Posts filed under 'Strategies & tips'
Poker is not a science. It can’t be boiled down to a series of events and reactions. It’s an art. The best players learn to roll with the punches and come back swinging. Things go wrong. Cards land badly. Bankrolls dip desperately low. But, each time, a veteran poker player will consider his odds, keep his cool and sometimes, come back to fight another day. On the other hand, novice poker players make a ton of rookie mistakes. And when they do, the veterans on the table move in for the kill. Below, you’ll find 4 of the most lethal (and common) mistakes that novice players make.
Mistake #1: Getting Emotional
The pros make it look easy. But, keeping your cool when your luck turns bad is a learned skill. Beginning players often don’t control their emotions. But, on the table, luck turns quickly and small things start to annoy. Great hands get buried. The player next to you distracts and irritates you. But, when you get angry, you lose your focus. And when that happens, the sharks on the table smell the blood and come to feed.
Mistake #2: Bluffing Too Often
New poker players make this mistake all the time. And trust me… experienced players notice it quickly. The problem is that rookies watch movies or a poker cable channel and think they can get away with murder on the table. What they don’t realize is that there are 2 problems with that. First, veteran players have seen it all and can smell most of it a mile away. Second, beginners are usually bad bluffers. Combine those 2 dynamics and you have a novice who’s bankroll is about to get pummeled.
Mistake #3: Not Understanding Pot Odds
To be fair, even experienced poker players often neglect to figure out the pot odds of a hand. There’s no excuse, but it happens. That being said, rookies often don’t even understand the odds. That can make them call too often, bumping against maximum bets with poor hands. For the savvy player who keeps the odds in his head during a hand, the rookie is just fresh meat.
Mistake #4: Imitating Other Players
This happens a lot. Most beginners learn poker by watching more experienced players. That’s fine because it’s a great way to learn strategy. The trap most novices fall into though, is simply copying what other players are doing. They don’t understand poker strategy. Here’s the problem. If you’re imitating a great player’s moves without knowing why he’s making them, you’ll begin to follow a trend that others will pick up on. You’ll be predictable. If you copy a poor player’s move, you’re setting yourself up for failure. It’s a common rookie mistake, but it can be deadly on the table.
Becoming A Better Poker Player
If you’re a beginner, understand that nobody is a “born poker player.” The professional players that you see on TV or in tournaments developed the skills they need to win. Everybody makes mistakes. A lot of pros have made the mistakes I’ve described above. The difference is that they learned from them. If they bluffed badly, they fixed the problem. If they angered quickly, they developed control. If you want to be a proficient poker player, understand the game. Identify the mistakes you’re making and fix them.
By the way, the 4 mistakes above are just a quick sampling. Beginner poker players make a ton of others. So, we’ll be coming back to this soon. Stay tuned.
May 18th, 2008
Advanced poker is much more about playing one’s opponents than the cards. The psychological aspect of the game gets front seat, and subtle things (like all sorts of poker tells) become much more important. These are the circumstances under which bluffing inevitably rears its head. Whether it’s a blind-stealing semi-bluff, or a full one, bluffing is going to be present in the game, one way or another. Knowing how to read your opponents, the board and the betting patterns can come in extremely handy in this situation.
The most basic thing you need to know in order to spot a bluff, is how you should build up a near-perfect bluff yourself. If you’re playing against a table full of newbies, bluffing won’t do you much good. In order for a bluff to be successful, you need people who can pick up the message of strength that you’re emitting when bluffing. Rookies and fish won’t be able to tell that you’re showing strength, so they won’t fall for the bluff.
Against good players, bluffing or semi-bluffing makes perfect sense, though in this case, you need to make sure your bluff is perfectly set up, or it’ll backfire.
A good bluff needs to be created. You can’t just shove all-in on any hand and hope for the best, especially not considering the fact that in order to even consider bluffing, you need to be playing against good players.
