There’s no question about it. Poker is a very complex game. A person’s success in the game of Poker is based on a combination of luck, skill, strategy, personality and determination. There are many different theories as to how the game should be played, but there is no one theory that applies to everyone. In fact, the strategy that helped you defeat yesterday’s opponents may not be applicable to today’s opponents. There are just too many variables.

That being said, most successful poker players do equip themselves with a certain amount of practical Poker strategy. A very important of a winning strategy is psychological. Learn to read the cards of other players. You do this by reading their actions, their body language and their facial expressions. Pay attention to even the most subtle movements and watch for patterns.

Also, a good strategy requires that you be able to prevent other players from reading your hand. Be very aware of every move you make and every expression that shows on your face. We all know the ability to bluff is a must in the game of Poker. When correctly executed, bluffing can give you a winning edge, but bluffing should never be used as a permanent strategy. Constantly bluffing will eventually lead to loss. It is very important that you vary your approach. Always keep your opponents guessing.

Another important component of your strategy should be considering hand strength. You must be able to master the rank of hands and you must know their relative strength during the game. Also, be sure to calculate the odds against you. This is where you really have to do your homework. You may know what hand beats what, but do you know the probability of ending up with that hand? Do you know the probability of your opponent ending up with a particular hand. Take your time to learn the statistics involved in the game beforehand. Then during the game, you should be able to determine your odds and place your bets accordingly.

A combination of psychology and math will definitely improve your chances of winning, but the most important thing to remember is to never become predictable. Don’t ever fall into a pattern of play that will help your opponents read you. Once your opponents can read you, the game is over.

It’s no surprise that online gambling has become so popular. Many people love visiting physical casinos, but unfortunately they’re not always conveniently located. Online casinos, on the other hand, are always at your fingertips. You can play from the comfort of your own home or while you wait in line at the movies. Even people who have never gambled in a traditional casino are finding themselves beginning to dabble in online gambling. It’s hard not to be enticed when there are so many banners and pop-up adds being thrown at you. Poker seems to be the hottest online casino game to play right now.

Many people try their luck at online poker and do relatively well. The question is, does this prepare them for playing poker at a real casino? While online poker is a good place to start and a good way to learn the basic rules, it is not quite the same as playing poker in person. When playing in person, you will find that the game of Poker is highly psychological and much more of an adrenaline rush. You must be able to read your opponents and to pick up on the subtle signs that they may be bluffing. You must also learn to bluff which requires that you be very much in control of your emotions and be very aware of every movement and every facial expression you make. A good opponent will pick up on every subtle move you make and you must learn to use this to your advantage.

So, how do you begin to prepare for casino play? Start with a book. There are numerous books available that will teach you the rules and some basic strategies. Videos can also be very helpful as they help to reinforce what you read in the book. Next, try playing a no-stakes game with some friends. This is the best way to get the feel for in person play without risking anything.

Another great way to gain valuable practice is through lessons. Check with your local casinos to see if they offer lessons. You will find that many casinos even offer lessons for free. You play a real game of poker (minus real money) and the instructor points out any mistakes you make and gives you tips to improve your game. These free lessons are the closest you will come to playing an actual game without wagering money.

Once you have gotten a feel for the game and feel confident you are ready to sit at a real stakes table in a real casino, it is important to choose your table wisely. For beginners, seven-card stud and Limit Texas Hold’Em Poker are excellent choices. The minimum bet requirements for both of these games is usually between $3 and $6 per game. It is best to stay at these lower limit tables while you master your playing skills and develop confidence. Once you have a little more experience under your belt, the ultimate game is of course, No-Limit Texas Hold E’m.

Ready to play, but no casino in your vicinity? No worries – Online Poker is always available at your fingertips. For those of you looking for a good site, I highly recommend Full Tilt Poker or PDC Poker. So, what are you waiting for? Do your homework, practice and then practice some more. Poker is not just a game of luck. It is a game of skill and that skill takes practice and dedication to develop. Best of luck to you!

