Why Online Poker?

1. It can be played by rich and poor alike. The stakes may vary from no limit to penny ante, just as long as the minimum and maximum betting limits are agreed upon before the game begins.

2. It is easy to learn.

3. It may be played in a great many different ways.

4. Any number of players from two to eleven at one table may play, although two to ten make the best game (Cash Games, Side Action) but in the Tournaments you can see as many as 1,000 players starting out at 100 tables, which ends up with one winner. Many of these larger tournaments are played over more than one day.

5. It is strictly a gambling card game, whether it is Hold'em, Poker penny-ante style or Seven-Card Stud table stakes. The gambling can be replaced with other incentives to play well. Without the gambling or incentive factors it would be one of America's least played games. PokerSchool is showing the industry how to replace the "gambling element" during the learning phase.

6. Each player, on his own, battles all the others. There is no partnership play.

7. It combines both chance and skill and is the only game in which a player can win only one hand all evening and still come out a winner, or win any more than the average number of hands and still lose to the game's action.

Observe Holdem Table Before Sitting

Before you sit down to a poker game with strangers it is suggested that you observe the game for at least an hour, studying the players' characteristics. See who plays the cards loose and who plays tight. When you do join in, play a conservative game at first, just in case it might be a steer game (crooked game). If you are dealt an exceptionally good hand in a strange poker game, don't bet everything you have with you. Be satisfied with small winnings on the hand; if it is a steer game your losses will be small, and perhaps the cheaters will decide you are too hep to be taken in.

Poker Scabs

JV'S KILLER POKER: SCABS!

BY: John Vorhaus

Suppose you had a scab on your knee. Your impulse would be to pick it – and you know how good it would feel if you did. Very common behavior, indulging ourselves in something that feels good. And it doesn't have to be a scab. It could be coffee, cigarettes, booze, pot, porn, anything. Whatever floats your boat. Why? Because, self-indulgence, my dear friend and attentive reader, is its own reward. Now I have no problem with self-indulgence when it comes to scabs or whatever. But when self-indulgence leaks into your poker, that's a recipe for mayhem. And the bad news is it happens all the time. You want examples? Can you stand to stare them in the face?
How about the time you went heads-up against some blind stealer, calling his raise even though you had only some scabby 7-4 with which to defend? The flop came 5-6-x and you got all moist and oozy because now you had a straight draw, even though you knew you had the worst of it, pot odds versus card odds, all that crap. But he bet and you called anyway. Why? 'Cause it felt good. You were imagining the look on that smug chump's face when you caught your draw, made your hand and administered to him the whupping that he and all other heathen, degenerate blind-stealers deserve. You didn't have a legitimate call, but you called anyway, because you wanted the triumph. You wanted to feel good. You wanted to see the look on the other guy's face when things went your way.
But most of the time in these situations, things do not go our way. Nor should they – pot odds versus card odds, all that crap. And then we end up losing not just money, but also credibility, and image, and control over ourselves and others at the table. So now we have a new math: self-indulgence = self-destruction. How do you feel about that?
Or how about this? You're getting ready to leave a game, but you decide to just play through to your blind before you go. This feels good because it feels like you're getting something for nothing, a free ride, a look at several more hands without having to pay the price of the blind. Trouble is, you've already mentally checked out of the game, and your chances of playing perfect poker (or even adequate poker) have checked out too. So now here comes a hand you know you shouldn't play, and never ever would play except for the fact that you're already halfway outta there, and maybe you have a few extra chips above some arbitrary number of chips (three more than a full rack, say?) so you decide to take a flier on the hand. Why? Because it feels good. It's action! But then you catch a piece of the flop and make several calls you shouldn't make (destroying the aesthetic purity of that full rack en route) and get clobbered in the hand. Which you deserve, frankly, since you shouldn't have been in it in the first place. Now, smarting from your wounds, you decide to take another lap or two (or six) around the table, rather than leave the game you had previously decided to leave. An hour (or six) later, you stumble away, stunned and remorseful, having turned a nice, respectable win into a devastating loss. You started out doing something that you thought would make you feel good and ended up feeling bad, bad, bad. You can call it fate or instant karma or even bad luck; I just say that the universe is there to sort you out.
Never fall victim to this again! Vow now to play all hands and every hand for a good, sound, solid reason and not just because it feels good. That's monkey poker. I have no time for that, and neither should you.
I played maybe 15 or 20 hours of poker last week, and I never played one single hand just for the hell of it. Can you make the same claim? Work on this. Set it as your goal. When you're in there, be in there for a reason, and not just because you feel like picking a scab.
Unless, of course, it's the other guy's scab.
Because, you see, once you realize that people do things at the poker table just to feel good about themselves, you can manipulate them into making countless costly mistakes in service of that spurious need. A guy hates to have his blind attacked? All the more reason to attack it! His defense makes him feel proud and bold and strong, even though it may be a big, fat, hairy error to defend. Someone looks like she's about to leave the game, just playing through to her blinds? Don't raise in front of her. Encourage her to call, since she wants to blow off a few random chips before she goes, and will likely choose to blow them off with a marginal hand. Don't encourage her to wise up. Let her toss her loose, dead money in the pot. Then bet any flop. She won't call, not if it means breaking her rack, and if she does break her rack, maybe you can get her stuck for the whole hundred chips!
Remember: Every mistake you discover in your own game is one that's present in your enemies' game as well. And they've got it worse than you, because they're not paying attention like you are. So now you have two jobs. The first is to eradicate self-indulgence from your play. The second is to encourage it and exploit it in others. What I want you to do, and I'm not kidding about this, is to write down these words on a piece of paper: self-indulgence = self-destruction. Then tape that piece of paper to your steering wheel or your dashboard so that you can see it and contemplate it and meditate upon it all the way to the place you play. When you arrive you'll be that much better prepared to play the kind of no-nonsense, serious-minded, kick-ass poker that you must play if you hope to have any realistic chance of winning at all.
Or would you rather just feel good?

Self Control In Poker

Self Control: Three Helpful Tools

BY: Ashley AdamsContact at: (Asha34@aol.com) Author of Winning 7-Card Stud (Order Now on Amazon.com)

There are four key ingredients to being a winning low limit no limit player. You need to understand hand values. You need to understand pot odds. And you need to understand other players. Those would be three. The fourth is surely self-control. You can't be a winner playing any form of poker without self control. It's especially crucial at no limit.
Think about it. You're playing $5/10 limit Texas Hold Em or Stud. You space out. Or you get angry. Or you get cocky. And you raise out of anger or call out of boredom. What do you lose? A bet or two. $10 or $20 bucks. True, if your out-of-line play continues it will cost you more. But for that instant of inattention or emotional override you're only doomed to losing the single bet -- which is by definition limited.
But now we're at the no limit table. Low limit no limit to be sure, but still the only limit is what we have in front of us on the table. If we've just bought in to the $100 max buy-in game then we can lose our whole stack of $100 in an instant. If we're at a $2/4 $200 minimum game and we've bought in for $500, well we can lose all of that too. All because we failed to do what we know we need to do. Pretty big mistake, no?
So what can we do about this fatal flaw? Other than just knowing, intellectually, that going on tilt or spacing our or otherwise losing control during a no limit game can be fatal, what can we do about it?
Here are three things that I recommend to the inexperienced or otherwise learning player (and we should all always be learning, no?).
First, intend to play each hand alertly. Be ready to play when you sit down. For some, that means taking at least a few minutes to get ready to play. Don't just slam your money on the table as soon as you sit down and post the blind before looking at your cards and getting settled. Get settled. Size up the opposition. Size up yourself. Are you tired? nervous? Eager? Juiced up? Take note of it. Watch your opposition for a while. Can you at least put people into some broad category? Is the 3 seat tight? The 8 seat loose? No one says you have to dive right in the first chance you have. Sit back and observe for 15 minutes or so -- at least a couple of rounds so you can see what your opponents are doing.
Second, plan on a short session. Don't stay for more than a few hours � and take regular breaks to keep your focus. I recommend that all but the most experienced players take a break after the first 30 minutes or so -- even if you're running really good. Stand up, walk away from the table, think about how you're doing. Doing fine? Noticing how others are playing? Thinking about your own play? Fine, then sit down again and play some more. Feeling restless? Distracted? Bored? Maybe you need a longer break. Maybe you should go home. There's no award for playing your best under bad circumstances. Don't be afraid to be honest with yourself and pull yourself out of a situation in which you don't feel fully comfortable.
Finally, pause before you act. I'm not talking about a dramatic pause of a minute or more like you see pros do in tough moments on TV. But I am suggesting that before you do anything you take 2 or 3 seconds before you act. Make this your routine. Think about what you're going to do before you do it -- even if it's an automatic fold. Say "I'm folding" and then pause another second and fold. If you see a raising hand, think "I'm raising. 3 times the pot -- no 4 times the pot." and then raise four times the pot. Every so often, whether you need extra time or not, you want to pause for a full 15-20 seconds to make sure that you're not giving anything away when you really need to pause this long. But nearly all the time there should be at least a small pause so you act deliberately.
Three things -- intent, breaks and pausing -- should help keep you engaged and thoughtful and prevent you from getting distracted or going on tilt. They won't prevent this completely of course. But they should help.

