Hints for Getting Lucky Playing Video Poker

Monday, September 12th, 2011

The Game of Video Poker combines both luck along with skill. The luck part will be the cards which can be randomly dealt to the player. The skill portion encompasses a lot more then simply knowing what to hold and what to fold. On this page we’ll talk over some of the things every single video poker player should be doing, despite their game play method. For some live casino fun playing online is the best!

1. Just Play Using Full Pay Machines: On the list of smartest things any potential video poker player can do is to check the payout schedule before they starts trying to play. The payout schedule tells you how much you’re going to be paid for each and every winning hand. Within a Jacks or Better Video Poker game 9/6 is considered full pay. That merely means that 9 coins are paid out for a Full House and also 6 coins are paid out for a Flush. Quite a few casinos fork out less then 9/6, meaning that in the long run, you’ll simply win less cash.

2. Always Use Max Coins: A Mistake many beginner players make would be to play fewer coins, thinking this will keep them in the game longer. The problem with that theory is many machines gives you proportionately far more coins for hitting a Royal Flush using max coins then they will for hitting with less then the max. For anyone who is worried about going through your bankroll too soon, play with a low coin size. Or, if you’re really not sure the way to play, use a play free of charge version of the game until you have got your feet wet.

3. Plan How Much You’re Willing To Lose And Follow It.: There is lots of luck associated with winning Video Poker. Regrettably, too many players keep pumping coins in the machine, considering their luck is bound to change. Successful players know that some days you have it plus some you don’t. Before starting playing, have a set amount you’re prepared to lose, once that cash is finished quit playing.

4. Take Your Time: Video poker is really a game of man versus machine. Remember that there’s no time limit. Make certain you carefully review your cards, with every single hand. Take just as much time as you want to, no one is waiting around for you so do not feel pressured into making your move. Don’t strike that draw button until you are ready.

5. Make use of the “Play for Free” Games: Novice players will need experience; obviously the simplest way to gain experience would be to play. Fortunately, many online casinos offer “Play free” versions of several maybe even all their video poker versions. Benefit from these and also develop your strategy before you plunk down your dollars. You can always enjoy a live play casino if you don’t feel like leaving the house.

Free Poker Education Games Guide To Winning From Late Position

Friday, May 27th, 2011

In this free online poker games training lesson we’re going to look at the best ways to take advantage of being in late position. This is defined by being on the button which means dealer of the hand and is the best position in Hold’Em poker.

This is because you act last in all but the opening betting round and everyone else has played their hand before you have to make decision whether to check, call, raise or re-raise.

When you are in late position as there is no raise behind you are able to call with any pocket pair between 2 and 7, and you can raise with 8’s or higher. Any 2 big cards can be called, but keep in mind that if you play hands such as K and J you will need a good flop right away since AK or AJ on the table will trash your hand.

Furthermore play any suited connectors down to the 4. Suited cards with one card gap in them such as 9-club and J-club can be played, but don’t stay in with lower than 7 and 5 suited. Also keep in mind that you should play cards such as A,5 suited carefully by knowing that if A does flop then your kicker might not be effective.

However, when you’re in last position, where there has been a raise or maybe a re-raise before you, then it is important to review your cards effectively; don’t purely stay in because of your position.

The most important part of the late position is where you can attempt to bully from it, and this can be genuinely an effective technique but it must be used selectively. This is because if the other players begin to notice that you bully with marginal hands, then they will adjust their play accordingly and will set you up for a fall.

Plus, if you button bully all the time it does become a losing strategy in the long run. The players of today are too skilled and too experienced not to see a player do this sort of thing over and over. Using the power of late position can be really a valuable tool but only when done wisely.

The key to success in poker be it casinom play or online poker is not to play predictably, if you do then all but the poorest opponents will whip you every time. This applies to all parts of your game and is very easy to apply to your positional play.

Should you demonstrate positional play habits, especially if you are playing in a regular group or long tournament then what you do is going to be noted and sooner or later you’ll pay for it, normally at the most expensive time. So learn what your options are in the different positions and really make an effort to vary what you do and when you do it and in doing so keep the other players off balance.

The best way to learn how to play poker positions is to play free online poker games before trying your hand at games involving real cash.

There are several very good free online poker sites about and I advise you join one of them and have a good play there first, indeed, free sites are great to play at in any stage of your poker career as they’re also great for some fun and to test out new strategies. Plus the better ones have excellent free poker coaching instruction resources you can use to learn more about aspects of poker and improve your game.

