Tag: Poker Page 1 of 2

Betting On the Turn – Smooth Move or Bad Idea

Ah, the turn. If there’s one thing that poker players of all stripes seem to like, it’s the turn. That’s because a lot of action happens on the turn. You can have a bad flop and suddenly, that turn card — that one little card — can change a bad hand into a good one. Good hands win decent pots. You can even turn a good hand into a great hand with just the turn card — and if the river is also kind, you sail into a very nice pot that will make you a very happy player indeed.

Yet what do you do with the turn, anyway? That’s the million dollar question, as it were. If you don’t bet on the pre-flop or the flop, betting on the turn can change your image. Some people might assume that you’re an idiot and call you, even when you do have a good hand.

This is where you definitely want to make sure that you’re following good poker principles. You don’t want to rush in with just any hand. Leave the bluffing to the pros — until you’re really good at poker, we don’t think that bluffing is really the best strategy that you could employ for your own needs. It might be smarter to really think about doing something else — like betting.

If you have a good hand, you should bet. You don’t have to be afraid of someone else having a better hand. Imagine all of the possibilities and weigh them against the hand that you have, not the hand that you want. That’s another mistake — you can’t depend on the turn so hard that it’s your only hope of staying in the hand, but at the same time if you know that you’re on fire, you need to bet something to encourage others to put their chips in the pot too. The size of the pot is also something that plays a role in your blueprint, as it were. If nobody’s contributing to the pot, you might want to just hang back and punt, as the saying goes.

Thankfully, you have the benefit of playing a lot of hands before you have to develop your strategy. In fact, scratch that — your strategy should always be changing anyway. The last thing that you really want to do is find yourself not changing anything about your strategy. That’s just going to get you in trouble in the long run, if you ask us. It’s better to really just push forward and make sure that you have what you need rather than just going with your gut all the time.

We’re not going to lie to you and say that it’s never going to fail on you. You can bet hard on the turn and then get beaten by another player’s good luck — it’s really the nature of poker. You take your failures along with your victories and live to fight another day. Why not play a few hands today and keep these tips in mind? You’ll be glad you did!

Poker Without End – Only Online!

If you’re looking for a way to play poker all of the time, you might feel a little weird. Everyone has their hobbies, though. Some people like to take long walks through the woods. Other people find that a waste of time. Some people like to collect little models of cars or ships and put them together by hand. This is a process that takes a long time. So if your passion is playing poker, you’re in great company. In your current circle of friends, you might not find too many poker players. However, if you were to expand your search to the Internet, then you’d find a lot of poker players.

A lot of people like poker because it really is a challenge. There’s nothing that says that you can’t fly high, dig deep, and run quickly in poker. It’s just a matter of thinking ahead of time, using your poker skills to the fullest…in the right arena.

If you want to hunt for the best poker around, you are going to need help. Think about it — online poker has been around for about 10 years or better, which means that you have literally millions of sites devoted to poker. It feels like everyone’s talking about poker online. You don’t have all of the time in the world to search — that takes away from the time you have available to actually play. Surely, there’s a better way, right?

Absolutely! We found a site that lays out everything you could possibly want to know about poker. If you just click here, you’ll be taken right to the site.

If you’re new to poker, you might worry that you’re going to be eaten alive. Don’t worry about that at all. While there are some strong veterans, the truth is that it’s all in the cards. If you know that you’re going to get lucky at least some of the time, then you know you’re bound to win. A lot of the game of poker is also psychological. You might assume that nobody is going to give you the time of day…but you might be surprised. A lot of the online poker community really wants to help each other, because nobody really wants to play against weak players forever.

Sure, fish — as they are commonly called — can lead to some quick cash, but you really want to see how good you are by playing against tougher opponents. The thrill of victory is often sweeter when you have to fight for it, after all!

A Return to Bluffing – Without Losing Your Cool!

Bluffing is something that can be good or bad depending on the game at hand, but not knowing how to bluff is a grave error in the world of poker. Every time you sit down to play poker, you should assume that at least one person is trying to bluff you out. You won’t naturally know who that one person is, or if it’s even one person. You should assume that everyone can and will bluff you at one point or another.

