There are certain players who you will always want at your table. Here are some of these types: Players that have favorite starting hands Why is their favorite hand usually something dreadful like K-J or Q-10? All we can do is be thankful and hope that we get them to play at our table. If [...]
Most poker players are between 20 and 35 years old, although the prevalence of online poker sites allowa younger players to get more experience. This means that anywhere you go, you will likely run into someone that has the poker itch. Many of the biggest poker websites offer two flavors – a gambling site, where [...]
The head of the German police union, Rainer Wendt, said that the four armed men who attempted to steal the million-euro Poker jackpot at the European Poker Tournament on Saturday had left behind “a mountain of evidence” and had “plunged to new depths of stupidity.” Wendt was referring to the fact that the criminals carried [...]
Schooling is a very belittling term used to describe what weak-loose poker players do as a defense mechanism. (Sheep flock; fish school.) If a pot is fairly small on the turn in a game of Holdem, and the player with the best hand bets, any single player with only a gut-shot draw will be making [...]
Limit Hold’em lends itself to a rather small edge – that is to say, you are limited by how much you can bet, so new fish are protected against making stupid moves like calling all-in with a bottom pair when you hold a top set. Think about it in mathematical terms: The bets are a [...]
During a Tournament, the middle stage comes when the pressure and stress really set in…Short stacks are looking to survive and the chance that an inexperienced player will make an incorrect decision dramatically increases. I always try to keep in mind that a decision made out of fear is not a solid one and is [...]
A person’s ability to observe everything that is going on, make sense of these observations, and use the observations for advantage is a key component to effective poker playing. Just like any skill, it takes a lot of effort and practice to become a good observer, but doing so will radically improve your game and [...]
Play only your premium starting hands: in a normal game you should see no more than 20-25% of the flops. Table selection: beware of those tight/aggressive tables with their low profit and their high volatility and avoid strong players overall as they will “read you and take your money”. Look for loose games where at [...]
Chip dumping is done mostly in Tournament play but can also be used in cash play as well. This is one of the most common forms of cheating. It takes two or more players playing together and one player with the larger stack “transferring” their chips to their partner. In tournaments, it is a big [...]
There are lots of techniques for winning poker. One of them, bluffing is the most common and effectual techniques that helps to control the game. A bluffer can win a game without having the best hand. A lot of people believe that a good bluffer has more chance to win in poker and this is [...]
Good players are good because they know how to use their minds. That is what makes them different from the poor player – who plays without using the noggin. But not all thoughts are helpful. Some actually hurt your poker game. “He’s probably bluffing”. Players always want to play. They even look for excuses not [...]
Mindfulness refers to the form of meditation wherein a person is urged to focus on his own current state. Mindfulness is also essential for poker players because it allows an individual to be calm and elated. Below is an exercise that would help an individual develop mindfulness that poker players would definitely want to employ. [...]
There are many pet peeves that people have at a poker table. Sometimes you can do something about it, sometimes you can’t. A few examples of when you should say something are when a player discusses the hand while it is still in progress, the breaking of rules while on a table, and discussions about [...]
The first piece of poker advice I have is “do not go on tilt.” On tilt means you play hands or make bets you would not normally make because you are not playing your game. Maybe you’ve been losing, or maybe one player has been beating you over and over. There are a couple of [...]
Many people begin their poker careers by honing their chops at various online poker sites. By doing so, some of them reach the point where they consistently increase their bankrolls and come to feel pretty good about that game of theirs. Though when many online players decide to take it to the next level by [...]
A tell is any habit, clue, behavior or physical reaction, which gives other poker players more information about your hand than they should have. It is important to remember that in poker there are many contradictions and exceptions to the rule. Also keep in mind, experienced pros will give out false tells to fool players. [...]
Have you ever been short stacked in a Tournament when you are right on the bubble? Before you answer, we’ll just make sure that we are on the same page. The bubble is what is referred to as right out of the money. For example, if the top three places pay and you are in [...]
Slowplaying is a very effective advanced strategy that helps to build up the pot and increase the amount of money that you find yourself winning. Slowplaying is when you check or just call a strong hand on one round of betting so that you can win more bets on later rounds. Basically what you want [...]
These apply to both pros and novices alike! Think Player, Don’t Play Every Hand, Fold More Often Playing too many hands is a common mistake. When you’re just starting out, you really want to Play poker, and that means staying in hands that aren’t actually good. Playing more doesn’t mean winning more, actually more times [...]
Often in ring games you’ll see players who limp more than they should. This process creates limped pots and it is these very types of situations that you should be looking to try and exploit. Winning one or two limped pots every hour or so can significantly add to your earn rate. Let us take [...]
Seven card stud might just be the toughest poker game to master. There are many cards to track and they often disappear quickly. The game often goes slowly and that means you have to learn to remember the cards for long periods of time. It takes a sharp mind to remember each card and calculate [...]
Decent players usually have a good understanding about when to fold pre-flop. The decision you make pre-flop is a very important one. To put it simply, you want to play premium hands pre-flop. In terms of marginal hands, you want to play suited connectors and small pairs more when it is a multi-way pot and [...]
Some poker players make up for their lack of skill with dirty tricks, intending to break the concentration of other players during critical points in the game. The pressure is on when you are face to face with other players to play well, or lose your hard earned money and walk away from the table [...]
Stu Ungar might be the greatest No Limit Hold’em if not general greatest poker player of all time. He is a three-time World Champion (with five WSOP bracelets). In addition, he won ten major No Limit Hold’em championship events (in which the buy-ins were $5,000 or higher). The runner-ups for this prestige record are, T.J. [...]
The main reason why someone will lose a Sit and Go is because they have played too many starting hands. The players in Sit and Go’s are LOOSE. So remember, if you play a lot of hands against loose players, you will always catch bad beats. So the key is not to just play a [...]