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2006-09-15T11:02:00.000-07:00

The Future of Online Poker
Category: Industry
Issue: September 2006
Robert Harris - August 31, 2006

The Market Research
A latest market research by the Irish organization Research and Markets (www.researchandmarkets.com) has exposed the future of online poker as revealed by their study. The report says "Europe is the future of online Poker". It reveals a number of interesting facts and figures and predictions on the future of poker, both online and offline.

Increasing Popularity
Online Poker is giving a tough competition to offline poker, as far as popularity is concerned says their report. Some of the most popular online poker sites of the world have over 75,000 players/members playing simultaneously. The company also states that innovative ways of gambling keep coming up constantly, to ensure a steady future growth of the gambling industry. From the figures online poker seems to be the clear winner guaranteeing steady growth. It is a winning combination of two mega trends in gambling—online gambling and online poker--both of which have become very popular.

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Continued Protest over Government Interference With Online Gambling

2006-09-14T15:25:00.000-07:00

Online Casino Legislation Causes PPA to Protest

After taking in the latest arrests of top executives in the online casino world, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) has initiated a protest against the legislation, seeing their quest as an attempt to further "promote and protect America's favorite past-time". Compromised of online and offline poker players, the PPA has been one of the first organizations to support and defend the rights of online casino poker players. The PPA is supported by various poker players, online casinos, and card rooms located across the United States.

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Amarillo Slim

2006-09-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

Thomas Preston Jr., known far and wide in the world of poker as "Amarillo Slim," won the main event at the World Series of Poker in 1972. Not only is he one of the most popular players ever to grace the poker scene, he is known as a consumate gambling man who would be on anything. As of 2006, Preston has compiled four WSOP bracelets, including two in Omaha, and has won over $500,000 in tournament play. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1992.

Preston's victory on poker's biggest stage in 1972 propelled him to fame, not only within poker circles but also beyond it (unfortunately, there are no longer any existing records of his 1972 world championship). He soon made the rounds of various talk shows and was given a bit part in the Robert Altman movie "California Split." Overall, Preston has appeared on The Tonight Show 11 times as well as on Good Morning America, 60 Minutes, The Tomorrow Show, Panorama, Georgia Today, and A. M. Los Angeles. Preston became so famous during the seventies that most Americans would immediately think of his name and face every time they would hear about the game of poker.

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BUZZER JOINS THE BETFAIR POKER PROS

2006-09-07T13:56:00.000-07:00

Pro will represent Betfair at international tournaments, help online poker players and star in new downloadable video project.

Betfair Poker has signed a deal with Thomas ‘Buzzer’ Bhil which formalises his position as one of Team Betfair's sponsored pros.

He joins Ben ‘Milky Bar Kid’ Grundy and Bengt Sonnert in representing Betfair at major tournaments. The three pros will also play important roles in the education of new Betfair Poker players.

“Buzzer is a very strong player with some excellent tournament results. In single table tournaments he is one of the toughest players in the world. He will be responsible for passing on his knowledge to our user base,” said head of poker, Ben Fried.

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Bombshell Poker Sends Lucky Player to Playboy Mansion

2006-09-06T13:48:00.000-07:00

Bombshell Poker, Online Poker’s Hottest Site, sends lucky contest winner to the Playboy Mansion for the night of his life. Delivering on their promise to offer members access to exclusive events and parties, Bombshell Poker sent Derek and his best friend Chris of North Carolina, along with several LA Bombshell Girls, to the “All Star Night At The Mansion” party hosted by Rodney Peete.

Los Angeles (PRWEB) August 16, 2006 -- Bombshell Poker, Online Poker’s Hottest Site, sends lucky contest winner to the Playboy Mansion for the night of his life. Delivering on their promise to offer members access to exclusive events and parties, Bombshell Poker sent Derek and his best friend Chris of North Carolina, along with several LA Bombshell Girls, to the “All Star Night At The Mansion” party hosted by Rodney Peete to benefit the HollyRod Foundation. The lucky Online Poker player and his buddy partied with over 200 Celebrities, Athletes, Playmates, Bombshell Poker Girls and 500 of LA’s Hottest women.

Bombshell Poker offers a variety of poker rooms offering the following popular games: Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo 8, 7 Card Stud, 5 Card Stud, 5 Card Draw, Lowball Poker, and Mixed Games. The site is easy to navigate and offers Free Money games for those who just want to play poker for fun, as well as a wide variety of tournaments - “Win-a-Date with a Bombshell,” “Win-a-Trip to a Bombshell photo shoot,” and the “Bombshell Poker Cruise Package” – you and 100 beautiful models.

The VIP section allows members to actually meet the girls of Bombshell Poker. Members will be able to interact with the girls in a “My Space” like environment by being able to email the girls directly. VIP Members will also enjoy exclusive invites to Bombshell parties and events, and access to photo galleries, behind the scenes video of photo shoots, and special members only tournaments. The VIP section gives members a chance to view photo galleries and even meet the Bombshell Poker girls. VIP members also enjoy exclusive invites to Bombshell Parties and Events.

Contact:
Jon Orlando
EMG – 323-658-8531

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Ever wanted to know where Poker Chips came from? Besides winning them from others!

2006-08-30T16:35:00.000-07:00

The History of the Poker Chip

From the time poker was first played on earth, poker chips have been an inseparable part of the game--keeping track of the winnings. The materials used for making poker chips have been as varied as their colors and designs. The materials used for manufacturing modern chips are—plastic, amal... Click for the rest of the story!

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ONLINE POKER PLAYER GOLD HAS THE MIDAS TOUCH

2006-08-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

Bodog sponsored player cleans up to the tune of $12 million at WSOP....and beyond

The new World Series of Poker champion is Jamie Gold following a tough 14 hour slug-out at the final table (see previous Online-Casinos.com and InfoPowa bulletins) that culminated in the early hours of Friday morning Las Vegas time in a heads up between former movie star agent Gold and Paul Wasicka.

Gold had amassed a chip armoury 7 times larger than Wasickas in his aggressive and skilful journey to the top, and just seven hands into heads-up play, Gold raised to $1.7 million preflop and Wasicka called. The flop came Qc-8h-5h, and after Gold checked, Wasicka bet out $1.5 million. Gold moved all-in, and Wasicka hesitated for a moment while Gold tried to goad him into a call. Wasicka seemed to read Gold for weakness and made the call with two tens, while Gold showed Q-9 for top pair. The turn came an ace, and the river a four, offering no help to Wasicka, and Jamie Gold was the new World Champion.

Winning the $12 million grand prize of the largest and richest game in poker history is just the start for Gold, who has signed a two-year endorsement deal with gambling group Bodog.com which not only includes the standard tournament buy-ins and promotional appearances, but also a $1-million television production deal. The agreement additionally features a Jamie Gold table on Bodog.com, where Gold will play frequently, enabling other Bodog players to go up against the WSOP champ. He joins a Bodog sponsored "A Team" that includes David Williams, Josh Arieh and Evelyn Ng.

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Poker Magazine Available for Free!

2006-08-26T12:15:00.000-07:00

Want to keep up with the latest poker news and poker tips and tools, subscibe to the new poker magazine from www.StartHereForPoker.com

Poker in Asia - Industry
According to some, poker originated from Asia. One such theory points to China, where dominos was played. It is believed that Chinese dominos was the forerunner of modern poker. There is proof, that the Chinese emperor Mu-tsung played ‘domino cards’ in the 10th century with his wife. ...

Thats just one of the stories you'll find about poker in the new magazine. Get yours today!

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Texas Holdem Takes Over As THE Game To Play

2006-08-23T12:26:00.000-07:00

Of course being from Texas I understand the popularity of TEXAS Holdem. :)

2006 California State Poker Championship To Be All Hold 'Em
August 23, 2006
Earl Burton

Post a comment Demonstrating the continuing trend in the tournament poker world, the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, CA, announced on Monday that the upcoming 2006 California State Poker Championship, which will run from September 5th to September 24th, will be an all Limit and No Limit Texas Hold 'Em affair.

In the past, the series of tournaments has normally held a wide assortment of events that included Seven Card Stud and Omaha, among others. With the trend continuing to move towards an entire schedule of No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em tournaments (as witnessed by the recent Bellagio Cup II in Las Vegas and many other events across the United States), the Commerce seems to be following the tide in the tournament poker world. This shouldn't affect the strong turnout that is normally associated with the event, however.

Many professional players call the southern California area home and the competition can be fierce. Current World Champion Jamie Gold is one player who calls the Commerce his home as well as WSOP bracelet holder Jeff Cabanillas, who vanquished Phil Hellmuth in an early event during the recently completed World Series. The defending champion of the California State Poker Championship is another professional player as well in Tony Ma.

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PokerNews.com and Pacific Poker to Host $7,500 UK Open Freeroll

2006-08-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

PokerNews.com (http://www.pokernews.com) and Pacific Poker (http://www.pokernews.com/ext/397) will host a $7,500 UK Open Freeroll on Sunday September 10 at 13:00 EST. The winner of the freeroll will receive a $7,500USD package which includes entry to the 2006 UK Poker Open (September 25-October 8, Maidstone, UK) and the chance to win $250,000.

(PRWEB) August 18, 2006 -- Pacific Poker and PokerNews.com have announced a $7,500 UK Poker Open freeroll which will take place on Sunday September 10 at 13:00 EST. The winner of the freeroll will receive a $7,500USD package which consists of a $5,000 buyin to the UK Poker Open and $2,500 for travel and accommodation

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Is it Wise to Invest in Online Casinos?

2006-08-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

How much more of a gamble has it become to own a piece of an Internet casino? Is it a sucker’s bet, or the chance to buy low and score a big payday?

The questions have intensified since BetOnSports, an online sports betting company traded on the London Stock Exchange, stopped taking bets from the United States after the Justice Department charged the company and current and former executives with operating an illegal gambling operation.

Investors and industry analysts, who have long said that owning shares in Internet casinos involves serious risk, nonetheless expressed surprise at the move by prosecutors. They say the development, coupled with legislation in Washington that could clamp down further on the industry, has created new cause for concern.

And yet investors keep coming.

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BetonSports: The world is yours

2006-08-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

David Carruthers improbable rise to the top of an online gambling firm with roots in Brooklyn have made the world sit back and take notice, but more so because of what could be the climatic ending.

Carruthers along with 10 of his peers from BetonSports.com, including the firm's colorful founder, Gary Kaplan, were indicted last Monday on various felony charges stretching the gamut from the Wire Act violation, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Conspiracy, interstate transportation of gambling paraphernalia, interference with the administration of Internal Revenue laws and tax evasion.

When David Carruthers was arrested last Monday night at Dallas Airport, panic spread through the online gambling industry and those industry moguls who once thought they were beyond reach of US government officials as a result of their nationality suddenly learned otherwise.

Flamboyant and outspoken Canadians the likes of Calvin Ayre announced the abrupt cancellation of his company's much anticipated conference to be held in Las Vegas starting today. Execs from British gaming firms, including Sportingbet, were thanking their lucky stars having been in the United States at the time of Carruthers arrest, fortunate enough to leave for Europe without incident.

More than Ј600m was wiped from the value of the sector as investors took fright.

And now word of a potential class action suit by investors against the online gambling giant, BetonSports.

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2006-08-16T15:40:00.000-07:00

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I was recently playing in a game of Texas Holdem, and it was the greatest game I ever played. It was one of those stories where you go from 1 chip back to the top to win the whole pot. That is exactly what heppened and it was great fun had by all.

The game was $100 per person and $3/5 blinds that raised when someone was eliminated.

I was playing with a tight style, betting when I had good or decent cards and raising when I had slightly better cards. I was losing all night. Hand after hand forced me to play tighter and tighter to prevent me from losing everything. I was waiting until I had the hand to beat all others. This is not a good idea because theu know when I got a good hand that I would bet all of my...well I really only had 5 chips left so it really didnt matter anyway.

