6 Simple Tips for Novice Poker Players

April 12, 2010

When you are new to poker, all you think of doing on the table is get the cards, make your bets and keep raising and calling till you lose. You think that it’s all about luck because after all, it’s gambling and gambling is based on luck.

This is where you go wrong. Poker is a card game which has a wide range of strategies which should be wisely used by a player to make his odds better. Making your better matters a lot because without that, it’s almost impossible to win the big pots.

novice poker tips 6 Simple Tips for Novice Poker Players

So, to win in poker, you have transformed your self from a novice to a pro. Lets look at 6 steps in which you can do that:

  1. 1. Prepare yourself mentally: Poker is not a physical sport, it’s a mental game. You mind has to fir and alert all the time you are on the table.

    You have to keep an eye on everything that happens around you. You should know your cards well and more importantly, you should have an idea of other players’ cards, their moves, their strategies. Don’t just sink into the chair. Keep a sharp look and keep doing your math on everything that is happening on the table.

  2. 2. Learn the rules: Every game has its rules and without thorough knowledge of these rules, it is stupidity to expect a win.

    Value of cards, use of cards of the hand and of the table, raising, betting, the ways of proceeding with different rounds, the role of the dealers and a lot many other things need to be known before you can even make a claim for the pot. You need to read these ways and practice them repeatedly.

  3. 3. Start learning the strategies: Strategies are ways in which players try to improve their odds. Now a day, there is no winning without strategies.

    Most of the players on the table have their strategies worked out. The result of the game depends on the quality of the strategy and its implementation by the player. Start with the basic strategies like choosing the right tables, taking the right positions, making the right calls etc. As you learn, take up the more complicated ones like bluffing, playing on the long term etc.

    The basic strategy that every poker player must learn is patience. Be patient when you aren’t getting cards and be patient after a bad loss and you will do much better overall; but it sure can be boring folding the cards each time.

  4. 4. Budget up: No matter what gambling game you are playing, you have to realize that you are gambling and know that their is a good possibility that you won’t win.

    If you are playing at Sit & Go tournament online, you can usually employ a good strategy that will get you past the initial wave of betting; but this doesn’t always work out. And how often can you go to your friends’ poker tournaments and be one of the survivors that takes home money?

    But when you are making your budget don’t even think about these few wins. You have to plan your gambling budget as if you are going to lose it each and every time. Think in terms of how much you can afford to lose.

    Then, don’t get upset when you do lose it. This is how people compound their problems and become addicted and in debt because of gambling. You are not an expert, you are a novice, if you lose too much now, you will probably not have enough courage and cash to gamble with, so keep a cap on things.

  5. 5. Watch the pros: The best way of learning anything is watching the expert to do it.

    The way they do it is better than what others do and that’s why they win. You should observe their expressions, the movement of their hands, the way they hold their cards, the way they make their bets, the way they flop the game and gather the chips.

    When you watch the pro’s you think about playing like a pro, but remember that pro’s like icebergs, there a lot of unseen knowledge that makes their playing so confident and elegant. You have to not only observe their ways, but also keep your mind open for knowledge, that you can make your core stronger.

  6. 6. Think: Think about the games you play. Think about every practice session you took. Think about the strategies that went right and those which went wrong. And most importantly, believe that you can win. If you don’t think like a winner, you can’t be a winner. You have to ‘know’ that you are going to win the game, whenever you take a seat on the table.

Here’s one thing that I would avoid doing for practice. Don’t play in the Free Play sections of any online poker rooms. When people don’t have money on the line, there is no incentive to play like people would normally.

You could get lulled into thinking that the game of poker is much more about luck than it is about skill and you will get eaten up by the players waiting for that type of attitude.

One problem that I have found with a lot of the poker video games is that a great many of them end up trying to teach you by punishing you when you make a bad bet. That isn’t real poker. People can bluff and play bad cards and still get lucky, and the video games I have played do not reflect this as much.

7 Card Stud Poker Fast Cash

March 19, 2010

7 card stud poker fast cash 7 Card Stud Poker Fast CashPoker is gambling game which can be won only with an alert mind and sound strategies. If you are looking to make some cash fast, you should use some of the strategies below. New strategies are made up everyday for various form of poker. When players learn this game and put their skills to use, they will find out that playing 7 card stud poker can be more profitable than Texas Hold’em.

The main reason for this is that the majority of poker player do not know how to play 7 card stud effectively. You know how easy it is to win money off of a guy who doesn’t completely understand Texas Hold’em, right? The same thing applies here, only there are not a lot of great players. You just have to identify who the pros are and avoid them unless you have a great hand. The rest of the players are either learning or have wondered in by accident. You don’t play ever hand in Texas Hold’em, do you? Then realize that the same applies to most poker games.

If you don’t have the time to sit at a computer all day in order to play poker, don’t worry. Some of the online poker rooms are now available via mobile phone. You can learn more about playing mobile poker here.

