Reading recommendations for learning poker

The best way to learn to play WINNING poker is to read ONLINE!

I have been playing poker, Texas Hold’em more specifically, for the last five years. Like most, I have bought a few poker books and tried to read them, but I just didn’t feel like I was grasping what they were trying to say. The books seemed slow and endless; I just wanted to get to the part on how to bluff! So I never really ended up getting anything out of those books.

Recently, I decided to find articles and guides to poker strategy online. I spent about 3 full days worth of persistent poker reading and studying, and I had a revelation. First, because I was actually learning poker from reading. Second, because I discovered I had previously been playing poker TOTALLY BLIND!

Here is your guide to learning poker… for free:

1) Search Google for poker strategy guide. Weed through the crap and find the most professional looking websites, which will give you the best information. Now READ! Make sure to take it one step at a time also. Don’t skip ahead to bluffing before you read about position. Don’t worry it doesn’t go nearly as slow as those books.

2) Reread the same topics over and over again!

3) Learn from the Pros by going through the archive of articles from Bluff Magazine (bluffmagazine.com)and Card Player Magazine (cardplayer.com).

4) Search for specialized poker topics that are essential to winning poker:

- Starting Hand Selection

- Position

- Bet Sizing

- Gathering Information

- Bluffing

- Continuation Bet

- Check Raising

- Value Betting

- Playing Aggressive Poker

- Reading Hands, Opponent’s Range, Tells

- Pot Odds

- Implied Odds

- Reverse Implied Odds

- Expected Value

5) You’ll find a lot of talk about the importance of position… BECAUSE IT IS! The three biggest differences between Ok players and Winning players are 1) Being aware of and using to your advantage your position on the table 2) Playing aggressive meaning usually raising and folding, but always remembering that its sometimes good to check and call, and 3) Trying to read opponents and put them on a range of hands.

P.S. In a No Limit Texas Hold’em game today I was first to act preflop on a hand and folded AQ offsuit. You may think it was a dumb play, but I did it because I was OUT OF POSITION. An Ace hit the flop, and there was heavy betting until the river hit a Jack, where two players both went all in. It turns out one player had AK and the other player had AJ for two pair. If I had played that hand I would have lost money, because I would have come out and bet on the flop, and then depending on how much I bet and they raised, I may have made a mistake of sticking around and losing more.

GOOD LUCK!

Stop And Go At Ladbrokes Poker

Stop and Go: Advanced Poker Strategy by Greg Raymer

Those who are regular at Ladbrokes poker must have heard the name of the World Series of Poker Main Event Champion Greg Raymer. He was initially a sit-and-go player and was a part time Internet player. At sit-and-go poker games, 9 or 10 players compete at a single table.

The sit-and-go strategy works well in live poker, but it is more suitable for playing at Ladbrokes poker online. The strategies are different from other multi-table tournaments and are increasingly becoming popular at Ladbrokes poker. Raymer is famous for inventing the advanced poker strategy ‘Stop and Go’, which is an often-used strategy at Ladbrokes poker. It is commonly used when you have dealt a pocket pair and are short stacked in an online poker tournament. This strategy works best at the big blind and facing a raise from a single opponent.

Take for example a situation where you are in the big blind with 9 big blinds and are dealt pocket eights. A player in late position opens the pot for a standard 3x BB raise. Action folds around to you and you simply make the call; however, you commit yourself to pushing all-in no matter what comes on the flop. This is the essence of stop and go, and why it is considered an advanced strategy.

There are three reasons why the stop and go technique can be a successful play most of the times at Ladbrokes poker. Check out the examples that can help you to be a winner.

If you re-raise and push your short stack all-in before the flop with a medium pocket pair, you are likely to get a call from a lot of hands. A push here will get a call from several pocket pairs that are beating you at the moment, or two over cards which you would be racing against. Neither are situations that you want to get all your money in the middle of the pot with in a tournament situation at Ladbrokes poker.