A bluff begins with picking up reads on your opponents. Observe their behavior and draw your conclusions. Then keep your eye on the board. If you notice your opponents showing weakness, and you see a board texture that would suit a given scenario perfectly, imagine that the scenario is indeed real, and play it out like it’s a movie.
Now that you know how bluffing is supposed to work, you’ll know what to look for in your opponents when you suspect one is being pulled on you.
Poker tells have a huge role in the detection of a bluff. The most important poker tell of all (that’s because it is available live as well as online) is the betting pattern. People must play hands one way or the other, so they must act somehow. They cannot avoid leaving a telltale trail of clues through their betting.
In live poker, there are plenty of other tells you can pick up on. Always watch the eyes of your opponents. The eyes never lie, and that’s exactly why professionals wear shades or baseball caps to hide their eyes. Often, you’ll see one of the players ask a question about the other guy’s hand and look him straight in the eye. People know that their opponents can’t tell a lie while looking someone straight in the eye.
Another tell regarding the eyes is when you see someone stare at his hole-cards insistently. That usually means he has a monster hiding there that he just can’t get enough of contemplating. If you see someone looking at the players on their left, it usually means they’re trying to figure out whether someone would call an eventual raise of theirs or not.
Watch out for the obvious tells players are giving out. Everyone likes to be a comedian, an actor to be more precise. If they want you to think they’re showing strength, they’ll go out of their way to make you think so. If they want to appear weak, some people will overdo that too.
Never underestimate the power of body language. Even if people hide their eyes, there’s nothing they can do about body language. Players on strong hands will automatically adopt a more dominant posture, which, in a “bring it on” kind of way suggests that they’re ready for a confrontation. Those who want to slip by unnoticed and possibly see another free card, adopt a specific posture too. This is something people just can’t help. It’s part of what nature endowed us all with when it comes to communication.
Signing up for a good rakeback deal is sure to give your bankroll building efforts a huge boost. After all, you’ll be able to add a significant sum of money to your stack at the end of every month, or every week, depending on how often your rakeback provider pays you.
April 3rd, 2008
Playing in the opening stages of STTs requires tight and aggressive play, in its purest form. Everyone knows that and as a player, I have never had any problems dealing with this issue. Short handed play, or heads up was always something I was naturally good at, too. When I have to be crazy aggressive, and play on the edge, for some reason I feel good about the game and manage to make all the right calls time and time again. I know not all online poker players are like that so I’ll devote a different article to the short handed and heads up stage in the future.
The stage that seems to give me the most problems, and where I most often get things wrong is the mid-blinds stage. It’s not short handed, so being ultra aggressive will not pay, but playing the same tight game you did in the beginning, won’t cut it anymore either. This stage requires a special sense of balance, and I truly admire people who can pull it off and get their stacks going during this stage.
The mid blinds period comes about when the blinds are 100/50 and there are already a few opponents out of contention. In beginners’ freerolls this is exactly when the bubble comes about too, to make matters worse.
My problem is that I find it extremely difficult to be loose and tight in the same time if you know what I mean, so I decided I really needed to brush up on this aspect of my play.
Here’s what I came up with: It makes perfect sense that by the time you reach the mid-blinds stage, stealing your opponents’ blinds will provide you some great value, and some of the folks around the table will indeed boost their stacks using this technique.
The key to successful mid-blinds play is apparently in the position. You play tight in early position and you play much looser than in the early stages of the tourney, from late position. That’s how you’re supposed to achieve that tight-loose play that will tide you through this extremely awkward stage in the game.
When out of position, your play shouldn’t be any different from the early stages of the game. Play tight, do not try to “milk” hands that you know you can’t take to a showdown. Do not limp about though as you did early on. At this stage, with the blinds being as big as they are, you cannot afford to limp around for 5% of your stack. Remember, a hand that is not worth betting or raising on, is hardly worth a call. If you commit, commit hard, or stay put.
