A Brief History of Poker

As has been the case with many games, the origins of poker are unclear. Poker may have had its origins from the 18th century games of brag (England), pochen (“to bluff” in German), and poque (French for “pocket”) all of which had bluffing, betting and poker hand ranking as part of their poker game play.

Poker reached American shores in the 1700s, where it spread and acquired its modern name. Poker was a popular game on Mississippi River steamboats and in the saloons of the Western frontier during the gold rush. The 18-1900s saw newer variants of poker being adopted, the 52-card deck becoming standard and official rules being drawn up.

Modern poker tournament play became popular in American casinos after the World Series of Poker began in 1970. Starting with just a handful of players, the tournament grew into one of the largest poker events in the world. Notable champions from these early WSOP tournaments include Johnny Moss, Amarillo Slim, Bobby Baldwin, Doyle Brunson, and Puggy Pearson.

A spot in the WSOP today costs each entrant $10,000. However many players can avoid the entry fee by winning smaller satellite tournaments to get in. The 2003 and 2004 WSOP champions, Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer, respectively, won their seats to the main event by winning online satellites. When Late Night Poker first appeared on Channel 4 in 1999, it revolutionized people's perception of poker. Poker in the 21st century has also moved into the E-domain as well with online game rooms filled with whales and newbie’s alike. Great media and internet coverage has invariably led to poker becoming a spectator sport with a huge following worldwide.

Brushing up on your poker skills!

Experience is the key to success for it comes from doing and involves taking risks.  This is especially true in poker for you are playing with your own money; brushing up on your skills is of immediate importance.

Understanding the poker odds on each hand dealt, knowing how your opponent’s moves require hands - on involvement.  Listening to your own instincts and being able to exercise its own vision and creativity is a major joy of playing poker.  Don’t disagree as yet, because I would like to tell you one thing for the record: Instincts executed intelligently in a poker hand are the products of poker analysis, reviewing previous hands you played could make the difference of winning or losing in the long run.

These are just some of the skills one has to master when he is into poker and he can only transcend them through hands- on experiences. If you really wish to become a master of an art like “The Art of Playing Poker”, technical knowledge gained through reading poker books, watching poker tournaments & TV poker shows aren’t enough. Man, you have to put your time on the poker table, effort, and money on it. My point is kept on brushing up your poker plays for this is the blueprints for success.

Online poker has arrived!

Due to the popularity of no limit hold'em on televised poker players who want to not only expand their ability to play; they also want to punish their opponents. Poker books are not the best selection on going to learn this type of poker game. Online poker you must read poker forums and study from players that are playing and giving instruction.

These type poker players play multi games and many play up to ten games at once on a few different poker sites. They can not only learn from each decision they learn at a higher pace then poker players that have played fifteen years in less then two years. They quickly build a poker strategy that works in order for them to make money. Is this not why we enter the game in the first place to win money!

6-max no limit hold'em is exciting for the gamblers and the regular professional players alike due to the high variance in the game of this style of poker. But yes the basic strategy still holds true for most of the game. You will have to tweak this strategy to for you to gain most advantage.

Over all number one rule of Hold'em poker is that it's a position game. The player who is in late position has many more options than the poker player in early position. When the poker opponent checks in early position you have the choice of betting or checking. But the opponent has made the decision first and if he has not bet he is probably weak. So a bet with a marginal poker hand may pick up the pot without a fight. If he has a hand and bets, you may wish to fold with the same marginal hand.

You are most often in control of the hand and you will want to keep it that way. When he/she bets you can raise him if you have a big hand and gain extra bets. He can only gain a single bet is his downfall in this situation. But one of the most important parts is taking a free card that is the foundation of the game. He may react by checking and you have nothing you could take a free card or a cheap card. Saving and gaining extra bets will definately build your bankroll at a faster pace. Which means a higher rate of return hourly.

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.