If your opponent does have a better pocket pair than you and he faces over cards on the board after you push on the flop, he will have a hard time calling your bet. This technique will force him to fold a better hand and give you the pot.

If your opponent has two overcards to your pair and fails to hit one on the flop he will almost surely be forced to fold. Maybe he even has a hand like 10-9 suited on a ten high flops and will have a hard decision on his hand at Ladbrokes poker.

Once you delay your all-in move until after the flop with the stop-and-go technique, you will get a few extra ways to pick up the pot, possibly with the worst hand. Unless your opponent hits the flop hard, they will have a tough time making the call after the flop, whereas pre-flop they may have easily called the raise.

Regardless of the type of three cards that fall on the flop, push is the way to become a stop-and-go expert at Ladbrokes poker. If you were to chicken out and check the original raiser you leave yourself open to an easy steal with a continuation bet. If you are short, and spot your opportunity for this play, commit yourself fully to the stop and go strategy. You can hope to gain some extra chips to mount your comeback.

Ten Poker Tips for Bigger Online Profits

Many players wanting to play online poker for the first time think it is easier than it really is to make big money. While you can make big money, you need to be prepared.

Here are ten tips that will help you maximize your winnings in online poker:

Poker Tip 1: Know Your Game

When playing online poker for the first time, it is best not to jump in at the deep end, but learn the basics first and then play free games until you are comfortable with the way you play.

Poker Tip 2: Focus on One Game of Poker

Many new players try out all variations of poker at once, which is a mistake – concentrate on one game and get familiar with it. This will help you focus and develop a clear strategy. Do you want to play seven card stud, Texas hold’em or Omagh hold’em? Decide in advance.

Poker Tip 3: Allocate Your Budget

Set your bankroll and stick with it. Don’t be tempted to chase losses and have a profit target where you quit the table.

Poker is fun and you can make big money, but don’t start committing money you cannot afford to lose.

Poker Tip 4: Be Selective with the Hands that You Play

Playing to many hands will lose you money; you need to be selective and patient.

You need to discipline yourself to fold when you have a bad hand, you might want to bluff sometimes, but don’t do it too often and only do it in the right circumstances.

Poker Tip 5: Learn Other Player’s Strategy

Other players are watching you and your strategy and you need to do the same to them.

By working out their play, you can gain an extra edge and enhance your winnings from the pot.

Poker Tip 6: Take a Break

If you’re having a bad time at the tables, or find that you are not enjoying the game, take a break.

To win at poker you need to fully focus on your strategy, if not you will probably lose.

Poker Tip 7: Bet Correctly

betting correctly and taking risks is an essential part of winning at poker. Make sure that you are only betting sensibly when the odds of winning are in your favour.

Under no circumstances whatsoever, lose focus when you lose or chase your losses.

Poker Tip 8: Don’t try to be Clever in Low-Limit Online Poker

Don’t try to be too clever in any low-limit tables. You will be up against players who are mostly inexperienced and unfamiliar with poker strategy and you will find your clever bluff goes over their heads and at low limit tables they will be tempted to call you!

Poker Tip 9: You Need to Move Up

Although it is possible for you to win big money at lower limit tables, the big money is made at higher limit tables.

It is here that if you have a good strategy you will make big money, as you are normally playing against players who know what they are doing, so move up only when you are confident.

Poker Tip 10: Formulate a Strategy and Practice!

Whatever game you play you must have a clear strategy that gives you an edge against other players.

This requires time and effort.

You need to have a betting strategy, know how to bluff, how to slow play etc. and remember that practice makes perfect.

To become a good poker player takes time and experience.

Winning Big In Re-Buy Online Poker Tournaments

Re-buys are online tournaments that allow you to purchase more chips during the initial stages of the tourney. In order to re-buy, your stack has to be equal to or less than the amount of chips that you started with. After the re-buy period is over, add-ons are usually offered. Add-ons give you one last opportunity to grow your stack by buying extra chips.

If you want to win big when you play re-buy online poker tournaments, here are some things to keep in mind.

