Archive for the Online Poker category.
April 19, 2010
If you are a beginner or novice player, the following tips should help you get the best out of the game of poker.
Tip 1: Be patient, it can pay off handsomely. Don’t rush in – think about what you are doing.
Tip 2: Play aggressively. If you are dealt a strong hand, try to eliminate who you think are your weakest opponents. If you want to win – play to win.
Tip 3: Table image. This is important as you need to build a reputation as someone who continually plays good hands. This can help when you need to bluff and weaker opponents will think twice about trying to take you on.
Tip 4: Study your opponents. Who is playing aggressively or tightly?
Tip 5: Choose your games carefully. Don’t, for instance, play in a game where you know you could lose more than you can afford. Similarly, don’t choose poker games where you know that you will have little chance of winning.
Tip 6: Keep track of winnings and losses.
Tip7: Don’t let emotions rule the play. Quit before they do.
Tip 8: Be aware of every player’s chip count. It is better to play against someone with fewer chips than you.
Tip 9: Don’t play every time you have an Ace in your hand. Play it if accompanied by another card of the same suit or higher.
Tip 10: If your cards don’t match the community cards, throw them away if someone bets and wait for a better hand in a different round.
April 09, 2010
Like betting, bluffing is a primary feature of poker.
Bluffing is used to put your opponent off guard. For example, you might try and pretend you have a much better hand than you really have. One way of doing this is to place a bet which is higher than what the hand really deserves. This will force your opponents to make a decision as to whether they believe you or think you are telling lies.
Poker players can use a variety of bluffs to gain advantage over other players. For instance, a pure bluff or stone cold bluff is one where the card holder places a bet or makes a raise knowing that their hand has little chance of improving. Deciding to pure bluff will depend on the pot odds, which is the ratio between the size of the money in the pot and the the size of the bet.
A pure bluff can have a positive outcome if the bluffer believes he has a better than 50% chance of an opponent not calling his bluff.
Another type of poker bluff used is the semi bluff. This is used by players in multiple betting rounds who think they might have a better or improving hand in the next round of a game.
A player who wins the pot by semi bluffing can do so in two ways. First, by drawing a new card which gives the player a better hand and second by all the other players folding if they believe they can’t win.
March 31, 2010
Depending on the rules you are using at the time, there are different types of limits that can be placed on bets during an online poker game. Perhaps the easiest to understand is the no limit approach.
As the name implies there are no limits on how much money you can bet. No limit games usually involve playing for very high stakes as there are no restrictions on how much any opening bet can be or how much you can raise.
No limit games are generally played in major tournaments such as the World Series Poker Tournament, where thousands or even millions of pounds could be up for grabs.
For those with limited funds, the safest game to play is the fixed limit match where small fixed incremental amounts can only be called or raised up to a maximum.
A variation of the fixed limit game is a spread limit from say £1 – £10. In this type of game a maximum of £10 can be called or raised although the amount bet must be at least the same as the previous bet placed.
Another type of limit is the pot limit where the betting amount is the same as the amount in the pot.
Finally, a very common type of limit is the table stakes limit where players can only play with what they have on the table in front of them. If they run out of chips or money that’s the end of the game as far as the player is concerned.
March 18, 2010
One of the most basic strategic concepts in poker is table position.
In Texas Hold’em, the dealer button is the centre of the game’s action. The position of the dealer button determines who places the small blind, who places the big blind, and the order of play for everyone at the table.
Immediately to the left of the dealer is the small blind. This player starts the betting and is the first to act in every subsequent round prior to the flop. To the left of the small blind is the big blind. Once everyone at the table has either placed a bet or folded the hand, the big blind can raise the blind pre-flop if no other player has done so.
The player in the dealer position has a powerful advantage over his opponents. Because the dealer is always the last to act in any round of betting, he has the ability to see what every other player has done before making a decision. The dealer not only has the opportunity to read his opponents, but he also gets to make betting decisions before contributing any money to the pot. This is essentially the equivalent of knowing the price tomorrow of a stock you have purchased today.
In most Texas Hold’em poker games, the dealer chip rotates around the table after each hand. Whenever you find yourself in this advantageous position, be sure to use it wisely. Watch your opponents carefully, consider their betting action seriously, and use the information to play the hand in your favour.
March 09, 2010
While figuring the odds of winning a poker hand using outs is often reliable, there is another way to determine your chances of taking the pot. This method involves looking at the pot itself.
For example, assume the pot is £75. You hold pocket spades and there are two more spades on the table at the turn. You guess that your opponent is playing a straight, while you are hoping to hit the flush on the river to win. Your opponent bets £25. This raises the pot to £100; you must call the bet to stay in the game. In other words, you must pay £25 to get £100 – those are four to one odds. With your hand, you have about a 36 per cent chance of drawing another spade on the river or roughly two to one odds. So you are getting paid four to one on two to one odds. This looks good, but only if all betting in the round is completed and the river card is about to be revealed. Consider, for instance, how those odds would change if you are required to bet again.
Betting on pot odds can be complicated, but with practice it can help you become a more effective poker player. Always use pot odds in conjunction with another method of calculating your chances of winning the hand. Before you act on pot odds, be sure to play out as many possible scenarios as you can and only commit if you can justify the risk.
February 27, 2010
The following is a guide to some basic rules of etiquette for individuals playing poker in-person at a live table. These are not exactly hard and fast rules, but meant to maintain order in games and to achieve a level of respect between opponents.