I was down on my luck and I was the big blind so I had to go all in anyway so I put it in and I didnt even look at my cards. I saw as every player looked at there cards and continued like normal but I stood my ground and went all in blind because I had to.

When The flop came down, I saw a pair of aces diamonds and clubs and a 2 of diamods. I had a fealing that I had an ace and I could not wait to turn my cards.

The game proceded and I had a smile on my face. It was the moment of truth and we flipped our cards. I was killed when I saw that my opponent had an ace. He was betting like a feind and I saw it comming but I didnt want to throw myself down.

I turned my cards and I saw a 3 of clubs and a 6 of diamonds... That is not what I wanted to see. He was all ready to take the pot when I saw that I had a flush and all he had was a 3 of a kind. Right then I laughed my head off as I looked at the tuern and river; both diamonds. I was surprised no one else had a diamond, that was very unlikely.

So now I had $30 and I was still the underdog. To make a long story short, I slowly crawled my way to the top to take my rightful place as the winner of the game.

So the moral of the story is very corny and annoying, never give up folks because your luck will change in a snap.

History Of Poker

2006-08-15T19:26:00.000-07:00

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The history of poker is a matter of some debate. The name of the game likely descended from the French poque, which descended from the German pochen ('to knock'), but it is not clear whether the origins of poker itself lie with the games bearing those names. It closely resembles the Persian game of as nas, and may have been taught to French settlers in New Orleans by Persian sailors. It is commonly regarded as sharing ancestry with the Renaissance game of primero and the French brelan. The English game brag (earlier bragg) clearly descended from brelan and incorporated bluffing (though the concept was known in other games by that time).

It is quite possible that all of these earlier games influenced the development of poker as it exists now. English actor Joseph Crowell reported that the game was played in New Orleans in 1829, with a deck of 20 cards, four players betting on which player's hand was the most valuable. Jonathan H. Green's book, An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling (G. B. Zieber, Philadelphia, 1843), described the spread of the game from there to the rest of the country by Mississippi riverboats, on which gambling was a common pastime.

As it spread up the Mississippi and West during the gold rush, it is thought to have become a part of the frontier, pioneering ethos. Soon after this spread, the full 52-card English deck was used, and the flush was introduced. During the American Civil War, many additions were made, including draw poker, stud poker (the five-card variant), and the straight. Further American developments followed, such as the wild card (around 1875), lowball and split-pot poker (around 1900), and community card poker games (around 1925).

Spread of the game to other countries, particularly in Asia, is often attributed to the U.S. military. The game and jargon of poker have become important parts of American culture and English culture. Such phrases as ace in the hole, ace up one's sleeve, beats me, blue chip, call one's bluff, cash in, high roller, pass the buck, poker face, stack up, up the ante, when the chips are down, wild card, and others are used in everyday conversation, even by those unaware of their origins at the poker table.

Modern tournament play became popular in American casinos after the World Series of Poker began, in 1970. Notable champions from these early WSOP tournaments include Johnny Moss, Amarillo Slim, and Doyle Brunson. It was also during that decade that the first serious strategy books appeared, notably Super/System by Doyle Brunson (ISBN 1580420818) and The Book of Tells by Mike Caro (ISBN 0897461002), followed later by The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky (ISBN 1880685000).

Poker’s popularity experienced an unprecedented spike in the first years of the twenty-first century, largely because of the introduction of online poker and the invention of the hole-card camera, which turned the game into a spectator sport. Viewers could now follow the action and drama of the game, and broadcasts of poker tournaments such as the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour brought in huge audiences for cable and satellite TV distributors.

Because of the increasing coverage of poker events, poker pros are becoming more and more like celebrities, with poker fans all over the world entering into expensive tournaments for the chance to play with them. This increased camera exposure also brings about a new dimension to the poker pro's game—the realization that their actions may be aired later on TV.

Major poker tournament fields have grown dramatically because of the growing popularity of online satellite-qualifier tournaments where the prize is an entry into a major tournament.

The 2003 and 2004 WSOP champions, Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer, respectively, won their seats to the main event by winning online satellites. Richard Henderson Semi-Professional Poker player Online Poker Rooms

Contributed by itvegas64
Posted by shab on Monday, June 26 @ 02:28:31 CDT
Match on Article's text

Never Bluff; Big Mistake!

2006-08-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

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By George Christodoulou

There are some of us out there who play so tight that they will never bluff. They will play only there good hands and spend 70% of the time folding pre flop. This is a strategy used by many people, but it is not an inteligent way to play. When you watch the wsop, you see that there is no one there because they fold every hand. They play tight yes, but they do not sit and play with a rigged style. They flow with the game and they bluff every so often.

A good strategy is to play tight, especially when you have a short stack or when you are in a mtt game. These games are long and you do not want to lose in the first round because you bluff someone holding ak. Another point I want to make clear is the way you can win playing holdem. The only 2 ways to play is by having the best hand on the table or by winning after everyone fold. When you bluff, you have a chance of getting rid of the best hand on the table and leaving your hand in second place.

Some people, who play very tight, will fold to any sort of a bluff. Tight players will not wait to the river to see if they will get the card they are waiting for.
You have to be able to differentiate your style and take chances. If you have a stale playing style, you will cause the other players to se that you only play good hands. This is not good because you always want them to be confused about your hands. Being hard to read is a fantastic advantage.

Finally, I want to leave you with a few words of advice. You have to keep the game interesting. The game is not black and white. Change your strategy, take a chance, see what works, and change it again to keep your opponents confused.

Take Your Online Poker Game To The Next Level

2006-08-13T19:13:00.000-07:00

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By: Laura Bastowe

Playing Poker online can be quite satisfying, and financially rewarding, if one uses the best possible online poker strategies. Some online poker players simply rush into games and hands without thinking about their options. This usually leaves the unsuspecting online poker player with a lot less money than he or she started with. With these four easy tips, you can help yourself avoid the pitfalls of many poker players.

1. Don’t be afraid to enter tournaments. Poker tournaments can often be the most fun and the most profitable. It has been said that tournaments depend largely on luck, but don’t let that deter you. A solid poker player can make great strides in any type of game. However, luck certainly is a factor. You should be conscious of the buy-in and be willing to lose that amount of money. As you get deeper and deeper into the tournament, the blinds will increase and you should closely monitor the flop. In some of the cheaper online tournaments, new players will lose their money extremely fast. It is important to capitalize on this if you have a good hand. Playing a tournament came can be very fun, so any serious poker player should try to enter and win at least one tournament.

2. If you must, switch your table. It is a very good idea to switch the poker table you’re playing at least once a session. This is especially important if other players at a certain table have started to notice your habits. Also, a fresh set of opponents means a fresh set of betting habits and a fresh set of money. The advantages to staying at one table are familiarity with opponents, but your poker experience will certainly be more rewarding if you switch around tables.

3. Manage your money wisely. In order to have poker success, you must be financially savvy. Set limits for yourself based on your poker ability, financial situation, and your aversion to taking risks. It is always a good idea to set a lower limit because the competition is often easier there. Some players play games at two different limits. This can be quite beneficial. Playing in an easier game just for safety, and playing in a tough game can lead to increased winnings. Also watch your betting. Never bet too high too often, because this almost always leads to trouble. Finally, be mindful of short run and long run gains. Using lower limits will lead to gains in the long run, but high limits have the potential for gains in the short run. The best idea is to play to your strengths and to not lose all your money in the short run.

4. Know when to quit. This is a very important concept to grasp. Some poker players keep playing and playing until they have serious financial issues. If you keep playing in order to “break even” then you have played for too long. Additionally, if you start to lose your focus on the game and other opponents, and you constantly think that everyone is bluffing, than you have been playing too long. Even the best poker players have good days and bad days. One element that makes a poker player truly great is that he or she knows when to stop playing. If you start to feel as if you must play just one more hand, than you should stop playing immediately. Quitting at the right time can save you quite a bit of money and will lead to more enjoyable poker experiences in the future.

Online poker can be very fun, and also has the potential to be profitable. The best suggestion is to simply play smart. Keep an eye on your bets, and don’t hinder yourself by taking on too many hands. Know when to quit and manage your money wisely. Change tables every now and than for variety. Last, but certainly not least, have fun!

About the Author:

Laura Bastowe writes about a variety of online games but specializes in online poker. Learn more at http://www.whichpoker.com

Article Source: isnare.com

2006-08-12T11:53:00.000-07:00

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By George Christodoulou

I was surfing throught the net and I found this persons post about how he wanted online poker to be banned because he loses all the time. In addition he was saying how he had the perfect hand and he lost to someone on the river.

The following is the post he made at pokerforums.org:

>>"I am officially giving up online poker. yes i am crying ...yes i am whining whatever.

I plan on emailing my congressman to make sure that the current laws are changed to either .....

A) allow online blackjack
or
B) shutdown online poker.

After reading Super sytem/ harrington/online ace/ cloutier books and trying to play online i am officially giving up.

I am sick of people saying hey thats poker. You gotta take your bad beats, blah blah blah.

There is no more skill in poker than there is in blackjack or craps or roulette. I will explain.

If in blackjack i know to split aces and hit 21 on both i KNOW for a fact that the worst thing that can happen is a tie and more likely i will be paid off. The skill comes from KNOWING to split the aces instead of just hitting.

last night i KNEW i had the best hand going in from the BB so i raised and was called. Flop came Kd/7h/8h to my A/K h. I have almost a hammer lock on the hand at this point so i raise. Long story short the money gets in the middle and he is holding ks/10c.

Now as you can identify he has a possible 2 outs. the 10h gives me a flush and therefore he needs one of the 2 remaining 10's. It hit on the river.

Dont tell me thats poker...its not....its a pure game of chance. I have read the books i applied the correct amount of pressure to get all his money in and guess what....i lose on a 95.5% chance to win hand.

I wish you all fairwell. This cookie prefers to win 51% of the time at blackjack and craps as opposed to losing 100% of the time when i have a lock hand."<<

There is so much wrong that I found with what he said. First of all who gives up a game with one bad beat. There are people out there who lose every time they play with great hands. Secondly he wants to legalize online blackjack. Thirdly he says that the game is rigged.

When you play poker online you are playing with real people who are just a little too far away from you to play in your living room. You are not versing the computer. If I versed the computer and I lost every time I played, I would be a little worried, but your versing people who will bet, raise, fold, and talk to you. Another problem was that he was playing in a low limit game. someone with a hand like k/10 will be willint to spend all there money or $10 but in a high stakes game where they have to bet $100 -$1000 the game would be played differently. People are willing to play on a gut instinct in low limit because there really is almost no risk so that explains why the other person didn't back down.

Online blackjack whould be very unpredictable. He says that there is skill in blackjack. I disagree to his statement because there really is nothing you can do unless you count cards, and unless you are a mathamatical genious, you wont be able to count cards. Blackjack, like holdem is about percentages. You have to know what your chance is of winning.

I personally have won a lot of money online playing texas holdem online. The reason why he cant do the same probably has to do with the way he plays, not "the game is rigged". What he has to do is go back to those articles he reads about texas holdem strategy and re-read them or try to do something different.

Gold Shows Midas Touch at WSOP

2006-08-11T20:53:00.000-07:00

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By Lynda Collins

Just call him Goldfinger, the man with the Midas touch.

Just about everything Jamie Gold touched the past week turned to, well, gold -- $12 million worth.

The 37-year-old Hollywood talent agent ran roughshod over a field of 8,773 players, including some of poker's brightest stars, in winning the 37th World Series of Poker's $10,000 buy-in Texas No-Limit Hold'em event at Harrah's Rio Hotel and Casino.

Gold, who won the day's first pot as well as its last, claimed his title in the wee hours of Friday morning after busting out seven of his eight opponents at the Final Table and 16 of the last 27 survivors.

En route to the championship, he methodically built the largest chip stack in WSOP history, at times more than doubling the stack of his closest opponent.

