Poker Pro

Lesson Learned on Full Tilt Poker

2008-04-20T15:27:00.000-07:00

So I’m scrolling through the 5/10 free chips on Full Tilt Poker and see a red highlighted line so of course I’m intrigued. The red line means it’s a pro playing. Looks like a lot of railbirds cuz the chat is packed and the waiting list is maxed at 255.

So I just sit back and watch the chat and gonna study how the Pro plays poker.

I notice that every time he’s on the button, he raises. Even after the flop he'd push if everybody checked to him. And I saw most times everybody folded. One time there was a reraise and the pro folded.

I’m fairly new to poker so I never really knew what “position” meant. Well of course I kinda knew what it meant but after seeing this pro work it I REALLY understood it.

So I’m out and about had a DR. Appt and decided to go to the local card room after I was finished cuz its been just internet play solid 8 hrs a day last 30 days and my eyes are buggin real good. I sit down with $20 and DON’T post, and just watch the players till the blinds come. Boy nice to have tells and I picked up on a lot very fast.

I notice this one player always plays every ace no matter what the kicker is. So bout 2 hours go by and can you believe it I haven’t lost a hand yet?!

I played the pros methed with raising on the button about 2 times with good cards and had one show down and won, but this last time listen to this;

On the button with K 10 clubs family pot of limpers. I raise and lose about half of players. Flop comes A 8 9 rainbow one club.

Everybody checks, so I bet.

1 caller, the guy playing A rag all the time. I’m thinking Shit I’m way behind.

Turn comes, I cant remember what it is but no help to me, he checks, I look at him as I bet, figure only way to win is to bet at it. Haven’t lost yet so I’m ready for a loss here. He reluctantly calls. Kinda figity like he don’t know what to do.

So I’m convinced now he‘s holding weak ace.

River comes and again I only remember that it wasn’t a K and no flush no straight.

Again he checks. I’m sure I had to show a sign cuz my heart is pumping big time as this time I announce “bet” and push chips in the pot. Figured I pushed all this way my last chance at winning this pot.

He says “FOLD” can you frickin believe it! I take a big breath cuz I haven’t taken one in bout 2 min and say “good cuz I totally missed” as I show him my cards. He was furious! He had a weak ace just as I thought. He went on tilt after that and lost the rest his chips.

I took down bout a $50 pot that I should have lost! I soon left after that cuz I had to get going but left a hundo up in bout 2 hrs playing $2/$4 hold’em. Without losing to a showdown.

2 things here:

A rags. It’s a tough decision, why would you even play it, especially out of position.

I actually learned something watching a pro on Full Tilt! My game improved that much more!

True story.

Ten Best Starting Hands In Texas Hold' Em Poker

2008-04-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

1. Ace-Ace
This is the best Hold'em poker hand you can hope to have. It's the best of the best, and will win more than any other hand. Also known as American Airlines, pocket rockets, and bullets.

2. King-King
This 2nd-best hold'em hand is still incredibly strong and will win you a good chunk of change. Two kings, or "cowboys" are only dominated by aces.

3. Queen-Queen
Two queens, or "ladies" are a very good hand. Sure, kings and aces will beat you, but you've got the upper hand on jacks and below.

4. Ace-King
Ace-king is a strong but tricky hand. It is the strongest of the drawing hands, but the flop needs to work with you to give you a pair of aces or kings for it to really pay off. Suited it is slightly stronger than unsuited, as then you can also make the nut flush much more easily.

5. Jack-Jack
A pair of jacks, ten-handed, will win almost 20% of the time. If the flop shows a queen, king, or ace, watch out, but otherwise, it's smooth sailing.

Play Online Poker

6. Ace-Queen
Ace-queen is the second best drawing hand, and when suited, will win about 20% of the time as well.

7. King-Queen
King-queen, especially suited, is a great drawing hand that is only afraid of an Ace falling on the board.

8. Ace-Jack
Ace-jack is another great drawing hand. Suited is always better here, but unsuited is still playable.

9. King-Jack
King-jack, especially in later positions, is a fine hand to play, but can be beat by any of the hands listed above and should be folded to big raises. Statistically, suited it will win just under 19% of the time, but unsuited that drops to just 15%.