Whenever you find yourself in late position, you have to change gears. This is what I and most other lousy players find so difficult to do. I mean I will change gears no problem as opposition slowly disappears from around the table, because I’m kind of forced to. When it comes to more subtle changes, such as the above described one though, I’m having problems. From late position, you have to step up the pace and start not only playing your hands in a much more aggressive manner, but attacking the blinds on hands you don’t normally feel good about.
Such hands should include suited connectors, and anything you would normally only limp along on. Again, limping is not an option here. If you’re on the button with $1,000 in chips, the blinds are $200/100, you have to raise to get the SB (with let’s say $1,500, and the BB with $ 2,000) to fold. If you only call them with a marginal hand, not only will you be forced to go all-in later anyways, you’ll also allow them to see some cards, and possibly complete a draw. You can’t go around raising like a madman on just anything though. It sometimes happens that either the BB or the SB decides to stand his/her ground and call you. In such situations, you want to give yourself a fair chance for after the flop, when a second shot fired in the defender’s direction might still make him/her fold , especially if he/she misses the flop.
Rakeback deals provide extra EV+ for those who know that they should indeed take advantage of them. Take the 27% Full Tilt rakeback for instance. You will pay only 73% of the rake the player next to you pays. How’s that for a long term edge?
March 26th, 2008
When talking about the best hand in poker, people immediately think about the Royal Flush. While that is indeed the best possible five-card hand in poker, it is so rare, it can hardly be considered a hand that one shall win a lot of money on. A truly good poker hand is always the one that you win big on, regardless of its value.
Players call it “the perfect hand”. The perfect hand can be anything from a mere high card to a Royal Flush, its value not lent to it by its own strength but rather but the strength of the hand it goes up against.
If you ever came across a monster of a hand, only to have everyone fold on you, you can probably appreciate the value of the perfect hand.
If you have a set of 9s and your opponent has a set of 8s, 7s or even 2s, then you have the perfect hand. A perfect hand means that you won’t run into any trouble getting your opponent all-in, because his hand will give him enough confidence to attempt to get you all-in.
If your hand is a high card A, and your opponent’s hand is a high card K, that’s another example of a perfect hand on one hand, on the other hand though, you’re not likely to be called all-in on a high card. That means your opponent needs to have something, something that gives him enough confidence to call you.
Trips can be exploited nicely in this respect. In a recent online poker game, I flopped a set of 7s, which I slow-played on the turn, and then tried to trap someone all-in on the river. The board texture looked nice, and I got called by one of the players. At showdown he showed me two pairs against my trips. In that instance, three sevens were indeed the perfect hand.
Sometimes you’ll find yourself at the receiving end of such situations. There’s nothing more disheartening in the world than when you see your monster fall to a marginally better hand. Very few people can spot such situations, although sometimes they are rather obvious. The difficult ones require master player reading skills. Dodging a bullet, as Phil Hellmuth once called it, is not something you’re likely to achieve in online poker although you might if you get a really good read on someone based on his/her betting patterns.
At first glance, it doesn’t really look like you can do anything to facilitate such perfect hands to come by and –what’s more – to go down in your favor, but you can do something. It all comes down to implied odds. A,x suited carries excellent implied odds in this respect. If you do hit a flush on a hand like that, yours will be the nut flush, which means regardless of the flush your opponent makes, you’ll win the hand. Of course, you’d like him to make a K high one, which would give you an excellent return, but even if he only hits a J or 10 high one, he’ll be tempted to call you, or even re-raise you for an all-in, because a large part of your flush remains hidden. That’s why it pays to see a cheap flop on a hand like that whenever possible, because you actually stand a pretty good chance to make a flush with it, and if you do, your winnings are likely to far exceed your losses counting all those times when you do not make a hand.
It’s a small trick you might want to exploit, because that is what winning poker is about at the end of the day: the systematic exploitation of such small edges.
While at it, do not forget to take advantage of small edges – like rakeback – that are not directly play-related.
They’ll boost your winnings or keep you out of trouble if you’re a break-even player.
