How To Shake The Online Poker Money Tree

April 22, 2007 at 2:29 am · Filed under Online Gambling, Online Poker

Like any realistic card games in the society today, poker is indeed the most multifaceted conglomeration of skill, luck, strategy, scheme, and personality. The theories involved in the playing of the game may not be applicable to everybody. There are instances that things might have worked for a certain group of people but may have undeniably failed with the others. However, most poker experts still contend that feasible poker strategies and tips are still critical elements of winning the game.

Most poker players assert that they face a lot of strenuous choices on many situations. Normally, they have to deal with checking, betting, raising, or folding. Because of these, most players believe that they need to equip themselves with practical poker strategy and tips so as to establish the appropriate expectation for every probable move of the players. By doing so, they will know how to act correctly in return.

Generally, psychological poker strategy is a decisive move basically because playing poker involves more psychological activities. A player should know how to read cards of the other players and must be well adept in reading the actions and reactions of his playmates. The best poker strategy is to know how to interpret body language and talk of the players. Both of these things can divulge a lot of the strengths and weaknesses of the hands.

A good poker strategy also requires a player to vary his poker approach. This means that there should be times that you know how to tactically bluff a game. This, in turn, will make other players have a hard time reading your cards or predict your next moves.

However, bluffing should never be a permanent poker strategy. This should only be used when the need arises. Constant and consistent bluffing may eventually lead to large losses.

A good poker strategy is also about considering the hand strength. A player must not only master the rank of hands but also their relative strength during a poker game. For example, a full house may be a good hand that will be far more likely to be the best hand compared to a 7 high or the lowest possible hand.

Consequently, certain poker strategy may vary depending on the poker variant being played.

Like in a stud poker game, it is advisable to choose a seven-card-stud poker instead of a five-card poker. Here, five-card can give you limited opportunity to use your skill as it is significant if you have a strong first hand.

In a Caribbean Stud Poker, a nice poker strategy deals with when to bet timely and appropriately. A good poker strategy will require you to maintain a pair or better. In the event that the dealer showed 10 or less and matches one of yours and you have and Ace-King or better, don’t hesitate to bet. You can also bet confidently whenever the dealer’s card is less than your fourth highest card and you have an Ace-King or better; or if the dealer’s card is an Ace-King and you have a pair of six or better.

Bear in mind to calculate the odds against you such that if the profit is greater than the odds, make the bet. So to speak, when the odds are in your favor, bet as heavily as you can.

But the most important poker strategy of all is: never form a pattern of play. Being able to disguise your play may be the most valuable poker strategy you could have but then you must remember to apply them as varied as possible. This way, you avoid being known to your opponents thereby lessening the chances of losing big bets.

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Video Poker for USA Players

April 21, 2007 at 6:34 am · Filed under Online Poker

Video Poker is an online casino game which is nothing but a five-card draw poker played on a computer console similar in size to a slot machine. Its origins date back to the 1970s when the CPU first came into commercial use, and the game slowly got is foothold in casinos in the 1980s as people found it more interesting and less intimidating than table poker. Today video poker is an inevitable presence in almost all casinos across the globe, especially in the ‘city of casinos’ Las Vegas.

Video poker game starts with the player placing bet on one or sometimes more than one credit, by pushing money – in modern machines, a paper ticket with a barcode showing its value is used instead – into the video poker machine and banging the ‘Deal’ button. Once the ‘deal’ button is pressed, the player will be dealt with five cards in each round, which the player can either accept or discard. For each discarded card, he/she will be issued a new one altogether. After the issue, the dealt card combination is matched by the machine against the winning hands in the posted schedule. Should any match be found, the player will be issued a corresponding payout. The payout usually starts with a pair of jacks – which is 5 points – and increases according to various card combinations, the maximum being the Royal Flush that is equivalent to 2500 points. While playing, each turn with the video poker console or a ‘hand’, as it is often referred to, costs the player 5 points from the initial 50 allocated to him/her, and he/she can only continue to play until all the points are exhausted. But, if the player wins a ‘flush’ or ‘straight’ or ‘four of a kind’, then it is a different game altogether; now, the player can either continue playing as long as he/she wishes – trying to increase the scores – or get the accrued points exchanged for equivalent money and leave the game. Naturally, it is the second option that is preferred by the players most of the times.

