Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Speed Hold’em---It is a Game for You


Today is special---the last day of 2008 in which everything should be special. So, let’s go to play a special game---Speed Hold’em!!!!!

Being a poker lover, are you interested in poker variations, aggression, challenges and passion? If so, Speed Hold’em is a game for you---It is a five handed, with a 10 second time clock. It is a poker players’ heaven where they are able to figure pot odds in a very very short time. Speed Hold’em is a perfect game where you can not only play more hands to challenge but also test your poker skills and luck so that you will become smarter.

More importantly, Speed Hold’em is so simple that if you can play Texas Hold’em, you can master it. In Speed Hold’em, players receive two down poker cards (pocket hole cards) as their personal poker hand, after which there is a round of betting. Three board cards (the flop) are turned simultaneously and another round of betting occurs. The next two board cards (turn and river) are turned one at a time, with a round of betting after each poker card.

The aim of the Speed Hold'em is to make the best possible five card hand, using any combination of hole cards and community cards to win the pot. A dealer button is used to indicate where the betting action starts. Except for using two blinds, it is also possible to play with one blind, an ante, or combination of blinds plus an ante. The challenge is of course the time---10 seconds, which means you have 10 seconds to calculate pot odds and to decide whether you want to play the hand or not. This not only adds to the fun but also make poker players bet, where they normally would fold!

Speed Hold’em is extremely stimulative which is really a game for you…

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Monday, December 29, 2008

Poker Imagination on a Sleepless Night


Confusion in my mind these days with no reason, I even couldn’t fall asleep late at night. I can’t tell what I was always thinking about and maybe nothing. But who can tell me where my sleepiness is…

Lying down awake with all lights turning off, I began to play Texas Hold’em on my cell phone---sometimes I won and sometimes lost. No matter what, I kept silent to enjoy my own entertainment so that my roommate can’t be waken up. I suddenly realize that happiness is simple; even it can be gained from poker games. I still remember the love story of my cousin and his girlfriend should be attributed to poker

I couldn’t help smiling because a thought comes into my mind that I am in deep happiness in fact---when I have a sleepless night, I have friends who can send me short messages and comfort me until I feel sleepy; when I want to have fun, I can concentrate myself to my favorite poker game; and also my dear parents and friends…I feel sweet and warm…

To be a simple and sweet girl---that will be always my dream…

To be an excellent poker player---that will be always my direction…

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Sunday, December 28, 2008

Baccarat


Have you ever heard of the “Gentleman’s game”? Right, it is the reputation of Baccarat which is a very popular casino game all over the world.

People believe that Baccarat has been introduced to France from Italy during the region of Charles VIII of France (1483-1498), which is similar to Faro and to Basset. There are three accepted variants of the game: baccarat chemin de fer (railway), baccarat banque (a deux tableaux) and punto banco (or North American baccarat).
Although being not very good at this casino game, I like playing it and I still remember when I was a kid I saw a film named “King of Gambler” (star by Andy Lau) which gave me a very deep impression, in which he mastered all the gambling tricks and at that time I really admired him…

The valuation of hands in Baccarat is quite different from other poker games like Texas Hold’em so we should pay special attention to it. In Baccarat, cards 2-9 are worth face value and 10’s and face cards (J Q K) are with zero, and Aces are worth 1 point. Players calculate their score by taking the sum of all cards modulo 10, meaning that after adding the value cards the tens digit is ignored.

Anyway, have a try then you will get everything of its essence…

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Thursday, December 25, 2008

Poker is Knowledge


Poker is a game but not that simple as it requires many kinds of knowledge that is quite different form what we have learnt in school. In fact, poker is full of competitions just like our life so that poker is a kind of knowledge.

To win in any kind of activity, such as poker game even our life, a player must obtain three kinds of knowledge: factual, tactical and strategic knowledge.

Factual knowledge refers to the basic concepts or rules of the competitive game which is sometimes gained by memorizing. If one is not familiar with the terminology of a competitive game, his goal of winning in it will be impossible. We can imagine how one can win in Texas Hold’em if he can’t distinguish the flop from the turn or the river and how a poker player win in a tournament if he has no idea what a royal flush looks like…

Tactical knowledge is composed of the different actions that are carried out by the player in order to achieve certain goals which can be acquired by practice. So, to gain all the needed tactical knowledge, the poker player must keep on playing.

Strategic knowledge is acquired when the poker player has already mastered the first two types of knowledge. When the poker player has strategic knowledge he sees the whole poker session, which can last for several hours, as one game. With a broader view, his actions are more directed and more planned.

For me, poker is not just a game but also a kind knowledge that teaches me a lot in my life. I will hold on to keep playing and keep learning…

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Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Poker Jokes on Christmas


I spent Christmas Eve with friends last night and we really had a crazy night. We talked a lot during our relaxed time while the following three jokes relating to poker games that friends told me impressed me deeply because I was crazy about poker recently.

No.1---A brain surgeon receives a phone call from a colleague on a Saturday night. "We need another poker player for tonight" the friend says. "I'll be there right away!" the doctor replies with a sense of urgency. As he puts on his coat and makes his way out the door his wife asks him "Is it serious?" and the doctor replies "Oh, very! There are 3 other doctors already there!"

No.2---A homeless man asks another man for two dollars. The man says "Will you use the money to buy booze?" The homeless man replies "No sir, I don't drink." The man then asks "Will you use the money for gambling?" The homeless man replies "No sir, I don't gamble." So the man says "Do me a favor and come home with me. I want my wife to see what happens to a man who doesn't drink or gamble."

No.3---A woman walks into living room and sees her brother playing poker with their dog. "Wow!" she exclaimed, "You must have the smartest dog in the world!" and her brother replies "He's not all that smart. I've beaten him 3 out of 5 games so far."

Today is Christmas and everything should be special and full of joy…so let’s go to have a good time…Have fun!

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Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Christmas Eve


I had a dream yesterday that Santa Claus came to join us on poker table and said, in essence, “I am about to give away a lot of money…” Over the course of next several hours, Santa Claus emptied thousands of thousands dollars out of his bag. At times, there were many players couldn’t believe their good fortune. For some players, the concept of Santa showing up and giving them a holiday gift just seemed...well, too good to be true. Santa even offered some sage advice to players “It's better to be good than lucky...because miracles usually happen on this table”…

When I woke up this morning, I was so happy that I can’t help enjoying the dream until now.

Tonight, on this 2008 Christmas Eve, there will be a lot of people who don’t have to work at all. Shall they enjoy the time sitting together with family members to chat and play poker games like Texas Hold’em, Omaha or Speed Hold’em just like me? Maybe… Children might be the happiest tonight who will be waiting for Santa Claus making his rounds giving gifts to good children.

Happy Holiday, everyone…

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Sunday, December 21, 2008

Pot-Limit Omaha


The past weekend for me was really like a nightmare although it was the Winter Solstice when people all over the country ate dumplings…I really want to forget everything happened yesterday and just concentrate myself on poker games.

