How to calculate whether or not you have a premium starting hand

One of the keys to success at Texas Hold’em is knowing how to calculate whether or not you have a premium starting hand. Here is a simple numerical system you can use to figure out the real value of your hole cards. Add together the value of your two hole cards using the following points table.

Read article here: How to calculate whether or not you have a premium starting hand

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How YOU Can Make A Six-Figure Income Playing Online Poker!

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Poker's Highest Stakes Game Ever

Fox Sports Network have announced the world's highest stakes sit-and-go poker game in history. The buy-in will be $10,000,000! You could get in for FREE. How? Find out more here: http://www.all-the-aces.com/Pokers-Highest-Stakes-Game-Ever.html

Manchester United Casino Scuppered

CASINO CLUB
It looks like Manchester United's big casino idea has been scuppered. But the team should benefit. Why? Read article here: http://www.all-the-aces.com/Manchester-United-Casino-Scuppered.html

First Steps in Online Poker

Poker Rules
In case you've never played poker before, you might like to take a look at our Poker Hands page, also peep in our Poker Tips section. To dive deeper into the rules of the various poker game check out these pages: Texas Holdem poker, Omaha High/Low Poker, 5-7 Card Stud poker. This short poker rules guide is built for online online poker players: Once the ten places are taken, the online poker game will begin and you will be given a seat.

The play begins after the dealer button (marked 'D') with two online poker players making blind bets, the small blind and the big blind. Two cards are dealt to each online poker player. The online poker player immediately after the big blind is first to act.

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When it is your turn you have the choice to call, raise or fold. If you are the small blind you have already placed half of the amount needed in your blind bet to see any more cards, if you are the big blind you have already placed the amount needed to see the flop unless a online poker player raises before it is your turn. If there is a raise you have the choice to re-raise, call or fold.

The Flop: Three community cards are dealt face up. Every online poker player at the table who didn't fold before the flop can now use these cards to help their poker hand, there is another round of betting at this stage. If nobody bets you can simply check and see the next card without placing any more money into the pot. A bet must be called or raised if you wish to see the next card, otherwise you must fold.

The Turn: A fourth community card is dealt face up. Again, every online poker player still in the hand can check, bet, call, raise or fold depending on the actions of others.

The River: A fifth and final community card is dealt face up. Here we see the last betting action. If a bet is made by one online poker player and called by another, both online poker players must turn over their cards and the winner is decided.

If at any stage a bet is made but not called, the person betting takes the whole pot, this person has the choice to show his cards or simply pass them back to the dealer (known as mucking) Once the winner is decided, a new hand starts, the dealer button is moved one place clockwise. The blinds will increase usually after a set period of time. After the final person is eliminated, the prize money is shared out and the online poker game is complete.

more about the online poker game and the poker John Greek - pro player - sweden. Nick shones - Live Editor.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Shons

Dirty Poker Tricks, Techniques, and Tips

In the game of poker, some players make up for lack of skill with dirty poker tricks intended to break the concentration of other players during critical parts of the game. The pressure is on when you are face to face with other players to perform well, or lose your hard earned money and walk away from the table with nothing. When you add in the tricks used by many of these uncouth players, the pressure can often be hard to bear.

By learning about these tricks now, hopefully you will be better equipped to handle them when confronted with them around the poker table. There are many legal ways to help your odds of winning, playing the correct cards, learning pot odds, and betting are all very important skills. Unfortunately, many players choose not to master these skills, instead focusing on mind manipulation of other players to win their games.

We will discuss three of these so called mind tricks that are often used in poker games. They all take quite a bit of time to perfect, but once perfected can be extremely effective. Players who are able to perfect all of these techniques can be very formidable at the poker tables, without really having a lot of skill at the actual game itself.

The pause is one of the riskiest tactics to use, but when used at the right time can bring down even the most seasoned players. Players who use this are the ones who seem to take a really long time to make any decisions. Most players use this too often or at the wrong time and it becomes obvious what they are doing. If you just sit there staring at your cards or other players, it will be a definite cue that you are just blowing time. Most players get by with this trick by counting their chips, checking hole cards, etc. It is important to appear confused, asking the dealer questions will help with this illusion. It will make you appear to be thinking, instead of just blowing time to throw other players off their games. This trick is designed to keep everyone guessing as to what you are doing. You want them to spend their energy trying to figure out what cards you are holding, etc.

Another of these tricks used quite frequently is called the stare. It is commonly known that when something captures a person’s interest, or excites them, their pupils dilate. So many players will stare at other players to look for this effect, thus enabling them to know if they are bluffing or what sort of cards they have in their hand. Many experienced players will wear shades when they play to prevent this from being used on them. The only bad side of this trick for the user is that it would be very hard to use this on more than one player at once. For this trick to work to its full potential, it has to be used from the moment the cards are dealt until the player either folds or the game ends. If this technique doesn’t afford you any other help, at the very least it will make the other player very uncomfortable, which will affect their decisions and how effectively they play the game.

