5 Tips To Improve Your Online Poker Game

Online poker is a very dynamic game, with lots of people having different strategies and game plans. There is no 'right' way to play, there are just different preferences that people have, however some techniques are used as standard with good poker players. This article will cover 5 techniques which are commonplace in high standard poker, but not so common in low stakes (which means you can gain an advantage over other players at low levels). 1. Don't slow play big pairs. After studying thousands of hands involving big pairs (Queens / Kings / Aces) it has been proven that the best way to play the hand is aggressively. There are 3 outcomes to playing aggressively pre-flop; your opponents fold and you win the hand, your opponents call/raise and you have the best hand or your opponents call/raise and you do not have the best hand. If you're holding Queens / Kings / Aces the chances of your opponent having a better hand are negligible. If you slow played the hand there are countless opportunities for your opponents to outdraw you, and make you lose the hand. 2. Don't overplay medium pairs. A medium pair is normally considered 5 - Jack. A medium pair isn't great unless you hit trips on the flop (which is about 15% of the time), otherwise you can't have much confidence in the hand. 10s and Jacks can be played aggressively if there are low cards on flop, but it's not worth calling a raise with these cards pre-flop (however you can bet if no one has raised before you). 3. Always use bonuses. There's no point sticking to one poker room if all the other poker sites are offering sign-up bonuses. Many poker rooms offer 200% deposit bonuses, so if you wanted to sign up to a $50 tournament, you would only need to deposit $25. There are currently hundreds of poker rooms to take advantage from by using this strategy. 4. Play at the right level. If you are new to poker then you should play at low stakes. Once you have confidence that your poker game is solid, you can start to move to higher stakes. Many poker players start too high, thinking the low stakes don't give enough reward for winning. Use these staked games to practise, build your bankroll and perfect your game. 5. Don't show your hand. Whenever you show another poker player your cards (when you don't have to) they learn more about the way you play. You don't want other players being able to read you - so don't give them any information unnecessarily. These 5 gems are fundamental for playing a solid poker game, use these online poker tips along with the best poker bonuses to kick start your online poker adventure. You don't just want to play poker, you want to profit from poker!

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5 Tips To Improve Your Online Poker Game

Online poker is a very dynamic game, with lots of people having different strategies and game plans. There is no 'right' way to play, there are just different preferences that people have, however some techniques are used as standard with good poker players. This article will cover 5 techniques which are commonplace in high standard poker, but not so common in low stakes (which means you can gain an advantage over other players at low levels). 1. Don't slow play big pairs. After studying thousands of hands involving big pairs (Queens / Kings / Aces) it has been proven that the best way to play the hand is aggressively. There are 3 outcomes to playing aggressively pre-flop; your opponents fold and you win the hand, your opponents call/raise and you have the best hand or your opponents call/raise and you do not have the best hand. If you're holding Queens / Kings / Aces the chances of your opponent having a better hand are negligible. If you slow played the hand there are countless opportunities for your opponents to outdraw you, and make you lose the hand. 2. Don't overplay medium pairs. A medium pair is normally considered 5 - Jack. A medium pair isn't great unless you hit trips on the flop (which is about 15% of the time), otherwise you can't have much confidence in the hand. 10s and Jacks can be played aggressively if there are low cards on flop, but it's not worth calling a raise with these cards pre-flop (however you can bet if no one has raised before you). 3. Always use bonuses. There's no point sticking to one poker room if all the other poker sites are offering sign-up bonuses. Many poker rooms offer 200% deposit bonuses, so if you wanted to sign up to a $50 tournament, you would only need to deposit $25. There are currently hundreds of poker rooms to take advantage from by using this strategy. 4. Play at the right level. If you are new to poker then you should play at low stakes. Once you have confidence that your poker game is solid, you can start to move to higher stakes. Many poker players start too high, thinking the low stakes don't give enough reward for winning. Use these staked games to practise, build your bankroll and perfect your game. 5. Don't show your hand. Whenever you show another poker player your cards (when you don't have to) they learn more about the way you play. You don't want other players being able to read you - so don't give them any information unnecessarily. These 5 gems are fundamental for playing a solid poker game, use these online poker tips along with the best poker bonuses to kick start your online poker adventure. You don't just want to play poker, you want to profit from poker!

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Poker Strategy - Taking Shots

Taking a shot is different than moving up in stakes because the term "taking a shot" implies a temporary, one-time attempt at moving up in stakes before having the proper bankroll to do so permanently. Taking a shot is like taking a shortcut through a dark alley - you'll get to where you want to go faster but you better go in with your eyes wide open. Wandering around without a plan is just as dangerous in shot-taking as it is when walking through dark alleys. You need to have a specific objective and a set plan before making the journey or else you could end up in trouble. Set Aside a Small "Shot Roll" I have a pretty simple road map you can follow to stay out of trouble. If you stick with the plan in this article, your shots will never be a complete disaster. All you have to do is set aside a certain amount of money from your regular bankroll and consider that money gone. Pretend it doesn't exist any more. Make sure you leave yourself enough of a bankroll to come back to if your shot doesn't work out. I suggest setting aside about 2-4 buyins for the stakes you want to move up to. If you normally play 50NL and want to move up to 100NL, you can set aside $200 - $400 and count that money gone. When you set that money aside, it's more of a mental thing than actually moving any money anywhere. You have to be good at this mental separation because the only time shots go wrong is when people keep trying to play at those higher stakes after burning through all the shot money. The easiest way to keep track of your money is to just set a low-level mark for your bankroll and return back to your normal stakes when your bankroll dips below that level. So if you have $1800 in your bankroll and want to spend $300 trying to play at 100NL, you can do so until your bankroll falls to $1500. Stick to Your Rules I cannot stress enough how important it is that you follow these shot-taking rules. Don't even attempt the shot if you think you'll have problems moving back down if the shot doesn't work out. With only a few buyins to work with, shots are not going to go well as often as you would hope. It only takes a little bad luck to kill your shot. That's fine. That's why you set aside a small amount of money you don't need. I've had more shots than I can remember go bad for me. For some reason, moving up from 100NL to 200NL was the worst run I ever had with shots during my poker career. It must have taken me 10 different attempts before finally being able to move up for good. It wasn't even as hard moving up from 600NL to 1000NL. Persevere Sometimes shots just don't work out - that's life. If your shot lasts for any decent length of time before going bad, the temptation to continue playing higher stakes will be great. You'll join the smaller tables again and feel like the money just isn't enough to get your blood stirring. Don't worry; that feeling will go away soon enough. Don't let it keep you from making the right choice. When the shot does work out, all the hard work will be well worth it. You'll suddenly get to play bigger stakes on a regular basis, you'll feel proud of your new stakes and you'll get an immediate pay raise. It's one of the best feelings you will get from poker.

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Texas Hold'Em Poker Strategy for 90 Player Sit N Go

As I was playing a 90-player SnG on Full Tilt earlier, I noticed about 95% of the players playing these tournaments make floundering plays that they really have no idea why they are making them. These tournaments start out with small blinds and you have a fairly deep stack of $3k in chips. Because of this format, there has to be specific reasons for the plays you are making. First of all, I see a ton of players making position plays. Trying to steal blinds from the button, trying a squeeze play, etc. There is no need AT ALL for these types of plays early in the tournament. Why would you want to steal $90 worth of blinds when you have a $3k chip stack? The answer is that you wouldn't, but many players think they are supposed to make these types of plays because they have read somewhere that they should. However, most of the time they just end up getting themselves into trouble. If you want a simple strategy for playing tournaments such as a 90-player, it is this: simply see as many hands as you can and try to catch a monster. The way I build my chip stack in these games is not to make big plays with A-K or A-Q, but to play suited connectors and pocket pairs. In this way, you can trap a player who cannot lay down face cards or big slick when you hit your flush, straight draw or hit trips. You don't have to raise a ton and get carried away and you shouldn't be playing hands like Q-9 off suit, that is not what I am saying. But, if you can catch a big flop with cards like 5-6 suited, you can end up doubling up off a player you plays K-Q way too strong.

