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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Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Patience in poker


Patience is one of the most important cornerstones of good poker play. Though it’s not enough, and you still require skill to succeed, all the skill in the world will not help you unless you have the patience to put the plan into action.

What we should know is that one of the big advantages we're going to have against our opponents is that we're going to be more patient than they are. By their being more eager than we are, this will amount to us having the advantage over them. They are forcing the action, while we are not. They are playing marginal hands, while we are not. They are pushing hands further than they ought, while we are not. Each time our opponents make a mistake and we do not, it adds to the advantage we have over them.

By doing so though, this is going to have us doing a lot more folding than our opponents. We aren't going to be getting anywhere near the action they are. They will thus be more "entertained" than we do. A lot of players play poker for this reason. Let them be entertained by their poor play. We need to be entertained by our success.

Folding so much can be rather dull though, especially if you've previously played a lot of cards. Perhaps frustration may set in, particularly if you haven't had a hand in a while, which can happen. There's always action going on though, and you need to adjust yourself to paying attention to the game, and seek to discover information about the way your opponents are playing. This can be made more entertaining for you if you try to guess what opponents have, and see if you're right.

However, the fundamental thing here is that your patience is taking you toward the correct moves rather than the incorrect ones. And this is the way you need to think about this. Each time you fold, you need to think - I made the correct move, as by folding in this particular situation, I will make the most money at this game. And you need to continue to think that way in spite of cards which may come up which would have hit your hand. Playing the hand over time instead of folding, while it would have made money this time, will lose over time, and this is what you need to focus on when this happens.Then, as you continue to correctly fold your hands, there's going to be instances where it's correct to stay in the hand. This is just a continuation of acting the same patient way, and seeking to make the correct decision each time. As you become more adept at doing this, you will actually find games more relaxing and thus more enjoyable.

Patience, like other skills in poker, needs to be developed. It must be kept central in your mind in order to do so though. As you get better at mastering this skill, your bottom line will be rewarded. Trust me, and you will get a surprising harvest in the world of poker.

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Several tips for playing Texas Hold'em online


No matter what you do, you will find it much more easier to do things with some tips or tricks. It’s the same in playing poker games. Here are some tips for playing Texas Holdem online. Wish they are of good use for your improvement of your skills.
You can bet with just an ace or two minor overcards on the flop, but you should fold if someone raises your bet in that situation. If someone bets before you on the flop you can call with two overcards, but fold them at the turn unless your hand improves then. You can call with two major overcards (eg A-J) if someone raises your bet on the flop. You can also check-call a bet on the turn with that kind of hand, unless the board looks threatening.
A small pair with an overcard kicker is a strong hand that you can call a raise with on the flop. Though, you should probably fold it on the next round if it was raised on the flop and you haven't improved the hand and someone bets before you.
If everyone checks on the flop you can bet on the turn even if you have nothing. Your opponents will often fold in such a situation, unless they are too many or too loose.
You can sometimes bluff-bet if the flop contains an ace . Your opponents will often fold in such a situation if they don't have any pairs or an open ended straight, because it's impossible for them to have any overcards when the flop contains an ace. Please note that this will only work when your opponents aren't too many or too loose.
If someone suddenly bets into you or raises , and you are considering folding, be sure to first look at the amount of chips that the player has in front of him. If he is out of chips it's likely that he is bluff raising or betting because he knows he will go all-in on that hand anyway.
Unless you could get most of your opponents’ information, you cannot make your decisions immediately as your turn to act comes. It’s much better to learn as many tips as possible but just remember that tips are not automatically functional while you need to be flexible to take full advantage of them for your good.

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Monday, September 22, 2008

The birthplace and evolution of poker


Do you know the birthplace of poker and its’ history of evolution? One of the most popular belief is that the Chinese invented it around 900 A.D., possibly derived from Chinese dominoes. Others state that it originates from the Persian game "as nas". This is a 5-player game, which requires a special deck of 25 cards with 5 suits. However, this is only recorded back to the 17th century.
Another theory calls on French "poque". The French who settled New Orleans around 1480 played Poque, a card game involving bluffing and betting. This was stated to be the first using a deck consisting of spades, diamonds, clubs and hearts.
Fragments of cards have been tentatively dated to 12th/13th century in Egypt. Some propose that modern cards originated from the Indian card game of Ganjifa.

