Archive for March, 2010

H.O.R.S.E gives us perspective

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Early on in my development as a poker player I was pretty much like everyone else. The game was new to me and I was still learning about what would and would not work for me based on my style as a poker player. The game was no limit Texas Hold’em. Yes, it does take a lifetime to master but you can still make a nice profit along the way. Eventually my game grew enough for me to compete and win both live and online poker tournaments. The rest is kinda history from there. However, along the way I noticed that there were other poker games that allowed me to improve my hold’em game by providing a different perspective.


Omaha Hi/Lo
Omaha Hi/Lo has been around for some time and used to be popular primarily on the West Coast and Europe. Now, with the internet, the game is one of the most popular forms of poker and is played in just about every card room around. Omaha is also played in tournament format as well. The cash game action is also very good in Omaha as well. I think of all the forms of poker available to play Omaha probably has the weakest group of players because people are still trying to catch up to the game and it’s variations. There are more misreads and bad plays in Omaha because it requires quite a bit of thought and analysis to understand the game thoroughly. Those that put the time in will reap the yhas to change in order to take advantage of as well as avoid that fact.


RAZZ
Razz took me a while to understand too. The most common mistake made in Razz is misreading hands. In Razz you must read your hand from back to front which is contrary to the other forms of poker and not very natural to those that have never played the game. The most common form of Razz is 2-7 Lowball. The bottom line is that you are attempting to make the worst hand possible. No pairs, flushes, straights or anything of that nature.


7 Card Stud
Stud is a more popular game on the East Coast than anywhere else. The game is pretty much dead tournament wise but still a great game to play and can still be found in poker rooms spread as a cash game. Many of us grew up on some variant of stud playing five card draw or whatever the game of choice was at the time. Stud requires an understanding of your opponent more so than your own hand as your ability to put them on a hand is extremely important. Stud has several variations from Limit to Pot Limit and the like. It is an easy game to learn as there are no community cards as in no limit Hold’em but you do get 2 hole cards and 1 door card which is dealt face up.


Stud 8 OB
Stud eight or better is a variation of the same 7 cards stud game. As with any split pot game it can be a little frustrating to win a pot and then realize that you are only going to see half of it. However, a good 8OB player understands this as the nature of the game and is prepared to continue grinding it out towards the goal at hand. You will rarely see this form of poker in tournament format but it does happen from time to time. Again, stud is more of a East Coast game. So don’t expect it to be spread in your local card room if you are not in that area.


The Benefits
We just talked about all of the games aside from Hold’em that poker players play on a regular basis. The idea in presenting these games and urging that you learn them is to make you a well rounded poker player. By becoming a well rounded player you open your mind to new possibilities and thinking. That in turn allows you to be even more creative as your continue growing as a No Limit player. As much as we all enjoy the thrill of playing No Limit we can improve our game considerably by learning other forms of poker and thus different ways of thinking through a hand or scenario that No Limit does not present. So don’t be afraid to jump in and give another game a shot. It is well worth your time and effort to do so.

Online poker – a global pastime

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

From all over the world, approximately millions of people play poker on the internet. On the web, live poker games played for real money live against real people is provided by many internet poker rooms. Here, people make use of internet payment techniques to place their bets and to buy chips for playing. The players that are playing at the tables are graphically represented and the rooms provide the people to play for stakes ranging between as large as $100/$200 limits to minute stakes for e.g. 40.01/$0.02 limits.

Poker 24/7
With the help of online poker, players now don’t have to leave the coziness and comfort of their houses and they are provided with the freedom to play anytime of the night or day. Online poker strategy can be learnt anytime and throughout the year by people who want to increase their skills of the game as the web offers means to learn and practice. In any available poker site, at any given moment there are many different online games and dozens of tournaments going on. Online poker players are provided with the advantages of information and many features such as analyzing a table’s stats, being able to color code the players and to look at average pot.

Live vs Online Poker
The difference that is easily noticeable between new system and the old one is that the players are not sitting in front of each other and the skills to watch and judge the other player’s body language, non-verbal hints and reactions. In the online poker game, these things have been changed to having the ability to judge, watch and analyze the speeds at which other players bet. As it is with live poker, the concept and ability to judge other player’s habits and style as any moves and actions performed by you opponents could provide you with more knowledge on what sort of cards they are holding and their playing strategy. This thing is important as you can recognize their tells without having to sit across them. Also, there is no delay in the online play as the shuffles and dealings are instantaneous. The rate of play is very fast in addition to not waiting for card dealings.

