When you play online poker real money, it goes without saying that you will encounter a lot of players from all different skill levels. While it’s true that you will need to get serious if you really want to win, there are other skills that you will need to make sure that you learn before then. You need to make sure that you learn how to deal with weaker players in a gracious way.
Why? Well, it’s simple: you don’t want to offend anyone. Showing good sportsmanship is the key to really making a home in the online poker community. When you treat weaker players with disrespect, it makes it harder to get the help you need to become an even stronger player. No one is an island in the world of online poker, which means that you will need to turn to the community in order to become a stronger player. You don’t want to just settle for not giving it your very best to get better simply because you’ve alienated so much of the community. While it’s true that you could get help form another forum, your reputation tends to follow you wherever you decide to go. Don’t be surprised if people simply Google you and slowly stop speaking to you.
Everyone starts out as a newbie, and some of those newbies stick it out and become top notch poker players. It’s really a matter of persistence and determination. If you really look at it from the right perspective, you really want to make sure that you encourage other new players as much as possible. This will help you really test your skills, instead of just winning hands because the other weaker players don’t have the same strategy down pat as you do.
One point to keep in mind when it come sot dealing with players of a lower skill level is that you will want to make sure that you’re still playing your best game. Again, it’s a matter of respect — no one wants to win a game or even a tournament because everyone is going easy on them. This makes them think that their skills are better than what they are, and it could even give newbies false confidence enough to play in higher stakes than they’re actually comfortable with. It’s better to play your best and then give the new player something to analyze when the game is over.
How deep you should go when it comes to interaction depends on your comfort level with people. For example, if you feel like it’s impossible to really connect with people online, then you should keep your comments to a minimum. You can show respect without becoming invested in what other players do.
However, if you really want to embrace community online to the fullest, you will want to be as helpful as possible. You can answer questions or even share your tips for staying on top of the competition. Over time, this could build your reputation to a point where you’re a respected member of the community and newcomers seek out your advice all the time.
Overall, the key here is that you need to treat weaker players with respect at all times. At the end of the day, there is still a person attached to that screenname — it’s not a robot, so don’t treat them like that!