LATE-POSITION

Toward A Basic Strategy For Low Limit No Limit Hold Em:Pre-Flop Late Position

BY: Ashley AdamsContact at: (Asha34@aol.com) Author of Winning 7-Card Stud (Order Now on Amazon.com)

LATE-POSITION - NO ONE HAS CALLED THE BIG BLIND
Late position is the nine and ten seat - known also as the "cutoff" and the "button", respectively. These are the most advantageous seats because, on all rounds of betting, you get to see everyone's action before you have to act. You also have the advantage of having only the small and big blind who can raise you after you call. Accordingly, I will increase the hands that I'll play. And, though I don't broadly increase the hands I raise with, I do add a few hands to that list as well.
As in Middle Position, when all of the players have folded to the Big Blind, I will raise with any pair. I will raise with Ace King suited or unsuited. I will also re-raise with Ace Queen and Ace Jack and Ace Ten, whether or not they're suited. I want to make sure to knock out the Button if I am the Cut off. And I want to freeze earlier hands after the flop into checking, fearing my raise if they bet. This often will give me the advantage after the flop of either getting a free card, if I elect to check behind them, or possibly winning the pot on a bluff if I bet and they fold.
If my raise is itself reraised then I will fold all of my hands except for Aces, Kings, Queens, and Ace-King. I will fold Jacks and lower pairs. I will fold my Ace-Queen, Ace-Jack and Ace Ten. My experience is that these low limit players tend to have Ace-King or Premium Pairs when they make this move. I'd rather concede my smaller pairs and my weaker Aces before the flop for a large bet. Again, there will be exceptions that I'll be able to exploit eventually. But for now, my advice is to take the safer route.
I call with hands as low as 7-8 suited or 10-9 unsuited and with Ace-x suited. I'm playing to hit a great flop. But I still want to be more selective than playing random hands or hands that will trap me with a second best hand. From my experience, low suited connectors or middle one or two-gappers will often cost me a stack even if I hit ' making me a lower flush, lower straight, or pair, lower kicker than my opponents. I'd just as soon not play them at all.
If I'm the cutoff and my call is raised by the button by three times the Big Blind or more then I tend to assume that he's trying to buy the button himself with a medium pair or Ace Big. I'll call with any hand that is at least a pair or Ace King, but I'll fold everything else. If my call in the cutoff or the button is raised by the small or big blind I'll assume a similarly large hand ' and I'll fold and call accordingly.
If the raise is just a small one however, say just the amount of the Big Blind, then I'll call with my hand ' since it will be so cheap and my implied odds for hitting my hand will be so great. Essentially, I ignore small raises and just call again as if they were the Big Blind.
LATE-POSITION - CALLER IN FRONT
With a caller in front of me I am still going to raise with any pair and with Ace-King and Ace-Queen. But I'm going to raise by a slightly larger amount than if there had been no caller in front. If, for example, one player calls the $2 Big Blind then I'll raise by $8 (instead of $6)' four times the big blind, making it $10 to go. I want to increase the disincentive for calling to counteract the increased pot odds. I am still going to call with the same hands I'd call with if everyone had folded to me.
LATE-POSITION - RAISER IN FRONT
With a serious raiser of three times the Big Blind or more ' I'm going to fold with all of my hands except Premium Pairs and Ace King. A lot of these players will raise whenever they have a hand that looks "good". They'll raise with Ace-ten from any position. They'll raise even with K-J suited and other hands like that. So if I call with my Premium hands I will be in very good position after the Flop. I don't want to guess how strong they really are. I just want to play my strongest hands and see the flop, where I'll plan to outplay them.
If the hand is raised and re-raised then I'm out of the hand unless I have Aces or Kings. With Aces I'll re-raise all in. With Kings I'll call. If the initial raiser re-raises HIS re-raiser, then I'll assume he has Aces and I'll fold. True, sometimes these wild players will do this with anything, but I'd rather play it safe until I have a better read on the game. Similarly, if the pot is raised, re-raised and re-reraised then I'll assume Aces and fold any hand BUT Aces, in which case I'll go all in.

Close Calls

Let�s say, for example, that you have amassed a few hundred dollars in this Baby No Limit game. Maybe it�s well into the evening or maybe you�ve just been uncannily lucky early on and have doubled up a few times. For whatever reason, you have $300 or so let�s say. Similarly, your opponent has been a chip magnet as well. He has a stack nearly as big.
You were dealt the same A-Q suited in late position. The $2 large blind wasn�t raised until it came to you. Two callers. You raise it to $10, a standard raise in this game. You get two callers, including the other mammoth stack.
The flop is as it was described earlier. An Ace, a suited card, and a blank. Your opponent checks. The pot has about $35 in it. You bet $35, doubting that anyone is playing A-K or has trips or two pair, since they checked to you. The first player folds. The other player calls you.
The turn is a Queen. Only this time, it�s suited to the other two suited cards on board, making a Flush possible. Your opponent checks. Now had either you or your opponent only had $40 or so you would have just thrown in whatever remaining chips you had after he checked, not giving much credit for the Flush and not wanting him to draw another flush card cheaply. But seeing as you have an enormous stack that he can call you with if he actually is slowplaying the made flush (or Trips for that matter), you don�t want to be so cavalier as to put all of your chips at risk. So in this situation, since you are both still very deep, just bet the size of the pot or so, now at a little over a $100. If he has Trips or the Flush he�ll most likely raise you all in � and you�ll have a tough decision to make based on the type of player he is and what type of player he thinks you are (the type of decisions that are often made in the higher limit games with better players). If he just calls your bet you can see the River. If he bets all in when a Flush card hits you�ll have to size him up and decide whether he�s bluffing. Similarly, if he checks you�ll have to decide whether he�s trying to induce you to bet a losing hand. If you think he may be you can check behind him and showdown with your top two pair.
Position is critically important precisely because of close calls like this on the Turn and on the River. Consider a similar hand when you are in early position. With that A-Q up front your decisions are much tougher. First of all, when the action comes to you � let�s say you�re in the four seat�you�ll have to worry about what action all of the players will take after you. So though you may bet the pot on the Turn after having raised and gotten called pre-flop, it is a tougher decision to make because you may be raised by someone who hit the hand more strongly than you. Though your two pair on the Turn is still a large hand, without your opponents acting before you with a check, there is a greater chance that they have a stronger hand. Your bet is riskier.
Here�s a different hand to consider. Let�s say you are in early position with a pair of 9s. You raised pre-flop in mid-position after a couple of players called the $2 big blind. Let�s say you raised to $10. You got a caller after you and a caller in front of you (a frequent situation in these games). The flop came 2-7-10 rainbow. The player before you checked. You bet $30. The player after you thought long and hard and then called. The player in front of you folded.
Now it�s the turn. The card is a Q. What do you do?
This is tougher than being in late position because you don�t have the advantage of seeing how your opponent bets his hand before you act. You have to either push a hand that may well be second best or show weakness by checking which may well induce him to bet even if he doesn�t have a hand.
My suggestion is to avoid the temptation to bet for information � something many players recommend. I tend to follow the more conservative route in these low limit games � trying to get my reads from the action of my opponent without committing money to the pot. I would check this hand unless my opponent was showing great weakness and I was fairly sure a large bet would get him to fold.
As you can see by this exception, when there�s serious money at risk on the Turn or the River you have to take your betting actions more seriously. But most of the time, in these low limit games, when you believe you are in the lead you�ll make the most money by betting whatever you or your opponent has left in front of you.