By the time he and runnerup Paul Wasicka of Westminster, Colo., who collected $6.1 million, entered their abbreviated heads-up session, Gold had 85 percent of the chips spread out in front of him.

"Phenomenal," "incredible" and "stupendous" were just a few of the adjectives observers showered on Gold.

"Unbelievable," was Gold's choice of words.

The first thing an exhuberant Gold did after hugging friends, family and fans was call his father, who suffers from Lou Gerhig's Disease and couldn't be present.

That caused obvious emotional stress as Gold lowered his head into his hands, his mood suddenly becoming reflective.

"He'd gladly give back the $12 million if it would cure his father," confided one of Gold's friends

"What I want to do in life is make great entertainment," said Gold, whose client list reads like a Who's Who in Hollywood.

"Otherwise, all I want to do is play poker.

"I'm supposed to be in charge of a major production right now, but I got two weeks off because they (his associates) knew how much this meant to me and they believed in me."

It took more than 12 hours for the first five finalists to bust out, but less than 90 minutes for elimination of the other three, including two-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Allen Cunningham of Las Vegas, the player many felt would face Gold in heads-up play.

Cunningham, to his utter dismay, finished fourth, earning $3.628 million.

A large crowd of fellow pros had turned out to lend their support, including Daniel Negreanu, Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, Robert Williamson III, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi and Jennifer Harman.

"I want Allen to win because a lot of people don't realize what a great player he is," Harman said.

Three-time WSOP champ Johnny Chan, on the other hand, served as Gold's main advisor, huddling with him often to offer pointers.

The only professional at the Final Table, Cunningham was so distraught at losing what may be his only real shot at the championship, he declined to be interviewed by ESPN, which was taping the tournament, and stiffed a large assemblage of reporters from throughout the world who had gathered in the media center.

In eliminating Cunningham, third-place finisher Michael Binger of Atherton, Calif., raised to $1,100,000 from the cutoff.

Gold called from the button and Cunningham moved all-in for $6.5 million from the big blind.

Binger folded and Gold made the call.

Cunningham showed the 10 of clubs and 10 of hearts, while Gold turned over the jack and king of diamonds.

The board came ace of spades, king of spades, eight of hearts, 7 of clubs and 3 of spades.

Binger, winner of $4.1 million, followed Cunningham out the door 45 minutes later.

Gold limped in from the button and Wasicka from the small blind.

Binger raised to $1.5 million from the big blind.

Gold and Wasicka both called and the flop came 10 of clubs, 6 of spades and and 5 of spades.

Wasicka checked, Binger bet $3.5 million and Gold moved all-in.

Wasicka folded and Binger called, displaying the 10 and ace of hearts.

Gold turned over the 4 of spades and 3 of clubs for an open-ended straight draw.

The turn was the 7 of clubs and Gold made his straight.

The river was the queen of spades and it was revealed that had Wasicka not folded, he would've won the hand with a flush.

The consensus opinion was the Coloradan simply was eyeing a runnerup finish at that point and wanted to get Binger out of the way., something which Wasicka denied during his press conference.

The 2006 WSOP became history about 40 minutes later.

Gold raised to $1.7 million and Wasicka called.

The flop came queen of clubs, 8 of hearts and 5 of hearts.

Wasicka bet $1.5 million and Gold went all-in.

Wasicka called and turned over a pair of 10s, while Gold showed the queen of spades and 9 of clubs for a pair of queens.

Fourth Street was the ace of diamonds and the river was the four of clubs as Gold's ladies held up.

Despite his record-shattering performace, there was widespread murmuring that Gold, whose previous earnings totaled just $92,000, had failed to win the respect of most professionals.

"In poker, you have to earn respect," media relations director Nolan Dalla said.

"Money is not respect.

"There are many flashes in the pan who come and go.

"I'd never heard of Mr. Gold before.

"He was an unknown in the poker world.

"It's sort of like the Kentucky Derby.

"You have a new champion every year.

"But how many Triple Crown winners have we had?

"They're the great ones.

"What Jamie Gold has done is truly remarkable and the winner deserves respect.

"He may be one of the best, but in poker you have to pay your dues and that means winning more than one tournament."

Gold's Final Table rivals weren't into dissing the champ.

"I've never seen anything like it," said Rhett Butler of Rockville, Md., who fell victim to the high price of blinds and antes.

"He forces people to make plays."

"He's a very good player who plays the big stack well," Binger added.

"He's like a vacuum cleaner and he can catch the bluffs."

Daniel Nassif was the first to bust out at the Final Table.

He was followed, in order, by Erik Friburg, Doug Kim, Richard Lee, Butler, Cunningham, Binger and Wasicka.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lynda_Collins

10 Poker commandments

2006-08-10T05:23:00.000-07:00

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The following is going to be the most important post I have ever made. This is the 10 commandments of poker. If you follow these 10 commandments you are sure to....lose.

1.Play every hand. Take every hand as a blessing from the poker gods...and any money you lose as a sacrifice to the big score...

2. Play any suited cards. These are a gift from the poker gods and should never be wasted...

3. Call all in when you have an ace...even when it is with a two of clover thingies...that ace is a gift and again should not be wasted...

4. Always raise after the blinds...this shows your trust in the poker gods and they will reward you with a good flop...

5. Never let some bluff you out of the pot if you hold any of the following hands. An A with and kicker suited or not. You could catch an A on the river and squash them. That goes for Kx QX and Jx too. Any three to a flush or three to a straight. You never know. They could have nothing and you could catch runner....

6. When you the only card that helped you win on the river you must make sure to look your opponents in the eye and tell them about your master of poker and how you are blessed by the poker gods or they will not be happy...

7. Yell at your opponents when the card you want does not show up on the river. Then light a torch and continue about how they are anti-poker gods and that you have to take care of them...

8. Always check your good hands and then wait until the river to bet. For being so patient you shall be rewarded with large sums of money...

9. Every 2 cards can win so bet on them all and play all the time because when you have to wait for the game to pass you by as you fold for an hour you get bored...

10. poker is all about luck and the way the poker gods are feeling during the particular day. Make sure to ask them if they want you to play on any particular day and they will let you know....

Thanks for reading the 10 commandments of poker to make you lose.

(caution) Following these commandments may affect your life financially. Please use judgment before using. May cause feelings of being bad at poker and hate towards the poker gods.

Poker Tips - Poker Rules- Online Poker

2006-08-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

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By: FxCrow

Amarillo Slim, a professional poker player and best friend to casino mogul Benny Binion, once said, “If you can't spot the sucker within the first half hour at the table, then you are the sucker.” There are few poker rules, the more formal the setting the more restrictive the rules. If you’ve ever wanted to know how to play poker, either at a table or online poker, you’ve come to the right place.

History

Though the history of poker is debatable, it is known that a card game was commonly played in New Orleans in 1829, though only with a 20-card deck. As the game spread West along with the gold rushers, it changed a bit and eventually the English 52-card deck was incorporated, bringing the flush with it. Versions of the game like draw and stud poker were introduced during the American Civil War, along with the straight. By the early 1900’s, the wild card, split-pot and lowball poker were being played around the US.

In 1970, the first World Series of Poker was played. As poker gained popularity, books and movies about strategies began to appear. Televised poker games have added to the popularity of the game.

Terminology and Poker Rules
All-in – to place all of your tokens or money for bet
Ante – forced bet at the beginning of each game, each player plays the same number of tokens or money in the pot
Blind – forced bet by one or two players before the start of a hand, in addition to the ante. Blind players usually rotate one player before or after the button.
Bluff – to bet or raise with an inferior hand in an attempt to raise the pot and/or force others to fold
Button – a token or coin rotated around a table to mark the dealer.
Call – to accept the bet amount from previous player, without raising it
Community Card – some variations of poker call for one or more community cards, where some poker cards are dealt face up for all to use to make a hand
Dealer – person who deals cards. Poker is usually dealt in a round, dealing one card to each player until desired cards are possessed by each player. Dealer is last in the round.
Flop – when community cards are used, the first three are referred to as the flop
Four of a Kind – four cards, with or without wild cards, that are of the same value (four 3’s, four Aces)
Flush – five cards of the same suit (a 2, 5, 7, 10 and Jack of spades, for example)
Full House – three cards of one value and two cards of another value (three 4’s and two 6’s, for example)
Jackpot – the total of all money and/or tokens bet during any hand; also called the pot
Kicker – when a winning set of cards are the same (each player has a pair of Kings, for example) the kicker is used as a tie breaker. Each of the tying players use their next highest card as their kicker (a Queen outranks a 10, for example)

Limit – maximum bet allowed per game
Pair – two of the same valued card
Poker Face – a face that does not reveal anything about the players hand
Push – to put yourself all-in
Raise – to add to the bet the previous player made
Royal Flush – 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace, all of the same suit
Straight – five cards in numerical succession (8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, for example)
Straight Flush - five cards in numerical succession all of the same suit (8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, all hearts, for example)

How to Play Poker

A typical poker game is a version known as draw poker. The dealer deals five cards to each player. Each player antes. Players look at but do not share information about their cards. The players bet by placing tokens or money into the pot, starting with the player to the dealers left and continuing around the table. Each player than chooses the number of cards to trade to the dealer, receiving new cards from the deck. Betting repeats. Player with the highest hand wins. If two players have winning hands, the tie is broken with the kicker. Below is a list of possible card hands, from strongest to weakest:
Royal Flush
Straight Flush
Four of a Kind
Full House
Flush
Straight
Three of a Kind
Two Pair
Pair
High Card or Kicker

Player with the strongest hand wins the jackpot. Button is rotated to the left and the player possessing the button deals the next hand.

Online Poker

Online poker has become a very popular way to play cards. In addition to being easy to access, it is far less intimidating than entering a brick and mortar casino. Betting options are more varied, from penny-ante to $1000 ante. Overhead for online poker is dramatically less than traditionally casinos, the only physical space they need is for servers and for customer support. Online venues also offer security of fewer player collusion opportunities as they have sophisticated software to check IP addresses, betting patterns, past hands and table set ups.

Four World Series of Poker players started as online players, eventually winning a spot in the tournament. It was thought that online players were less skilled than table players, but when Chris Moneymaker, one of the online entrants, won the championship, that changed.

Versions

There are countless versions of poker, here are some:
Stud – either five or seven card, there are no additional cards dealt beyond the first round

Texas Hold’em – usually played with blind bets and antes; first two rounds of dealing are down (players keep cards private), then a flop of three cards, with bets after the down deal and the flop. Very common in casinos and used at the World Series of Poker.

Article Source: http://www.ezinecrow.com

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Collection Tips For The New People

2006-08-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

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Poker Tips and Tools Blog

If you have never played poker before and you want to start then here is where you are going to start. There is a vast number of questions you have to ask yourself before you can begin. This is going to help you to become a better player as time goes on utilizing different strategies.

The first thing you want to do is figure out what kind of game you are playing. For example are you playing multi-table tournament or are you a sit and go person. Have you played with others off line or is this your first time every playing. My advice for people who want to start playing online would be to play for free or you may lose a lot of money.

That brings me to my second tip; you have to manage your money or you will end up losing more money then you thought you did. Try to limit yourself to putting in a little bit of money every month or so or else you can be putting in more money then you have to spend on poker.

When you actually play there are a few rules I go by. Many people, when they start playing, will wait for a big hand to come before they bet. This is not a good idea because they will cause people around them to know that they only bet with big hands. It is not easy to spend money on a hand that is less than desired but in the long run it will change the way the players around you look at how you play. After a few bluffs, you can go back to playing tighter when you have a shorter stack because the bluffs didn’t work.

One of the best ways to learn, in my opinion, is to take your games and post them in a forum or a blog like this one. This helps you because they will be looked at and your strategies can be fixed.