Over the years, video poker has evolved much from its earlier form and now it is available in various versions and variants in different casinos across US and the world. The popular types of video poker in vogue are ‘Jacks or Better’, ‘Deuce Wild’, ‘Double Bonus’, and ‘Double Double Bonus’. But, from a player’s perspective, always try to go to a casino that has decent pay schedules. Most strip casinos fall in the second category, and better you avoid such places.

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Using Online Poker Tools Correctly

April 19, 2007 at 7:30 am · Filed under Online Gambling, Online Poker

Booking steady profits playing online poker comes from staying focused on profitable activities and avoiding unprofitable ones, exactly like in business. That really is the secret to success in either venture – keeping your focus and using your time wisely. Fortunately, online poker rooms provide you with all the tools you need to do just that.

You don’t need off-site software. I know that many players are in love with these programs, but I would strictly advise students of the game to ignore them. The most popular of these is Poker Tracker. And it is one heck of a piece of software. But don’t use it. Why? Because it is a great distraction and can easily be the cause of losing your focus on what really matters.

In No Limit Hold’em, the game currently offering the best opportunity to make steady profits in by far, there are only two things that are really important. They are: 1. Playing against somebody who is willing to put all their chips in with only one pair after the flop, and 2. Not playing a losing game the remainder of the time. This is assuming that you are a good player (and therefore would never put all your chips in with just one pair after the flop) – and it is further assuming that “all your chips’ constitutes a large stack, much bigger than the size of the pot.

The most effective tool to help stay focused on these two objectives is the buddy list. When you run across someone who is willing to put their large stack of chips in the pot with one pair after the flop you should buddy-list that player immediately (before they disappear). Your primary goal in this game is to find these players and play against them. If you are in a game where nobody would do that, you are just spinning your wheels because that is where the profits come from, and there are always other tables going with an opponent or two who are willing to do that. So every single time you see someone put all their chips in the middle with one pair, buddy list them! Make it a habit, so you don’t even have to remind yourself to do it.

Now, it does absolutely no good to accumulate a good-sized buddy list if you are not willing to use it! Every time you log in, go to your buddy list first thing and try to get in a game with one of those players. This is the most critical thing you can do to start your session.

Let’s talk about number the second element now, which is not playing a losing game the rest of the time. To help in this quest, you should use the other terrific tool provided by the poker room: Player notes. Always take good player notes that will actually help you make quality, information-based decisions in the future. Do not waste your time making player notes that won’t help. For example, just writing “fish” or “maniac” or “call this idiot” are not going to do much for you two weeks from now when that person may be in a completely different mood. Contrast that kind of note with something like “called a large preflop raise with AJ” or “called a large all-in bet on the turn with a flush draw.” Do you see how those types of notes are much more likely to help you down the road? You need to be detailed about the situation your observation occurred in, because with a more general note you probably won’t be able to recall the context in which you were writing it.

All Poker Tracker software really does for you is to help you categorize the different types of opponents you encounter, plus give you good data by which to study your own game. Yes, those can be good things. But if you get caught up in that instead of taking notes that are actually useful and concentrating on building a list of easy-to-find customers, your efforts will likely become derailed. And your results will suffer accordingly.

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Which Poker Site Is The Best? Is Poker Legal In The USA?

April 14, 2007 at 9:26 am · Filed under Online Poker

There are MANY great sites to play poker on. Just about all of them are 100% safe as far as it comes to depositing/withdrawling money. There are many things you need to look at your poker site before you decide to sign up and deposit.

First, you need to figure out what type of game you are going to be playing. Are you going to just play low limit cash games? Are you a strict sit and go player? Are you planning on playing the multi-table tournaments?

