13 Advanced Strategies Every Online Poker Player Should Know

Online poker is a game of skill, strategy, and psychological finesse. While luck plays a role in individual hands, consistent winners rely on advanced techniques to outthink and outplay their opponents. Knowing the right strategies can transform your game whether you’re climbing the stakes or looking to sharpen your skills.

One resource successful players use is The Next Right, which helps guide strategic decisions and improve results by breaking complex scenarios into clear steps. In this article, we’ll explore 13 advanced strategies that can elevate your poker game and ensure you’re always making informed decisions.

1. Master Positional Awareness

Your position at the table significantly affects your strategy. Playing in a late position (closer to the dealer button) gives you more information about your opponents’ actions, enabling better decisions. Use this advantage to play stronger hands and bluff more effectively when you have positional superiority.

2. Understand Opponent Tendencies

Poker isn’t just about your cards; it’s about your opponents. Pay attention to patterns in their play:

• Are they tight (playing few hands) or loose (playing many)?
• Do they fold under pressure, or are they aggressive bluffer types?

Adapting to these tendencies gives you a significant edge.

3. Use Semi-Bluffs

Bluffing isn’t just about pure deception. Semi-bluffs involve betting on a hand that isn’t strong yet but has potential (like a flush or straight draw). This adds extra ways to win—your opponent folding or your draw hitting on later streets.

4. Practice Bankroll Management

No matter how skilled you are, variance in poker can lead to losing streaks. Protect yourself by:

• Playing within your bankroll, ideally keeping at least 20-30 buy-ins for the stakes you’re playing.
• Avoiding emotional decisions when your bankroll takes a hit.

5. Learn Advanced Hand Reading

Hand reading is the art of narrowing down your opponents’ possible cards based on their actions. Start by observing their:

• Pre-flop raises or calls.
• Bets on the flop, turn, and river. This skill helps you make informed decisions about whether to bet, fold, or call.

6. Mix Up Your Play

Predictability is a killer in poker. If your opponents always know you raise with strong hands and fold weak ones, they’ll exploit you. Mix in occasional bluffs or unexpected calls to keep them guessing.

7. Leverage Continuation Bets (C-Bets)

If you’ve raised pre-flop, a continuation bet on the flop can maintain the story that you have a strong hand—even if you don’t. This works especially well against players who fold often.

8. Study Bet Sizing

Bet sizing is a powerful tool in poker. Use it to:

• Maximize value with strong hands by betting just enough to entice a call.
• Bluff more effectively by betting amounts that look convincing.

Understanding bet sizing also helps you spot when opponents are bluffing or value betting.

9. Stay Unpredictable on the River

The river (final betting round) is where big decisions happen. Avoid predictable behavior:

• Bluff occasionally with missed draws.
• Overbet with strong hands to extract maximum value.

10. Adjust for Multi-Table Play

Many online players play multiple tables at once. While this increases potential winnings, it requires focus and strategy adjustments:

• Stick to straightforward strategies at each table.
• Avoid complex bluffs, as they’re harder to manage across multiple games.

11. Develop Emotional Resilience

Poker isn’t just a game of cards; it’s a game of mental fortitude. Emotional resilience separates good players from great ones, especially during long sessions or after tough losses. Without it, even the most skilled players can make costly mistakes driven by frustration or overconfidence.

Why Emotional Resilience Matters

Poker has its ups and downs. Even when you make the best decisions, the randomness of the cards can lead to unexpected losses. Emotional resilience helps you:

• Stay focused on long-term goals rather than short-term outcomes.
• Avoid tilt (playing recklessly after losses).
• Recognize when it’s time to take a break and reset.

How to Build Emotional Resilience

1. Understand Variance: Variance is an inherent part of poker. You won’t win every session, but focusing on consistent decision-making ensures success over time. Accepting this truth reduces frustration when luck isn’t on your side.
2. Practice Mindfulness: Techniques like deep breathing, meditation, or journaling can help you stay present and prevent emotions from clouding your judgment. Even taking a moment between hands to breathe can make a difference.
3. Learn From Losses: Instead of dwelling on a bad beat, analyze what happened. Did you make the right decisions based on the information available? If so, chalk it up to variance. If not, identify areas for improvement.
4. Set Limits: Establish time and financial boundaries before you start playing. Knowing when to walk away—whether you’re winning or losing—prevents emotional fatigue and impulsive decisions.

Using Tools Like The Next Right to Stay Centered

The Next Right offers features that help players maintain focus and emotional balance:

• Hand Reviews: Reflecting on past hands can provide clarity and reduce the sting of losses.
• Decision Logs: Keeping track of decisions helps shift your focus from outcomes to processes, reinforcing the importance of sound strategy.