Texas Hold’Em

2006-08-07T14:05:00.000-07:00

By: J Finney

There are many important things to learn about Texas Hold’Em before you play the game. One of the most crucial things you need to learn is a good basic strategy for betting. This is also a learning necessity with most other poker games and variations as well.

Fixed limit games are the most common types of Texas Hold’Em games. In fixed limit games, there are two different betting amounts, the low and the high betting amounts. For example, if you were playing Texas Hold’Em at a $10-$20 table, the first betting rounds all the bets would have to be made in $10 increments. So if the bet is currently at $10, you could only raise it to $20 or call. Dependent upon the game you are playing, at some point in the game the betting limit would double, so that all the bets would then be made at $20.

One basic strategy that can be used for betting in Texas Hold’Em is to try to focus on what cards you think the other players are holding in their hands. It will be important to watch the other players to get clues on what they may have or may be planning. One of the most important keys to betting successfully is to understand the other players at the table and try to place bets without them being able to guess your next move.

Most casinos limit the number of max raises to three or four a round. The number of allowed raises in each betting round should be a crucial element in planning your betting strategy.

A bet that is called a check is a nothing bet. Players make these bets when they don’t want to up the amount of their bet, but still want to remain in the game. If there have been no bets made during the round and play comes to you, you can check and pass play to the next player. A round of checks can be good for your poker play, assuming you have developed a good strategy. As always, you will need to study your hand well, and decide on the strength of the other players hands.

Sometimes using bluffs can be a boost to your poker betting strategy for Texas Hold’Em. It is important to remember that bluffs will work best when they are unexpected, if you bluff too often no one will fall for your tricks. On the flip side, if you never use bluffs and bet on a good hand, other players are more likely to pick up on the hand and fold rather than bet against you.

As with any poker game, you should remember that there will always be the element of luck involved, and that play may never go as you expect it to. Having a good betting strategy can tremendously help you in game play, but it is not the only part of the game you need to learn. The more you play the game, the better you should become at developing an effective strategy. Keep in mind that it is crucial to your success that you don’t become predictable in your play, as other players will be fast to pick up on it. Becoming a predictable player will make you lose far more often than you will win.

About the Author: Check out our professional poker player profiles on Howard Lederer and Huck Seed today.

Article Source: www.isnare.com

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Monster Cards All The Time?

2006-08-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

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What do you do when your opponent keeps getting good cards? This is not an easy thing to combat against. This happens to the best of us. One player at the table has cards that dominate every game.

They will take those cards and use them to there advantage. They will call all the time. You think that they have to bluff some times but they keep bringing out monster cards.

The worst thing you can do is take a semi good hand and verse that person. They may have the hand better then yours.

Before you decide to bet large sums of money against a person who is winning all night, you should look at the community cards, study them, see what possible hands can be made.

I doubt you can see his cards on his face because he has no pressure against him and he may or may not have good cards anymore. Since he has taken a lot of money from his good cards, he will probably check all the time and maybe raise to try and bluff.

Check to see if this person it betting with only good hands. Check for a pattern. if you see that this person never bluffs, then dont try and bluff him or you may get yourseld into a lot of trouble.

You want to play tight and try to avoid losing money to this person. Until you have more then you came in with, you really can not be bluffing because it is too risky.

I always try and see the flop with any hand. If nobody raises or if the raise is low, I continue to see the turn and river. You can never tell when your 2/4 unsuited turns into a straight trips or 2 pair ( as unlikey as they are).

The only strategy I can think of to combat the player at the table who keeps dominating every hand is to play tight because that person cant win all the time. Whem you finally get those cards you where hoping for which are also possible, try and lure that person into giving you there money.

playing on a short stack has some advantages since more people will go all in with you. Remember that that is a very powerful move. People will always want to emiminate a player.

2006-08-05T13:32:00.000-07:00

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Poker Tips and Tools Blog

By: Tarun Sharma

All the games we have looked so far involved betting against other players. But this game is different; here everyone plays against the casino or room which acts as a bank (dealer), paying out all winning bets. To win you have to beat the dealer's hand, other player's hands don't make a difference.

First each player makes an ante (initial blind bet) and is dealt 5 cards face down. The dealer receives 4 cards face down and 1 card face up. Now each player decides whether to fold or play by looking at their cards, if they fold then their ante is lost but if they continue, they have to double their ante-bet.

Now the dealer reveals his hand, but he must have an A-k or higher in order to play his hand, if not the player is paid even money on the ante and also the additional bet is not lost (See the table for odds). If the player's hand beats the dealer's, the ante is paid at evens. However, if the dealer's hand beats the player's hand then both bets are lost.

Additional Bet Payout odds:

1/1 One pair or High card (Even)
2/1 Two pair
3/1 Three of a kind
4/1 Straight
5/1 Flush
7/1 Full House
20/1 Four of a kind
50/1 Straight flush
100/1 Royal flush

If the dealer and player play the same poker hand, then remaining cards are taken in to consideration. If all five cards are equal, the hand is void. Neither the ante nor the additional bet is lost. The ranking of suits makes no difference to the hand.

Here the odds are poor; a normal game of poker with seven players will have odds of at least 6/1 which is a great deal better when compared to the minimum odds in this game which is 1/1. Also the odds paid for additional bet are poor. Again there is no skill required and you rely too much on luck. Finally remember you have much better odds of winning money when you are playing for the pot. Good Luck :)

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Also visit http://www.pokkercards.com/pokertournaments.htmlfor upcoming free-rolls, satellites & qualifiers, speed and guaranteed tournaments.

Read more articles by: Tarun Sharma

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Stopping Beginners Shakes

2006-08-04T19:52:00.000-07:00

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I want to share with you my experience when I first started because it may be happening to you know as a beginner and you should learn how I overcame my problem and a few alternative solutions.

The problem I had was violent shaking. Every time I went to play live at a casino I shook like I had a some kind of nervous twitch. This is back when I first started playing in real casinos not online. The two experiences where much different from each other then I thought they would be. The lights, the sounds, the people talking, laughing, shuffling chips, looking over to watch you play, the slot machines ringing.

This was very overwhelming when I first started playing. I thought it was very exciting and I could not wait to play. When I sat down though, my hands started to shake. When I would bet from having a good hand I would shake. After time went by, people began to tell me that I shook when I had good hands. I took this into account and I noticed that I shook, but I could not stop.

So what did I do? Nothing much, I just played. From experience, I stopped. If people didn’t tell me I probably would not have stopped, but thanks to them, I have.

I brought this story up to a friend of mine, Paul Okoli, he is one of the best poker players I know, he told me a few “secrets” that I am going to share with everyone today (If you can call them secrets).

One thing you can do is learn to control your breathing. As when shooting a rifle, take a deep breath and hold it, when its time to shoot, let that breath out. Listen to yourself breath and keep focused on remembering your cards and the faces of your opponents. Don’t keep your eyes on the flop, it will always be there.

Another tip is to take a drink of some alcoholoc beverage of some sort. Now im not saying to get drunk, but it is a know fact that it is a depressant and can calm your nerves.

Finally, there is a pill called Valerian root that you can purchase that calms nerves. It is a very low dose sleep aid used for people to calm down. It is some kind of relaxing drug. I’m not an herbal specialist so just google the word and see what comes up.

That’s all he told me. Remember my strategy and the next time your in a casino just stay calm. Introduce yourself. If your playing low stakes, talk, laugh, see the flop, and just have fun. If your going in there to win big money, try to play low stakes first as practice and then move up from there.

The History Of Five Card Stud Poker

2006-08-03T14:17:00.000-07:00

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By: Adel Awwad

Poker has a long and indistinct history. Some hold that it originated in Persia as it closely resembles a game called As Nas and may have been brought to the United States via Persian sailors in New Orleans. This game was played with 25 cards with 5 different suits. This game was played similarly to modern Five Card Stud with many of the hand combinations such as three of a kind. It seems likely that the name “Poker” descended from the French poque, which originally came from the German pochen, ‘to knock’.

The game was reportedly played in New Orleans around the late 1820’s, with a deck of 20 cards and players betting on the value of their hands. The earliest known form of Poker was played with a 20-card pack (A-K-Q-J-10) evenly dealt amongst four players. There was no draw, and bets are made on a narrow range of combinations: one pair, two pair, triplets, and ‘full’ - so called because it is the only combination in which all five cards are active - and four of a kind. Unlike classic Poker, in which the top hand (royal flush) can be tied in another suit, the original top hand consisting of four Aces, or four Kings and an Ace, was absolutely unbeatable. The spread of the game after this seems to have been facilitated by the practice of gambling on Mississippi riverboats.

Soon after this the deck was expanded to the present day 52 cards and the flush was introduced. The additional cards were introduced mostly to allow more players. The game was expanded and developed further during the Civil War, with many of the variants of the game being introduced then, including Five Card Stud. Poker was initially played with only one round of betting with all five cards dealt face down and no draw cards, very similar to today’s Five Card Stud game.

Professional gamblers later added variations and rule changes in order to increase the profitability of the game. Wild cards and bluffing became common occurrences and the draw was added around 1850, allowing yet another round of betting. Many of the features of modern Poker, such as the draw and some versions of different hands, as well as the straight and the flush originated in the earlier forms of the British game Brag or Bragg. Brag’s modern form differs greatly from modern day poker, however.

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Discipline In Poker

2006-08-02T12:55:00.000-07:00

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I was speaking to a friend of mine who was told me that after he plays for about an hour he is able to doule his bankroll going into the game. After another hou or so he says that he ends up losing all of his winnings and the money he came in with oiginally. He also explained how he was losing his money because he could not keep could not keep focus and he was losing his consintation.

This is a very easy problem to overcome. One the has plagued even the bes of poker players. I myself used to play and lose money money after winning a few hands but that all ended as time passed, I read strategies and books, and really began to focus and learn about poker.

One of the first things I did was stop playing after I won money. This way I would not begin to lose money. I got rid of the habbit of playing loose after I won money and I also stoped betting when I had weak hands. When you leave after you win money, you will only know hoq to win and you will remove the actions that cause you to lose money Of course if you are not making money there are other strategies

This is another strategy used to help you anylize how you win and how you lose. If you print out the games you win, you can study them and use them as a reference in the future. This is a great way to learn what wins and what loses. When many people start out, they beleive that pocket aces are the best hand in the game. Statistics will tell you that they are, but proffessionals will tell you that this hand is not as good as it may seem. That is a topic for another day...

If you are winning and then start losing, Leave the table and do something else. This way, you will keep your money and you will be happy.

One huge mistake my friend made was to play 2 tables at once. This is not a good move. This causes you to lose money in actuality because you can not concentrate on either one now.

How to Spot a Poker Tell

2006-08-01T19:37:00.000-07:00

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By: Jack Reider

Tells are one of the most important aspects of poker. They are a big part of the game and very important to get clues and hints about the cards that your opponents hold.

A good poker player knows that the amount of money that his opponent bets on has nothing to do with his cards and that in order to evaluate his opponents situation he must spot tells.

A good experienced player can gather lots of information from tells. Tells are signs that reveal information in many different ways, good players know how to spot them and how to use the information that they revealed for their own benefit.

Another important advantage of knowing how to pick up tells is the ability to avoid giving away your own tells. If you know how common players reveal information by tells you can try to look at yourself while playing and to notice what kind of tells you give and by that to learn how to monitor and avoid it.

There are many tells that experienced poker players can read. Tells are very idiosyncratic so in order to know exactly how to read a player's tell you have to play with the specific player for a long time. In the long run you'll realize that you're familiar with your friend's tells and that you can read them like an open book, but if you're playing against new opponents in all sorts of poker rooms, here are some of the things that you should look for.

The first thing that you have to look at is the eyes. If you'll watch professional poker tournaments you'll notice that many poker pros are playing with sunglasses or visors. This is because the eyes can reveal lots of information about one's cards.

Take a good look at your opponent's eyes, learn how he reacts to different situations and you'll now how to read his tells.