5 Tips to make sure you win cash when playing 7 card stud

Here are my five tips for maximizing your chance at winning cash while playing 7 card stud poker:

1. Fold at the right time: folding may seem to be last option for many players. What really matters is to know the right time to use this right option. To fold means to leave the game and the bets you have made till the point you decide to fold, are forfeited as they are already the part of the pot. Players think that losing money by folding is a bad idea, but it is not.

When you know that your cards are not god enough to beat your opponents and get you the pot, folding will prevent you from losing more amount of money in the form of bets that you may make in the consequent rounds, if you decide to play ahead. If the cards are weak and you expect to make up a better hand with the cards are still to be dealt, be sensible with your expectations.

2. Bluff with confidence: When you are acting, you should be confident of being of the character that you are portraying. This applies perfectly for bluffing in a poker game. When you bluff, do it with confidence so that other people don’t make out what you are up to. You can either bluff or you can act as if you are trying to bluff. Both of these moves will make your odds better, but only if you pull it off well. Don’t make you bluffing style too predictive. People who have played with you before may make it out, as you have done it with them before too. Alter your style, alter you bluffing moves and don’t be too obvious with bluffing.

3. You may be good at bluffing, but don’t do it too much: If you are good at bluffing and you are confident of pulling it off well, it does not mean that you do it every time you sit on the table. Doing something too many times not only makes it predictable, but can also make other people use this as your weakness. They will wait for you to bluff and will use your bluffing to make out cards.

4. Keep a watch on other players: Don’t be lost in your own strategies. You are not the only who has read articles like and most of the times, you opponent is cooking his own strategic soup on the other end of the table. So, try to catch the scent of those strategies by keeping a close watch on the moves of other players. Try to see if they are bluffing and keep mental note of all the cards that have been dealt, gone in folds and the cards that may still be up for dealing.

5. Don’t bee over-confident of your hand: You may have a great hand but you can’t be sure if it’s the best one, until it’s the best possible hand. Take you chances, but don’t take them blindly. Think about all the possible hands that may be on the table and then make you moves. This part of the game is much like chess; you have to do your math before you make your decisions.

If you like 7 card stud, you might want to try another poker variant that is not well known by most players. It’s called Omaha Hi/lo. The same thing applies. Most players that don’t know how this game works will most likely go in with anything to see if they can win. Take advantage of this and you’ll be winning lots of poker chips! Here is a good place to find out how to play omaha hi lo poker.

Starting Hands That Make Winning the Pot Easier

February 1, 2010

texas holdem starting hands Starting Hands That Make Winning the Pot EasierA typical Texas Hold’em poker game can be divided into 3 phases, the start of the game, the middle and the end of the game. In every phase, you have to make the right choices for your starting hands as this choice can make you win or loose the game.

At the start of the game, you don’t have much of an idea of the further course of the game. The cards on the table are few and the players have not made enough moves to give anything away. In such a situation, the best thing to do is to play tight. You wait for the right time to make your moves and spend more time and attention on the game play of your opponents. By the middle part of the game, things become much clearer.

You have an idea of your own hand and the playing styles of others. You know who is aggressive, passive and so on. If you had got a normal hand at the start, it may have probably got stronger by now. As the last part of the game arrives, you have a very good idea of things. You hand has wholly come in your possession and at this point every player on the table is trying to make the best bet to get the get the pot. It is very to get blown away by the excitement and make the wrong decisions at this point. You should plan your game carefully and try to get in position.

At the start of the game, you are dealt your cards and as the game progresses, you have to make your hand stronger. You can continue to play tight or loose. In case you decide to play loose, be smart with it. Playing loose does mean chasing the bad cards, but don’t overdo it just for the sake of playing loose. Use your wits to make the most of the loose game play. In case you happen to get into a loose pre-flop, don’t let it destroy your game, change your plans and start to play tight.

You can think about making the flop in case you get feel that the blinds are low. But, you should always remember that no matter how strong a hand you have, you cant guarantee you win and other player do have a chance of staking your stake away. So, plan your flop carefully.

The best way, according to me is to play tight and keep things in control. Don’t take unnecessary risks without doing the math on them. Though it cannot be denied that math does not wholly apply to gambling as it is a game of chance, but math does apply and is very useful in making the right decisions. Keep your focus on the pot. Give it time to grow bigger. After all, what’s the use of winning a small pot? You should use your cards only when you think that it is the right time to do so.

Apart from the cards, the other thing that helps you choose you game play is the size of your chip stack. The more chips you have the more courageous you will be. But remember that there is a big difference between being courageous and being a fool. In case you have lot of chips, it is true that you can take your risks and it does not really matter if you loose a few ships in the process of winning the pot. The important thing is to keep a leash on your aggression and using your big stack to pressurize other players into making the wrong moves.

In the last part of the game, everything is clear and it’s the time for action. You should look to steal the blinds, get the cash in and exploit the weaker players who are playing loose. There will be players who will push all in as they have less chips left. Take advantage of such players and try to get their chips in.