Remember, the best poker hand is always the one that beats someone who’s eager to go all-in against you.
March 25th, 2008
5 Easy Ways To Improve Your Texas Holdem Game Through Practice
Doyle Brunson has said that the best way to get better at Texas hold’em is to play a lot of Texas Holdem hands, and most poker players would probably agree.
The problem is that learning to play poker is potentially expensive. Texas hold’em is generally played for money and if you don’t know what you are doing, you could potentially lose that money. So how can you practice without decimating your bankroll before it’s even been formed? Here are five easy ways around this problem.
1. Play Free Online Texas Hold’em
If you’ve seen any television commercials for poker websites, you know that there is an option to play poker free. All the best poker rooms has a play money section where you can play with virtual dollars and not risk any actual funds. While the game selection is not as wide, you can play “cash” games and tournaments in games like Texas hold’em and Omaha. While the competition may not be that stiff, it will give you an opportunity to get a feel for the flow of the action.
2. Play Low-Limit Texas Hold’em Online
Sites like Poker Stars actually feature “Micro limit” games, where you can play tournaments for as little as one dollar and cash games where the blinds are literally only a few cents. The quality of play increases dramatically from the free games, and even an extended run of bad luck or mistakes shouldn’t put too big a dent in your disposable income.
3. Play Home Texas Hold’em Games
If you can find friends who will play with you for free, you have a great opportunity to improve. This is especially true if your friends are experienced at poker. It will help to have something to play for; perhaps a trophy or a free dinner for the player who amasses the most chips by the end of the night, to keep the action competitive.
4. Play PC/Video Texas Hold’em Games
There are now video games for most major gaming platforms that are endorsed by poker professionals such as World Championship Poker and Stacked. There is also software that will play Texas Hold’em against you, most notably Wilson Turbo Texas Hold’em. These games have an advantage over free online games in that your virtual opponents will always play their best game, something humans playing for play money rarely do.
5. Play “Fun” Tournaments
You can sometimes find tournaments played for fun or small prizes at bars or charity events. These events are another good, fun way to get some tournament Texas hold’em experience without investing too much money.
January 24th, 2008
While there are many things you can do to improve your play before ever sitting down at a Texas hold’em poker game, there are also things you can do as the game progresses to get better. Poker is a game of observation and of using those observations to your advantage. Since all players should get the same amount of winning and losing hands over time, being more skilled at reading your opponents than others are can make all the difference. Here are five Texas holdem tips you can use to improve your results at the poker table.
1. The Guessing Game
A great way to hone your observational skills in Texas holdem poker is to play the guessing game. You do this by watching a hand that you are not in and trying to guess what the players in the hand hold. Be willing to refine and revise your prediction based on new information. You may be pleasantly surprised at how often your predictions are close to or even exactly on target. Of course, once you are actually involved in a hand, this skill will serve you quite well.
2. Higher Level Thinking in Texas Hold’em
When many people start out playing Texas hold’em, they concern themselves only with what they are holding and try to determine if it is objectively the best hand based on the cards on the board. The next level of thinking is considering what your opponent is likely to have based on how they have played the hand. This can make your decisions easier. The third level of thinking is considering what your opponent is likely to think you hold. If you can do this effectively, you will develop a tremendous advantage over most opponents.
3. Watching Texas Hold’em Actively
Many poker enthusiasts love to watch poker on television. As someone who wants to improve at Texas hold’em, you will need to watch much more actively than the casual poker fan. That means rather than just marveling over a fantastic bluff or unbelievable laydown, you need to be thinking about the reasons behind it. Why did the player know that that bluff would work at that particular time? Why did the pro lay down his straight when Player A bet, but raise with it in another hand where Player B bet? To be successful at poker, you should always be thinking about why poker decisions are made.