You can also learn a lot from the facial expression on your opponents' face. You can tell if a player is nervous or eager if he has specific facial expressions or 'tics' and you can look for specific smiles or concern if the hands are good or bad.

Look for certain body gestures that can hint on a specific hand. Look for signs of anxiety or distress. There are stimulus responses that even the most experienced players cannot hide, so try to look for those physical changes and to study how the other players respond to different situations.

Try to look for eye pupil dilations, signs of dry throat, sweat, trembling hands and flexing of muscles and changes in the body gestures.

Other things that you have to look for are a repetitive glance at the player's chips which might indicate a subconscious reaction to different situations at the poker table. Another thing is that you have to look for is the way the players stack their chips. If you notice a different pattern of stacking it might indicate that the player is under pressure or eager to make his move and win the hand.

There are many different tells that can indicate different reactions to situations at the poker table, but you must remember that you cannot count only on tells and you should use other poker strategies if you want to be a better player. Tells can provide valuable information, but serious players know that this is not enough for the game.

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Jack Reider is writing his PHD on Caesar and Augustus, but also frequents the race track. He runs an online gambling guide to betting and online casinos.
http://www.gambling-portal.com

When To Play Tight In Holdem

2006-07-31T22:43:00.000-07:00

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I recently played in a game with A few moderate players. They had a little bit of trouble keeping there cards off of there faces but othere then that they whrere able to play with good cards.

My hands where much less then desired and I could not win a hand whether I folded or played every hand. Some people will tell you that you should play every hand in texas holdem but that is just not right. If your opponent is dominating you with threre bankroll and there cards they will win if you bet on every hand.

I was playing one such texas holdem game in which 2 of my opponent were winning every hand concecutively. It was a $40.00 buy in with $1/2 blinds. They where winning every single hand. We played 5 games and I lost each one and played them all with what I thought where good hands until. They kept winning on the flop and I couldn't catch a break. I was down to $10.00 and I was getting a little worried. I then had to change my whole playing strategy.

Before I was down to 10 chips I stayed to at least look at the flop. That was a big mistake. The way I kept losing I had to play tighter and wait for the big hands. The problem was that my opponents whould know that when I had a good hand, I would bet big to win back my money. This is exactly what I did and tried to make it seem like I was bluffing. Many people think that a sad face means a good hand so I smiled. They didnt know, they thought I was going insane and they where ready to take my money.

Little did they know that I had a full house from the flop. I bet my last 5 chips, turned it into 25 and just kept winning from there. Until I got that amazing hand I didnt bet a cent unless it was for a blind. That is whrer you get trapt. When your opponent has good hands continuously you are under a lot of pressure. If he bluffs, you cant take the chance to call them because you may lose. You may think your hand is good, but your opponents hand is better. You have to make the decision.

Learn To Play Poker Online In Order To Make Money - Pot Odds

2006-07-30T08:10:00.000-07:00

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By: Dean Harding

For most people, there are only two real reasons to play poker: fun and profit, which are sometimes interrelated (more profit means more fun).

But in order to make money by playing poker online, you should always be gathering information about your opponents and, why not, about yourself. Asides that, another vital thing is the ability to determine, use and understand pot odds, which is one of the most underrated concepts for beginning online poker players. Pot odds are calculations used during a game of poker that put the concept of risk and reward into numbers. In this article, we provide you with an explanation of pot odds in order to help you start using them in your game.

Whenever you are in a hand and need to decide whether or not to call a bet, count how many cards that are still unseen that can come on the turn and/or river that can help you. Then check the number on the chart below to get the pot odds. For example, you have A5s with two more of your suit on the flop. Therefore you have 9 outs to make the nut flush. Your odds of hitting it on the turn are 4.2 to 1 and to hit it on the turn or river 1.9 to 1. If you are only concerned about hitting it on the turn, the pot must have at least 4.2 times the amount you must place in the pot to make this a profitable call. If you are playing no-limit holdem and a player has moved all-in, if there is at least 1.9 times the amount you have to call in the pot it is a correct call and will be profitable in the long run. Pot odds are just a quick way of seeing if a bet will be profitable if you are in the same situation thousands of times.

A thing that's often confusing to beginning online poker players is that they think that the money in the pot somehow goes into the computation of the pot odds. Actually, any money in the pot is not yours. It was yours before you put it in the pot, but the only way to get it back is to win the pot. This is the reason that money you have already placed in the pot is not used in pot odds computation.

Remember to always get your money in with the best of it and over the long run you will be not only a winning online poker player, but a profitable one too.

About the Author:

For more online poker rooms reviews tips and articles for players please visit http://www.poker-prophet.com

Read more articles by: Dean Harding

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Newbie Texas Holdem Sharks

2006-07-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

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I just returned from a week long camping trip and of course I could not help but bring my chips and cards. I took some kids with the scouts to there camp and all day I did nothing.

There where some old kids and some young kids, but they where all going to play just because I had nothing to do. The result of these games would amaze everybody.
Texas holdem is a game of mystery and astonishment, you can never tell what is going to happen.

On this occation, we played a game with 1/2 blids and 6 players. Each player had 40 chips. I tought the young kids who where clueless. They didn't know how to play, they didn't know the suites and the combinations. They had no chance of winning.

The other players where around 17 and 18 years old. They where fair players and with my help they mastered some of the basics of texas holdem. They tried to keep the tells off there faces but they really could not. They always stared at the flop like it was going to fly away or something. At that point I focused on there faces.

It was easy to tell when they had cards or not. There bluffs where obvious and there monster texas holdem hands where the same.

Now, when we threw in the young kids, thats when the trouble began. Since they had no idea how to play texas holdem, there was no way they where going to win. As soon as we started, they where betting 3 before the flop. We all went with it thinking they where doing it for fun, raising the stakes.

Thats where it all went down hill. They where pulling out pocket aces, suited connectors, concecutives. They won on the river with straights and flushes. We underestimated them almost every time and checked every time. There hands where unmatched and they won every hand. THey dominated each hand and they didnt even know what they where doing.

We turned them into texas holdem sharks. Once the older guys realized that the younger guys where getting great cards they played tighter and ended there streak.

We all learned a valuable poker lesson that day: Never underestimate your opponents, no matter how old they are or how skilled they are because the cards will come as they will either way.

As ime went on we realized that we could get them to tell us there cards and they would still beat us because they had monster hands every game. This really was nothing I have ever seen.

Patience & Poker

2006-07-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

by Chris McElroy

I learned to play Texas Holdem in a back room of a pool hall in Morgan City, Louisiana, then furthered my poker education as I traveled and played pool for money. In Manteca, California I really learned about what it takes to win at Texas Holdem.

You can learn all of the deep psychological stuff from poker players. You can learn all about poker strategy, but you will still not have the best tool available to you for winning at poker.

Whether you play online or offline poker, patience is the one thing no one can really teach you.

I see it all the time. Players go through a streak of hands that they cannot even stay in for the flop with, then they get frustrated and start playing anything they are dealt.

They then start chasing straights and possible flushes all the way to the river before drowning in it.

You have to have patience. The good cards will come to you sooner or later. The law of averages dictates it will happen. Those same laws dictate that you will go through dry spells also.

If you are the type of player who HAS to play, who HAS to have action, then you will lose more than you win.

Its the same with any type of gambling you do. I've hung in pool halls waiting for action where the local players knew who I was and knew they couldn't get a game with me that they could win.

But always, if I wait long enough, one of them, one who had no patience, and who just HAD to have some action, will come to me and play a game they have little chance of winning. These pool players lose more than they win because they will take a bad game over no game at all.

Playing poker is a bad game for you to play when you have a bad hand. If you just HAVE to have action, you will lose more than you win. You cannot NEED to play every hand or even most hands.

If you are staying in for more than 50% of the flops and you are still in on the river in more than 50% of those hands you saw the flop in, then you are either getting all the cards and on a good streak or you are losing your money in a big way.

Playing poker takes patience. That is the one tool that will win you more money than any other advice you get. Patience will also allow you to set traps. Once you notice a pattern in how someone plays, you can't jump on it right away. You need to wait for the right hand to take advantage of that pattern.

If you don't have the patience to wait to spring that trap, then you are the one that will fall into the trap.

Chris McElroy made his living at gambling for years and now plays online poker under the name HoldemLonger as just a hobby.

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When to keep playing

2006-07-26T20:18:00.000-07:00

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It has come to my attention through observations to see so a plethora of players playing short hours when they're winning, and long hours when they're losing. It should be the other way around.

When you are defeating your opponents at destructive rates, you are feared by the other players, and you have a good table reputaion. When you have a good reputation, you have a higher chance of bluffing and succeeding in grabbing the winnings. Usually, a losing player doesn't want to get involved with a winning player, so it's easier for you to pick up more money than you should. You can call more hands than you really should because you have the other players believing that you're hand is always the best.

When you are winning in the game, a few of the other players are losing, and when your opponents are losing, they aren't playing at the epitome of their skills, but you definitely are.

when you are low on energy or when you start playing horribly is probably when you should stop playing.

4 Poker Tips The Pros Won't Tell You

2006-07-25T12:18:00.000-07:00

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In the past few years, professional poker playing has exploded in popularity. The biggest players are winning substantial amounts of money. However, none of the professional poker players are sharing their secrets. In reality, the best players in the world aren’t doing anything really spectacular other than following basic poker tips. What makes the best players so amazing is their ability to utilize all of their strengths and capitalize on the weaknesses of others. Anyone can significantly improve his or her poker game by following these four easy tips.

1. Observe your opponents. This is probably the most crucial part of poker. When playing against someone, the more you know about them, the easier it will be for you to take advantage of their weaknesses. It is always a good idea to observe an opponent's betting habits. Some players bet extremely high when they have a good hand. Other players will attempt to make several seemingly small raises. Anyone who consistently raises after each flop might have a good hand. However, some players will try to bluff. Noticing patterns can help you adjust to the moves of your opponents. This will help you save money, and possibly have great gains.

2. Bet wisely and watch your money. Every poker player should set limits when going into the casino. The pros don’t have to worry about money so much, but the average player definitely does. Set a limit and do not exceed it. Being money conscious can help ensure that if you have a bad day at the tables, you don’t put yourself in debt. Along with managing money is managing bets. Some players like to bet high (high rollers), but this can lead to drastic losses. Some of the best players bet moderately, and increase their bets slightly when they have a good hand. The best advice for betting is “avoid the extremes.” Don’t bet too little, because you will end up losing money in the long run. At the same time, don’t bet too much because you might lose a lot of money on only one hand, and that is never good.

3. Take your time. The pros seem to think very fast, but that is because they are pros! You don’t have to make decisions too rashly. Take time to look at your hand and figure out what you have and bet accordingly. Also, take the time to survey your opponents and surmise what hands they might have. The pros are always thinking and are simply faster than the average player. It is important to realize that every poker player has to think logically and make educated guesses.

4. Know when to fold, and when to stay in. Many players do not understand the best solutions for folding or staying in. The best players understand their chances and only stay in when they have at least one type of hand. Having two face cards is a good reason to stay in, but having two different low number cards might not be such a strong hand. When observing other players, if you notice high bets from a player who does not bluff, then you should probably fold. Knowing when to take risks and when to be conservative is a very important element to being a solid poker player.

The pros may seem like they are doing impossible things, but they are really just following basic tips. Poker is a game of chance, but you can always tip the odds in your favor by studying your opponents, being smart with money and betting, and thinking through your decisions. Play smart and you will notice a great increase in your poker winnings.

About the Author:

Paul Runyan enjoys writing about all things poker, including news and commentary. Learn more at http://www.geniuspoker.com

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Poker Tournaments For Beginners

2006-07-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

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By: Mansi Aggarwal

As the game of Poker is scaling new heights, casinos and resorts where the game is played along with the media have left no opportunity untouched to accrue contemporaneous benefits. This is evident from the rise in number of Poker tournaments. Since past decade there are significant number of Poker tournaments held at the local as well as the national level. The highly played poker games in these tournaments are- Seven Card Stud, Seven Card High-Low, Omaha Hold 'Em, and Texas Hold 'Em, community poker etc.