Today I choose pot-limit Omaha which is a community card poker game similar to Texas Hold’em where each player is dealt four cards and must make his best hand using exactly two of them, plus exactly three of the five community cards. However, it is different from Texas Hold’em…

More people will see the flop in Omaha which also creates bigger pots, making your decisions on the flop even more crucial; players need a stronger hand to win at Omaha because the best hands are those that are made and hold additional value, like top set with a big draw in Omaha. Meanwhile, although position is very important in all forms of poker, it is less important in Omaha and it is usually the player holding the best hand that wins the pot…

I haven’t won in my game by far and I’m not sure whether it is because of my lost mood, but I will hold on…

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Thursday, December 18, 2008

7 Card Stud---Old Yet Popular


7 Card Stud, which is personally my favorite kind of poker, was the most popular poker variant in casinos of the eastern part of the United States and also home games all over this country before the popularity of Texas Hold’em.

It is one of the oldest forms of game which 2 to 8 players can play and the initial deal is two cards face down and one card up to each player. Position in this game is not that important as other poker game as the position can potentially change with each flip of a card. The first betting round starts with the highest hand showing or for the first round the high card. Then another card is dealt up and another betting round is repeated until there are four cards face up. Then a final card is dealt down and a final betting round held. The ranking of the hands are the same as regular poker except to take the five best cards out of the ones you are dealt.

7 Card Stud is much more complex and requires greater focus and discipline when playing it compared to Texas Hold’em. No matter what, be confident that you bet…

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Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Speed Hold’em-----Time Limited Yet Fun Limitless

Texas Hold’em is one of my favorite poker games, while recently I’m introduced a new game named Speed Hold’em which is a kind of variant of Texas Hold’em whose difference lies in whether betting time is limited or not.

Actually, Speed Hold’em is a very fast poker game comparing to Texas Hold’em while it has many advantages. The most obvious one is that you don’t have to wait for a long time for the other players to take action so that you need not to wait and wait wasting your time. I really feel bad when I wait for a long time before. Meanwhile, when players are asked to play poker quickly, the weak poker players will make mistakes.

Similarly, in any time during the poker game the players can fold and get out of the hand. All bets will be lost at that point.

Speed Hold’em has really attracted me and I have gained more and more fun from it. So friends, don’t hesitate any more, let’s go together to have a try…

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Sunday, November 23, 2008

Barack Obama and Poker

We all know that recently Obama has become the focus of the world. But do you know even this new president plays poker games, just like you and me.



Barack Obama's triumph in the 2004 U.S. Senate race earned him a memorable send-off from his friends in the Illinois legislature they emptied his wallet in a take-no-prisoners night of poker games.
"We brought him down to earth real quick," said state Sen. Terry Link, chuckling at the memory.
Obama was a regular at the low-stakes games sometimes stud poker, sometimes draw designed to break up the tedium of long legislative sessions. Poker, beer and cigars were staples; Democrats and Republicans, lawmakers and even the lobbyists who Obama sometimes rails against dealt the cards and placed their bets.
The traits Obama displayed around the poker table those many nights are ones he brings to his presidential bid and are certain to be evident and analyzed if he wins the White House.
By his poker buddies' accounts, Obama is careful and focused. He's not easily distracted and doesn't give away his intentions unless it's to his advantage. He's not prone to taking risky chances, preferring to play it safe. But he's also serious and competitive: When he plays, he plays to win.
"It's a fun way for people to relax and share stories and give each other a hard time over friendly competition," Obama said by e-mail. "In Springfield, it was a way to get to know other senators including Republicans."
Obama, then a state senator, was a founding member of the group. He became known as a cautious player with a good poker face, someone who paid more attention to the game than to the chatter and laughter that accompanied it.
Obama studied the poker odds carefully, friends say. If he had strong cards, he'd play. If he didn't, he would fold rather than bet good money on the chance the right card would show up when he needed it.
That reputation meant that he often succeeded when he decided to bluff.
"When Barack stayed in, you pretty much figured he's got a good hand," said Larry Walsh, a former senator.
More than one lawmaker teased Obama about his careful style of play.
"I always used to kid him that the only fiscally conservative bone in his body I ever saw was at the poker table with his own money," said state Sen. Bill Brady, a Republican from the central Illinois city of Bloomington. "I said if he would be half as conservative with taxpayer dollars, the state would be a lot better off."

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Friday, November 7, 2008

Choose Your Poker Games


As you know, there are many different poker variations and structures in which to play them. And in order to win in the poker games and have your fun, you need to select your own poker games online that fit your skills.
By far the most popular variation for cash games is fixed limit Texas Hold'em, closely followed by no-limit Texas Hold'em. Much less Texas Hold'em games are played in pot-limit style. Other games with decent volume in cash games are Omaha, mostly limit Omaha High-Low and pot-limit Omaha High. Next in popularity is limit Seven-Card-Stud and its High-Low version.
If you are a beginner we recommend that you start out by learning how to play fixed limit Texas Hold'em. This is an easy game in which to learn the basics and as mentioned before it is the most popular form of poker today. Almost all online poker rooms offer plenty micro-stakes limit Texas Hold'em, where you can get a lot of playing time for something like $30.
No-limit Texas Hold'em cash games are not suitable for beginners to play other than at the really low stakes. No-limit Texas Hold'em fits people with guts, aggressive style and good player reading skills. These are treats a beginner rarely displays from the start. Don't take this as advice not to play no-limit Texas Hold'em, but start out carefully and take advantage from playing in some poker tournaments as well. To succeed at higher stakes you will often need to be patient and cautions, play tricky and take calculated chances to break your opponents.
As we know that all short-handed games (6 players or less) have a higher skill factor, as more marginal hands need to be played, more tricks are used and aggression is an even more important element. As a beginner you should avoid these games. Maybe with the exception for players who just have no patience at all and who are real action junkies. Conversely, if you are a winning player who is good at reading opponents and comfortable playing aggressively you could benefit from going down from full ring games to short-handed games.
So be serious to select your own poker games online, and stick to some wise poker strategies to win your bucks~! Have fun~!

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Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Online Poker Explosion


The popularity of online poker has increased at an astounding speed recently. Besides the obvious - poker is an intriguing game with great recreational value - the main reasons are the flexibility, speed and global 24/7 access afforded by playing online.


Poker as a sport has received substantial media coverage since the inception of the TV show World Poker Tour in 2002 and the win of online amateur player Chris Moneymaker at the WSOP Main Event in 2003. The coverage has resulted in a self-perpetuating trend where the growing base of online players fuels interest in the WSOP and WPT, which now get prime-time TV slots on a weekly basis, inspiring even more viewers to take up online play.


The online poker business is very profitable for the established rooms, but the competition is heating up as a result. This is good for you as a player. Online poker rooms today spend more and more money on advertising as well as giving more value back to the players with higher and better re-load bonuses, promotions and other perks.


The brick-and-mortar poker world has also benefited greatly from the explosion in interest in the poker games, with poker rooms again flourishing in casinos. Today many new players start out playing online and then move on to play at home games and casinos around the world.


What makes poker particularly fascinating for a larger crowd is that in the short term, any decent player can compete and even win against the world's best players. Luck and hidden information play a large enough role in poker to make this possible. In many other skill games, the most highly skilled player almost always wins, even in the short term.

