A Review of Check-Raising the Devil Mike Matusow has long been one of the most compelling, and controversial, figures in modern poker. Known throughout the poker world as “Mike the Mouth,” his presence on camera has always been a sure-fire indication that a televised event would be more entertaining, more volatile and often, more contentious. Poker Plus - The Big Dance Every year those particular competitors who battle on the green felt arena swoop down on the most decadent o

In casino and online poker, to bluff means to try and win the pot with a hand, which has a very little or no chance of winning. This is usually done by raising or betting big amounts of money in order to scare away your opponent. Bluffing should be done carefully, cautiously, and determined. The point of a bluff is to make your opponent believe that you have a stronger hand. As always, there are a couple things that a player should take notice off.

First of all, bluffing is a skill in poker that has to be mastered. Just like you have to know which cards to play and not to play at different situations, same applies to bluffing. You have to know the right timing and the right situation for it. Remember, to bluff means to scare off your opponent. You are not trying to trap him/her into playing the hand. You want him/her to fold so you can steal the pot. Now, one thing that a poker player should know about bluffing is that it is not always successful. There will be times you will be victorious, and there will be times when you will not be. It’s all part of the game, but one thing is for sure. The more you do it, the more experience you gain at it, the more pots you will take.

First of all, you have to know when to bluff. This is probably the most important thing. One bluff that goes wrong can decrease a big amount of your bankroll. But then again, one good bluff can increase it as well. In other words, there are times you should bluff and there are times you shouldn’t. For example, if there are 8 other people betting big amounts of money, get yourself out of the pot. You have no chances. Odds are that even with a big raise, you won’t scare your opponents away. Let’s face it, there are 8 of them, and in order to win the pot, all of them have to fold. Chances are that at least one of them has a very good hand that they won’t fold. Another common mistake that should be avoided is bluffing frequently. Other players at the table will eventually notice is and take advantage of that. To make it easier, it should be done, but it should not be overdone. Bluffing too much will cause your chip stack to decrease. However, not bluffing at all will also draw other players attention and sooner or later, people will notice that you play safety and only call hands that you have a good chance of winning.

Second thing is the time you take during your bluff. Sometimes, a quick raise should finish things off. At other times, you might want to take longer and play a little psychological game with your opponent. As usual, it all depends on the situation, which you are stuck at. However, always remember that you don’t know what your opponent is holding. His/her cards are face down, so you can’t see them. These two face down cards could be any suit of any number. You should be ready after any raise of yours to get a quick call back or even worse, a re-raise.

Another thing is that you should know is that it is important to know how much to bet or raise. For example, if you are bluffing against a player with a big chip stack, you want to raise enough to affect his bankroll. If a player has over $200, and you raise $5, chances are that he will call. It’s not a big amount for your opponent whether he looses the hand or not. The point is that as a poker player, your job is to raise enough in order to knock your opponent out of the current hand. And all of this comes with experience.

And the final thing is that you should never show any signs of bluffing to your opponent. The point of this play is to win the pot with a weaker hand. It is obvious that if your opponent has any idea about your hand, he won’t fall for it. It is a skill that needs to be practiced and skill that definitely needs experience. After a while, you will get better. But one thing is certain. Nobody is perfect at this. Even professional poker players not always complete a successful bluff. This is, however, a part of the game and if you want to be a victorious player, this must be a part of your plan whether you win or loose.

 

As for free online poker play practice, try NoPayPOKER.com. The site is totally free, no deposits, buy in, rake but you can win real money so it’s a perfect place to hone your skills and win some beer money as you do.

 

You know why I like online poker at No Pay Poker?….. REVENGE!…………. To be beaten by 4 of a kind when you are sitting on Full House - Aces over Kings, really does play on the mind and sole, however whilst the mind says ‘ALL IN’ next hand, control is required. (doesn’t always work with me) and all you want to do is get your money back, your heart rate goes up and desperation sets in.

 

I seem to be able to get onto the last table from time to time but then blow it all. I need education in being a thoughtful gambler or at the very least a git.

 

But playing hands quietly in the background and sitting on your own 4 Aces whilst everyone else around the table thinks they have two pairs or a straight and are quite happy to go ‘All In’ is simply delightful.

The most scary thing for me (and dont laugh) is to venture into the Heads Up Step series of games, now lets not forget this is not real money………is it? Ok if you make serious dollars you can take something out. No…. I’m talking about my Free D’s and trying to secure $1000 on 6 heads up games.

 

I have never in my life suffered from chronic perspiration and heart flutters but this series of games really does my head in. Remember this is Free D’s, but it becomes real whilst playing the game

No Pay Poker has a lovely, simple interface and the ability to enter chat (if you want to) is easy and you do seem to see the same old faces most days. Players appear to be very nice with messages such as ‘lol hun’ ‘Hi Ya’, ‘Good morning’ (depending on where you are in the world) but very strangely the most popular seems to be ‘Weeeeeeeeeeeeee’. Now the ‘lol’ ‘nh’ ‘ty’ etc. I can deal with but where on earth does ‘weeeeeeeeee’ come from? I’m thinking of the film ‘Deliverance’ and someone playing a banjo or am I just showing my age?

 

On other occasions the chat can be simply fantastic, I remember one table where everyone got involved and it simply turned out to be just good fun. Alternatively playing hands with no one chatting can be a blessing.

The only way to learn poker is to play poker, you can read the books but there is no substitute for simply playing the game and getting the ‘Gut Feeling’ No Pay Poker’ offers a free no commitment way of learning what is probably the most beautify design games in the world.