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Is there a winning seat at the poker table?

The right seat at the poker table.

right seat at the poker table
Is it important to choose the right position when you play poker? Do you spend time on choosing the right seat at the poker table? For sure, it is an important aspect. And it is often ignored by many players.

To select a right position is one of the most important aspects you should consider in a poker game, especially if you’re playing Texas Hold’em poker, because your location remains fixed for the whole game round. And, for example, in 7-card stud a game position often depends on the cards and on poker hands order. Continue reading

Some info on pub poker leagues so popular nowadays

Pub poker leagues.

The UK poker league tradition and tradition to spend every night in pubs with friends give rise to pub poker leagues.
Pub poker league UK offers tournaments which are held in numerous pubs throughout Great Britain and Ireland.
The most popular game played on the UK and Ireland poker league is the Texas Hold’em poker. Continue reading

Pot odds in poker, what are they and how are they calculated?

Pot Odds explained.
Pot OddsPoker is largely a mathematical game. To win you need to make decisions with a positive mathematical expectation; it means those that are beneficial for you. Beginners often do not realize it, trying to take the pot at any cost, and as a result they lose.
In order to use poker odds, you should take into account pot odds before making a decision whether you need to make a certain action or not. Continue reading

Best online poker tools, what are they good for?

Poker tools.

Poker ToolsWith the increasing of online poker popularity people start to create pro poker tools and different Web services that will help poker players to play better. We think that the use of some of these poker software tools and services is acceptable. However, we believe that certain programs can not be included in this list.

A player can certainly do something to improve the game skills. For example, he or she can play a lot and gain experience, or read poker manuals. Both these methods are absolutely acceptable. But a player can also play in collusion with another player, sharing information about their hands, and forming a team against other players. This is a typical cheating. Continue reading

Casino Stud Poker Game Tips and Tricks

Stud poker tips and tricks.

stud poker tips and tricksThere are two main variants of stud poker game – 7 card stud poker and poker 5 card stud. Seven card stud is the most popular of stud poker games and is a part of WSOP, that’s why we’ll explain casino stud poker rules on the example of this poker game. In Seven Card Stud, players receive seven cards, but only a five-card combination is used to determine the winner. Continue reading

Poker tournament strategy explained

The basic poker tournament strategy.

The whole process of playing in the tournament can be divided into four stages:
- Early Stage
- Middle stage
- Late Stage
- Final Table
Early stage
In the early stage of a tournament you have usually quite a lot of chips in relation to the stakes (stake – blinds and / or antes). So, you can afford to wait for good hands and then join the fight for the pot. The winning poker strategy at this stage is to play quietly, with careful consideration, and try to “catch” bad players with weak hands. You do not need to risk, especially if the risk can throw you out of the game.
Middle stage
For this stage the poker strategy is following. As the stakes will continue to grow, you cannot always fold, waiting for a very strong hand. Blinds and Antes are now quite noticeable, so you have to more often fight for the pot. Be more aggressive and take risks. Remember that your opponents will play very cautiously at this stage because of the risk to drop out of the game. At this point you should take a closer look at your competitors. Understanding against whom you can bluff, and who constantly calls bets from opponents can significantly increase your chances.
Late stage
At late stage use the following poker strategy.  If you have a big stack (stack – the number of chips) at this stage, you have a huge advantage, which must be converted into capital. Even if you have a considerable stack, you’re still in good situation, because players are usually afraid to drop out of the game at this stage. We recommend a very aggressive game. Make sure that you are an aggressor, and not a “caller.” Avoid confrontation with big stacks and try to fight small ones.
If you have a small stack, you should try to increase it before it becomes so small that you will not be able to impose your game. In this situation, you should take a risk.
The final table
If you have a large or considerable stack, you can play your normal poker strategy. Just remember to avoid confrontations with big stacks. Remember that your goal is to finish in the top three, because in this only case you’ll receive a big prize. If you have a small stack, try to find a strong hand and earn as much as possible. Do not forget that you are an aggressor, and not a “caller.” But do not wait too long because you can get the shot stack (when the player has very few chips). As long as other players are eliminated, you have to play more aggressively and use advanced poker strategy, especially when there are 4 or 5 people at the table. If you usually play passively, you can win a game by suddenly becoming active. It is very important to think about your image at the table. If the other players are involved in showdowns with each other, you can “steal” some blinds, showing aggression when it is not expected from you.
Online poker gives you the unique opportunity to take part in a tournament game. Here you can play all kinds of tournaments: Single Tables, Multi tables, Rebuy and Freeze out, Freerolls and others. The buy-in (minimum amount to enter the tournament) in online tournaments is ranging from 0 (for Freerolls) up to several hundred dollars. Using this poker tournament strategy you’ll easily win.

Poker Bluffing basics

What is a poker bluff?

If you ask poker players to define “bluff”, most of them will tell you that poker bluffing is a bet on a weak hand with hope that other players with better hands will fold. Without bluffing poker would be a boring game because in this case after the trade the best hand would always win. But there are winning players and those who lose. And often poker bluff, or rather the possibility that a player is bluffing is enough to single out professional poker gamblers. Bluffing in poker – is just a form of trickery that is an integral part of a winning poker strategy.