By the same token, poker is deceptive, as many less-skilled players are not sufficiently aware of their long-term outlook to win, let alone break even. As most people know, poker is a game of skill and the best players will win money over time. Luckily, by following some simple poker rules you will be able to minimize your losses very quickly.

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Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Strategy Books for Poker Players


For poker players of online poker games, no matter beginners or pros, there are many good books on the market for them to learn poker skills and strategies. Here are some of the most useful books and hope you could learn some nice tips or strategies for your poker games online from these books.


This is a good poker book package for the beginners:


Play Poker like the Pros (Phil Hellmuth)
- Basic, easy-to-use poker strategies for all major games.


Super System 2 (Doyle Brunson et al)
- Accurate, concise strategies for all major poker games.

Internet Texas Holdem (Matthew Hilger)
- Well-structured, detailed strategy for Limit Hold'em.


Championship No-Limit & Pot-Limit Holdem (T.J Cloutier & McEvoy)
- Quality, easy-to-read tournament advice.


Championship Tournament Practice Hands (T.J Cloutier & McEvoy)
- Tournament practice hands for both No-Limit and Limit Texas Hold'em.



This is a good poker book package for the advanced players:

Holdem Poker for Advanced Players (David Sklansky)
- Classic book with technical analysis on Limit Texas Hold'em.


Pot-Limit and No-Limit Poker (Ciaffone & Reuben)
- Good general book on No-Limit and Pot-Limit for most games.


Middle limit Holdem Poker (Ciaffone & Brier)
- In-depth Limit Hold'em analysis via hundreds of hand examples.


How good is your Pot-Limit Holdem? (Steward Reuben)
- Very instructive quizzes and hand analysis on Pot- and No-Limit Hold'em.


How to win at Omaha High-Low Poker (Mike Cappelletti)
- Well structured and thorough advice on limit Omaha High-Low


How good is your Pot-Limit Omaha? (Steward Reuben)
- Edifying quizzes and hand analysis on high-stakes Omaha High.


Seven Card Stud for Advanced Players (Sklansky, Malmuth & Zee)
- Well-structured technical analysis on Limit Seven-Card Stud.


The Theory of Poker (David Sklansky)
- Classic book with in-depth concepts on all types of cash-game poker.

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Monday, November 3, 2008

Online Poker Tells that You Need to Know


Playing poker games online, such as Texas Holdem, you need to know some basic but rather useful poker tells to increase your chances of winning the game. Here are several of them. Seriously pay your attention to them and keep them in your mind next time you are engaged in the game, you will find them really paying off.
1 Fast Check
This is a very common online poker tell. When a player instantly checks, he has probably clicked the "auto-check" tool featured in all online poker rooms. This means that before you have even bet or checked, he was planning on checking. Most of the time, you'll be able to steal the pot with a reasonable bet. However, some players might try to use this tell against you so you should be careful with it.
2 Wait and Bet
When a player waits and bets in poker games online, he usually has a legit hand and is probably thinking of how much to bet which almost always results in the timer running slightly slower than normal. You'll notice this if you pay close attention to the time a player takes to bet. If they wait a long time and check instead of bet, they are usually trying to make you think they have a hand. If that's the case, you can probably take the pot right there.
3 Betting Patterns
Betting patterns are extremely valuable in any variation of poker games. You always want to figure out how each player bets when he has a hand. Most players will give away their cards simply by betting different amounts. For example, if a player raises $50 pre-flop and then only bets small on the flop, he's almost always weak. Notice how hard players raise their aces as opposed to their jacks.
4 Fast Bet
When someone quickly bets, they're almost always trying to scare you. When I want someone to fold, I bet really fast. It shows them strength and is a very intimidating tactic to employ.
5 Telling You Their Hand
Players telling you their hand is a funny type of tell. I've figured out this tell from most of my friends telling me they were lying in the first place. It's also common sense. According to one of my Hold'em rules, when a player tells you his hand without you asking, he's almost always giving away false information. Think about it. Why would he tell you his hand if you didn't ask him? The reason he tells you is to get inside your head and make you think you folded the winner.

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Thursday, October 30, 2008

Poker News: Women's Poker Spotlight: Clonie Gowen Wins World Poker Open Main Event


Nine players returned to the Gold Strike Casino on Tuesday to take their seats at the final table of the World Poker Open's $5,000 buy-in. The chip leader of those final nine was professional poker player Clonie Gowen.

Clonie Gowen was introduced to poker as a teenager by a boyfriend's father. She spent weekends driving between Dallas and Shreveport, Louisiana to be able to play on a more serious level. Her competitive nature spurred her further and earned her a tenth-place showing in her first major tournament, The 2002 World Poker Tour Costa Rica Classic. She followed that up by winning the World Poker Tour Ladies' Night Invitational.
This year, Clonie is back with a vengeance, cashing in four separate events at the World Series of Poker as well as her largest win to date, a first-place showing at the Bellagio Cup's No Limit Hold'em Main Event in July. To date, Clonie has won NBC's "Poker After Dark" six-player tournament three times, a record she shares with Phil Helmuth.

Clonie came into Day Two of the World Poker Open in second place but struggled for most of the day. When the tournament wound down to 12 players -- in what Clonie described as a key hand that led her to the final table with about an 80,000-chip lead over then second place Kirby Brewer -- she was able to see a free flop with three limpers from the big blind. The board at the river showed Q-10-6-7-K. Nam Huynh moved all in and Clonie called with 10-6 for two pair to beat Nam's 9-7 for a pair of sevens.

With eight poker players left, Clonie dropped down to fifth place. She jumped into second place when her pocket queens beat out Brandon Jarrett's A-10, doubling her up. She took a huge chip lead with six players left when her A(c),5(c),hit top pair on the flop and Brandon's suited Q-J failed to connect, taking him out of the tournament in third place.

Besides a few short stints, the two-hour heads-up between Clonie and BJ McBrayer was Clonie's game. She played an aggressive style, making the right plays at the right times.

Seeing women like Clonie Gowen take on the odds and make the dream of the felt come true is an inspiration to all the women working towards that same goal.

Congratulations, Clonie!

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2 Advanced Strategies for No-limit Texas Holdem


For players who like to play No-limit Holdem, they really need to acquire some strong skills and poker strategies in order to win in the game. Last time I ever talked about several skills which I think are necessary for players, then the following skills are also crucial for their chances of success.


1 Reading skills


Reading an idea of your opponent's cards is very important in the poker games online. This really takes time and experience. However, a way to improve your reading skills is what I call the 'three question techniques.' Always ask yourself these three questions when someone makes or calls a bet:

• What does my opponent have?

• What does my opponent think I have?

• What does my opponent think I think he has?
Every time you ask yourself these questions when playing poker, you are thinking of your hands and your opponents’ power. By doing this, you are surely on the way to winning.


2 Psychology and Traps


Once you hold the whopper and your opponent also has a good hand, what's the best way to double through him? Learning to get out of and set traps is very difficult and only experience will help in this department.Fundamentally, game psychology and traps are used to manipulate the three questions mentioned earlier.