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Sit and Go Poker Strategy Guide - Heads Up Poker Strategy

While many glamorize heads-up no limit hold'em poker as the ultimate test of skill, the truth is that in a sit and go tournament, heads-up play is usually the simplest and most mathematical poker you can play. The reason for this that usually the stacks are small enough - fifteen big blinds or so - that the only correct poker plays are pushing all-in or folding. Because of this reality of short stack poker, many of your opponents will make big mistakes, so you can still come out ahead in the long run. The Button or Small Blind On the button in a standard heads-up poker match you are first to act preflop and only have to post the smaller blind. In a short stack situation it is actually something of an advantage to act first, and of course it is better to have the poker privilege of putting less money in the pot without looking at your cards. The correct play here is usually to to push all-in most of the time, folding your worst poker hands. With any ace, any pair, and any two face cards, you should push in against all opponents with fifteen times the big blind or less. With twelve big blinds you can add hands like king-medium and suited connectors. With ten or less you should push any face card in addition to these hands. And with eight big blinds or less you should push with any two cards. Some may say this is not "real poker" It seems like you might be risking too much to win too little, but the reality is that you usually will have a 35-40% chance to win when called even when pushing with a truly trashy hand, and it is the correct poker strategy. You aren't "risking your whole stack" when you push, but simply risking playing a pot as an underdog, which will usually only cost you one or two big blinds in expectation while you win 1.5 if you push and win the blinds. Naturally, if you know your opponent is a chronic caller with bad poker hands, you might choose to fold some of the worst hands when your stack is large, but don't take this too far. With many of these hands, you could show your cards to your opponent and pushing would still be highly profitable poker strategy. The Big Blind In the big blind you will often be facing an all-in push from your opponent. Your decision whether to call should be based on what range of hands you think they are pushing, and like all poker strategy, the odds the pot is offering you to call. Quite simply if you are getting 2 to 1 or better pot odds you should always call, and you should just about always call getting 1.5 to 1 or better. There are just few very hands that have you in a poker situation where you aren't going to win at least 30-40% of the time. Above 1.5 to 1 pot odds or so it depends more on your opponents poker hand range. For example if an opponent pushes ten big blinds into you, you will be getting 11 to 9 on your call, meaning you need to win 45% of the time to profit. At this level of pot odds a good default range to call with is any ace, king ten or better, queen jack suited, and any pair. But if your opponent is an extremely aggressive poker player, pushing nearly every hand, you can add more marginal calling hands like the weaker kings and suited face cards. And if your opponent is the type to limp preflop unless he picks up a monster, you should of course be folding without a large pair or ace yourself. Against Players that Limp on the Button Many players will limp in on the button. This is usually bad poker strategy, but you still need to react correctly against it. Usually you should respond by pushing. Push a range similar to what you would push on the button in this situation. Usually an opponent will limp with slightly better than average poker hands, but this is offset by the fact that there is more money in the pot as they have added another half a bet. With trash hands, check and take a flop. One common poker mistake many players make from here is checking too many flops in this situation when they miss. The type of player to limp on the button is usually not very aggressive, and you can steal a lot of pots with small bets. A good poker strategy is to make a minimum bet (half the pot here) each time you hit the flop, plus on about half the flops that you miss. This bluff doesn't cost much, but against most opponents who will automatically fold if they miss the flop, can be very effective. Most sit and go strategy is complex enough that a simple guide like this one will only provide the fundamentals, but for heads up play with small stacks, nearly everything you need to know is right here. Remember, the most common mistake made is folding too much, followed by limping on the button. Your opponents may constantly seem to be getting the better of the luck in the all-in showdowns, but play aggressive poker and you will win more than you will lose in the end.

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Online Poker Strategy Beyond The Basic Rules

Online poker players are likely to find there are very few difference between a face-to-face game and a computerized one. While the feel of the cards won't be present and it will be impossible to see other gamers' faces, online poker strategy is generally the same as on the table playing. There are, however, a few key differences. Knowing them and how to overcome them is the best online poker strategy of them all. To begin learning online poker strategy, it's a good idea to be familiar with the games being played, the sites you're interested in playing on and so on. To get started with online poker strategy, do these things: · Choose a site. Online poker strategy shouldn't even be a concern until a site for playing on has been picked. To do this, it's a good idea to review the options, look at licensing and security considerations and even check out past player comments. This online poker strategy can be a fun one to put into play, because the options of sites is pretty amazing. Once a site has been chosen, check it out on a trial basis. · Study the site. Perhaps the best way to master online poker strategy is to make sure a site is understood and its features make sense. Being a great player in person might not translate when there are buttons to push and keys to be familiar with. The best way to put this online poker strategy into play is to actually run though several games in trial mode before putting money down. · Wait your turn. A lot of online sites allow players to make moves before their turns. While they won't register in their entirety until the appointment time, sometimes clues are given away. Raises, folding and so on, should all be done during the correct round. This online poker strategy can be a hard one to put into action since it's tempting to respond right away. Think of this as the online poker strategy that allows you to bluff and play cards close to the vest and this tip will make sense. · Take care with money. It can be tempting when playing online to throw online poker strategy out of the window. Don't! Make sure you bet as you would in a table game to make this online poker strategy pan out for some won hands in your column. Overzealous play, even online, can tip your hat to your opponents. Following this online poker strategy can save you lost money and help you maintain a good online "poker face." Learning how to play with online poker strategy is mostly the same as playing in person. The games are the same, the style is the same, but the feel might be a little unusual for some to get a handle on. To follow online poker strategy to the letter, it's a good idea to not only understand the game, but also this new way of playing it.

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Strategies to Increase Your Winning Probability in Texas Holdem Poker

Poker is a card game of many complexities, with many difficulties and nuances that take years to breakthrough, dissects and master. The challenges and odds had pooled great number of online poker players in the world today. It is, perhaps, the game creates stimulating challenge on every player. Each game, when a player participated, the demand to know their odds on winning are a rousing situation. Hence, mastery of Texas Holdem Poker game calls to learn strategies and tactics to increase winning odds in each game. Table Position Table position in online Texas Holdem poker game has a great significant on odds of the player. This is often overlooked by novice players not knowing how a position can affect their odds and can lose lots of money. Learning strategy on table position involves recognizing different kind of positions and how to apply it to the game. There are three areas of table positioning - the early position (EP), middle position (MP) and late position (LP). In a table of ten players, the early position is sat on the left and it has a disadvantage. Being the first to act after the first flop, all opponents will benefit on what the EP will do. They will be able to react on the action of EP and disrupt the ploy the EP is making and simply wait and observe EP's actions. EPs need a stronger hand to bet or raise than those on middle and late position. Generally, players on late positions are in great advantage. But on the middle position, there are few advantages and several drawbacks. MP may be able to see the EP's doing, however, there are still other players to react on MP's actions. On the other hand, MPs left open on the squeeze play, where MPs may get trapped on trying to call on EP's bet and it will be raised by the LPs. This squeeze game may pose dangerous to MPs when they are trying to slow down the game or when being watchful on the next other opponents' hand. Even when they had a marginal hand, there are still players will tend to react too aggressive forcing the MP's to shell out more chips or bet to the hand. Late positions are the last few players to act on a round. Being the LPs are of great advantage because of the mechanics of the game. They had a great opportunity to bluff or steal the pot to win. To steal the game is almost impossible for the earliest position players, these includes the early and middle positions. The LP always had a great chance to observe and know the strength of the opponents' hand. When all the earliest positions are on 'checked bet', this proves the chance of the late positions to scare them, of which 'steal the game' by raising bets on the pot knowing 'checked bets' could mean they had a weak hand. On Raise Ploys In Texas Holdem Poker, the raise move is a threat to the opponents and it is a beginning of bluffing or perhaps, winning. In raising, opponents may fold or call, however, the dynamics of this poker game, the opening bet is considered as raise. There are several tactics to increase the odds of winning when raising - good ploys. Money raise. When there is a strong hand, begin a raise to force opponents to do so. Steal raise. When there is a very strong hand, consider raise on the highest and scare them fold, otherwise they will have a chance to improve their hands. Deceptive raise When there is a poor hand, raise to mislead opponents. Players with good hands will be deceived and forced to fold. Hope raise. When there is a drawing hand, raise to get a free card to improve the hand. Check raise. When there is uncertain hand, raise to check strengths of opponents hand and maneuver on the next round by opening a bet if all on 'check' move on the previous round. Elimination raise When there is a second best hand, raise to eliminate or drive out mediocre players to forfeit their chance on improving their hand. Isolation raise Raise when the earlier player has a drawing hand and made a bet to drive away or forced others to fold. There are many strategies in Texas Holdem Poker to increase player's odds of winning and most important is to know and understand the opponent's action and observe when he is only bluffing because in this game, the more the one is great on bluffing, the greater chance of winning. So, happy bluffing game!

