2008      Jul 6

People play poker for different reasons. For some it is about getting their hands on the money and for some it is about feeling the high by winning tournament titles. Winning poker is an art and science of playing in ways that gear towards the player either winning a title or making more money than they started out with.

For those that are interested in playing winning poker, here are some tips to help you by:
The table where you sit down to play should be chosen wisely. Check who the other players are and also first check what the “average pot” is, which you can find by clicking on the average tab button that is located somewhere. This tab will give an idea of what the other players are betting per pot. The high average pot tables are full of players that have lots of money to play and at these tables; there is also the possibility of winning big pots.

It helps to know that it is not only the amateurs that play online but even poker pros. They play online because they can play at more than one table and make plenty of money in the process. It is amazing to watch them win game after game and this provides a much needed learning experience for the beginners.

The best part of online poker is the fact that there is also software available that tells players what their odds of winning are. While pros do not need any such software, it helps the beginners a great deal. The percentage of losing poker players is said to be about 95%. This is shocking but it is a fact. All the losers are not beginners or amateurs, even experienced players keep losing online. The reason behind this is the fact that they do not follow the basic rules of online poker, by playing long hours.

As has been often said, losing players are those that play too many hands and do not know when to stop. Poker bonuses are important for players that play medium stake games. It is good to have accounts in two or three different casinos or poker rooms to make sure you keep receiving bonuses. Try and look for a casino that gives reload bonuses frequently.

Another wonderful tip that may help is to play poker at midnight. Wherever you are from, since most poker players are from the UK and U.S., playing when they are tired and cannot think straight, which is at around their midnight helps others win. It goes without saying that you have to keep yourself fresh.

Winning at poker takes a great deal of knowledge and understanding of the various aspects of the game and other players. Players that win are those that play by the rules at all times, both when they are on a winning streak and when they are losing.

Matthew Smith has been successfully gambling for several years and has excelled when playing online using some of the best gambling bonus.

2008      Jun 1

Draw poker is any variation to poker, where the players are dealt a complete round before the first betting round; and in the later rounds, the hand is developed by drawing cards or replacing some or all cards.

There is one variation of draw poker that is interesting as it can be played with three players to seven, which is the “Three Five Seven.”

The game starts when the dealer deals 3 cards face down to each player. Players have to take a look at the cards dealt to them and decide whether they want to continue with the game. The players that remain in the game show the cards they have and then decide who has the best hand. The players who did not stay in the game cannot look at the cards.

In this round, all the three cards are wild and flushes and straights are not considered. The players that lose while staying in, have to pay the player with the best hand, who is deemed the winner. The amount that is paid to the winner is the amount in the pot. When a couple of players are, they are not required to exchange any money between them.

In the second round, all the players, even those who did not stay in get two more cards, face down, from the dealer. The same procedure of staying in, checking the best hand and losing players paying the winners, is followed in the same series as it was in the previous round. In this round, instead of having wild threes, there are five wild cards; but this time around, the flushes and straights are taken into account.

Once the winner is declared in this round and the payment done, the same cycle repeats in the third round.

In this round, two more cards are dealt by the dealer, face down and the same process as above is repeated. However, there is a small change this time, with all the seven cards being wild and the winner with the best hand is decided based on all the players best five cards. If there is only one player who remains for a hand, he is given one point. The first player that earns three points wins the pot and that is the end of the game.

If the seven card wild hand has been reached and there is no player with three points, then all the players have to do ante again. Not only that, the cards are shuffled and the game starts all over again with the three card wild.

Matthew Smith is a poker expert and has played many variations of poker. He offers is experience to new players with free online poker.

2008      May 31

After having read all about poker, you must be really enthusiastic to know how exactly it is played, from the beginning to the end.

Before the game begins players decide on the betting limit, which is the amount they would be playing for. A betting limit game keeps the game within boundaries unlike the no-limit games.

Each player has to place an “ante,” the token bet, into the pot before the dealer deals the cards, which can be any amount. An ante ensures that some player will always win some money with each hand.

Once every player adds the ante to the pot, the cards are dealt around the table clockwise; starting with the player on the dealer’s left. He continues until all the players get five cards each, dealt face down. The rest of the cards are placed face down on the table.

Then the play begins and each player checks out their cards and the first player places the bet. Although there are different ways of deciding which player places the bet first, it is usually the player to the left of the dealer who makes the first bet. For the next hand, the player to his left places the bet first and this goes in rotation around the table.

If after the first round, no player has made a bet, there are two options:

If no betting has taken place when your turn comes, you can make the first bet by “opening the pot.” You may also “check” if no other player has opened the pot yet. Checking means that the player does not want to open the betting, but wants to remain in the game and not quit.

Eventually, once the bet opens, there are three things you can do:

You can “see,” which means that you want to match the previous player’s bet by betting the same amount.

You can “see” and then “raise,” which means you are betting the same amount as the previous player and then adding some more to your bet.