For example, if you overbet the pot with a flush draw and then check when you hold the flush, either your opponent will fall for the trap, thinking you had top pair, or he will recognize the trap and check-fold to you on river. This slowplay is used to manipulate the variable: what does he think I have?

Generally, this sort of poker game psychology is only used on good players. Against weaker players, you should just build a good hand and extract money out of them bit by bit. Weaker players just play their hand; they don't think about what you have.

Remember that practice makes perfect, so just do it with your head, then you will hear “YOU WIN”.

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Monday, October 27, 2008

World Poker Tour Introduction




The World Poker Tour is putting tournament poker in the spotlight and is composed of two different aspects. On one hand, it is an elite high stakes Texas Hold'em tournament drawing both amateurs as well as poker professionals. On the other hand, it is a television show on the Travel Channel, intended to hit a massive target audience of novice poker players.
Both the tournament side and the television side of the event are equally impressive. The World Poker Tour has boosted the popularity of poker around the world through its poker tournaments and the WPT television shows seen on the Travel Channel.
The World Poker Tour tournament season begins in July and ends with the World Poker Tour Championship in April at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are fourteen poker tournaments on the Tour at various locations ranging from Paris, France, to the mainland USA, to a luxury ocean cruise.
The only qualification for entering any of these poker tournaments is showing up with the buy-in which is usually $10,000.
In each of the 14 tournaments preceding the WPT Championship the winner receives both a $25,000 buy in to the World Poker Tour Championship, and the grand prize for the tournament itself.
Individual tournament prizes vary depending on the number of entrants. Make it to the final table of one of these poker tournaments and you get a share of the tournament prize money while your friends get to watch you on television.
In addition to standard tournaments, each season the World Poker Tour holds a celebrity invitational tournament. This tournament pits Hollywood celebrities against poker professionals. Aside from being fun to watch, celebrities have a chance to win a large chunk of money for their favorite charity, as well as a seat at the WPT Championship tournament.
The final table at each World Poker Tour tournament is filmed in front of a live audience and televised on the Travel Channel.
Many features of the WPT television show make it very viewer friendly: small cameras that show each players hole cards, play-by-play commentary, definitions of poker lingo, and on screen displays of percentages, and how these percentages change as cards fall.
Another feature which makes the WPT unique is the commentary. Two commentators: Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten give play-by-play commentary throughout the show. One of the more beneficial things this does is provide some background information on each of the players.

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Sunday, October 26, 2008

Advanced Strategies for No-limit Texas Holdem


Playing Texas Holdem Poker in an advanced no limit game, you need to know that the skill involved with No-Limit games is tremendous, even seasoned professionals admit that they still have a lot to learn at No-Limit Holdem.
You must know what your poker skills are at No-Limit Holdem; what stages of the poker game you have mastered. Once you realize how you are good at No-Limit, you must then apply this to how badly others at your table play No-Limit.
1. Pot odds
You must understand what odds you are getting if you call a bet with a draw. Since you can determine the size of the bet (it's not fixed), you should know if you are getting or giving good odds to someone.
2. Realizing the differences between Limit and No-Limit
Check-raising for value is far less valuable in No-Limit Holdem than Limit Holdem because you may be giving your opponent's a deadly free card. In Limit poker, if you have the second best hand, you will lose a little bit. In No-Limit, you could lose your entire stack.
3. Aggression
Betting is far better than calling in No-Limit. When you bet, you can win if you have the better hand or if your opponent folds. If you call, you can only win if you have your opponent beaten. If you bet, you determine the bet size. You determine the pot odds. If you call, you are accepting someone else's odds. The importance of aggression is why tight-passive poker players can win a lot more at Limit than No-Limit.
4. Quick Adjustment
You need to know that in Texas Holdem, there are different types of games that require different amounts of aggression. Shorter games require one to be looser and more aggressive. However, if your up against many loose opponents, you must tighten up and wait until you have a strong hand. Generally, the opposite of what the poker game is does well. If the game is very loose, tighten up. If the game is very tight, take advantage and steal pots. You also must adjust to your opponent's quality. If you are up against weak poker players, simply giving them bad pot odds and taking money from them bit by bit works well. If you are against better poker players, you must set some traps.

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Saturday, October 25, 2008

Poker Tips for Poker Beginners


With the rapid spreading of Internet, poker games online have become more and more popular among modern humans. Here are some great poker tips for those who just start to play poker games online. But you need to remember that poker is not only about tips and strategy, poker is about practice. Improving your poker games is a task that requires patience and dedication, so, don’t loose it if you can’t be a poker pro in short time.


Tip 1: Start out playing a game that you are familiar with.
When playing online poker for the first time, it is better to just focus on learning how to play online poker the first few times.


Tip 2: Pick one poker game and master it.
More times than not, people like to try out all sorts of poker games which results in very little strategy being formed. Adjust to the poker game and develop advanced strategy. Master one game at a time.


Tip 3: Work with a budget.
The very first thing to do is set your playing budget and you need to adhere to the limit. Additionally it is also advised to set your profit limit, which should be of course reasonable. Once you reach your profit limit then quit. You can loose the very next game.


Tip 4: There’s no point in playing lots of hands
Playing many hands in a poker game is like a confession of your being a beginner, this gives more advanced players the chance to figure out the type of hands you usually play and your poker strategy. You need to learn how to fold when you have a bad hand, you might want to push the limits sometimes but don’t make that your favorite move.


Tip 5: Remember that players will call you more in online poker
There are some psychology and usability aspects in this statement. On the usability level, it's much easier for a player to click on a 'Call' button in online poker as opposed to reaching into their stack, counting up their chips and putting them on the table.

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Friday, October 24, 2008

Basics about Pot Odds in Poker


As a regular poker player, you must know the term “pot odds” much more clearly than those poker beginners. You would probably hear this term tossed around a lot, while even the poker beginners may get some clues about it when they learn the poker games. For all poker players who want to win in poker games, it is crucial to understand the poker pot odds.
A basic knowledge of the poker game will get you started, but to be a successful player you need to understand more advanced concepts like statistics and probability. Playing poker without strategies such as calculating pot odds would put you at a disadvantage, as poker is a game of skill, strategy and intelligence.
Understanding the odds inherent with the game and playing in accordance with those odds will improve your results and combining that strategy with skill and intelligence is what makes a great poker player.
Put simply, pot odds should be the basis for all choices you make regarding your hand. Pot odds are determined by comparing the size of the pot to the strength of your hand and estimating what you have to invest to have a shot at the pot. In other words, pot odds are basically the risk vs. the gain for each hand.
Actually, the concept of pot odds is difficult to explain in words but easier to understand in action and can be quite effective in improving your win percentage when applied practically.
So it’s rather necessary to learn some useful methods of calculating the pot odds in order to improve your poker skills and increase your chances of winning in the poker games. Remember that using pot odds to determine how you play does not guarantee you win, but it does make the risks you take and the occasional payoff from those risks more favorable.