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The Shining Star Among Famous Poker Players

What if most people who were lawyers became cash game poker players instead? More famous poker players and fewer lawyers, Shakespeare would agree, would probably be a better place--and we'd have a much smarter Congress. So, with that, let's pay homage to one of the world's late, great professional poker players who was headed to law school but never made it: David "Chip" Reese. At the time of his untimely death in December of 2007, Chip Reese was widely regarded as the world's greatest cash game poker player by his peers. Chip Reese came into the world in the holy land of Dayton, Ohio, on March 28th, 1951. An all-around achiever with an embarrassment of talents, he excelled at football, on the debate teams, and in all of his classes. The universities of Harvard and Dartmouth vied for him, and he went to the latter and was a football star there. After getting his undergraduate degree, he got accepted into the Stanford University Law Program. But a funny thing happened to Chip Reese while he was driving to Stanford. The image of a shining man appeared before him and halfway blinded him; and it spoke to Chip and it did say unto him, "Chip, Chip, why dost thou wish to stealeth away other people's money instead of earn it honestly by way of playing games of chance and skill?" And the heart of Chip Reese was deeply troubled, and he did avert his path away from that of lawyers, and... Oh, alright--that never happened! But it _is_ true that Reese never did make it to Stanford. You see, Chip Reese had been playing poker since he was very young. His mother also taught him a great deal about playing different poker games. He always had a mind for games of skill and excelled at others such as backgammon and rummy. But the games of poker were those he loved the most. And, the very summer before he was to go to Stanford, he took a trip to Las Vegas and won $60,000 in a single weekend-long $500 tournament. And it was then that he decided that he could make a professional career out of poker. But, being the highly intelligent man he was, Chip didn't tell his family about his new career for a whole year. Reese took three World Series of Poker bracelets in his career: the $1000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo in 1978, and the $5000 Seven Card Stud bracelet in 1982; then, after returning to poker tournaments to fulfill his children's request to appear on TV in 2004, when he finished 4th at the WSOP, he went on to take the $1.7 million prize at the H.O.R.S.E event in 2006. After that, the WSOP world lost Chip Reese, for he realized that he could make far more money playing cash games instead of entering high profile tournaments. Reese won $2 million in his first two years of his poker career, leading none other than one of the greatest of professional poker players, Doyle Brunson, to call him the greatest 7-Card Stud poker player in the world. Reese himself thought his ability to always remain in control emotionally and his knack for knowing when to take a gamble were his competitive edges. Of course, it helped that, allegedly, he could perfectly remember where every card was and calculate pot odds even if playing with as many as three decks. It was said after his death by his close friend Bill James that Reese cared more about his family than he did about fame, and after he got married he played less poker and created a sports betting system for his main income so he could be home more often. Before his death, this shining star among famous poker players told his friend and one of his fellow professional poker players Mike Sexton, "[Stu Ungar] natural ability-wise [possessed] the quickest mind. Stuey's problem [was he didn't] understand the object of the game, which is to accumulate wealth, improve your lifestyle, and provide for your family."

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Strategy For New Online Poker Players

New online poker players have an advantage over seasoned players, as they haven't learnt any bad habits. A new poker player has a clean slate to work from - and the aim of the article is to build the foundation of a fantastic poker player. If you've ever watched a televised poker game, you would've heard the expression 'play the player, not the cards'. This is one of the most important aspects of poker, if your opponent folds before the showdown (the end of the hand), it doesn't matter what cards you have - as you muck them and collect the pot. This means you could've had aces in your hand, or deuce seven, and won the pot all the same. A controversial, but very effective way of building your confidence in 'playing the player', is playing blind poker. This is where you cannot see what cards you have in your hand, you only play on your instinct and information you collect from your opponent. Here is an example of how playing blind poker could work. You're in a low stake tournament, on the big blind. One player raises by 3x the big blind, another player calls. Everyone else at the table folds their hand. You make a call, and the flop shows 2, 5, 8. As you can't see your cards, you must use logic and instinct to make a decision. What have your opponents raised with in previous hands? Are the tight or loose players? Do you think that the flop would've helped them? As you can see, by taking away the aspect of seeing your cards you're forcing yourself to play 'real poker'. An example of this technique working is with Annette Obrestad. She won a $4,180 player tournament with a post-it note covering her hole cards. This strategy is not aimed at making money from poker, it's aimed at allowing a player to hone their poker skills. If you play several low staked tournaments without seeing your cards, when you CAN see your cards you will naturally use all the skills you need to make the correct decision. Use this poker strategy for free by using the best online poker site's no deposit poker bonuses, it allows you to practise playing poker without having to deposit any money! Once you have played 5 or 6 Multi Table Tournaments without looking at your cards, you'll be ready to use your skills in traditional style poker. Good luck to all poker players using the 'blind strategy', I hope this tip brings you poker success!

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Worst Starting Hands in Texas Hold'em

Sure, you know that a pair of aces are the best hand in Texas Hold'em, but do you know the worst starting hands? Knowing that these hands are almost-always-fold'em hands in hold'em is just as important to improving your poker game and not playing like a donkey. Some of these "worst hands" are bad in the same way and will lose at about the same rate, so I've called them ties, even when one is a slightly better hand. 1. 2-7 7-2 off suit is considered the worst hand in Texas Hold'em. They are the lowest two cards you can have that cannot make a straight (there's 4 cards between 2 and 7). Even if they are suited, they will make you a very low flush, and if either pairs, it's an awfully low hand. Because it is the worst, some players will play it for fun and in online games, it is known as "the hammer." 2. 2-8 This is the same basic problem as above, only you've got an 8 instead of a 7. Still pretty bad for a high card. Suited or not, this is a fold'em hold'em hand. 3. Tie: 3-8 & 3-7 The 3 makes this hand able to beat the two above it, but with the 3-8 you still can't make a straight and the 3-7 still, well, just sucks. 4. 2-6 While if the board gives you a miracle flop of 3-4-5, you will have a straight, someone with a 6-7 will have a higher straight. If you get a flush, someone will probably have a higher flush. Against even 4 players, this hand will lose about 90% of the time. Not good odds. 5. Tie: 2-9, 3-9, & 4-9 The only thing these three hands have going for them over the hands above is the 9. If the 9 pairs, you'll have a middle pair that could still be beat by anyone holding pocket 10s, jacks, queens, kings, or aces, yet you might be fooled by a board filled with low cards into thinking you have the best hand and losing a lot of money. No straights can fill the gap between these cards, either. Beware. 6. 2-10 This hand has a legendary quality because Doyle Brunson captured two World Series of Poker Bracelets with it. But it's not a good hand -- Doyle Brunson is one of the all-time best in the game and unless you're a Texas road gambler who's logged thousands of hours at the table, you shouldn't try and win with the Doyle Brunson. 7. 5-9 Another hand people play because it's fun is the old 9 to 5, the "Dolly Parton." If you're playing to win, it's not a good idea to play hands because they have a funny name. That may be how you pick the winning horse in a race, but poker's a marathon, not a sprint, and over the long term there's no doubt this hand is a statistical loser. 8. Tie: 4-7, 4-8, 5-8, 3-6... All these hands will rarely win, especially unsuited. Toss 'em. Just toss'em. Yes, even in the little blind. If you see two low cards in the hole, unless you're in the big blind and you can see the flop for free, fold. 9. Face card + low card, unsuited One of the most common mistakes I see beginners make is that when they see any paint in their hand, they play it. J-2, Q-3, K-4 whatever -- and most of these hands are losers. They're junk that may win a few pots, but more often will lose you huge cash when you find the other player has a higher kicker and the winning hand. 10. Ace + low card, unsuited This is another common beginner mistake, playing any ace. Again, it may win occasionally, and heads-up it's a fine hand, but at a table of 4 or more, this hand shouldn't be played if there's a raise in front of you. You're going to be outkicked a lot with Ace-little, and it's going to feel like a kick in the junk when the other player shows their higher ace.