Poker Terms

Poker Terms
Aces Up: Two pair, a pair of Aces and any other pair.
ACTION: A fold, check, call, bet, or raise. For certain situations, doing something formally connected with the game that conveys information about your hand may also be considered as having taken action. Examples would be showing your cards at the end of the hand, or indicating the number of cards you are taking at draw.
Active Player : A player still involved in a hand.
AGGRESSIVE ACTION: A wager that could enable a player to win a pot without a showdown; a bet or raise.
All Blue : A flush containing either clubs or spades.
ALL-IN: When you have put all of your playable money and chips into the pot during the course of a hand, you are said to be all-in.
All Pink : A flush containing either diamonds or hearts.
Ante: A prescribed amount posted before the start of a hand by all players.
Back Door : Making a hand that the player wasn't drawing at.
Back Raise : To reraise another players raise.
Bad Beat : A hand being beat by another hand that had a very low percentage of becoming a winning hand.
BET: The act of placing a wager in turn into the pot on any betting round, or the chips put into the pot.
BIG BLIND: The largest regular blind in a game.
Blank : A card that has little value to the hand.
BLIND: A required bet made before any cards are dealt.
BLIND GAME: A game which utilizes a blind.
Bluff : A bet or raise with a hand that is unlikely to beat the other players.
BOARD: (1) The board on which a waiting list is kept for players wanting seats in specific games.(2) Cards faceup on the table common to each of the hands.
BOARDCARD: A community card in the center of the table, as in hold�em or Omaha.
Bottom Pair :Pairing the lowest card on the board.
BOXED CARD: A card that appears faceup in the deck where all other cards are facedown.
BROKEN GAME: A game no longer in action.
Button : A player who is in the designated dealer position. See dealer button.
BUTTON GAMES: Games in which a dealer button is used.
BUY-IN: The minimum amount of money required to enter any game.
CALIFORNIA LOWBALL: Ace-to-five lowball with a joker.
CARDS SPEAK: The face value of a hand in a showdown is the true value of the hand, regardless of a verbal announcement.
CAPPED: Describes the situation in limit poker in which the maximum number of raises on the betting round have been reached.
CHECK: To waive the right to initiate the betting in a round, but to retain the right to act if another player initiates the betting.
CHECK-RAISE: To waive the right to bet until a bet has been made by an opponent, and then to increase the bet by at least an equal amount when it is your turn to act.
Cold Call : To call a bet or multiple bets for the first time in a round.
COLLECTION: The fee charged in a game (taken either out of the pot or from each player).
COLLECTION DROP: A fee charged for each hand dealt.
COLOR CHANGE: A request to change the chips from one denomination to another.
COMMON CARD: A card dealt faceup to be used by all players at the showdown in the games of stud poker whenever there are insufficient cards left in the deck to deal each player a card individually.
Community Cards : The cards dealt faceup in the center of the table that can be used by all players to form their best hand in the games of hold"em and Omaha.
COMPLETE THE BET: To increase an all-in bet or forced bet to a full bet in limit poker.
Chase : To play a hand that is most likely worse than at least one other player.
Check : To pass without betting.
CUT: To divide the deck into two sections in such a manner as to change the order of the cards.
CUT-CARD: Another term for the bottom card.
DEAD CARD: A card that is not legally playable.
DEAD COLLECTION BLIND: A fee posted by the player having the dealer button, used in some games as an alternative method of seat rental.
DEAD HAND: A hand that is not legally playable.
DEAD MONEY: Chips that are taken into the center of the pot because they are not considered part of a particular player�s bet.
DEAL: To give each player cards, or put cards on the board. As used in these rules, each deal refers to the entire process from the shuffling and dealing of cards until the pot is awarded to the winner.
DEALER BUTTON: A flat disk that indicates the player who would be in the dealing position for that hand (if there were not a house dealer). Normally just called �the button.�
DEAL OFF: To take all the blinds and the button before changing seats or leaving the table. That is, participate through all the blind positions and the dealer position.
DEAL TWICE: When there is no more betting, agreeing to have the rest of the cards to come determine only half the pot, removing those cards, and dealing again for the other half of the pot.
DECK: A set of playing-cards. In these games, the deck consists of either:
(1) 52 cards in seven-card stud, hold�em, and Omaha.
(2) 53 cards (including the joker), often used in ace-to-five lowball and draw high.
DISCARD(S): In a draw game, to throw cards out of your hand to make room for replacements, or the card(s) thrown away; the muck.
DOWNCARDS: Cards that are dealt facedown in a stud game.
DRAW: (1) The poker form where players are given the opportunity to replace cards in the hand. In some places like California, the word �draw� is used referring to draw high, and draw low is called �lowball.�
(2) The act of replacing cards in the hand.
(3) The point in the deal where replacing is done is called �the draw.�
Drawing Dead : Drawing to a hand that cannot win because someone already holds a hand that will beat what you are drawing to.
Dominated : A hand that yields three or less outs which makes improving it very difficult.
Early Position : A position in which you must act before most of the players during a round.
FACECARD: A king, queen, or jack.
Flop : The first three community cards dealt up at one time at a poker table.
FIXED LIMIT: In limit poker, any betting structure in which the amount of the bet on each particular round is pre-set.
FLASHED CARD: A card that is partially exposed.
FLOORPERSON: A casino employee who seats players and makes decisions.
FLOP: In hold�em or Omaha, the three community cards that are turned simultaneously after the first round of betting is complete.
FLUSH: A poker hand consisting of five cards of the same suit. FOLD: To throw a hand away and relinquish all interest in a pot.
FOURTH STREET: The second upcard in seven-card stud or the first boardcard after the flop in hold�em (also called the turn card).
FOULED HAND: A dead hand.
FORCED BET: A required wager to start the action on the first betting round (the normal way action begins in a stud game).
FREEROLL: A chance to win something at no risk or cost.
FULL BUY: A buy-in of at least the minimum requirement of chips needed for a particular game.
FULL HOUSE: A hand consisting of three of a kind and a pair.
HAND: (1) All a player�s personal cards.
(2) The five cards determining the poker ranking.
(3) A single poker deal.
HEADS-UP PLAY: Only two players involved in play.
INSURANCE: A side agreement when someone is all-in for a player in a pot to put up money that guarantees a payoff of a set amount in case the opponent wins the pot.
JOKER: The joker is a �partially wild card� in high draw poker and ace-to-five lowball. In high, it is used for aces, straights, and flushes. In lowball, the joker is the lowest unmatched rank in a hand.
KANSAS CITY LOWBALL: A form of draw poker low also known as deuce-to-seven, in which the best hand is 7-5-4-3-2 and straights and flushes count against you.
Kicker : The highest unpaired card that helps determine the value of a five-card poker hand.
KILL (OR KILL BLIND): An oversize blind, usually twice the size of the big blind and doubling the limit. Sometimes a �half-kill� increasing the blind and limits by fifty percent is used. A kill can be either voluntary or mandatory. The most common requirements of a mandatory kill are for winning two pots in a row at lowball and other games, or for scooping a pot in high-low split.
KILL BUTTON: A button used in a lowball game to indicate a player who has won two pots in a row and is required to kill the pot.
KILL POT: A pot with a forced kill by the winner of the two previous pots, or the winner of an entire pot of sufficient size in a high-low split game. (Some pots can be voluntarily killed.)
Late Position : A position in which you act after most of the other players during a round.
LEG UP: Being in a situation equivalent to having won the previous pot, and thus liable to have to kill the following pot if you win the current pot.
LIVE BLIND: A blind bet giving a player the option of raising if no one else has raised.
LIST: The ordered roster of players waiting for a game.
LOCK-UP: A chip marker that holds a seat for a player.
Loose : Playing more hands than normal.
Loose Game : A game with a lot of players in most hands.
LOWBALL: A draw game where the lowest hand wins.
LOWCARD: The lowest upcard at seven-card stud, which is required to bet.
Middle Pair : Pairing the second highest card on the board.
Middle Position : A position in which you act somewhere between most of the other players during a round.
MISCALL: An incorrect verbal declaration of the ranking of a hand.
MISDEAL: A mistake on the dealing of a hand which causes the cards to be reshuffled and a new hand to be dealt.
MISSED BLIND: A required bet that is not posted when it is your turn to do so.
MUCK: (1) The pile of discards gathered facedown in the center of the table by the dealer.
(2) To discard a hand.
MUST-MOVE: In order to protect the main game, a situation where the players of a second game must move into the first game as openings occur.
NO-LIMIT: A betting structure where players are allowed to wager any or all of their chips in one bet.
Nuts : The best possible hand.
OPENER: The player who made the first voluntary bet.
OPENER BUTTON: A button used to indicate who opened a particular pot in a draw game.
OPENERS: In jacks-or-better draw, the cards held by the player who opens the pot that show the hand qualifies to be opened. Example: You are first to bet and have a pair of kings; the kings are called your openers.
OPTION: The choice to raise a bet given to a player with a blind.
Outs : The cards that will improve a hand to win.
OVERBLIND: Also called oversize blind. A blind used in some pots that is bigger than the regular big blind, and usually increases the stakes proportionally.
Overcard: A hole card that is higher than any other card on the board.
Overpair: Two hole cards paired and higher than any card on the board.
PASS: (1) Decline to bet. In a pass-and-out game, this differs from a check, because a player who passes must fold.
(2) Decline to call a wager, at which point you must discard your hand and have no further interest in the pot.
Passive : Checking and calling hands rather betting and raising hands.
PAT: Not drawing any cards in a draw game.
PLAY BEHIND: Have chips in play that are not in front of you (allowed only when waiting for chips that are already purchased). This differs from table stakes.
PLAY THE BOARD: Using all five community cards for your hand in hold�em.
PLAY OVER: To play in a seat when the occupant is absent.
PLAYOVER BOX: A clear plastic box used to cover and protect the chips of an absent player when someone plays over that seat.
POSITION: (1) The relation of a player�s seat to the blinds or the button.
(2) The order of acting on a betting round or deal.
POT-LIMIT: The betting structure of a game in which you are allowed to bet up to the amount of the pot.
POTTING OUT: Agreeing with another player to take money out of a pot, often to buy food, cigarettes, or drinks, or to make side bets.
PROPOSITION BETS: Side bets between players that are not related to the outcome of the hand.
PROTECTED HAND: A hand of cards that the player is physically holding, or has topped with a chip or some other object to prevent a fouled hand.
PUSH: When a new dealer replaces an existing dealer at a particular table.
PUSHING BETS: The situation in which two or more players make an agreement to return bets to each other when one of them wins a pot in which the other or others play. Also called saving bets.
RACK: (1) A container in which chips are stored while being transported.
(2) A tray in front of the dealer, used to hold chips and cards.
Rags : Cards generally not worth playing. IE: 2,7 in Texas Hold'em.
RAISE: To increase the amount of a previous wager. This increase must meet certain specifications, depending on the game, to reopen the betting and count toward a limit on the number of raises allowed.
RERAISE: To raise someone�s raise.
River : The final card dealt.
SAVING BETS: Same as pushing bets.
SCOOP: To win both the high and the low portions of a pot in a split-pot game.
SCRAMBLE: A facedown mixing of the cards.
SETUP: Two suited decks, each with different colored backs, to replace the current decks in a game.
SIDE POT: A separate pot formed when one or more players are all in.
SHORT BUY: A buy-in that is less than the required minimum buy-in.
SHOWDOWN: The final act of determining the winner of the pot after all betting has been completed.
SHUFFLE: The act of mixing the cards before a hand.
SMALL BLIND: In a game with multiple blind bets, the smallest blind.
SPLIT POT: A pot that is divided among players, either because of a tie for the best hand or by agreement prior to the showdown.
SPLITTING BLINDS: When no one else has entered the pot, an agreement between the big blind and small blind to each take back their blind bets instead of playing the deal (chopping).
SPLITTING OPENERS: In high draw jacks-or-better poker, dividing openers in hopes of making a different type of hand. Example: You open the pot with a pair of aces. One of your aces is a spade, as are the three other cards in the hand. If you throw away the non-spade ace to go for the flush, you announce to the table, �Splitting openers.�
STACK: Chips in front of a player.
Steal : To bet or raise causing an opponent to fold when you may not hold the best hand.
STRADDLE: An additional blind bet placed after the forced blinds, usually double the big blind in size or in lowball, a multiple blind game.
STRAIGHT: Five cards in consecutive rank.
STRAIGHT FLUSH: Five cards in consecutive rank of the same suit.
STREET: Cards dealt on a particular round in stud games. For instance, the fourth card in a player�s hand is often known as fourth street, the sixth card as sixth street, and so on.
STRING RAISE: A bet made in more than one motion, without the declaration of a raise (not allowed).
STUB: The portion of the deck which has not been dealt.
SUPERVISOR: A cardroom employee qualified to make rulings, such as a floorperson, shift supervisor, or the cardroom manager.
Suited : Cards are of the same suit.
TABLE STAKES: (1) The amount of money you have on the table. This is the maximum amount that you can lose or that anyone can win from you on any one hand. (
2) The requirement that players can wager only the money in front of them at the start of a hand, and can only buy more chips between hands.
Tight : Playing fewer hands than normal. Tight game - A game with less players than normal in fewer hands.
�TIME�: An expression used to stop the action on a hand. Equivalent to �Hold it.�
TIME COLLECTION: A fee for a seat rental, paid in advance.
Top Pair : Pairing the highest card on the board.
TOURNAMENT: A poker competition, normally with an entry fee and prizes.
Turn : The fourth card dealt on the board during community card games.
TURNCARD: The fourth street card in hold'em or Omaha.
UPCARDS: Cards that are dealt faceup for opponents to see in stud games.
WAGER: (1) To bet or raise.
(2) The chips used for betting or raising.
Weak : One who folds too many hands.

Bad Poker Players

Schooling is a belittling term used to describe what loose poker players do as a defense mechanism. (Sheep flock; fish school.) If a pot is fairly small on the turn in Holdem, and the player with the best hand bets, any single player with a only gutshot draw will be making a significant mistake by calling. But now suppose several other people call too, with different gutshot draws. Because these other players are playing bad also, now the pot has grown to the point where the gutshot draws are getting better pot odds on their calls. These bad calls "school" together and miraculously become not-so-bad calls!Schooling is part of the reason many reasonable players complain that they are unable to beat loose games. Everybody going to the river, sucking out every possible draw, how can a sensible player make a hand "hold up" and beat such a game? Well, it’s not hard really. A winning player merely wins money differently (and with higher variance) in these games. Schooling is actually profitable to good, winning players, but it does take a little analysis to see why. One column can't do justice to this topic, but maybe an example will help some people start having the right idea on how to view schooling.