4. Follow a Player (Live Poker Game)
It can be difficult to figure out the way everyone is playing at your Texas hold’em table. Smart players will change their tactics or may even play differently depending on their changing mood. Much of the time, you don’t even get to see what their hand was. It may be helpful to start by picking a specific player, ideally one you have an immediate feel for, and tracking them specifically. If you target the right player, it’s possible to have a very successful session, even if the other players at the table are fairly skilled.
5. Follow a Player (Online Poker Game)
This is something you can do whether you are in the game or not. Just as in a live game, pick a player and try to learn their tendencies. What is especially nice about doing this is online is that most poker sites will allow you to keep notes on the player directly on screen. As you make an observation, you can write it down in the notes area and call it up with a click every time you face this opponent. Write down everything you notice and you may eventually find it creates a complete picture of this player. Put the pieces together and use the information to dominate this opponent whenever you share a table.
November 30th, 2007
For a new player playing poker can be overwhelming, there are many factors to consider before betting and most newbies will rely too much on luck… Luck is part of the game but there are ways to calculate odds which over time will make you a winner !
For an OFFLINE Player …
1. Patience young “padawan”
Patience pays off most in head-to-head playing if you don’t have a lot of experience. Head to head battles often have one player significantly weaker in chips than the other, and will therefore often have several all-in calls. Experienced players can trust their luck, and their read of their opponents, and will call an all-in hand with less than stellar cards in the hole, knowing that the flop, turn and river can often make for surprising finishes. Waiting until you have a solid high pair or ace-and-face combo in the hole gives the highest odds to winning an all-in call head to head.
2. No seriously, be patient !
Only play pocket pairs and hands that add up to 20 or 21. Playing too many hands is poor play.
Large starting hands have a higher percentage of success and will keep you from getting into kicker trouble. Limit your starting hands to this list. As your game improves, you will graduate to playing more types of hands, bluffing and other strategies.
3. Practice makes perfect
Set up a weekly home game. Get your buddies together and play once a week. It’s a comfortable atmosphere to test your skills. Learning can snowball when some friends share your interest. It’s also cheaper than going out on the town. Play with or without money , I would recommend WITH money but only play 5$ games or 2$ games at first, this allow you to play alot of games without losing all your money ( you will be most likely losing the first few times ) Becoming a winning poker player requires many hours of play. Reading is important, but like everything else, practical application - on the job training
For an ONLINE Player …
1. Yep, you guessed it, More patience !
Waiting until you have a strong hand means less participation but a better winning percentage and more chips if you bet appropriately. Texas hold’em poker competitions on TV mislead people into thinking that every hand is filled with action, but let’s be honest: rounds of people folding aren’t very exciting and don’t make good TV viewing so are often edited out. When you have an ace in hand, you really should go in to see the flop, especially if your off card is either of the same suit or even relatively high, a seven or higher. The ace is the highest card on the flop, so the best to pair up or to have as a kicker.
2. Concentrate on reading players
Since in online poker you cant see a person it doesnt mean there arent any “tells” ( sign) , it just takes alot more concentration to be able to spot when a player is scared or bluffing. Be aware of the betting patterns of your opponents. Alot of people try to play 2 or Learn how to calculate outs and pot odds.
3. Pratice
Well the truth is online and offline is pretty much the same, the easiest way to get better is with practice. Luck is always a factor in any card game, but with practice you get experience, and with experience you can learn to maximize your winnings and minimize your losses.
October 8th, 2007
Looking for an edge while playing online ? Pay attention to this
Intro
Alot of online poker players giveout tells and most of them dont even know it. Are you one of those players ?
My goal with this blog is to help people become the best poker player they can be, and thus you need to be aware of online tells that you might give away to others that are very well aware of these tells.
Your online behaviour, how you play, when you play, how fast you play and what you say in the chat rooms, even your name can all give away some free “information” about your game, the secret to being a good bluffer is to not let others know when you are bluffing.
Take this information and use it, when you see someone not following these rules, there is a good chance that he is a below average player, and thus you should take advantage of that.