Another option is to “fold.” People fold when they want to quit playing that game. You can fold when you have a weak hand and are sure you are going to lose. You will have to place your cards on the table face down, and say “fold.”

Now that the bet is open, players are permitted to get rid of the cards they do not need and take new cards. Every player is allowed to get rid of up to a maximum of three cards and take a maximum of three new cards from the cards in the center of the table (deck.) Even the discarded cards are placed face down, so no one can see the cards.

Once all the players draw the new cards, the betting starts again. You now have the option of opening or checking, and once a player opens, you can then see, raise or fold. The game closes when there are no more raises or when every player, except the winner folds.

Now all players turn their cards face up and the player with the highest hand wins the pot. Here, we are not talking about players that have folded.

The only way to remain in the game is not to fold. If you feel that you have a bad hand and you do not stand a chance, you can fold. If you think you may be having a good hand, then it is always better to stay in. If you have a wonderful hand, then obviously you would stay in. But you must never give a clue that you have a great hand, then all players will fold leaving you to win only a tiny pot, which is not what you want. The trick is to make other players bet a lot and win as much as possible. Being a great liar could just put loads of dollars in your pocket.

Matthew Smith has been playing poker online for many years with great success and now offers his expert advice to help new players succeed using free poker money.

2008      May 25

People usually tend to be careless when playing online poker, unlike how they play at a brick-and-mortar casino.

It should be understood that playing online entails a lot of discipline and this can be consciously developed if they know what not to do.

Online poker should never be played when a person is tired. Most people tend to continue playing and only stop when they lose all the money.

People also start playing too many hands when they are tired and they play every hand dealt. It is important to stop the game once it is bed time or when tired. This keeps the bankroll safe.

Many professionals are of the opinion that they can do it all and end up making the mistake of playing three or four tables at the same time. This does not work, simply because when there is a big hand at one table, the focus is totally shifted to that table and the other tables tend to be neglected and end up losing. Poker is a game that needs complete attention and the fact that even people who have played poker for ages feel that they can manage more than one table is surprising and not the right way to go about the game.

Once a person has played poker for a while, it is only natural that they want to go for bigger bets. The danger with bigger stakes is that with one loss, the whole money that has been earned over a period of time gets wiped out. If worried about losing all the money when betting bigger stakes, it should not be done. Any bet done with a fear of losing usually ends up a loser. It is crucial to stick to stakes that one can afford to lose.

Playing while working is another commonly made mistake. When there is a lot of interruption with phone calls or work related issues, it is not possible to concentrate on the game and it is best to stop the game and play when there is peace and quiet around.

The right attitude makes all the difference when playing poker. When getting into gambling of any sort, it should be clear that it is not going to be profit all the time and there are going to losses too. The attitude that one has to get everything that is lost back immediately does not help and makes one lose more.

It is almost a certainty when playing online poker that players who really do not bother about the money win and people who play to earn immediate money always end up being the losers.

The difference between a winner and a loser is the attitude. That should say it all!

Matthew Smith is a poker expert and has played many variations of poker. He offers is experience to new players with free poker online.

2008      May 25

Online poker is a lot different from poker played offline, as you have no idea who you are playing with. In fact, this proves to be a good thing for people playing online.

There are several people who are masters at the game offline, but they lose everything when they try to play online. The reason is that these people make money through tells at offline casinos. They understand when to bluff and when to go big by reading others. Many people think poker tells are the body language of players but it is actually any activity that reveals critical information about the game to an opponent.

Online poker is not just clicking a button and either winning or losing, like most people believe. The major part of playing online poker lies in analyzing the betting patterns, such as the speed of the bet, raise or call, size of the bet etc. Since most online players play regularly, there is standard behavior to be expected.

Also remember that most of the players online are not experts and they enjoy calling. Usually the psychology of online players is that they play loose than when they are playing a live poker game. The reason behind this is that these players only play with non-tangible assets. This is precisely the reason why off-line casinos use chips on the table. It hurts to see the chips go because they are tangible. Online players are less careful even when their chips are taken away because they are just numbers online. They are not likely to bother about the consequences of losing a hundred or even a thousand bucks, until they lose it all. For people who truly play a thinking game, this can prove to be the greatest advantage of online games that far outweighs the fact that there are not too many tells that can be taken advantage of.

Trying to use bluffs is an exercise in futility. A fool cannot be bluffed and there is no point in trying to bluff when playing online. Most people playing online have no idea what the other person is going to do and a foolish player cannot be expected to fold.

All the opponent has to do is click a button and the money disappears and they load quicker than they have lost. This carefree attitude towards money is what makes online poker game great and potentially very profitable to the “smart player”. You must ensure that you do not behave like the others and in fact you should be in a position to take advantage of their behavior.

Matthew Smith has been playing poker online for many years with great success and now offers his expert advice to help new players succeed using free omaha poker.

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