Any success I've had at online poker hasn't been playing from real poker, but from understanding what I'm up against. Tonight I had several examples.

Playing poker online is like playing Microsoft Hearts - the worst cheating card game ever made. In MS Hearts, the computer players are not trying to win, they are trying to make you lose. I have a registry edit cheat that I can see everyone's cards. The obvious one is how the puter players will save high hearts to attempt you from shooting the moon. It also looks like they save hearts to dump on you instead of the other puter players.

Online poker tourneys aren't about playing to win. There about survival agaisnt the others making you play to lose. Five10 player tournaments so far. (Actually managed to finish second in one.) Every single one to survive I've had to fold like crazy until after 10 hands or so. I'm good playing short stacked, but I'm sick of the pre-programmed game play that makes me short stacked all the time.

How do I know it's pre-programmed? Example: Last tourney's chip leader was Unclesam. Someone posted the message., "This game is like real life". And a fraction of a second later, "Unclesam has all the money." Damn, you're a world class secretary! What are you doing wasting your time playing poker? Or, has this set of hands already been determined. Yep.

So, if I'm willing to be bored silly folding like crazy and being short stacked I still have a chance. Since the average player has the patience of a two year old I can fold my way into third place and some points. Then, the AI invariably gets the magic river card. Actually the site I'm playing on now does it more on the turn than the river.