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Top Poker Tip-Strategy to Start Playing Poker Like a Pro Overnight!

2009-08-13T12:09:00.000-07:00

Top Poker Tip-Strategy to Start Playing Poker Like a Pro Overnight!

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Here's a quick tip I use, you have to be quite disciplined but trust me it will pay off! When in Early Position (i.e next to the blinds) only play the following hands:-

Paired - Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks, Tens, Nines, Eights
Suited - Ace King, Ace Ten, King Queen, King Jack, Queen Jack
Unsuited - Ace King, Ace Queen

Your probably asking Why? Well if you call the blind with only these hands in Early position it means that if someone in Mid or Late position makes a hand and raises then you can confidently call his raise or even re raise without having to fold and loose your Blind! Simple but very affective!

When playing from Mid position you can afford to play slightly looser and I would recommend only playing the following hands

Paired - Sevens, Sixes, Five
Suited - Ace Nine, King Ten, Queen Ten, Jack Ten, Ten Nine, Nine Eight
Unsuited - Ace Jack, Ace Ten, King Queen, King Jack

This reason you can play slightly looser is because you get to see what the Early Position player have played which will indicate what you can do with you hand.

When playing from Late position you can a lot looser and I would recommend you play the following hands from this position

Paired - Fours, Threes, Twos
Suited - Ace Eight, Ace Two, King Nine, King Eight, Queen Nine, Jack Nine, Ten Eight, Eight Seven, Seven Six, Six Five, Five Four
Unsuited - Ace Nine, King Ten, Queen Jack, Queen Ten, Jack Ten, Ten Nine

You can play these hands again because you get to see what nearly every one your opponents has done with there hand and if you read my Article on "Tells" you should be able to pick up on who has a good hand and who is bluffing!

courtesy of http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Irwin

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Playing Small Pairs in Texas Holdem Poker

2009-08-10T12:02:00.000-07:00

Playing Small Pairs in Texas Holdem Poker

Small pairs can be tricky to play in Texas Holdem. While they may be the best hand before the flop, high cards can give your opponents pairs and ruin your hand. You should also factor in the chances of hitting trips, which can often win a big pot from an opponent holding an unimproved high pair. This article looks at the pitfalls and benefits in playing small pairs.

When dealt a small pair the number of opponents who act after you before the flop can be a critical factor in how you play. With 8 or 9 opponents still to act you can not be sure whether there will be a raise, re-raise or even an all-in behind you - suggesting you should act cautiously. If most of your opponents have folded (of limped) to you when last to act, you can be more confident in taking a flop without a large raise forcing you off of your hand.

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Calling a raise before the flop with a small pair will depend on how many chips you and your opponents have in play. You will often need to hit trips to win the pot - and this will only happen approximately one in eight times. To make your initial call 'mathematically correct' you need to have 10 to 12 times the bet you are calling, the extra chips are required since you will not get your opponent's entire stack every time.

If you miss the flop and have multiple opponents still in the hand it is usually wise to fold your small pair when someone bets. This is especially the case when there are high cards on the flop - cards which are likely to have hit the kind of hands your opponents are calling with.

If you took the lead in the betting before the flop and see your opponent check then a 'continuation bet' is often profitable. By representing strength you may also see opponents check to you again after the turn. This allows you to either take a free river card or fire another bet depending on the tendencies of your opponents.

To summarize, the best way to play small pairs is when it is cheap to see a flop from late position. Your objective is to hit a 3 of a kind and win a big pot from an opponent with aces (for example). Where you miss then folding to opponent strength is usually best, though you may be able to win the pot with a continuation bet under the right circumstances.

courtesy of http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Mark_R._Holland

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What is the Poker Deposit Bonus?

2009-08-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

What is the Poker Deposit Bonus?

The concept of poker deposit bonus is one that has caught on greatly in popularity in recent times, especially among online poker enthusiasts.

As the concept of poker deposit bonus becomes more and more popular, several meanings are getting attached to it - though for the most part, it is taken to refer to money which the various poker sites add to the accounts of the people who deposit money with them for poker playing purposes. This the poker sites do either to encourage more people to play poker with them, and also to attract new poker players to their sites, seeing that some of these online poker signup bonuses are paid to new players who deposit money into their poker accounts for the first time.

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For the most part, the poker deposit bonus is quoted both as a percentage and a dollar amount. And for the poker deposit bonus to be attractive, it has to be outrageous. Something like a 20% poker deposit bonus, for instance, simply won't wash with most people seeking to play poker - who on the most part tend to be highly ambitious people with big dreams and seeking to win 'big-time' and get the money to make their dreams come true. If they wanted modest returns, after all, they'd be in forex or in the stocks. Poker is for the big boys, who can take big risks and earn big bucks. So for most part, the minimum acceptable poker signup bonus is 100% - where a potential poker player who deposits something like $100 into their account gets another $100 to play with (to make $200) added by 'the house' into their online poker account. For the most part though, 200% seems to be the highest available poker signup bonus.

Take note though, as mentioned, that there tends to be an explicitly mentioned dollar amount cap to most (virtually all, in fact) of the poker signup bonuses. Some sites offering a poker deposit bonus will, for instance, state that that they are giving a 100% or a 110% percent bonus, but quickly add a rejoinder that they are doing so only up to $100, $200 and so on, with very few (if any) going anywhere above $500 on the maximum side.

It is also noteworthy that a number of these sites offering a poker signup bonus tend to limit it geographically, so that for instance, the bonus is available only to players within given geographical jurisdictions, like the United States only. Thankfully, the number of sites in this category (those who limit their poker deposit bonus geographically) are in the minority.

The question as to whether the poker signup bonus is a worthwhile bonus depends on whether or not you believe the adage which says something to the effect that the 'house always wins' in gambling circles. If you do, then you take the poker deposit bonus offered to you knowing that the people offering it to you are bound to make much more from you in the long run. And if you don't believe that the 'house always wins' or have found a unique way of winning against the house - then the poker signup bonus is something you should make a run for.

courtesy of http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Manny_Jones

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Texas Holdem Poker Rules

2009-08-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

Texas Holdem Poker Rules

The term Texas Holdem poker rules (which is derived from Texas Hold 'Em - Texan English for 'Hold Them') refers to one of the most popular versions of poker, especially in casinos.

In recent times, Texas Holdem Poker Rules version of poker has been widely popularized by the wide exposure it has received in the World Poker Tour (run by the Travel Channel) and the World Series of Poker (run by ESPN).

Playing poker using the Texas Holden Poker Rules involves four major actions, namely the shuffle (with the blinds and the deals done at this stage), betting, the flop, the fourth and the fifth streets - and the final betting, which is followed by declaration of the winner.

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At the shuffle stage, the person playing poker using Texas Holdem Rules deals with all the classic 52 cards which make the standard poker deck - which the player has to shuffle fully if the game is to be termed as fair. Shuffling is closely followed by putting the blinds - which is essentially placing money in the poker pot before the cards are dealt, to effectively make Texas Holdem Rules Poker a betting game. In the version played in casinos, the process of dealing is automated through a round disk which moves round from player to player, so that all that a player has to do is place bets, with no one actually doing the 'dealing.'

The shuffling and dealing complete, the effective bet-making begins, and this is where the fun of the game is, as every participant who gets a turn to bet can either 'fold' 'raise' or 'call' - moves which determine what they eventually come of out the game with.

To insure against the possibility of one of the participants cheating in the game, the topmost card in the deck is burned (which simply involves removing it). This is then followed by the flipping of the cards onto the table, which is typically followed by yet another round of betting by the participants.

In the fourth and fifth streets of the game, two more cards that happen to be on top of the deck are burnt (removed from the deck), followed by the third and fourth rounds of betting - the first and the second having taken place immediately after the shuffle and during the flop.

During all the previous stages, the participants are supposed to have accumulated a 'community' of cards which they consider their best bet, and it is during the final betting stage - where the winner will be made manifest that these are brought to light. The winner, in this case, is the player with the best hand where a hand is described as the combination of cards that a player happens to be holding, which could be anything from the royal flush (which is the best possible hand in poker) to the high card (which is considered the worst possible hand in poker), but which, in the absence of better hands would still be one used to judge the winner in a given Texas Holdem Rules game - and many other types of 'hands' in between the Royal flush and the 'high card.'

courtesy of http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Manny_Jones

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5 Tips on How to Play Poker

2009-08-02T12:53:00.000-07:00

5 Tips on How to Play Poker

The number of people searching for tips on how to play poker has been on the increase in the recent past, as more and more people become awake to the potential joys of this game - especially after the emergence of online poker which is taking poker to new frontiers.

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In response to the needs of the people looking for tips on how to play poker, here are some 5 tips on how to play poker, tips that if you observe them consistently, can go a long way towards making you a notable poker player in your local circles, and possibly even in the national circles.

The first of the 5 tips for playing poker is something that is very obvious - but which many seemingly proficient poker players opt to ignore, namely observing the other poker players you are playing with and their moves - and resisting the temptation to just focus on your own strategy without trying to see how that strategy will work out when brought up against the strategies of your opponents. This is about the psychology of poker, and it is about observing things like the number (and types) of hands your opponents are playing, and their 'raising' tendencies - like how frequently they raise and their (endowment in terms of hands) when they raise.

The second of the 5 tips on how to play soccer is that you should resist the temptation of playing a passive game, and infuse some aggressiveness into your game. Yes, it pays to observe how your opponents are playing, but don't push it to a level where you are just making counter-moves to the others, and not making any aggressive moves of your own, because doing so puts you at a severe disadvantage, handing as you do, control over the game to the others.

The third of the 5 tips on how to play soccer involves understanding the importance of positioning - and like the second tip on how to play poker, this is about trying to take as much control of the game as position through a wise choice of a playing position. Ideally then, you should try to take a 'late' playing position which gives you as much insight into the moves of your opponents as possible, and resist the 'me first' tendency of wanting to be the first person on the table to make your moves because by so doing, you would be opening your game (for reading) to your opponents, who might use that information to push you to a wall.

The fourth of the 5 tips on how to play poker is to 'avoid playing too many hands, especially at the start' - as this adds absolutely no value to your game, and opens you to making major mistakes you might come to regret later on in the game.

The fifth of the 5 tips on how to play poker is about resisting the temptation to speculate and chase against the odds, because - as any poker pro will tell you- the game is more about strategy than about luck, with luck (which is what you'd be going after in chasing after the odds) playing a very small role as far as success in the game goes.

courtesy of http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Manny_Jones

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Luck Versus Skill in Playing Poker Games

2009-07-31T12:50:00.000-07:00

Luck Versus Skill in Playing Poker Games

Is poker a game based on luck or skill? This debate has been going on for quite sometime now. The group of people who are into the game, say that the rules and strategies are required to play this game. Without skills, one cannot dream of winning this pot. Whereas the other group who are watching poker from a distance, feel that it's a game totally driven by luck and probability. They feel that it just another game of gambling or lottery requiring no skills.