1. Talking or Critiquing Other Players – In the UK, talking during the play of a hand is not permitted and some gaming establishments impose a penalty on players who breach this rule. Refrain from needling, critiquing, abusing, criticising, or giving lessons while play is going on.
2. Treating Employees Respectfully – Dealers are responsible for maintaining the fairness, integrity, and efficiency of each game of poker. Dealers do not have control over which cards come up during a hand, nor can they directly or purposefully impact any player’s wins and losses. Always treat dealers and other employees with courtesy and consideration.
3. Stalling Play – Deliberately slowing down play by taking an inappropriate amount of time to make an obvious move or by otherwise interfering with the pace of the game is disrespectful to everyone at the table.
4. Managing Table Space – Because poker is a community game, maintaining one’s area of the table is important to the overall flow of a hand. Players should confine personal belongings like drinks or ashtrays to the space immediately in front of them and keep chip piles orderly.
5. Verbally Clarifying Actions – It is good practice to verbally announce any action to avoid confusion. Communicate intended action to the dealer, who will then convey that information to the table at large.
February 19, 2010
The most commonly played strategy that authors recommend in the game of Texas Hold ‘em is known as the “tight-aggressive” approach to the game. Playing relatively few hands is the basis of the strategy and is referred to as playing “tight.” However, you bet and raise in “aggressive” fashion. Despite this strategy’s popularity and that it is the most commonly advised by poker experts, there are other strategies that you can learn about and employ.
There is a consensus amongst many poker authors that a player’s position at the gaming table (or where they are sitting) has a lot to do with the strategy employed by a Texas Hold ‘em player. In games where the no-limit rule is the norm, position is an essential element of that type of game. Typically, players who make moves earlier in the game have less information than those who react later in the game, hence the nature of the strategy and why this is such a popular one to use.
In a sense, it is almost like they are gathering the facts before making a move. Players usually participate in fewer hands earlier and play more hands later on in the game. Texas Hold ‘em has gained the attention of some academics because of the complexity of the game. In fact, a successful attempt has been made at developing a model of the game quantitatively based on a more complex and isolated system. However, the consequences of the optimal strategies have yet to be researched.
February 15, 2010
The following is a list of the four most critical mistakes that novice gamblers make when playing poker. There is much to learn before it can be pursued as a career if there is to be any hope of creating a good revenue stream:
Betting on or engaging yourself in too many hands – the desire to play poker can often supersede common sense when you are first starting out. It is recommended that you thoroughly educate yourself in the rules, strategies and variations of the game; play for fun initially.
Learning and employing “pot” odds – studying the frequency and odds of each of the hands in poker will help you to gamble more intelligently when you are first starting out. It is commonplace for the novice to often call bets because they do not fully understand this.
Letting your emotions control how you play the game – many beginning players tend to let their emotions control their game and influence their decisions. This is often referred to as “going on tilt” and should be avoided at all costs. If you feel that your emotions are getting the upper hand, you should probably fold a few of the ensuing hands and calm down. This could save you a lot of money.
Never let suited cards control your betting – despite the fact that having a suited hand may be a positive, don’t let this be a controlling factor. What you first need to consider is how the hands are ranked and whether or not any cards are paired in your hand. Then look at the possibility of connecting the cards or suiting them.
February 10, 2010
Gambling online has grown in popularity over the last decade. The hassle and problem of getting to a betting shop can easily be avoided by using a number of betting websites.
There are many advantages to online gambling. Many websites offer a complete package. A company such as Littlewoods Casino or 888 will offer a choice of all casino games like roulette and poker; while Ladbrokes will let you wager some money on football or racing.
As the online gambling industry has grown, so too has the responsibility of the people who control it. Many websites such as these now encourage responsible gambling and have a number of measures in place to protect customers.
They will allow a customer to set themselves limits within a game and they will ensure that a maximum amount of money can be paid into an account each day. This stops someone losing all of his or her money at one given time.
If a customer fancies a flutter on the horses or the dogs, then gambling online can often make a customer more money. Online gambling websites have links to odds comparison websites, which allow a customer to use the bookmaker that will potentially make them more money.
This is all at the click of a button. If someone is standing in the bookmaker’s shop then they will miss out on all of the benefits that online casinos have to offer. Gambling online could be considered the future, and sooner rather than later, many bookmakers will have online services with a shop as opposed to the other way around.
January 09, 2010
Trawling through the online gambling and casino websites can seem like a walk through Vegas itself, with their flashing logos, promotions and loud colours.
Intercasino has a relatively subdued interface, whereas those of Ladbrokes, 888 and Jackpot City hit you between the eyes. However, behind the billboards and glitzy presentations they all offer essentially the same online gambling facilities.
Once you’ve set up a user account and deposited a small sum of money into it games like Roulette and Blackjack can be played at various levels, depending on how much you want to stake. Downloads are required for the fullest experience, and you can gamble online with other players or go solo. Many sites such as Intercasino offer practice modes where real money is not used and no downloads are needed. For more experienced players and loyal customers, there are VIP lounges and Gold Clubs with special promotions and services, just as if you were in a real casino environment. For the less dedicated gambler, there are dozens of online slots which work just like fruit machines and take as little as one pence per spin.
A wide variety of casino games can also be played via your mobile phone; simply follow the instructions on the main online gambling sites. Online help is always available if you run into problems.
If you have an average home computer and broadband you’re well on the way to enjoying the world of online gambling, where pennies can be hazarded or small fortunes made and lost.