New At Poker? 9 Basic Tips To Learn How to Play Like a Pro

Monday, April 11th, 2011

Nowadays, there are a total of 20 billion Americans who are hooked with poker whether it be online or in real life casinos. Little did they know that poker started off as games of the conventional and simple men. Like how equipment has advanced through the years, poker also has urbanized and it is now classified into a number of different types. Making a bet made poker popular to the rich and famous. It has also become a desirable game to women as well. On the lighter side, poker has inspired Lady Gaga to write a song, nonetheless, poker in her catchy hit means a different idea.

A Poker game is like getting yourself in a cold war and it is necessary that you are fully armored, meaning to say you go to combat and you are completely geared. If you’ve just started to heat up, here are things you need to know about poker games and tournaments.

1. If you’re a trainee in playing poker be very patient, playing with too many hands will clearly rebound on you! One of the largest and prevalent blunders committed by contemporary poker players is playing with way too many hands and that they are vent out of position. What is critical is that you are supposed to be playing merely excellent starting hands if you are a poker newbie. Try opening up your range while you get more exercise playing poker.

2. Examine anything that you are saying, bring to mind to play with your hands and not with your mouth. A common understanding on poker game is that players deceive their way to victory - No! Poker is a game of wit, stratagem and focus. Bluffing is just a little part of it.

3. Find out how to manage your poker bankroll. Every so often, one card is enough to ruin your strategy and it can be disappointing having to exhaust big amount of cash.

4. Focus on the table. Remember when you are still learning about texas hold’em? It can be difficult enough to keep your mind on the cards. You can cover for the most important advantage if you have your concentration to the flop and your opponents.

5. It is not ideal for you to play when you are undergoing aggravation or when you are expressive. A good number of players tend to vent out their frustration through the games they play such as poker. The downside is that you don’t get to play well and tends to flare up easily. You also have the tendency to get into impulsive betting.

6. Study your opponents’ movement. When playing live poker, you should pay close attention to your opponents’ behaviors, hand movements, bets and even the things they say over the table. These gestures can help you to be successful or if you didn’t catch it, you are going to lose the game.

7. Distinguish your limits and play within the perimeter of your poker bankroll. To avoid leaving the poker game broke. Consider you have mouths to feed and a job you must return to the following day.

8. Play the games you fully understand. Simply put, ask if you don’t comprehend anything as this can worth your weekly or periodical remuneration. Further, this tip applies to modern games these days. Pokers have been innovated with many strategies, rules and others. There are now RAZZ, 5 Card Draw, Omaha, the 8 Game and H.O.R.S.E. If you are too shy to ask, at least do your homework and research prior to playing the game.

9. Have fun and don’t be too serious! Sometimes poker players tend to be really stressed and rattled while playing. Little did they know that they are missing the most fundamental part of the game - fun!

Poker is a very exciting game and when played well, you have money as reward. With that said, poker tends to be an addicting game and can turn into a very worse condition of gambling. Some people have even suffered from great loss of their family and wealth.

Remember that outside the exciting world of online poker or outside the halls and colorful walls of casinos, you have your family or your loved ones waiting for you to arrive home safely. You are controlling the game, not the other way around.

Interested to play poker? Develop your skills and find out how to play poker when you click on the links today!

Free Online Poker Ways Of Killing The Bad Beat Bug

Sunday, November 28th, 2010

Bad beats as all poker players know, be it in free poker online or top stakes WSOP are the very worst form of bad luck a poker player can get hit with.

Physically, if there are just a few very unlikely cards that your opponent needs to catch in the river in order to win a very large pot and one of them falls, you cannot recover the hefty stack of chips that passed from your hands to an undeserving adversary. Unlucky you just got bad beat. This sort of bad beat can even see you knocked out of a tournament. You might be unable to get your physical seat in the poker table back unless the tournament is a rebuy and you pay your way back in.

For example, lets say the opposing player has A-J and you’ve got A-K, and the table is A-3-7-10. You have top Pair and the best kicker. The opposing player has a top Pair but 2nd best kicker, though he believes it to be the best and so moves all-in. For you, to combat this and move all in will cost 90% percent of your chips.

So you call, hoping that he does not have an A-10 or the like, and he flashes A-J. You’re in a seat of roses now. He can catch a Six only with a 6.82% chance, and it’s the only way he wins. A 6 comes.

Bam! Bad Beat!
You are left with one-tenth of what you have before the hand started. Or you could even be the one bumped out.