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But if you think harder then poker is a game which has tournaments. We never heard of any other so called gambling tournaments like say blackjack tournament. The famous poker legends definitely didn't win the World Series of Poker, twice by fluke. From various studies it is clear that a player with knowledge of the game fair better compared to a layman. In Pennsylvania where gambling was being prohibited, a judge named Thomas A. James Junior, declared Texas Holdem to be a game driven by skill and thus does not fall under the category of gambling. This clearly spells out that poker requires much more than sheer luck.

But again if you see it from the other side, then a lucky player with the right cards will go a long way and even win a particular game. And you will have to agree that a bit of luck is required everywhere. Even a skilled poker player will need some luck to push him further towards winning the pot. But poker is generally badly confused with gambling. Moreover it is difficult to say that it's a game of skill, when a game of payer is played only once. At such a situation it is difficult to predict that which of the two (luck or skill) contributes to the game.

The most rational thinkers will not bother getting into the debatable topic of luck versus skill. They know that poker players should be well aware of the rules, bets and strategies to be able to make the best hand of five cards. A completely ill-informed player cannot go a long way. Luck is again a factor that ensures an easy win. A great set of cards does have an advantage. Where skill can be relied on, luck is not reliable. One cannot go on winning consecutive games on the basis of luck. A player with both good luck and good skill will definitely win the pot but a player with both bad skill and bad luck shouldn't hope much. So let's just say that poker requires both luck and skill in the right combination.

courtesy of http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kenneth_Wilson

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Who Else Wants to Know the 5 Texas Hold 'em Poker Secrets to Winning?

2009-07-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

Who Else Wants to Know the 5 Texas Hold 'em Poker Secrets to Winning?

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Let's face it, in Texas Hold 'em poker you don't need to count the cards to determine your odds of winning. Simple Rules with thrilling secrets! Now let's get down to the 5 secrets of winning at everyone's favorite poker game!

#5. Patience - Be patient when you get a bad hand. Money that is not betted is not lost! When you get a bad hand "Fold" it and call a Flop and wait for better hands to spend your money on. So make sure, your money is only spent on the better hands! This increases your chance of winning.

#4. Keep an eye on Opponent - Don't play every card. Most are lousy hands. Your opponents have the same fear of losing in the hopes of waiting for the right hand, just like you. Let them play the lousy hand, and you only play the hand that is better!

#3. Practice, practice and practice - Start with the lower limit games, build experience and confidence with it. Then move on to higher limit games. You can still have fun and profit at the lower limit games.

#2. Mindset - Book smarts are not going to help you to win. You need to have the correct winning mindset in you. You need to be psychologically fit to beat other opponents at the no limit games. That is attained with right practice and perfection of the game. You need to start believing in your moves and be confident at it. You need to be optimistic and never let fear stop you.

#1. Get the basics right! - You need to be in a fine grip to calculate pot odds and implied odds. Those are some of the basic stuffs. And when you have played at least 100 lower limit games, you have mastered the rules.

Be assured that all people lose bets, just take that as a stepping stone to success. Learn from them and just keep moving forward. Surviving losses is part of the game for everyone. You better work hard to make those mistakes soon and learn from it.

courtesy of http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Robertson

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The New Trend in Poker - The Pre-Flop Re-Raise Without a Premium Hand

2009-07-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

The New Trend in Poker - The Pre-Flop Re-Raise Without a Premium Hand

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There is a new trend in online poker: to re-raise preflop without a big hand.

If a player raises before the flop, he can have a range of hands. But, if a player re-raises before the flop, you would expect the re-raiser to have a hand like pocket Q's, K's, Aces, or A-K. The result is that the original raiser will usually fold unless he has a top premium pair.

The new trend among some players in online poker is to make that re-raise without a top starting hand since they can take down a big pot by either forcing an opponent to fold or winning the hand with a bet on the flop.

Let's review this play.

Let's say a player who has been making small pre-flop raises way too often does it again. You are on the button with nothing. Put in a big re-raise and you will probably force a fold and win a bigger sized pot.

But, let's say a player who is incredibly tight makes a three times raise pre-flop in front of you. In this case the re-raise is more likely to run into a top starting hand, however, the aggressive tournament players still may force a bad decision with a re-raise.

The best thing about this re-raise is that it allows you to win more chips pre-flop without having to see the flop. And, you can use it against players who are too timid to risk their chips since they always fear an opponent has the nuts.

What if you are up against this re-raising player?

You have to take a stand and play back at him.

For example, last night I was making frequent min raises since my opponents were playing so tight. If I got a call and the texture of the flop looked good, I would make a continuation bet and take down the pot almost every time. If I got re-raised pre-flop I would fold.

This new aggressive player was added to my table and had a big chip stack. It was evident that he was using the re-raise pre-flop to win and build his stack. I mean you don't get those premium hands that often to justify his continued re-raising. In fact, his re-raises worked so well that he built a bigger chip stack and also it made his re-raises more threatening as he could knock players out.

I figured that I was either going to double up against him or get knocked out by him. On this one hand, I put in a min raise with A-10 suited. Sure enough he re-raised me. I moved all-in. He insta-called with A-J. I got no help and I was out. Doh!

That is another advantage of this playing style. Sometimes the re-raiser will get a hand and take out his opponent--especially since he has built his stack to where he won't get hurt that much and/or feels invincible.

Give this play a try as well, and see how comfortable you are in using it.

Think about how you feel when you get re-raised pre-flop. Because when you re-raise an opponent, that is likely how he is going to feel. It's a feeling that often leads to a fold.

courtesy of http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mitchell_Cogert

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Understanding the Winning Poker Hands Rankings

2009-07-26T22:36:00.000-07:00

A person cannot be said to have understood any game unless they know the scoring criteria used in that game, and poker is no exception to this. The key to understanding poker is understanding the winning poker hands rankings, as it is these rankings which at the end of the day determine who the winner in a given game of poker is. After all, the way poker works is that the person holding the 'best hand' at the end of the game is declared the winner of the game - and the 'best hand' in question here is determined according to the ranking criteria used to judge the 'quality' of a hand one happens to be holding.

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The best possible 'hand' in poker (where a hand is basically the combination of cards one has at the end of the game) is of course the royal flush. Here, every card belongs to the same units and the arrangement of the cards is sequential like where you have something starting with the '10' card and ending with 'A' card - with cards J, Q and A (in that order) in the sequence. The second best possible 'hand' in poker -after the 'royal flush' is the 'straight flush' - which occurs when one has any five card sequence, belonging to the same unit, with a catch that they also have to be consecutive, like an A followed by a 2,3,4 and 5 - or an 8 followed by a 9,10, J and Q.

The third best possible 'hand' is the 'four of a kind' hand - made of 4 cards bearing the same index, like a tetra-J (JJJJ) holding. Then there is the 'full house' hand - which is made of three cards of a kind combined with another two of a kind, like where you have J,J,J combined with a 3,3. The fifth best possible 'hand' in poker is the 'flush' which is simply about having all the five cards belonging to the same units, but being out sequence.

Beyond the 'flush' we have the 'straight' - not to be confused with the 'straight flush' (which is a very 'prestigious hand'). In the 'straight' we have five cards belonging to different units, but at least in sequence. Then there is the 'three of a kind' hand, which is simply about having three cards of the same value. Now there is a possibility of two players chancing upon the 'three cards' hand - and when this happens, the winner is the person whose three card holding is of the higher value.

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The 'two pair' hand, which is the next best possible hand is about having two separate pairs in one's card holding, like for instance 5,5,J, J. Again, where two players chance upon the 'two pair' hand, the one with the higher value combination wins. Then there is the 'pair' as the next best possible hand in poker - and this is simply having a single pair bearing two cards of the same value. The worst possible hand in poker - but which still turns out to be the hand which determines the winner in many poker games - is the 'high card' where the person holding the highest value card on hand at the end of the game is declared the winner.

courtesy of http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Manny_Jones

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Best Online Poker Bonus Codes

2009-07-26T22:18:00.000-07:00

Poker bonus offers are the ideal way to attract more money into your poker bankroll. These special bonus codes can be used for clearing the bonus. However, it is not true that all the poker bonuses make it compulsory for you to enter the poker bonus code. It is important to use the special casinator links which you help you to receive the bonus offers which are exclusively offered only to the players.

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Free poker bonuses help an individual even if they are not playing really good and these free bonuses help the players in break even. The poker bonus helps in increasing your poker bankroll. There are many players who keep practicing and become poker pros. The income earned by playing poker becomes their secondary income.

Online poker rooms offer basically, 2 groups of these poker bonus codes.

Deposit poker bonuses - if you want to make use of this facility, you need to first make an initial deposit and only then you are eligible for using the special deposit bonus codes.

Novice players can make use of these deposit bonuses. They are the big ones and hence the players who are interested need to make a deposit so that they can make use of these special bonus codes so as to get the free bonuses. There are many players who would like to pull out all their money once they clear the bonus and then go in for a fresh deposit at some other poker room so that they are able to get biggest free bonus with some other unique poker bonus codes.

There are many poker rooms which grant quick deposit bonus codes which are immediately transferred into the player's poker account. By using these special bonus codes, first you have to make an initial deposit so that you are entitled to receive the bonus. It is not necessary for you to clear the bonus even though you need to fulfill the requirements even before cashing out.

If you are a lower stake player then the fixed deposit bonus codes holds great value. You could get maximum bonus for a deposit of minimum amount. They get cleared very similar to deposit bonuses.

Reload bonuses are offered by some poker rooms. An initial deposit needs to be made if you want to be entitled to this facility. Then use the special bonus codes, clear off the free bonus. They are comparatively smaller and are provided on a regular basis. It is offered on special occasions and it differs from poker room to poker room.

Poker rooms also offer No deposit bonuses where in the player needs to get himself registered with real money poker account. Personal details are checked and verified. The other option is to play real money games and earn sufficient poker points.

courtesy of http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Manny_Jones

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Poker Rakeback - Get 50% Rakeback when you sign up through these links

2007-02-13T11:09:00.000-08:00

Why bother signing up through other sites when you will receive nothing in return?
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Sign up to all or any of the 3 online poker rooms listed above. If you have an account already you will have to sign up for a new one to receive credit for this.

When you sign up please come back here and leave a comment under this post with your username and which online poker room you sign up under for. This way I can track your rake and give you 50% back each and every month!

And if you want a particular online poker room that we do not have please let us know and we will try to get it for you.

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Are you playing online poker? If Not - Join Now!

2007-02-01T16:48:00.000-08:00

Poker is a widely known card game, often played in cardrooms (especially within casinos). The players make bets during the rounds into a central pot, keeping their cards hidden. The game also implies hand ranking. The winner is the player who has the best combination of cards. These days, we also have the possibility to play poker online!