Poker tournaments can be of different types. For instance- shootout tournaments where the tables along with players are not eliminated but continue to be there till one player emerges as a winner. Unlike to this are the elimination tournaments were the game commences with all players having equal amount of chips and prolongs until one player manages to get all the chips. Here the tables are removed and at the end a single table is left. All those who survive in the game till the last table get some sort of reward to cherish. Such tournaments have no re-buys but the ‘Re-buy’ tournaments provide the chance to re buy the chips once they are all gone. The chips are to be purchased by paying extra money. So the game continues for long and there are little odds of being segregated from the game.

Besides this there are also satellite games in some areas of United States like Las Vegas. These tournaments involve a group of people that gathers and each places in a portion of his money. The fortunate winner gets a good amount (even more than a million dollar) to invest in other costly large-scale crucial tournaments.

Usually the prize money for the poker tournaments comes from the entry fees. This fees is most often known as the ‘buy- in’ fees. Sometimes the money flows in from an external source or agency. But this amount gets invested in buying the invitations only. The buy-in fetches you a calculated amount of chips to start your game with. These chips act as your ‘play money’. Play money can be re purchased only in ‘re-buy’ tournaments.

The betting on these tournaments can be of three types:

· Structured Betting – bets can only be of a particular amount
· Semi structured betting – the bet can vary to some extent and not more than that.
· Non structured betting – there is no fixed limit to bet. It is at the discretion of the player to bet as much he desires.

Then there are two basic strategies to decide upon who will be the winner – Fixed Winnings and Proportional Winnings. The former are those where the organization holding the tournament beforehand decides upon the winner. While in the latter the winner is calculated proportionally. These are split between the players left at the end proportional to the amounts of play money each has accumulated during the game.

The escalating popularity of the game and the increasing number of tournaments have attracted players from all over the world. It is due to the fascinating and mouth watering amount that one gets on winning the tournaments that women as well as celebrities too want to try their luck. So, do you want to be a part of the Poker world!

About the Author:

Mansi gupta writes about poker tournaments topics. Learn more at http://www.findpokertourneys.com

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When To Leave The Table.

2006-07-22T23:25:00.000-07:00

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It's hard to tell when you have to leave the table when you're playing poker.
It is actually one of the main factors of bankroll management. This means that even before you go into a game of poker, you have to know when to get out of a game.

What determines when you have to leave the table? There are a few factor that you can choose from and create your own limit.

For example, When I used to play .50/$1.00 games with a buy in of $20.00 I said to myself before I went into a table that I would leave after I made $10.00. many people will think that thats a stupid idea, but I made about $500.00 in a month playing like this. I wait for a strong hand, bet, win, and leave. Thats all it takes and I make a profit playing like that.

Of course there is one exception which is if the players at the table are obviously not good. In this case try to squeeze the money out of these players!

If you have a good strategies please let me know.

2006-07-21T06:34:00.000-07:00

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Okay,
I'm going to talk a little bit about on-screen identity or nick-names when playing at poker sites. It is something that is often overlooked when it comes to online poker. You know how it is.. you install the software, then you answer all their little questions during the registration process (name, email, blah,blah) and at some point you get to select your on-screen nick-name.

Most people don't even think about what they select as the name by which they will be identified by all other players at that particular site. This in my opinion is a big mistake because a players on Screen nickname can often be a huge poker tell. For instance, if your name is John and you live in London, you might very well call yourself LondonJohn. What possible information could other players get from that name? Well, for a start, if it's 5 a.m. in London and LondonJohn is still up playing poker online. A player in California will probably know that LondonJohn is very tired and much more likely to be going on tilt. That is a massive tell.

I reckon that it's better to choose a name that doesn't give anything away at all about your age, sex, whereabouts on the planet that you are, your level of expertise or particular style of play. For instance, you may think that it's cool to call yourself 'studmaster' but if you do then you will be giving away a preference for say, playing five card stud, which may or may not help you when you decide to jump over into a game of hold 'em... Unless of course you are lying.
Most people, I think, don't lie, and what you see is what you get. 'NewYorkDave', probably really is a guy from New York, called Dave. 'Accountantjoe' might just possibly be an accountant called Joe. mmm let's think for a second. If he's an accountant could that mean he might be a tighter player? Well unless he's lying, and most people dont when it comes to nick-names, that's a HUGE tell.
So you see it makes much more sense to choose a nick-name that is as far from the truth as possible. It might not make hardly any difference at all. But if just one player makes a loose call that's influenced by your nick-name then you're already ahead because of it.
If you're stuck for advise on which poker sites are the best to play or you just want some good advise then stop by poker-matrix.co.uk. You can pick up loads of free tips about online play that the 'real poker' books won't tell you. Also Check out ebook-island.com for some great ebooks about online poker
-Written by Wayne Perkins http://www.poker-matrix.co.uk

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MTT Vs STT

2006-07-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

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First of all what do these abbreviations mean? Well, MTT stands for multi table tournament. These are games online in which you have to play for a long time with many people. They are tournaments where you have to last through many different games.
STT are games, where you play with one group of people and when all the money is in the hands of one player that player wins. These games are relatively shorter.

if you are a beginner, you probably don’t know you're way around these 2 variations of online poker. Today you will leave here knowing exactly what they are and which one you will be playing at.

These games are easy to "multiplay" with, meaning you can have a few games going at once more easily then with MTT because of the quickness of it. Only if you are really experienced should you be playing multiple STT anyway.

They are not scheduled, which means that you won't be missing out on one of these games. They are also called sit and go tournaments or SNG, which also proves what I just explained.

You know when you're winning. Since you're only playing at one table, you know when the table is yours. This is a great little element of the game because you can then start another table since you have one basically finished.

First of all lets talk about the advantages and disadvantages of STT games.
These games are very quick, which means you can play 5 or 6 in less then a couple of hours, thus giving you greater odds of winning against other players.

Now Lets talk about the advantages and disadvantages of MTT games.
One major advantage is the fact that they offer low buy-ins with gigantic fields, which allows the potential for huger profits in the end.

It is not easy to try and multi-task and play a few games and an MTT game because it is hard to keep track of the different table conditions and stack sizes.

These games last a very long time and one false move in any of the games you play will cause you to lose the whole thing. Since there are a lot of players, these games offer huge payouts to the winner. Everyone else gets nothing.

Now you have to make you're decision. I play sit and go tournaments because they are fast and easy to play. The choice is yours.

Cheating With The Deck Off line o_-

2006-07-19T18:55:00.000-07:00

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I have a lot of experience playing poker online and off. I am well known to the people that I know as a "pro", which I'm not, only because they are not even close to moderately okay players. Often Times I will get questions from them ranging in topic about poker.

Recently, I was asked if I knew a way to cheat with a deck of cards.

This was one of the craziest questions I was every asked so I decided to give him a serise of answers that where off the wall at best.

The first of these ansewers was, " If You point at a corner in the room and yell, "Oh My, What Is That". When They are not looking, look at there cards!."

That was a great answer...or at least I thought it was. So we continued...
I Then Answered by telling him that he could go to a bar with the biggest barbarians he can find with me, and tell them that there all idiots. While there all smashing his face in I can switch the deck with a cheat deck.

He did not like that one, so I continued... I told him he was stupid to even consider cheating, and that if he only spent this time to learn decent strategies and precticing....he told me to stop right there because that was not for him...

Finally, I thought of an okay way he could do this... At a bar, when someone calls the waitress, he can pretend to fix his pants with the deck in his hand and at that point he can switch the deck with the deck he rigged to his chair earlier.

He loved that one and was satisfied. I smiled because I knew that there was no way to pull it off anyway because you really cant rig a texas holdem deck because the way the game works, after the deck is cut ect... you will get random cards anyway.

He then went back to whatever he was doing and I was on my way with the rest of my day. So, what we learned that day was, cheating is impossible so don't do it and just practice and learn gambling systems.

Texas Hold'em; folding with any hand

2006-07-17T16:37:00.000-07:00

By: George Christodoulou

If you know any basic strategy in Texas hold’em, you know that choosing you’re hand is very important. Many beginners will play , bet and lose with every hand. The key is choosing the hand that will give you the winning outcome. If you bet and play every single hand you will lose money every time you play.

There are some basic starting hands that are the “ultimate” hands for in Texas Hold’em. These hands include pocket pairs, which are any pair. The best of which are aces.

Getting a starting hand of 2 aces is the best hand in the game. The reason for this is, when the flop and river come, even if nobody on the table gets anything but a pair, you still win. In addition, nobody can have a higher pair than you.

The fact that this hand is the best hand would make everyone think that this hand should be used at all times and you should bet all you’re money in. This is not correct thinking.

First of all, when you get this hand, you don’t wan to bet too much money at first because you will cause anyone who knows even a little strategy to fold causing you to lose out on a few more bets.

One of the people that you caused to fold might have thought that they had the better hand with a pair of kings and raised for you, which would have meant more money for the pot. You want to keep that pot as large as possible and you want to cause as many people as possible to lose.

This can easily be done by luring them out. Luring out players is very simple to do. If you have a semi- decent hand that you are sure can win, try not to cause you’re opponents to fold by betting low.

Think of it as a backwards bluff. You bet lower then what your cards are worth to create a safe feeling for your opponents. Then When the flop is down, you can start to raise and finally with the few people left you can go all in and try to eliminate someone while giving yourself the top position.

In a tournament, It is it more important to you that you win or is it more important to you that you can stay in the game and try and win in any place and receive a prize. In my opinion, its more important that I get into any place rather then not place at all.

Lets take this into what I wanted to discuss, which is sacrificing great hands for survival. Imagine that you had a pocket pair and you folded. You would never do that right, that would be an impossible reaction to a 2 aces. What if I told you that it would be wiser to throw them away?

If you were in a game with 6 people left,

Player1 - $210
Player2 - $156
Player3 - $90
you - $70
Player5 - $30
Player6 - $18

These are the current statistics of the game and you have just received 2 aces.

You would want to go all in and take player 5 and player 6’s money right?

Well chances are if you go all in, they would fold, thus causing you to lose out on their bets. They know that you probably have a great hand and you will win, so they fold. Now there still in the game and you have a chance, at this point, of losing with nothing in with the next hand and you probably made only a minimum win with the aces.

If you folded then what? That would have made a much greater impact if you think about it.

If the players with more money in the top spot decided to bet $20 or $40, players 5 and 6 would be out if they lost. You would still be in at this point with $70.

If the next bet went up to $90 player 3 would be out to if he lost. Now if instead of going all in with the aces which would have won, you folded, you would still be in the game and in the number 3 spot entitling you to the third prize if you lose right there.

Of course you have almost no money left and might lose unless you get another good hand. This is better then getting a small gain and possibly losing in without gaining 3rd place thus getting no prize and losing all money.

copyright (c) George Christodoulou; Get strategies like this one, a gambling forum, The latest gambling news, reviews for the best casinos on the net, my gambling blog, a gambling tips newsletter (with complimentary card counting book) just visit our
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A Real Poker Player

2006-07-10T16:06:00.000-07:00

Two couples were playing poker one evening. John accidentally dropped some cards on the floor. When he bent down under the table to pick them up, he noticed Bill's wife Sue wasn't wearing any underwear under her dress. Shocked by this, John upon trying to sit back up again, hit his head on the table and merged red-faced.

Later, John went to the kitchen to get some refreshments. Bill's wife followed and asked, did you see anything that you liked under there? Surprised by her boldness, John courageously admitted that, well indeed he did.

She said, "Well, you can have it but it will cost you $500." After taking a minute or two to assess the financial and moral costs of this offer, John confirms that he is interested.