Psychologically, how do you redeem yourself from such a cataclysm? It is easy. Think, would you want your opponent to call with A-J in this situation if you had A-K? If that is a “yes” then you have nothing to complain about.

You played your hand in the proper way you can (you might have even read him with, like, an A-5 or A-4, and you’re close to your read) So you’d like him to call. He did. All your circumlocutory plays like acting weak, betting small for him to pounce, etc., are effective.

He played as you wanted him to. Should he call you know you will be 93-7 favorite. Would you prefer to be on the 93 side or 7 side? Ask that question to yourself. You did not make a bad play, it was just a rare probability event, a 7% chance does happen…well 7% of the time! Your opponent made it.

You might be knocked out of the tournament after that hand, should you have lesser chips. But you have to be thankful that there is someone prepared to put his chips in on even just a 90-10 proposition in which he has the 10. 90% of times he does it, he’s going to be knocked out. Your loss will fall only on the 10% side.

So you can redeem yourself by saying that you made an intelligent play, after all. Put simply, that you play better poker than the one who messed you up. This point made, later on you can exploit many players who may be willing to make bad plays but who didn’t know that these plays are actually bad.

Sometimes to feel the ease of victory in which you are a 90-10 favorite, you have to be ready to take the 10% hit sometimes.

But if you have not been knocked out you can try to save yourself. Don’t waste your mental energy from fretting and cracking your head on how that card emerged. That card emerged, and nothing can change it, not even the wind. Just use all your mental resources to make a very good play next time, maybe a calculated all-in, and resurge from the deep.

And if you’re on the end of a stream of bad beats go play poker online for free and get your confidence back before returning to the money tables.

Free Poker Games Backdoor Draws Playing Ideas

Monday, November 8th, 2010

In a poker game whether it is free online poker or cash game, a backdoor draw is a draw missed on the Flop but made on the Turn. This free poker games article will show you , using some examples, ways you can play for a backdoor draws with the best chance of hitting it.

Backdoor Draw As an example

Lets say you have 8-7 and the flop comes 5-A-J. You have no Straight draw because two cards are needed to complete.

But if a 4, a 6 or a 9 shows at the Turn then that is the backdoor straight draw which you can hope on the river. If you then make the Straight at the river then that is your backdoor Straight made (you could also make hands such as backdoor Flushes, Trips and Full House, by the way).

Lets assume we have 8-7, then the flop shows 5-A-J. In most situations if we have nothing at the Flop stage that might make a complete hand at the turn we fold.

But what about if you check and a conservative challenger decides to check his, say, A-10 or A-9? You then check, too (just as normally). Once the Six (or Four or Nine) still doesn’t come then our options are to just retreat or bluff.

But additionally you can call in this case. Suppose the pot is 200 (blinds 10-20), only two of us are in the pot, and he is first to act and bets only 25. The bet will swell the pot size to 225, and we are getting 9-to-1 on a call here.

We might as well call, so we could get the opportunity at even just a draw.

Also, it’s possible that after he bet his 25 he may be attempting to push you out of the pot with a small bluff but it doesn’t change matters. Just call so you’ll have a chance at a backdoor draw.

And, note, do not show you’re a weak player by folding to some bunk bluff. Folding in a 500 pot after a 30 bet? Now that is not just cowardice. It’s crazy.

If the Six, Four or Nine comes up, now is the time to find out whether or not we shall still continue. Usually we hope that he plays conservatively and we hit our free Straight on the river.

Back to the above mentioned situation: What about if at the already 250 pot, he bets 200? Fold. 100? Fold, or call, if you feel like calling.

For a gutshot draw we’re about 11-to-1 hitting our Straight; to have an up-and-down Straight draw, about 5 1/2-to-1. Therefore if he bets 100, the pot is 350, and on a call we get 3 1/2-to-1.

It may still not be the right price, but if you feel like calling, call the 100 bet if it’s up-and-down. If it is a Gutshot then fold. 50 or lower? You have 6 to 1 (300 pot, 50 to call); which makes the pot odds good for an up-and-down Straight draw, so go ahead and call. Not quite for a gutshot.

But you can also call like, you’re representing A-K and you can make a move on the river.