A poker room’s revenues are partially made by retaining a small sum of the money wagered by each player in every pot. The respective amount of money which the house takes out of the pot is called a rake. On the other hand, the rakeback represents a percentage of the rake, paid back to the player for having signed up for the poker room on a poker site. The rakeback is paid by the poker room itself or by a third party, an affiliate having the role of promoting the poker rooms. But the involvement of this third party can have negative results and bring about different problems. If something happens to the third party, the player will receive no more rakeback from the poker room. This is a good reason for you to choose only a site you can trust: our site! You should know that only a few affiliates provide online poker rakeback programs and that there are many poker players who do not even have the slightest idea about the fact that rakeback exists!

The rake is calculated differently, depending on each site. There are two basic methods of calculating it: the contributing method – taking into consideration the sum every person adds to the pot - and the dealt method – the total rake is divided between all the players. The rakeback will vary depending on that. The corresponding money is automatically transferred to your account through the poker room every month.

Online poker is gambling game popular everywhere in the world. It is an exciting way of entertainment which you can now play anytime you want, at home, in front of your computer! Online poker rakeback programs started to appear and develop only recently and address the experienced poker players who, being extremely devoted customers have the right to demand a part of the money paid for the rake. This is what the rakeback mainly refers to: retrieving a part (an important part) of the money!

There are many reasons why you should choose online poker rakeback programs. As a first motivation, it is an opportunity for you to earn more and more money as you play: the more time you spend on the internet playing, the more money the rakeback will bring directly to your pocket. So, even when you loose, you still have something to win. It’s not so important to win any more. The truly important thing is to play! Besides the fact that a rakeback is totally free to obtain, you also have the advantage of getting your bonuses immediately. There is no reason why you should not benefit from this chance!

Applying to obtain an online poker rakeback involves so many benefits, that every single player should try it. You have absolutely nothing to lose, but you can win a lot if you do apply. Especially if you are one of the addicted poker players who simply love to play and gamble. Joining an online poker rakeback program will actually help you earn and save thousands of dollars a month and we all want money! It is a reliable way of increasing your profits!

By: David Yuri

Traits Of Successful Online Poker Players

2007-01-23T14:31:00.000-08:00

Discipline is a must if you are hoping for a streak of consecutive winnings. You must never let yourself get carried away by a game even if you feel lucky. A disciplined player knows when to stop, what hands to play and what hands not to play and what types of games are for him.

Take challenges only when and if you know for sure that you stand a change against those players and with the respective bids. If you just enter a game out of pride or because you are unable to say no, you might find yourself overwhelmed by the experience and bankroll of all the other players. You must always try and play in poker rooms that are chosen by players with your skill and bankroll or less. To never find yourself in trouble when playing poker you must master well the skill of discipline.

Discipline has to be reflected in your everyday life as well, because everyday emotions and problems can influence your poker game. If you can’t have an ordered life with no emotional or mental variations – and you probably can’t because no one can do that – then you will avoid playing poker when you don’t feel emotionally and spiritually up to it. Play poker only when you are calm, only when you want to play, not as an obligation, and never play poker after you had a couple of drinks and when you are not feeling well.

The second quality you must rely on in poker is the ability to change. Change your online poker appearance by changing gears constantly. If you have been playing for a while and you constantly play with known opponents, then they might have a pattern of your game already built in their minds. To avoid them telling your game you must take the time and evaluate your own game, see what you have done so far and try to achieve the same or better results differently. If you are a constant bluffer, then for a change you have to try and play honest for a while, from time to time, so the other players can’t tell whether you are bluffing or not. On the other hand, when you had always played honestly, try bluffing sometimes.

Also, changing gears means to always be ahead of your opponents in the game. Predict the way they play and take that extra step. Play the opposite of your opponents’ game and you will achieve a balanced game, very hard to be predicted. In online poker the ability to change the game style is important as well because you can never know when you are being observed by another player, especially when you are not playing in rooms full of beginners.

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Five Common Poker Mistakes that Will Lose You Money!

2007-01-23T14:27:00.000-08:00

These five common poker mistakes are made especially by novice players who do not prepare themselves properly and think winning at online poker is much easier than it really is.

Here are the five common poker mistakes to avoid:

Common Poker Mistakes #1 - Bluffing a Weak Player

Novice players don't want to get out and simply lay down their hands. They lack the knowledge to know when the odds are bad and lack the discipline to fold.

They think they should try to win with every hand and get lucky, but if you want to win, big at poker you can't rely on luck.

Good players play their opponents not the cards. You need to know when to hold them and when to fold them.

Learn to bluff sparingly, or you will become easy prey for more experienced players.

Poker Mistakes #2 - Playing Weak Hands in Early Position

Position at the table is another mistake novices make. It is especially easy for online poker players to not really notice the position they are playing in.

Playing marginal hands from an early position means the odds are stacked against you. The problem is you don't know what the other player's cards are and how they will play.

Players in early position should play tight, when you are in late position you can afford to play looser because you have more information fed to you by other player's actions.

Mistakes #3 - Revenge Playing

A novice player thinks that if he plays long enough he is bound to win so when he starts to lose he chases his losses and increases his bet size in the hope of getting a lucky hand.

However, the harder he tries to win his losses back the more he loses.

An important part of playing poker is discipline and patience. All poker players lose in the short term and you are not going to win every session.

If you want to deplete your bankroll quickly, chase your losses!

Poker Mistakes #4 - Money Management

Most novice players don't know how to manage their bankroll. They play in games they cannot afford or games where the other players are too experienced.

You need to play in lower limit games first, to gain experience and then move up levels slowly.

Sure, the winnings look attractive in higher stakes games, but the competition is harder too - don't punch above your weight!

Poker Mistakes #5 - Not Knowing Pot Odds

Does your hand need improvement?

The concept of pot odds can help you decide if you should call to see the next card on the board.

Few novice players understand the concept of pot odds and end up calling too much and lose - don't make the same mistake.

If You Want to Win Big, Prepare Yourself in Advance

The growth of online poker has seen a huge influx of players just seeking the thrill and excitement of playing. In many instances they don't care if they win or lose, they just want the buzz of competing.

Another group simply think it's an easy way to make money and lady luck will be on their side.

This however, is good news for players who are willing to prepare themselves properly. Sure its fun competing, but even better when there are plenty of novice players making the pot bigger for you!

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Why Online Poker Websites are a Safe Way to Play Poker

2007-01-23T14:22:00.000-08:00

Frequently, whenever anybody thinks about the idea of making a purchase online or transmitting their credit card information via the internet, they may tend to wonder about the safety aspect surrounding these types of internet transactions. The same kind of worry rings true for those individuals that are interested in entertaining themselves by utilizing online poker websites as a gaming establishment alternative. They may tend to ask themselves whether or not this is a safe thing to be doing or if they may be jeopardizing things such as their bank account and overall financial safety by doing so. Another way in which a prospective online poker player may question safety and legitimacy aspects of an online poker website is with regard to collusion among some of its online poker players. However, it may help you to rest a bit easier after reading the following text and learning about the different ways in which safety concerns are being addressed with regard to gaming websites such as online poker websites.

The best way for an individual to utilize the internet in order to exchange money on the web is to use something referred to by some individuals and organizations as a “digital wallet”. This type of safeguarding mechanism works in a way in which an established, forthright company, which we will refer to as the payment systems company for the remainder of this article, is the medium between the online poker player and the online poker website. The online poker player will submit his or her credit card information via the internet to the payment systems company and the payment systems company will then pay the online poker website. It is important to note the fact that the online poker player’s financial information will never be seen by the online poker website and will only be seen by the established and valid payment systems company.

Once the poker player wins, the online poker website will pay the online poker player through the payment systems company and the poker player will then be able to gain access to the money by way of an electronic funds transfer from the payment systems company to the poker player’s bank account that is provided or via a check. If the online poker player loses in the various online poker games, then the money will be transmitted from the online poker player’s credit card to the online poker website company by the payment systems company. This type of system ensures that the poker player’s financial information is not being unnecessarily distributed to various companies and websites. It will allow the poker player to have peace of mind, knowing that his or her financial information is safe from outside prying eyes. Also, oftentimes these payment systems companies will have free protection established for the individual utilizing their services should their information get into the wrong hands. In the slim chance that this might occur, the payment systems company would refund all money to the individual harmed by the financial hijacking. This also allows the individual online poker player to feel more relaxed when dealing with an online poker website.

Another fear that individuals have with regard to playing poker games via an online poker website is that collusion may be present among other players. By definition, collusion is a secret agreement between two or more persons to commit a fraudulent act. This type of thing may occur if two poker players utilizing the same online poker website are working together to defraud other players out of their winnings. They may try to do this by working together and communicating by telephone or maybe even by using a network and playing poker on the same website in the same house. There is a specific way in which online poker websites address this issue.

The way in which online poker websites address this issue is by having a system where they can monitor all hands that are being played each time by individual players throughout the online poker games. Should the online poker website investigate and feel that there is some sort of collusion going on, they will take matters into their own hands to resolve the situation. It is good to know that most online poker players are aware of the fact that online poker websites monitor all activity occurring within each game and this in and of itself may help to prevent any potential thoughts of collusion on the part of the online poker players. It is also beneficial to know that online poker websites are doing their part to prevent any possible collusion among online poker players as it hurts their business greatly should people be colluding to defraud other players and the company itself out of any potential winnings.

Prospective online poker players may also be fearful of playing online poker if they feel that other individuals will be able to hack into the system and see other players hands throughout the games and then base their wagers and folds on what they can see is being held by other poker playing individuals at their virtual table. The online poker websites have also addressed these types of issues by engaging various brands of software that use encryption methods to prevent any type of hacking on the part of poker players. Again, by protecting the large influx of online poker players that utilize their website to engage in online poker games, the online poker website is protecting itself as well. If their company is seen as having a less than desirable website in which to play poker, they will lose a lot of potential online poker players which will ultimately put them out of business in a quick manner.

These are just a few safeguards that are taken by online poker websites to ensure the safe playing arena for its online poker players. With all of the technology out there these days, you can rest assured that these online poker websites are doing all that they can to make sure that your online poker playing experience is a safe and gratifying one.

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Jeff Dragt has been working for a variety of online poker rooms for years. For more information about poker please visit. High Limit Poker

Ten Poker Tips for Bigger Online Profits

2007-01-23T14:07:00.000-08:00

Many players wanting to play online poker for the first time think it is easier than it really is to make big money. While you can make big money, you need to be prepared.

Here are ten tips that will help you maximize your winnings in online poker:

Poker Tip 1: Know Your Game

When playing online poker for the first time, it is best not to jump in at the deep end, but learn the basics first and then play free games until you are comfortable with the way you play.

Poker Tip 2: Focus on One Game of Poker

Many new players try out all variations of poker at once, which is a mistake - concentrate on one game and get familiar with it. This will help you focus and develop a clear strategy. Do you want to play seven card stud, Texas hold'em or Omagh hold'em? Decide in advance.

Poker Tip 3: Allocate Your Budget

Set your bankroll and stick with it. Don't be tempted to chase losses and have a profit target where you quit the table.Poker is fun and you can make big money, but don't start committing money you cannot afford to lose.