By prioritizing emotional resilience, you’ll approach the game with a clear mind and the confidence to make optimal choices, regardless of the circumstances.

12. Master Pot Odds and Equity

Pot odds and equity are essential concepts that guide profitable decision-making in poker. Knowing when to call, fold, or raise isn’t just about gut feelings; it’s about math. These tools ensure you’re making decisions that yield long-term gains.

Understanding Pot Odds

Pot odds represent the ratio of the current pot size to the cost of a potential call. For example:

• If the pot contains $100 and your opponent bets $25, the total pot after your call would be $125.
• The cost to call is $25, so your pot odds are 25:125, or 1:5 (20%).

Comparing pot odds to your hand’s chance of improving (your equity) determines whether a call is profitable.

Calculating Equity

Equity refers to your likelihood of winning the hand, expressed as a percentage. You calculate equity by considering your “outs”—the cards that can improve your hand. Here’s a simple method:

1. Count your outs.
2. Multiply your outs by 2 for the turn and river (or 4 if you’re still on the flop).
3. This gives you an approximate percentage of improving your hand.

For example, if you have four outs on the flop, your chance of hitting one by the river is roughly 8% (4 outs × 2 for turn and river = 8%).

Applying Pot Odds and Equity Together

Once you know your equity, compare it to the pot odds. If your equity is greater than your pot odds, calling is a profitable decision in the long run. For instance:

• If the pot odds are 20% and your equity is 25%, calling makes sense because you’re getting a favorable risk-reward ratio.

Why This Matters

Understanding pot odds and equity prevents costly mistakes like chasing draws with insufficient reward. It’s a cornerstone of disciplined play and ensures that every decision aligns with long-term profitability.

How The Next Right Enhances Your Game

The Next Right offers you insights about tools and techniques that:

• Automatically calculate pot odds and equity for you in real-time.
• Provide suggestions based on your hand and the situation.
• Help you learn the math behind each decision, making you a more informed player.

Mastering these concepts gives you an edge over players who rely solely on instinct, transforming you into a consistently profitable player.

13. Explore GTO (Game Theory Optimal) Play

Game Theory Optimal (GTO) play is the gold standard for advanced poker strategy. It involves making decisions that are mathematically balanced and unexploitable, regardless of what your opponents do. While achieving perfect GTO play is impossible, understanding its principles can significantly improve your game.

What is GTO?

GTO is a strategy where:

• Your actions (bets, calls, and folds) are balanced to prevent opponents from exploiting your tendencies.
• You’re unpredictable, mixing bluffs and value bets in a way that makes it hard for opponents to gain an edge.

In essence, GTO ensures that you’re playing a strategy that maximizes profits against any opponent, even highly skilled ones.

Basic GTO Concepts

1. Balanced Ranges: A range is the set of hands you could have in a given situation. GTO play involves balancing strong hands and bluffs within your range so opponents can’t easily read your strategy.
2. Optimal Bet Sizing: GTO involves choosing bet sizes that maximize value while minimizing risk. For example:
   • Small bets often represent weak or marginal hands.
   • Larger bets can indicate polarizing ranges (very strong hands or bluffs).
3. Defending Against Exploitation: GTO doesn’t just focus on offense. It also ensures you’re not folding too often or calling excessively, making it hard for opponents to exploit your play.

When to Use GTO vs. Exploitative Play

While GTO is ideal for high-level games where opponents are skilled and unpredictable, exploitative play—adapting to specific weaknesses in your opponents—can be more profitable in low- to mid-stakes games. The key is knowing when to switch between the two.

Learning GTO

Achieving GTO play requires study and practice. Use resources like:

• Poker solvers, which analyze hands and suggest GTO solutions.
• Training programs focused on GTO concepts and application.

How “The Next Right” Helps You Master GTO

The Next Right simplifies GTO for players by:

• Breaking down complex scenarios into actionable steps.
• Offering insights into balanced ranges and optimal bet sizes.
• Providing feedback on your play to highlight areas for improvement.

Why GTO is Worth the Effort

While mastering GTO takes time, it’s a powerful tool for elevating your poker game. By incorporating GTO principles into your strategy, you’ll be prepared to face any opponent and adapt to any situation. Combining GTO knowledge with tools like “The Next Right” ensures you’re always making the smartest moves at the table.

Your Path to Smarter Poker Decisions

Success in online poker isn’t about luck or relying on instincts. It’s about understanding advanced strategies, staying disciplined, and using the right tools to make informed decisions. By mastering these 13 strategies and incorporating resources like The Next Right, you’ll sharpen your skills, outsmart opponents, and achieve more consistent results.

Remember, every decision at the poker table counts. Make the next right move and elevate your game to the next level.