It has evolved through the years, through many backroom games to present day casinos around the world. Its history is rich with famous places and characters.
Today, it is carefully regulated by gambling laws, but it is played more than any other card game. It has grown into a sporting event, with worldwide competitions and tournaments.
In less than two centuries time, poker has changed drastically. Once a game mainly played by cheats, outlaws, and knife-makers aboard riverboats, it has developed into a celebrated 'sport' played worldwide.
If you compare the prizes of major worldwide sporting events, you will find that the monetary outcome of any given event in it would (pardon the pun) stack up. Today is one of the fastest growing, but hardly recognized sporting events. The World Poker Tour could change that. The WPT is a series of televised worldwide championship events and the mission of the WPT is to turn tournaments into a televised sport.
The pinnacle of the poker game is WSOP. This annual event attracts players worldwide every year to compete for money and titles as the world's top players. Every May, the only place players want to be is at the WSOP at Binion's Horseshoe in Las Vegas, NV.

Now you’ve already know where poker is from and how it evolves to today’s features?

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Sunday, September 21, 2008

Some facts you may not know about poker












For poker players who treat it as their hobby or way of earning bread must want to know some funny facts about poker. So Here are some interesting facts for players of all types.
·China has invented the playing cards.
·In 1937 a fifth suit was added but since people had to buy all new decks, it didn't catch on.
·Aces and Eights is Dead mans hand.
·Getting dealt 10, 2 is referred to as Doyle Brunson as he won back to back World Series with the hand.
·In the 1800AC, 2,000 to 2,500 riverboat gamblers played poker on American Waterways, By contemporary accounts, not more than four of these poker players were honest all the time. A straight beat a flush at this time.
·Las Vegas Casinos need not pay off their gambling debts as per the law.
·Spades represent Royalty, Clubs represent the peasants, Diamonds represent Merchants and Hearts represent the clergy. Due to French Influence.
·Edmond Hoyle died 150 years before Poker was invented, he was 97 then.
·In the 1300's playing cards were introduced in Europe.
·In 1492, in North America when Columbus landed, his men drew pictures on the wide leaves from trees and played cards with them.
·Bill Hickock, according to the Historians was a lousy poker player.
·Groucho Marx carried his poker money in a "grouch bag" and that's how he got his name.
·During WWll Former President Richard Nixon won $6,000 playing poker in his first two months in the U.S. Navy. That's roughly $42,640 in 2004 dollars. This and other money from poker victories was used to his run for the U.S. Congress in 1946, for which he won.

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Thursday, September 18, 2008

How to read opponents in online poker games?




As there exist some differences between online poker and live poker games, so players need to change their ways of reading opponents comparing with that used in live poker. In live poker games, you play face to face with your opponents and can read them by means of body-language, and could become familiar with their habits or styles of playing, thus helping you to make decisions when your turn comes. However, when playing online poker, players couldn’t see each other when they take their actions. So, what they should do to read their opponents?
Online poker provides players with a ‘mask’ where they can hide behind, thus making the concealment of your bad poker face a child’s play. Unfortunately this whole deal works in both directions: it’ll be a lot tougher for you to get reads on opponents as well. Anyway, although your visual information about your opponents will be reduced, but there are still other ways of reading them.
First, the time a player takes to respond to other players’ actions reveals something about that player. If the player immediately takes actions to bet or raise after others, he or she may has a strong hand. If the player takes a longer time to respond, he is USUALLY hesitating and keeps a weak hand. So when you get a strong hand, you could wait a bit longer before taking actions, thus preventing others predicting your hands.
Then, you could watch others’ playing styles and take a note to be familiar with your opponents. Some players always play aggressively whenever they got strong hands and always fold when they got no nuts. So what you need to do is just to observe and record them in mind.
Besides, the online chat is also another clue for you to read your opponents. The player who constantly chats, will most probably not be a dangerous one. If someone complains online, being rude and trying to insult others out of sheer frustration, you’ll know that he’s not only a fish, but also a socially challenged specimen. Do not get drawn into the senseless yapping. Take note, and focus on your game.
Reading your opponents online thus is possible as there are still resources for you to make full use of, though it is more difficult than in live poker. Just sharpen your eyes and catch the tinny clues revealed by your opponents, then you will stand more powerful than them.

