Losing at Online Poker? Don't Quit! Make Some Changes

If you happen to find your online poker win rate decreasing and your poker sessions not providing the profitable outcomes that they once did, you are not alone.

Online poker has become increasingly more difficult over the years, as players continue to improve and poker operators jack up the rake. Beating the game often requires players to adapt and change with the times, letting go of methods and strategies that perhaps worked in the past but now don't seem to cut it anymore.

Don't let frustration and anger win out and prompt you to quit the game that you love. Instead, it may be time to take a long, hard look in the mirror and ask yourself if there are things you might do differently to turn things around in order to book more winning sessions and profits.

Let's take a look at some areas and possible changes that may get you back on track.

Lower Stakes

What do the pros often say to do when you hit a rough patch or downswing? One of the first things is to move down in stake levels.

It's important to get your mind and game right again and playing against lesser-skilled players can often do the trick. While pride and ego may get in the way of stooping to a level that you feel is beneath you, isn't it better to win at lower stakes than continue to struggle where you're at currently?

Study

The number of opportunities and information available to improve your game is mind boggling. Loads of books, articles and videos about poker strategy are all over the internet and your local library.

Of course, the information is not always accurate and wise, so a bit of caution is in order. But if you're following the vlogs and YouTube offerings from the likes of Daniel Negreanu and Andrew Neeme, the tips and tricks of those respected pros should make a difference in your play.

Subscribing to a poker coaching site and talking about poker on online forums are also ways to sharpen your skills.

New Poker Sites

While the poker site you currently play at may be where all your friends are and where the action seems best in terms of the amount of players, if you find yourself losing too often, it may be time to try a new site. You may find the competition more to your liking at another poker room.

It's a bit of a process of trial and error (or success) when searching for and finding your main site to play at. Another advantage to shopping around are the deposit bonuses available at new poker rooms.

While you may be proud of the VIP status you've earned at your online poker home, if you're profits are diminishing, the grass may be greener elsewhere.

SitNGos, MTTs or Cash Games

Has the cash game grind taken its toll on you? Is your ROI sinking at those once favorable SitNGos? Is the variance in MTTs giving you headaches? It may be a good idea to focus on a different game type for awhile.

A transition to mainly playing tournament poker may be in order if action at the other games has become less appealing and perhaps even monotonous - or vice versa. It may also turn out to be more fun, and isn't that why many of us play poker to begin with?