Next, should you get the Straight at the river it is time to play aggressive. Usually he will put you on a made hand one the Flop (maybe your “weak” call indicated that you have second Pair, say, J-10 or even third Pair, such as if you have K-5 or Q-5; or even a Broadway draw with K-Q or Q-10)

But we completed a Straight that contains the Eight and the Seven, and he has hardly any clue about it! Why? Because you called on the Flop, and unless he is a strong player and knows about it, that call may indicate a made hand! If he bets, raise (maybe a raise for value that will not scare him off), or if he checks, bet large.

If it doesn’t work out

If you don’t hit the straight bail out.

Or, if you called on the Turn with the plan of representing A-K and moving at the river just play it fast but only if you can afford to lose. If it is just a smaller bet, you could call, but only in order to get information. Muck as fast as you can.

That is, if you decide to chase a backdoor draw; if, for example, you have the chips to afford it. As a rule, do not chase cards! Chasing, alongside going Tilt is a thing that losing players do most.

Or don’t pursue a backdoor draw with the intention of chasing. Usually you should be on the offensive by bluffing; on the above example, he may even fold the A-10 if he checked and you bet substantially. Just treat the Straight as angel’s grace.

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Free Online Poker Guide To When And How To Move All In With King-High

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

When a desperate player in a poker tournament even a free online poker one doesn’t get A-A or K-K they tend to go all-in with Ace-something. Many will move all in with A-K, A-Q, and even A-4.

At worst, if someone with A-4 is called by the medium Pair, there is still one overcard. With A-K you could be called by Ace-lower and still be a significant favorite.

So players running out of chips have a tendency to wait for Ace-something before they move all-in. While the Ace element gives them assurance, the likelihood is that someone will call them with Ace-higher and make them a significant underdog. Furthermore, if the purpose is to move all-in, why not try the same move with King-something (preferably suited)?

The trend for tournament players today has altered slightly in favor of moving all-in with King-something, like K-Q, K-J, K-10 (naturally, the applications here apply also to A-K) and even K-x suited. Other players will likely call with a smaller pocket Pair, and thus A-x has got the same probability of winning as K-x against a smaller Pair if both cards are overcards.

And K-x posseses an additional advantage. While a hand like A-5 is a significant underdog against A-J, K-Q or K-5 is only a slight underdog.

Approximately, it’s a 13 to 7 underdog, but compare this to A-5 which is a 15 to 5 (or 3-1) underdog. What you want to fetch with K-x is its live card value.

While using A-5, you need to hit the Five if you want to pair and take the lead. With K-5, you can have both King and Five pairing.

If you extend your all-in hand range to include K-x, you might have to move all-in more than usual. Because many players will fold to an all-in (including marginal high A-x for example A-10 or A-9) other players at the table will receive a more aggressive impression of your play.

Also you can steal the blinds more often. The all-in itself (and not really the cards employed to move all-in) is an indication of strength; it’s the same with A-x or K-x.

To sum up, when you are running out of chips and the all in approach beckons don’t restrict yourself to just Ace-x, think about the King too, it might just make your day!

So why not experiment with the King High approach on the free poker online tables first, get accustomed to it and then apply in more dangerous poker games later.

Hopefully this was interesting and helps your poker game be it free poker online or for cash. Certainly it should demonstrate that in any given poker game situation you will find options to consider based on the cards you’ve got, the game point, opposition and known and estimated risk to mention but a few.

If you are new to this way of thinking then by far the simplest way to get ahead is to practice a LOT on free poker online sites for example http://www.NoPayPOKER.com and ONLY when you are winning consistently move up to real money stakes.

On NoPayPOKER.com you’ll play genuine free poker online where you absolutely, 100% literally can not lose any money ever no matter how bad you play! Practice to your hearts content and lose all you like, you can always just join the next freeroll after all!

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Learn To Play Poker For Free Guide to Folding Sets

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

Recently I played a 6 player Sit N Go free poker site where my belief in the power of the set was seriously knocked; by set I mean a hand that is made from a pocket pair and board card of th same rank, e.g., 5-5 and the flop shows 5-8-K

More so, it was a sharp free online poker lesson on maturity. After this experience I know a lot more about when to fold what seems like a good set or hand.

A set can be really strong, for example, you have 6-6 and the flop comes A-10-6. In this situation, against A-x (excepting A-10), you are 99-1 favorite, and if another player happens to have A-K or A-Q, you will see all the problems he will face later when he goes all in or calls your all-in.

But at this Sit and Go, there were 6 six players (blinds 10-20, average stack 1500), I was first to go. I had 4c-4s. I raised to 50. The button called, as well as the blinds.

The flop came 4h-6h-7d. Small blind checked; before me, big blind bet 200.

