One such popular game is Texas Hold’em, which is often shortened to just Hold’em.  It can be played in various forms including Limit, Pot Limit or No Limit and each uses a different method of play.  Texas Hold’em is described as a community card game and players each receive a set of two cards while sharing five common cards.  The winning player is the one who stays in the pot until the final round and combines their cards with the community ones to make the best hand of five cards.  Alternatively if no one calls the only remaining hand will win. Poker for free is also one alternative to enjoy a game of poker.

Another similar card game is entitled Omaha Hold’em and it is also a community card game.  Omaha players get four personal cards instead of just the two and share five community cards.  The hand most often played is eight-or-better high-low split, Omaha is also played high only, and also can be played Limit, Pot Limit or No Limit, but this is very rare.

Pineapple Hold’em also takes the nickname of Crazy Pineapple and is a game that is halfway between Texas Hold’em and Omaha Hold’em.  Players are each dealt three cards which they unite with five common cards; however Pineapple Hold’em calls for players to discard one of their three cards.  This takes place after the flop in Crazy Pineapple, and before the flop in “regular” Pineapple.  This particular game is normally played high-low split and is also sometimes nicknamed “Watermelon” as players are in a sense required to” spit out the seeds”.

Bluffing has been popularised even further in the advent of TV coverage of some of the major tournaments, where you can see some of the top professional players pulling off elaborate bluffs against one another. However, these coverage shows are usually edited down, and you do not see the build up to these plays and you get the impression that the bluffs were formed on the spot, when in real fact the bluff was probably set up from hours of play in numerous hands. Therefore you can find many online players trying to pull off bluffs at inappropriate times trying to imitate what they have seen on TV, and thus losing money in the process.

A common problem amongst poker beginners is that they try to bluff far to frequently, which costs them a lot of money. You may be surprised to learn that it is not actually essential to be able to pull of successful bluffs to be a winning poker player. If you play your hands well, it is possible to come out as a winner without ever having to risk your chips in a bluff. However, bluffing will increase the amount you can win from the game if you are able to do it successfully. If you are quite new to the game, it is recommended that you avoid bluffing too frequently so that you can find your feet, and gradually find out when a bluff will be successful.

There will be times in a Texas Hold em poker game where a bluff will be more successful than in a different situation. If your opponent is showing weakness by checking, then it more likely that you will be able to push your opponent off the hand with a decent sized bet. Subsequently, if your opponent is showing a lot of strength, then it is less likely that you will be able to run a successful bluff because they are showing a lot of interest in the hand. A very common question asked by players new to the game is “When should I bluff?” This is an incredibly general question, but there is a very simple answer to it; you should bluff when you think your opponents will fold.

The art of bluffing in poker is a skill that is acquired over months and years of play, through seeing countless numbers of hands and situations. The more poker you play, the easier it will become to find situations in which you can bluff opponents off of their hands. Bluffing is all about knowing your opponent and knowing the situation well enough to understand that a bluff may be effective. Being aware of live tells and online poker tells will also help with knowing when a bluff will be successful. This kind of knowledge does not come overnight; it simply takes practice to be gain such an understanding of the game.

Position in poker is something that is all too often overlooked by newcomers to the game, and sometimes even by some of the more experienced players. To become a solid player, you have to exercise good poker strategy and use position to your advantage. If you are not always trying to keep aware of your position at the table, then you are leaving a big hole in your game.

Your position in each hand is determined by the placement of the ‘button’. The ‘button’ is the dealer’s seat and all actions must take place one after another in an anticlockwise motion from player to player, starting with the player to the immediate left of the dealer.

The group of players who will be the first few to act on each betting round are known as players in ‘early position’, and therefore the players who will be the last few to act on each round are known as the players in ‘late position’. As you might have already guessed, the players in between these two groups are known as players in ‘middle position’. The button is the best seat in the hand because that player will be acting last on every round of the hand, except only for pre-flop.

The players who are in late position have an advantage over the other players at the table because they will be the last to act on every betting round. This means that they are able to see how their opponents act and play their hand before they have to decide how to play their own hand.

For example, if a player in late position sees an opponent check before them, they can infer that there opponent has a weak hand, and so they may decide to make a bluff to try and take down the pot. If the positions had been switched around however, the player now in early position will have a harder time trying to run a successful bluff, because they no longer have any information on the strength of their opponent’s hand. Being out of position in any hand can cause many problems, and hinder any good Texas Holdem strategy you might posses.

When deciding whether or not to enter a pot you should always be considering your position at the table. If you are one of the first to act you have to remember that your opponents will have access to more information about your hand on each betting round, and so will be able to have the greater ability to bluff you off of your hand if you show any weakness. Knowing how to bluff in poker is important, but even more important is knowing when to bluff.

If you intend to play a hand from early position, you should make sure it is a premium hand to give yourself the best chance of winning. Consequently, you can loosen up your starting hand requirements in the later positions because you will have the advantage of acting last on each round.

Mathematics can be used in poker to work out the probability of certain cards being dealt at any point during the hand. If we are able to work out the probabilities, we can then determine whether or not it is worth calling a bet to chase after a draw. So obviously if we can work out that a certain draw is unlikely to be completed by the river, we will be less inclined to call big bets to try and catch those cards. Using the probability of completing a draw along with the amount you have to call in relation to the pot to figure out whether it is profitable to chase after a draw is called pot odds.

Pot odds can be worked out calculating the number of outs in relation to the number of cards left in the deck as well as the bet amount we have to call in relation to the size of the pot, then these number are compared to work out if a call is profitable.

For example, if we are on the flop and we have a flush draw, there are 9 cards left in the deck to complete our hand. There are 47 cards in total left in the deck, 38 of which will not make our draw, so by putting these numbers together we get a ratio of 38:9, or put more simply, 4:1 odds of making our flush by the next card. Therefore, for every 4 cards that will not make our hand, the other 1 card will. If you find this method difficult, you can use poker odds charts to help you quickly figure the odds out.

The next step is to work out the ratio between the size of the bet we have to call and the total amount in the pot. So if the size of the pot is $50 and we have to call $10 to try and hit our flush, the odds we are being given are 50:10, or put more simply, 5:1. Now when comparing the two ratios, we have 4:1 odds of completing our hand with 5:1 odds to try and hit our hand. This means that the odds are in our favour because the odds we are getting from the pot are greater than the odds we are getting from the cards. Therefore if we make the call, this will be a profitable call in the long run.

As mentioned, mathematics is all about winning money from online Texas Holdem in the long run. Just because you are able to work out the pot odds for each individual hand, it does not mean that you are more likely to win the hand. You may lose many hands in a row, but as long as you have the correct pot odds to call each time, in the long run you will come out on top as a winner. Poker mathematics is a great weapon to add to your poker arsenal, and it is good to know when you should and should not call bets for each drawing situation.

The obvious difference being that when playing poker online, you are in front of a computer screen and you are not able to see your opponents (sometimes just as well, lol). Whilst they’re hiding behind their screens, you won’t be able to see your opponent’s facial expressions, there hand movements etc. If you are an experienced live, real world poker player, the transition to not seeing these expressions might be a struggle. With that in mind we are going to cover some tips that can help in the transition to online poker.

The first question is why I want to play online if I enjoy playing live. Well online is a very good way of practicing for one. It gives you far more hands per hour than live ever can, you can play more than one game at a time and also if you do make mistakes (we’re only human after all) especially when new to the game, you wont be so embarrassed and its easier to pick yourself up, brush yourself off and attack, ok start again. The other main reason is, that apart from the big well-advertised long haul live tourneys out in the real world, the internet is where your day-to-day pay check is!

As mentioned, online poker is faceless, so you need to make use of whatever other information is available to you, yes there’s so much there to take onboard and use still.

That time bar moving as they’re thinking is a good indicator. When it’s there go, ask yourself, was that a quick check or bet? Was it a slow methodical check or bet? Was it the ramblings of a madman or someone playing ten tables and they’re only looking when the beeper sounds? Watch one person and note their rough speed to react in positions when checking, betting or re-raising. It gives you an idea of how strong their hand is. So you bet after the flop, then bang in a millisecond they’re all-in! Well I think we can safely say our hand is behind. Ok we’ll have to let that hand go, unless we’ve got the nuts or they do that every time. Yes I know so much info to gather and that’s just one bit. What about if they call? Was it a quick call? Was it slow and methodical? After time you will begin to pick up on why some react quick, some slow and some you wonder if they’re not all there. So watch their time bar and see how they react each time. Good online players will take roughly the same time, knowing not to give info away. As a guide quick reactions generally say they have a hand. Slow reactions generally say they have half a hand, they’re still trying to hit or they’re playing more than one table.

You can in the same breath use this to your advantage. Say you get called on your pre-flop raise, however your hands not the best. You were just trying to steal because your short stacked and they called. So the flop comes low and you hit a bit, you can generally put them on high cards for them to call a raise. It’s time to double up or double out. The flop comes, you hit a bit and bang in a millisecond your all-in. any good player will see they’ve missed and lay down knowing they’re behind. Be aware though to do this you need to have mind set that this is what you were going to do anyway. You could instead check quickly and see what they do and react then.

Another tool in your arsenal, which is the important one for tracking players, is the note pad. Yes the simple note pad, never overlook this valuable tool. You play one tourney say, then make notes on the people your playing. So next time or later when you’ve been bounced from table to table, you’re sat out of the hand watching the action. That one over there raises every time pre-flop, they can’t have a hand every go, no way, they are loose, I’ll remember that. Well you won’t remember who though, so click on the note pad and write notes against them. That one over there folds everything, except that one hand where they went all-in and ended up with aces, wow, they’re tight etc.

Make use of the free credits and free rolls poker sites give you and practise your online poker. If you are new to poker or just new to the poker site, the free credits and free rolls are the ideal way to use to get a feel of the site and how things work. Don’t beat yourself up if you lose, there’s plenty of people out there that’ll do that for free, even online. When choosing an online poker site, choose a reputable site. Not only will you get a better player experience, but also, you’re safe knowing your private information like credit card details are safe and not being shared around.

Make a shortlist of the qualities you want from a poker site and then read some of the poker reviews. Once you’re signed up and in a poker game, make notes and use the tips above to really have a great game and thrilling experience. You can’t do this in live poker so this is one of the big positive points for playing online. Also you can sit there in whatever you like eating, drinking and well pretty much whatever you like.

The best possible hand you can have and of course the most famous hand known is the Royal Flush. They are very far and few between, you can play for three to five years and may only ever see or have one, but they do happen. Don’t chase for them though as you will be throwing your chips away on a hand that very rarely hits. The Royal Flush is five cards of the same suit running from ace to the ten.

The next highest hand is the straight flush. Again not often seen and comprises of five cards of the same suit running in order with no breaks. The difference between a royal and a straight is the royal has to start at the ace where as the straight can start at the ace and go upwards or from the king and down wards or any other card. However you cannot go through the ace king route. If you had four, five, six, seven and then the eight of diamonds for example that is known as a straight flush.

The third highest-ranking hand in this style of poker is four of a kind. If you come up against a player who has four of a kind the same time as you do then the person with the higher cards to the ace would win.

Moving on, we then have the full house. Also known in the game as a boat or a full boat. It’s three of a kind and two of a kind together. So if you have three cards, which are all eights, and another pair of cards that are both sixes, for example, you have eights full of sixes, or eights over sixes. This can come in many combinations obviously. Whoever has the highest three set wins, if you are both using those cards then the higher of the pair wins, if you both have the same then you draw.

Next is the flush, remember this is Texas Hold-em. This is any five cards of the same suit. If a flush meats another flush, the person with the higher card flush wins. Be careful, a lot of fish (fools who chase that other card to complete their hand when they’re clearly behind) chase these to the river and then annoyingly, for you, catch them.