1.Watch your timing
Timing online is critical, since you dont see the person’s eyes, his facial experssions and his body, you will need to pay close attention to what you can see, for instance, his betting pattern…
When you use the automatic action buttons before it is your turn it is your turn to play ( check/fold , call , raise ), it makes it easier for other player to detect a pattern in you. Furthermore you eliminate the possibility to give out false information, for example, some player will think that a player who takes his time before checking usualy indicate weakness ( lack of confidence ) , if you have the auto-check on, with a strong hand you will not be able to simulate that weakness.
The easiest way to eliminate any online tell related to timing is to always take the exact same amount of time before you check/fold/bet so you never give out any clues.
2. Watch your communications
Pay attention to what is said, when it is said.
Spot the newbies, people that are getting impatient , or excited etc. Notice any change in their way of talking.
In general, the less you talk the less they know about you, so dont talk too much , and when you do use it to know more about your opponent.
3.Watch your “History”
Some times you will see players coming back after losing with fresh newly reloaded cash, spot these players !
They suck and have money to give out !
Dont come back to the same rooms / play with the same people if you lost just reloaded your cash !
If you suck, dont let them know it…
4.Watch your name
In general good players use their real name, that is, in general.
People with funky nicknames and other alias might be tempted to bluff more.
You should use your name as it is neutral or something very generic.
5.Watch your situation
Pay close attention to the situation in which people take action… if someone checks on the flop, but raise on the turn when the card dealth was low, it probably means that he already had something good and was faking weakness to make more people chip in.
You should always be aware of what you are doing, know when to backoff and dont use the same tactics when you have a strong hand, this will make it hard for opponent to spot the pattern.
Conclusion
Online poker tells exist and are being used by players against you, so you better learn all of them, of course poker tells can never be 100% accurate, that is why should always be cautious and use your judgement, take the time to spot the different types of players…
If you want more information here is a great list of article on the subject :
Online poker tell tips :
http://www.launchpoker.com/psychology/-online-poker-tells-/
http://ezinearticles.com/?Texas-Holdem-Poker-Tournament-Strategy—Online-Poker-Tells&id=44310
http://www.playwinningpoker.com/online/poker/strategy.html
http://www.internettexasholdem.com/poker-tips/poker-articles/online-poker-tells/
http://www.poker-strategy.org/default.aspx?tabid=57
http://www.ultimatebet.com/learn-poker/article.html?articleID=141
http://www.playwinningpoker.com/online/poker/tells/
http://www.totalgambler.com/pokertips/tournamentplay/407/texas_holdem.html
http://www.pokerjesusonline.com/online_tells.htm
http://www.pokersourceonline.com/poker-strategy/online-poker-tells.asp
http://www.onlinepokercenter.com/articles/online_poker/online_tells.php
http://www.pokerlistings.com/top-5-online-tells-6728
http://www.pokerlistings.com/online-tells
This list is quite big, but you should read all of it, bookmark this page and come back when you have time, or feel free to give me other tips by posting a comment !
April 15th, 2007
You receive your first two cards, you look at them and now you ask yourself, should you play them ? Should you raise on the preflop ? You look around you, and try to find some tells, but still can’t quite decide what to do. Well You’re reading the right article. See I’m going to tell you what to do, it’s easy huh!
First, these are advice for a table with 6-8 players
The very good hands
the ones you raise with
Well let’s go through the hands that will make you go “YESH!” This is what you should do before the flop
A-A : Obviously, the highest possible starter, so no question there, you raise
K-K : Raise
Q-Q : Raise
A-K : Raise
J-J : Raise
A-Q : Raise
T-T : Raise
Yes you got read right, you should raise…why ? Because you can loose your advantage on the flop VERY quickly, so play at your peek, and try to get there money while you can, don’t waste the pocket ace to try and lure someone into thinking you got nothing yet, unless you got some experience, you should raise on the flop.
The good hands
the one you call with
A-J : Call
A-T : Call
9-9 : Call
8-8 : Call
7-7 : Call
Now I wouldn’t normally call with any pocket pair below 7’s, but you’ll have to use your brain on this one. Read your opponents and go with what your guts tell you.