Online Poker: Here to stay
Nowadays, most internet poker websites offer single and multi-table tournaments with very large profits. Also, many large websites offer their most loyal people the ability to set up private tournaments in which they can invite only those players they want to and set up their own online tournament. Many people still prefer live games in the local areas or casinos but the internet industry has also registered a large jump in the number of internet poker players in a span of last few years. These poker tournaments and games now witness approximately millions of people from all round the globe participating, socializing, interacting and playing with each other. It can be said that the new side of the internet poker that we are seeing is preferred more and is here to stay and dominate.

10 Tips to online poker

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

10 Tips to Play Winning Online Poker

If you want to win at online poker, you need to play the right game with the right moves. Go for these 10 basic tips to edge out your opponent.

Watch Your Pocket: Online players should always be in the administration of money and not jeopardize what they have. You need to provide your bank in the various meetings and when you lose a call from the day of rest.

Sensible Betting: Online poker is very interesting. However, if you do not make sense to bet, it will cost enormous liquidity. A good tip is to bet that you are always very cautious and avoid pumping money plans.

Game with the strategies: Strategically, you play in reducing the local board. With specific strategies you will be able to constantly. Therefore, it is always advisable to plan and use them for maximum results from The Game.

End If On Top: If you win, leave and do not try to play in this session. Any thoughts that you, like “I am a woman who has the good fortune” or “Today is my day” is totally absurd. All courses are geared for the casino and your profits can quit at any time.

Specialize in special categories: Suppose you have little problems, and then you need the mix of games. However, you need a specialization in a certain format, if your bets are higher. The addition of knowledge about the game helps you to realize that the bet you more chances to win.

Search by Subject: Suppose you as a poker better than most, and then you should have a little time to examine the nuances of The Game. You can use books, online articles, Web pages, and always try to learn from our mistakes. Try to become a champion in your game and prevent it for all occupations.

Consider the value: Most casino players have a misconception that prices offers better ways to value in a game. It cannot do that. However, exploiting the potential of the prices as well as your chances of winning.

Be on your game: Online casinos open 24 / 7, and that you become a full access to the meetings longer. This can be tired and exhausted, so that you begin by wrong decisions. Then you should avoid the longer play session.

Go For Free Money: Online poker sites offer Bar bonus for opening new accounts with them. So, you should not miss this opportunity.

Play smaller tournaments first: The reasons for this are many, but mainly to gain confidence at the lower levels if you are able to dominate them. Playing in these small buy-in tournaments, one can receive a ton of experience for just a little bit of cash, with incentive to win some pretty decent prizes if you make it to the end.

Full Tilt Poker

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

Full Tilt Poker Room Review
One of the largest and top online poker sites is Full Tilt Poker. It houses Gus Hansen, Mike Matusow, Jennifer Harman, Howard Lederer, Andy Bloch, Phil Ivey, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson and Erik Seidel which are few of the biggest poker players who also provide poker tips in addition to playing. A lot of play at all limits with a lot of variance is provided by this website. It has Seven-card Stud, Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and H.O.R.S.E. And many more games that one can play. You can also find mixed games such as H.A. (Texas Hold’em, Omaha), O.E. (Omaha Hi/Lo, Seven-card Stud Hi/Lo), H.O.S.E. (Texas Hold’em, Omaha Hi/Lo, Seven-card Stud, and Seven-card Stud Hi/Lo) and H.O. (Texas Hold’em, Omaha Hi/Lo). There are also Re-Buy tournaments where if one even goes totally broke at a table and your stack falls, they can rebuy into the tournament.

Tournaments
The new Double Stack Tournament can be tried where more play with the tourney dollar is provided. In this you start with 3,000 chips in comparison to 1500 chips provided by others. If one doesn’t want to lose all chips in single hand and also enjoys Pot-Limit or No-Limit games then this website’s cap games would be enjoyed a lot by them. Here, the hands are played until the cap is reached and then all players that are left are considered all-in.

Rewards and bonus
Full Tilt Points provided by Full Tilt Poker are industry’s best points reward system. This website offers you up to 3 points per hand, fractional points and for every dollar raked a point is provided. So more can be earned by playing more. Points can be earned in Sit and Go’s and tournaments (with no limit to the points earned here). Points can be used in website’s store where they can be redeemed for goodies like shirts, jerseys, hats etc. plus you get entries to special tourneys through these points.