Next up we have the lovely straight. Simply five cards in order but not of the same suit. Again if you meet another straight in the same hand then the higher straight would win. This again is another one of those hands that people will fish for, so do watch combination flops and be aware.

Next, three of a kind. Three of a kind is simply three cards of the same number, also known as trips or a set. If you have a pair in your hand and hit the third one with the shared cards, this is called a set. If the shared cards pair and you also have one of those cards in your hand that is called trips. Useful to know, if someone won’t stop going on that they’ve got trips! You know they have another one of the paired cards in their hand. Also it gives you chance to understand the knowledge of your player. If they say they have trips where they actually have a set, then they don’t know much, surely?

The penultimate hand is the lonely pair, probably the most commonly seen hand. It is two cards of the same card number. You have your pair, if all players left in are using the same pair then the three next highest cards are used to determine who wins.

Lastly we have the, oops it’s all gone wrong hand and I missed all my fishing to hit a straight, flush, pair or the miracle winning hand. Yes it’s the high card race takes the hand. Simply put, whoever has the highest five cards from the shared/ whole cards and their two cards wins.

Keep in mind that most big poker pots are won by stealing, bluffing, fishing, oh and the occasion showdown, which inevitably ends up being won by only a high card or pair. You rarely see the top hand rankings in poker, although they do happen from time to time. The top hands need another person to have a top hand to so you get paid off from your betting or check betting at showdown.

 So it’s forever changing with the blinds, antes, people being knocked out, you climbing the ladder towards pay off, suck outs, steals, bad beats, unreal folds and you want to know about your big blind?

 From time to time there gets a point in a tourney when you have to make a stand and protect your blinds from being stolen.

However, working out when and how is the key, otherwise people will see what you’re doing and either re-raise you or go all in against you. This then leaves you in a vulnerable position or a predicament as what to do.

So when is it a good time to protect them against that raise and how?

There are many times in a tourney when people will raise while you are in small or big blind that’s how poker is played.

We will concentrate on your big blind in this instance as this is the most frustrating to say goodbye to.

Protecting Your Blinds -

Someone raises into your blind in early position and everyone else folds.

Firstly, how much did they raise?

Three times the blind?

This is a standard semi hand play raise. Put yourself in their position and ask yourself why am I raising in early position three times the blind, do I want a call? This type of raise normally tells you they have half a hand and what to weed out the limpers and fish so they don’t catch on the flop and then wont let go post flop.

So you know you’re up against a possible ace/picture or medium pocket pair. If you too have half a hand then call and protect or re-raise and ask the question (metaphorically) do you really have a hand? Remember though, you are out of position post flop so be prepared to get an answer you may not like. If he re-shoves all-in then why fight? Maybe he has got a hand, however that re-raise may have saved you your tourney by telling you then and not post flop when you may have caught some of your hand and still probably behind.

Four times the blind?

This is generally a move with made hands where again they want the limpers and fish out of the way, they are happy for a call or to take the blinds and antes there and then. However call me if you have a hand and be prepared for it to get fruity post flop.

All-in?

Well the message is clear to us all, I’m committing my whole tourney, now, here, right this second, on this one hand. This is always a brave move in early position, unless you’ve got the stone cold nuts (AA). It means two things, one, I have a monster and if you call then unlucky, don’t you dare suck out on me and you best have a hand. Two, I’m desperate, the blinds and antes are going up too quick, I can’t keep up. I need to steal the blinds to last another round so please fold and leave me to steal them. The only, average chip stack, hands that should be calling this move are AA and maybe KK, anything else, well, you need to be able to cover his all-in and still have enough to be chip leader or, well, are you here to gamble?

Someone raises into your blind in mid position, everyone before them has folded.

Three times the blind?

A high percentage of the time in the later stages of a tourney, (about one to two hours onwards), if someone is raising in mid position, they have a hand, as simple as that. So be careful and proceed with caution, or run and hide. I would most of the time be folding here as they’re generally not trying to steal (like in early position) they’ve got no reason to get involved, yet they have. So mid position man, you really want my blinds that bad, you have them. I’ll get them back when I’m dealer button.

Four times the blind?

This again, in mid position is so difficult, why would they raise in mid position later in a tourney when they can fold and have no need to get involved in this hand? Well, this is tough, if they’ve got a hand, why four times the blind, why not three? They’re not trying to steal in mid position are they? They’ve lasted this long so far to know not to try a steal in mid position, that’s what the big blind or button is for, isn’t it? Wow, all this time in the tourney and they make a move there! Something hasn’t distracted them has it? They’ve not just had a text telling them to “come home quick”? You haven’t got a hand though, dam, you’ll have to let this one go, this time. Next time if you do actually have a half decent hand, think about maybe re-raising them to ask the question again. However if they’re genuine you can expect a re-raise to be all-in back at you. If they’ve not, they may flat call me to save face to see a flop then fold on you first betting or just admit they’ve got caught with their hand in the cookie jar and fold there and then.

All-in?

It’s not a steal, it’s generally not a bluff and they have something. Again why get involved if they don’t need to? Unless you’re mad or you’re sitting their in big blind with the nuts then fold. You don’t need to play to their rules, they’re here to play to yours. 

Someone raises into your blind in late or even the button position, everyone before them has folded.

Three times the blind?

Generally two options here, they’re stealing and want the blinds and the ante or they have a hand and don’t mind a call because they will have position on you post flop. So now what do you think? Well maybe a re-raise slightly more than the standard three times, this will throw them off and put there hand in doubt. If they call then be brave post flop and represent it if you have outs. If you miss totally be prepared for them to bet and maybe get out of there. Or the over alternative is to obviously fold. If they keep doing this then your being bullied and you need to make a stand after about two or three times to let them know.

Four times the blind?

Yes maybe a hand, however why four times when three times was enough for a call. They obviously don’t want a call and they’re stealing your hard earned blinds, again! You may not have a monster hand, maybe a medium hand with combination outs would be worth a call. Watch their face for reactions as you call and watch what they do post flop.

All-in?

Wow so late and your now going all-in, what have you woken up with, a monster and don’t know how to play it, or are your pocket two’s in doubt and not safe to see a flop? Ok with this one, you can’t push them off obviously, your in or your out. The problem is, how many chips has he shoved all-in with, will it take you out if you lose? Is it such a small amount that you can afford it and you fancy a gamble against this lose player? Or are they about the same as you and knows you can play and wants to push you off? After all, they had that bad beat two hands ago and lost their big blind and a bit more to a small all-in?

So when is it not a good time to protect your blinds and fold to that raise? 

Every time you come up against that tight player. Every time you look down to see those horrible off-suited cards that couldn’t even make a straight unless they gave you the connecting five cards in between. Every time there’s more then three callers! Three you say why not surely I’ve got value in the call? Well yes, however you then need to evaluate who’s calling, what their stack is like and what’s going to happen post flop. If it’s something you don’t like, then fold.

Playing too many hands. When you enter a game of poker we know your there to play poker but this doesn’t mean playing every hand. Improving your starting selection and being more disciplined is one of the first ways to lesson your losses and improve your chances of staying in the games longer.

Playing above your bankroll. Just because you have hit a bit of luck, it doesn’t mean its time to enter poker tournaments or Cash games that you cant not afford and where the competition is too high for your level. Stick to the low stakes till your consistently winning and only then slowly and cautiously move up a level. Be prepared to move down a level too.

Letting emotions get to you at the poker table. Be prepared from the start, in poker you will loose. You will come across annoying opponents and opponents who seem to have all the luck all the time. Don’t let your emotions get in the way, if your getting wound up or pissed off walk away before your judgement is swayed by your emotions.

Not knowing your pot odds. It hard enough when you first start to play poker to mast er and remember pot odds as well as everything else that is going on . With out knowing pot odds you will tend to call too much. Read up on poker pot odds and try to master it early on.

Only using a two colour deck. Now this may seem small and insignificant as a pack of cards is a pack of cards, right? Well yes but when your concentrating on everything else there will be a time when you misread the cards and think you hit your flush when you haven’t. Take advantages of the poker sites offerings and use a 4 coloured deck of cards.

Not protecting your blinds. If you are not protecting your blinds then your effectively giving your chips away.

Maths in Poker- a good poker player will know the general odds and probabilities of the game.They will know odds of hitting a set when holding pocket pair and the odds of completing a flush by the river. A good player will understand the odds and how important they are. Put it simply the number of cards that can improve your hand. A good player can work out the pot odds.

Good discipline- the difference between a good poker player and a fish is that a fish doesn’t expect to win where the poker player does. A fish relies on luck where as a good poker player doesn’t. A good poker player will know know what discipline to apply to the relevant game he is playing . A good player will know when to fold, he will have enough discipline to recognise he is on tilt and when to walk away. A good poker player knows he will make mistakes but will learn form them .

Psychology- a good poker player will watch people , think about why they made a certain move and why they didn’t do certain things. He is always looking, watching and listening for clues on his opponents. Just as much he is always asking himself what his opponents think he has.

Understanding risk and reward- a good poker player will know when to take a long shot if the reward is high enough. He will know when the reward is not high enough not to risk his chip stack.

Bt learning and applying these four skills your poker play will improve.

The 2009 tournament saw 1,053 players from around the world playing for a piece of the $4,045,350 prize pool. The first prize in the main event of $3 million was won by a 22 year old player who qualified online.  The 2010 event, which will start January 4^th till 14^th 2010, will see more than 50 events in 10 days. These include $1k, $2k and $5k tournaments as well as the famous main event.

In 2001, the Aussie Millions was moved to January, which is summer time in Melbourne and the buy-in was increased five-fold to $5K AUD in hopes of attracting a larger field from around the globe. In 2003, the buy-in increased again, this time doubling in size to $10K AUD. Finally, players from around the world were enticed to embrace the Aussie Millions, as more than 50% of the field was from countries other than Australia.

2007 was the most publicized tournament in Aussie Millions history, and rightfully so. The final table consisted of high profile professionals Andy Black, Kristy Gazes, and 2007 winner Gus Hansen. Gus, however, would have to go through “Gobboboy” Jimmy Fricke, who frustrated tilted the entire field with LAG play and monstrous chip stack. Hansen and Fricke would battle heads-up for slightly over an hour, with Hansen overcoming a substantial deficit to take down the 2007 Aussie Millions.

While the 2007 Aussie Millions was the most publicized Aussie Millions tournament, in 2008 a record setting field was produced. With 780 poker players fielding the Main Event, US poker pro Erik Siedel found himself runner-up to Alexander Kostritsyn. In 2009, the first $2M AUD prize was produced, despite a smaller field of 681 entrants.

The 2010 event will consist of twenty events which include the $10,000AUD buy-in five day Aussie Millions Main Event, as well as the $5,300AUD Australian Heads Up Championship. There is also the famous two day £100k Challenge and one of the richest cash games in the world, the Aussie Millions Cash Game will take place during the event.

Aussie Millions Qualifiers

 Party Poker are running Aussie Millions qulaifiers starting at $1 buy-in all the way up to $640 buy-in. Party Pokers package is worth $15,000 but on a downside their poker site isnt open to USA players and they are not offering qualifiers that you buy in with your loyalty points either.

.Full Tilt are offering a $14,500 package for the Aussie Millions with buy-ins from $0.50 to $535. Full Tilt do accept USA players and they are offering loyalty point entry qualifiers.

Cake Poker are running Aussie Million qualifiers from $3.30 buy-ins to $321. There Aussie Millions package is worth $13,000 and Cake Poker accept USA players and have loyalty point entry tournaments to the qualifiers. 

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How ‘run it twice’ works – When players play at a ‘run it twive’ table, they have the option of checking a box to enable the feature. If two or more players have enabled the feature and find themselves in a heads up situation , the community cards are dealt twice. It can be done pre-flop, post-flop or after the turn card has been dealt. The winner of each outcome wins half the pot.

Its being targeted at the hgher stakes players where it can reduce the variance in huge pots.

