I love playing both pay poker and free poker online and very much hope my following tips are of use to you in your own games.
Lady Luck
Well to start with let me be very clear about the fact that like all games of cards this too depends a lot on your luck. Therefore the first tip is to make your own luck and this can be achieved by carefully choosing the cards you bet on. Any face card is great to be holding, but the best card to have is an Ace. This is because most people bet only when they have a card with a high face value. The best time to go all-in is when you are holding a face card or even better, two of them. Although as I said that there are no guarantees and still a lot depends on luck.
Observe the Players you are Playing With
You are always going to come across some aggressive players who, no matter what type of cards they have, like to play a risky game and go all-in. My advice would be to avoid betting against these players until they have lost their chips and are out or they calm down their betting.
The other type of player is the one who is very tight with their betting and even if they have a decent hand is still likely to bet a low amount. These types of players are of no significant danger of knocking you out.
Next come the so called bluffers and these can be quite dangerous. It's really hard to figure out when they are bluffing and when they really have good cards. They confuse you a lot so be careful while dealing with such players. The best thing though is to play with only when you are confident about your cards.
Betting Strategy
Next comes the question of how much to bet and the best tactic seems to be the one where you wait till the last, that is if you get a chance to do that. If not, just play according to the cards you have been dealt and go all out if you really have a good hand. The best way to get more return for your good hand is to bet small amounts in the beginning, to keep all interested and then increase the bet steadily. In this way the other players are forced to keep betting and you can increase the number of chips you earn.
I look forward to seeing you at the free poker tables soon!