Safe and secure
128-bit SSL encryption encrypts valuable data, with employees only provided information on the data (otherwise office restricted) for doing specific works like customer service representative or billing clerks. Instant eChecks, Mastercard, Visa, Click2Pay, checks and cash transfers are some of the available Withdrawal/Deposit options. The employees keep privacy and security practices are kept up-to-date. E-mails are many times immediately answered to and quality and time of support responses are excellent. These measures are taken so user can be carefree about the security.

User-friendly software
The software is user-friendly, stable and easily navigable with also having excellent graphics. Players have the option to represent themselves with private personalized avatars and can seat themselves at any seat or table they would like to. Table and deck views are change-able and enjoyable chat options such as filtering chat from associate players, friends or dealer announcements are provided. Up to 9 players can seat at a table and tables are resizable so one can play at the same time at two or more tables. Ranked by many as the topmost online Poker Site it would provide you with a lot of fun, frolic and cash.

Room with a view

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

Picking the right poker room for you

Finding a poker room to play at is easy. Finding the RIGHT poker room for you will take some time.

Each online poker room has its own personality, theme, games, rules, tournaments, and the list goes on. You will need to try on several before you find a place that will hopefully become an enjoyable place for you to play on a regular basis. Download as many poker rooms as you can and try them out. All offer free play options so you can see how the game flow goes and how the mechanics works.

Is the Poker Room user–friendly:
If you are uncomfortable, move on to the next one. You can watch live games as they happen. Go to a few different tables and game types and watch the play. Is it too fast for your playing style? Too slow? Are the games filled with people who are ‘calling stations’ or is it a tight conservative game.
People will seek out rooms that fit their style so you can usually tell what kind of game play you can expect by the players that have decided to call each place their home before you.

Select a popular Poker Room:
Look for the rooms that offer the deposit methods you are comfortable with. Choose the most popular Poker room which offers a fast and convenient way to deposit money into your account.

Check for a Bonus:
Find a good bonus to start with and read the TERMS AND CONDITIONS. All sites offer a bonus and all have different rules that affect how you have to play it and what you need to do to cash it out.

Get Paid:
Some sites hire ‘props’, players that get paid to fill in the tables when it’s slow or to keep a table and game going. You can get paid to play in various ways. Some return a % of the rake; some will pay you on an hourly basis depending on the time of day played, the table stakes you play, etc.
If this is something you are interested in make sure to check it out. Most require at least 10 hours of play a week so if you have the time and love to play this is a pretty sweet deal. You will have to front your own bankroll of course but if you can hold your own in a game, you can get a better edge this way.

Poker is supposed to be fun so make sure you take the time to find a poker room that suits you and you will have a more enjoyable time at the tables.

Choosing a poker room

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

What to look for in a poker room
There is a wide array of online poker rooms out on the net and they all have something special to offer. With all these choices it doesn’t come as a surprise that choosing the right room can be a tedious task. The most important thing to take into consideration when choosing a poker room is identifying whether it suits you.

Just because it’s well-known does not mean that you will necessarily like the room. So, what should you look for in a trusted online poker room? Here are some tips we have put together for you to consider when choosing a poker room.

Bonuses:
Just about every single poker room provides some kind of bonus for signing up with them. This is really the least important aspect you should fret about when choosing an online poker room. Bonuses are not at all as remarkable as what the networks make them out to be.
Yes, they are giving you free money, but you wouldn’t buy an unreliable car because they are giving you 10% off, would you? You want to go for a room that is trustworthy and that works well for you!

Software:
The best tip is, to pick a poker network that you think you prefer and test it out by playing with play money. It is very important that the software works well for you and that you are comfortable playing on the software. Once you have experienced the poker room, you should then have a better idea whether the software is for you or not.
Also check to see whether your preferred payment options are available on that network. If not you, wouldn’t want to be depositing money there. There’s no point depositing money if you can’t withdraw it!

Room Reputation:
Once you have found a poker room that offers the features you are require, you’ll then need to do research regarding that poker room’s reputation. If you browse over to our reviews page, you can read the reviews of a handful of trusted poker rooms that we found to be the best.

Traffic:
One very important factor to consider is the amount of traffic that a specific poker room receives. If you are going to play in a poker room, you definitely want traffic. You wouldn’t want to be playing against the same players over and over again.

Your gaming technique won’t be as effective after a while and you will have problems trying to get into the game of your choice. Generally the more traffic in a room, the better! Once again, this all depends on your playing preferences.