Each site is known for their strengths as it comes to gameplay.

If you plan on playing strict sit-and-go and multi table tournaments, then your choice should either be Full Tilt Poker or Pokerstars. If you plan on playing strict cash games, then your choice should more then likely be Pokerstars.

Full Tilt Poker offers a number of guaranteed prize pool tournaments every 1-2 hours. Their tournaments are GREAT and many of them start with 3000 chips, a necessity in my eyes when playing these tournaments.

For cash games, Poker Stars has thousands of tables from .10/.25 all the way up to $50/$100. They have the most players and they are generally the most trusted when it comes to cash games.

For sit and go’s I recommend that you check the structure for both Pokerstars and Full tilt, as their structures our often changing.

Now, many people are worried if Poker is even legal to play in the USA anymore. The USA did pass a law against sending money offshore. There are still many payment processors including epassporte, webmoney, and many credit/debt card processors. Also you always have the option of western union or check transfer.

No player has EVER been arrested for playing poker online. These poker sites are here to stay and I believe you have NOTHING to worry about. The bottom line is that poker was getting TOO big and the government cannot TAX it. This is why they flexed their muscle and got millions of players to not play. There is still millions of Americans playing online and there always will be.

Good luck at the tables!

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Playing Poker For A Living

April 9, 2007 at 3:51 am · Filed under Online Gambling, Online Poker

Are you really ready to play poker for a living?

Let’s think about this for a minute.

You are going to PLAY a game for your complete income. It is certainly doable, but you have to really look at your past play.

How did you handle when you had a big win? Did you immediately jump up in stakes? Did you invest your winnings? What did you do?

More importantly, how did you deal with a BIG LOSS. When you did not cash in 10 straight tournaments how did you handle yourself? Did you move up or down in stakes?

If you can’t be honest with how you have really reacted to up and down swings then you are not ready to be a professional poker player.

If you are going to play poker online professionally you will enjoy a great amount of benefits that you could not enjoy by playing in a live casino including:

-Nobody at the table trying to intimidate you
-No waiting for hours for a table. There is ALWAYS an open game ready
-No gas, car, any expenses involved while traveling
-Don’t have to tip the dealer (this is huge!!)
-The house take (rake) is much lower (another big one)

So if you are really going to try to make a living in poker then you should definitely considering getting your career started in online poker.

I recommend that you read many guides, book, and even hire a coach or mentor before you decide to make the change.

I personally made the change 2 years ago after hitting a multi-table tournament cash and haven’t looked back since. I am in the top 20% of yearly income for my city and I live comfortably.

I could go on a 6 month losing streak and it wouldn’t effect my life style one bit.

I am also not married, so that helps too

Until next time, Good luck at the tables!

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Pocket Pairs In Texas Holdem - The Power You Hold

April 6, 2007 at 10:41 am · Filed under Online Poker

Do you know the power of a pocket pair?

Everyone new to poker thinks that AJ, AQ , AK are better then pocket pairs.

I have a secret to tell you, those hands are not!

Pocket Pairs are one of the best kept secrets for professionals in poker.

There are so many opportunities when you receive one. You are head of hands like AK and AQ. You can hit a set. Nobody really expects you to have it.

The biggest beats put on players are usually done by pocket pairs.

What is your chance of hitting a set on the flop with a pocket pair?

1 out of 38

In Texas Hold’em you need to know the odds of every hand you enter. If you are not armed with the right information on odds, hand rankings, and probability then you are behind the game right away.

You need to look for an edge in any tournament you are in.

I suggest always playing a pocket pair if it is above 6’s. This mean’s if there is a standard raise, call it. If you just need to call the big blind, then just limp in the pot.

When you finally hit that set, chances are you are going to do a lot of damage to anyone else that is in the pot.

Always be aware of your opponent holding a pocket pair that turns into a monster set. It is hard to put your opponent on or detect they have three of a kind (also known as set, trips) You really just have to do your best to detect this silent assassin.