10. Ace-Ten
Ace-ten is still a good hand -- you've got the ace, and can make a straight if the miracle J-Q-K falls on the board. But be wary of playing it too strong, especially unsuited, as if all you end up with is a pair of aces, you may be out-kicked.

Are online casinos illegal?

2008-04-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

The answer to the above question may have been a “Yes” four or five decades ago. However, today if you talk about online casinos, it would seem to be a very common affair. The reason why online casinos thrive these days is because of the mass indulgence and all thanks to the world of Internet. The Internet is finally here to stay and the easy accessibility to the online casinos has made gambling much easier than before. One of the best things about online casinos is that a person can gamble from home, any time he wants.

Online casinos are more enjoyable than the traditional land based gambling houses and other betting rooms. To be more precise, the online casino gaming has a turnover of more than a million dollars a year. Even if one compares the rate of growth of online casinos with the land based ones at say, Las Vegas, the online ones surpass the profitability of the land based ones. However, one cannot miss out on the fact that most of the online casinos are located outside the US in order to avoid the federal rules and regulations. That’s because the United States Federal court has stated some prohibitions when it comes to online gambling. But at the same time, although many states in America promote the land based gambling casinos, the courts have imposed certain rules when it comes to gambling at online casinos.

Therefore, most of the online gambling casinos are located in countries like the United Kingdom and some of the Caribbean countries. As for the rules imposed by the American federal authorities, if the online casino owner has not obtained the respective licenses and complied with the prescribed guidelines, the online casino that he owns may as well be illegal. One important thing to remember in this aspect is that the rules and regulations regarding online casinos vary from state to state. Speaking of online casinos, many websites disbanded advertisements of online casinos due to legal issues. Popular search engines like Google and Yahoo too were among these websites. Following the legal issues, even some banks and other financial institutions refused to make any credit card transactions that were related to gambling through online casinos.

Licensed online casinos never face any problem with the federal authorities, but instead of being in a constant war against the online casinos, the federal government is expected to consider devising a tax plan, specifically for the online casinos and at the same time keeping a watch on any illegal activities such as underage gambling, credit card frauds, etc.

Bluffing in real life vs. online poker

2008-04-07T12:41:00.000-07:00

There is a world of a difference between bluffing in real life or playing at a casino and playing online poker. Yes, there are a number of little differences that you need to adjust to, in order to get the hang of playing the game. It is common knowledge that most people tend to act in a different manner on the Internet than they would in real life. So, it makes sense to say that people would also probably play differently online than they would in reality.

Poker played at home is very different from the game played at a casino. And, the transition that takes place from playing poker online to playing the game live will always be a long journey and a hard one at that. The online games will always have a simple structure, as opposed to the live game. Online games don’t really value the best game style; instead they tend to value the best hands made.

This would mean that online poker games are all about luck and have very little to do with strategy. So, if you happen to be an online poker player and you want to turn professional and play at casinos, then you need to know the essential differences between the two game types – the competition and the bets.

At the beginning of a live poker game, you will notice that the antes are all gone and the blinds have taken their place. Blinds are also forced bets that are placed by the first person playing after the dealer. After the bets, the human factor plays a big role in live poker. The competition or game style is the most important factor when playing poker. Styles that are used in online poker games are not very popular for live games.

While playing live poker, you are playing for real money and not for any extra pocket change. The main difference between live poker and the Internet version is that your scope for winning more games online is much higher, since there are more online players available.

The best part about online poker is that it is highly accessible and very fast. So, you no longer have to wait for the cards to be shuffled, and the deals are super fast. You get to play at multiple tables.

As far as live poker is concerned, you get to socialize while playing the game. It is also easier to stay focused and observe each and every move of your opponents. From trying to read your opponents’ minds to guessing their moves, you are able to connect to each other better.

All in all, playing at casinos gives the game a more ‘real’ feel to it. Even if you happen to an experienced online poker player, you might find the real thing a lot more intimidating! To get your FREE account and try some online poker playing, Click HERE

Common mistakes made in online poker

2008-04-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

There are some common online poker mistakes that novices as well as experienced poker players make. If you want to be successful in this game, you have to practice certain strategies so that more pits can be won. You should learn to avoid these common mistakes and get an advantage over your opponents.