She tells him that since her husband Bill works Friday afternoons and John doesn't, John should be at her house around 2 p.m. Friday afternoon.

When Friday rolled around, John showed up at Bill's house at 2 PM sharp and after paying Sue the agreed sum of $500 they went to the bedroom and closed their transaction, as agreed. John quickly dressed and left.

As usual, Bill came home from work at 6 p.m. and upon entering the house, asked his wife abruptly. "Did John come by the house this afternoon?" With a lump in her throat Sue answered "Why yes, he did stop by for few minutes this afternoon."

Her heart nearly skipped a beat when her husband curtly asked, "And did he give you $500?" In terror she assumed that somehow he had found out and after mustering her best poker face, replied, "Well, yes, in fact he did give me $500."

With a satisfied look on his face, Bill surprised his wife by saying Good I was hoping he did. John came by the office this morning and borrowed $500 from me. He promised me he'd stop by our house this afternoon on his way home and pay me back.
Now THAT, my friends, is a poker player!

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Texas Holdem

2006-07-07T12:10:00.000-07:00

On the Poker Tips Blog, I will be introducing you to different types of poker. I'm starting with my personal favorite, Texas Holdem.

Texas Holdem is the game you see played on the World Series of Poker on ESPN and the poker game preferred by most poker players.

Each player is dealt two cards face-down. That is called the "Pre-Flop". There is a round of betting before any more cards are dealt.

Next comes the "Flop". Three cards are dealt face-up in the center of the table and belong to everyone. Since 5 cards make a hand, your two cards plus the three on the table are now your poker hand.

There is another round of bets before another card will be turned. That next card is called the "Turn" or "Fourth Street" for non-Texans. Now you make your best 5 card hand from the four cards face-up in the center of the table and the two face-down cards in your hand.

There is another round of bets, then the final card is turned. This is called the "River" or again for non-Texans, "Fifth Street".

Once the river is shown, there is another round of betting with the high hand taking the pot. However, Texas Holdem is one of the few games where you can be "All-In", menaing you have bet all of the money you had on the table during the hand.

The betting continues and if you have the highest hand, you still win the portion of the pot that is owed to you up until you were All-In. The second-best hand by a player who still had chips to bet after you were all-in gets the rest.

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How many Play Money Chips do you have?

2006-07-06T12:16:00.000-07:00

I'd just like to hear from some play money players on this one. I play at partypoker.com when I play for play money because I know a lot of players there and we play together on a regular basis.

I have 16,000,000 in play chips but I know many of you have much more than that. I'd like to hear how much play money some of you have accumulated.

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PreFlop Poker Stat Tracker Software

2006-07-01T10:49:00.000-07:00

I read all of the online poker advice. I played thousands of Hold'Em hands. I looked at all of the Online Poker strategy sites. I downloaded all of the poker statistics software. Still, I never could quite get to the point where I could consistently beat the online HoldEm competition. I am always looking for The Edge. I asked myself, "How can I track opponent stats and give myself a statistical advantage over the other poker players? What poker information could I have to help me win more pots?

These questions gave me the idea to develop a program to track preflop poker stats and betting tendencies of my HoldEm opponents. I now have a poker statistics database consisting of the names of thousands of online money poker players. The poker program gives me the ability to easily add new poker players, track their HoldEm preflop stats, save my opponents poker statistics by name, and recall these poker stats the next time I sit down with them. There is a good chance when you sit down at a Hold'Em poker table with me, I already know what starting combinations you will play and perhaps even how you bet.

The results? I win an additional .5 times per hour and I lose 1.1 pots per hour less than in my pre-Edge days. The statistical advantage I now have in poker tournament play is tremendous. I consistently make it further than ever before. Maybe most importantly, I can spot a sucker from a mile away.

This is not an endorsement or a review of this software. However, if you have trouble keeping up with what the other players are doing, how often they fold, etc., then you might find it useful.

Its our goal here to find poker tools and software for you to try out and to offer tips that might help you play better poker. If you do try this software out, we'd appreciate you coming back here and commenting on it to let us know how it works.

For more info you can go here.

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The Sly Player

2006-06-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

There are of course hundreds of strategies you can use while playing Texas Holdem and other poker games, but lets talk about one I like to use regularly.

Sometimes, especially with online poker when I am playing with a group of aggressive poker players, I like to play in a way that makes it very difficult for them to read me.

It costs a little to play the way I am going to discuss, because you will pass up some good raise opportunities, but in the long run it will pay off.

Playing passive is what I am talking about. Never raising, only checking, calling or folding. This is a game that takes patience and one that relies on your opponent's mistakes. Impatient players make mistakes eventually, even if they are very good poker players.

By never raising, they are never sure when you have the really good hand. As I said before, you will lose money when you check or call while holding the winning hand because they will not take the bait and will call or check with you.

But there will be the times when they will see you call or check and they will bet big because they think they have the winning hand. Once you have checked and they bet or raise you, you can now feel free to raise them back if you are sure you have the winning hand.

The bigger wins will offset what you did not win by not raising the times you could have. Its like being the house. Let your opponents make the bets. You stay when you have a good chance of winning and fold when you don't.

Again, there are many ways to play poker, but I have won a lot of money being the passive player when I am playing with an aggressive group of poker players.

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Have You Seen Any of These Poker Players?

2006-06-29T14:39:00.000-07:00

By Chris McElroy

Different types of players frequent online poker websites. here are a few you might recognize.

The Money Guy: He has very little money, but his only persona has millions to hear him tell it. He may even have *Ferrari* somewhere in his nickname.

The Karate Kid: This is the kid that comes on after school or after his parents are in bed and threatens to kick everyone's butt, telling them he knows kung fu, karate, judo, and 5 other Japanese words.

Doc FoldAllDay: This is the guy in the play money poker room who acts as if everyone should be entirely serious about every single hand as if their life depended on it. He folds then tells you how you should have played your winning hand.

Mild Bill Hickup: This is the guy that can give you 25 reasons why he is not doing very well at the tables tonight. Including but not limited to the following; The staff here at (Online poker website) gave me a call and said their software was not randomizing properly tonight but they are working on it. I'm drunk and don't care tonight. I'm just here waiting for the money game I will be playing later. I am experimenting here where it doesn't matter so when I play in that million-dollar tournament later I can try some new things. I only come to the play money room to relax between real money games where I have won more than $50,000 this month.

My Favorite Martian: The only reason he is ever losing is because, YOU ARE ALL USING SCANNING SOFTWARE TO READ MY HAND! He also wears a tinfoil hat.

Romeo: Doesn't care about the poker game at all. He just keeps asking all the female players for their "stats".

Juliet: always spends thirty minutes looking for the game where she can be representing by the best endowed avatar so the guys will all pay attention to her. Poker is just a side thing they put in the chat room.

Paris Hilton: Just can't understand why everyone is so concerned with winning and still isn't sure why she didn't win that last hand. Why her pair did not beat that flush thing. Ewww, Who wants a flush anyway?

The Libber: Doesn't talk to anyone, just here to prove she can beat a man at a man's game dammit!

Rain Man: Has his poker calculator software out and running to calculate the odds of him winning each hand so it takes until he is almost out of time every time it is his turn to make a decision.

Lotto Suit Larry or Lisa: This is the guy or gal that bets the limit every single hand until they win one then become afraid to bet the rest of the entire night so they can hold on to their winnings.

These are just a few of the characters you will play poker with at an online poker room. That is why it is so much fun. The diversity is amazing. No two rooms are the same.

Did you recognize any of these players? Can you think of a few more?

Chris McElroy made a living playing pool and poker for years and still enjoys a game now and then. For more information about online poker visit http://www.starthereforpoker.com or http://pokertipsandtools.blogspot.com

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Why Online Poker Websites Are A Safe Way To Play Poker

2006-06-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

by: Jeff Dragt

Frequently, whenever anybody thinks about the idea of making a purchase online or transmitting their credit card information via the internet, they may tend to wonder about the safety aspect surrounding these types of internet transactions.

The same kind of worry rings true for those individuals that are interested in entertaining themselves by utilizing online poker websites as a gaming establishment alternative. They may tend to ask themselves whether or not this is a safe thing to be doing or if they may be jeopardizing things such as their bank account and overall financial safety by doing so.

Another way in which a prospective online poker player may question safety and legitimacy aspects of an online poker website is with regard to collusion among some of its online poker players. However, it may help you to rest a bit easier after reading the following text and learning about the different ways in which safety concerns are being addressed with regard to gaming websites such as online poker websites.

The best way for an individual to utilize the internet in order to exchange money on the web is to use something referred to by some individuals and organizations as a “digital wallet”. This type of safeguarding mechanism works in a way in which an established, forthright company, which we will refer to as the payment systems company for the remainder of this article, is the medium between the online poker player and the online poker website. The online poker player will submit his or her credit card information via the internet to the payment systems company and the payment systems company will then pay the online poker website.

It is important to note the fact that the online poker player’s financial information will never be seen by the online poker website and will only be seen by the established and valid payment systems company.

Once the poker player wins, the online poker website will pay the online poker player through the payment systems company and the poker player will then be able to gain access to the money by way of an electronic funds transfer from the payment systems company to the poker player’s bank account that is provided or via a check.

If the online poker player loses in the various online poker games, then the money will be transmitted from the online poker player’s credit card to the online poker website company by the payment systems company.

This type of system ensures that the poker player’s financial information is not being unnecessarily distributed to various companies and websites. It will allow the poker player to have peace of mind, knowing that his or her financial information is safe from outside prying eyes.

Also, oftentimes these payment systems companies will have free protection established for the individual utilizing their services should their information get into the wrong hands. In the slim chance that this might occur, the payment systems company would refund all money to the individual harmed by the financial hijacking. This also allows the individual online poker player to feel more relaxed when dealing with an online poker website.

Another fear that individuals have with regard to playing poker games via an online poker website is that collusion may be present among other players. By definition, collusion is a secret agreement between two or more persons to commit a fraudulent act. This type of thing may occur if two poker players utilizing the same online poker website are working together to defraud other players out of their winnings.

They may try to do this by working together and communicating by telephone or maybe even by using a network and playing poker on the same website in the same house. There is a specific way in which online poker websites address this issue.

The way in which online poker websites address this issue is by having a system where they can monitor all hands that are being played each time by individual players throughout the online poker games.

Should the online poker website investigate and feel that there is some sort of collusion going on, they will take matters into their own hands to resolve the situation.

It is good to know that most online poker players are aware of the fact that online poker websites monitor all activity occurring within each game and this in and of itself may help to prevent any potential thoughts of collusion on the part of the online poker players.

It is also beneficial to know that online poker websites are doing their part to prevent any possible collusion among online poker players as it hurts their business greatly should people be colluding to defraud other players and the company itself out of any potential winnings.

Prospective online poker players may also be fearful of playing online poker if they feel that other individuals will be able to hack into the system and see other players hands throughout the games and then base their wagers and folds on what they can see is being held by other poker playing individuals at their virtual table.

The online poker websites have also addressed these types of issues by engaging various brands of software that use encryption methods to prevent any type of hacking on the part of poker players.

Again, by protecting the large influx of online poker players that utilize their website to engage in online poker games, the online poker website is protecting itself as well. If their company is seen as having a less than desirable website in which to play poker, they will lose a lot of potential online poker players which will ultimately put them out of business in a quick manner.

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

About the Author: Jeff Dragt has been working for a variety of online poker rooms for years. For more information about poker please visit. http://www.highlimitplayers.com

Article Source: www.iSnare.com

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The Basics - Poker Hand Ranking

2006-06-27T11:57:00.000-07:00

For those that do not know the basics, here are the ways the hands and cards are ranked in poker.

Number of cards in the deck: 52.

Number of suits: 4 (Hearts, Spades, Diamonds, Clubs)

Number of cards in each suit: 13 (In order of rank; Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2)

Number of cards in a poker hand: 5 (even in games where you are dealt more than 5 cards, only 5 cards count as your poker hand.)