• The World of Poker
• Bluffing
• Position
• Mathematics and Poker
• Online Poker Tips
• Know Your Poker Hands
• Aussie Millions
• Protecting Your Blinds
• Mistakes in Poker
• Four main skills in poker
• Dealing with Bad Beats
• A few pre flop mistakes
• Its Not Always About Winning
• Have you got what it takes?
• From Novice to Expert Poker Player
• Find the Best Online Poker Rooms
• Poker Slang
• Advantages Of Playing Online Poker
• A Quick and Easy Lesson in Calculating Outs and Pot Odds
• 3 Tips For The Beginner Poker Player
• Increase Your Bankroll
• Which is Better - Poker Tournaments Or Cash Games?
• Best Times and Rooms to Play Poker Online
• Improve Your Game
• Choosing a Table
• Choosing the right sort of game
• Selecting a Poker Room
• Poker Online Expert
• Online or Live Poker
• Playing Styles
• Online tells
• To play online ...
• Sit and Go's
• Common Mistakes
• Heads Up
• Poker Basics
• Analyze your game

• It’s not guaranteed – you have to keep reminding yourself that no matter how monster you think your hand is , there is a chance it can still be beaten.
• It happens both ways – we can always remember our bad beats easier than the times we got lucky and someone else had the bad beat. Ever called a large raise to hit your flush on the river or similar? Your opponent just got bad beat by you.
• Understand there will be good and bad- if you average out all your hands over all the hours you play, you will see that you get just as many good days/hands as bad days/hands. Disciplining yourself to stop and walk away for the day when you hit the bad times will help the good/bad balance into your favour.
• Your last chip still counts – if a bad beat has wiped you out to your last chip, keep a level head and get back in there. You’re still in with a chance if you apply an aggressive style at the appropriate times. Use position, when you have it, to steal blinds and double up at the appropriate moment.
• Observe how others deal with bad beats – honestly bad beats don’t just happen to you. Notice their reactions in the chat box and ask yourself if this is how you want to be viewed.
• Be professional, particularly when others are not – keep your focus. Surviving a bad beat is about controlling and maintaining your focus.

If a bad beat is getting the better of you, step away from the computer. It will be still there when you have had a chance to cool down.

Poor starting cards selection – this is normally most players problem. So keen to just play poker they play cards they really shouldn’t and then wonder why they are losing all their chips. Simply only play hands like. Top Hands :A-A, K-K, Q-Q, J-J, A-K suited, A-K off suit. Good Hands’-T, 9-9, A-Qs, A-Js, A-Ts, K-Qs, Q-Js, J-Ts, A-Qo, K-Qo Average Hands: 8-8, 7-7, K-Ts, Q-Ts, Q-9s, J-9s, T-9s, T-8s, 9-8s, 9-7s, 8-7s, 7-6s, 6-5s, A-Jo, K-Jo, Q-Jo, J-To, A-xs. Marginal Hands:6-6, 5-5, 4-4, 3-3, 2-2, 5-4s, 4-3s, K-9s, Q-8s, J-8s, T-7s, 8-6s, 7-5s, 6-4s, 5-3s, K-xs, A-To, K-To, Q-To, J-9o, T-9o, 9-8o But pay attention to your position. Straying away from your good hands in good position is where you start to lose. Patience and discipline pay a large part in the difference between a good poker player and a bad poker player.

Slow Playing – slow play should only be done after the flop when you know you can’t be beaten and not pre flop to try and build the pot. Pre flop you’re giving your opponents the chance to stay in cheaply. You’re inviting them to play and they could hit something bigger than you.

Pay attention to your opponents. Every action they make could possibly tell you something about them and how they play. If they are raising they usually have a good hand, checking id they have a weak hand and check-raising when they are trying to deceive. If a slow player takes an age then to raise they are trying to trick you into thinking they have a weaker hand than they have. Paying attention to what they are doing and act accordingly.

Late position not being used to your advantage. Being last to act puts you in a string position. You have seen what the other players are doing and you can play the hands you would normally play in the earlier positions.

Experience will teach you not to get trapped in hands or to chase hands unwisely. Take a good hard look at yourself. Can you identify what sort of style you play poker? Do you know what sort of poker player you want to be? Do you tend to play safe by only playing low risk? Or do you constantly try for the chips.

Being able to identify your poker style will help you develop a strategy to improve your poker. It will help you on your way to being the sort of poker player you want to be. Which hands constantly cash? I bet it has happened to most players that they play a monster hand and some annoying twerp limps in calling your every bet and then beats you on the river. You can remove all those annoying twerps but you can change your knowledge of hand strength and drawing odds.

The ability to shift gear. Being able to alternate between aggressive and passive poker play is vital. Some players will act strong when they are actually weak, likewise some players will act weak when in fact they are strong. Don’t fall into routine betting patterns. A good player can pick up your betting patterns and trends and take advantage of it. You should be playing strong when you are strong but be unpredictable when you are unbeatable. When you know your back is against the wall then it’s time to change gears. If you find you are small stacked then don’t wait till you bust out going all in.

The chat box is there for you to take advantage. Just about all the poker rooms have the chat facility so use it. Although you shouldn’t trust a fellow player’s chat, there are plenty who will flaunt their so called poke knowledge and offer advice. Hear their advice but it’s your call if you choose to apply it.

Watch Poker tournaments’ on TV. These days the airing of poker games and tournaments can be found on more frequently. Watch how the pros play as they are pros for a reason not just because they look good. Watch their styles, how they play certain hands. See what they play and fold. Keep yourself up to speed what is happening in the poker world.

The things that do matter are what attributes you have or can at least harness. Like your personal temperament and character.

• Good attributes to have are:
• Patience
• Know your numbers
• Self control and discipline
• Controlling the ego
• Aggression
• Ruthlessness

First there is patience.

Commonly poker is played in the evening and can go on to the wee small hours. If you’re not a night owl this might be a disadvantage. Also the bigger live tournaments can run over several days. Have you got the patience to sit through hours of poker without losing your concentration or giving in the nagging urge to do something rash and reckless that would probably cost you all your chips. Poker at this level requires endurance. Many a lesser poker player has lost more hands and chips from impatience, irritation, tiredness and boredom than any other failings.

Get wise and nerdy with numbers.

Even if you’re not the world’s best mathematician it’s a skill you need to brush up on. It’s not that difficult to calculate the odds of winning a hand seeing as there are only 52 cards in a deck. To reduce or manage the effect of luck, the better poker players use mental arithmetic.

 Do you consider you are self controlled and have discipline?

A successful poker player knows there more times than not that you have to just wait, wait and wait some more. He might play the occasional week hand to throw the pattern on his play. But nothing rash as he is sitting there waiting for his strong starting hand to put his chips to work. The good player will watch the weaker players getting bored and risking their chips on poor hands, only to end up losing. The amount of waiting takes vast amounts of discipline and digging really deep into resources of self control.

Raining in that ego. It was once said by John Gollehan that ‘Big egos and big losses go hand in hand’ Many personality habits and traits become magnified when the cards have been dealt. This means any issues a player may have will be exaggerated and on show when he is playing and can be very costly. Learn to spot a player who has no understanding or control over their issues and target them.

Aggression.

At the poker table, aggression is regarded as a technique. It’s a way of intimidating lesser poker players. No it doesn’t mean snarling and growling and your opponents, but developing a style of play which is disconcertingly strong and unpredictable.

Ruthlessness.

Are you ruthless enough to carry through your attack and destroy your opponent’s confidence. After all, aren’t  you  there to win their chip stack not become best buds. Remove the personal element from the game and you mind.

Before the first cards are even dealt you should begin by considering your position at the table. The table should be divided up as follows:

• Early Position 2-3 Players to left of the blinds
• Middle Position Players 4 through 7
• Late Position 8-10
• Small and Big Blind

Early Position – When you are seated in early position you are making you’re betting decisions before getting a chance to see what the other players are going to do. You are making you’re decisions without information on what hands your opponents may have. You will not be acting from a position of strength. For this reason, if you do not have one of the better starting hands, you should consider folding.

Middle Position – This position will allow you to play more hands than if you were seated in the early position since you will get to see what the other players in front of you are going to do. There are also not as many players who will act behind you so you are not as susceptible to a raise as you would be in an early position. For this reason, you can play the best starting hands aggressively. Raising and re-raising opponents would be a sound strategy. In middle position you can use a raise to help you determine the strength of your opponents’ hands – Do they fold, call or re-raise? How they react to your raise can tell you a lot about what they may be holding.

Late Position – This is the most advantageous position at the table. You get to see what most of the other players in front of you are going to do. You get to act with the most information available to you. Being seated in late position allows you to play a wider selection of hands. Being “on the button” – the dealer – is the best position. This is because you will act last. You will have the advantage of seeing what all the others in front of you have done. Here again, raising and re-raising opponents would be a sound strategy. Being seated in late positions allows you to play a little looser.

Small and Big Blinds – While these do act last before the flop, you are acting last in every round after the flop. This makes it one of the more difficult positions on the table.

As a general rule of thumb, you should expect to play a tight game when you are seated in one of the early positions and looser when in late position.

You will put yourself on the winning path in limit hold ‘em by playing good hands and showing sound judgment on when to be aggressive.

•  There are some very good reasons to be aggressive and raise the pot, especially before the flop, such as:
•  You have one of the best starting hands and by raising, you get more money into the pot.
•  You want to force opponents with weaker hands out of the game. There is no sense in letting someone hang around and give them the chance to hit the flop.

Others in front of you have folded. The likelihood that your hand is the best increases as others fold.

Of course there are also some good reasons to not raise:

• Someone else has raised.
•  You don’t want to narrow the field. An example of this is when you are drawing for a flush or straight. You are risking less up front for a hand that you may or may not make. By keeping more players in the pot, you have the potential to win a larger pot if you do hit your hand.
•  You’re raises don’t work. This happens in very low limit games and/or games with poor players. They all react to raises by raising and re-raising. The large pots tempt players to hang around with lower ranked hands and increase the possibility that one of them may hit a card on the turn or river that will beat your hand.

By studying and knowing your opponents you’ll know how they play hands and you’ll know when your raises will or will not work.

• Online poker rooms are the gambling industry embracing the technology age. Barriers of time, distance and race are shattered as more and more people play in online poker rooms. All is needed is the skills and funds to enter the website and begin playing against other people from different places.

• When choosing which online poker rooms to visit, a random search through any web search engine should be your first step. You can narrow your results for poker rooms near your area by typing in the name of your city. Though not all poker rooms have a chapter for each city, there is definitely something for you in poker rooms.

• The advantage of online poker rooms over the regular casino houses is that the users can play at their own convenience. The comfort and security of playing their favorite card game in pajamas and curlers is one of the selling points of online poker rooms. Like that famous ad by Poker party.com, if you don’t have a good poker face then online poker rooms are perfect for you.

• Another great thing about these online poker rooms is the ability to provide a freeroll tournament for beginners. Freeroll means that there is no entry fee to be in the game. If you are not yet confident with your skills, you can go to these online poker rooms and play for practice or fun.

• Aside from these features, online poker rooms are the perfect places for shy people. And it is a great way to get your confidence up. The impersonal way that computers interact with us is something that poker rooms have recognized and used in their favor. Online poker rooms are very safe and you have the option to leave their membership if you don’t think they give you quality service.

• Online poker rooms try to accommodate everyone in their site, from beginners to high stake gamblers. Part of that commitment is to help players get promoted from one game level to the next. A major incentive that poker rooms give to their users is to hold tournaments to get you to play in the World Series of Poker. Called satellite tournaments, the winner gets to be sponsored by the online poker rooms as he goes to the championships for a shot of glory and big money.

• Many players fear going to online poker rooms because of they think it is susceptible to fraud, viruses and hackers. In truth, poker rooms have strict security procedures. The investment you put in online poker rooms are safe plus these poker rooms provide you with an insurance policy to protect your assets.