Distraction: Winning a poker game is all about skills, but you also need to have some attention span. You need to concentrate on the details of this game. In case of distraction, players don’t use their skills and leave everything to luck. If you are a novice, then you should learn handling more than 3-4 games at a time. Playing at home can ruin your attention to a great extent due to the phone, radio or TV; so make sure that you avoid all these distracting elements as far as possible.

Use of auto-play functions: The main function of the auto-play button is to speed up the game. When you use this button you must know that it is being used at the cost of your poker chips. In online poker, players are very far from each other and the only tells in this game is the duration taken by a player to act on his hand.

Delay in check: weakness
Instantaneous check: weakness
Instantaneous call: strength
Quick bet: strength

The first tell is all about understanding of the psychology of this game, but other three are based on auto play buttons. Clicking on the automatic check button when you have a weak hand will convey your weakness.

Too much talking: There are many online poker players who talk a lot because according to them this will not serve as tell. They fail to realize that besides the use of the auto-play button, talking can be the biggest online poker ‘tell’. So never waste time in talking to your opponents.

Never make enemies in poker: Try to avoid making enemies in this game because it is not a good idea. Avoid saying anything to your opponents when you win a pot, instead just drag the chips in a gracious manner. Don’t whine when you lose a game because making enemies will mean-they will gun for you.

To show cards: This is another mistake made by players in online poker. It is not a good thing to show your cards because according to some players this puts others on tilt and makes them less confident. So it is better to avoid hurting your opponents because it can hurt and place you out of a good game. To try free online poker yourself, and win real money, click here.

Downloadable Casino Software Advice

2008-04-05T10:13:00.000-07:00

Gambling has been one of the oldest activities mankind has indulged in. The thrill that you get when you place bets and a certain degree of risk of losing gives excitement to many. This is the reason why casinos have always enjoyed a booming business, and ever-faithful clients. A city like Las Vegas is completely dependent on this single activity that attracts thousands everyday to try their luck.

With the advancement of the Internet, it is only a matter of time before casinos jump out of the real world, and enter our houses through the virtual world. However, earlier online casinos were very poor in graphics, and overall user experience. With old technology, downloading the software and playing on it would take a lot of time and would usually not be worth it. But today, with amazing technological advancement, both in the fields of software development, as well as the internet connectivity, downloadable casino software is not only very quick and easy to download, but also fun to play with various choices that the user has, and the rich graphics. The online casino, where do you not need to download any software to gamble online has not been so successful. The main reason for this is the strain it puts on the user’s computer, and the Internet connectivity. Thus downloading free casino software is the best way to gamble sitting in the comfort of your home.

The downloadable casino software available today takes minutes to download and install onto your computer. Such casinos come with rich graphics, and a very good games suite. This results in a very rich and exciting gaming experience. You have a host of options before you and you can choose to play the way you like. Today’s downloadable casino software support a number of players, and give a whole new meaning to online gambling. Such downloadable casino software may include either a single game, or a variety of popular games like poker, black jack, slot machines, roulette, etc. You can play either for fun, or to make money, and all this without having to actually travel to a physical casino. While this doesn’t mean that you have more chances to win, and it should certainly not be thought of in that way, the risk remains the same, and you have as much chance of winning, as losing. So just because you are playing from the comfort of your house, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you cannot lose any money, if you are betting real money. But it certainly gives you the privacy advantage, and just maybe, if you are lucky, it would result in huge wins.

Here is a list of online games to get you started.
They are all Free to download. No deposit is required.

Golden Palace Casino
Online Casino
Grand Online Casino
Flamingo Club
24kt Gold Casino
Full Tilt Poker- texas hold'em and other poker games

How free roll poker works

2008-04-04T10:53:00.000-07:00

Freeroll is an online tournament of poker, which costs nothing for playing, but a heavy price pool is associated with it. The room that hosts poker is also responsible for sponsoring the Freeroll and putting real money, gifts or merchandise in the price pool. This works as a tool for promoting online poker rooms. Many poker rooms host several small Freerolls, while others host only few but with big prizes.