Play Loose at First

Re-buys feature extremely loose and reckless play in the early stages of the tournament. Players with an ace high will go all-in in the hopes of doubling up their stack quickly. Accumulating chips in the early rounds is very important. Because re-buys give you a safety net to buy back in if you bust out, you can approach the early stages of the tourney like a cash game. Put your bankroll to work in the early rounds. Make bold, crazy moves in an effort to build up your stack. After the re-buy period is done, you can start to tighten up your play.

Make the Table Think You’re Crazy

When you make the table think you’re crazy, you can use this wild table image to your advantage later on. When you hit a monster hand after the re-buy period ends, players may just think you’re bluffing when you toss out a big bet. Use your loose image to trap players when you make solid hands later on in the tourney.

Give Yourself a Re-buy Allowance

It’s important that you know how much you’re going to allow yourself to spend before you enter a Texas Holdem re-buy tournament. Give yourself an allowance. When you’ve spent your allowance, you’re done. It’s that simple.

After the Re-buy Period, Update Your Observations

Keep in mind that after the re-buy period has concluded, your observations about your opponents will need to be revised. Players that were super loose will now start to settle down a bit. Calling stations may no longer be counted on to call your bets. Tight players may start playing looser. Just remember that the game has changed. The information that you absorbed during the first few rounds may no longer be valid. Update your notes when the tournament changes.

Re-buys aren’t for everyone. If you’re unfamiliar with tournament play, practice your skills before you enter re-buys. Always be prepared to take the add-on. If you can’t afford at least one re-buy, play another type of tourney.

Remember that the suggested poker strategy is to play crazy at first, and tighten up after the re-buy period. Give yourself an allowance so that you don’t keep burning through your bankroll.

The Psychology Of An Online Poker Player!

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.

Online Casino-play Poker Games

Poker has a special place in gambling from the ancient times. Remember the motion pictures of 60’s and 70’s where lead actor comes in cowboy outfit with a pistol to fulfill his gambling pleasures. Time has changed so much, now you don’t have to be dressed like a cowboy and carry a gun to play your bets. Online poker games have replaced the old wooden boards. Moreover you do not have to go to casino clubs to play your move. Just click the mouse and start moving your hands. Within few minutes, you can generate millions of loss a fortune.

Online casino gambling has transformed the way of traditional poker games. There are numerous websites that allow games to pursue their poker playing aspirations. All you have to register yourself in these sites and start your free poker game. Some websites gives you the facility of escaping registration complexity, making it easier to enter the online gambling world to prove your intelligence.

Free poker game online is really easy to play. Normally, all the rules and regulations are same as in the traditional poker playing. If you are a novice gamer, our easy tips can help you to get real pleasure:

1. Start with limit games. No-limit games can brings you loss because of your inexperience and lack of knowledge. Choose low-limit games to avert serious financial losses.

2. Observe senior gamers to get some ideas. You can also ask questions to experts and learn real tricks.

3. Be patient and gain experiences from playing in small tournaments to gain more maturity.

4. Do not lose your heart in case you lost the game. Poker is a pure fun and you should enjoy it at the fullest.

5. Learn one way of poker at a time. In hassle of learning everything, you can make mistakes.

Online Poker Gambling

Online poker gambling is the newest Internet craze. With online poker gambling, you can play poker for fun or cash at any time of the day or night. You don’t have to wait for your friends to to come over and play – there’s always someone online wanting to play poker.

Part of the reason online poker gambling has become so big is the big prizes for both in person and online tournaments. It seems to have all started when Chris Moneymaker, a professional accountant, turned a $39 online poker tournament entry fee into $2.5 million dollars. His initial entry fee of $39 at PokerStars led him to the final table of the annual World Series of Poker in 2003. He won the grand prize by taking first place and since then, many people have expressed more interest in online poker gambling.