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How to play a strong hand?



When playing poker games online, every player is believed to be willing to be dealt with a strong hand, am I right? Yes. But as for how to play a so-called strong hand, not many players have got a clearly positive answer. They may play the strong hand aggressively all the way to the end of that particular round, with the feeling that they are doomed to win big with that strong hand. But the fact is they may lose or not win much from the pot. What is sad is that they even don’t know the root reason for losing and repeat this sad scene again and again, thus losing great amounts of opportunities to profit from the game.

When you have a strong hand, you obviously want to get the most of it – that is, you don’t want to scare your opponents out of the pot. In such case, you call any bets that were made before you – letting the people behind you to make a raise. If they raise, you also call, and it’s good if you could make them think you don’t like what you do. If nobody bets, you just check, not to let them think that your hand is strong. However, when you get to the river, you should turn on aggression. By that time, it’s likely some of your opponents have already invested in the pot, and it’s very much possible they would call your bets or raises. So, when you are sure your cards are strong, you’d better not make huge bets and raises immediately from the beginning of the game – wait till the river and then show your aggression. Otherwise, if you start to be aggressive from the immediate beginning, some other players might predict that you’ve got a really strong hand and they would take their actions to fold, thus reducing your chance of winning more.

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Wednesday, September 17, 2008

General Hold'em Strategy

Among those popular poker games all over the world, Hold'em is considered as high card game. The players holding two good high cards have the best chance at the best hand or a draw to the best hand after the flop. General playing strategies: Only play strong hands,which will stand a raise or multiple raises, from early positions. Play medium strength and other playable hands from the later positions if you have a good chance of seeing the flop at a reasonable price. Play strong high hands most of the time, and play them very aggressively. Take all the raises you can get. If you don't thin out the competition, you reduce your chances of winning. Plus, your aggressive play before the flop can add credibility to any strong play you might want to use on the next round if a garbage flop falls and you want to try a steal. Be ready to fold your high pair if you get a lot of action with a threatening flop.
Strategy Tips:
Fast play high pairs and very strong hands before the flop.
By doing this more money would be put in the pot and threaten the weak hands to fold.
Watch out for uniform flops, like 567, they can easily turn into straights that can overtake your high pair or other good hand. Keep this in mind and take your action carefully.
Beware of Suited Flops that can make a flush. You need to keep the card of that suit and wait for the last one with which you can form a flush.
Get caught bluffing once in a while. This can reduce the chance of being predicted out in the following rounds of playing.Although you might lose some few chips when caught, you would win big pot in the long run.
Study your opponents carefully, esp. when you are not playing good hands and can pay much attention to their actions. Doing this you can predict information about your opponents and their playing habits or styles.
These tips and strategies above are of great importance if players could understand them well and put them in good use, although they might not be almighty in every condition.

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Tips for playing Blackjack online

