Archive for the ‘poker’ Category
Learn The In’s And Out’s Of Poker
December 13th, 2009 | 
Author: Poker is a card game in which a number of players sit together and play for money. In poker, players place the bet on the value of the combination of the cards which they possess. Usually, a central pot is used for placing the bets. The value of the combination of the cards is used to determine the winner of the game.
The player with the highest value of the combination of the cards wins the game. However, another way of determining a winner also exists and in this, the player who remains in the hand after all the other players have folded wins the game. A hand ranking hierarchy exists which is used to determine the value of the combination of the cards.
Poker is an old game and it wasn’t very famous in its early days. It was in the 1970 that poker started gaining popularity among people. World Series of Poker began in 1970 and since then, poker has gained a lot of popularity and it’s now one of the most popular games that are played all around the world. However, the credit for the sudden increase in the popularity of poker goes to online poker. At the beginning of the 21st century, online poker was introduced. Online poker is the game of poker that is played over the Internet.
A lot of websites are available that offer online poker and since it’s very easy to access websites, poker gained a lot of popularity in a very short span of time. Also, the hole-card camera was invented in the beginning of the 21st century. This resulted in the broadcasts of the poker tournaments and the game turned into a spectator sport. These days, a number of poker tournaments are played at regular intervals and a lot of money is involved in these tournaments. Poker players are now considered as celebrities.
That being said, there a number of variations of the poker which follow similar hand ranking hierarchy and the patter of play is also similar to some extent. Mainly, there are three families of the variants and I talk about each below.
Stud: Stud is the oldest poker family and in this, cards are carefully dealt in a prearranged combination of the face-down and the face-up rounds. Betting is carried out after each round. There are also a number of variants of the Stud and the 7-card Stud is the most popular variant of the Stud. In the 7-card Stud, two extra cards are provided to each player and they’re then used to make the best possible 5-card hand.
Community: Community is another family of poker and it can be considered as a variant of the Stud. In this family of poker, all the players are privately dealt an incomplete hand and the face-down approach is used for it. A number of face-up community cards are then dealt to the center of the table. Each of the face-up community cards can be used by the players so as to make a 5-card hand. Texas hold-em and Omaha are some of the popular variants of the Community family of poker.
Draw: The third family of the variants of poker is Draw. In this, a face-down complete hand is dealt to each player and the bets are placed. After the betting, all the players are allowed to make an attempt to change their hand and this is done by discarding the unwanted cards. In the process of discarding the unwanted cards, the player is dealt new ones. Most of the video poker machines play Draw.
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Texas Hold `Em Basics and How It Works at Poker Rooms
There have been quite a few questions around here lately about Texas Hold’Em because of the recent Tournament. I’m going to try to answer as many as I can, and any further questions about the game I can answer behind this post.
OK… Let’s begin.
1. Texas Hold’Em is based on Regular Poker, except for a few minor variations. In Regular 5-Card Poker, You try to make the best hand possible out of your 5 cards that are dealt to you.
Cards are in suits and numbers. Suits have no ranking, but the numbers and letters do.
Suits:
Diamonds
Clubs
Hearts
Spades
Numerical Rank (from lowest to highest):
A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 J(Jack) Q(Queen) K(King) A(Ace) (Aces may be used high or low).
The possible hands are listed below (note that no two cards can be the exact same (value & suit) at any time in your hand):
1. High card (lowest hand in poker): No 2 cards alike, unsuited. Use the highest card in your hand.
2. Pair (Beats high card): 2 like cards, with 3 other unlike cards (i.e., A A 7 3 9).
3. Two Pair (Beats a pair): 2 sets of 2 like cards (each set different from the other), with one card unlike the other sets (i.e., 7 7 A A J).
4. 3 of a Kind (Beats two pair): 3 cards all alike, with two unlike cards (i.e., Q Q Q 8 3)
5. Straight (Beats 3 of a kind): 5 consecutive cards, unsuited. A suited straight is a straight flush. (i.e., 2H 3H 4D 5C 6S)
6. Flush (Beats straight): 5 cards all of the same suit, not consecutive. (i.e., 6 of Diamonds, 8 of Diamonds, 4 of Diamonds, A of Diamonds, J of Diamonds)
7. Full House (Beats flush): a 3 of a kind plus a pair. (i.e., 5 5 5 8 
8. 4 of a kind (Beats full house): 4 like cards plus one unlike card (i.e., 10 10 10 10 K)
9. Straight Flush (Beats 4 of a kind): 5 consecutive suited cards (i.e., 7 8 9 10 J, all of clubs).
10. Royal Flush (beats straight flush): Essentially the highest straight flush possible (i.e., A K Q J 10 of the same suit).
In No-Limit Texas Hold’Em, there are some slight differences in the play of the game, however the hand rankings remain the same.
Before any cards are dealt, 2 people are “forced” to make a bet. These people are called “blinds.” The “small blind” must post one-half of the required minimum bet, while the “big blind” must post the entire minimum bet. Then, all players are dealt 2 cards face down, so that only the player may see them. A round of betting then occurs. Players at this time decide whether they’re in or out. Each player must post a bet equal to the big blind in order to remain in the hand. If the player does not want to bet this hand, s/he folds his/her cards and sits out the hand.