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How to Bluff in Poker -- Bluffing 101

Bluffing is one of the key elements of poker and what makes it such a great game. If in every game of poker, every player knew every other players’ cards, the best hand would always win. What fun is that? But the fact that poker is a game of imperfect, incomplete information makes it possible to win just by representing that you have the best hand -- and getting the other players to believe you. That’s what it means to bluff. In it’s simplest terms, to bluff means to bet or raise with an inferior or weak hand. Bluffing is an essential skill for a good poker player, and it’s important to understand how and when to bluff if you want to be a winning player. It’s easy to win when you get dealt aces every hand, but the odds are against that. In order to be a profitable player, you’ll need to be able to win even with inferior cards. On the other hand, if you bluff too much and in the wrong situations, you’ll also be a losing player, so balance is important.

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Poker Etiquette Rules

Whether you’re playing at a home game or in a casino, there is basic poker etiquette that any player should know and follow. These basic poker rules of good behavior make sure the game is fair and runs smoothly, no matter what kind of game you’re playing. 1. Don’t Play Out of Turn While you may be so excited about how good your hand is you can hardly wait to raise the pot, you have to wait until it's your turn to do so. Same goes for folding hands you can't wait to get away from. If you jump the gun, it gives other players information they shouldn't have before they make their own decision and can confuse the action. 2. Don't Talk About Your Cards While the Hand is Still Going On Once you've folded, it's tempting to chat about what would have happened if you had stayed in, but if anyone who's still in the hand hears, it'll give them information that they might use to their advantage. For instance, if you had a 7-2 as your pocket cards in Hold'em and the flop comes 7-7-2, if you blurt out that you would have had a full house, everyone will know that it's unlikely that any player still in the hand has the full house, making it hard to bluff and represent that hand. 3. Don't Show Your Cards (Until the Showdown) When you fold, make sure you don't flash or flip over your cards as you toss them into the muck. Again, if players know what you fold, it'll give them information that may change how the rest of the hand plays out. Unless you are all-in and heads up, there is no reason to show or expose your cards until the showdown. 4. Don't Splash the Pot There are two bad betting habits that you see a lot in the movies which are no-nos in real life. The first is when a player tosses his bet in a big mess in the center of the pot. That's called Splashing the Pot, and it makes it hard to tell how much you've bet. A better way is just to stack your chips neatly in front of you to bet. 5. Don't Make String Bets The second bad habit from movies is the string bet, which is when a player goes "I'll call your 500.... and raise another 1000!" You have to declare whether you're simply calling or raising right away -- once you say "call," that's all you can do. If you're going to raise, say raise and the amount right away. This is especially important in casinos. 6. Don't Be Rude or Mean Even if you're having a bad losing streak, it doesn't give you the right to curse other players or be rude to the dealer. It will win you neither pots nor friends. 7. If You Show One, Show All If you win a hand before the showdown but want to show your cards anyway, you can't just show them to the one player to your left or right, you have to turn them up for the whole table to see. After all, why should only the lucky players next to you get to know what you were holding? 8. Do Pay Attention If you're in a hand, don't make everyone remind you that it's your turn -- keep up with the action so the game keeps moving. Talking on cell phones is a bad idea.

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3 Card Poker Strategy

3 card poker is one of the simplest forms of poker you will find at both online casinos and land-based casinos. Unlike the longer versions of the game, 3 card poker is faster paced and the games resolve themselves a lot quicker and therefore 3 card poker strategy reflects this. You can win money a lot quicker at this game, but you can also lose a lot quicker. With this in mind, it is important to know a few basic strategies in order to minimize your chances of losing. In 3 card poker strategy there are two main areas you can win. The first way is to get a better hand than the dealer. The second way is to get at least a pair. If you are just starting out at poker then this version of the game is perfect. Many players use 3 card poker as a stepping stone towards more complicated versions of poker. In 3 card poker, your wins will depend on how you play your cards. However, in order to play a good hand you generally need good cards. You need to know when to stay in the hand and when to fold. If you continuously hang on to average cards then you will not be able to come out on top. Poker is about picking the battles you think that you can win. Many players stay in a hand due to their egos getting in the way or thinking that their luck will turn unbelievably against all odds. You need to keep a clear head and always play according to the cards that you have in your hand. Depending on your hand, you will need to decide whether you want to fold or whether you wish to play one or both options. The card rankings in 3-card poker are not the same as most other versions of poker. The hand rankings are as follows: o Straight flush o Trips o Straight o Flush o Pair o Single Usually a flush in poker is ranked higher than a straight. However, the chances of landing three cards in a row in 3 card poker are less than getting three cards of the same suit. This is one of the many differences within 3 card poker. When it comes to the card rankings then this is the same as all other poker games, with Ace being the highest and Two being the lowest. If you are a Texas Hold'em or Omaha Poker player, for example, then you need to keep in mind that 3 card poker strategy requires a completely different mindset. In general, the casino has a 3% advantage. Even though the dealer needs at least a Queen to qualify, there is no reason for you to stay in the hand if you do not think than you have at least an even chance of winning. If you are dealt anything lower than Queen, Six, Three then you should fold your hand. The chances of you winning this hand are too low to risk it. If, however, you are dealt Queen, Six, Four or higher then you should stay in the hand because the odds are in your favour for at least a 1:1 payout. Of course, being a game of relative luck, this is not always a foolproof plan. You need to find a poker strategy that works according to your style of play. If you are just staring out as a 3 card poker player then these above mentioned strategic tips should help you to improve your game and to grasp the finer details of 3 card poker strategy.

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Winning Texas Holdem Poker Tournaments

Having the right texas holdem poker tournament strategy will be the key to your success in winning lots of money playing poker online. Poker online far surpasses the volume and complexity of playing live poker. You don't have to spend thousands of dollars in expenses just to play live poker. These expenses include hotel, airfare, car rental, GAS, etc... no need to spend all this when you can play comfortably in your own home. Your texas holdem odds of winning are far superior than if you were playing in person at a casino. When you play poker online you have to be in a different state of mind then if you were playing in person. When you play online poker, there are so many loose and terrible players. On average there are at least 5000 new poker players joining fulltilt poker and poker stars daily. The 2 of the world's largest online poker rooms. You can imagine 5000 new players, what you could do to them....You can start by taking their money. I highly recommend sticking to online poker sit n go's. Sit n go's is where the money's at. All excellent poker players are usually great in the world series of poker or the world poker tour do to the fact they have a lot of practice and countless hours playing sit and go poker tournaments. The best thing you could ever do if you're just starting out is deposit 50 dollars on full tilt poker and poker stars and stick to playing sit and go's. If you are new to poker and don't quite understand texas holdem poker rules, play 2 dollar sit and go's until you get familiar winning first place over and over again. Once you get the hang of winning at such low stakes you can move up to the next level which is 5 dollars. When you play 5 dollar sit and go's, a first place victory is around 23 bucks which isn't bad at all. Once you get the hang of winning 5 dollar sit and go's and are building your bankroll nicely you can move up to the 10 dollar range. Here is where you need to start winning and producing a return on investment constantly. A first place victory in a 10 dollar sit n go is 50 bucks, 2nd place is 27 bucks and a third place is around double the buy in at 19 bucks. Once you master the 10 dollar level you can try multi-tabling. Multi-tabling is playing multiple sit and go's at one time. You should start playing 2 at one time and if you are winning 2 at one time you can increase to 3, 4, 5, 6, etc... My comfort zone is 6 sit and go's at the 30+3 dollar level on poker stars. I make over $150.00 per hour on average. This is all I do now as a living and I really suggest that you also get into playing sit n go's full time.