Here are some game tips of Blackjack for those players who want to win big money from the online game, and they really make great sense if players could make full use of them when playing games.
Played well, blackjack has become a game of skill rather than a game of chance. Studies of millions of computer-generated hands have yielded a strategy for when to hit, when to stand, when to double, when to split. In a single-deck game in which the dealer stands on all 17s and the player is allowed to double down after splits, a basic strategy player can even gain an edge of .1 percent over the house. Needless to say, such single-deck games are not commonly dealt.Compare those percentages with players who adopt a never-bust strategy, standing on all hands of 12 or more so that drawing a 10 will not cause them to lose before the dealer's hand is played, to players who use dealer's strategy, always hitting 16 or less and standing on 17 or more. These players face a house edge estimated at 5 percent -- about 10 times the edge faced by a basic strategy player.
Basic strategy takes advantage of the player's opportunity to look at one of the dealer's cards. You're not just blindly trying to come as close to 21 as possible. By showing you one card, the dealer allows you to make an educated estimate of the eventual outcome and play your cards accordingly.
One simple way to look at it is to play as if the dealer's facedown card is a 10. Since 10-value cards (10, jack, queen, king) comprise four of the 13 denominations in the deck, that is the single most likely value of any unseen card. Therefore, if you have 16 and the dealer's up-card is a 7, you are guessing that the most likely dealer total is 17. The dealer would stand on 17 to beat your 16; therefore, you must hit the 16 to have the best chance to win.On the other hand, if you have 16 and the dealer's up-card is a 6, your assumption would be that his total is 16, making the dealer more likely than not to bust on the next card. Therefore, you stand on 16 versus 6.That's an oversimplification, of course, but very close to the way the percentages work out when the effect of multiple-card draws are taken into account.
Never take insurance unless you're counting cards .The reason for this is obvious. If you're dealt a natural 21 (blackjack) at a single deck table, and the dealer's up card is an ace, there are 49 cards remaining after removing your ace and ten as well as the dealers ace. This leaves fifteen tens to give the dealer a blackjack. Not insuring your blackjack means you will be paid 3 to 2 thirty-four times and push fifteen times (49 total - 15 tens = 34).This means your winning percentage will be 104 percent by not insuring as opposed to 100 percent if you did. Obviously you're better off not taking insurance.

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Monday, September 15, 2008

Mid-autumn Day






The day before yesterday was Mid-autumn Day in Chinese tradition. As three days were not long enough for me to go back home, I went to one of my friend’s house to celebrate the festival with them. On that day in tradition, Chinese people usually prepared or cooked moon-cakes and many other delicious foods and dish which they will enjoy for the dinner of the festival. The moon at that night in the sky was very round and brightly shinning. Family members usually sit around a table and together chat freely about their work, life, study,, and enjoy the reunion which was considered very important for a family.
What a happy festival I had~! Though I didn’t go home, I still had a nice festival with my friends. After the dinner, somebody suggested play poker for fun, so we played poker to win moon-cakes. He who won would get a moon-cake. I felt it’s really very funny when somebody won so many moon-cakes while someone lost all of their cakes without anything to bet. Obviously, everybody could still have some moon-cakes to eat because we are friends, we are a family in some certain sense. That night spent with my friends made me feel the warmness of HOME.
Wish all of my friends and my family happy every day~!!

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Positions matter in poker games

Your position refers to the order by which you are to make your bet. Position matters in a poker game. If you have a 10-person holdem table and two people are the blinds that leaves 8 people left. The first three people are early position. The next three people are middle position. Late position consists of the dealer button and the person before him (all though you could blur the end of iddle and the start of late). The later you are, the better. Remember you play tight in the front and loose in the back hand selection.
The position on the left of small blind might be the worst one since no free information is available before you bet. Players after you will have your and other players’ moves on which to base their decision to bet or fold, whereas you will have to make a decision based on your hole cards. This is the reason why the person to the left of the blind is called ‘under the gun’ or UTG.

The last position or the Button position is the best position because you basically have the actions of all the other players before you to base your decision on. You also have the chance to be master of the pot as your bet will determine how big the bets are in the following rounds.
There are several advantages to be the button and a good poker player should know how to make full use of them. The expected value of your hand becomes greater when you’re last. You also have the least risk since you can decide to fold after speculating on the strength of your opponents’ cards based on their actions during that particular betting round.

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Thursday, September 11, 2008

Why play poker?


Most poker players might not think of this question unless some other day they are asked about it. When they come to this question, the first reason coming to their mind may be “entertainment”, that is, they play poker for fun. Whenever they feel tired or boring without anything to do to kill time, they would turn to their hobby for help, so they play poker. Or, when they are very happy and want do something for recreation, they may also think of playing poker with others.