• There was an infamous case about online poker rooms and their use of “bots” (computer programs disguised as human players) as house employed card players. That site, ProPoker.com, was found to use bots to gain unfair advantage over other players. It has long been shut down and with it were the funds of the other players.

• Of course, now the security is twice as tight and rigid. There are online poker rooms that monitor their players for trying to beat the game using fraud. There are times that the culprits are not the poker rooms but the players themselves.

• If you are still not convinced that online poker rooms are a great way to learn and play poker, maybe you should check out their other features: sign-up bonus, promotion points, player utilities, frequent player schemes and free support. One of the more interesting features is the access to poker school. There are poker rooms that allow you to enroll in poker school for free once you sign-up with their service.

• All the fears regarding online poker rooms is not as dangerous as the threat of real-life casino house. Whether you decide to play in a brick and mortar casino, there is no harm in taking advantage of the ease, convenience, and accessibility that poker rooms give. The time to discover what online poker can do for you is just one click away.

Some of the most common terms like trips, quads or ole one eye are pretty obvious pointing to three of a kind, four of a kind and the notorious one eyed jack. When you’re looking to impress some avid poker players, brushing up on a few terms that aren’t so common will do the trick.

Let’s look at a few hands you may have and the correct terminology of portraying a big boy at the table. After all, the last thing you want to say when you see two aces in your hand is, “I have a pair” so let’s look at the terminology for pairs.

A-A= these are called “Pocket Rockets”.

K-K= these are called “Cowboys” or “Elvis Presley’s” and some times “Penn & Teller”

Q-Q= often called “The Twins”, “The Ladies”, “The Hilton’s” or “The Dirty Duo”.

J –J = sometimes Jacks are called “Jokers”, “Hooks” or “Jerky Joe’s”.

These valued cards often have some wacky names and it may seem hard to keep up with some of them but you’ll soon realize that’s not so bad compared to some others. For instance, take a look at the slang on these babies.

2-2= “Ducks” or “Deuces”

3-3= “Prom Night” or “Crabs”

6-9= “Top or Bottom”, “Delight” and “Big Lick”.

K-J= “KoJak”

A-J= “Apple Jacks” or “Apple Fritter”

The terminology listed above can help you but only to an extent.

To be seriously efficient in a poker game, learn a few other terms to show that you are experienced and you mean business, everyone bluff’s sometimes. These terms are usually used in context when referring to a stage of play.

• What is the flop?

The flop as it’s called is actually the first stage of play involving the community cards when the first three are laid upon the table in any type of “Holdem” style of poker. There are several ways the word flop is used and if you’ve watched televised poker play, it can be confusing.

• What does it mean when someone says:

“He’s seeing the flop”= generally speaking this means that “he” the player will stay in the game, stay in the pot or the ante until “he” sees the first three cards—the flop.

“He’s hitting the flop”= this is a phrase that any poker player loves to hear and it means that the flop cards which are the first three of the community laid in the center of the table are going together well with the hole cards the player is holding that were dealt face-down to “him”. The chances of putting together a winning poker hand is looking pretty good.

“The post-flop is up”= basically this describes an action such as a bet most commonly. A player has bet post flop; the player has waited after he sees the post flop cards and means that the player didn’t bet blind.

“It’s coming down to the river”= the river refers to the last hand of Holdem style poker game. The very last card laid upon the table face-up, is the river.

Learning some of these terms should get your foot in the door to a good poker game but after you’re in it’s up to you. Have fun playing poker and even more fun learning some of the new slang.

Convenience for the seasoned or beginner poker player is one of the many advantages of playing online poker. Even though gaming institutions are popping up in more and more places these days, it is still likely that you will have to drive a good distance to reach a casino. As a number of casinos will usually have ample parking, there will still be those instances where you will have to look around for awhile for a parking spot and sometimes even pay for your parking while you are inside the casino. By playing poker online at home you are able to completely disregard the notion of driving anywhere at all and can use your time more wisely as opposed to wasting it by driving to and from the gaming facility. Another plus with not having to drive to a gaming establishment is that you will save money on gasoline. Online poker is definitely for the convenience-lover.

Lower stakes in the poker game are also an advantage of playing poker in an online setting. As individuals that play poker online are often beginners and are trying to learn the ins and outs of the game, low stakes poker games online make this type of table game a great place in which to learn without losing large amounts of money. In order to find the websites offering low stakes poker online, simply do a general search using a phrase such as “low stakes poker online” or “poker games online low stakes” and you will be met with a number of poker websites from which to choose the one you like best. Just be sure to thoroughly review the site prior to playing for safety reasons to make sure it is legitimate.

A third advantage of playing the game of poker online is that concentration will be more focused and centered in the comfort of your own home. Sometimes when you are playing poker table games at a casino, or any type of table games for that matter, other players can be distracting and almost intrusive. With online poker, you are able to concentrate better thereby increasing your chances of winning. When people are unable to concentrate, they tend to make silly moves thereby losing more money than they might have had they been able to concentrate. Playing poker online enables you to be able to concentrate on the game at hand and eliminates any outside distractions that may be present within a casino setting.

Having the availability of playing online poker 24 hours a day, 7 days a week is another wonderful advantage of playing a poker game in this manner. This is wonderful for the individual who likes to wait until later at night when the house is quiet and work is done for the day when he/she can sit down in front of the computer and enjoy a game or two of online poker. It doesn’t matter what time of day it is as you are sure to find an online poker game in progress. Availability is a beneficial advantage to the poker game lover.

Finally, playing online poker is a great way to ensure your place at a virtual gaming table. How many times have you driven to your local casino, or in some instances not so local casino, and found that you had to wait an unimaginable amount of time to secure a spot at a card table that was within your budget? My guess is quite a few of you have experienced this type of waiting game. By utilizing the availability of online poker websites you will be able to find a place at one of their virtual tables and no longer will you need to wait in line to enjoy some poker action. This may also help you to relax as sometimes waiting in lines can cause unnecessary anxiety and aggravation.

These are just a few reasons why playing poker online is a great alternative to playing this game at a casino in your area. Not only is online poker convenient but it also allows you to concentrate on your game and increase your winnings. Additionally, it allows you to play this entertaining game for lower sums of money, thereby limiting any potential extreme losses. Also, you will never have to wait in a smoky, crowded casino area again looking for a table spot to open up. After hearing about all of the aforementioned reasons, why not give online poker a try and see for yourself all of the wonderful things that it has to offer. Chances are you will not be disappointed.

However this in my opinion should not be the sole basis of your decision on whether you should draw for another card.

You also have to decide on whether the hand that you are trying to hit will win you the pot or not.

How to calculate pot odds:

In this example, if the current pot contains $80, and the amount required at the next call is $20, the pot is laying you odds of $80 to $20 or 4 to 1.

As long as your odds of making the best hand are 4 to 1 or better than making the call is the right move. A hand that is 4 to 1 means that you will hit once in every 5 tries. You will hit the draw 20 percent of the time.

This next example takes into account calculating pot odds and outs.

Assume that your hole cards are a six and a seven (for this example suits do not matter) and the flop came down 8-9-3.

In order to complete your hand you need a 5 or 10. You have eight outs – 4-5’s and 4-10’s. Multiply your outs (8) by 4 and you get 32. You have a 32 percent chance of making your hand. If there was only one card left to draw you would multiply by two.

A 32 percent chance of making your hand means you have a 68 percent chance of NOT making your hand. This is roughly 2 to 1 that you won’t make the hand. So, as long as the pot contains $2 for every $1 that you have to call, it is worth going after your straight.

Doing these quick calculations and interpreting them can be very difficult and confusing for a beginner (and many advanced players as well!). But I would recommend that you at least be able to quickly calculate your outs to give you an idea of just how likely you are to make your hand.

Then decide if that hand will win the pot for you or not.

The best thing to do before you start depositing money into a game you little about, is to familiarise yourself with the rules of betting, calling , raising and folding. You need to know the hand ranks. You don’t want to be betting on what you think is a winning hand when in reality it isn’t.

Here are three tips to get you started on the road to being a poker player.

• Probably the best way to familiarise yourself with the poker room is to play on the play section. You won’t have to worry about betting all your savings while you’re still figuring out what button does what. Arranging to ‘meet’ friends online and play on the play money tables. Most poker sites offer this service and if not there is always the find a friend service.
• Experiment with different poker strategies to find the poker style and poker play that suits you. Don’t just try one type of strategy at the beginning; use this chance to try out different strategies. Playing just one style makes it very easy for more skilled poker players to pick up on your play and tells. When you first start playing it can be very frustrating to get bullied around the table by the more advanced player.
•  If you win a few big hands when you first start out, don’t let it go to your head. You still got a lot of learning ahead of you. Keep a level head on your good days as well as your bad days. It will help you concentrate better and in turn make you a better player.

 Poker does have an element of luck in it, but as always the luck will run out and this is when the skilful poker player comes through.

Sit and Go’s – using sit and go’s to increase your bankroll is achievable provided your ready to do a lot of grinding. Increasing your bankroll this way could be slow but steady. Start at buying in on games that you’re comfortable with; don’t automatically start high hoping you will hit lucky. Play at your usual level and if you hit a bad run be prepared to even drop down a level. Not till your bankroll slowly increases should you think about playing the next level up.

Multi Table Tournaments – MTT’s are not the easiest route to increase your bankroll. They take time and you need to be in it till the end to get paid off. You need to be use to playing MTT’s as they are played differently to sit and go’s and cash tables. The advantage though is that if you do finish in the money then might have given your bankroll a nice boost in one go. Do remember though that MTT’s do seem to attract the worse players hoping for a quick boost

Cash Tables – cash tables can produce a reasonable consistent return. Not only can you be selective about the games you play but you can target the soft spots. You can play when you want, not waiting for a scheduled tournament or enough players to fill a sit and go. Cash tables though do have a disadvantage in that you can go on tilt too easily and loose more money then you should. It’s too easy to rebuy in and you may find yourself loosing several buy ins in a few hands. So if you are prone to tilting or lack control then cash tables might not be your best option.

In a poker tournament the buy in is a set amount and you all start with the same amount of chips. The aim of a poker tournament is to eliminate your opponents. The top remaining players are paid when they finish with in the pay scale. You might find a tournament of 10 players only pays the top 3 players. In this example if you finished 4th you wouldn’t come away with anything but 3rd you probably win your buy in back. 2nd is obviously better than 3rd and the player who walks away with the most is the last player on the table.

Although winning and being the last player is the most profitable, there is still good money to be made if you can last into the pay outs. An important factor to remember in poker tournaments is your stack size. This is the amount of chips you have to play with. In a tournament when they are gone then so are you. (Unless it’s early stages of a larger tournament where buy ins are allowed) It can be quite cut throat in a tournament and you will have to be prepared to play pots that you wouldn’t generally attempt. You will have to stay ahead of the blinds as these will grow steadily throughout the tournament. You may face going all in with a weaker hand than you would normally if your chip stack is getting small. Its about staying in the game.

In cash games you buy in with the amount you want to play with. You can then top up when you need to or leave when you pick up a monster. The blinds don’t go up in cash games. They stay fixed.

You don’t have to worry about what other players are doing as you don’t have to eliminate them, just get there chips. Cash games are not restricted to a time. You can play cash when you want to not just when it is scheduled to start. When you have had enough you can leave the table unlike tournaments. The good side of a tournament is you know how much it will cost you before you buy in. A cash game can hit a bad session and cost you dearly.

The best way to find your niche is to play both to see which one suits your playing style better.

This is because a lot of online poker players work two jobs to fund their poker. So some players will get online at night and be a little tired. They will tend to get compulsive and rush hands. They will play a lot more drawing hands.