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Free Online Poker Strategy to Aggressive Hugger Play

I have a lot of experience playing no limit holdem over the past 6 years. I have managed to win quite a lot of money from playing both free online poker and also pay poker games. And, I have lost it all plenty of times by playing very aggressive poker. I am a pretty aggressive player most of the time so I have had some major upswings and some major downswings over the years. Lately I have changed my poker play which have started to up my winnings. My new style of play is all about 'aggressive hugger', a style of play that I have named. Hopefully this article will explain my new 'aggressive hugger' strategy. I believe that the key to winning majority of the time is to play conservative, also known as a tight player. There are loads of poker players who do not understand the game all that well and by playing conservatively (being a tight player) should enable you to win more money from those players. When I talk about playing conservative I mean only calling a raise pre-flop with the top 10-15 starting hands. A better time to play a hand with the top 15-20 hands would be if there was no raise pre-flop at the time, otherwise you should mostly be playing the top 10-15 starting hands. Winning consistently you shouldn't really chase straight draws very often especially for medium to large bets. When you are playing low stakes or free online poker tournament games you shouldn't be trying to steal the blinds even if you are the button, also known as the dealer position. The reasoning for this is when you are playing a low stakes or play money game most of the time the players just call with anything decent or even very bad hands a lot of times. When you are playing for lows stakes or on free poker sites then winning a lot of times isn't as important to the players as if they were playing for high stakes. Poker is all about position. The position in poker is the place you are playing from. So, there is the dealer position, the big blind position and the first position after dealt cards. What position your in will tell u how you should play the hands your dealt sometimes and who will be first to act pre-flop and after the flop, position is when it will be your turn. Conservative players pay careful attention to position when playing poker. It is a critical element in their style of play. Following the traditional, conservative strategies mentioned above explains the "hugger" part of my newly coined phrase. In the poker world, a "hugger" is referred to someone who plays very tight conservative poker. In order to bring in second word "aggressive", I will explain how that is incorporated into my new found strategy. Aggressive style of play usually entails large pre-flop raises with good cards and aggressive continuation bets. If an aggressive player has a rubbish hand, they will not let on that they are not in a strong position. An aggressive player usually believes and portrays that he/she has the best hand. So the combined elements of a conservative or "hugger" and the aggressive style of play are combined to form the "hugger/ aggressive' strategy. Observing a conservative style by playing premium hands in an aggressive manner is my new adopted strategy. While holding premium hole cards, I will then play them in an aggressive manner by raising large pre-flop bets in accordance with position techniques while utilizing aggressive betting strategies. Give it a go, try being an aggressive hugger on free online poker sites and low stakes and as long as you're an OK player I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how well it works.

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If You Love Holdem You'll Love These Tips

Looking for a few tips to strengthen your Texas Poker strategy? Well don't miss out on these new tips I'm revealing right now, for you. If you are reading this I know that you, like me, are interested in becoming a better poker player. You want to get better at Hold Em, learn a few tips and tricks to make your Texas Poker strategy better, and then go and make a bunch of cash playing a game you love. I know, and that's why you are probably realizing you are going to really enjoy this article. Texas Poker Strategy Tips #1 Always bet the correct amount for the image you are trying to present. Forget your cards. Forget what you think your opponents want to do. Bet to present the image you desire to be seen as. Texas Poker Strategy Tips #2 Choose what hole cards you play very carefully. Always enter a pot with good pocket cards. The biggest mistake inexperienced players make is they just play far too many pots. Texas Poker Strategy Tips #3 Exploit your table position every chance you get. This is one of the first and foremost skills you'll need to become a great poker player. You can play some worse hands if you have position on your side - but you need to know how! Texas Poker Strategy Tips #4 Always watch your opponents. You'll need to keep a keen eye on what cards they are playing, what amounts they are betting, if they check, raise, or check-raise. And always remember they are presenting some sort of image to you. Texas Poker Strategy Tips #5 Play middle suited connectors and small/middle pairs. These cards are great to pull mega-strong hands post-flop and sneak up on opponents. But remember that if you don't hit them on the flop don't chase it. Texas Poker Strategy Tips #6 Check your pot odds and outs. Pot odds are another area where you seriously need some practice if you ever want to become good. You need to know if the 'odds' depict you should play a hand or not, even before you start to factor in your own feeling. Texas Poker Strategy Tips #7 Think your hands through. Don't feel pressured to make a move instantly. You are allowed your time to decide. And it's the critical thought process that you run that will determine how successful you are at poker. I know that now as you are reading this article you are probably becoming more aware of how these tips can fit into your own Texas Poker strategy, and how you can use these tips to do better, win more pots and ultimately make more money. And you are realizing that there are certain areas that you aren't performing well in, and that in fact learning and finding out new information is really what you need to become successful in poker. So continue to enjoy and experience this feeling of strong curiosity - that feeling that makes you just want to get any piece of information that will teach you more about poker - and continue to follow on and act on these thoughts, because when you do you will become a great poker player. And realize that every time you turn away and don't act to find out new poker strategy information you will become a worse poker player.

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Cruises Can Be Good For Your Game

Poker cruises have distinct advantages to playing online poker, or even to playing live in a card room or in a tournament venue. The following are only three of the many that come to mind. First and foremost, a poker cruise is a perfect vacation, and people in the U. S. really need vacations. Period. Consider this fact - in 1980, people in 10 other countries lived longer than people in the United States. By 2008, people in 41 countries lived longer. Why? Because we stress ourselves out and do not give our bodies, minds and spirits time to rest and recharge. Second, most of the time during a poker cruise, you are out of range of your cell phone service. Once you get over the withdrawal panic, it can be a wonderful thing. We are in a multi-tasking world, and we feel we must do everything at one. Despite the fact that cell phones are prohibited at poker tables, there is still that nagging feeling that you must make a call, or that someone is trying to reach you. That will hurt your game and dilute your focus. If you doubt that being out of range of your cell phone signal is a valuable benefit of poker cruises, see the first item above. Finally, new players can learn to play poker in an environment where they have personal access to professionals. During on board workshops and poker coaching sessions, both new and seasoned players can pick up pointers from poker pros. Players have often been reading these professional's articles for years, and finally they have the opportunity to meet and learn from some of the best in the industry. I'm looking forward to working with several Florida based companies that have plans for 2010 poker cruises. I'm putting my money on this coming year as the turning point in our economy. I also expect it will be a terrific year for the poker industry and for poker in general.

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Low-Limit Online Poker

In high limit hold'em games you need to be very tricky and creative in order to make money. In low limit hold'em games it is a bit different. Of course creativeness and aggressiveness are also advantages but a tight strategy can be just as profitable. What do I mean by tight strategy? It does not mean you only need to play with pocket aces or kings. In late positions you can do some blind stealing with reasonable hands and that is enough to remain at your stack size. This means that even if you do not have any great hands but you steal blinds once in a while your stack will remain the same size and you will not lose it slowly. This is crucial because when you get your big hand and get involved in an all-in you should have full stack size. Now I analyze a hand where I was involved with a player in a huge pot and my note told me what to do. I was playing at a $0,50/$1 blind level, 9 handed no limit hold'em table. My stack was $89,95 on the button and everybody folded to me. I had AsTs which is a perfect hand to make a regular raise and try to take the blinds. I raised to $3,50, the small blind called and the big blind folded. The pot was $8 and the small blind started the hand with $57,80. The flop was: 6h8hTc. I had top pair with top kicker but the table has many draws. My opponent checked. I should bet large, expect him to fold when he has nothing and make a call with a large variety of hands. I bet $7 and he quickly called. The pot was $22. The turn was a blank, the 2s. Then something very interesting happened. My opponent pushed all-in with $47,30 on a $22 pot. I made the call and my opponent showed 4h7h for an inside straight draw and a flush draw. What a shame that Kh hit the river and completed his flush. My opponent won the $116,60 pot by hitting one of his 12 outs. As you can see your notes can make a huge difference in large pots. It helped me a lot to read my opponent in a key situation. Unfortunately he hit his 27% (12 outs from the 44 remaining cards) but in poker that happens. All you can do is play your best poker and when you go all-in you lay back and hope for the best. If you would like to see deeper analysis with the concrete numbers and chances, please visit our website and take an active part in the analyzing process.

