Unless you are playing at virtual money tables, I always assume nobody wants to either play like a fish or be labeled as one. So I think the question is still valid ... Why do some people stink when playing online poker? First, let's quickly define what it means when we refer to someone as a poker fish.
What Is an Online Poker “Fish”?
Without spending much time on this using technical words seeking to decorate an answer that, in nature, is simple. An online poker fish is basically the “sucker” at the table. The person also known as “donkey” that is just not very good at poker. “Fish” it's just a derogatory word used by arrogant players in a way to insult other players that are making basic mistakes at the table without even realizing most of their profits will come from them.
Bet Online Poker is currently our #2 poker site with the most fish. The poker room is one of the newest poker sites on the market, which means you will not find as many grinders at this poker room. Bet Online features an online casino, and world-renowned sports book, thus attributing to the above average gamblers on site.
The More ‘Fish’ at an Online Poker Room, the Bigger Your Profits Will Be Poker rooms with the most fish (weaker / less experienced opponents) are always changing. When a site gets well known for being profitable, it attracts a small army of ‘grinders’. When I launched Beat The Fish in 2005, I had one focus: create a specific guide for helping frustrated online poker players literally 'beat the fish'. Since then, I've reviewed more than 50 poker rooms, written almost 400 pages of content, covered the WSOP every year, and played hundreds of thousands of hands of online poker. Play FREE casino games! Over 50 slots, bingo, poker, blackjack, solitaire and so much more! WIN BIG and party with your friends!
New Player = Fish?
NO! Just because you're a new player it doesn't make you a fish! You have no idea how many experienced players I have labeled as fish. If you saw my notes and all labels I have on guys playing $20 and $50 tournaments you will surely laugh. Even good, solid and winning regulars can at times have some “fishiness” moments. Again, an online poker fish is someone making terrible mistakes at the table on a regular bases.
How Not To Become a Poker Fish?
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Just stop making basic and fundamental mistakes at the table. It's really that simple. Keep an eye for the following…
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- Calling too much – Especially from the blinds and out of position.
- Fancy Play Syndrome – This is when you have a monster hand and try to “beautify” a hand by mimicking something you saw in a high stake poker episode.
- Playing very vulnerable and marginal hands from EP – This is the case with small pocket pairs, low Ax hands and middle-low suited connectors with gappers.
- Not knowing when to fold – This is perhaps one of the most costly mistakes I see bad players do, taking so many marginal hands to showdown
- Lack of awareness – I see this more and more at the tables. Bad players just aren't able to spot great opportunities to take down the pot even if it hits them in the face.
- Playing to loose or to tight – It's common to see bad players to both extremes. They either play too loose or too tight. This is where the terms NIT and Maniac were born to identify and labeled these type of bad players.
- Standard lines – They play a very basic strategy very easy to exploit by more experienced players.
- Play based on emotions – They couldn't care less about the math of the game. Pot odds, equity, EV, ranges, are just all BS to them.
- Lack of adjustability – Since they play a very basic and exploitable style of play, they just don´t adjust properly to some of the most common postflop situations in poker.
- Not value betting enough – This is a direct consequence of applying the fancy play syndrome I briefly touch above. They rather play a monster hand slowly rather than extracting as much value as possible from it.
- Get scared easily – One of the best strategies against most of these bad players (unless we´re facing a calling station), it´s to bluff them a lot. This is particularly very effective on the river. When they're chasing draws or trying to hold-up a medium strength hand, they will usually just give-up when facing a strong river bet.