I said to myself, “How could he place such a big old bet (pot-sized)?”. Those players in previous hands always play any hand that drops on their computer screens. They may have A-6 or A-7, but also 8-7 or even 8-5. Or any two Hearts. They don’t know when to fold or not. And you don’t know when your made Two-Pair will be crushed.

So I figured that the power of my Set was gravely reduced, so I just called in the hope that the Board would pair during the Turn, but the main reason is because there are were dangerous cards that can fall.

A Three, a Five or an Eight will render my Set unplayable, unless everyone checks; a Heart will jeopardize my chances.

Usually, I am inclined to move all-in with a Set, but there might be a stray Five. They are willing to call all-ins, even with draws. Even with gutshot draws. They do it all day.

And I can’t banish them out of a draw by power-play. What if all of them call?

The turn came 3d. There are two Flush draws on the Board and one to a Straight.

Small blind checks; the Big Blind moved all-in (he had 1400 chips, I had 1200).

On already a pot of 2200, although I am getting 2-to-1 on a call all-in (or possibly 3-to-1 or 4-to-1 if the two others call), I folded. The Button called; Small Blind folded.

They showed the hands I guessed they had: an Ad-5c, and Qh-Jh. Either way, I will be smothered if I called too; the chance of the Board pairing is just 25% (10 out of 40) and I would be getting only 3-to-1. Not only I escaped devastating math; I also escaped the onslaught of made hands and big draws.

The point is this, if a hand starts good but then goes sour it is no longer good and won’t EVER get good by magic! Its goodness is just a memory, and if you pursue the beaten path your chips will soon turn into a memory as well.

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Free Poker Stuff You Might Not Have heard About

Thursday, April 8th, 2010
I’m going to share some essential information for free poker players. You will probably know some of these facts but who knows I may surprise you.

A golden discipline was born following J Gold’s victory in the WSOP- the discipline is to never talk about any cards you or any opponents have. It may be hilarious if you manage to hit full house with a poor hand, but you won’t make any friends by doing this. On the contrary you will become very unpopular very quickly.

Also talking about things like what you think another player may have or may be doing is also very bad, you saying “oh that guy’s bluffing” could be an advantage to another player who doesn’t have this info or a large disadvantage if your read is wrong and the player makes the call based on your information.

A recent rule that may surprise you is the splash the pot rule and the two card limit rule. By splashing the pot means that you shouldn’t throw chips into the centre of the table. The two card limit rule means that you can not show just one card from your hand- you have to show both.

When betting always stack your chips neatly in front of you just past the line that should be marked around the table so that everyone can see and count exactly what you bet/called.

The following is not a general rule, but you may be surprised that WSOP is not thought upon as a professional poker event. Ok I’m sure most readers are thinking- well surely P Helmuth is the champion right? Well not technically, as he will need to win another professional event which is non WSOP and he has already nearly achieved this; coming a margin behind the eventual winner this year.

Hopefully you found this article interesting and for us free poker players these rules should cause no issues!

Free Poker Online Guide to Bad Beats vs Good Playing

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

Like anything in life; you have some decent days and some terrible days. Poker is just the same regardless of the way you play; be it at a casino or playing free poker online. Regrettably it’s more often than not the decent cards you end up folding with, while the awful losses end up getting you especially because you were in fact trying to play the hand.

From my experiences; I have decided that its how you play the decent pocket pairs but they hardly ever hit v playing the awful hands such as a 6 2 or a 4 9. That pocket aces your bad loss while those hands you fold are poor till the flop appears.

You may ask yourself and wonder why lady luck always seems to be on the shoulder of your opponents, and the experienced players benefiting from this while the novices always get hit with the pockets while you lose. This is called bad beats v donks at this stage- as those keep playing very poorly and you wonder what is going on!

What I’ve learned is when you play online verses in person you will encounter more bad beats online and lost to those donks that love to all in verses in person everyone plays tighter than those pair of jeans that you wear that are 2 sizes too small but you insist they fit… just like you insist a pair of pocket aces will fit.

Point of this is simple… Poker is like life… It is fun yet it’s challenging yet it’s totally surprising yet unreliable.

Poker and free poker online are interesting as you are oblivious to the cards that are about to be dealt. Just like everyday life it’s the small variable decisions that can either work for you or work against you and turn your day into one horrible bad beat.

Free Poker Online Guide to Squeezing the Most out of your Hands

Friday, March 12th, 2010

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!!