Poker Tip 4: Be Selective with the Hands that You Play

Playing to many hands will lose you money; you need to be selective and patient.You need to discipline yourself to fold when you have a bad hand, you might want to bluff sometimes, but don't do it too often and only do it in the right circumstances.

Poker Tip 5: Learn Other Player's Strategy

Other players are watching you and your strategy and you need to do the same to them.By working out their play, you can gain an extra edge and enhance your winnings from the pot.

Poker Tip 6: Take a Break

If you're having a bad time at the tables, or find that you are not enjoying the game, take a break.To win at poker you need to fully focus on your strategy, if not you will probably lose.

Poker Tip 7: Bet Correctly

Betting correctly and taking risks is an essential part of winning at poker. Make sure that you are only betting sensibly when the odds of winning are in your favour.Under no circumstances whatsoever, lose focus when you lose or chase your losses.

Poker Tip 8: Don't try to be Clever in Low-Limit Online Poker

Don't try to be too clever in any low-limit tables. You will be up against players who are mostly inexperienced and unfamiliar with poker strategy and you will find your clever bluff goes over their heads and at low limit tables they will be tempted to call you!

Poker Tip 9: You Need to Move Up

Although it is possible for you to win big money at lower limit tables, the big money is made at higher limit tables.It is here that if you have a good strategy you will make big money, as you are normally playing against players who know what they are doing, so move up only when you are confident.

Poker Tip 10: Formulate a Strategy and Practice!

Whatever game you play you must have a clear strategy that gives you an edge against other players.This requires time and effort.You need to have a betting strategy, know how to bluff, how to slow play etc. and remember that practice makes perfect.To become a good poker player takes time and experience.

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Texas Holdem Poker Tournament Strategy - Online Poker Tells

2007-01-20T19:08:00.000-08:00

Are You Using These? Are They Being Used Against You?

Let's have a closer look at online poker tells in online games like Texas Holdem. These online tells differ quite a bit from traditional ones, as we'll soon see. If you don't know about these particular poker secrets and you play online poker, then you're at a significant disadvantage vs. your competition. Chances are, experienced online players have been using these against you for quite some time without you ever even knowing it...

What is a "tell"? A traditional poker tell is any habit, behavior, or physical reaction that gives other players more information about your hand. In offline poker, a shaking, nervous hand is often an indication of a player with a strong hand. Another common poker tell would be looking down at my chips when I first see my pocket cards or the flop - a sign that I'm thinking about betting and have a good hand, so I'm seeing how many chips I have to work with.

Several of the poker tells listed here are useful for both online and offline poker. However, since we lack the ability to read opponents physical expressions and reactions when playing online, the number and type online poker tells actually available to us are much more limited, and so the ones we do have available become that much more important to be aware of and recognize.

Caro's Book of Poker Tells is the classic treatise on the subject. Most of the poker tells that work in offline games rely upon physical observations of how a player reacts or behaves, so these kinds of tells don't help online since we can't observe the player physically. So when playing online, there are other telltale signals that we can watch for that give us an edge.

According to a recent survey, the top three online poker tells are:

* Quickness to respond, reported by 76% of respondents - a very fast check can indicate a weak hand, quick bets on the turn or river can often indicate a strong hand.

* Slowness to respond, reported by 73% of respondents - a pause followed by a check can often indicate weakness, while a delay followed by a raise often indicates strength.

* Automatic play, reported by 68% of respondents - a lazy approach to the auto buttons lets a player slip into a set pattern of play. Any breaks in this pattern are clear tells.

So, what can we actually use as online tells?

Using Check Boxes to Gain Information

Online poker rooms offer the use of check boxes for actions such as "Fold", "Check/Fold", "Raise", or "Raise Any", etc. While convenient for those of us who lack the patience to focus on the game for extended periods of time, the use of checkboxes can be very damaging to your overall winnings. You can determine when a player has used a check box, because their action comes immediately after the player before them acts. You can use this knowledge to your advantage if a player consistently uses checkboxes.

When a player has pre-selected "Check" or "Check/Fold", it should be obvious that he doesn't have a strong hand that he cares much about, and is likely on a draw or just waiting to fold, so you can determine the player likely has no hand or a weak hand. If their hand is immediately folded after the prior player acts, you know they are using checkboxes and can begin watching this more closely. When they don't use a checkbox, then they're taking more time to consider how to play a better hand...

Similarly, a player who uses the "Call Any" check box is likely to be on a draw and not yet made a good enough hand to bet or raise with, but is definitely not ready to fold at this point.

Poker tells are not 100% accurate, yet they often provide us with enough additional information to help us confirm what we may already suspect. Over time you can get a sense for how these players use checkboxes and begin to draw conclusions about your opponents hand strength and mode of operation as a result.

If you detect that someone is on a draw, for example, you can often bet or raise the pot a bit and push them right out, since it'd be too expensive to continue with their draw without free cards or calling minimum bets.

The fact that a player feels so strongly about a hand (good or bad) to make a decision before even seeing the how other players will bet or act is a poker tell about this person's inexperience with online play and often about their hand strength.

If you use checkboxes, be highly self-aware of how they'll be perceived by the other players and use them to your advantage. If you have a good hand that you're wanting to slow-play, use a check-box to quickly "Check" or "Call" with, feigning weakness. If you have a weaker hand, are on a draw, avoid using the checkbox altogether and act like you're really thinking about how to play that hand.

If you're bluffing, make a raise quickly and confidently (using a checkbox, if applicable), to signal confidence in your hand. Of course, it's always best to mix things up a bit so players can't predict your actions. The idea is to keep opponents guessing or throw them off in the wrong direction so you can profit from their mistake - that's how winners operate, through carefully orchestrated deception and mixing things up constantly.

Speed of Play

Online poker rooms limt the amount of time each player has to take action. Often, the speed at which a player responds can be a good poker tell. Generally, a quick bet is a sign of weakness. A delayed bet or action can be a sign of strength since the player is spending time calculating how best to play what is perceived to be a good or strong hand, how much to bet, etc.

Keep an eye on how much time it takes players to make their decision and take action and remember it at the end of a hand. Then, when you get a chance to see their cards in a showdown, verify what kinds of hands they act on slowly and what kinds of hands they act quickly upon. Speed of play is the most common and easiest online poker tell to spot.

The instant call after you bet: Most players who call your bet immediately have a weak calling hand. These players want you to believe they have a stronger hand and hope that you will not bet into them again.

The delayed check: Most players who take longer than normal before checking to you do not want you to bet. They are attempting to display strength because they want to see the next card for free.

The delayed bet: When an opponent thinks for a long time and then bets, they will usually be holding a strong hand.

The instant bet/raise on the river: The player who utilizes this move will usually be holding a very strong hand, often times it'll be trips. By raising or betting so quickly, they are trying to make you think they are bluffing. This move can also be used on the turn and generally, though not as frequently, denotes strength.

The bet into on the turn: When a player has checked and called on the flop and then bets into you on the turn, it can indicate weakness or that they've made their hand. This type of bet often means that they picked up their draw or that they are semi-bluffing with a draw they picked up on the flop. Strongly consider raising if you have a decent hand.

What about your online play style? Do you exhibit these kinds of online poker tell play behaviors and patterns? If so, be aware of it and deliberately mix things up so that you're decision-making processes aren't so easy to spot and lock onto, or simply take a similar amount of time for each action you make, preventing people from drawing any kind of conclusions at all based upon timing.

Opponents Starting Hand Fold-to-Flop Ratio

Keep an eye on whether or not a player folds a lot of garbage starting hands (a 'tight' player) or is playing at just about every pot that comes along - a 'loose' player. This information can be used to help determine the strength of a players overall game. If the players folds most of the time, beware since this player is pretty tight or solid and only plays good hands.

If the opponent plays most every hand, then you can probably take advantage of this and win if you play good cards consistently against such a player. These kinds of loose players like to gamble, and sometimes they'll get lucky and pick up some cards. It's best to just remain patient and wait for your opportunity. You're better off just playing the odds and good hands in order to take advantage of this player's aggressive, loose style when you land a good, solid hand.

Chatting

Just like in offline games, the "chattiness" of a player can be used as a tell. Generally, a player who is highly chatty that suddenly goes quiet is now busy thinking about playing some good cards, figuring out how best to play the hand.
Alternatively, a player who suddently becomes antagonistic may be bluffing and hoping this demonstration of exhuberance will add to the strength of his bluff and cause you to fold. When you recognize a tell, generally do the opposite of what you think the player is trying to cause you to do.

Self-Awareness

It's important for you to remain aware of your play style and table image at all times. It's best to keep everyone off balance by mixing things up. Become suddenly aggressive and play looser (and risk the minimum amount you can, usually early in the game before blinds go up if it's a tournament), then become tight again. Keep everyone guessing.

Being aware of how you use check-boxes, the timing of your decision-making and action-taking, and controlling your play style deliberately instead of going into "auto-pilot" repeatitive mode will help you avoid providing others with the advantages of the tells discussed here.

I hope these insights into online poker tells have been helpful. Keep them in mind as you play in your next online game or tournament.

Until next time - - - Good luck!

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Rick Braddy is an avid writer, Texas Holdem player and professional software developer and marketer for over 25 years. His websites and Texas Holdem poker software helps people become better Texas Holdem players. If you're a poker player, be sure to visit his Texas Holdem poker poker today and learn how you can play better Texas Holdem poker, too.

Texas Holdem Tournament Strategy - Poker Tournament Fundamentals

2007-01-20T19:02:00.000-08:00

This is the second in the Texas Holdem Strategy Series, focusing on no limit Texas Hold’em poker tournament play and associated strategies. In the first installment, we examined a real-world tournament scenario and how to handle a particular class of difficult players – the "maniacs", aggressive, wild players that are commonly encountered in today’s poker tournament venues.

In this article, we’ll examine the techniques that were used more closely to best these players, along with stitching a Texas Hold’em tournament poker strategy together with some good poker tournament fundamentals.

Let’s begin with some foundational elements of any winning tournament poker strategy – clearly understanding our priorities. In poker tournaments, each player's primary objectives are:

1. Survival – first and foremost, surviving to play at the final table, and ideally to be the last surviving player (the winner!) is of paramount importance.

2. Building and Protecting that Chip Arsenal - to survive increasingly large blinds and tougher competition at the latter and final tables, a player must build up and sustain a "chip arsenal" - a substantially large stack of chips - early enough in the competition to be capable of surviving and taking various necessary, calculated risks from time to time.

This must be accomplished without risking the entire tournament and building that chip arsenal in the process. Failure to build an early chip lead is a sure ticket to being eroded away once the blinds and antes increase, chewing away at your stack until you’re cornered or dead.

3. Sustained Focus – concentrating on your game plan, attacking when the right cards and situations present themselves and converting those opportunities into “profits”, while avoiding killer momentary lapses of reason (i.e., making occasional mistakes by not paying close enough attention). Focusing like this over an extended period of time is much more difficult than it seems, requiring a constant vigil, self-awareness and self-discipline.