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How to Get Started in Online Poker

Have you heard than poker is a lot of fun? Indeed poker has a perfect combination of a social friendly circle or club versus battling wits and adrenalin of winning. When getting started with poker some people rush out to deposit a considerable sum at a biggest online site they can find. They usually quickly lose their deposit, sour on the game and leave. There is a better way and it is more fun. Instead I recommend starting at any quality free online poker sites. There are many out there to choose from. Learn Poker Rules While poker rules are simple, the game is fairly fast paced. Usually you have less than 30 sec to make a move. Thus it is critical to be able to quickly grasp at least what cards you have, how they combine with community cards and all different ways you can win. Do you want to learn all that when you have your real, hard earned dollars on the table? Perhaps you do. As for me - that would make me nervous and where is fun in that? Free multiplayer poker sites, where you play against other people online, are perfect for learning these basic poker rules. You will learn them with no pressure and no hit to your wallet. Do Not Be a Patsy There are reasons why many sites encourage you to make a cash deposit as soon as possible. The most important one is to bring new money into the game. Poker is a zero sum game. That is what someone won someone else must have lost. New inexperienced players are called "fish" or "patsy" in poker parlance. Good players purposely seek them out. Poker is a game of skill after all. The better you skills are the better and more consistent your payday is. You are certainly not a patsy. Since you are reading this article you are already ahead of 90% of poker newbies. You have mastered poker basics on safe play money poker sites for free. So when you are ready to play for real cash you enter the game with some confidence. You are not intimidated or confused by a strict dealer and quick pace at casino tables. Learn What Not to Do Some poker experts believe it is detrimental for your poker skills to train on free, that is play money, poker sites. They explain that when there is no real money on the line players modify their behavior. In other words players have no fear of losing their money and become maniacs raising every hand just to see what happens. I agree with that observation. Play money sites often feature reckless, hyper aggressive even maniacal players who never stop for an instant to think what they are doing. Well, they are easy to beat if you have a minimal discipline and not engage in the same over the top playing style. Poker has what is called a perfect strategy - strategy which guarantees to win the most over the long term regardless of what cards you are dealt. The closer your play to perfect strategy the bigger your edge becomes. Think of it this way - if you cannot beat a free poker game, why do you think you would prosper in cash game where players, on average, are much more competent? Make sense? This way of thinking goes further. When you can consistently beat a free poker game, it is a solid indication that you are ready to move up. Observe and Adapt There are at least three fundamental skills you must learn before you go on a roll in Las Vegas. Obviously learn the cards. That is understand how cards combine into winning combinations in Texas Holdem poker. How different combinations rank against each other. Most of the players you will encounter do know that. But those hours you spent online will pay off there. Since you played for free you could afford playing more hands. More practice made you faster and more comfortable running card combinations in your mind. The other two skills are being observant and adapting to current playing style. What is there to observe online you might ask? Even in online poker you can observe a lot. Watch how much time your opponents take to respond. Make mental notes how they respond to different situations. Discern patterns in their play. It sounds like a lot of work. That is because it is but so is walking. You do not consider walking hard because you learned it once and it became you nature through constant practice. It works the same with poker skills. Finally, adapting means adjusting your game to take maximum advantage of specific individuals seated at your specific table now. You cannot play mechanically applying "best practice" rules like raise with your good cards and fold your junk cards. I want you to do better than that. Here your sharp observation starts bearing fruit. You will notice that a raise from maniac means a lot less that a raise from a tight, cautious player. Betting out into four players after a raise on previous round says a lot more that an automatic bet on the flop. You have to adjust your play by loosening up and tightening down as opportunities come and go. There is one thing I learned well - playing poker is fun and playing is the important thing. But playing and winning is even more fun. Spend a little time preparing then you can enter on your own terms and be a dangerous opponent not a fish.

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Playing Big Stack Poker

Having a big stack of chips at the beginning of the poker game is a great advantage. But sometimes if you don't know how to play the big stack it could be disastrous. If you are playing in a tournament you might find yourself quickly out of chips and out of the tournament. If you are playing at a regular table or online your chips may suddenly disappear without you realizing your stack has suddenly dwindled away. Big stack advantages You can be a bully. You can scare off other players with big bets and have a chance of stealing the blinds and really big pots. The other players won't have the chance to bet against you when you put up big bets that they can't afford. When you have the big stack at the table you are the boss. Watch Your Strategy When Playing Big Stack Poker Keep in mind that even if you have a big stack don't be tempted to gamble more or take more risks than if you had a small stack, your game could go down the tubes quickly so you need to be very careful. You start out with a feeling of security knowing that the other players can't beat your chips. And what happens, you become careless. You start out seeing more flops which you think you can afford because you have that big stack. Then when you play you forget to watch the cards and you play mediocre hands. You don't watch the other players bets and raises or how they respond to your big bets. You think you can afford all this and your stack goes down. Reckless playing because you have a big stack may lead to a small stack. Being aggressive and playing loosely will dwindle your precious chips. Remember you can run out of chips so you need to use good strategy whether you are a big chip stack or a small chip stack. Always remember when you have a middle pair and someone raises before the flop that you are most likely beat, so don't throw you chips away fold. If you raise and someone raises back beware you are most likely beat. Keep your cool and sit back and watch the other players so you are aware how they are playing. Don't get sucked in and play their game, play your own game. Play the game to win.

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How To Play Short Stack Poker

Playing the short stack is a common issue that all poker players face in almost every tournament at some point. Small stack poker requires a lot of discipline and patience to wait for the right moment and situation to make your move to try to get the double up to get you back in the game. The first thing that needs to be tracked at all times is how big your chip stack is compared to the players at your table, your chip stack relative to the blinds and your stack compared to the average chip stack in the tournament. All of these factors dictate how much leniency you have with making plays or attempting a variety of strategies and the smaller the stack the smaller the amount of moves you can make become. A very general guideline is that from 20x the big blind and up you can typically play your normal game, having enough chips to take a few risks and/or play your normal game. For example, the blinds are 100-200 and you have 4,500 chips. This is over 20x the big blind so you have a lot of flexibility in terms of your play. Once you get around 15x the big blind with your chips your moves become increasingly limited. At this point attempting an extravagant buff or calling raises with less-than-stellar hands is out of the question. A lot of players at this point enter a mode of play I like to call "jam-or-fold." Simply put, this means that you either go all-in with your hand or fold. The logic behind this is that each limp or call takes an increasing percentage of your chips and your move and all-in need to remain threatening enough so that when you make your all-in move that bet isn't too low for most of the table to call without much harm done to their stacks if they lose. I highly suggest jam-or-fold mode for your play once you are at 10x the big blind or lower. At this point, you can enter 10 pots and each pot you enter decreases your chip stack by 10%. Its not worth it to limp and try to catch when your chips need to enter the pot. So when you enter this danger zone sit back and wait for a good hand to make your move with. Choosing this hand isn't too difficult, of course you are looking for a high pair or a premium hand like A-K but pushing with J-10, Q-9, K-9 are also acceptable if there are a lot of folds before you. Another theory that is a bit more advanced is the theory of receiving first-in rights. This theory states that if you are on a small stack later in a tournament and action folds around to you that you can move all in with just about any two cards, leaving out only the worst possible hands. This is a risky theory and works best at a tighter table but is extremely helpful. I once made this move with 10-6 off suit to test this theory and ended up getting lucky and tripling up after both blinds called. If you get called, just hope you have live cards that hit.

