When playing online poker there are a number of buttons that a player can click in order to instruct the computer to make a certain move before the play comes round to them – therefore meaning that they don’t hold up the game for other players while they click. This is an extremely useful feature for those who play at multiple tables, as it means that they can concentrate on the better hands that they have, while immediately dismissing the bad hands without a second thought.

Most of these buttons are pretty useful and will also not reveal anything to the other players about the way that you play your hands, except for one of them – the check/fold button. This button is only available when you are on the big blind, as this is the only time that you can check before the flop comes down. The problem is that consistent use of this button will give the more attentive players on the table a huge advantage regarding how you play and the cards that you are likely to have.

This theory is basically due to the fact that other players will know that you have a bad hand and that you are only prepared to play the hand if you get to take a look at the flop for free. This is because if there had been any bet, regardless of how small, your hand would have been folded straight away. Players will be able to spot that you are using this button due to the speed of your call and will therefore essentially know that they can bet you out of the pot the next hand, unless you get very lucky with the flop.

This tip is mainly aimed at those playing higher stakes poker games with people who know exactly what to look for when other people are making their decisions. It is unlikely that players on the lower stakes tables will have the experience to know this. It is good practice, however, to get into the habit of never using the check/fold button, so that when you do progress to more expensive games, you don’t accidentally give your hand away!

A whole multitude of different poker games can be found on www.pokerstars.co.uk and they also provide a nice bonus to those signing up there. Just make sure that you avoid the check/fold button at all times though, unless you don’t want to win much money!