4. Adaptability – as the tournament progresses, it’s critical to recognize when the game dynamics change and quickly adapt to new conditions such as:

• Number of players at the table

• Style of the players

• Size of your chip stack vs. opponents’

• Odds the pot is giving you, especially as blinds and antes increase

• New players arriving that are initially unknown quantities

• New table you’ve been moved to and avoiding mistakes.

Since Texas Holdem tournament events are specifically designed to progressively eliminate players, your foremost objective must be to survive and protect your stack of chips. Taking unnecessary risks is a formula for disaster and an early trip home…someone can always get lucky against you.

Demonstrating the patience to hold back and attack at the most opportune moments, when the odds favor your success, and with a proper battle plan in mind is critical. While others are visiting and socializing, daydreaming, watching the waitresses, and otherwise taking their eyes off the ball, when you’re at a tournament table, it’s time for your focused attention on the game at hand. This kind of extended attention span becomes increasingly difficult to maintain, so rest up before playing in a tournament – do not play when tired if you can avoid it.

I also recommend against alcohol while playing, as it leads to impaired judgment and fatigue.

Here are some basic guidelines to use when playing in poker tournaments or at any table where there are many players that you don't know well:

1. Prepare and Refine your Battle Plan – when you enter a tournament, you're going to be fighting a "battle" for survival - against the blinds, the antes, fatigue, as well as against the other players. Would any good military commander go into battle without having first surveyed the battle field, understood the enemy and its tactics, and without having a well-conceived battle plan which takes these facts into account and ensures success? Of course not! If they did, they probably wouldn't live to tell about it.

You shouldn't go into a poker tournament without having completed some pre-planning for the battle ahead either. Think about your plan and several things you’ll do in each typical situation ahead of time. Refine this once you’re at the table as your battlefield unfolds before you.

2. Start out slowly. Be patient. Use the early tournament period, while the blinds are still low, to study everyone at your table, identifying the most likely prey, understanding their habits and play styles. Use this time to mentally prepare and refine your "battle plan" for transferring their chips into your stack. It’s best to formulate several strategies during your pre-tournament planning, and then refine each one as you see how the game is actually shaping up, the types of players at your table and how you’ll approach each situation.

3. Set the Stage – play a few “ugly” hands early, limping in occasionally and feeling your way around the table with the other players while the blinds are still low, playing a few hands you wouldn’t normally even consider. This prevents you from starting out with a table image as a solid or tight player; otherwise, you may not get the action you’ll need when you do get those pocket rockets (AA) and great opportunities later.

4. Know Your Own Table Image - Everyone develops a "table image". Be aware of your own table image, and be careful to mix your game up along the way so that you can't easily be "typed". Once others can predict your behavior and your likely reaction to a given situation, they'll definitely use it against you. For example, if you play mostly premium hands and fold at the first sign of trouble, other players will quickly type you as “weak” and will steal you blind, taking advantage of that knowledge by representing hands they don’t actually have so you’ll fold. If you project that image, know it, so you can trap them with a good hand – make the most of it, since that will definitely destroy your weak table image…

In the first article, I let several aggressive players push me around a little early on, then limped in and dropped out on a few draws, so they all thought I was a tight, weak player and a good target for their aggressive style of play. Letting them push me around some, while not losing much to them, conditioned these aggressive players to push me even harder when they absolutely shouldn't have – a huge error on their part that I converted into a chip leadership position.

5. Be Careful, Protect Your Stack – You must protect your stack and survive until you get some good hands you can use, so be careful to expend that chip depot deliberately and judiciously – always with purpose. When a player raises you significantly, you must think: 1) how much of my stack can I afford to invest in this one hand, 2) can I win this hand if I play it fully, and 3) what kind of play will yield me the most chips and give me the best overall odds to win against this particular player.

6. Get a Real Hand and Extract Its Value - don't go up against maniacs and aggressive raisers without a real hand - and definitely, do not challenge them while you’re chasing a draw! Their strength is their bravado and wild, aggressive betting style - it's also their biggest weakness. When you do get a real hand that you believe is a winner, you must get the most value for it by extracting as many chips as possible from the other players:

• Hit aggressive players head-on, triggering their aggressive response systems, and be willing to stick it out with them, re-raising them all-in if necessary since you know you’re likely in top position, or

• Trap them with a check-raise play. You can often just let aggressive bettors take the initial lead, betting into you and thereby become pot-committed, leading them to putting many or all of their chips at risk. That’s another reason you'd better have a real hand whenever you challenge the aggressive players – they typically just will not fold or back down, and

• Bet enough to extract a significant chip “profit” from the opponents, without forcing them to fold, if you’re sure you have the winning hand.

7. Pay Attention and Focus Outwardly - watch everyone and everything that's going on at your table. Don't daydream, and for Pete’s sake – do not focus on your own hand! As a general rule of thumb, spend 3 times as much energy and time trying to determine what other players are holding (especially when you’re not in a hand), gauging their play and betting styles, and refining your battle plan - than you do thinking about your own hands and play. You won’t be playing that many hands if you’re a good poker player, so use this available time wisely.

8. Play the Pot Odds - most people think too much about their own hand and what they might draw next. That's because calculating and playing the pot odds isn't yet second nature to them. If that's you, then you definitely need to get the poker odds ingrained into your subconscious mind, so they’re second nature and you don't even need to think about them while you’re playing. Find yourself a good Texas Holdem poker odds calculator, practice with it, and you’ll learn the odds of drawing each type of hand and find that you don’t need to think about them.

9. Bluff for the Pot from Good Positions - as the blinds and antes increase, the size of each hand’s pot becomes substantial. Bluffing for these pots from proper positions (e.g., acting late with a big bet, acting first with a semi-bluff hand and bigger bet) is a good way to hold your own while everyone else struggles against the blinds.

10. Play the Player – the key to winning in poker is to get other players to make the wrong play, which you then profit from. To do this, knowing your opponents, understanding what kinds of hands they play, whether they’ll fold when bluffed, and knowing when it’s time to lay down your hand to simply survive and play another is crucial.

The alternative is to do what many players do - just leave most everything to chance and play the game in a random, unpredictable fashion with whatever hands you’re dealt; a.k.a. “gambling”.

They say "those who fail to plan, plan to fail", and that “hope is not a strategy” – a couple of my favorite sayings that come to mind…have a plan, and execute it.
You must be prepared to mix up your play enough that players aren't sure what to expect from you. It's helpful to "shift gears" from one mode of operation to another from time to time. It's also recommended to play the opposite from everyone at the table; e.g., if most everyone is playing tight overall, then loosen up your play and take advantage of them by overplaying some hands, going on some draws, and a few semi-bluffs. If the table becomes loose, tighten up and attack with a good hand or trap them.

Remember, aggressive players' egos usually can't handle being overtly raised or publicly challenged. They expect to be the preeminent raisers and dominate the game, so they'll often re-raise or go all-in in order to leverage their aggressive position against you. Be ready! You can just about count on it. When they push you at the wrong time, sock it to ‘em! You can use these types of players to build up your chip arsenal and possibly earn yourself a seat at the final table.

There aren’t any absolutes in no-limit Texas Holdem tournament strategy, which is one of the things that make it so entertaining and challenging. These are just a few good tips and techniques that will help you get started and do reasonably well against some good players and some aggressive ones.

Finally, it's been said "if you can't spot the sucker at your table, it's probably you!" I love this saying, because it's so true. If you do your pre-planning and have confidence in your game plan, along with an ability to observe the opponents and apply the proper techniques against different kinds of players, you’ll go far in Texas Holdem poker tournaments.

So, there's your first set of Texas Holdem poker tournament strategies. I sure wish someone had condensed things down like this for me when I first started playing. It would’ve saved me years of learning it the hard way. Enjoy.
Good luck!

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Rick Braddy is an avid writer, Texas Holdem player and professional software developer and marketer for over 25 years. His websites and Texas Holdem poker software specialize in helping people become better Texas Holdem poker players. If you're a poker player, be sure to visit his BetterHoldem.com Texas Holdem poker website today and learn how you can play better Texas Holdem, too.

Texas Holdem Tournament Strategy - Winning vs. Aggressive Players

2007-01-20T18:56:00.000-08:00

The Texas Hold’em poker phenomenon has taken the country by storm. There are reportedly over 100 million active poker players worldwide. Poker’s popularity is largely the byproduct of technology and several recent trends: 1) online gaming, where players engage and socialize in real-time over the Internet, and 2) the broad publicity created by high profile TV shows like the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour.

With all the poker-mania, there’s an amazing shortage of quality information to help people learn how to play properly and become great players quickly. This is the first in a series of Texas Holdem strategy articles aimed at helping players learn how to win at Texas Hold’em poker. Tournament play is a popular, fun sport. These articles will help players understand how to approach tournaments, which differ greatly from regular “ring game” play.

This installment deals with the most-asked question: “How do I deal effectively with aggressive players?” Many players struggle against "maniacs", the aggressive, wild players who play most every hand, somehow seem to pull cards out of thin air, and often manage to dominate the table.

Here's what actually happened in a recent poker tournament. I entered a tournament at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, about 20 minutes from my home in South Florida. This weekly $300 entry-fee tournament fills the poker room with 220 players every Monday night.

The blinds start at 50/100 and go up every 15 minutes. I spent the first 30 minutes just hanging out and occasionally limping in to see a flop. The reason for "treading water" was to study my opponents and their playing patterns very closely. There were a number of solid poker players, but right away I spotted the aggressive ones.

I was sitting in the middle, directly across from the dealer. There were two "wild men" to my right. These two participated in most every hand, and agonized with themselves whenever they had to throw a hand away. This was hilarious to me, and it was also very telling. I knew these dudes were doomed from the onset, yet they were extremely dangerous if they caught something with one of their trash hands. These types are great targets, but only when you know how to play them correctly. If you do, you’ll end up with most or all of their chips in your stack. The key is to get to their chips before someone else does.

There were some squeaky-tight and solid players, as usual. Finally, there were two other players to my left who knew one another very well and spoke what sounded like Russian. These two played very aggressively. They rarely called or checked. They would bet or raise the pot significantly, so if they played a hand, you knew they were going to bet it big and you’d better be prepared to push a bunch of your chips into the middle. As a result, the table became tight overall, except for these four players who controlled the early action and dictated the table tempo for the first hour or so. They gambled with wanton abandon, trading chips with each other as the rest of us just observed and wished for a real hand to materialize.

It became apparent that our maniacs were playing mostly garbage hands, and using assertive chatter in an attempt to intimidate everyone. They were enjoying pushing everyone around with their aggressive betting and raising style. Humorously, they got into a number of showdowns, causing all of their trash hands to become openly exposed; e.g., 69 off-suit, Q3 suited, etc. I definitely had these guys pegged now – if only I could get a strong hand…

Later, one of my Russian "friends" came in over the top of a bet I’d placed with a huge raise, then smiled at me as he leaned his head back as if to say “Go ahead. I dare you”. My middle pair just wasn't strong enough to engage with him, but I remembered this little "lesson" and my mistake. He'd used this tactic many times against the others and I should’ve expected it. I also realized that we had not seen any of his supposed "big hands", as he always mucked them. Whenever you see an aggressive player dominating, and then mucking all those supposed "great hands", you know you've spotted a target.