The second possible answer for "why play poker?" is the intellectual challenge that poker presents. Poker is not a gambling game, though an element of chance is present, it is more an intellectual challenge where one must put his full mental capabilities in order to win. The intellectual challenge in poker varies from player to player: for some bluffing is the hard core of the game, the real challenge, while for others the intellectual challenge lays in reading opponents' hands. Successful poker players are gaining their joy from learning how a system works and breaking it.Apart from the intellectual challenge, this game also has another attribute and that's the social aspect of it. Poker is a social game - players sit around a card table and play and talk for hours which can strengthen their friendship. Poker offers you a chance to meet new people and make friends while playing your favorite game. No matter you are old friends or just meet for the very first time, when you sit down and start to play poker together, you would quickly get closer to each other and maybe create a durable precious friendship. Games such as playing poker could ease the embarrassment when people meet for the first time. It really works~!Don’t believe it? So just have a try next time you meet somebody whom you want to make acquainted with. Maybe you might also meet your true love around the table as you find that someone play in such good harmony with you. Haha…

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Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Happy Teachers' Day

Today is Teachers' Day. (Sep.10.2008)
All of the departments and people of the nation are celebrating this festival to express their best regards for all the teachers devoting all their life to the education career of China.
And I also think the teachers especially those who struggled to protect and save their pupils in the May quake are so great that they deserve the top honor of the whole world.
No teachers, there would not be this bright energetic society, nor our harmonious nation, nor our powerful country.

Great teachers, you are all heros~!
BEST WISHES~!

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Friday, September 5, 2008

About BlackJack


About Blackjack

When I get to know Blackjack for the first time, I think, as long as you can count your cards points, you could play the game very well. But when I really start to play it, I find that I was wrong. Blackjack is a game of intelligence and strategy. So I said to myself that I would not boast any more in the future if I hadn’t try it out first. You’ll never know the truth of something until you experience it through your own efforts.

Playing Blackjack needs not only good luck but also solid experience,strategy and courage. Of course, we must confess that some times one player would win with a very weak hand against the dealers unpredictable hand. We can say that luck helps in this case.

To some extent, I think, the fun of the game mainly lies in your decision, to hit on or to stand. Therefore, you need to be quite cautious when to make your decision whether to draw one more card or stop to compare your hand against the Dealer’s. At this kind of crucial moments, your experience in the game would help you go much further. In my opinion, it’s just because of this that makes you taste the fun and excitement of Blackjack.

So, have a try of the game and see what I said is somewhat reasonable or not.

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Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Online poker games

Years ago, I didn't have too much spare time to get in touch with poker and knew little about poker games, no matter of in-person games or online ones. But recently, I have begun to taste the interest in playing poker online with other players. So if you donnot play it ,come on now, try it and you will find it quite fun~!

Living in the mordern world nowdays, with the spread and common use of personal computers, you can easily get access to any online poker games to discover that sort of fun that should belong to you.

Two of the most popular online poker games are Speed Hold'em and Badugi. This time, I'd like to introduce something briefly about the first one---Speed Hold'em. This must be very useful for the beginners to get closer to the game and then gradually and deeply fall in love with it.

Speed Hold'em is the same with Texas Hold'em.It is the most widely played version of poker in the world today. The main event at the World Series of Poker, which takes place every year in Las Vegas, is a Texas Holdem game.Texas Hold'em is one of the most dramatic and popular varieties of poker in the world.

But, how do you play the game? Speed Hold'em Poker is played with a typical 52 card deck. The game can be played with as little as two players ("heads up"), up to a max of five players. There is a ten-second clock to speed up the action. Regular poker hand ranks apply to this game. As in most forms of poker, the object is to make the best possible five-card poker hand from a total of seven cards. Of the seven cards, each player receives two cards face down (hole cards) and uses these and the five community cards to make their best possible five-card poker hand.

Now you have already got some ideas about Speed Hold'em Poker, right? Ok, so, next time you will see the detailed ways in which players have fun with it, that is--- the rules of Speed Hold'em.

Wanna share your joy of gaming with me ? So, spare a little bit of your time here everyday and get ready now to grab it together with me.

Remember I'm your friend--Jason. Coming back soon~! ;)

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Monday, September 1, 2008

welcome

Hello,my friends~!
This is my new blog here.
Welcome to visit and make your contribution here~

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