Let’s learn how to join the bluffing crew without losing your cool, shall we?

First and foremost, you shouldn’t feel bad about bluffing. There’s a psychological element to it. Bluffing helps you keep your opponent on their toes and it also scrambles up their game some. When they don’t know what to expect from you, they can’t plan against you. If you want to win big money at poker, this is really one of the most important tactics that you can learn.

The key to getting started is to look at position. If you’re the last person to act, then you’re able to see what everyone else is going to do. You shouldn’t bluff when you’re the first person to act, because then you have no real idea what anyone else is doing. It’s better to try to keep your bluffing game to when you’re the last person to act.

If you’re not sure how you should bluff, you should start with aggression. People are less likely to challenge you when you push in hard, because they don’t want to lose anything. If you’re talking about newer players, this is even more true. If you don’t have anything solid and you know that, pushing when you have a nice big chip stack to fall back on can scare off more new players than anything else. On the other hand, if you know that you’re up against stronger players, you might want to make sure that you’re not bluffing too much.

How do you catch someone on the bluff? Well, you need to look at the number of potential outs they would have in relation to you. For example, if you have a strong hand, they could have a stronger hand in some cases — but if you really have a beast of a hand, it’s worth it to go ahead and push in. Going all in can even signal to the other person that you’re not someone to toy with. It just depends on the game at hand.

Remember that you don’t have to bluff all the time. In fact, bluffing gets overused way too much by players and it creates a weak game because you’re more worried about bluffing than your opponents and what they might have.

If you step back and focus on the mechanics of poker, you’ll find that bluffing is definitely a good tool. However you shouldn’t throw out the other facets of playing poker just to say that you were playing a bluff game. It can show signs of weakness if you tap the bluffing well too often. Don’t worry if you don’t do so hot the first couple of games — practice makes perfect, and that’s true for bluffing too!

Can Poker Be Considered Gambling?

The day following the Melbourne Cup, the biggest horse race in Australia, I began thinking about gambling and whether or not poker is considered to be a form of it.

Even though I travel to the event once every year, this horse race still stirs excitement. While I do enjoy myself, I am still stickler for keeping a close eye on my spending and I do not think it is necessary to regularly gamble on horse races. It is my belief that one has more control whenever they are in a position that will help them win big and when the outcome can be dictated. This is simply not the case when it comes to horse racing.

During the Melbourne Cup, I observed friends as well as strangers fork over their hard-earned dollars out of fun and on the chance that they would turn a profit. Although some of these people probably believed their bet was “a sure thing,” the fact is that this statement can never be spoken in true confidence.

For quite a few years, the shortest favorite of the race was So You Think; however, this horse never won despite the fact that people claimed it was the best horse since the days of Pharlap. Although the whole nation put its hopes on this horse, it just could not live up to the hype; it ended up coming in at a disappointing third place.

This brings me back to the thought of whether or not poker is an actual gambling game. I feel that poker as well as blackjack, craps and roulette are all forms of gambling. While some players insist that their card counting and strategies are top-notch, these games still hold a losing risk for all who play.

Of course, the ability to reduce the involved risks is dependent on the player’s experience, ability and knowledge. And the only way to lower the risk is by learning the ins and outs of the game. Even though luck is always a factor in poker, bluffing, reading players and knowing the opponent are all key elements that make poker not only a gambling game but also an art form or even a profession.

If a player studies up and learns what there is to know about this exciting game, poker will become less of a type of gambling. The option to gamble and the power to learn is all up to the individual player. Once the gambling aspect of poker is taken away, the results can be seen.

Spotting a Tell

The most feared word in the language of poker is tell. A tell is a physical trait that indicates a player is bluffing.

Many players spend a lot of time and effort trying to spot tells when they’re playing at a table game. A person who can spot a tell can figure out who is bluffing and who is not. Unfortunately, spotting a tell can be very hard especially for inexperienced players.

The way to learn how to spot tells is to play a lot of poker or watch a lot of poker games from the rail or sidelines and observe players who bluff a lot. Indeed watching a lot of poker from outside the game is probably the best way to learn this because you don’t have the pressure of the cards.