Many players are masters at distraction. The point of this is to make other players uncomfortable, which in turn will effect their concentration and performance. You try to distract them during key points in the game, when the need for concentration is at its highest. This sometimes is done by asking questions or making noises at crucial times to take a players mind off what they are doing or planning to do. Some players will ask what time it is, burp, laugh, cough, or just chatting in general. Talking to other players will often be the best source of distraction, because even if it is directed at another player, most people will still listen to what is being said. This is the least obvious way to perform this trick as it is human nature to listen to conversations that go on around us. If the other players seem to get angry at this trick, it means it is working. The angrier they become, the more off their game will be, therefore increasing your odds at winning that much more. Masters at this skill are often able to make a whole table of players lose their concentration and impact their games.

All of these are very effective but dirty tricks. The hard part is learning when to use them and on what players. If you use them and it becomes obvious, most of the effect will be lost. Players will warn other players of your tactics and they will be prepared for you. For some players, mastering these tricks of mind control has helped them to win several games they otherwise would not have won based on skill alone.

Check out our bios on the top poker players including Men "The Master" Nguyen and Phil Hellmuth today. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Finney

University POKER Challenge

Getting The Third Degree In POKER!

University Challenge poker? Yep, university students are getting the third degree in poker. Poker is now the hottest inter-University competition with top universities going head-to-head in poker tournaments.

Read article here: http://www.all-the-aces.com/University-Poker-Challenge.html

Online Poker: Do you stream or download?

When it comes to online poker: do you stream or download your online poker site? Here's what we've found... Read more: http://www.all-the-aces.com/Online-Poker-Do-You-Stream-or-Download.html

Country Music Television's HOT new POKER show!

MAN VERSUS VEGAS
True story. Guy loses $3,000,000 in the late nineties playing poker in Vegas. His name is Daren Leverenz. He joins the tail end of the dot com boom before the bubble bursts and makes a $1,000,000. He decides fate has offered him a war chest to win back the $2,000,000 he’s still out of pocket. He comes up with a reality TV show where he gives thousands of dollars to people in the street on camera. The only catch is they have to use it to play poker on Daren’s behalf. If the street punters win, Daren shares the profit with them. They never have to risk their own money. A self described adrenaline addict, thirty five year old Leverenz appears to have hit TV goldust with his programme “Man V Vegas” which goes out coast to coast on cable and is already a Stateside success.

Read on: http://www.all-the-aces.com/Man-vs-Vegas.html

Casino Raids Add To Appeal Of Online Casinos

Why violent raids on bricks and mortar casinos make online casinos even more appealing...
CASINO RAIDS
There are some unconventional ways to take money from casinos. For example the Triad raid on the Hyatt Casino in Macau with AK-47’s netting just under $4,000,000 was one of many in the 1990’s. The perps escaped by speedboat only to have the Chinese navy catch up with the ring leaders. With characteristic overstatement, the Chinese authorities took back the stolen dollars and also the lives of those involved.

Read rest of article at: Casino Raids

Discover How to Rob the Casinos -- Legally!

Fathoming the Flop: Poker Strategy Advice

FATHOMING THE FLOP
Obviously if you decide your hole cards are worth playing you will be studying the flop as it comes down with a view to how you might develop your hand. There is however a secondary issue at this point which a new player needs to keep very much in mind. Look at the flop for its potential to others at your table as well as your self.

For example, if the flop produces a pair of aces and an unsuited king you’ll know that if one of your opponents has pocket rockets there’s the possibility you’re up against a “four of a kind”.

This kind of intel needs to factor into your thinking as you head down into the turn card. Once the turn card is dealt face up it will be more obvious what hands can (and definitely cannot) be out there to threaten your position. Let’s assume that after the turn has been dealt we have four cards on the board which are all of different suits. Well, right away this tells you a flush is going to be impossible, even at the river.

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Let’s assume someone has two spades as their hole cards. It follows by simple deduction that if there’s a third spade available on the board, even if the river produces another spade, the maximum number of cards available for a “spade flush” will be four.

This is good news for anyone nursing two pair. Again, by studying the board at this stage it will be apparent to you if a straight is possible. Clearly if there are two cards of the same value on the board by this stage the threat of a possible straight being out there is vastly reduced.

If you’re still in the game at the river you will swiftly be able to see how many other potential hands have now been eliminated, assisting you in evaluating your desire to pursue the pot or not. If the river produces a low pair on the board and you are holding a high pair, you may want to consider a raise as the emergence of another same value card on the board will have made the potential for any straight highly unlikely and we have already observed a flush isn’t possible. There will of course remain the threat of a Full House.

Also see: Poker's Golden Rules of The Flop and Trustworthy Poker Sites and the Fabulous Flop

Source: Fathoming The Flop

Are TV Poker Shows Teaching New Players To Play Poker Badly?

