Live online poker is the next best thing to playing in a smoke-filled room with your best buds. In fact, it may even be better, because you can always find an online game when your friends aren't interested in playing in person.

When you play online live poker, you're playing against other humans who are playing at the same online casino as you at exactly the same time.

In other words, you're playing real poker except the guy sitting next to you isn't spilling beer on your chips. Other than that, the game if played the same.

Live online poker isn't any easier to play than face-to-face poker. The chances are that you'll be up against at least a few experienced players who know the game better than you do.

Don't be fooled into thinking that no one can see your tells. They may not know when you are raising your eyebrows, or scratching your nose, or doing whatever you do when you've got a good hand, but there are other ways to determine how good or bad a player's hand is even when you're playing live online poker. Here are some things to look out for:

?Watch the speed of play. When a player takes a long time to bet online, you can be sure he's thinking about his hand.

?Look for betting clues like checking and raising.

?Look for signs of a player using the Check Boxes and Auto Play features. You can tell when these features have been enabled because their action will take place immediately after the last player makes his play. If you see that the player has checked the ?Any Raise? box, for example, you can figure he's proud of his hand. If, on the other hand, the player is automatically checking, you can conclude that his hand is weak.

?Watch how many hands a player folds versus playing. A player who folds frequently is usually a tight/aggressive player who knows when to invest and when to get out. A player who stays in, even with junk hands, is inexperienced. Focus on making his chips yours.

?Watch how players interact with the chat box. Normally chatty players, who suddenly go silent, are probably looking at a good hand that requires their attention.

Follow these tips and you'll have fun playing live online poker.

For more information on this and other poker related topics, visit our website at http://www.holdem-news.com