How to host the perfect home poker game – Part 1

Hosting the Perfect Home Poker Game is something that is on the minds of seemingly millions of Americans. The overwhelming popularity of Texas Hold Em and Casino Games in general over the past few years has driven many to try to Host a Poker Game that has the same feel as their favorite casino poker room or something they saw on t.v. This combined with the recent issues surrounding playing poker online drive more and more groups of people to Host a game of their own.

In order to host a poker game, you will need certain things:

1) A good quality set of poker chips- the most common are made of a clay/composite material and weigh 11.5 grams each. There are also clay chips Paulson and Nexgen that are found in casinos that can be bought for home use as well.

2) A solid themed playing surface. While you can use any table, having a poker felt layout would be a great beginning. The next step up would be to buy a Folding Poker Table, which can seat up to 10 players, and can come with arm rests and cup holders. The obvious benefit to this type of table is that you can have a professional looking table during the game, and after the game is over it can either be folded and put away, or sent on to the Home where the game will be next time. Finally, for those of you with the space and the desire, you can purchase a Full Size Casino Grade Table….NICE!

3) Playing Cards. You will need at least 2 decks of cards. By using 2 decks, one can always be shuffled and ready for the next hand. You have got lots of options for cards, but the main difference is in the material they are made of. The best quality cards are made of a pvc material. Copag and Kem are the most popular pvc cards on the market. The benefits are that you can spill a drink on them and just wipe it clean and they are much more durable overall. They are more expensive, but because you won’t need to keep getting new cards every week…they are the best value.

4) Buttons. You will at least need a dealer button, but should also get a missed blind, big blind, and little blind buttons. If you play in a game with a kill, then you will need to get a kill button as well.

5) Tournament Timer. This will help you keep track of when to change the blinds/ante. You also have the option to set a timer for tounament teirs. These range from the very basic to the elegant.

These are the basics, but some people also use a Card Cover/Spinner. This lets the dealer know that you are in the hand. Some people use a coin, poker chip, or a bobblehead while others use something that is important to them-like a picture of your kids.

How to Play Poker — Poker Table Position

Poker seating and the position one has at the table is one
of the most important and least talked about aspects of
poker. It’s especially relative to the Texas Hold’Em poker
game because it is positional in nature. Where a player sits
each hand determines the amount of information he or she can
gain on other players. This can have a big effect on your
poker strategy and how a hand is played. This article will
reference how to play poker from a table of 10 players and
discuss playing from the dealer, early, middle and late
positions.

Dealer Position — This position, also referred to as “on
the button”, is the most coveted because once the flop takes
place, the dealer is the last to act. This means you can
watch and gather information on all the other players before
making your decision. Aggressive play is expected from this
position, especially when all others have checked. Almost
any hand except trash hands like 9 2, 10 4 offsuit can be
considered for play here.

For example, your opponent has Jc, Jh. You have Qd, Kd and
are the dealer. Your opponent raised $20 before the flop and
you called. The flop shows 2d, 3d, 5d. You both check the
flop and the turn shows 8c. Your opponent checks, you raise
$20 and they call. On the river the Js comes up and your
opponent raises $50. From watching you figure they may have
trips. You raise to $100, they call and you win with a King
high flush. Had you been in your opponents position of
having to bet first, you would have been hard pressed to
figure what the dealer had.

Early Position — This is made up of positions 1, 2 and 3 to
the left of the dealer and are the least advantageous as you
are the first to act after the flop and have no information
on the other players. Here one should play only the
strongest hands like paired A’s, K’s, Q’s, J’s, Tens, or
suited AK, AQ, AJ and KQ. Anything outside of these one
should consider folding and waiting for a better
opportunity, especially with an aggressive table. One thing
that can be done from an early position is bluffing. Betting
from an early position can imply that you do have a strong
hand, but bluffing too often will result in others picking
up on it and can be disastrous, particularly when aggressive
bettors are at the table.

Middle Position — Positions for the middle are 4th, 5th and
6th to the left of the dealer. Because the disadvantage is
not as great as with the early position, you have greater
flexibility to play more hands. Hands like paired 5’s thru
9’s, suited connectors from 5 6 on up, unsuited connectors 5
6, 6 7, on up. There are more hands that can be played but
this covers the majority that can be easily remembered.
Being in the middle, it is better to raise than call if no
one is in the pot, if you have a playable hand and you feel
some players will fold.