Suppose you are playing $10/20 Holdem. In the big blind you have A9 (suits don’t matter here). Six people limp in, you check. The flop is AT5. Not so great, but you bet to see what happens. All six of your opponents call. Uh-oh, you start thinking about checking and mucking on the turn. But the turn card miraculously comes another Ace! You bet $20 into the $140 pot.Via the magic of being able to make this stuff up, it turns out our six opponents have KQ, KJ, QJ, 43, 42, and 32. Of the 34 possible remaining cards in the deck, only 2 make a winner for each individual opponent. That’s 16-1 against them. When it comes to the first player, let’s say the KQ, he has to put in $20 at $160. He’s only getting 8-to-1 on a 16-to-1 draw. Bad call. But now as each subsequent player also calls, when it gets around to the 32, he has to put in $20 at a $260 pot. He’s getting 13-to-1 on his 16-to-1 draw. His call is not nearly so bad as the KQ’s call! That’s schooling, but the schooling of the other players has now also turned the KQ’s call into not nearly so bad a call -- likewise for all the other players.But we don’t care about them, we care about our A9. If everybody had folded when we bet the turn, we get the $140. After 100 times, we’d be $14,000 ahead. But now what about when they all call? It turns out that A9 will end up winning about 65% of the time. So, after a hundred times, 65 times we get another $120 (six turn calls of $20 each), assuming nobody ever tries to bluff or calls a bet by us on the river. The 35% of the time we lose, we lose our $20 turn bet, plus any action on the river. Just to pick some numbers, I suggest we lose one bet on the river 50% of the time (when the river card is a king, queen or jack) and two bets the other 50% of the time (when the river card comes a four, three or deuce). So we lose an average of $30 on the river -- $50 total that 35% of the time the school draws out on us. What this works out to be is a decent extra profit per hand for the A9. The schooling helped our opponents, but it is still more profitable for us for them all to call -- to the tune of about $11.50 a hand. (65 wins of $260 = $16,900. 35 losses of $50 = $1750. Total profit = $15,150, or $1150 more than the $14,000. Also note that the 35 times we lose, we lose the $20 we invested in the pot to that point, or $700. However, that is not what we are analyzing here. We are looking at our situation on the turn. That $20 is already in the pot. It isn’t ours anymore. The before the flop action and flop calls by the other players have their own schooling ramifications.)Now some people might prefer getting the $14,000 profit after 100 incidents of hands like this with everybody folding when our A9 bets the turn -- zero variance, win 100% of the time. It is about $1150 more profitable though for the A9 to live with the variance of having everybody calling. Most important, the fact that all these folks are calling/schooling is not a dramatically bad thing. A good player playing properly will do just fine against schooling opponents.But it’s not that simple. If we change the 43 and 42 to 77 and 66, now we are going to win only 59% of the time, with that other 6% (the difference between our 65% and 59%) of the wins going to the 32. The 32 now snares a bunch of the profit in the hand, to the point that we would prefer that everybody would fold, and we just take the $140 each time. However, the A9 is still making money from people playing poorly by calling the turn bet, it just so happens that sometimes the main beneficiary of schooling is the best draw out there (the 32), not the best hand. Sometimes the second best hand benefits the most (in this case the 32 goes from a losing hand to a profitable one when everybody else calls), it all depends on the actual hands and how good their draws are, and how strong the best/most-likely-to-win hand is.Schooling games give good players two main ways to win -- by either playing the best made hand or the best draw. There is more money to be made overall, but you have to make sure your game adapts to get the profit from both these ways.You beat a schooling game the same way you beat any other game -- play smart, appropriate poker.

Making a Bluff Happen

Due to the loose nature of most California middle-limit hold'em games, bluffing requires a very skillful approach in order to consistently succeed. As we all know, you don't have to succeed every time to show a long-term profit, but you should aim to succeed every time nonetheless. The key to achieving success is thoroughly understanding how your opponent is reading the situation. In other words, you must act in a way that makes clear sense to him that you have the best hand. Sometimes you'll think you did everything perfectly, but he will still call you down with a marginal hand. Well, you didn't do everything perfectly. You may have neglected some detail, your timing might have been off, your image might have affected his decision, or you just may have chosen the wrong guy to bluff.
Your action should be believable in order for your opponent to muck if he holds something decent.
Let's look at a realistic example: An older guy who we know is fairly conservative, straightforward, and easy to read raises from middle position. His raise means he has either tens or a bigger pair, or two big cards including an ace, 90 percent of the time. He gets one call from the button, a strong but break-even player who plays a tight-aggressive style but still lacks true understanding of how to deal with "situations." You call from the big blind with 3-3, making it threehanded. The flop is K-9-5 with two diamonds, and it is checked around. You check the turn after a deuce falls, putting a second club on board. The older guy now bets, and the button mucks. Well, he might have checked his pocket pair, fearing the king on the flop. Or, he might have a big-card hand like the A Q and is trying a semibluff steal. Here you are in a decent spot to go for the check-raise bluff. At this point, develop the habit of creating a hand for yourself. You want your action to be believable in order for the guy to muck if he holds something decent. Most middle-limit players will not easily release big pairs, especially when heads up with a raggedy flop.
So, let's pretend that your (bluff) hand is K-9, for top two pair, instead of 3-3. You must have the courage to follow through on your bluff with one critical disclaimer. Before you bet out on the river, recall how you would really act if a scary card falls on the end and you hold top two pair. Have your chips ready in order to avoid fumbling, but consider this: The older guy called your check-raise, so he has something. This one step of forethought will elevate your game to another level.
If an ace, queen, jack, 10, or a third club falls (I wouldn't worry about a third diamond, because if he held two big diamonds, I believe he would have bet out on the flop), watch the guy's demeanor, but seriously consider checking and folding if he bets. Your opponent bet out on the turn and called a check-raise. You need to understand how this affects your action on the river.
If you fling your chips in recklessly without considering the river card, the older guy may get suspicious. The time to "bet in the dark" is when you hold a near lock and hope the guy calls you down to keep you honest. Remember that when you check-raised, the board was somewhat disconnected. What might he be putting you on? On this occasion, you should wait patiently. Let the card sink in. Let the older guy see you figuring out if the river card may have killed your hand. This hesitation can often seal the bluff in your favor, because all of your actions will support a genuine hand.
Let's look at a few river cards and how I might proceed:
For any ace except the A, I'm going to be looking for a tell. If he has the A Q or the A J, or even the A 10 (which is very possible in these games), he is almost certain to call. He called your raise on the turn, looking for help, and an ace is plenty of help in his mind. If his body language says he's calling after an ace falls, I'm going to check and muck if he bets. I can save face by verbally commenting on how he rivered my king as I express mild frustration, then muck and not lose valuable image points by exposing the bluff. Plus, I save a bet.
But if the A falls on the river, there is a strong chance that it is the one card that scares him the most. How? Well, the fact that it's now on the board means it's not in his hand, which means he's not holding two big clubs including the A, so he probably has some decent pocket pair, and the flush card/second overcard makes a call for him even tougher. I bet! Keep in mind, this isn't the type of player who comes in raising with Q-J suited or Q-10 suited from early position.
If any queen, jack, or 10 falls, I again want to look for a tell. The question I am asking is, "What does he want me to do?" If the river gives him a set, he wants me to bet, so he can raise. If the river brings him no help, he wants me to check it down and hopes for the best in the showdown. Begin to develop the sensitivity to read the energetics of the situation. Trust your instincts in order for this skill to improve. If I decide to bet, I will likely muck if raised. If I check and he checks, I'll try to induce him to show his hand first. Lots of players will verbally announce, "One pair," hoping their opponent just goes ahead and flips his cards up. The way you played the hand should be a mystery to the other players. Show it only if you absolutely have to.
If any king or 9 falls (though hopefully not a club), I'll act as though I have the full house and will bet quickly. If it's a club and the guy raises, I'll muck confidently; he is not bluffing.
If any other card that pairs the board falls, I'll bet, representing that I filled up. The board pairing will further weaken his hand in his mind. Remember, though, good players realize that a card that pairs the board can counterfeit their opponent's two small pair, and you may get called as a result.
If any rag (including diamonds) other than a club falls, I'll bet. If a diamond falls and this guy has played a lot, he will have seen the semibluff raise enough times to possibly believe that I now have my flush. Plus, if he doesn't have the flush, he will feel his hand has weakened. If he raises my river bet after a diamond falls, this is the only instance in which I might go for the bluff reraise, since I believe there is a chance he is trying to run me off my hand.
As a closing note, your likelihood of pulling off the bluff is only partially dependent on following a consistent course of action that reinforces that you hold what you are representing. I recommend remaining calm and meeting his stare if he looks at you. Avoid tactics like reaching for your cards to "expose the winner" or "acting strong." Of most importance, though, is what you have shown down thus far in that particular session. That is why it is so important in the middle-limit hold'em games in California not to bluff carelessly or frequently, and to rarely show bluffs that have succeeded or failed. If you believe a successful bluff is a strong possibility, put your heart into it and make it happen.