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Thursday, October 23, 2008

Table Selection--One important skill for Texas Holdem


For most poker players online these days, it’s those great bucks that attract them most and let them deeply fall in love with poker games like Texas Holdem. So as a poker player, do you know how to do to win the biggest when playing against others, no matter who are better or weaker than you? You are so lucky that today I’d like to introduce to you a very basic but rather important skill for you to grab the shining bucks---how to select your proper table.
Table selection is by far the most important skill to master and love, and it will make you the most profitable player that you can be. It does not matter how good you are at playing poker if you are always sitting down at the table with people that are as good as or better than you. As you will find in the long run you are losing money playing with players that are as good as you are because of the rake. The rake will kill your profitability. So you need to improve your poker skills at selecting your table to spot and locate the fish as you must know that sharks really feed on fish.
But here the point is HOW you could find the fish in poker games. Normally, you could watch carefully other players when playing against them and find those who consistently make bad or silly moves, weather they get lucky or not, just write them down. Next time when you come across them in poker games, you could easily read them out and know how to grab them of their bucks. Another way to find fish is to share information with your friends by creating a fish list and store all the useful fish information in the list. This information will be valuable to everyone in your group, and will help you and your friends profit.
But if you do not have any notes or fishlists, how will you play then? It’s simple that you need to know that nothing would stop you from standing up and leaving the table. As you know that if you cannot spot the fish in the first thirty minutes, you are the fish, so do not hesitate to stand up and leave the table in search of friendlier and more profitable waters.
Anyway, remember that the poker skills are the most important in poker games though you need to know how to select the proper table to win from the fish.

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Monday, October 20, 2008

How to play pre-flop


Whenever you want to play your pre-flop cards by betting like a maniac in Texas Holdem, you must seriously think of such factors like the number of players, the playing styles of your opponents, your bankroll, etc. which would affect your actions in poker games.
Playing with 10 people in a poker game, it's much more likely that someone else has a strong hand in the pocket than in a short-handed game. And the chances are also bigger that someone's pre-flop hand fitting the flop will be much better. More competition means stiffer competition.
Then assuming that you’ve been playing several hands with a few people and you find that some players always call or raise your bet, you need to adjust your poker strategies to their playing styles and let them win the blinds but win big when you have a strong hand in the pocket pre-flop.
If you have 2$ left, you would play carefully and select one hand to bet on, hoping to get as many players involved as possible for a larger pot. You'll want to be all-in before the flop is dealt. But suppose that you have 1000$ in a 1$/2$ table, then you could take the high-risk, high-payout bets. So your playing strategy depends on your bankroll.
As we discussed before that positions really matter in poker games, you need to vary your playing strategies according to your different positions around the table. If you are in the early or middle positions, you must carefully think before you decide how to play your pre-flop as you have little information of how others play their hands first. If you stay in the late positions, it must be better for you to base your decisions on what others react and optimize the pot size to your wish.
Therefore, next time when you want to play your pre-flop in Texas Holdem, take these factors into consideration and then you could make some wise decisions on how you play it well.

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Sunday, October 19, 2008

Learn to play against calling stations


First of all, we need to know that calling station can be defined as a player who usually won’t take control of their hands but leave the betting option to you and will probably just call if they hit something on the flop. They may hit a pair of improve into a straight or a flush draw.
Then after we know what they are and how often they play their hands, we shall figure out our correspondent strategies against them.
Calling stations could be double-edged swords as they can be great to value bet and you can benefit from them to gain some extra profit. If you hit some strong hands on the flop you can bet a reasonable amount into them and keep them calling you to the river. They'll offer you the chances of building the pot and winning more bets if they don't draw out on your hand.
However, you also need to keep in mind that calling stations would also be calling on straights or flush draws as well. What you should do under such circumstance is just let them hit their draw cheaply. Adjust the pot odds to your favor by betting the correct amount. If you're heads-up against a calling station and you have a strong hand but could also be outdrawn, you should consider betting at least the size of the pot. If your opponent calls this bet on a straight or flush draw, he's statistically making a mistake and you're making him pay to do it. He'll still draw out on you at times, but most of the time you'll just be gaining extra bets. Keep in mind that most players aren't completely clueless, so if you think that your opponents missed his draw, you should check on the river and try to induce a bluff.
So as soon as you start a round of game, start to watch your opponents and analyze their playing styles for your precise decisions. As you decide they are calling stations, just lead them to value bet and show down strong hands to win the pot.

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Thursday, October 16, 2008

Learn to Check


As all poker players know, checking is just a very common action poker players take while playing in the game. But how to make full use of this common action as a wise strategy is really not that easy as you imagine. After all, checking is not an act of surrender or a form of capitulation.
To check could means that you’d like to defer your option to act and passing that opportunity over to opponents who act after you in the betting order. You are not relinquishing your chance to act; you are merely deferring it. If someone else takes the lead and comes out betting, you still have three options available when the action gets back to you. If someone bets, you can fold, call, or raise. All of your options are at your disposal. You haven’t surrendered a thing while you make your way ahead much more clearly.
Checking is also a good idea when you have a very big hand and the opponent to your left is aggressive. Your check should convince him to bet. Then you can check-raise and win a bigger pot. If your overly aggressive opponent’s bet attracts calls from players who act after he does, you can trap them all for two big bets in a fixed limit game, or blow them out of the pot with a big raise in a no-limit game. If your opponents realise that you will check-raise very big hands, it might allow you to check and get a free card when you’re the one who’s on a draw and in need of help to complete your hand.
Checking in early position can be vitally important when you’re playing no-limit. No-limit is a game where position is even more important than in fixed-limit poker. If you have a draw in early position and are facing two or three opponents, it’s wise to check and see what your opponents do. If they check, that’s great. A free card may allow you to complete your hand at no cost or risk to yourself.
Again, remember that practice makes perfect. Just try your best and you will pay off.:)

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Playing Texas Holedem against highly skilled players


If you often play poker online and think you are a reasonably skilled Texas Holdem player, you would face a mix of opponents, some less skilled than you, some perhaps a bit more. However, have you ever thought that you may come across some really highly skilled players? And if so, how would you play against them? If you really want to improve your level of poker playing, it’s inevitable and rather essential to sitting together with some tough strong players who will make you learn and move forward.
Someone is a pro doesn’t mean he is going to blow you out of every pot with huge raises or see right through to your soul when you try to bluff. A pro is simply someone who makes more correct decisions than the average player does. If you are a skilled player and play your best game, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to win, at least in the short term. You should have confidence in your ability to play against them in Texas Holdem online.
Another thing you can do when playing against highly skilled players is that you can adopt the tactic of short stacking. By doing this you just buy in to the game for a small amount, often the minimum. The sharks in the game are looking for whales, bad players that will throw money at them. When they see your small stack, they may forget about you and look for tastier prey, therefore a pretty great chance to learn from their playing modes.
Remember that top players are not born on top. They also grow from fish, just like you, he or me. Play your best and you ARE on the way to be one of them or even on top of them.