In addition, if your opponents always knew what you have on hand, it would be very difficult to beat them. Bluffing in poker – is a necessary skill for any player.

Different types of poker bluffing.

Bet or raise with an inferior hand –is only one form of bluffing poker. But it is not the only one. There is also a reverse situation. It is much better for the player to show a slow play having a good combination to mislead opponents, rather than to bet with a weak hand.

Another form of a bluff poker- is a bet or raise on a cheap round of trade, in order to get a free card later, when the bets are doubled.

And then there’s “semi-bluff”. This term was introduced by a well-known poker theorist David Sklansky, who gave it the following definition: a semi-bluff – a bet with the hand, which will not be the best hand at the moment if your opponent calls, but however it has enough chances to win.
With the semi-bluff, in contrast to a bluff with a bad hand, a player has two opportunities to win the pot. His or her opponent can think that bluffing player has a stronger hand and will fold. And if he calls, a bluffing poker player can still strengthen his or her hand and win.

The importance of poker bluffing.

Some players never bluff. But for sure such people are “few and far between”. Once you have figured out these players, the game against them will be easy. If they bet when all cards are on the table, you can easily make the fold. Of course, if you do not have a very strong hand. In this case you should raise.
Others are “inveterate liars”. When they bet, you have to call if only you have a good hand. Though those who bluff all the time also have a chance to get a good combination, the fact that they bluff too often will facilitate your decision to join the game. By calling you win much more money for a long period of a play, than you save while folding all the time.

Gus Hansen “Every Hand Revealed” book gist and Gus Hansen bio

Poker Legends: Gus Hansen

Gus HansenGus Hansen was born on February 12, 1974 in Copenhagen (Denmark), where in his younger years he became famous as a great tennis player. Also, he always was excellent in card games that played a decisive role in his life.
Gus Hansen is known as a “jack-of-all-trades” in the world of professional poker players – he accepts any bets: from few thousands to millions. He is without doubt one of the most aggressive players in the world: he does not need a good hand to win. Here Gus uses the basic advantage in poker – no matter what cards you have in your hands, it is only important what the opponents think you have.  When some player becomes crazy and starts playing the hands that everybody would surely drop (7-5,3-4, 6-7), people say that he or she “plays Hansen.”

His major achievements are: winning at the tournament «Poker Superstars Invitational» with buy-in $ 400 000, an official assignment to the stars in the World Hall of poker glory, winning at the tournament Aussie Millions (prize money $ 1.5 million), 4 (!) successful games on the WPT (World Poker Tour).

But Gus Hansen is successful not only in gambling. According to the magazine “People” in 2004, he became one of the 50 sexiest men alive today in the world, and he is now the face of Danish men’s clothing line «Frank Q».
He has written a book about poker game. In Gus Hansen Every Hand Revealed you will receive a detailed review of all 329 hands that Gus has played on his way to the victory in Melbourne. Every stage is accompanied by his commentary and analysis. Gus Hansen book will guide you through the steps of the tournament from start to final heads up. Each chapter begins with a poker strategy that can be used in the specific stage of the tournament.
There were the rumors that Gus Hansen broke in 2010 after a very unsuccessful year, but they have not been confirmed.

Learn to play poker | Poker for beginners

Poker tips

Poker is a game loved by many people. It is played in special entertainment establishments, with friends and at home. From year to year more and more new people wish to learn to play poker. It can be played both for fun or for real money. All the players, beginners and pros have one thing in common – no one would miss the opportunity to try their hand at playing poker for beginners. Tips and techniques, advice and the entire complex systems accompany this game since its inception. Each player has in store the special techniques and strategic plans, which he thinks he is the only one to know.

If you are just starting to get acquainted with a popular card game, start to learn the most basic poker tips that can be easily found in literature or in the Internet. The first thing you need is to determine which poker you want to learn to play, what is more interesting for you. There are a lot of types of poker: some succeed at the stud poker (seven – card), the other in Omaha. Also you need to be careful in choosing opponents. You can learn from strong ones, but if the opponent is much more skilful than you, such game would hardly satisfy both parties.

Learning to play poker is not so difficult if you strictly follow the rules and simple guidelines for a successful game. If the game takes place in reality you should control the emotions as much as possible. Your facial expressions and gestures can show the excitement or joy, and thus give the opponent a chance to predict the course of the game and your thoughts. So before you sit down at the table you should relax, tune in to positive mood and by any means act calmly and naturally. Those who want to learn to play poker should study the basics of behavioural psychology. Once you learn to control your emotions and ambitions, try to guess the behaviour of your opponent. The main thing is not to be afraid; learning to play poker is only half of the battle. What is important is the game itself. If you feel that the level of your skill is far from perfect, do not play for money. To train and build experience there are many online versions, for example, a simple game of poker for beginners, where anyone can try their hand for free!

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