Saturday, January 31, 2009

Categorizing Your Opponents in No-Limit Hold’em

It is extremely important that you are able to assess the quality of your opponents’ play. You have to play very differently against strong players than you do against weaker ones. This is of crucial important in no-limit Hold’em.

There are many very good poker players failing to adjust their strategy when they are in a pot with a certain type of player.

For this the following two general rules can be the guide for us:

Against a low-grade player: You don’t try to get fancy when you are in a pot with a weak player and don’t try to make subtle moves that’ll be far beyond his capacity to understand or appreciate. In a word, you outplay him.

Against a higher-grade player: Sometimes you make an obvious play against a strong player---as you always would against a weak player---and other times you go at it another way and make a play that’s not so obvious. Most of the time, you have to put a play on or out-maneuver a strong player.

Of course, there are even very good players who know that that’s what they’re supposed to do, but knowing something and being able to execute it are two different things in poker games.


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Monday, January 12, 2009

Poker Position in Texas Hold'em


Poker position in Texas Hold’em refers to the place you are in, on the poker table, in relation to the dealer button. The different table positioning, either early position, middle position or late position, can vastly influence the result of the Texas Hold’em poker.

Your poker position in Texas Hold’em largely influences how a player will play his hand, and this is why it is important to read about Texas Hold'em poker positioning as early in the game as possible.

Early position - This Texas Hold'em poker position includes the first five players seated after the button. When you play before the flop, if you call in early position, you are risking your money, without knowing how many players have raised. This means that because of lack of knowledge you might bet money on a weaker and losing hand, or decide not to bet on a hand that can win. In both cases the result is the same, you have a larger risk of losing money with early position.

Middle Position - This position consists of the next three players after the early position players. Middle position does give you information about how the rest of the players bet, but it is still not whole. In middle position there might be players in front of you, that haven’t played before, that can influence how you would play your hand, had you been positioned later on the table.

Late Position - This is where the button, and the player before the button, are situated, and is the best position in the game. With this Texas Hold'em poker position, the player is always the last to act, except on the first round of the pre-flop. This way, the button gets to see all the bets that are made before his is made, and thus he can take into account how the other players chose to bet, and then react accordingly. The person playing the button is switched whenever a new hand is drawn, so no players will be the sole beneficiaries of the position.

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Sunday, January 11, 2009

How to Play Poker Smart


Everyday there are thousands of beginning poker players joining us…

One of the most important things that you can do as a novice is to play every hand as smart as you can. Of course, that is easier said than done, but a smart poker player will beat a dumb one more times than not. What it takes to become a smart poker player?...

The good thing is that there are several steps that you can take in order to enhance your smarts as far as playing the game is concerned.

The first step to playing a smart poker is to know what you are doing before you ever sit down at poker table at the first time.

Another way to play it smart is to stick with your strategy every game that you play. It is never a good idea to attempt to make changes on the fly if you are new to the poker game.

Finally, playing smart means you never stop learning about how to play poker
Remember the best poker player in the world use their brains as well as their skills to come out as a winner time and time again…

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The Pros and Cons of Online Casino Gambling


There can be no debate that online casino gambling is a lot different than gambling in a physical casino. In some ways it is better and in some ways it is worse. Below are my pros and cons of online casino gambling, compared to gambling in a "real" casino.

The Pros

1. Online casino gambling is a competitive business and many casinos will offer a lot to get and keep your online casino gambling business. Many will offer sign-up bonuses to new customers and some will randomly deposit money in customer accounts and others will give away vacations for specified levels of total money bet.

2. The rules are usually better than in physical casino.

3. You don't have to travel long distances. The casino is in your own home.

4. You don't have to suffer real casino annoyances, like smokers.

The Cons

1. You have to be patient about getting your money after you cash out. In addition to waiting periods on the casino end there are also delays on the credit card end.