Dont Get caught in a Tilt

If you hit a pinball machine too hard, a sign flashes "Tilt," and the machine stops working. When a poker player gets hit by too much stress, the effects can be almost as visible and much more destructive. If you tilt a pinball machine, you lose a little pleasure. If you go on tilt in poker, you can blow your bankroll or, if it is too extreme or lasts too long, even lose your home or business. Because luck has such huge short-term effects, you can go on tilt without losing any money this time, and you might not even realize that you're off balance. However, since the danger is so great, you must constantly watch out for it.
Most of us have experienced brief periods of tilt, and some players have lost control for weeks, even moving to larger games or switching to the craps tables, trying desperately to get even. Since tilt is so common and destructive, this four-part series will cover all the major issues:
I. Avoiding it
II. Creating it
III. Exploiting it
IV. Coping with it
The series starts and ends by discussing ourselves, while the middle two parts focus on other people. Of course, we profit when other people go on tilt, but avoiding it or coping with our own emotions is much more important. We can gain a little from another person's foolishness, but if we go on tilt and stay there, we can lose a great deal.
Definition
"Tilt" means that someone is playing very differently and much more poorly than usual, and most people use the term only for playing too many hands too aggressively. If someone is always wildly aggressive, he's not on tilt. He's just playing in his usual, maniacal way.
I'll use a broader definition: "Tilt" means someone is making plays for emotional reasons that he would not normally make. Wild aggression is just its most visible form. Another form is to become so upset, frightened, or convinced you can't win that you "play scared." You might fold good draws with pot odds or not raise with pocket kings. Your play deteriorates so much that the "I can't win" belief becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. This form of tilt is less dramatic and noticeable than wild aggression, but it can be equally destructive. Perhaps you won't have such dramatic short-term losses, but because it is harder to recognize, this form of tilt can last much longer, slowly destroying your bankroll.
Avoiding is Much Better Than Coping
Of course, you must learn how to cope with tilt, but avoiding it is much better. Good professionals emphasize preventing problems more than solving them. Good dentists tell us to brush and floss. Good doctors recommend diet and exercise. Good lawyers try to keep us out of court. Exactly the same principle applies here: If you wait until you're on tilt before taking corrective action, some of the damage will have already been done, and your problems will be MUCH harder to solve. So, stop tilt before it starts.
Knowledge is Your First Line of Defense
The first step is to acquire two types of knowledge. First, you need to understand poker thoroughly. Mason Malmuth once wrote: "Emotional control is … aided by a thorough understanding of how the game should be played." Without that understanding, you may overreact to events that would not severely upset a more informed player. For example, I've read many threads on twoplustwo.com's forums stating that someone went on tilt because he played well but was beaten by bad luck and stupidity. Yet, the poster's own words clearly reveal that he played badly and deserved to lose.
Or, take bad-beat stories. Many of them show that the storyteller doesn't understand the most basic element of poker, the odds. You probably have seen people bitterly complain that they raised with A-Q suited and were called and beaten by an "idiot" with K-2 offsuit. They seem to believe that their hand should never lose, but it's really only about a 2-to-1 favorite, meaning it will lose about one-third of the time. In many situations, the "idiot" would have been absolutely right to call.
If you don't believe me, go to cardplayer.com and use the "Poker Odds Calculator for Hold'em." You may be very surprised at how different the odds are from what you believe. And if you don't understand the odds, you can easily overreact to predictable losses.
The second kind of knowledge can come only from detailed, accurate records of your own results. If you're a long-term winner, these records will show that the bad beat you just took or tonight's "huge" loss is trivial, a tiny fraction of your total profits. Even if you're a long-term loser, good records will show that tonight's loss isn't that important. That's why so many experts recommend treating tonight as just part of one continuous poker game. When you put a bad beat or tonight's loss into a larger context, you're much less likely to overreact.
Identify Your "Triggers"
Although a solid foundation of knowledge is essential, it is not enough. By definition, tilt is an emotional overreaction, and emotions obey their own, partly irrational rules. We all have done stupid things for emotional reasons, and we should understand the factors that trigger emotional reactions.
The three most common triggers are alcohol, bad beats, and losing too much money tonight. Alcohol is particularly dangerous because people often think they can "handle it," even when its effects are obvious to others. The same illogical thinking that makes so many drunk people drive makes them believe, "I can play better drunk than they can play sober." Other triggers include playing for larger stakes than usual, being "card dead" for hours, obnoxious people, being hungry and/or tired, inept dealers, software problems and bad connections (for online players), and even loud noise or sitting next to an inconsiderate smoker - anything that upsets you. By themselves, none of them may have much effect, but several of them combined can destroy your balance.
Triggers are individualistic, and yours may be quite different from mine. You might not even notice things that really bother me, and vice versa. You should therefore remember what caused past tilts, and then avoid as many triggers as possible. Of course, you can't avoid bad beats, inept dealers, and some other triggers, but you can avoid alcohol, large losses, and many others.
For example, nearly all of us have a "psychological bankroll," the amount we can lose without getting severely upset. It is almost always much smaller than our financial bankroll. You might have a $5,000 bankroll, but get very upset by a $300 loss. If you don't recognize and stay well within your psychological limits, one bad beat can put you on tilt. You might decide to buy more chips than your usual limit because you've "got to get even." Once you start thinking that way, you can lose control, keep buying more chips, go to the ATM, perhaps blow your entire bankroll, and then borrow money. It has happened countless times.
Think About Triggers Before You Start Playing
Some triggers have nothing to do with poker. Problems at home or work, backaches, financial pressures, or anything that troubles you will increase your vulnerability. For example, if you had a bad day at work, argued with your spouse, and have a headache, don't play poker "to relax." Instead of relaxing, you could easily become even more tense and play badly; once you do that, it's just a small step to going on tilt and losing lots of money.
Monitor Yourself
You should constantly monitor both your play and your emotional state. Ask yourself again and again: "How well am I playing?" "Why did I make that last play?" "Am I angry, confused, sleepy, eager for revenge?" "Am I feeling the effects of alcohol?" Many people have taken huge losses because they did not realize how much their drinking or other factors had affected them.
There are lots of similar questions, but most people don't ask or answer them. The poker culture is extremely anti-introspective. We'd rather focus on how other people think, feel, and act than seriously analyze ourselves. In fact, your opponents will often see that you are on tilt or approaching it long before you do.
When in Doubt, Quit
A later column will focus on what to do when you are clearly on tilt, but don't wait until you are sure you're on it. If you see signs that your play is deteriorating, and/or you're getting upset, go home. I cannot count the number of times that people - including me - have ignored that advice. We may recognize the signs but stay because we won't admit that we're not playing our "A-game." Or, we may think, "Perhaps I'm not playing my best, but this game is too good to leave." Sometimes we may say it even when the game is too tough for us. We're so off balance that we can't assess ourselves or the competition.
You may think I'm being too conservative, but we've all seen players who are on tilt lose serious money in wonderful, average, and terrible games. There will always be another poker game, but if you go on tilt and blow your bankroll, you won't be playing in it.

Beginner Lessons

The great thing about Texas Holdem Poker is that it is easy to learn. Even a beginner can quickly develop into a winning player. By following a sound strategy and playing the best starting hands a Texas Holdem Poker newbie can dramatically shorten the learning curve. So what are the best hands that a beginner should play?
The best hands for a beginner to play are Ace-Ace, King-King, Queen-Queen, Jack-Jack, Ace-King suited (example – Ace of clubs & King of clubs).
I strongly recommend that you only play these starting hands as a beginner. In other words, if you are dealt a hand other than one of the above then fold!
Folding is one of the most difficult decisions for a Texas Holdem Poker beginner to do. The mindset of most Texas Holdem Poker beginners is to hang around and see the flop in the hopes of hitting it just right and improving a hand.
While a beginner will hit the flop and improve their hand occasionally, more often than not they will miss it. The Texas Holdem Poker beginner player that plays poor starting hands will end up throwing more money away than they will win.
When you are dealt one of the best starting hands I recommend raising the pot which will serve two purposes. First, it will force players with weak hands to fold instead of allowing them to stay in the game and see the flop for free.
Secondly, by seeing who raises and calls you get to see who feels that they have a good hand and who may be trying to hang in for the flop.
When the flop is dealt you should look carefully to see if you have improved your hand. Even if you have not improved your hand, because you started out with one of the better hands you may still have the best hand. This is especially true if your starting hand was a pair of aces or kings.
If your opponents raise back this can be a strong signal that they may have a powerful hand. Ask yourself, “What could my opponent have?” “Could they have improved their hand?”
Ask yourself these questions after each round of cards are dealt and try to “read” your opponents hand.
If you have a high pair a raise after the flop can help you assess whether your opponents feel if they have a strong hand or not.
If you think you are beaten there is no shame in folding at this point.
When the turn card has been revealed, if you think that you may still have the best hand I would raise the pot so that I could obtain information about my opponents’ hands.
I would follow this same strategy on the river card.
To summarize this basic Texas Holdem Poker beginner strategy:
-stick to playing the best starting hands
-fold the bad hands
-use the power of the raise to knock out weak players and to assess the strength of your opponents hands By following this Texas Holdem Poker beginner strategy you will start out winning more hands than you lose. You will start out winning more money than you will lose.

Poker Tells

A Poker Tell is any physical reaction, behavior, or habit that gives you information about your opponent’s hand. There are some very common poker tells that you should be aware of. Being able to spot these tells will help you make good decisions at the poker table and put yourself in position to win more money.
Also, by knowing what these common poker tells are, you can avoid giving them off yourself!
The majority of players give off tells in the following manner – they act as if they have a strong hand when they actually have a weak hand. They act as if they have a weak hand when they actually have a strong hand.
Online Poker Tells
A quick bet is a sign of weakness.
A delayed action is a sign of strength. When an opponent thinks for a long time and then bets, they will usually be holding a strong hand.
If you have played in an online casino before, you may have noticed how they make it easy to act when it is your turn. This is done through the use of check boxes – “check” “fold” “raise”, or “call”.
You can tell when a player has used a check box, because they act almost immediately after the player in front of them has acted.
Use this to your advantage.
When a player has checked “raise” it should be obvious to you that they have a strong hand.
If a player uses the check box to “check” then you can probably conclude that your opponents hand is weak.
If a player uses the check box to “call”, a good assumption is that your opponent has a drawing hand.
The use of a checkbox is a good poker tell because the player has already made a decision on what they are going to do before even seeing what the other have done.
Remember to pay close attention to how your opponents act and you will be able to spot their own individual poker tells.
Poker Tells
When you first sit down at a table, study the way the players stack their chips. Although it is a generalization, loose aggressive players typically maintain sloppy stacks, while tight conservative players keep neat stacks.
Poker Tells your opponent gives off when they have a good hand.
They act disinterested in a hand that they are playing in.Here they are trying to trick you into thinking they are not happy about their cards.
Shaking Hands when placing a betOftentimes players’ hands shake when they have an excellent hand.
Sighing and ShruggingThis is typically a sure sign that your opponent is putting on an act of weakness when they have a strong hand.
Glancing at Chips After Looking at Hole CardsThis is a sign that your opponent is planning a bet.
Poker Tells your opponent gives off when they have a weak or a drawing hand
Staring If an opponent tries to stare you down they are trying to act as if they have a strong hand.
Holding BreathOften, inexperienced players will hold their breath if they are bluffing.
They Check Their Hole Cards After the FlopIf the flop shows a possible flush or straight, an opponent that checks or re-checks their hole cards is looking to see if they have hit a flush or straight. If they did hit a flush or straight they would know it and not need to check.
Taking a Long Time Before Calling a BetIf a player looks into the pot and seems to be running through some calculations they are most likely figuring out the pot odds to see if it’s worth trying to complete their hand.

Texas Holdem Poker tournaments

There are all different types of Texas Holdem Poker tournaments. These tournaments include, “Freeroll”, “Guaranteed”, “Sit ‘n’ Go” and “Satellites”. The Texas Holdem Poker tournaments that are held at online casinos can be very fun, fast paced and enjoyed by players of all levels.Freeroll TournamentsA freeroll tournament is usually a multi-table tournament with more than 10 players. Freeroll means that there are no buy-in or entry fees to play in the tournament. Some of the Texas Holdem poker freeroll tournaments do have an entry requirement that must be met before free entry is granted. Most Texas Holdem Poker rooms have daily and weekly freeroll tournaments.
Guaranteed TournamentsGuaranteed Tournaments are generally multi-table tournaments with more than 10 players. Guaranteed means that there is a Guaranteed prize pool, no matter how many entrants are in the tournament. Guaranteed tournaments have a buy-in and an entry fee. Usually the prize pool is guaranteed above the maximum number of players in the tournament, this ensures bigger prizes even if there are only a few tables competing.Some Guaranteed tournaments have "re-buys" and "add-ons". This means that if you lose all of your chips you can "re-buy" into the tournament and continue to play. Usually the re-buy is the same as the original buy-in amount.