Yes, we’ve all been told that nothing in life is really free, but that’s not actually true. In fact, some of the best things in life are free. Free online poker is just one example of this. There are many online poker sites that do offer free poker. All you have to do is download their free software and you’re ready to go. You can play real games with real people. The only thing not real is the money. There’s literally nothing to lose!
While there’s nothing wrong with playing free online poker just for fun, many people also use it as a learning opportunity. Whether you are interested in working your way up to playing online for real money or playing in an actual casino, free online poker is the ideal way to learn. You get real practice without the threat of loss. Before free online poker became available, beginners were easy targets for the more seasoned players and learning the game of poker often proved to be a very costly experience. Now there is a safe and free way to get real experience and develop your playing skills before actually putting anything at risk.
Most sites offer several a variety of poker games to choose from including Seven Card Stud, Omaha Hi/Lo, 5 Card Draw and of course, the very popular Texas Hold ‘Em. Other features often offered include your choice of a public or private table. Anyone can join a public table as long as there is an available seat, but you must seek permission to join a private table and you can create your own private table if you wish.
Because free online poker is not played with real money, you don’t normally stand to win anything. Many sites however do offer something called Free Roll Tournaments. A free roll tournament starts at a scheduled time and the winner or winners will receive free money which is deposited into their account at the particular poker site. This free money can be used to wager on real money games and you can cash out the money once you reach the minimum requirement to do so. Most will payout to at least the top 10 players, but some will payout to as many as the top 1,000 (though usually very small amounts). Free role tournaments vary in size, but are usually fairly large. They may seat anywhere from 500 to 15,000. The larger tournaments usually have the largest payouts, but be prepared to be at your computer for a while if you plan to win. The larger games have been known to last hours at a time.
A couple of sites I would recommend for free roll tournaments (or any other free online poker) are Full Tilt Poker and PDC Poker. There are some basic computer requirements for online play. You must, of course, have internet access and you should have Windows 98 or higher. The software will typically take up around 6.2mb of memory. Getting started is simple. Just click on either of the preceding hyperlinks, download the free software, sign up and play. If down the road you decide to play real money poker, you can just deposit money into your already existing account.
Now that you know the basics of free online poker, give it a try. Remember… there’s nothing to lose!

Did you know…

• Chris Ferguson is able to throw a playing card 71 mph!
• More than 70 million decks of playing cards are sold in the US each year.
• Johnny Chang was actually a short order chef before he won the World Series of Poker Championship.
• Richard Nixon won $6,000 while serving in the US Navy during WWII. These poker winnings were what he used to fund his campaign for congress before becoming president.
• It is believed that the 4 suits of playing cards derive from the French and represent the four classes of people: Spades represent nobility. Hearts represent clergy. Diamonds represent merchants. Clubs represent peasants.
• During the 1700’s, John Montague, Earl of Sandwich, was a compulsive gambler. One night in particular, he refused to leave a card game even for a meal. Instead, he had his servant bring him his roast beef between two slices of bread so he could eat with one hand and play cards with the other. This invention was dubbed the sandwich.
• In Ian Fleming’s book, “Casino Royale”, James Bond actually played the game of Baccarat. It wasn’t until 50 years later in the movie that the game was changed to Texas Holdem due to the games increasing popularity.
• 1 in 5 Americans play poker on a regular basis.
• Warren Harding, the 29^th president, played poker at least twice a week. In fact, his advisors got the nickname “the poker cabinet” because they often played with the president. Although it has never been confirmed, there is even a rumor that he once lost an entire set of White House China playing the game.
• There is one hand that Doyle Brunson will never play. This hand is A-Q. He believes that it can be beaten in too many ways. There is one hand, however, that he will always play. This hand is 10-2. In fact, he has won the World Series of Poker with this hand on two different occasions.

Almost one third of active poker players in the US are women.

“A man with money is no match for a man on a mission.”
– Doyle Brunson

“There is no sympathy in poker. Always keep cool. If you lose your head, you will lose all your chips.”
– William J Florence

“Limit poker is a science, but no-limit is an art. In limit, you are shooting at a target. In no-limit, the target comes alive and shoots back at you.”
– Jack Strauss

“To be a successful gambler you have to have a complete disregard for money.”
– Doyle Brunson

“Cards are war, in disguise of a sport.”
– Charles Lamb

“Poker may be a branch of psychological warfare, an art form or indeed a way of life – but it is also merely a game, in which money is simply the means of keeping score.”
– Anthony Holden

“The real things to know is that folks will stand to lose more than they will to win. That’s the most important percentage there is. I mean, if they lose, they’re willin’ to lose everything. If they win, they’re usually satisfied to win enough to pay for dinner and a show. The best gamblers know that.
– Pug Pearson

“It never hurts for potential opponents to think you’re more than a little stupid and can hardly count all the money in your hip pocket, much less hold on to it.”
– Amarillo Slim

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA), signed into law by President Bush in mid-October, 2006, makes it illegal for online gambling sites to accept funds or wagers from the United States if the underlying gambling activity violates existing federal, state or tribal law. The law does not make the player liable in any way, but makes the site liable for accepting funds or wagers associated with illegal Internet gambling.

As an online poker player located in the United States, you are not violating the UIGEA or any other federal law, but you may be violating state or tribal law depending on the laws of the state or Native American Reservation where you are located. It is the player’s responsibility to determine the legality of playing Internet poker under the law where he is located.

This post is mostly about what I have experienced in alot of recent playing in online poker tournaments. These tips have worked for me in not just Texas Holdem, but 7 card stud, Omaha, and Five Card Draw as well.

On To The Poker Tips
When you are playing online poker tournaments, especially multi-table tournaments, I find that it is better to play your cards and your position than it is to try and figure the players out. There is usually too much going on too fast with too many players changing out to be able to focus enough on how the people are playing their cards. I still post notes on the players that are being very obviously such as making big bets almost every hand, we all know they aren’t getting a killer hand every time. I also post notes for those who do get good hands more frequently. These guys are pretty easy to keep track of without much effort. All you have to do is pay attention to how he’s playing the good hands that he’s getting, this way you can tell if he’s trapping or fishing.