TV SHOWCASE
Is televised poker presenting new players with entirely the wrong mind-set for eventual financial success at their chosen game? Directors of TV poker shows obviously want the more dramatic hands to be the ones they screen. This tends to give a false impression of what works in day to day poker. You will always see mega bluffs that snare the pot or well orchestrated traps which come off big time but rarely do you see the bread and butter hand where a good player simple bets on the strong cards he has acquired and takes the pot seven times out of ten. Caution, discipline and patience don't make for riveting television programmes, but they make for fat wallets.

Read on at: Is TV poker teaching new players bad tricks?

David Sklansky the Einstein of Poker

SKLANSKY
We quoted David Sklansky in a recent poker column which provoked a lot of questions from new players, chief among them being, who is he? Sklansky is generally considered to be to poker what Albert Einstein was to physics. Fairly significant! Those of you who are beginning to take your poker very seriously will be interested in reading his Theory Of Poker book, although it isn't quite as accessible as our own Daily Star ALL THE ACES book! The latter is meant to guide you and prepare you for successful poker. The former is a brain dance through the mathematics of odds, implied odds and what Sklansky calls the 'Fundamental Theorem Of Poker'. Our money's on the one that costs just £3.99 but we're barbarians!

From: David Sklansky, the Einstein of Poker

What Makes A Good Poker Player?

And more importantly, are YOU one?

What makes a good poker player? That's the essential question anyone who becomes interested in the game should be asking. To be a good poker player, a general knowledge of percentages is a great help. For example, professional poker players will know that if they're holding a pocket pair, they have approximately a one chance in eight of landing a set (three of a kind) at the flop. Similarly, they'll be aware they have one chance in three of completing a flush draw at the flop. Good players are also alert to the importance of "outs". Outs are simply the number of cards you need to improve your hand. Just count your outs, multiply them by two, then add one, and that'll give you the rough percentage shot you have for landing your hand. Knowledge of outs carries little value unless you can turn it into sensible, calculated betting. The purpose of understanding outs is so that you can figure out your all important pot odds.

HERE'S HOW YOU CALCULATE POT ODDS
Let's say your outs calculations offer you a twenty percent chance of landing your hand. What do you do with this info? Easy. Once you've worked out your chance of hitting your hand, you divide the size of the pot at the river (the current state of the pot plus the amount you think will likely be added through future bets) by the amount you have wagered. If your chances are twenty percent of hitting, and the bet to you is $50 and you reckon the pot at the river will be more than $250, you call! If not, you fold. These basic math skills are the bullets in your gun if you want to become a serious poker assassin.

Source: What makes a good poker player

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Playing Heads Up Poker

HEADS UP!

Going heads up is a very important part of your poker arsenal. One-on-one defines you as a player. The important thing is to remember that the cards themselves have a lot less meaning than they do at any other stage of a table game. You’re no longer concerned about how other players are going to behave behind you.

SHAKE THINGS UP!

Your focus is making sure the single player in front of you is picking up the things about you that will upset his game the most. If you’ve already shown him you’re a tight player in the previous hands, shake him up with a bluff. Even if it doesn’t work, he’ll be unsure of what you’re going to do next. You, in turn, will have noted how your final opponent has behaved on his way to the heads up. Now hit him with everything he doesn’t like. The cards you are holding will matter less than your ability to unsettle your opponent. If you have great cards, so much the better.

Source: Playing Heads Up Poker

Passive Tilt and the Importance of Focus in Poker

Don't play poker when your confidence is low and your mind is scattered...

If you have taken the decision to move up to a higher stake game than you would normally play, watch for what we call “passive tilt”. This can seriously erode your winnings. How do you spot if it’s happening? Simple. If you lose the confidence to aggressively pursue a good hand. If you in any way feel intimidated by the raises that come into play at the new higher level you have chosen, you should call a halt before any damage is done. It’s easy to slip back to a comfort zone at a lower stakes level and re-group. The worse thing that can happen to any poker player is a loss of confidence. A higher limit game can often trigger it.

Source: Passive Tilt and the Importance of Focus in Poker

Poker Psychology: Be A Happy Poker Player If You Want To Win

How a grin can help you win...

BE HAPPY!

If you work in the media long enough, especially newspapers, someone’s going to come along and suggest you see a shrink because the stress of twenty four hour deadlines is enough to make you “check” on your lifestyle and occasionally “fold”. No admissions are being made here but a psychiatrist friend of ours has studied successful poker players and has come up with the notion that happy players do much better in the long run. Tired, miserable folk who’ve had a lousy day really should not be playing poker according Madam Nut-Mender. So, if you happen to be one of those naturally happy-go-lucky types, maybe you should think about spending less time helping old ladies across the road and more time online trying to win enough money to really do some good in the community. Okay, that’s our early spirit of Christmas bit out of the way. Now down to business.

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