An add-on is usually offered at the first break, in which the re-buy period ends. Add-ons give those who are short stacked a chance to add to their chips. The add-on is generally the same as the original buy-in amount. Some tournaments have "double add-on" which will give you twice as many chips as the starting chip count, but for the same cost of an original buy-in.A freezeout tournament means there are no re-buys, once you lose all of your chips, you are out of the tournament.
Sit 'n' Go TournamentsSit and Go tournaments are usually single table tournaments, but can also be multi-table.
Sit and Go tournaments have a specific buy-in and entry fee amount, which then forms the prize pool. This is split up by the winners with the top three finishers usually sharing the prize money. Some Texas Holdem Poker rooms let you create your own Sit and Go tournaments. This is a great feature that allows you to play with friends all in the comfort of your own homes. This is great if you have friends that are in different cities, countries and continents.
There are poker tournaments available for all different levels with buy-ins as low as $4 to $5 where as many as 4 or 5 of the participants finish "in the money". These are perfect for beginners. Of course there are buy-ins for those wanting to wager more and win more.

Make A KILLING At Online Poker Tournaments

“The Fastest And Easiest Way To Make A KILLING At Online Poker Tournaments”
Everyone knows the surest way to make money at online poker is by WINNING TOURNAMENTS. The reason is because you can win large multiples of your buy-in... 200%, 500%, 1000%, or even higher.
In this strategy article we'll discuss step-by-step exactly how I consistently make a "killing" at online poker by beating Sit and Go tournaments. Read on to learn this amazingly simple method...
What Is A Sit And Go?
A Sit and Go is an online poker tournament. The name "Sit and Go" comes from the fact that these games are fast-- with a clear beginning and end. Each Sit and Go has a pre-determined number of players... so once the spots are filled, the game starts.
Everyone in a Sit and Go must buy-in for the same amount of money and starts with the same number of chips.The blinds gradually go up in "levels" or "stages" until one player is left standing.
The payouts are determined before the game and are displayed when you buy-in.
How Many Players Are In A Sit And Go?
Sit and Go's can have as many as 50 players or as few as 2. It really just depends on which casino you're playing at and which type YOU CHOOSE.
A majority of Sit and Go's are single table games with 10 players. In a game like this, the top 3 finishers would place "in the money". ("Single Table Tournament" is abbreviated STT.)
For instance, let's say you want to play a $10 Sit and Go. You buy-in for $10 and pay an "entry fee" to the casino-- probably a buck. All 10 players would start with the same number of chips-- let's say 800. The blinds would start low, probably 5-10. As the game progresses, the blinds will keep increasing to force action. The buy-ins on a game like this would total $100. That money would get split between the top three finishers. First place would be $50, second place would get $30, and third place would get $20...
How Long Do Sit And Go's Last?
A 10-player Sit and Go will usually last between 30-60 minutes. Some casinos have "turbo" Sit and Go's where the blinds go up faster. Turbo games finish more quickly.
A 2-player Sit and Go-- which is really just a "heads-up" match-- will often last a FEW MINUTES before ending.
There are also Sit and Go's with 5 players, 8 players, 20 players, 30 players, and so on. (A Sit and Go with more than 10 players will be played on more than one table. These are known as "Multi-Table Tournaments", abbreviated MTT.)
No limit Texas Holdem Sit and Go's are generally faster than limit Sit And Go's... because the ability to move "all-in" gets things moving.
How Do Sit And Go's And Ring Games Differ?
The easiest way to understand the distinction is to understand that Sit and Go's are simply TOURNAMENTS. Ring games are like "cash games". Here are some of the key differences:
* You can buy-in or leave anytime during a ring game, whereas you must enter the beginning of a Sit and Go to play.
* Sit and Go's have a clear start (when everyone is ready) and end (when only one player is left). Ring games are ongoing.
* The blinds go up during Sit and Go's, so in the later stages you're forced to loosen your starting hand selection and take risks. In ring games, the blinds stay the same.
* Winning a Sit and Go requires a completely different set of strategies and techniques than winning a ring game...
Why Sit And Go's Are So Popular
Sit and Go's are HOT right now. I personally love to play Sit and Go's, because I can often make MORE money and have MORE fun than in ring games.
Playing a ring game requires "grinding it out"...
Playing a Sit and Go is an exciting battle with ups and downs-- with a "do or die" feeling to it.
And here's the best part: When you learn how to master the STRATEGIES for Sit and Go's, you can amass a FORTUNE in winnings! You can predictably and consistently log onto your computer and win tournament after tournament after tournament...
Here's why: Since Sit and Go's pay the top finishers, you don't have to place first to always make money. You obviously WANT to win first-- but it's not necessary for making a profit. I've developed a system of tactics where I shoot for first, but "hedge my bets" to settle for 2nd or 3rd as a backup plan...
How To Consistently Beat Sit And Go's
Because of their unique structure, there are SPECIFIC strategies you need to beat Sit and Go's on a consistent basis.
It's taken me YEARS to "crack the code" on this and figure it all out. But now that I have, I can easily log onto my online poker account and make money... just about every time.
It's a great feeling. And I want to share it with you.
That's why I developed Sit And Go Shark.
The concept for Sit And Go Shark is actually very simple. This easy-to-install poker software is like having your very own PERSONAL POKER COACH.
That "coach", of course, is me.
When you use Sit And Go Shark, the program shares several pieces of IMPORTANT ADVICE that you need to be thinking about at the table-- everything from your cards to blinds to positioning to pot odds and more...
The advice-- which took me over 6 MONTHS to write!-- is drawn from a HUGE DATABASE of possible combinations and factors. It runs alongside your table while you play, so it requires ZERO extra work from you.
I should also point out that online casinos don't mind if you use Sit And Go Shark. As you know, some software out there is banned and dangerous to use... and I would never, ever recommend you to any of these software programs. You can feel comfortable using anything I point you to.
Anyway, like I was saying, Sit And Go Shark is like having me sitting on your shoulder... telling you what to do each step of the way... and teaching you how to handle the situation.
You'll get two main benefits from using it:
1. You'll win more (a LOT more) money simply by following the advice.
2. You'll learn more (a LOT more) about the game of Texas Holdem. You'll even do better at offline tournaments and ring games, even though you won't have the tool in front of you.
Pretty cool, huh?
OK, so that's Sit And Go Shark in a nutshell. To get started now and check out the website, just click the link below:
CLICK HERE

Guide to Internet Poker

The number of players playing online poker constantly grows, as does the number of cardrooms. Yet online poker is still at best an adolescent in terms of the number of players playing and cardroom technology. More importantly, strategy for online poker is still in its childhood. This Guide is the first of its kind, my attempt to fill a gaping void in poker literature. This Guide is geared both for players who have never played a hand online as well as those with experience who want to learn to play better -- to win, or win more. Experienced users can skip some of the basics, but even in discussions of the basics I hope experienced users find some valuable ideas. Also, many of the linked pages below offer other information that should contribute to helping you win.Since little has been written specifically on how to beat online games, why am I? Why give away "secrets"? First, I want to encourage more and more people to enjoy poker in all its forms. Some new players, too far away or too intimidated to walk into a conventional cardroom, will be glad to start out in a relatively unthreatening online environment. Online free games represent the best opportunity ever for new players to learn the game. Many of these players will naturally go on to also play in casinos, so this Guide should benefit brick & mortar clubs as well as online card rooms.
Second, this site has online poker cardrooms as paid advertisers, making it in my interest to create more customers for them, which in turn attracts more ad dollars. Readers should understand that I do get a benefit from writing this Guide. I'm not paid by publishers or by readers but I get compensation indirectly via advertising. So, if you find this information helpful or thought provoking, I hope you will consider patronizing my advertisers. If they get customers, they'll pay me, and thus the online-focused pages on this website will continue to be revised and grow over time -- grow with the new technology, new cardrooms and influx of new players.Online cardrooms differ in small ways, but are similar in big ways. Players should easily be able to recognize small differences between the sites when they encounter them, so almost all the concepts apply to any online cardroom.The first thing to understand is that online poker is not the same as brick & mortar casino poker (hereafter I'll call this "casino poker"). They are different games. I’m not saying one is better than the other, or necessarily more or less profitable. They are just different in fundamental ways. Many of the abilities needed to win in casino poker of course also exist in online poker. You still need good starting cards... you still shouldn't tilt... you still shouldn't play at a level you can't afford, and so on. I'm not going to reinvent the wheel on that stuff. Check out the rest of this website, the poker magazines and books to study those things that are the same online as in a casino. A flush beats a straight online. We don't need to go over that.Signing UpJoining an online site is simple. You use an online payment service like Neteller (see below) or give them your credit card to buy chips just like you would buy a book at Amazon or a plane ticket at United Airlines. You don't even have to do that at first. You can play free games without giving any credit card information. You should play the free games for at least an hour or so to get the hang of how fast the action goes, what buttons to click, what happens when you click a button that you aren't sure what it does, all the bells and whistles of how the site works. The free games have little value in learning to play to win though. They are excellent for a total novice, offering newbies a way to practice calculating basic odds on the fly and discovering the relative strengths of hands, but you still should get off free games as soon as you can. Even playing the .5/.10 games will offer you far more useful learning opportunities than the free games.Give thought to your login name. Some people want to be distinctive, memorable. Others want to be as anonymous as possible. Your screen name is the first bit of "table image" you present to the other players. Choose one that presents the personality you want to convey to your opponents.Building an Online Poker BankrollThe first enormous difference you confront between playing online and in a casino is when you go to buy chips (you can also send a bank draft or do wire transfers). Some card rooms limit you to $600 a day and $1500 a week in purchases. Since they offer $20/40 as a limit, this restriction seems ludicrous. No sensible person can play $20/40 with a $600 bankroll. The first day I played, playing $10/20, I lost my first two hands and was down $200. Clearly I could not play optimally, taking the normal swings involved when playing a sensible strategy. If I lost my remaining $400, I was simply done for the day. Winning ring game poker is all about putting in hours. If all games are about equal, and you always play the same winning way, the more you play, the more you make. So, putting yourself out of action by losing your bankroll is a critical mistake.In casino poker, you can reach into your pocket and grab more cash (for good or ill). Not so online. The first thing you need to do is build an online bankroll. No matter if you are properly bankrolled to play $40/80 in a casino, when you first join, you should avoid playing anything higher than $5/10 for 48 hours. (This also makes sense just to get used to the technology.) If you want to play bigger than $5/10, charge up $600 the first day, then $600 twenty-four hours later (even if you don't play), then $300 the next day. Now with a $1500 bankroll you can carefully play $10/20 -- at least as long as you stay above $500. If you sink that low, it is important to again play smaller, even $3/6 or $2/4, until a week passes and you can again add another $1500 to your bankroll. Basically, you can't play correctly online until you have accumulated a correct bankroll.A quicker way to build you bankroll at most online poker rooms is to transfer funds from an existing player. Obviously none of the above applies if you have a friend who can just transfer you $10,000.The online cardrooms have their reasons for limiting buy-ins, from protecting players from blowing their brains out in one session to not wanting to deal with substantial contested credit card charges. While these are legitimate concerns on the cardrooms' part, the restricted buy-in is an artificial obstacle to winning that has to be overcome by new players. After establishing a record of play over a period of time, players can Email customer support for an increase in the different bankroll restrictions.The current best deposit and withdrawal choice available for non-US players is through Neteller. Its website details convenient ways to get paid, including direct deposit into your checking account. Even though it might seem complicated at first, Neteller is an easy way to promptly and securely move money around online, and into your pocket.Cashing Out and Your Internet BankrollAnother artificial problem the online cardrooms create out of necessity involves cashing out. Suppose you have carefully charged up a $1500 bankroll, and you have won $800 in a week. Not bad. You want that $800 in your pocket and you want to make another similar amount the next week. Well, you can't do it. The cash out rules require you to first pay back your original deposit method, and then get sent your profit. So, to get your $800, you have to pay off that $1500 you sensibly charged up, leaving you with a zero bankroll. It's a bit complicated, but in essence, cardrooms require winning players to play on their profits, not on their credit cards.So, if you don't have a friend to fund your account via a transfer, the process you need to do is: play carefully at a moderate limit until you have been able to charge up an adequate bankroll, play at your chosen limit, pay off your original deposit as you win amounts above that adequate bankroll figure, then finally cash out your profits that exceed your chosen bankroll. For example, you want to play $20/40. You buy $1500 your first week, and win a few hundred dollars playing $5/10, $8/16 and $10/20. The second week you charge an additional $500, (in this example, if the cardroom has a $2000 monthly maximum) so now your bankroll stands at $2400, and you begin playing $15/30. As you continue to win, you pay off your original deposit method to the level that you always have a $3000 bankroll (or perhaps a $2000 bankroll with your entire weekly $1500 worth of charges available to you). Finally, on a weekly basis you cash out your winnings that exceed your $3000 bankroll.I don’t mean this to be taken exactly literally, but it should be clear that much more so than in casino poker, you need to manage your bankroll online. Leaving some liquid cash on Neteller is a good idea too so you can be sure to take advantage of any deposit bonuses a cardroom might be offering. You have to adapt and work around the cardroom restrictions. Being in action every day at the limit you want to play at is how you maximize profits, and online it takes some strategic planning to accomplish this.