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Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Types of poker players


For all new poker players, it’s important for them to know different kinds of players. If they do not understand how deifferent players would playe their hands or what their playing habbits are, they might find it hard to play their hands against them. In fact they really need to get rather familiar with different types of poker players in order to beat them down..
Actually, we can divide all poker players into two general groups: tight and loose players.
As for tight players, they often play their hands quite seriously and cautiously. They will be more likely to fold when the odds are against them. They also have more control of their chips and know clearly how much they win and how much they lose. But they have their own flaws that they are easily predicted out by their opponents. So other players could easily make good use of their weakpoints to win.
Loose players, just the opposite to tight players, would play most of the pots. They are most likely to call all the raises and do not care too much about how much they win or lose. Playing with these players, you may find it much more funny as they usually play most of their hands and play much longer. But on the other side, they are also not that simple as tight players to predict them out. Some of them would be much flexible in their playing and make it harder for you to take exact and wise actions.
What is more important is that you need know that you also belong to one group of them. Therefore, you need to be more felxible in your playing style in order to be unpredicatable. When you feel that some one has read you out and glanced at your bucks, you must quickly change your playing style. Play tightly now and then in a loose game and vice versa.

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Learn to bluff


Bluffing seems to be a very basic skill for poker players. If you could use it properly you will find it rather profitable. Here are some tips for you to know when and how to bluff in poker games.

Bluff when the board cards indicate that someone may possibly have a good hand. For example, if three cards of the same suit are on the board, someone could be holding the fourth card, giving them a flush. If you bet like you are that someone, you might convince the other players that you are. If you can do that, the other players will fold, and you will win the poker hand.

Watch out when bluffing if you are playing with some weak and inexperienced players. New poker players may not so skillful as others to think before they take their actions to call your bluff. They may call all bluffs or all the raises others offered.

Do not bluff too often. Some smart players could read you out if you always like to bluff in most conditions and you will lose in the long run. So be careful of those players that looks have the ability of reading others and stay unpredictable.

Think twice before bluffing. If you are sitting in the middle or later positions, you could base your decision of bluffing or not on what other players before you did. Also you can guess what hands they might keep, and then decide your action.

Never bluff according to your first feeling or tuition but to your wise judgments.
Again: practice makes perfect, just keep your eyes open and you will become much more powerful. You bet~!

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Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Play poker with fish


When you play poker games of any type, you will always have a fish around the table, and sometimes more than one. So you need to tell who is and who is not. Otherwise, they would give you some surprise occasionally, though few but make you feel rather depressed. Remember the saying, "If you can't spot the sucker at the table, you are it".


Playing poker with fish, or loose callers and bad bettors, can have its ups and downs. If you try not to let their loose calling and crap betting get at you, you can get the best of them and most of their money.


Don't you hate it when you try to bluff at a pot with a big bet and someone with 3rd or 4th bottom pair calls you down? These are fish - they have high hopes in every hand and loose call way too often. On top of their bad plays and constant chasing, when they win they act like they are the next Chan. This can get irritating, especially when they start hitting hands, and they may even put you on tilt.


Sometimes it gets really frustrating watching a bad player take down pots by calling big bets on an unreal chase and catch. It is even worse when you try to steal the pot and they call you with some insane small pair. Remember those seemingly aggressive fish. They might call you whenever you want to bluff to win the pot.


So, how to catch those fish? One simple way is to play how you usually play and eventually you will take their stack. If you wait until you have a nut or a very good hand when they have a pair or two, you will catch them. Back to fish having high hopes in all their hands - they WILL call you down when you lay out that big bet.


Fish are fish. What you need to do is just give what they like and enjoy your fishing.

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Poker News:WPT North American Poker Championship Starts Friday


Making its only trip outside of the continental U. S., the World Poker Tour’s North American Poker Championship starts this Friday at Fallsview Casino Resort in Ontario, Canada.
Previously held during the tournament schedule at the Bellagio’s Festa al Lago, the North American Poker Championship has shown growth in every year that it has played. Since its inaugural tournament during the third season of the WPT, the NAPC has grown from 312 runners to last year’s 504 player field. This year’s field is expected to meet or exceed last year as the multitude of transplanted Canadian poker pros enjoy a trip back home and the Canadian dollar offers a good deal for all who participate.
The four year history of the tournament has provided the breakout victory for young players as well as established veterans. In 2004 (when it was named in honor of the legendary Doyle Brunson), former WSOP World Champion Juan Carlos Mortensen outlasted Erik Seidel and John Juanda to capture the crown. The next year was one for the veterans too as noted cash game player Minh Ly defeated “Action” Dan Harrington to win the event.
Once it moved to Canada in 2006, the NAPC dropped the “Doyle Brunson” in its name and became a battleground for the young internet stars. Soren Turkewitsch was the champion on the first visit to the banks of Niagara Falls and last year Scott “BigRiskky” Clements defeated fellow online player Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little, winning over $1.1 million.
With its proximity to the United States, the NAPC is a popular stop for tournament poker professionals and young internet players. Because of the lower age restriction (eighteen years old versus the 21-year age minimum in the States), the best the online world has to offer storm the Fallsview Casino Resort to take part in the action. With this influx of online money, the field should be around 550 players, making a $1 million first place prize, and Scott Clements will be there to defend his crown.
Fallsview Casino Resort is currently offering satellites to enter into the NAPC and the first of three Day Ones starts at noon on Friday. Saturday and Sunday will see the remaining players begin the tournament with the survivors from the weekend combined at the start of play on Monday. Three more days of battle will lead up to the final table, scheduled for October 16th.

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Online poker advantages


Nowadays, online poker games have become more and more popular among poker players and even those who like to try this new hobby or interest. We know that it is different from real poker games in person. But it still has its own advantages over in person games.


First, as we all know, one of the top poker skills and hardest to acquire is the ability to read your opponent by his physical actions. Many of the card sharks you will see at the brick and mortar casinos have developed this skill into a powerful advantage. However, in the online casino, there are no physical players. I can cuss when I get a bad hand or shout for joy when I hit my flush draw, and no one at the table knows the difference! So our first advantage of online play is the fact that it takes away one advantage of the old time card sharks who rely on reading your “tells.”


Secondly, online poker is convenient. There is a game going 24 hours, 7 days a week, and there is seat open for you. No airfare, no hotel room, no bar tab. All of this money can go directly into your bankroll as you play from the convenience of your own home.


Thirdly, online poker is more kind to the beginner. Why? Because the vast majority of players flocking to the online casinos are beginners themselves, who maybe like you, have just watched the latest World Poker Tour event on the Travel Channel and decided they wanted to try their hand at Texas Hold 'em.


Finally, there are so many free money promotions being handed out by the various online casinos that you would be greatly amiss not to at least consider taking advantage of them. Several casinos offer 100% matching deposits, up to $100 and more in free chips. The fact is, I have not seen a single casino that did not offer some sort of promotional bonus to new signups and existing players.


So, if you haven’t tried the online poker games yet, what you need to do now is just to sign up a new account in a few minutes on a perfect online poker site and enjoy its fun and excitement

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Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Know when to fold


Texas Holdem has now become one of the most popular poker games in the world. More and more people get interested in the game and want to find some nice resources to quickly learn the game rules for them to join the game world. But when they really get into the game, they start to find that they don’t know why they could not take senseful actions but play the game blindly somewhat.


Here is one tip for poker players to follow to overcome what you sometimes cannot control when get involved the game.