Until next time, good luck at the tables!

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How to Get Free Poker Money

April 1, 2007 at 6:18 am · Filed under Online Gambling, Online Poker

“What’s that father?” a little boy once asked his father. “Can I play with them?” The father replied, “No, son, it is not a toy! It is money, my boy!” The boy hurried off to play outside, though, wondering why his father considered those colorful chips as money.

This colored chips represents money in the casinos. For example, a player who wants to play poker has to buy some chips to be used when betting. And because this is the kind of money that is being used during a game in the casino, particularly poker, others eventually call it poker money.

Poker money arrives after a player settles down on a table and is ready to play poker. This poker money, in terms of chips, is being laid out in front of the concerned player. However, before proceeding into playing poker, every player must make a deposit for his poker money.

online poker games have different ways of managing poker money. Most of the online poker websites require their players to have their poker money accounts through deposits. Generally, these can be done into two categories. One category of depositing poker money is through direct methods wherein players use a credit card or draft in order to deposit money. The other category of depositing poker money is through a 3rd party services like NETeller or prepaid ATM which acts like Internet banks. Here, players can do transactions such as depositing poker money and transferring funds to online poker Web sites.

But there is also a way to get free poker money from the internet poker rooms. Thanks to the competition in online poker most poker rooms will offer You free poker money in forms of bonuses. There are 3 different kinds of these bonuses available. Most of the bonuses are only paid for new players who open an account with the poker room.

The first kind of bonus requires the player to make a deposit into his poker account first. The Poker Room will then pay You between 10% and 150% of Your deposit in free poker money. So if You deposited $100 You can get between $10 and $150 for free, so that You have a balance of $110 to $250 in Your poker account.

The second kind of bonus is much more interesting as it does not require a deposit. The so called “No Deposit Poker Bonus” gives You free poker money with no obligation. Just open an account and You have it funded with money to take to the tables. Offers vary and some poker rooms will pay You as much as $100 just for joining them. These No Deposit Bonuses are used to attract new players and become unavailable in most cases when the poker room has build a customer base with this promotion.

The third kind of Bonus offered is the referral bonus. online poker Rooms will reward You with free poker money if You refer a new player to them. You can get up to $150 per new player at some poker sites.

By combining all of these bonuses You can generate a lot of free poker money so that You might be able to play poker without having to risk Your own money. In most cases You have to play a minimum number of raked hands before You are allowed to cash out the bonus, but if You are playing smart You will easily reach this number and be in profit.

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Online Poker - What Makes A Winner?

March 27, 2007 at 11:34 am · Filed under Online Poker

In early 2007 the largest ever study into online gambling was published by eCogra. This study compiled details of more than 10000 players from 96 countries. There are several findings worthy of note - this article will look at the traits most likely to be associated with winning online poker players, and will suggest ways for aspiring players to improve their performance.

1) Winners Play At More Sites

Playing at more than one site can have several advantages. Firstly the selection of games and number of tables to choose from. Secondly many sites offer regular bonuses - a player who is able to take advantage of several of these by rotating site will obviously benefit financially.

2) Winners Do Not Chase Losses

The natural variance of poker means that it is difficult to make every session a winning one. The survey found that not chasing losses (for example by playing at higher limits or taking risks to get even) is a significant predictor of success.

3) Winners Put Less Of Their Bankroll On The Line

While losing players often play with more than 20% of their bankroll on a single table the survey found that winning players averaged no more than 7%. This can be seen to reduce the effect of the swings inherent in the game. Interestingly those who played with less than 2% of their bankroll on the take were not as successful.

4) Winners Listen to Music

Listening to music while playing was a big predictor of financial success. This finding could also be reversed - those listening to music may be less likely to be watching TV or holding conversations while playing… concentration being the key factor.

5) Winners Multi-Table (To A Point)

Multi-Tabling predicted financial success and can be correlated with confidence and focus on the games being played. 4 tables was found to be the optimum number - adding more tables then showed a decline in profits.

