No matter where you play, free online poker, WSOP top table and all points between, the starting hands of KK and AA are guaranteed to get you heart thumping! When you have AA or KK the chances of a lesser pair winning pre-river are only about 20% with unpaired hands being even lower. If you have K-K, an A-X (Ace with any card) only has a 25% to 30% chance of winning, and this is only usually if they hit the Ace.

With A-A or K-K the voice we always hear is ‘raise, raise, raise’. Yes, raise heavily it tells you, after all the only hands who are willing to call us will be ones like AK and AQ, plus a heavy raise will scare off the suited connectors that might be able to crack us later if they hit straights or flushes. Raise, especially from a late position, and reraise any raises. The, you hope, when you reraise is that they will reraise too with a weaker hand (not that they know it) like AK or AQ, then you can set them to go all in or go all in yourself. Party time.

But there are times when there are more subtle plays than ‘raise, raise, raise’. An example is this: Suppose you have A-A in early position, and you raise. All the rest fold. It’s frustrating isn’t it? You go all in or raise big and nobody bites.

So in early position, if that’s what you intend to do – if you want to catch them spilling many of their chips into your stack preflop, then just call, then wish – wish! - that ones of them raises so you can reraise. If they fold, at least you have obtained more chips than if you raised immediately and you scared them off. If they call, that’s beyond preflop play already…

But this “beyond preflop play” is very significant, in that there is a big difference between A-A or K-K. Usually you should be willing to move all-in preflop more often with K-K than A-A. Why?

Because if you have A-A and the flop comes, say, Q-7-3 or K-9-5, those willing to square off with you are those with, like, A-Q, K-Q or K-J. They are willing to feed their chips to you with these hands, and you can call their big bets or all-ins. Your A-A is still the best hand, while they think their large (big but not big enough) Pair is strong, and that hand’s already a significant underdog. A-A is good for trapping as well as for speeding. You can move all-in with it preflop, of course, but as above you can trap with it if you feel like it.

But if you have K-K, the flop might fall A-7-2, and…your K-K, no matter how golden, is now drawing almost dead. There are two Kings left, and anyone who might be there with you may bet large because he has an Ace. (Is he likely to bet with a single Seven?) So you have to fold your K-K, no matter how hard it is for you to get so good a hand and then banish it a few moments later. Or just call, call, call.

So, preflop, you may have to play K-K more strongly than you would play your A-A. It’s not as good as trapping as A-A. Ideally, if you move all-in with K-K, an A-X will call you, or a small pocket Pair and you’ll be an approximately 75-25 favorite. (You’re not likely to be called with K-X or Q-X because they’re not so strong enough for calling all-ins.) If you get called with A-X, they still have to catch the Ace. They’re the ones taking the risk, and not you. If you play K-K slowly, and they ride their A-X with you on the Flop, and they caught the Ace, it’s a thousandfold different from having to catch it. They have no risks to take.

There might be times where there is A-A versus K-K, but these times are rare. And if you’re the one with the K-K, you might even fold it. Say two of you in a preflop hand are the chip leaders in a tournament, and you reraise his early-position raise, then all of a sudden he pushes you all-in! You might put him on A-A, and you fold, very, very smartly and sickly. Or he’s a player whom you know who will not raise that LARGE an amount unless he has A-A. But these times are rare, remember.

So, excepting some special considerations that must be remembered with the K-K, playing A-A and K-K preflop is just almost identical.

To read more articles like this and learn to play poker online check out the NoPayPOKER.com blog which is full of free online poker tips and lessons as well as offering a no risk free online poker site where you can put theory into practice.

It’s a common sight on free poker site and, oddly even in some higher stake poker tournaments to see players go all-in preflop when they could (should) call and hope to see the flop. Why do they do it?

Of course to steal in cash games. In free poker sadly it’s more just for the hell of it! However, if called, what advantages does going all-in give? I will look at 2 hands to analyse why:

HAND #1

Blinds: 6k/12k

A has Q-Q raises to 36k

B has 10-10 calls 36k

C has K-K reraises to 140k

A reraises all-in (Pot 989k)

B folds

C calls 643k (Pot 1.632m)

Board ended Jc-Jd-6c-Qd-3d

A went all-in for the reason that by three-betting, he is able to push one of B and C from the pot, and if C (the likely caller) calls, A hoped that it will be A-K or A-x, where he has still an edge. But it turns out, C had K-K, so A was the underdog. Yet A won the hand with a Full House (Queens over Jacks).

However, if A just called, what would happen then is that B would also call, and so it will be a three-way pot.? On a FLOP of Jc-Jd-6c, C would have position over A, whose Queens are weakened since the Board is paired, so if one of B or C bluffs, A will have difficulty playing.

Plus if A decides to play on strong he may make B and C believe he is on a J and they may both fold. Or later on the hand, if A, who hit his Full House on the turn, suddenly played strongly, the remaining player/s may fold because their hands are not so strong enough. So A will win less than what he won when he moved all-in and won the hand.

So one reason for moving all-in preflop is: Your chip stack is so low that any decent hand you have will be sufficient for an all-in (on the above, Q-Q should be played cautiously with two more players and a reraise on the Flop), and it pays to win more chips than less if you are to get back in the tournament.