Rank of poker hands from highest to lowest:

1. Royal Flush; (ace, king, queen, jack, ten, all the same suit.)

2. Straight Flush; (5 cards in sequence of the same suit. see "straight" below for explanation of in sequence) (The lowest ranking straight flush is the wheel-flush, ace, 2, 3, 4, 5. 5 is considered the top card, not the ace.) (if two players have a straight flush, the one with the higher top card wins.)

3. Four of a kind; 4 Kings, Queens or other cards. (Of course the higher ranked 4 of a kind wins, such as 4 kings beats 4 queens)

4. Full House; This consists of 3 of a kind, (see below) and a pair all in one hand. (example; you have 3 fours and 2 kings. That would be fours over kings, while having 3 kings and 2 fours would be kings over fours.) (If 2 players each have a full house, the better three-of-a-kind part of the hand wins. example; you have 3 eights and two aces, your opponent has 3 nines and 2 twos. Your opponent wins. Their nines beat your eights.)

5. Flush; 5 cards of any rank, but all the same suit. (If 2 players each have a flush, the flush with the highest top card wins, if that is a tie, then whoever has the highest second card wins, if that is a tie, you compare the third, fourth, fifth card, etc.)

6. Straight; 5 cards in sequence. (example; 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 is a 7-high straight. If you opponent has 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, they have an 8-high straight and they win.)

7. Three of a Kind; (Trips) 3 cards of the same rank. (example; 3 sevens, 3 eights, 3 kings. if 2 players have 3-of-a-kind, the highest ranking cards wins the hand)

8. Two Pairs; A Pair is 2 cards of the same rank. 2 pair means you have 2 sets of 2 cards of the same rank. (If 2 players each have 2 pair, the player with the highest top pair wins. Kings and twos would beat queens and jacks.)

9. Pair; 2 cards of equal rank. (If 2 players each have a pair, the highest ranking pair wins. If 2 players each have the exact same pair, then out of the 3 remaining cards in your hand the highest card is your "kicker". The highest kicker wins. If still tied, you go to the next highest kicker, etc.)

10. High Card; Where no one has a pair or above, you compare hands like this. The highest card in your hand vs the highest card in opponents hands. If that is a tie, then you compare the next highest card, then the next if still tied and so on. (King, Queen, 10, 6, 2, would beat King, Queen, 10, 5, 4. It would have been a tie until the fourth card compared and the first hand has a 6 to their opponent's 5.)

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Online Poker games for safety NOT fun

2006-06-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

By: Randy Hutchings

Online Poker and free Online Poker had been one of the Internet's hottest games since 2001. There has been some great sterotype advise when ask about "what is important when you decide to play online poker".

Choosing an Online Poker room should not be taken likely and when you've made your choice do not move around. Here's three basic answer I receive from people I ask about:
"What is important about picking an Online Poker site".

Basicly I recieve several answers but what was in common with most people was these three opinion about the security of their Online Poker rooms.

1. If you play online poker game make sure that random number generators are used to ensure total game integrity.

3. Play Online Poker only if 128-bit SSL technology is used to secure and protect the privacy of the players. You do not want to get ripped off from these fly by night websites that spring up just to grab your money and gone the next day.

3. Make sure that they provide statistical analysis tools combine with expert vigilance to provide the most effective shield against player collusion.

I do feel that these response are all legitimate concerns when you choose to play Online Poker but there is much needed light to be shine on the over all picture of Online Poker that should be associated with your choice in choosing a poker site.

First of all , choose an established and trusted Online Poker site. This is the most important step in ensuring a safe and worry-free Online Poker experience. Potential players should consider things like site encryption, anti-collusion measures, shuffling-integrity and deposit information when trying to select a Online Poker site. Players should approach all Online Poker sites and rooms with a fair amount of skepticism.

Now when you feel you have established these measures it is important to find out whether the credit-card information is held on the same or separate secured-server from the game client. Most reputable Online Poker sites would make mention of their security systems and should have a comprehensive privacy policy to ensure that your information is not sold or used in any other way. If you are uncertain about this on any particular site use another form of payment other then your Credit Card. I found out that most reputable online poker sites have various other ways to fund your Online Poker account.

So much for the the basic security concerns but when they have been relieved there are a few additional security precautions for Online Poker players as well. One of the most important one is government regulation.

Several sites are regulated by foreign governments such as Kahnawake (a native reservation in Canada), however, to be honest regulation is not entirely required. The most important benefit that regulation may provide is for some peace of mind when playing Online Poker, therefore remember that other sites without regulation can be equally trustworthy.

Certain jurisdictions that provide regulation offer little more than a professional looking logo in terms of actual security that's why I'm sharing with you that you should not rely solely on some form of government regulation to decide on a site.

Another possible online security issue is with dealing the cards (shuffling algorithm) that the Online Poker sites use to deal the cards. Pretty much all sites can be trusted to have a reputable algorithm so long as they display signs of integrity.

Furthermore, I found out the some of the best Online Poker sites have their algorithm reviewed by 3rd party auditors. Why is done? These sites want to ensures you the player that the shuffling is as fair and random as possible, and therefore, creating the most real-life poker game possible.

The best and secure Online Poker Sites makes it very well known about their ability to override collusion. They are very informative also about their ability to keep a backup of all played poker games and each player should be able to review his/her own hands at any time.

This ensures that if there is a disagreement over a specific game the administration can review it for errors and make corrections as needed. There is adequate technology available to prevent colluders online so any good secure Online Poker room should have it in place.

Good secure Online Poker sites provide software with built-in detectors to ensure that players are not winning under questionable circumstances, but there should be a staff member manually checking out player complaints.

Also, one should always play at a site that has enough dealers and support staff to ensure that any challenge can be taken care of immediately. Even a highly reputable site is bound to have challenges and there is nothing worse than having to wait around for managment when you want to get your poker game on.

Good secure poker sites provide statistics on everything that happens at an Online Poker table and the site has the instincts to monitors things that seem out of the ordinary.

For example, players that play at the same table all the time or are involved in an unusually high number of the same hands together, will not get away with that for long. The only place where I think collusion could be somewhat of a possibility is in a limit game because you can't distort the odds. But because of suspicions other players have and the ability of the site to look into statistical aberrations it makes it very hard to collude.

There are several Online Poker rooms that have been in business since 2001. Anyone of these long-standing Online Poker rooms I believe should be safe, though if you have any doubts of its validity you’re probably better off trying another online poker room. There are so many Online Poker rooms that are reputable and secure that there is no reason to play elsewhere.

If you think a bonus or an offer seems too good to be true you should do a search on that site, and furthermore, if there is extreme negative feedback on the site you should avoid it. Please keep in mind that all sites will have some negative feedback so just make sure all the above mentioned Online Poker Security measures have been met.

In conclusion, most sites especially those around since 2001 have advanced encryption algorithms that make it almost impossible to hack. Think about it, do you honestly think the Online Poker market would be booming like it is if there were on-going security issues?

Article Source: http://www.articlecrash.com

Randy G. Hutchings is an Online Marketer that been given reviews and written many articles about Online Scams in Homebase Business and Online Casino's. Online Poker News and Reviews

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No Deposit Bonuses

2006-06-24T15:13:00.000-07:00

No Deposit Bonuses are cash promotions that are given to players that sign up to a poker website. These bonuses do not require any type of initial money deposit by the player.

In order to entice players to a poker website, the website is willing to give free money to the player just to sign up as one of their members.

These are one of the most highly desirable types of bonuses for players starting out because they require no obligation from the player to deposit money. The amount of cash that is given to the player varies among websites.

Click here to see a list of poker websites that offer no deposit bonuses

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The Trap and Poker Psychology

2006-06-23T09:19:00.000-07:00

By Chris McElroy

Everyone who plays poker has heard of "having a poker face" or being trapped. Having a poker face is more than just the look on your face, it's all of your body language and actions combined.

A good poker player is an observant poker player. You have to learn to associate your opponents facial expressions, body language, speech, and even the bet amounts with what they eventually are revealed to have been holding in their hand.

Facial Expressions: With online poker, you of course cannot use this. But in a real poker game you can. Start with the eyes. When they call or raise a hand, do they look down, to the right, to the left, at an object in the room? Then what did they have when they did that?

Do they smile? Grind their teeth? Immediately take a sip of their drink after or before the bet? Look for these things each time they call or raise.

Body Language: Do they play with their poker chips under certain circumstances? Lean back or forward? Look for things they do with their body and then what kind of hand they had each time they do that action.

Betting Amounts: Some poker players don't realize they have a pattern at all or they figure no one will figure out the "code" they use for themselves. Watch how much they bet, then what type of hand they had and see if you can associate a particular hand strength with a specific range of bet or even a specific raise amount.

If you find a pattern where your opponent always does a specific action in relation to having a good hand or bluffing, you have their number and can beat them at poker easily . . . or can you?

The Trap: You can establish a pattern that will be picked up by the other players. Let it cause you to lose a little money here and there. Let your poker opponents think they have your number by doing specific actions associated with different hand strengths.

Don't let it cost you too much money and watch for the signs they are taking the bait and are using your patterns to beat you.

Then you can spring the trap. Wait until you get a really good hand, a sure winner and do the actions you had been doing when bluffing or when you had a lower strength hand.

Your poker opponents will think they have you and bet the limit. You'll win what you lost and a lot more.

Playing poker is a lot more than just knowing how to bet the cards in your hand. There is a lot of psychology involved, mind games, if you really want to play with the best.

Chris McElroy made a living playing pool and poker for years and still enjoys a game now and then. For more information about online poker visit http://www.starthereforpoker.com or http://pokertipsandtools.blogspot.com

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Play Money Poker VS Real Money Poker

2006-06-22T16:06:00.000-07:00

By Chris McElroy

In this article on poker, I’m going to talk about people who enjoy playing poker at online poker websites, but who like to play for play money and some of the reasons they want to do so.

I play a lot of online poker. I play for real money, but also play poker for play money at a few different online poker websites. Playing Texas Holdem Poker is fun regardless of the money on the line or lack of it.

Whenever you go into any of the poker rooms, there are always people there who believe they are the best poker players since Wild Bill Hickok. But that is actually part of the fun of playing poker. The guy with the most poker chips, whether real or play, gets the bragging rights, no matter how lucky they may have gotten.

But in some of the play money poker rooms online you hear people say, "Well if you are such a good poker player, why don't you play for real money?"

There are a lot of reasons for someone to play poker for play money. Here are some of them.

1. Practice makes perfect - It gives you a chance to explore strategies and experiment with them that you would never gamble real money on until you see how well they work. Believe it or not, there is some extremely good poker players in some of the play money rooms.

2. Non-Gamblers - Maybe the person loves to play poker but just doesn't gamble. You can enjoy poker without gambling real money.

3. Learning - Playing poker for play money is a great way to learn how to play. Just like in practice makes perfect I mentioned above, some people are not advanced enough at poker to even have a strategy yet. Everyone has to start somewhere.

4. Some people play online poker to relax after a hard day at work or with the kids. They like the ability to chat to other players and treat online poker as a chatroom with the ability to play poker while they chat instead of a poker room where they can also chat.

5. Financial Reasons - It is never smart to "gamble the rent", an old gambler's advice goes. And its true. Maybe the person you are playing would be playing for real money if their circumstances were a little different.

The point to all of this? Give people a break. If you go into a play money room at an online poker website, do not assume that because someone is playing in a play money poker room that they are not a good poker player.

Be polite and make friends. You'll find the play money poker game is a lot more fun with everyone chatting and joking around than being too competitive or insulting.

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Poker Tips and Tools

2006-06-20T14:43:00.000-07:00

This will be our new blog. We will be bringing you poker tips, tools, and information about the best places to play poker on the web. Bookmark us and check back for daily information!

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