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Archive for the ‘Poker’ Category

When it comes to picking online cash games, most poker players just like to jump in the first open game they see.  There’s no rhyme or reason to the way they select cash game tables because it’s all about open seats.  But if you truly want to be a successful online texas holdem player and find tables filled with fish and find great Internet casino, then you’ve got to be more selective when picking cash games.

And your primary tools for finding ring games filled with bad players are the flop-viewed percentage and average pot size.  Both of these statistics are available in online poker lobbies so it’s just a matter of looking at each table to find the most favorable games.

When looking at flop-viewed percentages, you want to find tables with a high number in this category.  The reason why is because people who don’t know how to play texas hold em very well tend to see the flop a lot instead of using good hand selection.  And people who play poor hands will give away lots of money to better players who stick to playing good hands.

On a 9-player table, you want to find tables that have a flop-viewed percentage above 35%.  With short-handed tables that have 6 players or less, you want the flop-viewed percentage to be 50% or more.  Keep in mind though that the amount of players currently at a table can artificially inflate the flop-viewed number – i.e. 5 players at a 9 player table could produce a 55% flop-viewed number, which doesn’t mean much.

Moving on, the other thing you want to look at is the average pot size.  With pot sizes, you’re hoping to find lower amounts so that you can play with non-aggressive players.  And if you can find non-aggressive players, you’ll be able to steal blinds and small pots easier.

5 times the amount of the big blind is a good number to shoot for in regards to pot sizes.  So if you play $2/$4 No-Limit Hold’em, an average pot size of $20 indicates that the table is pretty non-aggressive.  Again keep in mind that the table needs to be nearly full to make this an accurate number.

So before choosing your next online cash game table, make sure to look at the flop-viewed percentage and pot size.

These ten poker tips will help you to improve your poker game, whether you’re a cash poker player, or a tournament lover.

Poker is an easy game to learn, but a hard one to master. These ten poker tips will help you to improve your poker performance, and take your game to the next level.

1. Don’t play when you’re tired or distracted
2. Don’t multi-table unless you’re able to cope with more than one game at a time.
3. Play in position
4. Be selective about your starting hands
5. Don’t chase flushes unless you have lots of outs
6. Learn about pot odds
7. Forget about bluffing – movie poker isn’t real poker
8. Play based on the hand in front of you, forget about hands that are in the past
9. Don’t even sit down unless your bankroll is big enough for the table
10. Don’t smack talk to the fish – they’re free money, so why scare them away?

If the above tips seem obvious to you, then great! That means you’re well on the way to becoming a good online poker player. I still recommend that you take a second glance over the list and make sure you’re applying all of the tips, however. Even the best poker players are sometimes guilty of playing when distracted, or going on tilt after a few bad beats and playing hands based on their past performance, rather than how the table is reading right now.

It bears repeating that playing good poker involves a lot of discipline and table analysis. If you’re not thinking clearly, you will make silly mistakes.

A player with a basic understanding of Texas Holdem, pot odds, implied odds, and positional play can do very well in low-medium stakes rooms. The advanced tactics – table psychology, bluffing, and pot manipulation, are important in higher stakes rooms, but a solid understanding of hand probabilities and a tight-slightly aggressive style can do decently at any level.

If you’re looking to improve your poker, go back to basics first, and only once you’re sure you’ve got the basics down, go looking for advanced tips and “secrets” to improve your game.

Ok, so maybe you are not the superstitious type, but here are some superstitions that go around about poker that are pretty interesting. Do they have any bearing on fact? To be honest, I don’t know. But hey, does it matter? While you don’t want to be a slave to superstition, what could it hurt to keep it in mind?

Stacking your chips

There are a lot of superstitions that go around about stacking your chips. Some say that it is bad luck. Is this true? Well, to be honest, I don’t think that it has any bearing on the odds whatsoever, but who knows? Next time you are on a losing streak, knock all your chips over and say “alright boys, you’re going down this hand”.

Taking a break

Have you ever noticed that, at some poker games, it seems like one person just keeps winning and winning and winning? Well, some people call this the “lucky seat”, and they say that if you take a break where one or more people get up and the game-play has to halt for any period of time, then that lucky seat will change places, allowing someone else to win. Does this have any bearing in fact? Well, actually, this does seem to be the case… I don’t really know why, but there have been a lot of times where I just kept winning and winning, until someone called for a bathroom break. Then, when we came back from the break, someone else would seem to just mop up every time, and I couldn’t even buy a pot! So, keep this in mind. If you just can’t seem to get a win in anywhere, call for a short recess, and then go from there!

Ok, we have all seen them before – poker studs who wear their hats low to cover their eyes – gambling icons who wear extra dark sunglasses so that you cannot see their eyes. Master minds who wear loose fitting clothing so that their breathing patterns cannot be differentiated apart. But one question still remains – does any of this do any good? Well, actually, it can.

Using your wardrobe to shield your reactions can help to keep your opponents guessing, and here is how.

A hat

Use a hat to keep your eyes and upper face hidden from your opponents. The way your eyes dart around while reading your cards can tell opponents a lot, and it might not be something that you can control. Or, your eyes just might get a glimmer in them when you strike the good hand but what if you cannot hide it, no matter how hard you try? This is where a hat could come in handy. Wear it low, and shield your eyes while you play. Who knows? It may even help you to fake someone out and what could it hurt? It isn’t going to hamper your game-play in any way, so give it a try.

Sunglasses

Sunglasses can serve a twofold purpose. One, they can shield your eyes while you review your cards and help keep your opponents from seeing those very small reactions. And two, they can, at the same time, let you keep watching your opponents unhindered through them – unlike a hat, which obstructs your vision as well as it does your opponents. Sunglasses are better for the more seasoned poker player who can mask their facial expressions, whereas a more novice player might benefit more from a hat which can shield their facial-muscular reactions better.

Hosting your own poker tournament can be fun, but it can be a lot of work. For one thing, you need a lot of chips. For another, you need to keep close track of the rules and of what is going on. Most poker tournaments involve the players all pitching in about $20, and the pot is usually around $200 or so when the night is over!

If you don’t want it to be that serious, then you could consider hosting  a dollar poker tournament with your friends. This is a lot less stressful, and is more about the game-play than about the money. Since everyone only pitches in a dollar, they will not feel so pressured to win, but they will also try to win, because winning $20 after only risking a dollar is a good profit margin! This will keep people in the game, but will also keep it light and fun at the same time!

Another thing to think about when hosting a dollar poker tournament is having enough chips. You can buy cheap poker chips though for very little expense, so maybe try this instead of buying professional, high dollar poker chips. This will keep your cost on the ground, and will help to keep you from having to spend a lot putting the tournament on.

At any rate, remember that the most important thing about a dollar poker tournament is getting to hang out with your friends and enjoy playing poker. It is a fun past-time that anybody can enjoy for one dollar, and that is why these types of tournaments are so popular, especially among people who are not interested in spending a lot on poker, but who would really like to play.