Look closely at the players and see if you can spot anything that’s different when they bluff. Do they move their hands or thump on the table with their fingers? Do they twitch or become nervous? Any of these things could be a tell. So can dilutions and movements of the eyes.

When you’re watching for a tell, you should remember that cards are always the most important thing in poker. Good players always base their bets on their cards and their readings of other players. Always watch the cards first and see how people actually play. Some people only bet or take risks when they have a good hand, others like to bluff a lot.

One obvious tell is that people who aren’t used to lying and bluffing, newbies and those used to playing online get nervous when they bluff. They are in a new environment so that’s a weakness that you can take advantage.

When a player can bluff without getting nervous or displaying an obvious tell, that’s a sign of someone who’s played a lot of poker in their day, perhaps a pro. Always get suspicious when somebody who claims to be amateur or inexperienced bluffs without an obvious tell. Casinos and poker rooms sometimes use pros as shills to increase the stakes of games and their rake. There are also professional players including professional cheats or card mechanics who work home poker games especially big money home games, so be on the look out for them.

Another thing to keep in mind is that there is such a thing as a false tell. Experienced poker mechanics have read the poker books and taken the lessons so they know the tells. A mechanic can easily fake a tell in order to convince you that he’s bluffing when he has a good hand. So get suspicious when somebody displays obvious tells but still manages to come up with some good hands. Also, realize that an obvious tell could be a distraction intended to keep you from noticing cheating or stealing from the pot.

Reading Poker Hands

The one skill that every poker player wants to master is reading other poker players’ hands. The art of trying to tell what cards the other players have from the expressions on their faces and their actions.

In reality, the only way to learn this art is to play a lot of poker. To spend hundreds of hours at the table playing hundreds of rounds poker. Now obviously most of us lack the time, the money and the patience to do that. There are a few things that you can learn about reading poker hands.

The first rule of poker is never taken anything for granted, so, remember nothing is certain. Just because you think the other guy has the nuts, doesn’t make it so. He might be a really good bluffer.

One way to learn to read poker hands is to watch a lot of poker. Watch a lot of those TV poker shows particularly the ones with the professional poker players and see what they do. Pay close attention when they bluff, and see what they do when they bluff. That can tell you a lot about how people act. It can help you spot a pro who is pretending to be an amateur player.

Another way to learn to read poker hands is to go to a casino or card room and simply watch other people playing poker. Buy yourself a drink and sit down and enjoy the show. Watch closely and pay attention, especially to the really good players. Watch and see how they bluff and what they do when they have a really good hand.

You should also read poker books and pay attention to expert advice. Many poker players today read poker books and take poker lessons. If you can learn the systems promoted in the books and online, you can deduce some of the bluffs that they plan to make.

When you observe poker, you should watch out for cheating, especially if you’re playing in casinos or card rooms. There are a lot of methods of cheating out there that you should be aware of.

The most common is marked cards, the marking is usually subtle done with nick or tear in the card. This is why most professional poker players ask for a new deck on a regular basis to keep somebody from marking it. Be particularly weary if somebody displays unusual skill at reading poker hands and anticipating other players moves.

Observation is the key to poker and the way to become a good observer is to watch and play a lot of poker.

Bluffing Online

Playing online poker presents a lot of challenges you don’t have when you’re playing at the table.

One of the biggest is spotting the bluff; when you’re online you can’t actually see the other players. This means you can’t spot physical tells, you can’t look the other players in the other eyes or see what they’re doing with their hands. Instead, you have to watch their patterns of play and their cards and trust your gut.

A big advantage to online play is that you are forced to watch the cards. Many players get caught up in the trap of trying to “read” the other players and ignore the cards. This gives the players who bet their cards, and only make the occasional bluff, a big advantage.

Watching the pattern of play is the best way to catch bluffing online. Watch the other players closely and when somebody does bluff, take a note a note. Write down what they did and watch them again. Since you’re at home and the other players don’t see you, they can’t complain about what you’re doing.

Keep track of the players you regularly play with, take notes about what they do and look over the notes after the game. Always note when they bluff; some people only bluff when the pot is small or when they have a strong hand. Others bluff all the time, or when they have a lot of chips.