Late Position — The 7th, 8th and 9th seats at the table to
the left of the dealer make up the late position. Here you
are in an excellent seating area of the table. You can
gather a great amount of information about the players and
their hands. In these positions, one should be aggressive if
not many have entered the pot. If there are a lot of
players, scale back the aggressive play unless you have the
type of superior hand as discussed in the early position.
Another advantage of the late position is that you can
easily play cards like 5 8, J 7, Q 8. For example, supposing
you have 5 8 in the late position and the flop is 2 6 7
unsuited and everyone else checks. Raising at a
non-aggressive table would be the correct thing to do as it
gives you a chance to gain control of the pot as well as
keeping other raises in check from those who would try to
steal the pot. But remember, it is not a license to play
trash hands.

Poker seating is an advanced player concept, but the basics
are simple enough for anyone to remember and take advantage
of when the opportunity does present itself. Good luck!

About the Author

Tom Howze is a webmaster for 9 sites that relate to online gambling, World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour events and updates. For more information, please visit 2005 World Series of Poker .

Online Poker Cheating: Why Collusion Doesn’t Work

Immediately after the first Internet-poker website went online, people began to wonder if there might be a way to beat the system through cheating. It didn’t take long for players to realize this fact: While they were playing online poker, they could be speaking on the telephone to another player at the same table, and no one else would be the wiser.

This idea of working with another player was not new to the world of poker. At brick-and-mortar poker establishments, players have been teaming up for as long as there has been gambling. Two players go to a cardroom and sit at the same poker table. They have a predetermined system of signals to communicate with each other about their hands. The theory is that, together, they can better manipulate the betting and, eventually, win a lot of money. This form of cheating is called collusion.

In practice, making collusion profitable is an iffy proposition. It is far more difficult to execute properly than most people realize. Nonetheless, done skillfully over a long period of time, two colluding players can gain an advantage over the rest of the table. For that reason, cardrooms and casinos have policies in place to watch for collusion. Should they spot evidence of two players working together in this manner, they will promptly ban those players from their establishment.

Online poker is a different story altogether, and you can see why. With online poker, there is no physical poker table where players actually see each other with their own eyeballs. When you play poker online, you could be doing anything. Players can (and do) post probability charts next to their computers, sit at their computers naked, loudly swear and curse and give tells like crazy. Anything and everything is okay, since players cannot see what other players are doing. There are activities that no player would dream of doing while seated at a game in person, but those same activities can be done easily when playing poker online.

Included in this list of possible activities is talking to other players. At an in-person game, it is not possible to carry on a secret conversation with one of the other players at the table. You cannot discuss your hand and devise joint strategies to defeat your opponents while you are involved in the game. Obviously, if you tried to do this, other players would know what you are doing. But that is not the case online. Online poker seems perfect for such strategies of collusion.

Players collude in online poker games all the time. Often, those players think they are the first people ever to devise such a brilliant scheme. They congratulate themselves on their cleverness. In truth, they are late to the party. It is estimated that as many as one out of every five online poker tables contains at least some players working in collusion in some way.

Is this collusion effective? Not really. Most players who try it, do so only for a while, and then give up after they notice they are not generating any more profit than they normally do. Often, the colluding players actually end up earning less than normal. Such players eventually conclude that working in cahoots with another player is more bother than it is worth, at least for them.

So, what are they doing wrong? Why do their efforts at collusion fail to produce a profit? There are four basic reasons why simple collusion does not work for most players:

1) The players do not communicate effectively. In most cases, players do not have a clear system of communication worked out before they get on the phone with each other and start blabbing about their hands. As a result, mistakes and misunderstandings are common.

2) They do not play well. For most players, the added complication of constantly dealing with another person, analyzing his hands and figuring out strategy with him, is too much added mental baggage. These players do not concentrate as well on the things they should be concentrating on during the game. The most common result is that they play too many poor and marginal hands. These players are eager to get in there and start using their new perceived advantage, and as a result, they play too many hands and play them badly.

3) They are only two players strong. Rarely do colluders get more than two people to go in on their scheme at one time, and that is not enough. And three or more players on a multi-way phone conversation is bedlam, and highly ineffective; it can never work to produce results. Two players are not enough to influence a game and its probabilities a sufficient amount to make much difference, especially if there are another four to eight players seated at the same table. Two guys sitting at a table of ten are not likely to accomplish much, no matter how good they are at their plan.

4) They don’t know what to do. This is the biggest reason why online collusion fails for most players. They sit there on the phone with their buddy, and they just know they have some kind of an advantage over the rest of the table. However, they simply do not know what to do with their newfound power. They do not know how to use it.

If you are one of the millions of online poker players who suddenly get the bright idea to collude with a friend while you play, I offer you this advice: don’t bother. If you persist in putting your little brainstorm to the test, go right ahead, but you will soon find your dreams of poker riches dashed upon the rocks of reality.