No matter you are poker beginners or not, you had better know when to fold, as this is a very important point many poker players might ignore. For poker beginners, they would like to play all their hands to the end of every round without wise considerations. They haven’t got enough experiences and skills to deal with all kinds of hands they have to respond to.


Big hands, big draws and big egos are all possible reasons for new poker players not to fold their hands. Here, poker beginners’ ego would matter in their actions. They might say to themselves that "I will not allow another player to outplay me." Nothing hurts a poker egotist more than getting bluffed or outplayed.


In general, people tend to overestimate their skill level. Even for those poker beginners who just learned a little about how to play poker, they might think that they have already know the general rules or ways how the games go. However they haven’t practiced what they learned to some enough extent. Remember that it will never be enough for people to grasp some skills to the top level. In fact, there is no such place called the top.


So, do not let your ego encroaches your wise sharp judgments on whether you need to fold or to call.

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Monday, September 29, 2008

funny poker jokes


Dog Gone Poker


A man walked by a table in a hotel and noticed three men and a dog playing cards. The dog was playing with extraordinary performance.
"This is a very smart dog.", the man commented.
"Not so smart," said one of the players. "every time he gets a good hand he wags his tail."



Bill Gates get's a Poker Lesson


Bill Gates dies and goes to heaven. Saint Peter greets him at the pearly gates and says, "Bill you're such a unique individual that we've decided to give you a choice between heaven and hell."Bill thinks about this and asks if he can get a look at the two options. St. Peter says, "Sure, I've got a couple of windows you can look through." So he opens the window to heaven and Bill sees lots of angels sitting on clouds plucking harps. Peter then opens the second window to hell. It's a brightly lit casino ?lots of people drinking, laughing, and having a good time. There are naked dancing girls on stage and in the corner a nice little poker room. Doyle, Mike and other poker greats are playing Bill's favorite $3-$6 Hold'em. There's an empty seat with chips and they wave at Bill to come join them in the game. Bill tells Saint Peter that he's decided that hell looks like its more fun than heaven and he wants to join the poker game. Saint Peter snaps his fingers and Bill's wish is granted.
Well about 6 months go by and Saint Peter decides to see how his friend Bill is doing. He opens the window to hell and there is Bill shacked by his ankles, hanging over a fiery pit. Peter asks him how he likes his new home. Bill says, "Saint Peter, this isn't anything like you showed me. What happened?" Saint Peter responds, "Sorry Bill, I thought you realized that was just the demo version".

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POKER NEWS:Online Whizz Kid David Benefield Talks about Live Tournaments and his Playing Style


Despite only being 23-years-old, David Benefield has been tearing up the biggest no-limit hold'em cash games online for some time now. In 2008, he branched out onto the tournament circuit and threatened great things before suffering at the hands of lady luck in the later stages. Benefield finished 77th in the World Series Of Poker main event before a cruel outdraw at the hands of Brandon Cantu cost him the opportunity to play down to the final table as one of the chip leaders. Nonetheless, he arrived in London undeterred for the World Series Of Poker Europe, presented by Betfair, and finished Day 1B of the main event right at the top of the leader board with a massive stack of 126,775 chips. Card Player caught up with the young Texan at the dinner break to discuss how he managed to get all those chips, his unique style, and the significance winning a big tournament would have on him.


Shane Gittes: How has the day been going so far David?


David Benefield: I've got about 100k, and I've been running really good. Every time I get it in, I win. It's pretty tough to lose when you keep getting the nuts and it holds up!


SG: So most of your chips have simply come through having big hands then?


DB: Yeah, I've had a bunch of big hands. I've actually been playing pretty tight but when I've had a hand I've been re-raising and flopping big. Better yet, people just aren't folding to me. It’s good to have big hands and get paid off on them.


SG: Talk us through some of those hands.


DB: Really early on I had 9-9 on the button. I had re-raised probably three or four times already and this was in level one with the blinds at 50/100. Anyway, middle position makes it 300, and he'd been playing pretty tight. Somebody else called and then I made it 1,200 with the 9-9. It gets folded back to him and he makes it 3,000. The other guy folds and I call.


SG: When he makes it 3000, do you see his hand as essentially being face-up as a big pair?


DB: Not really, he seemed like he was getting kind of fed up because I had been re-raising a fair bit compared to the rest of the table, so he could have had nothing. I'm just hoping to, you know, flop a nine and if not, get lucky! He had 16k behind. Anyway I flopped a set, he bet out 5,000 and I called. The turn was an off-suit deuce, he checked and I bet 4,000. He had like 6k behind. River was a king, he shipped it with K-J and I obviously called, so that was a big one. Another big one was a bit later with 150/300 blinds. I had 60,000 at this point and Julian Thew in the small blind had probably 25-30k. I raised to 800, Thew makes it 2,500 and I just call with K-K. The flop comes 6-5-2. He bets out 2,500, I make it 7k pretty quick and he ships it for 20,000. I call. He actually had a set but I turned a king! I'm really running good! I mean I've had big hands and when they aren't the best I suck out so what can you do.


SG: I've been watching you do this, but I know something that you emphasise a lot is the importance of the button in no-limit hold'em.


DB: Yes, I've been playing really aggressively on the button all day. I had a cool hand recently actually with the guy on my right. He made it 1,100 to go which was a pretty big raise and so I made it 3,500 with 4 4 on the button. He called and the flop came down Q 8 7 with two spades. He checked, and I bet 2,600 which was really, really small. He called super-fast and the turn was a 6. So the board read Q 9 8 7. He checked to me and had about 36k left. I bet 7,600 and I was going to put him in on the river pretty much whatever card came but luckily he folded.


SG: So you said you were going to put him all-in on the river, but what's your thought process there with just a pair of fours?


DB: I felt like he had a pair and a spade but not the ace of spades. He could have had a hand like K-Q, or maybe even as strong as A-Q. But it's such a scary board that he can't call if he checks it. Obviously if he bets anything, then I am snap-folding but I just felt the way the hand went down I'd be able to three-barrel and get him off his hand.


SG: You have a very unique style as far as betting patterns go. Often you make very small 'Raptor' bets as they've been coined online. How do players in the live arena cope with these?


DB: It really depends on the person. A lot of people really hate folding so a lot of the time I get really angry quick calls before I take it away on the turn.


SG: Do you get a lot of people trying to come over the top of you because they are confused by your small bets?


DB: I think actually a lot of people just don't really know what to do with it. My whole philosophy is to put people in situations that they're not used to dealing with and to get them out of their comfort zone. They'll give something away when they do that and play a hand really badly because of that.


SG: You played quite a few tournaments in the US WSOP this summer and now you're here. Is it important now for you to do well in tournaments?


DB: I don't play them for the money aspect so much. Well, obviously I play them to make money but realistically I could make more money sitting at home in front of my computer. But it's fun to get out and mix it up a little bit. I've always wanted to win a big live tournament but I just haven't got lucky enough yet.


SG: So do you share that same sort of passion as someone like Phil Hellmuth, for success and glory?


DB: It would be cool to get a bracelet but really I just want to win a live tournament. EPT, WPT, WSOP, it doesn't matter, I just want to have that on my record.