Many players will have a drink on the way home from work. This can be a huge advantage to you. Every poker book you read will say doesn’t play poker when drunk. Drunken players tend to have more of immunity to losing and tend to play loosely and aggressively.

Many players will rush to try and get in as many tournaments as possible in an evening or a Sunday afternoon. They are probably working full time and this is their only poker time they have. Often they will be playing more than one tournament at a time and you can take advantage of not having their full attention.

They are possibly playing poker whilst eating, one eye on the TV and a million other things too. Again you can take advantage.

On the opposite side to all of this, if you sat down at 10.00am to play a poker tournament you will probably be up against players who play poker for a living. You might see some very good game play but remember you may be out of your league.

Do You Have the Right Mental Approach to Win a WSOP Bracelet?
By Mitchell Cogert

The first skill to win a WSOP bracelet or any tournament is:

Playing to win and not just to cash.

Before you enter a no limit poker tournament you must put yourself in the right mind frame. If you are like most poker players you have heard Pros tell you: “In order to win, you have to survive.”

In fact, you may have read many books and articles telling to play it safe early on, avoid confrontations unless you have a big hand, try to wait out and survive to make the final table. This is the advice that will keep you a loser. Guaranteed.

Here is a simple test to see if you have what it takes:

You fly into Vegas with friends to watch the WSOP Main Event with a $10,000 buy-in. After a night of partying, you wake up in the afternoon and discover a ticket to enter the tournament. You suddenly recall that last night you got drunk and paid $10,000 to compete in the WSOP Main Event!

You rush to the Rio and take your seat as the director announces, “Shuffle up and deal.” You are on the big blind with the blinds at $100-$50. You have $20,000 in chips. The player under the gun shoves all-in, and the small blind moves all-in as well. With two players all-in on the first hand, you are ready to muck when you look at your cards and find pocket Aces. What should you do?

Play it safe and fold, or risk all your chips and your $10,000.

If you hesitated, you need to adjust your mental approach to tournament poker. You must push. You must take the risk of getting knocked out on the first hand. You are even a favorite to triple up!

Tournament poker is not about survival. Tournament poker is about accumulating chips and winning. Usually one win in a tournament pays for months of buy-ins for the same event.

Ok, that was an easy test.

But ask yourself this question:

“Are you one of the typical players who plays tight early-on in an event, or waits for premium hands before raising pre-flop, or believes you can always outplay my opponents, or calls pre-flop raises with A-K rather than risk getting knocked out or thinks that you got knocked out only because of a bad beat?”

If any of the above sounds like you, you are not alone. Because that’s how most players approach the game. It is why most players never win a no limit poker tournament with 100 or more players. It is why most players never have enough chips to get past one bad beat.

Have you heard the expression, “Making the wrong play at the right time?” It means that someone made the wrong decision on a hand of poker, but still won. It happens all the time. It is why poker is a game of chance.

The next time you play in a tournament, focus on the rewards of winning, not the penalty of losing your buy-in.

In his book Making the Final Table Erick Lindgren wrote:

“You want to be a great poker player? Stop thinking you’re better than the randomness of the game. Embrace the randomness. Let people think you’re a wild risk taker. And start taking advantage of those afraid to risk their own chips.”

Get out of your comfort level. You are not a WSOP bracelet winner yet.

But you can be one if you understand that the way you are playing now is not the right way to win a poker tournament. Use your chips as weapons. Make bets that will put fear in the mind and heart of your opponent. Be a risk taker, not a safe player. And maintain that aggressive mindset throughout the tournament.

Next: Entering a tournament poker event with a plan–when will you play tight, loose, aggressive, solid, etc.

Mitchell Cogert is the author of “Tournament Poker: 101 Winning Moves.” It is the only reference book to reveal the plays the Pros use to win a poker tournament. These plays are based on reviewing 20 years worth of tournament poker strategies and by actual play against Daniel Negreanu, Erick Lindgren, David Pham and other top pros. The book is highly rated with 5 out of 5 stars on amazon.

For more information go to Tournament Poker. The web site address is APokerExpert.com Follow his blog at http://therazzchallenge.blogspot.com

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Backdoor WSOP Entry – Do it on the Cheap
By Lori Mccafferty

Most regular online poker players know about the World Series of Poker Wsop (wsop). For a lump sum of $10,000 for the buy in to the annual wsop main event, this initially seems a pipe dream for many of us, in actual fact each year it becomes a reality for many lucky satellite qualifiers.

I know of quite a few players online who have qualified their way to their dream of playing in the World Poker Championships, known as the WSOP.

A friend of mine last year, after only 4 months of play qualified in his first attempt. Buy in? I think it was only $10. Not bad for a $10,000 ticket & expenses. So you are thinking, “But the odds of that are roughly 1000/1.” Yes I suppose that statistic looks daunting but when broken down into a few qualifying rounds it doesn’t seem that impossible.

Just to give you a rough guide on how this works I’ll take you through the process.

stage 1 – $10 entry 300 entrants top 30 qualify for $100 Ticket
stage 2 – $100 ticket 300 entrants top 30 qualify for $1000 Ticket
stage 3 – $1000 ticket 300 entrants top 30 qualify for WSOP Ticket

On top of your WSOP Ticket sites generally offer you sponsorship to wear their brand at the tables giving you an extra few $K for travelling expenses and spending money.

This was just a simplified version but its pretty straight forward. Most online tournament players have had a consistent runs in tournaments. Most players entering the WSOP qualifiers are journeymen players following the WSOP dream. That puts the level of competitions in these games at reachable levels. Many times I have played a player who has wiped the floor with me only to completely dominate him another day.

If you look at a game plan to go through the stages above, just look for a level of consistency. Let the fish kill each other off in the early stages. As soon as you know it, you are down to the last 150 players. Then the real competition begins but now its a 1 in 5 chance to get to the next round. The odds look a little better now, don’t they?

5×5x5 = 125/1 chance of winning a $10,000 WSOP Prize for only $10 and the site will probably throw in a few grand for you to wear their brand.

Have you only played online and a bit scared if you qualified for the WSOP you would embarrass yourself? Don’t be. Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 WSOP after qualifying online. It was his 1st ever live tournament. It was the 1st time he ever walked away with $2.5million from a poker game. He followed his dream through online qualifiers, followed a simple plan like the above mentioned and by the time he found himself at the WSOP, his destiny was set.

Mr Moneymaker was the catalyst to an online poker boom. Internet players from all backgrounds soon realised with a little luck and effort, they too could be challenging and beating the hardened old school pro’s who have controlled the WSOP in the past. Now inexperienced internet poker players these days are betting on themselves with some confidence. Forget the lottery where there is little or no chance of striking the Jackpot. I will just play a few qualifiers and next year I could be the next Chris Moneymaker. Last Year Jamie Gold collected the top prize of $12 million.

Forget the buzz of putting $10 on a horse, $10 at the roulette and collecting a pittance. Put your money into the qualifiers. Win or lose, that $10 is going on a dream and unless you are extremely unlucky it will last longer than a few furlongs or a spin of the wheel

If you feel the WSOP qualifiers are still a pipedream but still enjoy a regular game of online poker you should take a look at some of the exclusive small field qualifiers.

There is an even better chance to qualify via special wsop freerolls for new real money signups. This is available to all players who sign up through their links. Regular players can play all of these special games.

For more information on how to qualify for the WSOP and take advantage of these special deals go to

http://www.pokerplays.co.uk/wsop-2007-freeroll.html

Where you can take part in Special WSOP Qualifiers

Lori is a cartoonist and longtime winner at online poker. Having beaten the games for over five years, Lori now hopes to give something back to the game by sharing some of her winning poker strategies. You can see the full collection of Lori’s strategy articles at

http://www.3d-pkr.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lori_Mccafferty
http://EzineArticles.com/?Backdoor-WSOP-Entry—Do-it-on-the-Cheap&id=500865

World Series of Poker History
By Rick Ellers

The World Series of Poker is one of the primary reasons that online poker rooms have become so popular. After amateur online qualifiers started taking home millions of dollars in front of millions of televised viewers, there was a noticeable spike in online poker traffic. With more tournaments appearing on television, and more players visiting online poker rooms, the growth of poker on the Internet doesn’t look to be subsiding anytime soon.

So what’s the story behind the World Series of Poker, and how did this tournament grow from an invitational gathering of poker players to an international multi-million dollar spectacle?

In 1970, Benny Binion hosted an invitational event that featured the best poker players in the world vying for the title of world champion. The first WSOP champ was Johnny Moss. He was voted champ by his peers and his prize was a silver cup.

Events have been added to the WSOP tour ever since. In 2006, there will be 42 events at the WSOP, and the Texas Hold’em main event winner will walk away with $10 million. The number of entrants to the main event of the WSOP has increased year by year. What started with only a handful of players in the 70s grew to over 100 players by 1982. By 1991, more than two hundred players entered the tournament annually. By 2001, there were 631 entrants, and in 2003, there 839 heads entered the main event.

That’s when things got crazy. Chris Moneymaker, an amateur player who qualified for the main event after winning a $39 satellite tournament at Poker Stars, shocked the poker world and took home the bracelet that year, along with $2.5 million. His remarkable run of the tournament, coupled with his status as an online amateur, made his multi-million dollar victory that much more memorable.

The following year, the number of entrants jumped from 839 to 2,576, as other amateur hopefuls tried to imitate the success of Moneymaker. Greg Raymer, another online amateur who qualified for the tournament through Poker Stars, bested this huge field of entrants and took home $5 million. In 2005, the number of entrants again spiked, and 5,619 entered the main event in hopes of winning a bracelet and $7.5 million.

Starting in 1972, the buy-in for the no-limit Texas Holde’m main event tournament became $10,000. Thomas “Amarillo Slim” Preston took home $80,000 as the winner that same year. In 2005, more than 1000 online players qualified for the tournament through Poker Stars, and did not have to fork over the $10,000 entry fee. The number of entrants able to enter the main event in 2006 has been capped at 8,000. The winner of the 2006 WSOP main event will take home $10 million.

With the explosion of televised poker tournaments, the popularity of the WSOP looks as if it will continue to skyrocket. What started as an invitational event, has turned into a gargantuan free for all, so much so that we now have limits to the number of people that are able to drop $10,000 to enter the main event. The WSOP, and the recent rags to riches stories associated with the main event, are the primary reasons for the massive growth in online poker rooms. Everyone now wants to get in on the action, win a bracelet, and become a millionaire.

Rick “Stone Face” Ellers started playing poker while he was a paratrooper stationed in Fort Bragg, NC. He currently writes part time for PokerListings.com where you can read about Poker Chips and the exciting World Series of Poker.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rick_Ellers
http://EzineArticles.com/?World-Series-of-Poker-History&id=210916

If there are two entries to the next level at the bubble when there is three players left each player has two thirds of a seat. If there is an all in you have to be big favourite to call the all in as you will either win an extra third or lose two thirds.

If you get to the final step the stacks are deeper, be more cautious and aim for the prize. Play to win as there is only one prize and you made it this far.

A typical steps structure from Poker Stars below shows the different buy in levels.

 

Level	Buy In	1st Prize	2nd Prize	3rd Prize	4th Prize	5th Prize	6th Prize
Step 1	$7 + $0.50	Advance to Step 2	Advance to Step 2	Repeat Step 1	$1.50	-	-
Step 2	$25 + $2	Advance to Step 3	Advance to Step 3	Repeat Step 2	Repeat Step 2	Step 1 ticket	-
Step 3	$75 + $7	Advance to Step 4	Advance to Step 4	Repeat Step 3	Repeat Step 3	Repeat Step 3	-
Step 4	$200 + $15	Advance to Step 5	Advance to Step 5	Repeat Step 4	Step 3 ticket	Step 3 ticket	Step 2 ticket
Step 5	$670 + $30	Advance to Step 6	Advance to Step 6	Repeat Step 5	Repeat Step 5	Step 4 ticket	Step 4 ticket
Step 6	$2,000 + $100	$12,500 WSOP package	$1,500	$1,500	$1,000	$1,000	$500

From internet to WSOP is achievable. Chris Moneymaker famously managed it in 2003. Since then Greg Raymer, Peter Eastgate and Jerry Yang have managed the same. No wonder the WSOP qualifiers are so popular and so many of them.