Most online poker gambling web sites will offer you two options – to play for fun or to play for cash. When you play for fun, they give you a certain amount of poker chips, which can be reloaded if you lose all of them. If you decide to play for money, you must make a deposit at the site. You can then play at regular tables or enter tournaments. The amounts vary, so you can spend as little – or as much – as you like with online poker gambling.

Even if you do not know how to play poker, give online poker gambling a try. There are few better ways to learn than to just jump in, watch, and learn from others who have more experience.

Online Poker Bonuses From Poker Bonus Time

Almost every online casino that you can think of is giving way tons of online poker bonuses. These online poker bonuses usually function as leverage for these online gambling sites, allowing them to gather as many legal players as possible all over the world. On the other hand, online poker bonuses permit poker players to practice their skills and techniques as these rewards can extend their games.

Here are the common kinds of online poker bonuses available for you:

1. Cashable online poker bonuses. Of all kinds of online poker bonuses, these are the most common. This means that you may be able to obtain these bonuses once you have met the wagering requirement stated by the website. However, because of such lucrative deal brought by these online poker bonuses, there are a number of restrictions that you have to consider. One is that you will be limited to the kinds of games that you can play. Those poker games whose odds are very easy to determine will usually not be counted, and thus, you cannot enjoy online poker bonuses.

2. Cash-back online poker bonuses. Of all online poker bonuses, these are the rarest. This could be because there will be a lot of players who may opt to lose their games, so they can avail of a cash-back. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to note that you can have as high as 15 percent as your online poker bonuses. It can also be on a certain time. It can be given for those players who have lost in a particular day or week. Moreover, these online poker bonuses don’t mean that you can have all your bet back. It will clearly depend on the cash-back percentage.

3. Sticky online poker bonuses. This is a complete opposite of the cashable online poker bonuses. This is because you may be able to use these rewards during your games, but you cannot convert them to cash. If you like to make a withdrawal, these online poker bonuses will be automatically deducted from your total withdrawal. There are also some types of sticky online poker bonuses that don’t push you to go more than the original balance of your account just so you can able to make a withdrawal.

4. Sign-up bonuses. There are also several websites that are offering online Poker Bonuses once you decide to sign up with them. These can be in fixed amounts or a certain percentage. Normally, though, you may not be able to get these bonuses not until you play specific number of rounds. You may also have to consider how much you have placed as your deposit.

When you’re shopping for poker bonuses online, you have to make sure that you’re looking for them at the right places. You can start in major search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN. You can also check out poker directories. They will also let you know how much you will likely receive as bonuses and what the possible requirements are.

Poker: the Colour of Poker Money

“What’s that father?” a little boy once asked his father. “Can I play with them?”

The father replied, “No, son, it is not a toy! It is money, my boy!” The boy hurried off to play outside, though, wondering why his father considered those colorful chips as money.

Most children in America grew up with different kinds of colored chips. This colored chips represents money in the casinos. For example, a player who wants to play poker has to buy some chips to be used when betting. And because this is the kind of money that is being used during a game in the casino, particularly poker, others eventually call it poker money.

Poker money comes in various shades of blue, red, and other colors usually seen in the casinos.

In a particular poker game, a player’s poker money account is comprised of real cash and real chips. Normally, players could convert their cash to chips and vice versa. This can be done any time the player wants to do transactions except during a game.

Poker money arrives after a player settles down on a table and is ready to play poker. This poker money, in terms of chips, is being laid out in front of the concerned player.

However, before proceeding into playing poker, every player must make a deposit for his poker money.

In a live poker game where players get to play facing each other, the poker money are converted easily from cash to chips and vice versa on counters provided in the casino.

On the other hand, online poker games have different ways of managing poker money. Most of the online poker websites require their players to have their poker money accounts through deposits. Generally, these can be done into two categories. One category of depositing poker money is through direct methods wherein players use a credit card or draft in order to deposit money. The other category of depositing poker money is through a 3rd party services like NETeller or prepaid ATM which acts like Internet banks. Here, players can do transactions such as depositing poker money and transferring funds to online poker Web sites.