HAND #2 - Following on from hand action

A has 8s-8h moves all-in 387k

B has 7d-7c, calls 307k (Pot 819k)

They could both have played safe.. But A decided to gamble with a common all-in hand. Common all-in hands include Pairs, A-x and any two face cards (preferably suited). So another reason is: If you don’t have A-A or K-K but a common all-in hand, you will be called also with a common all-in hand.

With Pairs vs. two overcards, it does not really matter what you have, because you’re both even-money. With Pairs vs. Pairs, you run the risk of being the big underdog, but you can also be a big favorite if you are lucky. With any other cards, you either have two live cards or at worst, say A-K vs A-Q, if you have the A-Q, you still have a 25% chance.

So how did it turn out?
It ended with 5s-9s-6h-2c-8d. So A hit a Set, B hit a Straight. B knocked out A. It doesn’t matter; we can also imagine a situation that B was the one who moved all-in and A called. B hit his Straight still. But if B just decided to see a Flop, what could happen? A can push B out by representing a Nine on the Flop and the Turn so that B will fold (unless B has the courage to move all-in).

Also, if B hit the river Straight, A will be reluctant to play the Set he has. B will win less chips than he would (similar to HAND #1). But this example gives us another reason.

You move all-in so that no one can push you away later if your marginal hand beats a more marginal hand later, and so your marginal hand will evolve into a strong hand uncontested, unpushed. Here is a clearer case: Suppose it’s A-10 vs 7-7.

The Board may end up 10-K-K-Q-5 and with overcards, a Straight possibility and on a paired Board the one with 7-7 can push the one who had the A-10 at some point. Or it may be 10-K-Q-4-J and the one with the A-10 will be out of the pot before the river if the one with 7-7 plays aggressively.

To read more articles like this and learn to play poker online check out the NoPayPOKER.com blog which is full of free online poker tips and lessons as well as offering a free no risk poker site where you can put theory into practice.

One of the most persistent discussions in poker is about the role of luck in success, there are those who believe poker is mostly luck and those who think skill is the main factor, today lets lay this one to rest!

I have personally been a money and NoPayPOKER.com free texas holdem poker player for some 7 years, I have made some nice cash at times but I have also busted several bankrolls.As such think I can say I’ve got a pretty good understanding of the situation!

For starters lets define what skill is in the poker context. In my opinion a skilled player is one who can recognize betting patterns, understand flop odds, and percentages, and have a solid concept of strategy and theory. I have noticed however, not matter how well skilled one may be, you must account for variance, and sometimes aggressive, even poor play from others.

I believe in conclusion it is best to assume that poker is a combination of both skill and luck where the skill level of the player involved has a definite effect on the “luck” component of the equation in the medium and long term.

The assumption would be based on this conclusion that you have to be both pre flop aggressive, as well as post flop smart. Many times a player might find themselves in a position where they made the proper call, yet they find themselves behind due in part to an opponents luck hitting a one or two outer.

It is very difficult to try and overcome such a situation. This can, in part, be blamed on the speed of online poker hand as opposed to the live game. The action of online poker is much faster, and decisions must come much quicker.

Many players believe there are more bad beats in online poker than in the live game. Mathematically this can be attributed to the number of hands both seen, and played. There is also, I feel, a tiredness factor in action, players feel pushed or maybe suffer a succession of bad beats.

As a result decision making may become irrational, and typical hands that would be thrown away are now played, and even pushed pre flop out of anger in looking to win back lost funds.

Others, who are skilled can pick up on such trends and play them to their advantage, which often leads to greater loss, and in the eyes of the losing player, more bad beats which he feels was based on luck.

The successful (skilful) poker player knows how to manage each aspect of the game. In effect you become able to manage probability (luck) by application of skill and so apply the old phrase beloved of annoying sales managers/gurus everywhere, “make your own luck”. Basically meaning that your skill flattens out the “bad luck” to the extent that you are up consistently in the medium and long run.

And how to do this? My advice is to start safe and low risk. Go to one of the better free texas hold em sites like NoPayPOKER.com and practice lots and lots. You will find your confidence (and bankroll) growing and can then take a step up to some low stakes games, and from there…who knows!

I’ve been a poker player since I was a teenager, I’ve played for money in casinos and lots of fun money free poker at home. For the last few years though I’ve focused most on free texas holdem poker. Initially this was easy and fun but as time has passed I found it getting harder and harder to win, after thinking long and hard I realised that I’d become stuck in a rut I now call the “Easy Play” trap.

The poker “Easy Play Trap” is when you think you have to play every hand to win. You post and play every hand praying the flop with give you a hand. The problem with it is that you lose more and even worse anyone with any skill learns how you play really easily which makes things even worse. This is especially a problem on free poker sites where it is all to easy to not care. No problem is it’s just for fun but a very bad habit if you have aspirations to play live or online poker for money later.

Then last year I started playing what I call “SMART”. “SMART” players think of the odds of playing each hand based on your starting hand. The two cards in your hand give you an idea of what your chances of winning before the flop.