There are two different routes to qualifying. Multi table tournaments and sit and go’s both available in different formats. Sit and go’s now cover from the classic STT to double, triple and quadruple shootouts where you have to win several sit and go’s to have a chance of the package. Stepsare popular where you buy in at different levels and work your way up. The multi table tournaments are available in rebuys and freeze outs and have a variety of buy in levels.  

Date/Time	Buy-In	Room	Prize	Sign Up Bonus
Sundays 21:30 BST	$500+$35 also satellites $1 or 50points	Full Tilt	WSOP Ticket Main Event	100% up to $600
Fridays 04:10 BST + Sundays 00:15 BST	$600+$40	Party Poker	WSOP Ticket Main Event	100% up to $500
Wednesdays 19:10 BST	$275+$25	Party Poker	$5,500 Vegas Experience + entry to £1,500 Side event.	100% up to $500
Daily	From $24+$2	Full Tilt	$2,000 buy in to side event	100% up to $600
Saturdays 20:00 BST	$500+$25	Pacific Poker	$17,000 package. Includes $10k entry,travel,hotel and spending money	75% up to $400
Tuesdays 02:00 GMT	$300+$22 also satellites $1 or 50points	Full Tilt	$12,000 package	100% up to $600

Although it is slightly easier as an online poker player as poker is more accessible than live poker. Live poker games may only be held once a week in your area or you might take the task of attending all the games you can get to for the practise. Clocking up many hours or travelling not to mention cost. Online you only have to flick a switch and you’re away.

All poker rooms, have practise tables with play-money chips. Some suggest you use these tables to practise on. I am not in totally agreement with this and disagree for two reasons.

Poker is a game of financial risk. That’s half the lure of it. But if your mistakes aren’t costing you hard earned cash then you will keep on making the same mistakes.

Practise tables have no money value, if you run out you can top up again within seconds. There is no waiting till the next pay day etc. Because of this the play on practise tables is full of ridiculous play. If this kind of play happened on the real tables these players would be bankrupt within hours if not minutes. You won’t learn anything about playing on these tables that is useful and can be carried on to the real tables. For example – Learning how to play a hand aggressively – on a practise table you would be most probably called regardless of what your opponent held as if they lost it doesn’t matter. So you haven’t learnt at all how to play a hand aggressively at all. All you learnt is what the buttons do and confirmed no one else is taking the practise table seriously.

So use the practise tables to familiarise yourself with the table layouts and to learn what does what.

Average Pot versus Stack.Your stack that you sit down with must be sufficient for the average pot on the table. If you sat down at a table where the average pot is $50 but your stack is only $10 then you will encounter the following:

 You hit a monster hand, the same time another couple of player hit hands they are prepared to bet to the end with. Because of you only have $10 you will all in early with the remaining players continuing to bet building up a large side bet. On the show down even though you have the best hand you only win from the smaller pot as that’s all you put in. The other pot with most of the money will go to the player with the next best hand. You missed the chance to win a large pot with an almost unbeatable hand.

 Or in an attempt to avoid busting out you play over cautiously. By doing this you might pass up good wining hands in your determination to stay in the game.

 Or your opponents will take advantage by calling and raising your bets knowing that you haven’t got enough to hurt them if you do win a hand.

 So how much should you have for the limits you want to play at? Essentially you need enough to cover a long loosing streak and still have enough to maximise your winnings should a monster hand come along. Each table has a minimum and maximum buy in amount. Ideally you sit down with the maximum amount.

Quality of Opposition.This is the most important bit. If you get it right you should win, get it wrong you will probably lose.

Before joining a table watch to see what the action is like. The tight players who fold most things will be harder to beat. The ones that call a lot or go all in a lot will be chasing hopeful hands. Using the correct strategy against these players and you should win. In the lobby you can gage this by looking at the Plrs/Flop column. This is telling you the percentage of players who bet through to the flop. The higher the figure, the looser more profitable the table will be.

Relative Table Position.When you sit when you join a table isn’t as important as table selection but it still should be considered when before choosing your seat. Ideally to your right you want the strong tight players. If they act you know they have something then you can fold. You then want the loose and maniac players to your immediate left. Having them on your left means you can see how the other players react to there play. You can also use the loose player to your advantage. If you hit the top hand that cant be beaten and just check the loose player will raise. Any one after them will call if they have anything half decent. Then when the betting gets to you, you can now raise with plenty of money already in the pot.

Identifying Dangerous Opponents.There are two types of players that are dangerous. The professional poker player. Yes they do play poker online and they might just be sitting at your table. Not only are they dangerous as they know how to play but also because they know to mix up their play to disguise their play. When looking at a table playing before you join, if you see this sort of player then find another table. They will be folding most hands but raising persistently when they do have something.

The other type of player who is dangerous is the maniac. They are very easy to spot. They will be playing every hand. Often raising and re-raising right done to the river but more often than not they are loosing. Now and again though they get lucky and do hit the hand. They are difficult to play as you can never put them on a hand.

Identifying Weak Opponents.Better known as “fish” They are weak players and is what any good poker players wants to find at the table. On your table rekey you can spot these fish by looking for players who play too many hands. Players that give themselves a boastful sounding alias. This can be a sign of immaturity and immature people are usually bad at poker. Players who consistently lose. They might not be genuine fish and just down on their luck but you can still take advantage.

Number of Opponents.

The more people at a table, the less chance you have of winning. Tables are commonly 10 or 6 seated. If you find you don’t have enough self discipline to play at ten seated table try switching to 6 seated.

All online poker rooms offer the three variations of Texas Holdem: no limit, pot limit and fixed limit. The betting structure is different in the three variations but the rules are just the same. Making the right choice to which to play can mean the difference between having a bankroll and having to redeposit.

No limit means just as it is called. You can bet whatever you like up to the amount in your stack. This does make it possible to lose your entire stack in one hand.

Pot limit games are very similar to no limit with the only difference being you can only bet up to the amount already in the pot. The safety in this is in early rounds where the pot is smaller you are less likely to be faced with a monster bet to stay in the game. But keep in mind that if the betting s heavy the pot size will increase rapidly which will mean so will the maximum bet allowed.

Limit games have bet sizes all pre-determined. Also most poker rooms limit the number of raises during a round to four. This includes a bet, raise, re-raise and cap. The cap being the third and final raise. After a round is capped players can either call or fold. Limit is considered a safer games for beginners as there is no danger of being faced with a huge bet.

 If you play at Poker Stars you might find a famous name at your table

Getting use to not have a live opponent is also something new to get use to, They could be 90 year old grandma’s or even a pro player ( on certain sites) but they are still not sitting there opposite you so you wont be able to read their body language. You will have to do a lot more watching how they play to get to know what they have or haven’t got.

The options available in online poker is hugely beneficial and all part of the thrill and lure of online poker. There are micro limit cash games of $0.05/0.10 up to the dizzy heights of $300/600 tables.

You will always be able to find a table that suits your level of skill.

You will always be able to find a table that suits your wallet.

You have a huge amount of players to play against. If you keep getting beat by one player you can simply move to another cash table.

There are many poker rooms to choose from and if you decide you don’t like the look and feel of one or they don’t offer the sort of tournaments you like, you can simply log onto another poker room.

Overall online poker gives a lot more advantages especially to the newer player.

When you select your poker room, one thing to keep in mind is to look for is that it is regulated and administered. There are so many poker rooms (2300 and counting) that not all of them can be trusted to treat you in a fare manner. Some are just set up to fleece you. Play at well known sites that have a good reputation. I have played at many sites which included depositing money and withdrawing money and the rooms I have played in where well known and I had no problems. As for security, the well known sites spend millions of dollars advertising to get you to play, they are not about to want to loose you as a player due to any financial irregularities. All the poker rooms have a transaction history page so you can double check what’s gone into your account and what has gone out. The same with cheating, the poker rooms have measures in place to combat this and at high stakes game they are normally monitored by an observer to spot any signs of unusual or incorrect behaviour. When selecting a poker room it is best to go with trusted recommendations.

One of the biggest mistakes novice players make when playing big pairs is that they tend to slowplay them at every opportunity. Whilst it may be a good idea to play very strong hands on the odd occasion in poker, it is far too early to start slowplaying a hand before the flop, and by doing so you will just be allowing your opponents to improve on the flop and on future streets. Therefore whenever you are dealt a big pocket pair you should almost always raise before the flop to thin out the number of opponents and build the pot to increase the amount of money that you can win.

Now although AA, KK and QQ have been lumped into the same category here, I am going to split these hands up into two, and give a few basic strategy tips whilst playing them. I will firstly go through a good strategy for AA, and then I will go through tips on how to play KK and QQ well. The KK and QQ have been grouped together due to the fact that there is the possibility that overcards can appear on the flop, whereas this is not possible whilst holding AA. So lets move onto the strategy for each of these hands…

With a hand like AA, you always want to be looking to raise or re-raise before the flop. It is never good Texas Holdem strategy with AA to limp or simply call a raise because you are missing the opportunity to get more money into the pot with the best hand, and you are giving weaker hands the opportunity to overtake you on the flop. You shouldn’t be worried about the fact that players might fold and you win the pot uncontested at this point, as it is always better to win a small pot than lose a big one.

After the flop you should again look to keep the action flowing by betting and raising. You do not want to give anyone the correct odds to call for any straights, flushes or drawing hands at this point, so make sure you put them to a tough decision for their chips. However, there could be the possibility that one of your opponents has made a better hand than you on the flop, and so you should always be aware of the fact that you may no longer hold the best hand. But in spite of this, you will normally still be ahead and so you should continue to build the pot unless you have reason to believe otherwise.

When playing hands like KK and QQ, you should again be looking to bet and raise before the flop. It is very rare to come up against a better hand before the flop when holding either of these hands, so be happy to be betting and raising to reduce the number of players that will be joining you to see a flop. Many players say that you should never fold KK before the flop because by doing so you are losing money in the long run, and I have to say that I agree. You especially want to be limiting the number of players that you are up against with either of these hands because of the fact that opponents can easily make a better hand than you be hitting an overcard like an Aces to make a bigger pair.

Now on the flop you will be in one of two situations; you will either be facing overcards or you won’t. If there are no overcards on the flop, you should continue to play the hand like you would do if you were holding aces, as both situations are quite similar. However, playing a big pocket pair when there are overcards on the board can be a little tricky. A good way to play is to bet like you feel you still have the best hand, and then evaluate where you stand after your opponent responds. It is unlikely that you will be winning a big pot any more in this situation, and if the pot does get big it is likely that you will be on the losing end. So be prepared to let the hand go if you come up against a lot of action.

On the final few streets with big pairs you should continue to build the pot unless you are quite sure that you are no longer ahead. If you haven’t improved by the turn or the river, you should remember that you still only hold 1 pair, which is by no means a monster hand. It is important to never get ‘married to the hand’ when you have a big pair, as they are by no means invincible. Always consider the possibility that your opponent could have a better hand than you if they are also playing aggressively by betting and raising too. It is not easy to lay down a big pair, but you have to learn to do so when you genuinely believe that you no longer hold the winning hand.

As a general rule to start off with, you should always try and be aggressive and strong with your bets. More often than not, a small and weak-looking bet will not give you any leverage in the hand or give you any information on the strength of your opponent(s) hands. If you regularly like to make minimum bets and raises, you will find that you are almost always giving your opponent the right odds to call you if they have a draw or even a small piece of the board. So you should try and get into the habit of making strong bets to protect your hand when you think that you are ahead and to get more information from your opponents.