Finally a mention of a big predictor of losing internet poker players - pretending to be the opposite sex. It was found that 12% of male players choose an avatar of a female, and that these are the biggest losers of all in financial terms!!

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Poker Odds Online

March 26, 2007 at 3:28 am · Filed under Online Gambling, Online Poker

If you’re new to playing poker, or just want to hone your skills, the best place to go is a good internet poker room. There you learn the rules of every game from Texas Hold’em to Seven Card Stud and Omaha. You can also get instructions from the poker professionals who know everything there is to know about poker odds, poker betting, and even bluffing. For example, you can learn when the poker odds are in your favor when you look at the first two cards you are dealt in a game of Texas Hold’em.

You can also learn how the poker odds will change depending on which cards are then dealt face up in the flop. You can register free at a good poker room and begin learning the games immediately. Then once you become familiar with the poker odds and rules, you can practice what you’ve learned in the free poker room. There you can get more instructions about things like when to bluff and how to tell if an opponent is probably bluffing. You can improve your skills at an individual table or in a tournament format. You can practice as often as you want for as long as you want.

Then when you’re ready to try your hand at playing the poker odds for real, you can deposit money for betting into a completely secure account and begin playing immediately. The best part is; you can play when you want form any location you choose. Check out a good poker room now and start placing your bets.

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Tips on Texas Holdem Strategy

March 25, 2007 at 2:37 am · Filed under Online Poker

Texas Holdem is a game of perception. If you have a big hand you want your opponents to think you have nothing so you can get more money out of them and if you have nothing you want them to think you have the best hand possible. Well, your position that you are sitting in at the poker table contributes to your overall perception as well. Sometimes it’s a positive contribution and sometimes it’s a negative contribution. So before you make your next bet in a Texas Holdem poker game, you may want to take a look around the table and recognize all the factors before you bet.

On the Button

Being on the button means that you have the dealer button in front of you. Traditionally this is the most powerful position to be in at the table. The reason this position is so powerful is that the person that is on the button is the last player to act after the flop is shown. You can see how this would be an enviable position because you get to see what everyone else is doing before you decide what you are going to do.

Many times a poker player that is on the button will have the opportunity to steal the blinds as well. This happens when there is no action on the table (everyone in front of you has folded) and the only players left in the hand are the player that is on the button and the big and small blinds. In this particular situation, it may be a good idea to test the players in the blind positions by raising on the button. The object of doing this is to have the players in the blind positions fold their hands without seeing the flop. It is good poker strategy to try to steal the blinds whether you are holding a good hand or not. Once again, poker is all about perception.

In the Blinds

If you are in either the big blind position or in the small blind position, you are traditionally called “out of position”. This position is called out of position because it is the weakest position to be in because you are the first to act once the flop is shown. If you are playing a hand while in one of the blind positions just keep in mind that you are the first to act and an experienced poker player will know how to exploit this information.

You can also choose to use the big or small blind positions to your advantage. As mentioned earlier, the blind positions are traditionally the weakest players at the table because they are the first to act once the flop is displayed. Some poker players think differently. Some players think that the first person to act has the first chance to bet and that is a good thing. An aggressive player will take advantage of this opportunity even if they have missed the flop completely.

Hint:

When you are in the blind positions, try to utilize the continuation bet. This is a great tool that experienced poker players use at the right time in order to collect pretty sizable pots. If you are in one of the blinds and a number of people are in the hand but no one has raised the pot, what you would do is raise the pot a significant amount (maybe 3-5 times the big blind) in order to get rid of any of the marginal hands that might still exist. Let’s say you get one or two people that call. Since you are first to act, you would use this to your advantage by placing another significant bet after the flop is displayed. This will immediately get your opponents to think that you have some type of huge hand like two aces or two kings. Usually, if the others hit nothing on the flop they will gracefully lay their hands down. Once again, you can do this with any type of hand because the perception is that your hand is huge.

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