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Poker Tips: Winning Online

Poker is the most popular card game in the world, meaning the traffic and opportunities available are almost limitless. If you utilise these online poker tips, you give yourself the advantage over casual players, allowing you to make a profit from poker. Find the best bonuses. To boost-start your bankroll, initial sign up bonuses should be used. Many poker websites offer fantastic one off deals for new players, giving up to thousands of pounds away as bonuses. Most online poker rooms often provide holiday bonuses throughout the year, so once you've signed up you're eligible for more bonuses. If you have no starting money, no deposit bonuses can be used to give you an initial bankroll. Choose the right tournament structure for you. Different poker games suit different people, Sit and Goes provide a steady, safe return on money, Multi Table Tournaments give massive winnings but with many runners for each tournament, and cash games provide the largest single hand return in profit. Play for Free. If, even after reading a review, you are unsure if a poker site is suited for you, you can use the 'free play' facilities on the majority of major poker websites. You can practise the online poker tips you have learnt in this environment risk free. Read terms and conditions of the website. It's worth spending the time going over some of the information on the poker site, before you deposit your investment. Some poker sites have a few days wait before you can withdraw winnings, other sites are instant. This is one of many variables found across poker websites, ensure you know what to expect when you have deposited. Choose your poker room. If you're going to invest (if you're playing seriously it is an investment, not just money to spend having fun) money in poker, you want to make sure that the platform (website) on which you do it is the best you can possibly get. The best way to ensure this happens it to find unique, independent poker reviews which you can trust, giving the pros and cons for each of the major poker sites. There are countless poker websites available to play, all having their pros and cons. To make a profit from these online poker websites, you must research which website you want to use (using independent, unique poker reviews) and use the best online poker tips available on the web.

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Early History of Poker and Gambling

Playing Cards have had a major role in the livelihood of professional gamblers and card sharks from the Mississippi to the mining towns of California. They have comprised a list of some of the most colorful and skillful individuals in the past few hundred years. The riverboat on the mighty Mississippi became a haven for card games of every variety. Poker was the king on the riverboats and in wild west towns. But other games of luck like Three-Card-Monte, Faro, and Roulette were played by gamblers and dealers determined to make fast money. There were the famous card players like Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and Bat Masterson. And there were those who made a very good living as card sharks (or sharps). One of the greatest card sharks in history was a riverboat and railroad gambler names William "Canada Bill" Jones. Canada Bill mastered a game called Three-Card-Monte. Similar to the shell game Monte was played with three cards, the first of which the dealer showed the "mark". He then turned it face down with the other two, rearranged them, and asks the "mark" to find his card. Well, of course, Canada Bill would palm the first card and replace it with another card. The "mark" would select what he thought was his card, lose, and be none the wiser. Canada Bill was a card shark at poker, too, but he died in 1880 penniless and was buried by the City of Reading, Pennsylvania at the city's expense. Unlike the top best poker players of today who play the game like a science, the gamblers of old sat in the saloons with their backs to the wall and guns at their sides while watching the dealers very carefully. The dealers were very good at sleight-of-hand moves that came after long hours of practice, patience, and discipline. Of course, it never hurt to have food, liquor and painted ladies close at hand. Many professional gamblers and card sharks would hang around mining towns and waterfronts. They preyed on unsuspecting travelers and pioneers who had their life savings in their pockets. These con artists would station themselves where local magistrates and police avoided, and a person who was lucky enough to win any kind of money stood a pretty good chance of being "greeted" by thieves when he left the saloon. Gambling migrated and spread from the Mississippi and Ohio rivers to the West in covered wagons and railroads. One early author, Jonathan Greer in 1834 referred to the activity as the "cheating game". Dishonest card sharks ran confidence games, and companies cropped up specializing in the manufacture and sales of card cheating devices. The professional gamblers had a very high opinion of themselves and took advantage of the growing obsession for card games in America. To be successful, they maintained a very fancy wardrobe and had an irresistible gift for conversation. These attributes often provided the introduction to the unwary card player. One story occurred in 1832 on a Mississippi steamboat. Three professional gamblers had lured a traveler from Natchez into a poker game. The young naïve man lost all of his money in the rigged game and planned to throw himself into the river. An Observer stopped him from committing suicide and, upon hearing the man's plight, decided to join the poker game still in progress. When the stranger caught one of the gamblers cheating he pulled out his knife yelling, "Show me your hand". When he twisted the cheater's wrist six cards fell to the floor. The stranger took the $70,000 pot, returned the $50,000 to the Natchez man, and kept $20,000 for his trouble. When the Natchez man ask his name the stranger replied, "James Bowie". Unfortunately, these unscrupulous gamblers and card sharks multiplied quickly and continued to thrive. After the Civil War, America spread West as did the gamblers infiltrating every mining camp and frontier prairie town. And the miners, cowboys, railroad workers, soldiers and outlaws continued to chance an opportunity for making their fortune.

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Maximizing Your Bankroll With Poker Rakeback and Referrals

Like most players, when I first started playing online poker several years ago I knew nothing about rakeback. I saw an ad for a poker room, clicked the link, liked what I saw and signed up. Several months later I stumble across an article on rakeback and found out that I was missing out on hundreds of dollars each month. As you can imagine, I wasn't too happy. So why didn't my poker room tell me about rakeback? The simple reason is profit. Paying rakeback reduces the profit margin of the house. With that being the case, you might ask why they bother offering rakeback at all, especially if they aren't going to be upfront about it? It's because rakeback is a marketing tool. You see, poker rooms get their members from two main sources. The first is direct referrals. These members find the site by word of mouth, through merchandising material or via marketing campaigns created by the poker room itself. This is how the majority of people first find a poker site, the unfortunate masses who eventually learn about rakeback the hard way after many months of playing. Alternatively, members can be generated by affiliates of the poker room. Affiliates are people the site has enlisted to send internet traffic to them. Affiliates for their part, come in two flavours. There are affiliates who simply send traffic to the site without offering any out-of-pocket incentives to get people to join. They simply promote whatever the room itself may offer. Then there are affiliates who provide prospective members with extra benefits for signing up through their account. These benefits can include free tournaments, merchandise, free bankrolls and/or rakeback. All of these incentive are paid for directly by the affiliate. Poker rooms in turn compensate affiliates by paying them a commission for each new player they send. This commission is either a straight money value payment for the each new member joining the site or an ongoing percentage of the rake generated by the player. This of course reduces the profit margin of the room and as such they would greatly prefer it if every player came directly to their site. So basically, rakeback is a marketing tool that the more generous affiliates employ to generate players for the poker room. These affiliates make less as paying rakeback reduces their profit significantly, the same way that paying an affiliate reduces the poker room's profit. But it does make for happy poker players and the smarter affiliates know that people who receive rakeback generally play more often and are more profitable, which in turn benefits the affiliate in the long run. But even among rakeback providers, there are things you need to look for to ensure you are receiving the best possible deal. Yes, most affiliates will offer you the maximum level of rakeback allowed by the poker room but there are other areas that can further increase your bankroll, one of these being referrals. For those who don't know, a referral is a friend or associate who signs up to a poker room under your account. As such, you are basically performing the same service as the affiliate does for the poker room - you are finding new players and directing them to the site. Except, in this case, you are sending them to the affiliates site rather than directly to the poker room. If used wisely, referrals can generate more money for you than rakeback. A lot more money. Imagine you know just 5 people who are playing online poker without rakeback and you get them to sign up under your rakeback account. On average, all these friends play poker as much as you do. Or, alternatively, you could know just one or two players who play a greater volume of games than you or at a higher limit. Now put a 4% commission, paid to you, against each of those players. That's 4% of the rake they generate in your pocket, for life. Then add a further.5% commission, paid to you, for every player that those second tier players refer. Then a further.2% of the rake for players that the third tier players refer. As you can see, there is the potential for a lot of extra money to be made using this system. Most affiliates offer referral payments in the range of 2-4% in the top tier,.5% in the second tier and.2% for the third tier of referrals. Their are however rakeback sites that offer significantly more than these commission rates. You should also be wary of sites that offer a flat payment for each player referred - eg. send us a friend, get $125. NEVER use a rakeback provider who is offering you flat payment referrals. It may seem attractive to get a lump sum all at once, but in the long run you will lose out on significant commissions - perhaps thousands of dollars. You should also note that some poker affiliates use underhanded tactics or tricky wording to sound like they are giving you a great deal - like offering you 10% of your friend's "rakeback" rather than his actual "rake". Remember that a player's rakeback will only be around 27-40% of his actual rake, so these sites are only offering you the same 2-4% as their competition. Another trick rakeback providers use is their offer of "exclusive" monthly promotions. 99% of the time this is false advertising - the promotion is usually exclusive to the poker room, NOT the rakeback provider. For example, a rakeback site might offer $600,000 in promotions per month. Out of this total, they run $500 worth of exclusive freerolls themselves. The other $599,500 consists of the rake races, rake chases and freerolls that the poker rooms run themselves - you would be enrolled in these regardless of whether you signed up through the rakeback provider. Alternatively, a smaller rakeback provider could offer only $200,000 in promotions because they offer less poker rooms, but they could have several thousand dollars worth truly exclusive promotions on offer. If you are interested in joining a site that offers more value, the more true exclusive promotions on offer, the better. So it is definitely a good idea to shop around when looking for your rakeback provider. Don't just jump onto the first sites you find in a search result. Yes, these are generally the larger sites but they only rely on their search engine position for new members - i.e. they generally don't offer much added value as they don't need to compete as much.

