you are most efficient at. For me, it tends to be about 30%. Some players maybe more, some far less. It depends on if you are aggressive or conservative by naure. Whatever works for you, try just tightening up for a couple of SnG's and see how you do. The results may surprise you.