Adjust your strategy!

A few Card Player issues back, Roy Cooke wrote a fine column about how poker differs from blackjack in that rigid rules are normally not applicable. He looked at it mostly from a tactical decisionmaking angle, but this idea is also important to understand when thinking about our overall strategic approaches to the game.In the tournament world, some casinos now use Tex's TEARS structure. TEARS is a computer program that adapts limit increases to the number of players and the length of time a casino (and theoretically the players) wants a tournament to run. It can be used to make earlier limits shorter and later limits longer, or other innovative ideas, but to date it mostly has not been used this creatively. Mostly it has been used in its most basic application -- smoothing limit increases and having tournaments run an approximate length that is known before the event starts.
Another article could be written as to whether this is good or bad (for the record, I think it is mostly good, but I would like to see tournament directors start incorporating the idea of increasing time-limits once the point of the final three tables is reached). The point here is that a TEARS tournament requires a different strategic approach than an “old” structure where the limits increase at a faster pace (and the length of an event can vary a lot based on how many entrants sign up).There has been some criticism of TEARS where it is alleged that it disfavors “good” players by adding more play at the beginning of an event, while lessening play at the two and three table point. This is pure nonsense. What TEARS does is simply make it necessary for “good” players to adapt to a different structure. After all, that is precisely what good players do -- adapt!If a result of TEARS is that stacks are more even when players get to three tables -- that is, unlike the “old” structures, with TEARS there are seldom huge stacks mixed with puny nubs, instead more people have middling stacks -- then if you are a good player you need to understand that each decision at this stage is far more critical for all players than would commonly be the case the old way. And, when individual decisions become more important, good players have an even greater edge. Skill comes into play here just as surely as when stack sizes vary much more. It’s just a different sort of skill that is called for now. If you are “good”, adapt. If you can’t adapt, you really aren’t that “good” after all.Some tournament players are successful by having a personal strategy that just happens to be pretty well suited to the old style of tournaments -- deliberately try to “get lucky” and accumulate a lot of chips in the early rounds, bully with a big stack in the later ones. If these players don’t think about how TEARS differs from the old way, they will no longer be successful. They won’t be playing an effective strategy. This doesn’t mean that "good" players are being punished by the TEARS structure -- far from it. Good players think on their feet and play sensibly based on the specific circumstances they face. Good players always find the right way to play.If you are first under the gun and choose to limp-reraise with AA in a Holdem game, you need to understand that you will face different sorts of opponents than you would if you open-raised. The limp-reraiser will face more opponents with hands like 98s, while the open-raiser should expect opponents to have hands like 99. The point here is not to say which way is better, but merely to show that the same hand in the same position can face very different tactical challenges depending on how you strategically approach the game. If you like to trap people, then expect to face speculative hands like suited connectors. If you like to come out blazing, then expect to face more obvious hands like big cards and pocket pairs.Profit from poker can come from several styles, strategies and approaches. There is no one, single way to play every hand or every game every time. Analyze the game or situation you face, adapt and adjust to it, then go get the money.

how to use texas calculatem effectively

AbbreviationsPO = Pot Odds - you'll need to calculate these yourself.OTW = Odds To Win - this is the estimated provided by Texas Calculatem.MBO = Maximum Bet Odds. This figure is equal to the number of opponents active in the current hand.
Pre-FlopIf Texas Calculatem tells you to fold then you should generally fold pre-flop.However, if you are in the small blind position and the pot odds are greater than your OTW (Odds to Win) then you should consider calling. This is because the small blind does not have to pay as much to call.If Texas Calculatem's advice is to call unraised then you should- raise if no one has raised.- call if someone has raised.If Texas Calculatem gives any other advice then the settings are tight enough for you to keep on re-raising pre-flop.
Post-FlopFor post-flop play, I prefer to use a combination of Texas Calculatem's OTW estimate and the Pot Odds. This strategy has given me superior results as it is less vulnerable to aggression and bluff raises.
Concise StrategyTo decide what to do, work your way down the list below until a condition is met.If MBO / 4 >= OTW then raise (or bet if it's been checked to you).If PO / 2 >= OTW then bet (or call if it's been bet or raised to you)If PO >= OTW then check (or call if it's been bet or raised to you)If none of the above conditions are met then fold.
ExplanationThe strategy raises if the odds are significantly in favour of the player, but only calls if the bet is still profitable. Assuming that Texas Calculatem's estimates are accurate, this is simply a straight forward statistical arbitrage strategy, applied to the game of Poker.

Bluffing 101

"You can fool some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time." - Abraham Lincoln
One element of poker is deception. Bluffing is the quintessential trick in poker. Of course, the reasoning for a bluff is to deceive the other players into thinking you have a better hand when you actually do not. For a bluff to work, you need the other players to think you actually have that better hand. Many beginning poker players love this idea of bluffing and often misuse it. The value of the bluff increases under certain general circumstances that often have a lot to do with information you assume about the other players. This vagueness makes it difficult to give definitive reasons or places to bluff. Some less generalized times to bluff and some advice are given below. The bottom of the page gives some more ideas and perspectives on deception in poker.
Some typical reasons to bluff...
A. When there aren't many other players in a pot.
Simply put, it's easier to trick a couple people than a crowd. With fewer hands out there, chances are better that no one has made a reasonable hand. This is fairly common though, so many players won't believe you. Some will stay in the hand just to "keep you honest", so sometimes this needs to be a persistent bluff over a period of two or three betting rounds. That can be costly if they don't fall for it. You need to know the players before you use this type of bluff.
B. When you're up against fairly tight players.
Those that tend to fold easily are the biggest targets of a bluff. Bets will be put out just as a form of information gathering on this player's hand. If you bluff early (pre-flop, flop) against a very tight player and they don't buckle, you should think twice about trying it again on a future round. They have something. Your job is to determine whether they have a made or drawing hand. Once again, you need to know the players.
C. On the river.
Especially if apparent drawing hands missed. That's when players react to rule #1 "the moment you know you can't win, throw in your cards". It is often a good idea to bluff with a weak hand, like ace-high or lowest pair with these kinds of bluffs, because some players will stay in just because of pot odds. If you do that, it is actually semi-bluffing (see the bottom of the page).
D. You're in late position and everyone else checked.
This one you'll have to gauge for yourself. It will most likely force some players out, but not all. This is a pretty common bluff once again, and many players will stay in just because of bet odds, and/or to once again "keep you honest". This is another example of a bluff that needs to be more persistent over a couple betting rounds.
E. You bet pre-flop and missed.
That's because they don't know you missed! This can be dangerous, and you really have to evaluate to board before you get into this one. Sometimes it's good to bluff when AK misses, sometimes when 99 misses. You have to really feel this one out.
F. You have given other players "the fear".
It's about how other players perceive you. If you just won a hand through good play, the players who say "nice hand" are the ones who now respect you. They will more likely fold to your bluff if you play it right. The trick is to play the hand exactly the same way you played the other winning hand. Give it the "here we go again" act.
G. When the flop isn't so great.
Some players will fold automatically if all they have is an overcard. With a rainbow flop of 2, 6, 9, not many players will have much. This is another example of a bluff that can go horribly awry. I wouldn't be too persistent in this case, unless only more low cards pop up. Once again, know your players.
H. Pre-flop on the button, and everyone else has folded.
This is usually best used with tight players to your left. Its good because it can change from a bluff to a deceptively good hand with luck and the right flop.
I. When there is a pair on the board.
This is especially useful when the pair is 88 or lower. Chances are that these cards might have been folded or are still in the deck. This is one situation where you want to evaluate the hand very carefully if they do call though. This is a great situation to read the tells of the players who are NOT involved in the game. It's much easier to give away the fact that you HAD a card than if you HAVE it.
Keep in mind that these are pretty common reasons to bluff. Many players know these reasons. Most of the time it just won't work. The main thing is always to know your players and to not do it so often that it never works.There's some great books about bluffing out there. We suggest reading as much as you can about it, as it's one of the most misunderstood aspects of poker.
Other bluffing topics...