See try always reacting the same way when you get your cards, and most importantly memorize them so you won’t have to look again. Most beginner check there bad cards more often then there good ones, and that’s an easy tell for an experienced player.
On a side note, you should practice yourself being constant, forget the bluffing on starting hands, unless your a very good poker player. Don’t talk too much, listen instead, don’t try to provoke reaction yet, wait (like a predator). Wait for them to feel in confidence, hand after hand, keep doing the same exact thing for every hand.
Oh and these things are discussed in the book i just reviewed, u can see it in the new book reviews section !
Enjoy yourselves players, and see you at the table!
March 30th, 2007
To bluff or not to bluff ?
That is the real question and honestly, I have a long and complicated answer, but just stick around, it might help. Oh and the success of any bluff lies in your capabilitie to observe others. Because when you bluff, you don’t bluff with your cards, you bluff with the cards everyone else think you have.
Bluffing, it is quite complicated to master, yet so simple to use. You simply raise your opponent with confidence, and hope that he will chicken out. This process is entirely psychological, everything you do, every movement, every word you’ll be saying will have a direct impact on someone’s decision.
If you play against a friend that knows you, it will be harder to bluff, simply because he knows your patterns. Me for example, I used to have a habit I didn’t notice myself when I started playing poker (around 6 years ago), I would often raise after the initial flop when I had an Ace in hands. So although you might think your giving no tells, you are, everyone does, even the pro’s. And wit this kind of information, somone could take everything you have, literrally.
Before ever bluffing
You need to fine tuned your play style. You need first and foremost to make sure that no ones truly knows if you bluffed or not when you win a hand. You need to keep poeple guessing. You need to switch from Loose play, to a tighter play if you see that someone is catching you on. See, if someone cannot figure what you next move will be, you achieved the simpliest, most important strategy in poker, deception!
When to bluff
There is many time where bluffing can be an advantage for you.
- When you are too deep in a hand and you don’t think you can win against your opponents.
- When you find a weakness in someone, be aggressive, make him think you have a great hand
Basically you can bluff either to get yourself out of a hand that turned bad, or because someone look like he might chicken out if you put in the big chips.
How to bluff
Some people make mistake when they get in a hand, and once they put a bit of money in, they find themselves with a decision to make, either cut the losses, or bluff your way out. Now usually, if you are playing against decent poker players, there is always a chance that someone saw through your bluff. So my advice is simple
Be always tight before you get in a hand, but once you are in, you have to play aggressive.
That means, once your in a hand there should be no weakness, no doubts that every time another card is turn, you simlpy are getting closer to your victory. And that should show in everything you do, you have to irradiate confidence, everyone must think you are NOT bluffing, so try to talk the least possible (if you are a beginner) in every game you play, because the more you talk, the more tells your giving.
Caution : Don’t be stupid, don’t bluff against to big odds! Remember, you always have to observe, and sometimes, it might be difficult to make someone believe you have a better hand (simply because he/she might have the best possible hand). So always use your judgment
Enjoy
March 19th, 2007
There is no computer that can beat a world class poker player because poker is a people game. A game of poker is a game where “you play the man not the cards”. You must have heard this expression many times before, and I can’t stress enough of how important it is. Of course the cards have a huge impact on the game, but a world class poker player could win against a beginner every time.
Let me give you an example. In a blackjack game, a computer that counts the cards would without doubt make a fortune in a very short amount of time. Because there is a mathematically proven ways to beat the game. It’s all about statistics.
Poker is different, knowing what to do isn’t simply enough in a poker game, you need to know how to do it. That’s what I think is missing today. I’ve been lurking around a long time and I’ve heard/read countless of tips and techniques, but not nearly enough information on how to use these tips. Not only do you need to know when to raise, call, or fold, but how to do it.
