Posts Tagged ‘poker’

Consistent Early Play in Live Poker

Sunday, March 29th, 2009

There are many different techniques you can utilize when playing live poker to give yourself an edge. It’s up to each player to know what works best for him or her. One such technique involves making consistent plays early on in hands. Give the following technique a shot next time you are at the poker tables.

Early on in hands, it can be easy to give other players an idea of the strength of your hand based on a larger or smaller bet than you usually make. However, if you throw out the same token poker chip or three each time, you will not allow opponents to put you on any sort of hand. Of course, if you have garbage, you should throw it away.

However, if you are committed, at least initially, to the hand, consider a nominal bet that you can make most times. It will keep your opponents guessing and take away one more opportunity for them to get inside your head at the poker tables.. This tactic especially comes in handy when you have a very strong hand early on and want to lure people to stay in.

This is only one facet of your game which you can seek to maximize your chances while minimizing the possibility of giving away the sort of cards you hold. As with every other poker strategy, the main key is still to know when to hold them and when to fold them.

Increase your poker chip lead

Thursday, February 5th, 2009

Poker’s popularity has grown increasingly in the past few years. Combining both chance and skill it has easily won the hearts of young and old alike. The beauty of this addictive game is that, whether or not you have actually been dealt cards that will earn you the chip lead, you can still bluff your way to victory simply by knowing just how to do it.

Professional players will watch closely for a few rounds, studying your body language and habits. If they discover that every time you have a good hand, for instance, you flip a Texas holdem chip, this will be taken note of. This method is known as a “tell”. If another player is able to pick up on your tells, they are then able to “read” you thus giving them an upper hand in the game.

However, if you walk up to poker tables with this information at the forefront of your mind, you will be able to use their own method against them. Not only will you now be more aware of other player’s tells, but you can also consider faking signals and signs that others may perceive as a tell, only to find out later on that they have been mislead completely.

Body language in a poker game

Friday, January 30th, 2009

Poker is one of the most popular gambling games in the world. In this game, to win, many things such as experience, patience, common sense and the study of human psychology are a must. The body language of a player can win or cost him the game. The term “poker-face” thus originated since the facial expression gives the loads information to the other players about the type of hand a player might have. Hence a player who has an almost expressionless face is termed as a “poker-face”.

A player should be vigilant in observing others’ body language even the slightest changes at the table convey a certain amount of information. A player should always be observing the amount of poker chips in the pot and should also pay attention to the players who toy with their stack.

If a player is attentive, he can easily get to decipher his opponent’s mental make up on how they handle their Texas holdem chips. Closely watching the other players putting down their chips, while betting or folding the amount or quantum of the bets, also helps in getting inkling about the player’s hand. The eyes are another huge source of information, the involuntary expression of the eyes as soon as a player picks up his hand is priceless and a very crucial observation.

A player must be aware that other players may be giving off false body signs. It always takes some time to become an expert in understanding the body language of other players. If a beginner is excellent in understanding the body movements of his opponents, he can make remarkable entry even in Texas Hold’em poker.

Managing Your Chip Stack During a Poker game

Saturday, January 24th, 2009

When playing any poker game, it is important to pace yourself during the game. A good measure of how well you are doing in the game is to manage your poker chips. While you cannot pass up certain opportunities in a poker game, it is crucial to keep an eye on the amount of poker chips you have so you can determine how much or how little you have compared to opponent players. By monitoring your chip stack relative to other players, you can adjust your game playing accordingly and vary the number of chances than you would take.

Though some players consider it is bad luck to count your chips while you are in the middle of the game, it is still important to have a general idea of where you stand compared to others. A low chip count may mean more conservative playing while a larger chip stack may allow you to take more risks in trying to acquire others’ chips. Every single player has their own style of play, but keeping a constant watch over your clay chip count can help you adjust your style of play to make the best decisions.

Poker Events- 2009 Aussie Millions

Saturday, January 17th, 2009

As I do often I was making my rounds checking out the lastest buzz on the poker trail and caught this news about the 2009 Aussie Millions. It’s incredible how many different events there are out there on poker.