The first opportunity you have to make a bet or raise is on the flop. It is here that you have the opportunity to thin out the field when you have a strong hand and make your post-flop decisions easier by reducing the number of players that continue to see a flop. The way to reduce the amount of players in the hand is to make a decent size raise that forces other players into either calling or folding. A minimum raise before the flop isn’t going to make much of an impact, and so you will find that you get a lot of callers. A good preflop raise should be at least 3 times the size of the big blind, with the optimum raise in my opinion being around 4 big blinds.

From here on out, the size of your bets should be in relation to the size of the pot. This means that you should always look at how big the pot is before deciding how much you should bet. If you feel you have the best hand or looking to bluff, you should try and bet around 75% to 100% the size of the pot. This will give your opponents bad pot odds to call for any draw and make them consider folding with decent hands that may be slightly better than yours. Any bet larger than this will make little difference as far as odds are concerned, and you will be risking too much if your opponent has a stronger hand than you and decides to play on.

As a final note on bet sizing, you should make your re-raises strong, just as you do with your standard bets. If a player bets into you and you decide to re-raise for whatever reason, you should be looking to re-raise around 3 times the size of that player’s initial raise. Again this will put them to a tough decision and give them poor odds to call if they are on a draw.

So hopefully as you can see, the key to good bet sizing in no limit games is to stand your ground and bet strongly. If you are too afraid to put money into the pot when you feel you have a winning hand, you should probably take up another hobby. There is no room for fear in poker, and so you should always make strong bets to keep your opponents on their toes and force them to decisions.

Bankroll management basically involves playing at a certain levels and buy-ins to help prevent yourself from going broke at the poker table. You have to set yourself limits to where you can play poker due to the variance found in every poker game. There are always going to be times where you have runs of bad luck that you cannot control, and you will lose money due to the bad runs of cards, and not necessarily due to any bad play. Therefore there is no use in putting all of your poker money on one table, because there is a good chance that you will lose it all and not be able to continue playing poker.

As a result, it is important that we have a large enough bankroll to absorb the effects of this variance so that we can continue to play poker even when we have very bad runs of cards. In addition, we don’t want to go over the top and play at micro levels with a huge bankroll because it is unlikely that we will go broke, and we want to give ourselves the opportunity to win a decent amount of money from our poker sessions. Therefore there are useful rules that you can follow to make sure that you give yourself the best opportunity to make money from poker without going broke.

In cash games, you should never put more than 5% of your bankroll onto the table at any time. So if you want to play in $1/$2 cash games and intend to buy in for the full amount, you should have a bankroll of at least $4000. This will then give you enough room to take a few bad beats and losing sessions, but still be able to continue playing poker without the fear of going broke. Another way of looking at the 5% rule is to remember that you should have 20 times the maximum buy in of the level you wish to play at in your bankroll. Most online poker rooms offer a wide range of limits, so it is perfectly possible to keep your bankroll under control, no matter how large or small it might be. Alternatively, if you are a tournament player, you should have around 40 buy-ins minimum for the level of tournaments you wish to play in.

It is important to remember however that bankroll management is only useful if you intend to play poker regularly, and that you are a winning player. If you only play poker casually then it is not as important to have a set bankroll, but to just be careful with your money instead. In addition, bankroll management will have no effect on your moneymaking endeavours if you are a losing poker player. However, bankroll management will slow down the time it takes for you to lose the money if you are used to playing at higher stakes.

 Take advantage of the bonuses at poker rooms to boost your bankroll. Learn which sites will put the fish on a plate and which sites aren’t worth playing at.

  WSOP info is being added so you can find the tournaments that will win you a seat at the most prestigious poker game of the year. After all, what could be better than a WSOP bracelet for your collection?

Bricks and Mortar (b&m) poker has more of a buzz around it and you will find yourself more likely to mentally prepare yourself for it as you travel to your destination and then eventually get seated at the table. Online it’s just a case of flicking the computers on switch and you can be sitting down at a table in your pyjamas in minutes.  

The starting levels in b&m poker don’t start as low as the online. It just wouldn’t be worth the casinos while to have such tables.

Online the computer does everything for you. It deals, it shuffles, it doesn’t drop chips, it works out the side pots and the table is kept nice and neat. B&m you could be taking in turns to actually deal the cards if a dealer isn’t supplied, a human brain is working out the side pots, the table gets messy and you’re relying on no human error.

Online poker is available 24/7 whereas b&m isn’t unless you live in certain places.

At cash table in b&m if you’re seated the wrong side of a numpty you can get up and move as easily as you can online. Also online you can peruse the lobby as long as you want to search out the better table before you sit down.

Both online and b&m are brilliant and I’m not knocking either one. Just explaining my preferences and why.

Loose-Aggressive – These players are known as maniacs because they will play most hands and call most bets. A loose aggressive player has no grasp of good poker strategy, no conception of the percentages and go all in at a drop of a hat. They rely  on luck and in the short term can be successful. But when their luck  runs out then their chips run out. Playing loose aggressive is a guaranteed style to go broke  quickly .

Loose-Passive – Slightly better than the maniac but do play most hands. This type of player seldom raises, instead just calls or checks no matter how good their hands might be. They are seldom in control of the betting and don’t take advantage of good hands so are certain to be losers. Playing loose passive might not lose you your chips as quickly as the maniac but still a loser in the long run.

Tight-Passive – Known as “rocks” these players don’t take any risks at all. Continuously folding and playing only the top hands. Though when they do get the elusive top hands it’s not their style to play aggressively. Instead they call and check. This type of play is  unsurprising and then these players do raise, everyone knows they have a nice hand and fold immediately. They usually win only  small pots.

Tight-Aggressive – The best playing style to have. A tight aggressive will only play good start cards and then play them aggressively by raising at every opportunity. When they have a nice hand they go for the kill. They know the bad hands and fold them.

Look out for:

The chat box- on the hole, the more a player chats in the chat box, then the less skill he has in poker. Those who hit out and abuse other players tend to be very poor players. Consider this, why would a good player abuse a fish? A fish is likely to get scared off and leave the table. The wiser poker player will leave the fish alone and just target their chip stacks. You even get some poor players actually telling you what they have in the chat box.

Time between actions – This is probably the main online tell you will get with online poker. As in live poker, the time they take to act can reveal something about the strength of their hand. A long pause and then a bet can be a sign of strength. If they pause for a long time then check then it shows a sign of weakness. Online poker rooms have preselected buttons that you can choose what you’re going to do next before it’s your turn. When it gets to your turn the computer automatically acts for you. This is can reveal a lot of information to the strength of their hand. Look to see if your opponents use the preselect option. You will tell if they are using it as the action happens as soon as it’s their turn to act. This means they have decided what their hand is before any action has happened. If you come across a player who checks instantly a bet will probably make them fold as they are playing a poor hand. If you bet and another player raises instantly, then they are probably trying to steal the pot. They are trying to act as if they have a big hand.

There are also the players who use the whole of their allotted time to act. This can mean several things. They could be playing several games, otherwise engaged ( gone to the toilet, grabbing refreshments or checking their email) or they are consciously using the same amount of time each time to hide their tells.

Remember to keep notes on players as a quick reference as you sit down can save you time if you have already come across a player before. But also remember that just as you make notes on opponents online tells and styles, there will be players you play that have noted on you.

 Certainly the first mistake a new poker player makes is that they play  plenty of hands. The drawback being that playing more hands doesn’t mean winning more, it usually means losing more. If you find you’re staying in half or more the hands you’re dealt plus wondering where your chips or money is going, you need to reevaluate the starting hands that you are playing.

I have played several evenings with friends plus come away having won easily, not because I had nice hands all night but because the other players have been drinking. If it’s a fun light hearted evening amongst friends plus the money is low then its all part of the fun but while you may be more relaxed after 2 drinks, it may lead to you playing looser plus less sharply, even if you consider yourself not drunk.

Although bluffing is all part plus parcel of poker its not wise to bluff all the time. Bluffs only work in certain situations and against certain people, plus if you know a player always calls to the showdown, it is literally impossible to bluff that player. It’s better never to bluff than to bluff “just to bluff.” Detecting a bluff online can be hard though.

Another familiar mistake new players make is to think that because they have put money in the pot they have to stay in till the end. This isn’t true, you’re  throwing more money at bad money. There may be cases when pot odds warrant a call, but if you’re sure you’re beaten, plus there’s no way your hand can improve to be the best hand, you should fold right away. The money you’ve already put in the pot isn’t yours anymore, plus you can’t get it back, so fold plus learn by it.

 A lot of players look at another player’s final bet, look at the hand, plus think they know they are beat but require to keep they other player honest as they throw in a final call. often times it may be worth it to see if a player  has the hand if you’re not sure plus you’re gaining information that will help you later on, but if you  feel a player has the hand he’s representing plus you’re beat, why give them another pile of your funds? Those bets will add up over an evening.

If your not in the best mood or sit down to play when your sad or in a bad mood you will be playing emotionally, not rationally — plus you won’t play your best. Also, if during a poker game, you lose a big hand or get sucked out on plus feel yourself going on tilt, stand up plus take a break until you feel calm later on. Other players will sense your mood plus take advantage of it.

I remember when I first started playing, I found it hard  to remember how to play plus pay attention to my own hand. But one time I got that down, it was incredibly important to learn also to look at what’s going on at the desk. To figure out what the best possible hand would be to fit the flop plus to notice flush and straight possibilities.

As you play, one of the best things you can do is to watch the other players plus then watch some more. Even when you’re not playing in a hand. If you know if one player always raises in a certain position, plus another has a poker tell when they bluffs, plus a 3rd folds to every re-raise, you can use that information to help you decide how to play against them. The time you know that player 3 always folds to a re-raise on a river, that’s when you can bluff and steal a pot.

When you first start out although tempting to jump on the big tables as you think you might get lucky or that you will win a few hands plus walk away with doubling your money. You wont. Start low plus work up the game instead of jumping in at the top plus falling to the bottom  quickly. Don’t even consider moving up from the low levels until you have been winning consistently.  three evening having a nice night on a low desk doesn’t mean its time to move up the ranks. Not only do the stakes rise when you move up the game but the skill does of fellow poker players. Its better to be the best on a low desk than to be eaten alive on a higher game. Ponder on this, if you are winning lots at a low level why move when your making money.?

This one has two advantages.  Keeping your bankroll separate you can monitor easier how well you are doing (or not doing). Secondly if anybody does manage to steel access to your card they only get access to your bankroll not your income plus other money.

As tempting as it is to keep your money in your poker site account, it only takes a moment of weakness or a run of bad cards with bad play to leave you with nothing. A profit isn’t a profit unless you money it out.

When your not in a hand instead of your mind wondering, keep watching the players. You should take notes on the players all the time, not  when they play against you.

How do you know how well you are doing if you don’t track your results. The poker sites have stats on how plenty of flops you have seen etc but how about you taking notes on what tournaments you have played, how you faired etc .

Not only does a new site have bonuses to give away, it will also give you the opportunity to play the game you require when you need. They all have different tournaments schedules but also run different specials at different times.

Requirements that your computer should have to ensure smooth playing, reliable connections.

Windows 9 or above

100 MHz Pentium or faster

32MB Ram at least

Screen resolution of 800 by 600 pixels, 256 colours

6 MB of free disc space.

Computer/laptop – Using a computer is recommended over Mac due to poker sites leaning towards being more computer compatible than Mac. Out of all the rooms I know and play at they all are compatible with a computer but only a few support Mac. At the moment the poker sites that are compatible with MAC are Full Tilt and Poker stars with their version downloadable. Absolute Poker has a version that’s MAC compatible but only on a Instant Play version.

Money

All poker rooms offer more several different options to deposit money. Be it credit/debit cards, money bookers, click2pay, Ukash being a number of the more widely known methods to a number of the lesser known options.