Every player is different and every player has a different pattern of bluffing. If you can spot the pattern of bluffing, you can anticipate their moves. This can help you decide when to bet and when to fold.

Savvy players are aware of these patterns and will deliberately vary them by playing erratically or doing something stupid. They will try to fool you by making a stupid play or trying to bluff you out when they know they don’t have the cards to back it up. Watch out for this erratic play and be particularly leery when somebody who seems really erratic or bad suddenly gets good when there’s a lot of money in the game.

How to Select the Best Possible Online Poker Room

One of the mistakes many people make when they decide to play poker online, is they just enter the very first online poker room they come to. This is a very bad idea. When you are choosing an online poker room, you want to make sure the room you choose provides you with safety, quality and comfort.

Safety First

Without a doubt, safety should be your very first priority when you are selecting an online poker room. As of right now there are very few regulations when it comes to online poker rooms, so it is up to you to make sure the one you select is as safe as it possibly can be.

The first thing you want to look for is a poker room that has been around for a long time and has a solid reputation. The safest online poker rooms are ones that have set themselves up with a third party check. They also have a poker algorithm that consistently work and routinely deals fair hands. If you find yourself in an online poker room that does not meet these standards, you should deal yourself out and look for one which does.

Quality

Everyone has a different idea of what they are looking for in the quality of an online poker room. For the purposes of this article, I am looking at a few different things that I feel set some online poker rooms apart from others. The first is the quality of the software the online poker room uses. There is no reason for you to be playing poker online if the poker room is unable to provide you with satisfactory visuals, good game play, and if it isn’t reliable. The best way to make sure you will be getting the quality you deserve is to find a poker room that allows you to download a version of their software and play a few hands with fake money before you start using your credit card.

The online poker room you choose should have a reliable server that isn’t prone to crashing in the middle of a hand.

Comfort

There is very little point in playing online poker if the quality of the game play is substandard. The room you select should be able to provide you with a game that is easy and fun to play.

It is really hard to enjoy yourself if you aren’t comfortable in the online poker room you selected. You should enjoy the other players who routinely play in the same room. You should also be comfortable with the knowledge that you will get your winnings quickly and that the customer service will be prompt about answering your questions and addressing your concerns.

Playing Omaha Hi Low

When poker players get bored with playing Texas Hold Em, they often try Omaha Hi Low. Omaha Hi Low is the second most popular poker game that exists within the world of poker.

The first difference between Texas Hold Em and Omaha High Low is that a player can build a hand from nine cards at Omaha. Another big difference is that you are issued four cards instead of two. Having four cards gives you a better chance of creating a good hand and ultimately winning the pot. It also makes the game a little more fun because it stimulates more action.

The betting in Omaha is usually the same as in Texas Hold Em, and the lay out of the community cards is the same as in Texas Hold Em. One really noticeable difference is that Omaha is usually played pot limit while Texas Hold Em is played no limit. Having a pot limit means that no player can raise more than the pot. This takes some of the excitement out of the game but it’s easier on the wallet. Some online poker rooms have no limit Omaha games and tournaments.

To win in Omaha, a player needs to get the best five card at the showdown. One big challenge to Omaha is that you’ll have to get a really good hand, sometimes called the nuts, to win the showdown. This is because there are more cards on the table which increases the possibility of two or more players drawing really good hands at once.

As in Texas Hold Em, players are trying to get the strongest hand needed to win. The excitement in Omaha comes from the chance that more than one player will draw a strong hand which will lead to a showdown. In the showdown, a player tries to make the best hand they can from three of the cards on the table and two in their hand. Omaha players can’t use four of the cards to make a hand like Texas Hold Em players can.

One thing to remember is that two pair on the table can’t be used to make a full house. In Omaha you have to have three of a kind in your hand to make a full house.

The best strategy in Omaha is to play for flushes which are usually the strongest hand in game. Players should remember that you need two cards from the same suite in your hand to make a flush with what’s on the table in Omaha. One card such as the ace and three or four cards, of the same suite on the table, won’t make a flush.

Omaha Hi Low is fun but it takes some getting used to. The best way to learn Omaha Hi Low is to play the game.