2. Customer service can be spotty depending on where you do your online casino gambling. Some places offer great service via e-mail and a toll-free number and others take several days to reply to an e-mail.

3. The player has no power or authority to turn to in the event of a dispute. Usually in the player agreement it says the casino can make up the rules as they go and in the event of a dispute the casino's word is final.

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Thursday, January 8, 2009

Basic Poker Terms


Language games are common in almost any endeavor. For instance, the field of medicine has their own terms that only members of their profession relate to. The same thing applies in casino games. Poker, in this case, also has its own terminologies that all players should be familiar with.

There are many basic poker terms by which a smooth poker game is ensured…

A "Buy-in" is the amount of money required before a poker player can sit in the poker table. If the buy-in is $10, all poker players must have $10 or pay this to the bank before they can sit at the poker table.

When playing poker in casinos, there is a minimal charge for the services rendered by the casino to poker players. This is called the rake. The rake is obtained from the poker pot. The poker pot is the collection of all bets made by all poker players in the poker table. The poker winner takes home the pot less the rake.

The flop in poker refers to the first three cards distributed to players. Flops are usually exposed all at once in any game of poker. The limp refers to poker players who bet before the flop. Poker players who equal the highest bid is called to make a "call." While poker players who "raise" must first "call" before allowed to make a raise.

For instance, the Poker highest bet is $5. The poker player "calls" and bets $5 before he can make a "raise" to, for instance, $10.

When a poker player concedes and accepts defeat, it is called a "fold". The poker player, obviously, loses all the chips he wagered in the pot. Poker players who have the best hand is called to possess the "nuts."

Understand all these basic terms and a fat poker profit is surely to you're your way…

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Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Poker is Life


I love playing poker, sometimes win while sometimes lose, just like our life, sometimes happy and sometimes sad. Remember the movie “Forrest Gump” in which Gump’s mother said “Life is like a box of chocolate. You never know what you gonna get.”

In fact, sometimes life is also like a poker game. In every poker game there is a winner and there is a loser, but what separates the two isn’t just luck, it’s poker strategy. And to take it one step further, the same techniques you use in a poker tournament can be used to succeed in life.

The happiness in life is not based on winning at poker, while the winning at poker is based on the happiness of life.

The following three points are suitable both in poker and in life…Put on your poker face – you never want others to know what you are thinking. Just like in poker, the expressions on your face can give away your thoughts. In the real world if you seem desperate you are less likely to succeed, but if you seem confident you are more likely to succeed.

Look for tell signs – people unknowingly do things that give away what they’re thinking. Although you don’t want others to know what you are thinking, you want to study your opponents so you can figure out what they are thinking. By doing this you will have a better understanding of how to react to their actions so that you can benefit from them.

Place smart bets – if you have a shitty poker hand you probably want to fold. And if you have a royal flush you should go all in. The same goes in life because if the cards you are dealt suck, then you probably want to quit and call it a day.

Use your head – it may be difficult to count cards, but it isn’t difficult to learn from your mistakes. Don’t forget about the mistakes you made in the past or else you may make them again.

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Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Read Your Poker Opponents


One of the most important things in poker is to get a correct read on what the opponent will do next, and thus to get an approximate idea of what he may be holding in the pocket. Knowing that, will allow you to take control of the game and make your will prevail.

It is a commonly accepted fact that a good poker player needs to manipulate his opponents. Keeping them in the dark and confused is by far not enough. You need opponents who know what they have to do all the time. If you’re barely able to keep them from getting a read on you, and keeping them confused takes up all your concentration, then you’re not doing something right.

In real poker, there are a myriad of ways to get reads on different players,such as body language and face. What about online poker? Do things work the same way there?

Playing and winning online poker is a science. It is both a skill and an art of mastering things that most players take for granted.

Online poker is quite different from real poker, as football is from rugby. Online poker provides players with a ‘mask’ 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. This is the very reason why good real poker players turn out not to be such A-grade online players, and vice-versa.