There are strong chances for any poker player to win serious money through Freeroll. All you have to do is play the game you love! A lot of effort and time goes into arranging the Freeroll. Some negotiation is required by the Poker platform, Freeroll organizer and the affiliate side of the poker room. The main aim of each one is giving away as well as making money. The affiliate program gives a fee to the organizer for every player that is referred. This money is then used by the organizers in the guaranteed prize pool for Freeroll. In case not many players join, the remaining part of guaranteed prize pool is left with the organizer as ‘cover’. When many players join in, the organizer has strong chances of becoming a winner as well as a loser. Arrangement of freerolls in a poor manner can be a very expensive affair.

Players are the biggest winners of poker freerolls. There is hardly anything to lose in poker freerolls and in order to take advantage each player needs to pay a small amount to become eligible. If you are also interested then put in your money, register for Freeroll and try your luck in the pool of prizes.

The main question that arises is-how to approach a Freeroll and what are the strategies required for success? Anything can be expected in the initial stages of a tournament. The best thing is to sit back and play, to get a feel of your table. Never hesitate in pushing in your chips with big hands. Since you are into this without any cost, don’t be afraid in showing aggression of the good sort, but make sure it is selective aggression and not blind betting. When the money position approaches, many players get scared to play all but premium hands. As a player you can advantage of this situation, steal blinds and build up your stack. If you are able to do this well, you will get a lot of chips once money is easy to reach and also stand a good chance to win the main prize.

If you would like to try your hand a free roll today, Click here and download Full Tilt Poker software. Free rolls are playing every hour. And this site is one of my personal favorites. Good luck at the tables.

How Poker Forums Can help You?

2008-04-03T13:10:00.000-07:00

How Poker Forums Can help You?

Poker is a game that is loved by many across the world, and these people are always looking forward to come in contact with each other. As the Internet is a favorite medium for like-minded people to come together and though they maybe separated by great geographical distances, poker finds a huge number of fans on the Internet. There are various forums on every possible topic on the Internet, and poker being widely followed and loved; there are many forums over the Internet exclusively dedicated to poker. Such forums can be found on many web sites on the Internet that are dedicated to the game.

Poker forums attract everyone who is into poker, whether the person is a pro or a novice. This is what makes such forums a great place to be for any poker player. Poker players are able to find almost all the information related to the game, its types, as well as various tournaments that are usually held all year round. In fact, certain forums are solely for announcing various tournaments, and giving details like the game to be played, the qualifying criteria, the date, place, the prize etc.

There are also various poker forums, which are game type specific. For example, you will be able to find various forums dedicated to Texas Hold’em only. Just try searching on any famous search engine, and you will be amazed at the results. Various poker games have such a huge following that various web sites dedicated to the games receive thousands of hits every day. The profits for most of such websites come mostly through targeted advertisements. For some such website owners, this can actually mean pretty neat profits, but most of these sites are operated out of the love for the game.

It certainly makes lot of sense for poker players to join one or more such forums. A good poker forum can invariably help a player improve upon his/her game, as well as access to various news, events and happenings of the game. A good forum will have high quality content, and will usually be updated regularly. Apart from staying updated and improving on the game, poker forums help a lot in catching up with various tips and tricks of the game. This is because most of the poker forums have many old pros, and veterans as their members, and they can teach you certain things that no book in the world possibly can.

Bad Beat Story

2008-03-20T15:57:00.000-07:00

Ok, here my bad beat story. Any money I have in my Full Tilt account comes from winning. I have never deposited anything in my account, so a dollar is very valuable to me. I built my bankroll up to bout $30 but have been on a very bad streak.

So I’m down to $2.65. and I decide to try the cash tables one last time. Sit at the 5/10 table and the min is $2. so I figure if I lose I still have chance at the ten cent rebuys.

Playin TIGHT, fold everything for bout 17 hands. Finally I get AA on the button and raise 3 X blind. 1 caller who re-raises me. I call. Half my money in.

Flop comes A 4 9. He checks I bet all in. sounds pretty safe to me right?

He calls and shows 10 10

Turn 10
River 10

Can you fucking believe that shit?

Be worth $20,000 to me at the local card club cuz of their bad beat jackpot.

Cant win them all I guess.