Poker is definitely more an art than science, but the beauty of it is it can be taught, it can be learned. As you go through the tips you will find on this site, always think of how you will be using them. After all, poker is a game of deception.
March 18th, 2007
What distinguishes best poker players? Their courage. It’s one of the characteristics you need to be the best. Doyle Brunson once said: “Timid players don’t win in high-stakes Poker”. Courage means: everything you’ve put in the pot belongs to the pot. It’s not yours. Forget about that money. But never dare to make a bit bet if you feel that it’s the best action at that time.
Read Full article Source : launchpoker.com
March 18th, 2007
I found an interesting article on the pro’s of playing tight
In my last article we compared two different loose tables to see what kind of player would dominate and what hands would win. Unquestionably the tighter players outperform the looser players. Before you continue reading, jot down how many hands per hundred dealt, you play. If that number is too high for you to work with, count the number of hands you play in a single round with ten seated players at the table. If all else fails just jot down how many hands you play per hour. If the dealer is good you may get 20 to 25 hands per hour. The number for Hold-Em is around 30 and maybe as high as 35/40 per hour with a shuffle machine. Honesty counts. Go write it down. Ok let’s continue. Do not take into account tournament play.
Full article
March 18th, 2007
The first step in becoming a good poker player is to understand who you are playing against. There is mainly two types of poker players.
Tight : Tight is synonym of conservative. A tight player is a player that will be more likely to fold when the odds are against him.
Pros :
- You have more control over how much you win and more importantly, how much you lose
- You can last longer in the first stages of a tournament
- Tight player are fearful chip leaders
Cons :
- You are very predictable
- Usually your winnings are minimal (because your are predictable)
Loose : The loose player is the player that will play most of the pots, they will call your raise even when the odds of winning are against them.
Pros :
- Unpredictable
- More fun (play more often)
Cons :
- Large bankroll swings
- Increase chance of loosing (if you play more often, you play bad hands more often)
Of course there are different variations, how aggressive is a loose player or how passive is a tight player. I won’t go in the detail but what I want to highlight is you enter in a category too. And someone that will flag you as either tight or loose player will know how to play you.
- Change play style often, the more the people around the table knows you, the more often you should change play style.
- Play mostly tight in a loose game and play mostly loose on a tight game
By doing so, you will have one step ahead, and when someone catch you on, you switch play style.
March 18th, 2007
A few good articles that teaches you the basics of deception , how to use it and such …
If there is one thing that separates intermediate players from good players it is definitely the use of psychological plays and maneuvers. An intermediate player, even one that understands the fine mathematical schemes that poker entails, usually plays the board and not the players against him. Most new players do not understand that it is not enough to know your opponents and the style they play (passive, tight…). A good player should know what his opponents think about him and know how to convey a certain table image. There are several principle methods to deceive your opponents and lead them to believe what you want them to.
Read full article, Source : pokerroom.cd
If you asked a novice player to define deception in poker he would doubtless say that it all had to do with bluffing, and that’s the reason why he will stay a novice.
Deception in poker is fundamental to your success, and you will notice that this holds true as you play at higher stakes levels. Basically, predictable behaviour is to be avoided at all costs when you play poker, and the harder it is for opponents to put you on a hand, or read what you have, the more likely you are to show a profit
Read full article, Source : online-poker-insider.com
March 17th, 2007
What is the condition of your game? What’s your condition? Your answers to each of those questions were probably similar. There’s a simple reason for that and it boils down to one of the key factors of poker.
Psychology…
Poker is a deeply psychological game. Not only in the art of bluffing and deception but also in the fact that your attitude is of supreme importance. Keeping positive is the key to winning poker, staying on your game when it gets tough instead of losing it and going on tilt.
Read full Article : source : Lauch poker
February 7th, 2007
Traditionally, nicknames aren’t chosen, but conferred by one’s poker peers. However, those of you who are deeply unpopular will need to resort to drastic measures. Here’s a short guide to finding the right nickname
Read Full article , Source : askmen.com
January 20th, 2007