Generally speaking, players who take longer to respond are in possession of a weak hand in online poker. Don’t ever stall if you intend to take a weak hand further. That’ll be a clear sign to your opponents that you’re in a predicament. On the other hand, you might want to take a bit longer before acting when you’re in possession of a monster.

Anyway, in poker, the sure way of winning is by showing down the best hand. This is true not only for casinos but for online as well. However, there a number of reasonable ways a smart player could increase his chances of winning. The sure way of acquiring winning poker skills is by checking out how players deal with their games and keeping in mind the right moves.

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Monday, January 5, 2009

Know Your Texas Hold’em


Are you a poker fan? Have you ever had the experience when you have no idea whether to call, fold or check? Let’s learn something together…

Wandering in Texas Hold’em and other poker games every day, play with winning and losing or appreciate other people with learning; many things have come into my mind…

Once you post your blind the money no longer belongs to you. So, don’t waste additional money on marginal hands and also don’t automatically call with the small blind if you have nothing. Saving a half bet will pay for your next small blind.

Deciding whether to continue playing after the flop will also be your big decision. It can also be one of the most costly decisions if you continue after the flop with an inferior poker hand. It is said that the flop defines your hand. Poker Author Shane Smith coined the phrase “Fit or Fold”. If the flop does not fit your hand by giving you top pair, or better or a straight or flush draw, then you should fold if there is a bet in front of you. If you played a small pair from late position and you do not flop a third one to make a set you should throw the pair away if there is a bet.

If you think you have the best hand after seeing the Turn card and are first to act, then go ahead and bet. Many poker players will try to get fancy and attempt to check raise in this position. If the other players also check, you have lost a bet or two. In low limit games the straight forward approach is usually the best as there are plenty of players who will call you. Make them pay. Why give them a free card if you don’t have to?

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Sunday, January 4, 2009

Poker Needs Secrets


Playing poker has been a passion of mine for quite a long time and I have always enjoyed a variety of games. My favorites are Texas Hold’em, Speed Hold’em and Omaha, but I still also play Seven Card Stud. I treat poker games as entertainment while they also need secrets.

In poker, you often find yourself at a point of decision: it is your turn to take action but you don't know what to do. Should you call? Should you raise? Should you fold? You study the cards; you calculate your outs and your pot odds; you retrace the action of the hand; you ponder the chips on the table… Still, you have no idea what is your best move. You analyze the probabilities; you consider advice from poker books you've read; you look skyward for guidance. Yet you remain baffled. Your actions in situations like this determine your success as a poker player.

The secret is to figure out what your opponent don't want you to do and then do that. When you face an opponent in poker, he will always be worried about your particular action.

The secret is reliable---the reason is that the inner desires of your opponent are based on accurate information. He knows almost everything about the details of his poker hands and he does not need to speculate about those things as you do. Therefore, whatever he is thinking is based on factual information from his viewpoint. His thoughts, whatever they are, are rooted in his reality…

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Saturday, January 3, 2009

World Series of Poker


2009-new year has come and WSOP of 2009 is on its way. I am expecting the amazing time just like all of the other poker lovers.

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the largest set of poker tournaments in the world which is held in Las Vegas every year and it has consisted of 55 events since 2007. The winner of each event gets a World Series of Poker bracelet and a price based on the number of entrants.

The idea of a World Series of Poker began in 1969 with an event called the Texas Gambling Reunion, it was as an invitational event sponsored by Tom Moore of San Antonio, Texas, and held at the Holiday Hotel and Casino in Reno. The set of tournaments that the World Series of Poker (WSOP) would evolve into was the brainchild of Las Vegas casino owner and poker player Benny Binion.

WSOP is becoming more and more popular as the number of participants has grown almost every year and in recent years the growth has exploded…

The World Series of Poker of 2009 is coming nearer and nearer. Ask any poker player what their dream is and chances are it is to play in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. So, everybody, get ready to the WSOP of 2009…

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