However, if a player wants to post a bet larger than the big blind, they may do so. This is called “raising.” The raise must be equivalent to double the big blind or greater. All players who wish to stay in must bet again or fold their cards. Once the bet gets around to the big blind, they may choose to bet again or “check,” which means they do not want to raise their bet, however, they want to stay in the hand.
At this time, all chips are collected and placed in the center of the table. In a regular game at an online poker room (player-vs-player), the house at this time will take a percentage of the pot, known as a “rake”, as payment for its services of hosting the game (explained in further detail below). Now, the top card on the deck is “burned” (placed face-down and out of play) and 3 “community” cards (cards that can be used by everyone) are dealt face-up. This is known as the “Flop.”
Another round of betting then occurs. Players may check if no bet is on the table, bet at least the big blind, raise, or fold. After the completion of betting, the chips are collected, the house will take its rake, the top card is burned, and the fourth community card will be dealt, known as the “Turn.”
Another round of betting occurs. After all bets are complete, the rake is taken, another card is burned and the fifth and final community card is dealt, known as the “river.”
A final round of betting then occurs. When all bets are complete, the players remaining in the hand reveal their cards. However, if a player reveals their cards before another and the player decides not to show what they had, they may “muck” (leave the cards face-down and pass them to the dealer) and let the other player take the pot.
If two or more players have the same hand that cannot be improved by their hole cards (a community hand), then those players shall split the pot. If players’ hands are equal, but not by a community hand, the tie shall be broken by using the players’ highest hole card. If these are also equal, then both players will split the pot.
thenks to www.blackjake.net
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thenks to www.blackjake.net
Which Type of Poker Are You Best At?
Which kind of poker are you best at? There is no quick way to find out and only keeping poker statistics can help you. For math wizards, you may do this manually and be sure that you never forget a game. Or if you feel that you need a professional to help you, you may use a program at websites such as www.checkyourbets.com.
Once you know which poker you are good at, you should be able to answer another important question: Why are you winning most of the time at one variation of poker and losing often at the other? Is it because you have mastered the technical aspects of the game? Or is it because you are simply topnotch at the people aspects of poker? The technical skills of poker involve being adept at poker math, such as pot odds. The people skills involve bluffing and being able to modify the style of play.
You will find that poker players have different opinions about which of the two types of skills are more important. Many poker blogs are dedicated to their theories. However, here are personal theories about skills and games that you may want to check out.
In Longhand Limit Hold’em, the most important advantage of a poker player is his technical skills. The winning player must be patient and understands hand value. Your people skills won’t contribute much to your winnings. It is hard to bluff and it is useless to read your opponents since many hands reaches the showdown. The pot odds make a river fold make a river fold extremely chancy.
Your people skills will be more useful in Shorthand Limit Hold’em since there is more bluffing done, compared to Longhand Limit Hold’em. A winning player in Shorthand Limit Hold’em knows precisely when to increase his aggression and when to cool his heels. But you must not forget that it is still a limit hold’em poker. Mastering pot odds is still vital in winning the pot.
To win in a No-Limit Hold’em, both sound technical abilities and fairly accurate people skills are needed. Your technical abilities should include knowing when to call, to raise, to check, or to fold. Your people skills involve the reading of styles of your opponents. If opponents are timid, you can win and steal a lot of pots by bluffing. But you must also know when to fold if your opponent shows obstinacy. If your opponents are reckless and loose, you can win by patiently waiting for that opportunity to trap them. Then, wipe them out in one hand.
If you have a “gambling spirit”, you may be able to tolerate the huge swings in the Pot-Limit Omaha. The winning player should also be good at avoiding a tilt. A tilt is to play poorly or wildly after losing big or winning over awesome players. In Pot-Limit Omaha, you should be an expert at dealing with your opponents and at controlling yourself. Have fun.
Author Bio
Roger Wembley writes for www.casinogamblingstuff.com. Come visit our site for online gambling and online casino games.
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Playing Low Limit Shorthanded Holdem Online
When it comes to playing shorthanded games online, one size definitely does not fit all. Certain concepts, aggression being the most important, are paramount no matter WHAT level you are playing; but the low limit games with its preponderance of loose, passive opponents mandate a slightly different style of play be used to maximize profits.
As at any level of poker, starting hand selection is key. At Party Poker’s lowest level, the six seated tables are littered with players who see 60 to 70 percent of flops. We advocate that you keep your percentage somewhere around 30. While you are ditching your long term losers, most of your opponents will be bleeding money by playing negative expected value hands.