We played on, with the two maniacs to my right getting busted out by the Russian contingent. It’s been an hour and fifteen minutes - and I still haven’t seen even one decent hand yet! This is, unfortunately, typical poker.

After about an hour-and 45 minutes, I finally pick up a pair of wired 9's (99). Now I was hoping the flop would yield a set (trips). Sure enough, it came: 9, K, 5. I was elated and jumping up and down (inside). I was finally in a position to make my move, and hoped it would be against one of my aggressive Russian friends with their big stacks.

To prepare my trap, I delayed and muddled around for about ten seconds, and then casually "checked" verbally and using my hand in a chopping motion, with a slightly disgusted look. Next, the younger Russian moves in with a big bet of 3,000 chips. I was sure I had him now. As expected, everyone else quickly folded and got out of his way – except me. This fellow had pushed everyone around and I was finally properly armed and ready to do battle on my own terms. Note that this had been my "battle plan" all along. I was deliberately targeting these aggressive characters, knowing that when the time was right, their ill-gotten stacks would become mine!

The action came back around to me, so now it was just the two of us heads-up. The two Russians said something to each other that the rest of us couldn’t decipher. I delayed and bobbed my head around as if to be struggling with my decision. Then, I motioned with both hands and uttered “I'm all-in". I knew this series of actions would likely trigger an aggressive reaction, since my “check-raise” made it appear as if I was trying to steal this pot! A check-raise almost always triggers a full-tilt response from an aggressive player.

He immediately called me - he was so aggressive (and pot-committed) that it was like a fish taking the bait and running for deep waters - hook line and sinker! I threw my pair of 9's over, revealing the trip 9's. There was a low murmur around the table from the other players. My young Russian friend reluctantly flipped his five/trash hand over - he had a pair of fives (with a King over-card showing on the board!). He was definitely angling to drive me out of this pot with his ascertive play – one too many times…

You see, no one actually gets that many great hands in poker - nobody. If someone plays 30% to 40% or more of the time, they're just "gambling" and bluffing. This guy thinks he has a "good" hand, because he actually had a real pair – something he doesn’t often have when pushing everyone around with mostly aggressive betting as his only real weapon.

The turn came and it wasn't a five - then someone pipes up and says "he's drawing dead". Believe me, you never want to hear that when you're in a showdown! I looked over as he said something in Russian to his buddy - another violation of tournament rules, as everyone is compelled to speak English at the tournament table. It wouldn’t matter, as he stood up, grabbed his jacket and left after receiving some consolation from his friend.

His older friend glared over at me and uttered something derogatory in Russian. I had no clue what he said, but I knew from his tone that I didn't like it. I also knew I'd gotten under his skin by taking down his buddy and raking in all of his chips. I responded with "what's that, I don't understand what you're saying since you're not speaking English?” loudly so everyone at the table could hear me.

He mumbled something about his friend...I smiled and said politely with a smile "I deliberately laid that trap for your friend and he fell right into it!", pushing the knife in deeper, knowing he'd be gunning for me anyway - might as well make sure my next trap was fully set. This also signaled to everyone else at the table that whenever I checked or limped, it could be extremely dangerous if assumed to be a sign of weakness - something I’d leverage later as the blinds and antes rose and the proper time to bluff and steal blinds actually arrived.
After a slight pause, my Russian friend noticed that everyone was now looking at him. He looked down at his chips and said "nice play" with a reluctantly polite tone.

Boy, I was elated! My battle plan was definitely becoming field-proven here - and my next target was clearly sighted. It had taken careful observation, planning and a lot of patience to wait for the right hand, and then play it correctly to take this highly-skilled, aggressive player out and rake in all of his chips.

About ten minutes later, it was tournament break time, after two hours of play. I counted my chips, which totaled 14,900 (we started with 5,000 each), then grabbed a quick bite to eat, reflecting on what had just taken place.

Within ten minutes of returning from break, I finally picked up a serious starting hand: Cowboys (KK). I knew it was time for my new Russian friend and me to tango, so I fired out a bet of 3 times the big blind: 3,000 chips, bait that I was sure he couldn’t turn down. Sure enough, he bit - big time. His all-in raise came almost instantaneously, before I could even get my bet onto the table. He was totally ready to engage, and had been laying in wait for me - just like I had planned. I had set him up by taking out his friend and then challenging his poker ego in front of everyone. He just had to retaliate against me – it was a totally predictable “full-tilt” response from this kind of player.

This is what the game of poker is really all about – having a well-defined strategy, the patience to wait for the right hand, and then executing properly. It’s what makes poker a game of strategy instead of a game of chance (for some of us).

He raised by going all-in with around 8,000 chips to my roughly 14,000. I quickly called his all-in bet. Everyone else quickly folded and got out of our way.
I flipped my pocket kings over, then looked him straight in the eye and just smiled. Then someone says "Yeah! Now we've got some action!" He sighed and flipped over QQ - he actually had a real hand for a change. That's one of the problems with these kinds of "semi-solid, aggressive" players, like my Russian friend here, and other poker greats like Gus Hansen. You never really know exactly what to expect from them. Of course, my opponent could've held pocket rockets (AA), but I'll play those KK cowboys strong each and every time I get them, since there’s only one hand that can beat them heads-up. I also knew this aggressive player on tilt was likely to be overplaying his hand, improving my odds significantly.

The flop, turn and river came and went without another Queen and it was done - my cowboys stood up and I had all of both Russian’s stacks, which included most of the other two poor maniac’s chips (who lost to the Russians earlier). This instantly made me by far the chip leader at our table with well over 22,000 chips!

I went from having an average chip stack to being the table chip leader, against tough, aggressive opponents, within less than half an hour by:

a) Playing solid, reasonable tournament poker,

b) Not taking big, undue risks with weak or "drawing" hands,

c) Studying my aggressive prey and where the chips were sitting,

d) Formulating and refining a battle plan while observing the game progress,

e) Remaining patient while waiting for the right hand to make my move, and

f) Executing this plan with precision against a predetermined opponent, and on terms of my choosing – not the opponent’s.

There was no luck involved at all – except that my opponent didn’t hold AA or pull some lucky cards with a trash hand – which was simply playing the odds in my favor.

I started out with a high-level strategy to target aggressive chip leaders, and go after them with strong hands from the right position. I planned this before I ever arrived at the casino that day, or knew who these players would be. Then, I refined my plan once I knew for certain whom the evening’s targets would be and how I’d provoke them. It certainly helped that I caught two decent hands during those first hours of play.

Unfortunately, I later lost to a legitimate full house, but made it into the top 40 – it happens…

The key to playing against aggressive and maniac players is having a viable Texas Holdem strategy you can profit from when you get some good hands. If you have a good plan, you can convert it into a formidable stockpile of chips - a stack that you‘ll definitely need as the blinds and antes increase and the tournament field narrows in the latter stages.

This is how I approach Texas Holdem strategy for tournaments now - at least when the tables are full with 8 or more players, some of them aggressive and maniacs. So, the next time you encounter wild and aggressive players at your poker table, get ready to have some fun! It's like Tae Kwon Do - using the opponent’s own energy and momentum against them.

In the next installment, we’ll detail this Texas Holdem strategy more formally, along with exploring some other tournament tips for playing better Texas Holdem poker.

Until then – good luck!

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Rick Braddy is an avid writer, Texas Holdem player and professional software developer and marketer for over 25 years. His websites and Texas Holdem poker software specialize in helping people become better players. If you're a poker player, be sure to visit his BetterHoldem.com Poker Tournament Strategy website today and learn how you can play better Texas Holdem, too.

No-Limit Texas Hold'em Tournament Strategy - Staying in the Zone

2007-01-20T18:52:00.000-08:00

Poker is a lot like sports in that your performance can change from day to day. Many people have the false impression that they are playing their best game all the time. Many people believe they are one of the best players in the world but the cards simply aren't falling their way. Most of the poker playing population feels victim to bad luck. Poker is a game of skill and in the long run, there is no luck. Some players are more skilled than others. On any given day, any player could potentially win. In the short run, the worst player at the table could win all the money. If you plan on playing poker for a long time, you have to accept the fact that bad players can win in the short run. Playing your best all the time is impossible. In order to play your best most of the time, you have to learn how to stay in the zone. When you are in the zone, your decisions become automatic and everything seems so easy. The tough times at the poker table occur when you are not in the zone. Many times you will make a couple mistakes or suffer some bad beats and your future decisions will be terrible. Going on tilt is the number one source of losses for any decent player.

In order to stay in the zone, you can't care about winning or losing on any given day. You are going to play perfect poker some days and still lose. If you can't handle the losses, don't play poker. Rather than focus on winning or losing, simply focus on making good decisions. Focus on improving your game and how you can exploit your opponent's weaknesses. Your conscious mind cannot think of more than one thing at a time. If you let your mind think about winning or losing, you are using up valuable memory space. Playing in the zone requires your mind to focus on making good decisions all the time. Any other thought that enters your mind will definitely lead to bad decisions. It takes a lot of time and effort to stay in the zone. Remove your attachment to winning or losing and you will be a step ahead of most players.

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No-Limit Texas Hold'em Strategy-If You Are Not Learning, What Are You Doing

2007-01-20T18:45:00.000-08:00

Playing poker is one of the most competitive games on the face of the earth. The amount of money won and lost at the poker table on any given day totals millions. In a year, billions of dollars are exchanged playing this game of cards. You will often hear older people telling the youth to do what you love and the money will follow. I believe poker is no different than any other thing in life. In order to be truly successful at poker, you have to be intrinsically interested in poker. If you simply care about making money, poker is not going to be kind. Everyone naturally wants to be rich, but most people get caught up trying to make an easy buck. Learning the game of poker requires you to put aside the monetary value of money. It sounds so stupid, but to make money in poker, you have to actually love the game of poker. If you are playing for the money, sooner or later your skill level will plateau. If you are always learning, always getting better, the game of poker will remain interesting to you.

Playing poker simply to make an easy buck is a terrible way to think about the game. On any given day, you are going to measure your success by the amount of money in your account. What happens when you go on a bad run and have no money? Have you lost your success in poker? Your skill in poker can only get better with time. If you focus on continually adding to your poker ability, you can never lose. Everyday you will be increasing your knowledge of the game. Eventually the money will soon follow. Play poker because you enjoy learning the game, not for the money. Most people play for the money and are miserable trying to grind out a living. There are much easier ways to make money doing something you love. I hate to say it, but there is more to life than just making money. Find something you love and stick with it. Forget about making easy money, becoming a great poker player requires a lot of hard work and sacrifice.

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Texas Holdem Poker Tournament Strategy - Starting Hands

2007-01-20T18:39:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the fifth in my Texas Holdem Poker Strategy Series, focusing on no limit Texas Holdem poker tournament play and associated strategies. In this article, we’ll examine starting hand decisions.