The event is in the Crown Casino poker room in Melbourne. Players you’re probably familiar with are competing, such as Phil Ivey, Erik Seidel, John Juanda, Gus Hansen, Chris Ferguson, Nam Le and JC Tran. Not the hotest names on the circuit but certainly ones you know. 

Texas Holdem Strategy - Preflop To Win!

Sunday, January 11th, 2009

On a short bankroll? You’ll be better off with a conservative (tight) strategy as this reduces your variance and enables you to reduce the risk of going bust (at the expense of winning less than you could). This means playing only premium starting hands, and folding anything else, even if you have a chip lead. Premium means BIG PAIRS!.

If the antes/blind structure is high relative to the bets (or the game is short handed) your strategy should be more aggressive (or the blinds eat away your stack). Low pairs, suited connectors, et cetera. Is your game wild, with lots of preflop raising? That makes the cost of seeing the flop too high. Thus, you should tighten your strategy and throw away all your draw hands in early position; and in late position as well if the pot is raised. Why? This is especially important if you are in games where there is a lot of pre-flop betting but the action slows down on the flop/turn. In all cases, be ready to fold at the earliest opportunity, and never, ever call a raise.

Read more on poker pre-flop betting to learn more about the game of poker.

Ladies poker nights

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009

Was doing my normal web surfing and looking for the latest news in the poker world.  I ran into this article about woman having a poker championship. I don’t want to come across as a male you know what but it was a surprise to me that woman are that invloved in the game. Sure I see them occasionally at some of the more popular male dominated poker events but I didn’t know they had a main event of their own. The event, Gulf Coast Poker Championship, has been going on now for 11years. Pretty cool.

Congratulations ladies, bet and gamble away!

Poker - keeping your head in the game

Sunday, December 21st, 2008

When you’re playing poker, you’re playing to win. Don’t let your clay chips slip away because you’re too busy checking out the cocktail waitress or chatting it up with the guy or girl across the table. Many smart players give up a lot of chips because they get distracted and miss a read or poorly play a hand. When you sit down at the poker tables, you’re there for one reason, stay focused on that one reason.

There are some simple ways to keep your mind on the cards and the chips instead of the chicks. Always remember how much money you stand to lose by playing stupidly, and if that isn’t enough of a reminder to stay focused, you need to rethink your game. Most importantly, never get drunk at the table. Some say it is relaxing, but it is simply poor judgment and a sign of an amateur. The one thing that affects your success at the poker table more than anything is your judgment. If you stay sober, you can play like a pro and win like one too.

To get more info on how to play the game properly take a look at the best of poker to improve your poker game.

The collection of chips in poker

Saturday, November 29th, 2008

One has to stay focused while playing a poker game. Whether you’re at single poker table or whether you’re in a full tournament, being alert keeps you in the game. And if it’s a game to be played with a poker chip or an entire chip set collection, concentration and alertness is important.

Analyze what you are doing. Just do not follow the crowd blindly. If the opponent’s an expert at handling chips then he can surely dump you by distracting you mentally while handling those casino chips. If you previously played badly don’t show the dismay on your face.

You have to attain the highest number of chips. That is, you have to acquire the chip lead in the game. May it be clay chip or the Texas Hold’em chip. You have to be the player with the highest number of chips. This will determine your position in the game. Your victory depends on how well you play the game and the collection that you have made as far as your chips are concerned. The higher the number the better chances you have. But make sure that you concentrate on each and every step in the game and play wisely.

Poker Hand Ranking

Thursday, November 13th, 2008

With so many variations of the poker game and different hand rankings that anyone playing the game needs to keep in mind, it’s no wonder why some make some of the most obvious mistakes. For the newbie the task of paying attention to the cards that are on the table and the possible hands that can come out of those cards the task is over whelming to say the least.

In my daily search of info on poker hands and how to play them I found a wonderful article that can help the most novice of players and provide a nice refresher for the more experienced eyes. Take a look at the article “Ranking of Poker Hands”  to get a nice overview of the hands in poker.