While position is important in Texas Holdem, it is much less important in low limit shorthanded play. Pre-flop raising is infrequent, so you will rarely be “punished” for limping with a hand of moderate strength. We advocate the following starting hands recommendations: Raise with pairs down to Nine, Ace-King to Ace-Ten, King-Queen, King-Jack and Queen-Jack suited. Limp with any suited Ace, Ace-nine and Ace-eight, Queen-Jack, King-Ten, Queen-Ten and Jack-Ten. King-nine can be played late, and Queen-Nine and Jack-nine are optional in late position. Play pocket sevens and sixes anywhere. Lower pocket pairs can be played if there are two limpers ahead of you. Suited connectors down to seven-six should also be played in an unraised pot. Other suited hands to be played are Queen-Nine, Queen-Eight, Jack-Nine and King-Nine. Jack-Eight and Ten-Eight can be played late.
Beware of playing too many hands in the blinds. Even tight players get caught limping in the small blind with poor hands. This is a long term money loser. Stretch your opening hand list only slightly in the small blind, and don’t be too eager to call raises in the big blind. Remember, most of these players raise only with top-notch holdings, so you’ll probably be at a disadvantage if you call a raise.
Shorthanded Poker is typically characterized by raising and aggression. However, this is often less effective at the lowest limits. Your pre-flop raises will typically be called in several places. At higher limits, raising with hands like pocket sevens is an effective strategy, as against a single caller you will probably be a favorite. However, this play is a loser at low limit shorthanded holdem. You will not be able to bully your way to pots very frequently. When you have raised with your big cards and missed the flop, position becomes most important. Frequently you will be up against three or more opponents. If you’ve missed the flop and are last, take a free turn card if possible, or fold to an opponent’s bet. Against two opponents, bet the flop and use your judgement on future streets as to whether you think you can bet them off the hand. Low limit players will generally call you down with any pair, so bluffing them on the river is a long term losing play. If they’ve stuck with you that long, checking (and then folding) is probably your best course of action.
If you’ve hit your flop, whether you raised or limped pre-flop, you must be extremely aggressive. Your starting hands are more solid than everyone else’s. The low limit players’ tendency to chase to the river with poor holdings must be punished. Bet and raise with impunity. If you are in the blinds and flop top pair, even with a weak kicker, by all means check raise. Punish other players for trying to steal pots or betting their middle pair. This will pay off handsomely, as they will remember being check raised and give you free cards later on. Remember also that top pair is a stronger hand in shorthanded games than it is in ten player games, so treat it as such. If you’ve flopped top pair, it is unlikely that one of the other two cards to make top pair landed in the other ten cards dealt to the table. Raise any bettors with top pair, regardless of the kicker, unless there was a preflop raiser. One last note on post-flop play: If you are heads up with someone, throw in a bluff raise occasionally. Many of your opponents are inexperienced and will drop their hands in the face of a raise.
With the plethora of poor players at the lowest limits of shorthanded poker, the game is ripe for the picking. Aggression, while still very important, must be toned down a bit, however, in the face of the numerous calling stations you’re likely to find at these tables. So remain tight, play VERY aggressively when you’ve hit something, but don’t try to bully your way to too many pots and you’ll build a big bankroll by swimming with the fish.
Greg Dwyer is a professional poker player and shorthanded holdem specialist. Read more of his poker strategy at his websites: http://www.HitTheFlop.com and http://www.pokercentral.us
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Greg_Dwyer
2005 World Series of Poker
The 2005 World Series of Poker event is scheduled to begin June 2, 2005 in Las Vegas and an estimated 5,000 players are expected to participate in the $10,000 buy-in, no-limit Texas hold ‘em main event.
The event will be held at the Rio Hotel and Casino from June 3rd to July 15th, with the last two days taking place at Jack Binnions Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas.
The buy-ins for the 2005 WSOP events range from $1,000 to $10,000 and most of the WSOP tournament final tables are taped and televised by ESPN.
The World Series of Poker started as an invitational tournament in 1970. Jack Binnion invited the best seven poker players in America to his casino in Las Vegas to decide whom Americas best poker player was. Johnny Moss won the 1970 WSOP title by actually being voted the best player by his playing companions.
The 1971 World Series of poker was played as a freezout tournament, meaning one player had to win all the chips.
Thirteen players participated and Johnny Moss won it this time fair and square with some brilliant poker play.
T. J. Cloutier has been the most successful WSOP player over the years and has finished in the money in over 30 events. He has won five first place gold bracelets and finished second twice in the main Championship event of Texas Hold’em.
Anyone, regardless of gender or nationality can play in the 2005 WSOP as long as they are 21 years of age and can afford the $10,000 entrance fee.
World Series of Poker has become extremely popular in the recent years. Especially since the 2003 WSOP Championship, when Chris Moneymaker, (yes it is his real name) won 2.5 million dollars after qualifying through a 40 dollar online satellite tournament.
In 2004 there were 2,576 entries for the $10,000 No Limit Hold’em WSOP Championship and the prize money had increased to more than $49 million. Greg Raymer beat 2576 players to win the first price of 5 million dollars for a buy-in stake of $40 which also was won online. The 2005 World Series of Poker will last for approximately 40 days and an estimated 10,000 poker players from all over the world will compete in more than 30 different poker events. The winner of each event will be awarded a gold bracelet and first place cash prizes ranging from $500,000 to $10 million.
True Poker Guide covers a comprehensive list of poker rules, tips and strategies for all poker games including tournament and satellite play.
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