“SMART” poker means as follows:

Singles – A - K - Q – J

Married – AK – AQ – AJ – A10

Average – 10 10 – 9 9 – 8 8 – 7 7 – 6 6

Rare – AA – KK – QQ - JJ

Terrible – 2 7 – 2 8 – 2 9 – 2 10 – 3 8 – 3 9 – 3 10 -4 9 – 4 10 -5 10

Singles should be played with cards in the same suite.

Playing singles with low off suites can be high risk because some times it is the kicker which means a win. Watch the flops and determine how the cards are falling as if there are more small off suites hitting with a single you may want to try.

Married and Rare hands are your better possible starting hands before the flop and requires that you think first. Going all in with a Married or Rare hand ahead of the flop is good but may also be a killer. Watch the other players for a time to get an idea of what they play before going up against them.

Average poker hands are good to start with but the flop truly provides a picture of how you will play your hand. On an average a third will fall with the flop when holding a small pair. If not, and there is a small bet, try the turn but never the river as odds are against you.

Terrible are poker hands I try not to play because they normal are losing hands. True you might get lucky but if you do not have any money in the pot why waste the time and money on a chance. High blind and there is no raise, yes play, however low blind, forget it and wait for a better hand.

During a recent live game I was down to 80 in chips with the blinds at 10 – 20. I was not getting a hand and we were down to three players. Being “SMART” I came back and won the money.

And how do you learn to play “SMART”…The sensible way is to learn your skill on free texas hold em sites. Don’t get put off or sidetracked by all the Easy Play “farm animals” you’ll find trapped on such sites, that is part of the territory in the land of free poker. Then, once you have demonstrated consistent winning ways move up to low stakes games and stay there until you repeat the success and then move up again…WSOP one day, who knows!

Not giving away your hands is the key to getting the most out of your money or chips in free online poker.

Going all in on a river or pre flop is only a good move when it’s your choice; e.g. short stacked. The best way to think while playing poker is to become into the mindset of your opponents- what would you do in their scenario, when would you go all in on a pre flop or river?

I’m expecting that you would say when you believe you had better cards. If you’re going to get called on an all in on a pre flop or river then your cards should at least be an Ace / Queen pre flop and a good pair with a high kicker on the river.

Think before you act:
Why gamble your normal wager if you place a player on a flush draw and they haven’t hit on the river? Gamble on something he could potentially call on even after missing.

If you insist on needing to bet large amounts of money with your made hands I would suggest just over betting the pot instead of all in and doing it more often then with just the best of the best.

The more you blag the higher chances you will get called- the majority of opponents will blag with over bets rather than all ins.

Showing a few of your not so great hand can help as well. If you got everyone to lay down with a middle pair of 6’s even if it was the best hand in the group showing it will tell people you can bet with less than perfection.

Hopefully my tips will help you get the best out of your hands when you are playing free online poker…. good luck and I really hope to see you at the poker tables very soon!!

You may have been playing free poker and heard the word ‘donk’ used. If you have wondered what this actually means, then here goes: a donk is a bad poker player who makes bad poker moves and is a weak player’. Donk is a shortened term for donkey. Traditionally, donk is a term that has a negative connotation to describe sub par playing techniques. Believe it or not, some people are actually proud to be the donk at a table. Does the term donk describe a player with a different style of play that is becoming more acceptable in poker?

Now that we have defined the traditional negative paradigm of donk, let’s explore a new emerging view of being a donk.

A player may be called a donk if they have won a big pot with a poor hand. If someone calls a big preflop raise with small connectors or suited cards to catch a flush or a straight, is this poor play? Or, can this simply been seen as an opportunist? Although statisticians confirm that playing superior cards in poker will yield greater profits, the donk often confirms that playing inferior cards can result in surprising profits.

The creed of donks is that every hand should be viewed as an opportunistic adventure. Donks often call large preflop raises with low cards hoping the board will result in low cards to produce a winning hand. After all, why should paint cards get all the respect? Donks consider themselves entrepreneurs in the world of poker by employing every hole card dealt to them with equal opportunity to be put into play. Basically, donks are hopeless optimists believing that every hand will result in a win and the more hands played the greater the odds of winning.

So what differentiates a donk player from a winning donk player, since donks will play every hand fast and loose? The difference is that a sly donk will play a hand in good position and know when to fold when the board materializes. If the flop is favourable and offers a glimmer of hope, a chase will ensue. If there is absolutely no hope in the flop then a clever donk will fold. A wise donk isn’t simply a poor player, but someone who finds opportunity in playing a wide variety of cards.

Whatever type of player you are playing against, its worth checking out free poker sites to see if you can improve your game and find a way to beat them.

Andrew Feldman is joined by poker pro Mark Seif, who gives us the real story behind the Absolute Poker scandal.
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Andrew Feldman and Bluff’s Lance Bradley recap Day 1C with Joseph Hachem, Dennis Phillips, Darus Suharto and Kent Senter, the most uplifting story of the year.
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Phil Gordon and Andrew Feldman are joined by Steve Beglieter, another member of the November 9. Plus, a special appearance by ESPN Inside Deal’s Laura Lane.
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