There are six deposit methods usually used when dealing with poker money by means of a 3rd party.

First of its kind is the Neteller. This method of depositing poker money is usually available on many Internet sites. Neteller offers players the choice of cashing out directly poker money into their account. Opening a Neteller account is like having an online wallet.

The other method you could consider is the MyCitadel wherein online poker players need not check their mails for drafts. MyCitadel is a payment system that manages US and Canadian customers mostly catering to poker money related matters. Here, poker players can have their poker money by purchasing chips online.

Then there is the FirePay, a Web based cash account. FirePay is great site wherein players with fund accounts from a United States bank can directly open a poker money account with them. Funds can be transferred directly from a U.S. bank account.

You also have the option in using a prepaid ATM. The difference with prepaid ATM is that players get to deposit their poker money to an ATM card and not just a Web site. When doing cash outs, it goes directly to your card. And the good thing about it is that the prepaid ATM works with most local ATM machines.

If you are not so convenient in using ATM, you could opt for credit cards. Poker money deposits can be easily managed without having a 3rd party. Or better yet, you could use the bank draft or check wherein your poker money deposits are better secured. Plus most Web sites offer 10% bonus when you deposit poker money through this method.

Last option would be the UseMyBank method wherein it also guarantees secured, fast, and easy transactions. Though, only those who have Canadian online bank accounts can be eligible.

And after you are through making poker money deposit, and maybe playing some hands of poker, there are online poker Web site that will give you a choice if you want to cash out your poker money at once or remove your funds at the site if in case you still want to come back and play. With the six deposit mode mentioned, you can be assured of having your poker money, whether chips or cash, remain exactly like you left them.

So, when the time comes you have finally decided to play poker online or in a live poker room in the casino, try to think of ways how to manage your poker money. After all, those chips are not just plain plastics. Poker money is exactly the reason why you have played poker in the first place.

The Four Styles of Online Poker Play | Online Poker Styles

Sometimes you will see passive as weak and aggressive as strong, so be aware that the terms weak/passive and strong/aggressive are synonymous.

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Tight-Passive: This is the player that plays least in the game of poker. These are people that will play nothing but the best of starting hands and even when they do play hands they are likely to only call or raise the minimum with those starting hands. The only time a tight-passive player will raise big is when they are holding the absolute nuts. Tight-passive players are also sometimes referred to as rocks and while rocks can be marginally profitable players at the lower limits, they will get flayed alive at the higher ones.

Tight-Aggressive: This is the style of poker that is ideal for the vast majority of people. The vast majority of professionals play some sort of variation on a tight-aggressive game. Tight-aggressive players only play the best of the starting hands just as in the previous example, but the difference is that they bet big when they have the best hands. They bet with the best hands, call with good draws and throw everything else away. Tight-aggressive players will rarely bluff, although you might catch them in a calculated semi-bluff from time to time; especially on the penultimate street.

Loose-Aggressive: A loose-aggressive player is the only other type of player that can make money at poker aside from the tight-aggressive player. When playing poker, you need to play aggressively regardless of what your starting hand selection is; playing weak in any form is not going to get the job done. Loose-aggressive players are players that see a lot of hands, but bet a lot and raise a lot in order to throw their opponents off stronger hands. Loose-aggressive players are often big bluffers and depending on how effective they are at bluffing, they can make the majority of their money off of that one move. While loose-aggressive professionals are not as numerous as tight-aggressive professionals, a lot of them do exist. Gus Hansen and Sammy Farha are two good examples of loose-aggressive professional players.

Loose-Passive: The absolute worst combination imaginable is this one. This is a player that sees a lot of flops, but at the same time does not play strong at all. Tight-passive players will at least be able to catch good hands that hold up because they are only playing the best starting hands, but loose-passive players will lose a lot more money because they will be calling with second and third best hands on a frequent basis. Make sure that you never play this playing style, because it is almost guaranteed to end up badly for you unless you catch an extraordinary run of luck.

 

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