Preflop strategy

Before you start betting like a madman when you get two eights in the pocket, you need to carefully consider all factors involved in solid pre-flop strategy.
The factors to consider are the number of players, how aggressive/passive the players at the table are, your bankroll, your position, and how much risk you are willing to entail.
Number of players: With 10 people in the game, it's much more likely that someone else has a strong hand in the pocket than in a short-handed game. Also, you'll need to be more cautious in larger games, as the chances of someone's pre-flop hand fitting the flop will be much better. More competition means stiffer competition.
How aggressive the players are: Assuming you've been playing with a few people for several hands, and you noticed some jackass is raising every hand pre-flop, you'll want to play tighter. Let the guy win the blinds (big deal) and nail him to the wall when you have a solid hand in the pocket pre-flop.
Your bankroll: If you have $2 left, you'll want to play extremely carefully and select one hand to bet on, hoping to get as many players involved as possible for a larger pot. You'll want to be all-in before the flop is dealt. On the flip-side, if you have $1000 at a $1/$2 table, you can take the high-risk, high-payout bets.
Your position: People in late position have the ability to influence the size of the pot much more than those in early position. This is especially true pre-flop. (see our page on position for more info)
Your tolerence for risk: Depending on your playing style, you may want to play more or less aggressively pre-flop. Players who shoot for larger pots, but don't mind a greater chance for losing a few hands will want to raise pre-flop, especially if they are in late position. Some players prefer to be as selective as possible pre-flop, grinding out a winning hand here or there. It really depends on your own style of play, and how you perceive the players around you.
You might also want to consider what cards you have in your hand. Naturally, AA is the best to start with. It helps if your hand is suited or if the cards are sequential in rank like a Seven and an Eight ("connected"). It's important to understand how your two cards hold up against other combinations of cards though. I good discussion of preflop hands can be found on our preflop hand comparison page. For specific statistics on how your two specific cards interact with the flop, try our preflop calculator.

Make Money at Online holdem!

"How To Use An Odds Calculator To Win More Money At Online Poker..."
Do you use a poker odds calculator?
I sure hope so. Odds calculators are a CRUCIAL part of winning money at online poker. Here are a just a few ways an odds calculator can QUICKLY and EASILY improve your game:
UNDERSTAND YOUR STARTING HAND STRENGTH...
The biggest mistake made by most card players is playing TOO MANY HANDS. For example, tell me if this thought has ever crossed your mind...
"It's worth calling the flop even though I have bad cards-- because who knows, I might catch three-of-a-kind... or two pair... or something really good!"
Every poker player has had this thought from time to time. Even the pros.
But the problem is, thinking like this will cause you to LOSE MONEY in the long run. And the reason is because of the ODDS. Even though you might make a "great hand" once in every twenty flops, those other nineteen hands will cause you to lose MORE money than you won.
But here's the thing:
The right odds calculator will show you EXACTLY how strong or weak your starting hand is... based on a PERCENTAGE and will show you the appropriate "Sklansky Starting Hand Group". What this means is you will IMMEDIATELY know how good your hand is, as soon as the cards come out.
For example, at a 10-man table pocket Aces has a hand rank of 100% and is GROUP 1. Pocket two's has a hand rank of 63.3%, which is in GROUP 7. (This is for hands to the river.)
But let's be honest... understanding how "good" those hands are is EASY. You don't need an odds calculator for that.
But let me ask you, which of THESE hands do you think has the highest "Hand Rank"?
a.) Queen-9 suitedb.) Ace-5 suitedc.) Jack-10 suitedd.) Ace-Queen offsuit
(Here's a hint... the strongest hand is NOT options "b" or "d"...)
Give up? Are you surprised that A-Q wasn't the strongest? Well, that's just ONE of the ways an odds calculator can be incredibly useful... you'll know the exact hand strength right away and can make a more educated (translation = MORE PROFITABLE) decision before the flop.
KNOW YOUR CHANCES OF HITTING AN "OUT"...
As you probably know, "outs" are cards that will help you improve your existing hand.
For example, let's say you're holding 5-6 and the flop comes out 3-4-Q. That means you need either a two or a seven to make a straight...
Since there are four two's and four seven's in the deck, you have EIGHT OUTS.
Odds calculators will show you how many outs you have at any given time... and also give you the PERCENTAGE chance you have of getting them. In addition, a REALLY good odds calculator will "break it down" by each hand...
For example, in the scenario above with the straight draw, let's say you ALSO had a spade flush draw. That means you have more than eight outs, since one more spade will help you.
Premium odds calculators will show you the exact percentage chance you have of making the straight, the exact percentage chance of making the flush, and the TOTAL percentage for the two...
This is a huge time-saver for you. Online poker is fast-paced... and it's not practical to sit there and do advanced calculations and long division while you're trying to make a decision.
PLAY YOUR POSITION MORE EFFECTIVELY...
In Texas Holdem poker, positioning is everything. You want to play MORE hands with good positioning and FEWER hands with bad positioning. It's that simple.
The odds calculator I recommend allows you to ADJUST your starting hand settings depending on where you're sitting at the table. For instance, if you're on the button (the dealer position, which is the best position to be), the program will automatically set the "Hand Rank Requirement" to 50%...
...So if you pick up a hand that has a Hand Rank LOWER than 50%, it will recommend that you fold.
But if you're UNDER THE GUN (the player to the left of the big blind, which is the worst position to be), the program will automatically set the "Hand Rank Requirement" to 85%... so the software will make "tighter" recommendations while you're in this position.
Make sense?
Now here's the real beauty of this:
IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS MORE QUICKLY...
Most poker players improve their skills over YEARS of hard work, practice, and study. This is the slow and painful way.
Using an odds calculator ACCELERATES the learning process dramatically. Here's why:
As you're playing online poker, the odds calculator will automatically compute the odds, hand strength, percentage chance on outs, and so on. You'll use this information, make better decisions, and win more money.
Then here's what will happen...
In a matter of months, you'll find yourself "knowing" the odds and hand strength WITHOUT looking at the software! It will become "natural" to you... because you'll be seeing the same types of hands so frequently.
Of course, you'll still want to use the odds software for the more advanced calculations.
But you'll be AMAZED when you sit down at the poker table with your buddies, see the flop, and then blurt out:
"He has an 19% chance of making the flush on the river."
Your friends will think you're a poker genius! Because the truth is, learning the odds ISN'T about learning the MATH... it's about SEEING and PLAYING with the numbers in front of you frequently enough.
This is how the pros do it... and this is how YOU can do it with the right tool.
GET "ODDS-BASED" RECOMMENDATIONS...
Ultimately, the point is to reach a conclusion about WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IN A GIVEN SITUATION... BASED ON THE ODDS.
You and I both know that "odds" are only a PART of the game. They may be a BIG part, but they're still just a part. There's bluffing strategies, betting patterns, and many other factors that will affect your decisions...
Now let me show you the odds calculator that I use when I play online poker. It's called "Texas Calculatem". One of the great things is that it gives you "odds-based" recommendations...
In other words, it take the outs, percentages, ratios, number of players, starting hand strength, and everything else... compile it all together... and then spit out a "decision" about what you should do.
So while you're playing online poker, this program will run near the bottom of your screen and say something like, "Check" or "Fold" or "Call Unraised Only" or "Raise and Re-Raise"... and so on.
And here's another reason why I like Texas Calculatem so much:
ADJUST YOUR PLAYING STYLE AUTOMATICALLY...
Texas Calculatem lets you adjust your "style" according to your preferences and table strategy.
For instance, let's say you're playing a 10-player Sit and Go. Well, at the beginning you want to play extremely tight because you just want to SURVIVE as the other players start knocking themselves out (after all, Sit and Go's pay out for the top three finishers, so there's no need to risk many chips in the beginning).
So what I do is set the "Pre-Flop Slider" to a very tight setting.
BUT... when you DO play a hand in the early stages of a Sit and Go, you want to play it AGGRESSIVELY. Especially if it's a really good hand like a high pocket pair. Because the reality is, there are a lot of "loose manics" at the Sit and Go's who will call anything... so you want to increase your chip stack by taking advantage of them.
So in that situation, I set the "Post-Flop Slider" to a more aggressive setting.
You see, with Texas Calculatem you can adjust each of these settings without affecting the other. And you can adjust them mid-game or any time you want (I adjust mine back to more normal levels when it gets down to six players in the Sit and Go).
Of course, it's the same way with Ring Games and other tournaments. In a four player ring game I like to play lots of starting hands and aggressively "bully" my opponents... so I adjust the sliders to the looser and more aggressive settings and "Bam!"... the program adjusts its computations automatically.
AND... get this...
Texas Calculatem instantly adjusts all of the odds and recommendations based on HOW MANY PLAYERS are at the table. In ring games people are constantly getting up, sitting out, coming in, etc... and in Sit and Go's players are continuously being eliminated. All of this makes it confusing to figure out which hands to play and how to play them.
Calculatem adjusts everything AUTOMATICALLY. You don't have to input anything, either. It "detects" everything by itself.
Speaking of detection... that's something else you need to be aware of:
DON'T BUY AN ODDS CALCULATOR WITHOUT THESE FEATURES...
There are some KEY FEATURES that make an odds calculator a very effective tool. But ironically, MOST ODDS CALCULATORS don't have these features!
For instance, most odds calculators make you "manually" type in what your cards are... what the flop cards are... and so on.
This makes no sense. After all, you can do the math faster than that!
Texas Calculatem was designed in a way that requires NONE of your time or effort. It automatically "attaches" to your poker game and detects your cards and the cards on the table (from the flop, turn, and river). You just sit back and focus on the game.
Obviously Texas Calculatem doesn't read your OPPONENTS cards, though... since that information is completely secured by the casino. (That sure would make things easier, huh?)
Another great feature that Calculatem has is called "Fold Depth". This basically uses "human logic" to make the odds computations more accurate. For instance, let's say the flop came out 7-7-3 and two players folded.
Texas Calculatem "knows" that neither of those two players folded the seven. (Duh!)
The reason this is important is because it affects all of the ADVANCED calculations from that point forward. Using the "human logic", Texas Calculatem knows a more accurate percentage of WHERE the other two sevens are... as well as all the other cards in the deck.
The result is a program that is far superior and more useful than any other on the market. In fact, I've really only "scratched the surface" of all the features that Texas Calculatem has... and all the ways it can help you win more money at online poker.
Honestly, the question isn't whether or not you need an odds calculator...
The question is: How can you afford NOT to use one?
The cold hard truth is that many of your opponents WILL be using Texas Calculatem... which gives them the IMMEDIATE ADVANTAGE at the tables.
If you're only going to play poker for "play money", then I guess it's OK. But if you're playing for REAL MONEY, then you need to download Texas Calculatem to your computer TODAY. Without it, you're just another fish.
The best part is, Texas Calculatem is FREE when you setup a new account at one of the partner poker rooms...
So click this link, setup your account, and download Texas Calculatem for FREE. You'll be winning more money at online poker within the next five minutes...
CLICK HERE
See you at the tables!