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Detecting and Setting Traps

One of the less understood poker strategies is that of trapping. When playing poker, how many times have you been trapped by a more experienced or tricky player? We all fall into these traps from time to time... but why? How can we detect traps and avoid them? This article delves into poker strategy keys for setting traps, and detecting them. First, what is a trap? A trap play is where an opponent with a strong hand represents weakness, luring their opponent into overplaying their hand. For example, I hit a nut flush (Ace-high flush) on the flop. I have the best hand at the table now, unless the board pairs (such that someone could pull a boat or four of a kind - not likely). So, instead of betting it big, I might throw out a smaller bet or even check it (slowplay). Another player holding big slick (A-K) pairs up with an Ace on the flop, thinking he's got the best hand so far. Another player has a small pair (e.g., 4's) and picks up a set on the flop (assuming flop was something like 4-A-J). Now, had I bet really big or raised back too early, the player holding the Ace would realize he's trouble and the small pair would've likely folded pre-flop. Since I just checked it down, no reason to be afraid of me, since I'm obviously on some kind of a draw... The person with the three of a kind (the 4's) tosses out a bet of 4 times the blind. The guy with Aces calls it. After delaying slightly, I go ahead and also call it (why not, I'm getting decent enough pot odds). So, I'm trapping them both at this point, letting them bet into me and just calling their bets. The same thing happens again on the turn, except the player with Aces drops out. Now it's just me and the set of 4's. They bet big again, this time the size of the pot. Again, after a slight pause, I just call them "reluctantly". Then comes the river, and they go all-in. I immediately call them...oops! They're sunk! What happened here? These players never asked themselves two simple questions: 1) Why is he calling that raised pot (on the flop and turn)? 2) What hands might he be holding? What could he be up to by calling my bets like that? Trapping? On a draw? It's crucially important to THINK before you ACT by understanding what the other players are actually doing. It's also very important not to underestimate your competition, as there are some very wily players out there... There's a potential flush showing on this flop, and since I'm kind of "lurking" in this hand, it's very suspicious behavior, and unlikely I'm on a draw calling those kind of big bets. Unless you're playing against a beginner or a drunk, there's no reason to believe someone will likely call a raise that's 4 times the big blind on a draw. That's the first mistake - assuming another player has no hand and not realizing why they're behaving as they are. Second, the board is showing a possible flush - and both of these players aren't holding it! Just because I didn't bet on the flop does not mean I don't have it! Had either of these players slowed down and considered my betting (calling) behavior, and asked themselves these questions, they'd probably have realized what was going on. Whether the player with the set of 4's could fold them is another story :) Aside from a trap, what else could have kept me in this hand? Traps aren't easy to detect. When a good player calls a big bet, there's a better than average chance they are trapping! You'll also often see them delay for an unusually long time, as if they're struggling to make a decision about calling your hand, then either call you, raise or go all-in. If this is indeed a good player, you now know almost for certain you're being trapped (call) or warned (raise/all-in). If you don't have the top hand at this point, you're probably beaten. This lengthy delay can be a great "tell" for traps and detecting strong hands, and is one you should learn to recognize. The delay is an attempt to make you believe they're "struggling" to make their decision - do the opposite of what your opponents want you to do when there's an obvious tell like this one. Good players don't usually call bets - they usually raise/re-raise with strength or fold. They don't often waste their money on draws, so if they're lurking in there with you, it almost certian it's not out of curiosity... If you aren't spending twice as much time thinking about what your opponent's hand might be, based upon their betting (calling) pattern and position and play history, you should be. Your own hand strength is quickly and easily determined. Spend more time on your opponents, learning to read their normal betting patterns and skill level, then when they do something that doesn't match their normal pattern, slow down and ask yourself why.

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Balance Your Fixed Limit Poker Strategy

There are a lot of different ideas about how to play or fold hands when you are playing fixed limit poker. There are also even more different ideas about low limit betting. Many players believe that you should rarely fold any of your cards, when playing fixed limit, based on the idea that the odds are in your favor to stay in the hand and see the flop in most cases. There are other people on the other hand that say fixed limit poker should be played with only the premium hands, except in case where your position allows for the playing of medium strength hands. With people giving different strategies on the subject it can be difficult to know the right strategies to use. When it comes to position, it should always play a role in the hands that you decide to play. Even in the cases where it does not change the final outcome of the hand, it is a good habit to get into and will help your overall fixed limit strategy. It may seem weird at first, but both of the strategies written about are right. It is often true that the pot odds in a hand make it a good idea to call to see the flop. At the same time playing premium hands in the right position will help increase your overall odds of winning the pot. It is a good idea to use both of these strategies. By playing premium hands it will increase your odds of winning, but playing more hands can at times also increase your profit. This will all depend on the table that you are playing on and the players you are playing against. Finding the right balance is what makes players profitable in the long run. Including these to basic strategies there are other more advanced ideas as well about position and pot odds. Learning the basics and practice playing different hands in different positions always keep in mind who you are playing and the pot odds that are given to you. You will learn what style of play works at different tables. In the long run it is a good idea to understand percentages of hands, and the odds of winning based on different flops. Finding a good fixed limit strategy can be difficult, but with practice you will be able to find the right balance of these different strategies.

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10 Tips for a Successful Poker All-in Strategy

All-in is a betting strategy used in today's most popular poker game, No limit Texas Holdem. When you declare that you're going "All-in", you are putting all your chips into the pot on that hand. This could be a do or die move by you, depending on whether you have more or less chips than an opponent who calls your bet. If you have less starting chips and lose the all-in, you are out of the game. This is what makes all-in such a powerful strategy in Texas Holdem poker, but also what makes it such a dangerous one. Go all-in and you can be finished on one turn of a card. Some poker players however miss the point a bit with their all in bets and lose out on opportunities to take advantage of a strategically placed bet. Here are 10 tips that should help you to decide when the right time is to go all-in. 1. Don't just wait until you've got the "nuts". If you do this you will be very predictable and opponents will simply fold to your all-in. 2. Remember that it is much easier to make an all-in bet than to call one. All you need to do to win the hand is bet when you're sure your opponent will fold. 3. If you are a strong chip leader you can bully your opponents into folding. You will lose some of your chips if you lose an all-in, they will lose them all and be out of the game. 4. Don't go all-in on a stone cold bluff. Always make sure that even though you might not have the best hand, you have a chance of making it with the cards that are still to be dealt. Put another way, leave yourself with "outs". 5. Beware of going all-in with a short stack of chips. You are far more likely to get called by a big stack because if you lose, you will be out of the tournament. You need to have an almost unbeatable hand in these circumstances. 6. If you are low on chips, use the all-in to your advantage if you get a monster hand. You will almost certainly get called and you might even get more than one caller so instead of doubling your money you can triple it or even better. 7. You can't bluff if you're short stacked, you do not have enough chips and nobody is going to be afraid to bet against you. You can only go all-in if you get a good hand. 8. If you're short stacked, don't let your chips drain away with the blinds. Make a stand with an all-in while you still have a chance to steal the blinds. If you get called you can still win the pot and be back in the game. 9. If a short stacked player goes all-in, it is usually better for you to re-raise all in. This will scare off any other callers after you in the betting who might have also called just because of the value they were getting for their bet. 10. If somebody goes all in against you, use the previous tips above to decide why he did. Does he only go all-in with the nuts? Is short stacked? Is he trying to bully you to get you to fold? Weigh up the situation very carefully before deciding whether to call.

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