True, there are ways to cheat at online poker. Many players do so every day. But colluding with a friend is not one of those ways. Talking on the phone with your buddy while playing is a sure path to failure. Just in case you are open to hearing my message, I thought I’d save you the trouble and disappointment of trying this shortsighted scheme.

Online Texas Holdem Poker Strategy: Maintain Focus At The Poker Table

There’s no doubt about it, some people are just better at poker than others. They appear to win consistently and seemingly at will. So this leaves many with a few questions which linger on the mind.

Could it be that poker is only a game of chance with no other forces to play upon besides the fickle Lady Luck?

What makes a good poker player a great poker player?

Is there a way in which I can be a more successful poker player?

If these questions have been yours at one time or another, then you’re certainly not alone. Millions of average poker players would like to enhance their gaming skill, and there are tons of products out there selling every day which promise to make you a better poker player. Poker players and wannabe poker gurus spend hard earned cash every day to learn the one secret which will transform them into poker pros in twenty four hours or less.

Let’s face it, if skill came in a can, and Lady Luck in a bottle, we’d all be poker pros. Sadly, improving your poker game just isn’t as easy as opening a can or a bottle, but don’t lose hope, there is something you can do.

The main problem which plagues poker players is the lack of focus. Focus is the key which can turn mediocre poker players into successful poker players. When a player loses focus, they will most certainly lose the game to someone who has maintained theirs.

The main causes of loss of focus at the poker table are:

Focusing on talk rather than the poker game: Talking during play is without a doubt the toughest habit to kick, and is the biggest consumer of our poker time attention. Poker time chat is something that’s expected, especially among friends, so it’s tough to quit without appearing rude. Tone it down over time, and you’ll see your poker winning streak improve.

Focusing on food rather than the poker game: Food is essential to all human beings, that’s a fact we’re all familiar with. However, food shouldn’t be your focus while playing poker. Instead of munching during the actual game, grab something to eat before play begins, and during breaks in play. Focus off of food leaves more focus for poker.

Focusing on alcohol rather than on the poker game: Now here’s where I’ll lose some of you for sure. If you really want to improve your poker game, leave the drinking of alcoholic beverages for post game chatter. A clear mind places smarter bets, and also puts you at an advantage over your inebriated poker pals.

Focusing on a personal issue rather than on the poker game: We all have issues at one time or another in life. Bringing them to the poker table isn’t helping anyone but your opponents. If you have something pressing on your mind and can’t set it aside, then leave poker for another time. This may sound a little harsh, but it’s the truth.

Focusing on a local distraction: This could be anything from your friend’s bad toupee, the barking of a distant dog or the tv upstairs. Filter out the ambient non poker essentials. Forget the toupee, the dog and the tv. It’s poker time pal, let’s get down to it!

Focus in itself is a skill. Any skill can be developed over time if diligently practiced. The five focus stealers we discussed will kill your poker game if you let them. By developing a razor sharp focus, you can cut them off before they become a persistent problem.

How Beneficial Poker Bots Are

Are you interested in online poker? Do you feel that online poker is a much convenient game than the real live casinos game? Well, if that is so then you should be aware of the latest tools being involved in the online version of the game. Recently enough, many people have come up with the concepts of poker bots. If you are unaware of this concept then here is a detailed description on these new players in online poker and how beneficial they actually are.

Poker bots, basically, refer to some special software programs that are designed to help the beginners and professional players win more money in the game of online poker. This software is developed in a way that it can play online poker on its own. All you need to do is find a poker table on the Internet and start up your software and play the bot play the game for you. Actually, the word poker bot refers to a poker robot only. However, for the sake of convenience it is called “bot”.

There are mainly three types of popular poker bots. The first of them is known as “click slaves”. This is just a blank program that does not know how to play online poker. What you have to do is program this software with your personal instructions for a game and then it can play by itself. The second type of poker robots are the “third party brains”. These are somehow similar to the online poker inspector that can give advice to the player on how to play a hand but cannot do things on its own. Moreover, the variations in such bot programs are so high that it can be played against easily by the aggressive opponents.

The third category of poker bots is the one that can be considered highly professional and beneficial. You just need to start the program and choose options according to your style. Afterwards, you just have to choose a poker table on the Internet and the rest will be taken care by this bot. However, the click behind this is that these bots are really expensive.

Now, the best way to use these poker bots is to supervise them properly. You cannot use the auto-play on these bots and sit assured that it will make constant money for you. You need to program it according to your playing style. Keep in mind that it is just a software and it needs to be programmed and supervised continuously while the game is on, if you are serious about making money in online poker.

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