It may seem obvious, but deciding which starting hands to play, and which ones to skip playing, is one of the most important Texas Holdem poker decisions you'll make. Deciding which starting hands to play begins by accounting for several factors:

* Starting Hand "groups" (Sklansky made some good suggestions in his classic "Theory of Poker" book by David Sklansky)

* Your table position

* Number of players at the table

* Chip position

Sklansky originally proposed some Texas Holdem poker starting hand groups, which turned out to be very useful as general guidelines. Below you'll find a "modified" (enhanced) version of the Sklansky starting hands table. I adapted the original Sklansky tables, which were "too tight" and rigid for my liking, into a more playable approach that are used in the Poker Sidekick poker odds calculator. Here's the key to these starting hands:

Groups 1 to 8: These are essentially the same scale as Sklansky originally proposed, although some hands have been shifted around to improve playability and there is no group 9.

Group 30: These are now "questionable" hands, hands that should be played rarely, but can be reasonably played occasionally in order to mix things up and keep your opponents off balance. Loose players will play these a bit more often, tight players will rarely play them, experienced players will open with them only occasionally and randomly.

The table below is the exact set of starting hands that Poker Sidekick uses when it calculates starting poker hands. If you use Poker Sidekick, it will tell you which group each starting hand is in (if you can't remember them), along with estimating the "relative strength" of each starting hand. You can just print this article and use it as a starting hand reference.

Group 1: AA, KK, AKs

Group 2: QQ, JJ, AK, AQs, AJs, KQs

Group 3: TT, AQ, ATs, KJs, QJs, JTs

Group 4: 99, 88, AJ, AT, KQ, KTs, QTs, J9s, T9s, 98s

Group 5: 77, 66, A9s, A5s-A2s, K9s, KJ, KT, QJ, QT, Q9s, JT, QJ, T8s, 97s, 87s, 76s, 65s

Group 6: 55, 44, 33, 22, K9, J9, 86s

Group 7: T9, 98, 85s

Group 8: Q9, J8, T8, 87, 76, 65

Group 30: A9s-A6s, A8-A2, K8-K2, K8-K2s, J8s, J7s, T7, 96s, 75s, 74s, 64s, 54s, 53s, 43s, 42s, 32s, 32

All other hands not shown (virtually unplayable).

So, those are the enhanced Sklasky Texas Holdem poker starting hand tables.
The later your position at the table (dealer is latest position, small blind is earliest), the more starting hands you should play. If you're on the dealer button, with a full table, play groups 1 thru 6. If you're in middle position, reduce play to groups 1 thru 3 (tight) and 4 (loose). In early position, reduce play to groups 1 (tight) or 1 thru 2 (loose). Of course, in the big blind, you get what you get.

As the number of players drops into the 5 to 7 range, I recommend tightening up overall and playing far fewer, premium hands from the better positions (groups 1 - 2). This is a great time to forget about chasing flush and straight draws, which puts you at risk and wastes chips.

As the number of players drops to 4, it's time to open up and play far more hands (groups 1 - 5), but carefully. At this stage, you're close to being in the money in a Texas Holdem poker tournament, so be extra careful. I'll often just protect my blinds, steal occasionally, and try to let the smaller stacks get blinded or knocked out (putting me into the money). If I'm one of the small stacks, well, then I'm forced to pick the best hand I can get and go all-in and hope to double-up.

When the play is down to 3, it's time to avoid engaging with big stacks and hang on to see if we can land 2nd place, heads-up. I tend to tighten up a bit here, playing very similar to when there's just 3 players (avoiding confrontation unless I'm holding a pair or an Ace or a King, if possible).

Once you're heads-up, well, that's a topic for a completely different article, but in general, it's time to become extraordinarily aggressive, raise a lot, and become "pushy".

In tournaments, it's always important to keep track of your chips stack size relative to the blinds and everyone else's stacks. If you're short on chips, then play far fewer hands (tigher), and when you do get a good hand, extract as many chips as you can with it. If you're the big stack, well, you should avoid unnecessary confrontation, but use your big stack position to push everyone around and steal blinds occasionally as well - without risking too many chips in the process (the other players will be trying to use you to double-up, so be careful).

Well, that's a quick overview of an improved set of starting hands and some general rules for adjusting starting hand play based upon game conditions throughout the tournament.

Until next time, best of luck to you at the Texas Holdem poker tables!

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Rick Braddy is an avid writer, Texas Holdem player and professional software developer and marketer for over 25 years. His websites and Texas Holdem poker software helps people become better Texas Holdem players. If you're a poker player, be sure to visit his Texas Holdem poker poker today and learn how you can play better Texas Holdem poker, too.

Texas Holdem Tournament Strategy - Poker Tournament Betting Basics

2007-01-20T18:32:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the third in my Texas Holdem Strategy Series, focusing on no limit Texas Holdem poker tournament play and associated strategies. In this article, we’ll build upon the poker tournament strategy fundamentals from last time, with some important poker betting strategy basics.

Winning at Texas Holdem poker doesn't have to be a gamble, since it's actually a game of skill. Of course, there will always be an element of chance, but there's a lot more strategy and skill to poker than meets the untrained eye. When you learn to play the odds properly, it can make a huge difference in your winnings.
No limit Texas Holdem is the game of choice these days - and for good reason.

The fact that anyone can decide to push a large raise or all of their chips into the pot by going "all-in" at any moment, adds an exciting dimension to the game. Unlike limit Texas Holdem, where each round of betting takes place in prescribed, fixed increments, no limit Texas Holdem is as varied as the players at the table, since everyone chooses their own betting style and approach.

When playing no limit Texas Holdem, you're faced with some important decisions. Arguably, the most important decision you’ll make is how much to bet in a given set of circumstances; e.g., hand strength, your position at the table, total number of players, their styles, etc. There are many different betting strategies, but one of the first things to learn and pay close attention to are "pot odds" and whether you have a positive “expectation” to win.

You have a positive expectation whenever the odds favor you winning more than you’re wagering at anything greater than 1 to 1 odds. For example, when flipping a coin, there is a 50/50 chance of it coming up either heads or tails. If you flip a coin enough times, both heads and tails will come up an equal number of times.

Casino games, such as craps, blackjack, slot machines, etc. all give the player a “negative” expectation and the casino a positive expectation. If you play these types of “gambling” games long enough, you will ultimately lose, since the game’s odd structure is never in your favor – negative expectation. People who experience “hot streaks” also have losing streaks (they just usually quickly forget about the losing and don’t discuss it). When you’re making a wager, you’d always prefer to have a positive expectation. This is generally true in poker, but not necessarily always in no-limit poker. I’ll explain why.

Pot Odds are the odds the pot is giving you for making a bet. Let's say there is $50 in the pot and it'll take $10 more to call - you're getting 5-to-1 pot odds to call, since if you win you’ll be paid $50 in exchange for risking only $10. For purposes of this decision, any amounts you previously placed into this pot are irrelevant, since they’re already expended and gone (if you fold).

It's essential to understand pot odds as it relates to your hand odds, as one key factor in making your betting decisions. If the odds of you holding or drawing to the winning hand are better than the odds the pot is giving you, you should call or even sometimes raise; otherwise, you should typically fold (unless you're going to bluff, a different story).

Continuing this example, let's say you’re holding a pair of fives, and the board flops 9, K, 2 “rainbow” (no flush draw, different suits). With 9 players at the table, it's certainly possible and likely that someone else holds a King or a Nine, or both, making your 5's look pretty flimsy at this point. Your best shot to win is to draw another 5. There are two more 5's remaining out of the 47 cards that you can't see (in the deck or in another player's hand).

So, the odds of pulling that next 5 on the turn or river are: 2 in 47 (2/47 = about 4%) on the Turn, plus another 2 in 46 on the River (an additional 4%), for a total of roughly 8.6%, which equates to a 1-in-11.6 chance of pulling that third 5 to make a set. Since the pot is only giving 5-to-1 odds, it's generally time to fold. Otherwise, you'd just be "gambling" with a highly negative expectation of losing that additional $10. In no limit Texas Holdem, players will often raise the pot sufficiently to actually lower your pot odds so far that you can't possibly justify staying in the hand – at least not statistically.

Clearly you can't sit there in a real poker room with a calculator and run through all of these pot odds calculations while at the table! So, how does one learn poker odds well enough to apply them in real-time? Well, it starts by seeing the poker odds repeatedly, in a context that's suitable for you to learn and eventually retain them. A poker odds calculator is a piece of add-on software that runs on your PC, monitoring your actual online play. A poker odds calculator computes the prospective hands you and your opponents are capable of drawing at any point in time. It then displays all possible hands you and the opponents could draw, teaching you what the odds of making that kind of hand would be.

This makes it easy to see what's going on, and since a poker odds calculator displays the poker odds right there in front of you while you play, you’ll begin to learn them, making it semi-automatic, so you don't even think about poker odds any more - you just know them. So, the first step is learning and internalizing these “hand odds”. Then, you can quickly calculate pot odds anytime you’d like.

Calculating pot odds requires you to pay close attention to the game, a key trait of good poker tournament players. Unlike playing online, where the total size of the pot is easy to determine (the online Texas Holdem poker program typically displays the pot amount right there on the screen for you), when you play in traditional offline poker tournaments, you must keep track of the pot size and chip count yourself, so you can estimate the pot odds and your best betting options.

Pot odds become especially interesting as the blinds and antes increase as the tournament progresses. Let’s say there are 10 players at your table, and the poker tournament structure has you at $25 antes with $200/$400 blinds. That’s a total of $850 that’s sitting thre in each and every pot before anyone even places their first bet! So, before you even look at your hand, you know that the minimum bet is $400, so you’ll need a good hand (with roughly 1 in 2 odds or better) in order to simply break even.

At this point, people will be angling to “steal the blinds” by placing a hefty bet, typically at least two times the big blind, or $800, in order to make the pot odds so unattractive that everyone just folds. Therefore, the first player to act often makes off with the booty, since the pot odds become even less attractive and most everyone hasn’t made a good enough hand to call. Of course, this can definitely backfire...

Let’s say the first player to bet raises to $800 in an attempt to steal the blinds, making the total pot now $1,650. Let’s say that a second player then calls with another $800, boosting this pot to $2,450. To get in on the action, you’d only need to call with $800, which means if you win the hand you’re getting a slightly better than 3 to 1 on your money. If it’s the Flop and you are one card short of making a King-high flush, then your hand odds are roughly 1-in-3. This would be “even money” if you joined in on this basis alone; however, you’re holding a King and there’s a King on the board from the Flop, so you now have a better than 1 in 3 chance of winning – a positive expectation! You place your $800 bet, so now the pot sits at $3,250.