Playing your position is an extremely important thing to do whether or not your paying attention to the players or not. Knowing position strategy will help you know when it may be a good time to bluff or maybe just slow play your hand.

Play your cards. Don’t play crap cards. I know that some of you see plenty of people calling all-ins with the worst hands possible and end up winning, sometimes more than once or twice. This is a terrible strategy and should not be practiced. Those people won’t last long and they are never the ones who win the tournaments.

To sum it all up.  Play your cards right, know how to play your positions, and don’t play too much attention to the other players.

- Learning to play at Multiple Tables -
The first thing you need to do before being able to multi-table is proper setup. This means setting your resolution to 1920×1200 or the highest setting your monitor will handle, however, some sites offer a minimized view instead of the full table view. Alternatively, you can use 2 or 3 monitors with a video card that has dual or tripple monitor support. Make sure that you are playing with a four color deck (this will help you notice flush possibilities alot faster and easier) and with the sound on to hear if it is your turn.

If you are playing up to 2 tables simultaneously, you can still play both the players and the cards. Try starting with 2 low-limit tables to get a feel of the speed of play and the level of attention you need to give each table.

Although you can remember player types with 2 tables, once you start to play 3 or more tables simultaneously, you will find it more difficult to track the players, and will be forced into solely playing the cards and position. The more tables you play simultaneously, the tighter you should play, since you can see about 50 hands per hour per table. Once you feel comfortable, you can multi-table at higher limits.

- More Hands = More Stronger Hands = $ More Money $ -

Why play multiple tables? Easy; more tables means more hands; more hands means you see stronger starting hands more often; stronger hands means more money. Sure, you will still encounter some bad beats. But over the long term, strong starting hands will maximize your earnings. Since the goal of multi-tabling is to play strong starting hands and play tight, you should only play full ring games when playing 3 or more tables.

- Speeding up the Learning Process -

Playing at multiple tables also works as an excellent teaching model for learning poker play as quickly as possible. There is no better teacher than experience, and it stands to reason that the more hands you play, the more experience and knowledge you gain. For example, you could play a cash game while simultaneously playing at a couple of play money tables where you might want to try different strategies out before implementing then into your cash game. You can play in a tournament while simultaneously playing in a cash game so as to take a stab at larger tournament rewards, while still allowing yourself the backup of earning through a cash game and covering or exceeding your tournament entry fee.

Good Luck At The Tables!!!

Bluffing Strategy – Stealing Pots & Winning Big with Nothing
Bluffing is a necessary component in taking your poker game to the next level and making some serious money. If you sit around and wait you can become impatient and possibly on tilt. This can easily happen when you just aren’t catching your cards. Being able to recognize a weak opponent and jumping in an effort to steal the pot can keep you earning even when you’re not catching cards.

Bluffing is all about position relative to the button. When you’re last to act, you have the luxury of making your play based on that of everyone else at the table. If you sense weakness at the table, you can take a stab at winning the pot regardless of whether or not you’re holding any type of hand whatsoever. Be careful not to fall into an opponent’s trap.

A semi-bluff is a safer play than the full bluff. It affords a bit of flexibility in the case that your bluff is called. An example of this would be making a huge play on a flush draw whilst holding the appropriate Ace. Knowing that nobody has the nut flush might allow you to make a play suggesting that you in fact have it, perhaps forcing out a smaller flush that has already been made and beats your Ace high.

Another example of a good time to bluff would be when your holding 6,8
off-suite and the flop is K,K,10. If you are the last to act and no one has made a bet you can make a fairly large bet to force the other players to fold thinking you have the third king. Don’t make a bluff with this type of move that you can’t afford. There will be the occasion in which someone is slow playing the king, however most likely in the situation where someone does have the king they are going to make smaller bets to try and get the most money without everyone folding.

Trapping – Creating More Action & More Money For Yourself
Trapping is an important technique that can be used by a smart player to greatly increase the size of the player’s winning pots. If you are far ahead in a hand, exercise patience so as to keep your opponent laying. A strong bet could force players out of a pot you are sure to win, preventing you from fully capitalizing on major hands.

Fake weakness, check-raise, make it difficult for your opponent to get away from a pot. The truth of the matter is that you want to get called sometimes, so you have to bet accordingly.

Trapping is a great way to generate a lot of action where there wouldn’t necessarily have been any before. Trapping can be a slippery slope however. By attempting to trap your opponent by faking weakness, you might actually allow your opponent to catch a miracle card that ends up beating you.

Learning to Fish
A fish is a bad poker player who tends to lose a lot of money. Good players are excited to find a fish at their table, and always sorry to see one go. Online poker rooms tend to offer players a buddy list or chat service through which to chat with fellow players. If you find a fish at one of your tables, you can add their username to your buddy list, and then be able to get an alert any time they log on and sit down. Although you can’t get a listing of their table, they will more than likely be playing the same limits and you can simply perform a manual table search.

Using this method allows you to take advantage of online players whom you feel you have an edge over.

Poker.com allows you to tag a player with icons that remind you of what type of player they are whether it is a fish or possibly a shark.