No distractions

 A table in a quiet area with no distractions is the ultimate if you’re serious about your poker. My preference is with my laptop in bed but each to its own and that is where I get the most peace and quiet. Distractions won’t allow you to focus on what you are doing, can make you play rash actions and generally niggle away at you leaving you wondering why you lost all your money.

 Bonus

 If they are giving away free money you would be a fool to say no. Most bonus conditions are that you collect points to release the bonus.

Knowledge of how to play poker

Knowledge of how to play poker. May be a bit obvious but there’s knowing how to play poker and actually knowing how to play poker. If you at all a bit iffy on certain aspects keep reading up on how to play before you part with your funds or at the very least start at the very micro games.

Chose the poker site that suits you, downloading is simple and easy. I won’t talk you through this bit as it really is simple and the individual poker site will give you step by step instructions and talk you through each step of the way.

At some point you will be requested to pick your onscreen name. It’s recommended that you use something that doesn’t give anything about you away like your age, experience or location.

After your chosen poker site has downloaded the bits it needs to, the best piece of advice is to check out the free money tables. Not to brush up on your poker skills as free money tables are full of reckless and no respect poker play. But more to familiarise yourself with the set up and what is where. Even if you have played at other poker sites it’s still worth doing this as all sites are different and you wouldn’t require to click the raise button when your use to that being the call button . When I started playing poker online, I played on the free money tables for several weeks till I was confident that I knew where all the buttons were , what they all did and what to expect in tournaments when they start . Also it was a way to also check that my laptop was up to the job and to see if I had any disconnections or frozen screens.

You want money? Here’s your answer…….. Sit and Go.

Whether it’s five desk five or two desk sit and go, these tourney’s are the best way to make money. Yes ok your not going to retire from playing them tomorrow, however if you want to start winning and boost your bank balance then read on.

The true secret of sit and go tables is patience, that’s it, no more, no less, patience is the answer. I can’t make it any simpler than that for you to win money, there is no secret formula, no secret code, it’s patience. I will reiterate that several times to you throughout this page because it’s as simple as that.

Don’t expect to increase your bank balance quickly or over night this is a fantastic way of getting your poker game to a higher level and building your chip count simultaneously.

“So how, stop teasing me and tell me”, I hear you say. Ok ok, start with either a $2 to $3 five desk sit and go. This is approximately £1.50 to £2.50, yes that’s all, so even if you get it wrong and fall over, you can pick yourself back up and start again.

To win take your big bucket of patience and sit there and wait and wait and wait. Do not get drawn in to those players wanting to double or triple up. Let them have their glory and knock five or five players out. You only have to get to third to get paid. Therefore play your hands  tight and do not get drawn in to half-hearted hands. Only play the best hands and stack the rest even if you think they’re bluffing you. Because these are low stake tables and slow blind tables you will be able to survive a lot longer into the game than in other styles.

So to summarise how to win money, patience, then patience and then even more patience and then get third or second and get you get paid. When you progress and get more confident then you can objective for first. Remember all two positions get paid increasing as you go up, however by coming third every time, will triple your buy in every time.

Party Poker has a wide choice of sit and go’s

No it’s not how you should sit in your stool when you’re playing poker or if a laptop on your lap is better then a table. Position is where you are on the table in relation to the dealer button. This of work changes every hand as the dealer button moves around the table. Early position is the first three players to the left dealer button. (Assuming it’s a full table) In this position I wouldn’t recommend playing anything apart from AA, KK, QQ or AK. Middle position is the next 3 or 4 places and I would now include playing the lower pairs and one face cards as well as the AA’s etc. The prime positions are the late positions which are the last 3 places including the dealer button. When I say I would play, I mean I would play if the pot hadn’t been raised before it got to me. In the early positions you don’t know what any three else yet to act after you might do. You might call and then someone goes all in and you have to fold and you wasted a few of your chips. On the dealer button you have seen what everyone else has bet and can decide accordingly. If there’s fewer players at the table you can lower your hand level a notch as there’s more cards to come out so more chances of getting the best hand. You would also be getting better odds for your bet. This is the bare basic of pot odds.

One of the things I did when I first started playing poker and I reckon every new player goes through it, was I  wanted to play poker. I would stay in a hand far  long and of work be beaten. It was a case of hoping I might get the miracle card if I stayed there long  and  to have some action. The only person who benefited form this was my bank manager. The fold button is there for a reason, its not  there to make up the button numbers. If you playing on the hope a card certain card will come out – fold. If you’re playing but reckon the other players might have better cards – fold. If you’re playing because you can’t believe the other players are always getting better cards then you and surely it must be your turn soon – fold. The other players will be watching how you’re playing, they will be making notes, they will be using all this to their advantage and that’s why all your chips are going in their direction.

Don’t be afraid to bet. If you have a strong hand, make the other players pay to see what you have got. Don’t make it easy for them to land a better hand than you.  to confuse you. If you have the nuts hand (means no other hand can beat yours) then it can be to your advantage to slow play your hand.

If you are aiming at winning when playing tournaments, heads up play is something you will have to get to grips with.

High cards win pots in heads up, low cards lose pots.

Style of play.
In regards to your playing style, aggressive is far the best. it is more successful in heads up to win many small pots  than the occasional huge two. The best way to do this is to keep your opponent under constant pressure. Calling is a defensive option & not  something you should be doing much of.

Stack size.
The further ahead you are, the more aggressive you should be playing. The more short stacked your opponent becomes, the less inclined we will become to bet & this lets you win many uncontested pots.

Position.
In heads up you are either first or second to act. If your first you should always bet, even on rubbish hands. By doing this you are putting the pressure on your opponent & most of the time we will probably have a rubbish hand & will fold. It won’t work all the time & if you hand is truly bad you will have to be prepared to fold if your bet is called but least you are keeping the pressure on.

If you are the well behind, then all-in bet is your way back into the game. Go all in with any hand better than J-7.

Poker is one of the oldest plus easiest to grasp of all the various cards games, winning at it though, is where the skill comes in.Texas Holdem is fast becoming one of the most popular poker games thanks to the web boom. Now that it is so widely available on the web, player’s skills are being pushed higher plus higher. Pot levels are increasing along with it. You can sit at a table where the blinds start at 5 cents up to the dizzy heights of $500 plus more.

The bear basics are that the deal rotates clockwise around the table, the two players to the left of the dealer place specified blinds, these being small blind and big blind. If it’s a competition then these blinds will increase, generally at time intervals thus aiming to force people to play.

Each player at the table receives two cards face down. These are called pockets cards. Then there is a round of betting (going clockwise). Players pick between folding (put down their hand plus take no further action in that round), check (staying in the game but not betting or raising) or to make a bet (if no other bet has been made in this round). Once everyone has finished betting, checking or calling then two cards are dealt face up in the middle, these are called community cards. These two cards are known as the flop. Players then have a round of betting. Once finished then a fourth community card is dealt known as the turn. Another round of betting then the fifth plus final community cards is dealt, called the river. A final round of betting takes place. If there is over two player left at the end of all this betting then the player who has the best hand utilising their pocket card/s plus others from the community cards (using two cards maximum) then wins the pot of chips for that game.

Though this may be the basic of the game, it’s vital to learn which hands are valuable, worth betting plus raising on plus just as important to understand the importance of knowing when to bet, raise or fold. These skills are needed as early on as possible but can take years to perfect and master.

• The date with start/end time of each session
• The amount you win or lose
• The poker rooms in which you play
• The games you play
• The table limits
• Notes on good and bad players you encounter
• Mistakes you make

This will also force you to confront reality as it will be there in black and white.

Using these records you will be able to see exactly when the money is being lost, where it is being lost and to whom, it being lost. You might see a pattern that you manly lose on certain sites or at certain times of the day. You might see that tournaments are where you win the most and which type of tournaments you are more profitable at. You might be better at the cash tables and can narrow down where your strengths lie.

Just remember to keep filling the details in which ever way you decide to record your info.

It is also good to remember that if you are sitting at a poker table and hit a run of bad hands, then it is perfectly acceptable to move tables. Don’t dwell on the fact you didn’t win any money, instead just get onto a different table.

That’s part of the bonuses of poker online, the ability to switch tables and move about as you wish.

Also if you joined a new poker table and realise you are the wrong side of a strong poker player, again get up and move. Choice is yours if you go back to the same table but in a better position or to a completely new table. The lobby is there for you to take advantage of.

Once you become accustomed to its set up and layout, you will soon find yourself spotting double dippers. These are poker players who play more than one table at a time. The beauty of finding a double dipper is that they most likely not giving the game their full attention. Also the action on one table will affect how they player on the other table they are playing. Watch them play on both tables. Poker sites allow you to open up more than one table so you can easily watch how they are playing on the two tables. If you see them going after a big pot on one table, attack their blinds on the other table. They are more likely to be fixed on the big pot then the blinds.

 Another one of the bonuses of playing poker online is that you get to choose who you show your cards too. There is no need to give information away for free so always make sure the settings are set as you want them before you start a game. This was you won’t show your cards to your opponents without good cause. Only show your cards to reinforce others mistakes or for reasons of deception. Don’t show your cards to boost your ego or because you don’t know enough not to.

And if they ever ask you in the chat box – lie.

Well first chat to them. Us e the chat box to your benefit and see if you can find out if they are new to poker or new to the site. Bear in mind they might not tell you the truth but most will be honest. Most players (the weaker ones) want there online session to be partly a social sessions as well.

Watch them closely. By about a lap or two of the table you might be able gain some valuable information about how they play. At this point don’t worry too much about consistency and don’t put too much stock into your conclusions. Just because JoeBloggs raise one time on the button doesn’t necessarily mean they are a fan of the real estate raise; they might actually have a hand. Also one blind being thrown away already tells you they don’t camp out in the camp of always defending their blinds.

Feel them out. Make some raises early on to see how an opponent reacts. You are trying to find out if these new opponents will they play back at you. You wont know unless you try so push them a bit to see.

Remember just as you don’t know how they play, they too don’t know how you play so let them learn to fear you. If a new opponent is crafty and tricky it won’t take long to find out. Then you adjust and simply avoid direct confrontations with them till their true colours are shown. Did they make that move on you because their cards commanded it or are they testing you out to see how you play?

Were you all starry eyed at big jackpots thinking you had a chance to win them so played at the big sites? Or were you more interested in what the site was giving away and went to the lesser known poker sites that give massive bonuses to draw you in.

Keep an eye out in your poker and casino magazines or search the internet to see who is doing the most advertising and generating the most buzz. Think like a newbie and see what is jumping out at you.

Newer sites will be advertising outside of poker. New sites know that part of their business must come from beyond their existing player base. They will be offering hefty sign up bonuses which won’t be achievable for a new player but an expert player will be able to notch up the points and release the bonuses. When a site is brand new it attracts the highest proportion of new players, those susceptible to advertising, bonus promotions and promises of jackpots. After time a natural balancing occurs into successful and failed sites. In both cases the rush of new players tapers off. If it has quality, good promotions, good software and good support then it will grow a viable player base. If though it lacks quality and starts to fail then it sinks to the bottom of the pile. Bad players don’t play there as they don’t know about it and good players don’t play there because the bad players aren’t there.

In poker game selection is everything, in online poker it starts with site selection. If you keep playing at the same site everyday because its your favourite or because it’s the best then you are missing out. The early shark gets the fish.

You should already have a list of fishes in your notes so that finding a lucrative game is easy. If they are playing but the table is full, put your name on the waiting list. The clever computer notifies you when it is feeding time.

Many players fail to utilise this and jump in at the first available table they find then wonder why it’s such hard work. Why start cold at a table, getting to know how your opponents play when you can have the upper hand. This is one of the importances of taking notes and doing your homework.

If you’re serious about keeping your money and winning everyone else’s then use the information that the poker sites hand you every day free.  You should never need to sit at anything less than an excellent game.