You should generally make this bet, since it will yield a good return and you have the high pair (Kings), plus a flush draw, thereby improving your odds even further. Let’s say there was an Ace also showing, making your Kings second best pair. In this case, it time to fold because you have a less than a 1 in 3 chance of winning this hand, and if you continued throwing money at this pot, you’ll end up “pot-committed” and beaten by a pair of Aces (there’s usually at least one player in 10 hanging in there with an Ace hole card).

So, let’s say the last player to act goes “All-in” - after we’ve put our $800 in this pot. Now what? The first reaction should be – what kind of hand *could* this player actually hold? If the player is a relatively tight or solid player, chances are they’ve made a set or an Ace high flush. It’s always possible they’re bluffing, but very unlikely if they’re a good player, since there are already far too many people in this pot and it’s likely they’d get called with a real hand when bluffing.

So, what's happened to our pot odds? Let’s say they went all-in with $5,000, pushing this pot up to $8,250. If you called with $5,000, you’re now only getting a 8.25 to 5 return, or roughly 1.65 to 1 – especially unattractive under the circumstances with highly negative expectation and so many players in this hand, further reducing your chances of winning. Therefore, everyone will likely just fold; unless they have a very strong hand plus a great draw (some outs).

There’s clearly a lot more to poker betting strategy, including position and acting first vs. last. Generally speaking, though, if you’re going to take a shot at that pot, and you’re in a position to act first, there’s a good chance everyone else will fold; however, you’d better think carefully about the pot odds the opponents will be getting after your bet is in there.

If your bet modifies the pot size such that it improves their pot odds (by limping in with just a small bet), you’re actually encouraging the opponents to hang in there with you, since they still have a good, positive (and improving) expectation level. If you bet enough, such as two to three times the size of the big blind, you’ll be reducing their pot odds enough to swing into a negative expectation, so they’ll be much more likely to fold. It’s really important to think your bet amounts through and understand the pot odds implications of your betting.

When you make such a play at the pot, it’s ideal to have some kind of hand, along with a good draw. If you find yourself short-stacked, then this may be as good as it gets. Bluffing will be covered more thoroughly in a later article, but at this point it’d be great to have at least a small pair, as well as a good straight or flush draw (since you’ll also have the potential to make a set of trips, too). In this situation, you have so many good “outs” that your small pair begins to look a lot stronger, and your hand odds acceptable enough to go on a “semi-bluff” at this pot.

So, these are the basics of Texas Holdem poker tournament betting strategy that you should know and practice (the other good players do). Knowing your basic hand odds and being capable of quickly calculating pot odds are essential to making intelligent betting decisions under fire in poker tournaments, and regular ring game and limit play for that matter. A good poker odds calculator will help you learn the hand odds, and along with practicing calculating your pot odds, you’ll be making better decisions and getting the best of it the next time you play Texas Holdem poker.

In the next article, we’ll explore a popular Texas Holdem poker tournament format – the Sit & Go poker tournament. Until then, have fun. And as always - good luck!

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Texas Holdem Tournament Strategy - Sit and Go Poker Tournaments

2007-01-20T18:24:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the fourth in my Texas Holdem Strategy Series, focusing on no limit Texas Holdem poker tournament play and associated strategies. In this article, we’ll examine the "Sit and Go" tournament - the most popular online poker tournament format today.

When I first started playing in Sit and Go tournaments, I was beginning to think they called it "sit and go" because you sat down, played a little, then it was time to go do something else since you'd just been whacked and knocked out of the tournament! These tournaments can be really tough, since they're effectively like being at the "final table" of a regular tournament.

The recent popularity of playing online Sit & Go tournaments sometimes amazes me. On any given evening, you can try to jump into a Sit and Go (SNG) table on Party Poker, for example, and easily find yourself competing just to get into a seat before that table fills up, forcing you to go find another table (especially on lower-entry fee tables). I've seen times when it can take up to 10 attempts to get into a Sit and Go tournament table during prime time. That's because there are literally thousands of players across the world who are hungry to get into these tournaments and hopefully win some money.

All of the major online poker rooms now offer Sit and Go format games now, so you can find a place to play just about everywhere. You can think of these games as being very similar to small "satellite" tournament games that surround the bigger poker tournaments at traditional poker tournament venues. They also somewhat resemble play at a final table in a regular tournament, with one key exception - nobody at this table earned their way to this tournament table - they simply paid their entry-fee to play there. Because of this, the broad range of players and skill levels you're likely to encounter varies wildly - one of many challenges you'll face in Sit and Go play.

Generally, there are two types of Sit and Go tournaments offered. Single table and multi-table tournaments. Nowadays, there is also a faster game, sometimes referred to as "Turbo" mode SNG tournaments. In these games, the tempo of the tournament is much faster (blinds go up every 5 minutes instead of 15 minutes), with the blinds increasing much faster and less time allowed to make your decisions. This is a very challenging game format, but it does move along much faster than a traditional Sit and Go tournament.

You can also get into 4-player and heads-up (2 player) games, which just effectively puts you into the poker tournament final table, short-handed mode of operation immediately, so you can play the end-game out from there. I don't really prefer these games, though, since there are far fewer players and therefore the pool size available to win is much smaller and not as worthwhile.

In general, two-table Sit and Go's are much more profitable, since they begin with more players (18 to 20), making the prize pool larger and more attractive. Once you know how to play and win in these Sit and Go tournaments and can adjust your play appropriately, the number of tables and players really doesn't matter as much, since you'll be able to adapt your play quickly as the situation changes around you.

Some of my favorite places to play Sit & Go tournaments include Party Poker, Poker Stars and PrimaPoker's Captain Cook's poker rooms. There are many awesome poker rooms out there, with a wide range of players frequenting each of them. They are all very similar.

There are a number of different entry-fee levels to choose from, typically ranging from $5 up to $5,000. There is very little difference in playing in the lower limit games in the $5 to $30 range. When you get above the $30 threshold, the level of players you'll encounter improves dramatically. The poker room site typically takes a "rake", a fee of around 10% for hosting the tournament, and the balance of the funds go into the prize pool. In single-table SNG tournaments, the payout goes to the top 3 finishers. In two-table games, the top 4 places are generally paid.

In higher entry-fee games, you'll be playing against some very good players. In these high tier games, you'll encounter some of the best, most dangerous players around. If you're interested in getting into these high stakes games, one way is to win enough at the lower stake games so that you earn, or leverage, your smaller entry-fees into the bigger games, a traditional way that satellite games work and a good approach to take.

I play in a lot of Sit and Go tournaments and regular tournaments, both online and in casinos and poker rooms. Throughout all of this, I have finally learned how to win consistently at Sit and Go tournaments. There are some key areas that you must focus on and shore up in order to properly "shape" your play and end up in the money.

You'll need a well-rounded approach, though, to place in the money consistently at Sit and Go tournaments, including:

* Playing Position Correctly - you'll need to know how to use position in the Sit and Go tournament to your advantage, which hands to play in which positions and how to keep from losing your chips from poor positions. Earlier in the tournament, it's best to be more conservative with your play by only playing the best hands from the best positions.

* Adjusting to Changing Conditions - the key to winning Sit and Go tournaments is adjusting your play style and approach as the blinds and number of players increases. Done correctly, you'll end up in the final 3 in the money up to half of the time (no approach you can take will allow you to win all of the time). As the game progresses, you must adjust or the blinds will eat you up.

* Winning Heads-up Play - arguably one of the most misunderstood, yet most fun part of any tournament, is playing heads-up against another good player. Learning to play winning heads-up poker means the difference between being the Winner and 2nd Place - a huge difference in payout in all tournaments goes to the winner, along with the recognition as the champion, so you must learn to play great heads-up poker. In general, you must play much more aggressively heads up than you would otherwise.

* Beating Aggressive Players - see my article on playing vs. aggressive players, which will definitely make a difference for Sit and Go play, as it explains how to take advantage of aggressive and wild players, without losing all of your chips in the process.

* Online Tells - there are many different special tells that you can use when playing online. Do you know them? Do you use them? If not, chances are they're being used against you! For example, when players use checkboxes online and make a lot of their decisions ahead of time, then suddenly they're not using the checkbox (because they're taking longer), that could be a tell that they're having to think things through more, which could be a tell. If they use checkboxes and act instantly, chances are they don't have a very good hand, so didn't even need to think about it (just clicked the checkbox and now waiting on the next card).

* Successful Bluffing and Blind Stealing - one of the most important moves in poker is bluffing the opponents, and in tournament play, you must be capable of successfully bluffing in order to survive the blinds and antes and to win heads-up. You can't bluff weak players, so don't even try. You'll need to learn how determine the style or type of the players, so you'll recognize who to bluff.

The next time you're thinking about playing a poker tournament, give the Sit and Go a try. It's a fast-paced tournament, where you'll have the opportunity to experience first hand what it's like to play at that Texas Holdem poker tournament final table. You'll go through a sequence of fast play and changing conditions, starting from a full table of 10 players, progressing rapidly to only 5 to 6. Then, if you're a good enough player, you'll find yourself in the most dangerous position of all - where you're one of only 4 players remaining, so you're only one seat out of the money. The key goal is surviving to the heads-up phase, so you get a shot at being the tournament winner, who receives the bulk of the prize pool.

So, you can practice for bigger tournament events by playing in Sit and Go tournaments and that way you'll be very comfortable when you do make it that final table in a big Texas Holdem poker tournament, and you'll have a lot of fun and gain some great Texas Holdem tournament poker experience along the way.

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Rick Braddy is an avid writer, Texas Holdem player and professional software developer and marketer for over 25 years. His websites and Texas Holdem poker tournament e-course helps people become better Texas Holdem tournament players. If you're a poker player, be sure to visit his Texas Holdem websites today and learn how you can play better Texas Holdem, too.

No-Limit Texas Hold'em Tournament Strategy - How To Win a 2007 WSOP Seat

2007-01-20T18:17:00.000-08:00

Since the addition of online poker, the prize pools at the World Series of Poker has skyrocketed. Chris Moneymaker, Greg "Fossilman" Raymer, Joseph Hachem, and Jamie Gold have all won millions of dollars by winnig the main event. These past champions were basically amateur poker players before becoming famous bracelet winners. Can you be the next WSOP champion? Anyone who catches a good run of cards and plays decently could possibly take down the main event this year. With the addition of online poker, winning a seat is easier than you think. Most poker rooms will be promoting WSOP seat like crazy in the upcoming months. They will be offering huge sign-up bonuses, WSOP packages, and all expenses paid trips.

Whether you are a seasoned pro or a rank amateur, you could be the next WSOP champion. For as little as $1, you can get into the action and win a seat. Shootout tournaments have also been popular in the past. In these shootout tournaments, you are required to win your table and play the winners of other tables. Sometimes the shootouts can be single, double, triple, or even quadruple. Depending on how much money you are willing to spend, you can play in any type of shoot out that you want. There are also large multi-table tournaments where the top finishers usually obtain a seat. These seats usually come with hotel accomodation, free food, spending money, and free sponsership clothing. Forget about playing the lottery, the 2007 WSOP is the new thing. Give yourself a shot at glory and try to win a seat online. You could be sitting at the final table across from Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu.

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