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Sunday, September 28, 2008

It’s a wise strategy to slow play


Sometimes it’s crucial for you to take quick and instant actions after your opponents acted while some other times it’s wise to slow your playing tempo.


Slow playing is an effective strategy to draw more cash out of your opponents by inducing them into a false sense of security. If you are holding a good hand, take for example pocket 7's and you call the blinds to see the flop. Lets assume that the flop brings another 7, an ace, and 3. There is now very little chance that you will be beaten. With luck your opponent will be holding an ace. Slow playing is when you are usually seated in an early position and check rather than bet. Hopefully your opponent will bet, giving you the opportunity to raise. In this instance, by allowing them to lead the betting, they have become pot committed and are now lacking confidence in their hand. With luck they will call your re-raise allowing you to bleed more cash from their bankrolls.


However, there are several arguments against slow playing. The first and foremost is that you are most likely playing poker to win money. By not betting you are not drawing any money out your opponent. With each betting round that passes and no bet placed, you have missed a valuable opponent to draw money from your opponents when you are holding a confident hand. The other argument against slow playing is that you will often slow play, and come the next round, you opponent will pick up that card they need to trump your hand. Losing in this fashion, can be destructive to your game play, and set you in to an emotional frustrated state, which will only lead to you losing.


So, what you need to keep in your mind is to take the proper strategy of playing according to your particular hand, either loose or tightly. Be flexible all the time through the game.

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What poker beginners should not do


Do not play too many hands


For beginners who just start their poker games, there will be many wrong actions or habits they may fall into. In order to avoid them, we need to understand them thoroughly first of all. A very common mistake many new poker players constantly make is that they play too many hands. Its exciting to be involved in the action, but if you don't want to lose all your money, then it’s best to play only a very limited selection of hands. Many pros play little more than 15% of all hands they are dealt. Employing a good hand selection strategy is one effective way of managing how many hands you are playing. For new poker players, it is more important to get quite familiar with the game rules and strategies than set your goal to be winning great amounts of money. And sometimes it’s beneficial for you to pay to learn some precious lessons.


Do not play by feelings, and emotion


Poker is first and foremost a game of probability. It is why you head the term odds bandied around so much in poker guides and forums. Poker is not a game of feeling and emotion. If I had a lot of money for every time I saw a new player play a hand because he had a feeling' about it. Sit with him on the same poker table, I would have a great load of money waiting for me to win .
The same can be said of players playing with their emotions; it rarely turns out well. Poker is about decisions, to make the best possible decisions with all available information. Feelings and emotions should be left at home with your partner. Be careful when you lose a couple of good hands that your emotions don't get the best of you. Remember that impulse is ghost, it can leads your to the failure valley. So, poker beginners should play their games with serious judgments rather than with their personal feelings or emotions.

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Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Online chat as a playing strategy


There are great amounts of skills or tips or strategies for playing poker games online. Here is one strategy that you may find somewhat useful for your playing.
When you play poker games online, you can use your online chat during play as a strategic tool. If you want someone to think you're new at the game, you can ask beginner questions like, "How much do we win if we take 1st place?" Since nobody can see you smiling or sneering behind your computer, they many think you very new at the game and play loose against you. This can be a good strategy to use if it is near the beginning of the game and you got caught with a poor hand. In this case you may gain some chips when somebody calls your strong hand thinking you are weak.
You can also use the online chat to put people on tilt. We don't recommend doing this too often because it is not nice to upset people just to gain a better chance of winning. However, if you have someone who is a really crazy player or not so friendly, then by all means give it to them. In this case, you will most often have to boast that you're an excellent player. So you better be playing some good cards. If you can put the desired player on tilt, he or she may lose their concentration or desire to continue playing at that table therefore increasing the likelihood of playing worse hands or draw hands.
No matter what kinds of cats they are, they are good cats as long as they can catch mice. So just take your full advantage of your strategy to win in your poker games.

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Skill of inducing your opponents to bluff


In most cases of playing poker games, if you bet, a player with a very poor hand will fold, but if you play the hand correctly, you may be able to get them to bet in hopes that you will fold, gaining you an additional bet. Here is a skill of inducing your opponent to bluff to put his chips in the pot.

Attempting to induce a bluff is not always successful and requires a solid understanding of your opponents betting tendencies and playing style. Position also plays a role, but it is not always extremely important. Here are a couple examples of inducing a bluff.

The most common way is if you must act first after the flop and check to an aggressive player. Depending on how good they are you may have to check to them on the turn also, showing weakness two times in a row to get them to bluff. Of course it is always possible that they will check behind you twice, but in this case, it is very unlikely that they would have called if facing a bet, so you don't really lose anything by trying. The real danger is giving your opponent a free look at the turn and / or river to improve their hand to one that will beat you.

Another tactic in a no limit game is to make a small bet showing weakness to make your opponent consider raising you in hopes of making you fold. This works well against weaker opponents, but most better opponents will recognize a small bet as a trap and get away from the hand. Of course this means that you may be able to make a small bet as a bluff against a solid player at a later time. Everything your opponent does may provide you with information you can use in the future.

All of this reinforces the discussions we have had in the past about paying attention and learning your opponents playing styles. Some opponents will bet every single time you check to them two times in a row, no matter what they have. Others will always check behind you unless they have a monster hand. By knowing what types of players your opponents are, you can pick up an extra bet or two every time you play. This increases your profitability a great deal over the course of your poker-playing career. So, you’d better make a note about the playing habits of your opponents on which to base your own decisions.
Again, practice makes perfect. Just put what you learn in practical use and you’ll be rewarded one day.

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Some Basic Strategies for Low limit Texas Hold'em


Low limit Hold'em is the best place for poker beginners to start. Limit hold'em have fixed betting structures that means you won't lose large amounts on one hand.




1. Analyze your opponents and relative strength of your cards. Make it a habit to always anticipate what your opponents are holding and to continue the evaluation as more informaton is revealed in each of the later rounds. You will not be really successful unless you know how your opponents think.


2. Make it a point to recall playing styles of opponents. Ask yourself what types of hands they raise, what hands they re-raise, whether or not they call when holding weak cards, whether they play pocket pairs, whether they play draws, what hands they like to call or raise from early positions, as well as what hands they check or raise with to gain more insight into the players styles.


3. Bet or raise when it is warranted. If a bet or raise is worthwhile, don't simply call. The very structure of Limit Texas Hold'em encourages drawing hands, which might even bet into you. If you really think you have the best hand, it is wise to almost always bet or raise. Don't give away any free cards.


4. Always have a good kicker card. You want to have a good side card, called the kicker, to your highest card. Too often, weak kickers simply build second best hands and these can be expensive in the long run.


5. Vary your play so that you sometimes limp on raising hands and bet or raise on some calling hands. This should be done both before and after the flop so that you don't become predictable.
6. Save money by folding at the right times. Do not draw when you already know you are beaten and the pot isn't worthy of a call.


7. Bluff very rarely and only when you are certain your opposition does not hold great hands and/or are very weak when you attempt to bluff.



Believe that practice makes perfect, and as long as you put your heart in what you are doing, you’ll succeed one day.

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