In all the 3 phases of the game, the results depend on the proper use of wits and patience. You should use the combination of both to have the best winnings.

All about Poker Freerolls

January 27, 2010

Freeroll poker tournaments are all the rage. Everyone down under is looking for the best place to enjoy poker freerolls and OzPoker.net.au is the go-to venue for everything poker related.

Freerolls are easily defined. These types of poker tourneys mostly refer to tournaments with no fees – hence freerolls. In essence they are promotional contests set up by the poker rooms in question with the goal of attracting new players. They’re the bait that players enjoy and they’re immensely popular. If an Aussie poker player is going to play at a AU$10,000 poker freeroll, then the poker room in question would typically be providing that cash as the prize money for the players.

In addition to freerolls, there are plenty of other offerings at Aussie poker rooms. These include top poker tips for successfully competing at the WSOP, promotional bonus codes, poker gaming strategy, poker rules for more structured gaming and of course poker blogs and forums to enjoy.

The most popular online poker game is indubitably Texas Hold’em and to this end a plethora of gaming tips, strategy and advice can be found. OzPoker also provides a comprehensive listing of the most popular online poker rooms to game at. These include 888poker.com.au, Pacific Poker, Bwin Poker, Titan Poker, Party Poker andMansion Poker among others. But there’s a lot more to enjoy at OzPoker, because there are fantastic sign-up bonus offers – like the 888 Pacific Poker bonus offer. With an exclusive sign-in bonus offer of 100% up to $400 this Pacific Poker offering is top of the pops. Aussie poker players no doubt already know and love this poker gaming giant as the king in the online gaming milieu.

Keys to Success in Texas Holdem

December 7, 2009

poker fast cash Keys to Success in Texas HoldemTexas Holdem is a popular poker game played in casinos especially across North America and Europe and is a great way to make some fast cash. The game is also played online supported by many gambling websites. It is based on the community card game. In this game, each player makes a poker hand by using a combination of five community cards and also the two personal hole cards.

The game is played to compete against an amount of money contributed by the players. The amount of money in the pot is controlled by the hand of the player. The pot is awarded to a player after the completion of each hand.

A case of “showdown” may occur where the players compare their hands and the one with the highest hand wins the pot. There may be another situation where all the players have folded their hands except one player. Thus they abandon their claim and the pot is awarded to the player who has an unfolded hand.

The objective should not be to win at every single hand. There should be a strategy with every move to call, raise or fold the hand. This will ensure long-term winning of the players.

The game’s origin can be traced to Texas in around early 1900. After its invention, the game was carried to Las Vegas by a group of gamblers. From there it spread to the other places. The game’s popularity can be accounted to the fact of the online versions, appearances in televisions and movies and the hosting many tournaments in and around many countries.

The game is started by the players with two cards each. After having a look at the cards, bets are done. The dealer then deals out 3 flop cards. The bet depends on the hand you have got. The objective is to make the best possible hand by the cards you got.

You may decide to go on or fold your hand. Then the fourth card is bet, called turn card. Once again betting occurs and people can call, raise or fold their hands. Then the river card is then dealt; which is the last card dealt. Betting occurs after this.

Betting may become expensive for you and you can decide to back out at that stage. This is called folding your hand. Person with the best hand at the end of betting wins the cash.

Texas Holdem is a game most ideally suited to a beginner. It is relatively easier that other poker games even if it is about counting the cards. Holdem can be learned quickly and can be acquainted by practicing for a few hours. The betting structure is not constant. The limits vary according to the experienced and novice players.

Playing this game is easy but becoming a master is quite difficult. It requires a lot of patience and diligence to learn the nuances of the game. You can try your hand at online gaming portals because they are mostly free to use. Playing in a normal casino can prove costly if luck is not with you.

Some other games having the similar structure are: Royal Holdem, Pineapple, Omaha Holdem, Double board Holdem and few more. These games vary in some aspects but the baseline is the same.

Effective Strategy to Win at Texas Hold’em

November 24, 2009

effective strategy win texas holdem Effective Strategy to Win at Texas Hold’emEmploying an effective strategy is the key to winning at poker. Texas Hold’em also involves developing and following a good betting strategy if someone really wants to win the game.

People who play without following a strategy may also win, but their success would be considered a matter of chance not an outcome of the best professional skills.

So if you want to attain and maintain a stable winning position in the game of Texas Hold’em, you must learn how to develop and follow an effective betting strategy.

Poker Variant

First of all choose the type of poker game which best suits you. Three types of Texas Hold’em games are available including fixed-limit Texas Hold’em, Pot limit Texas Hold’em and No limit Texas Hold’em. If you’re not comfortable playing seven card stud or omaha hi-lo, play the games for fun before you play for money or you’ll end up losing at first.

In fixed limit, the betting limit is kept fixed throughout the game. In pot limit type, bet can be placed according to the amount present in the pot while in No-limit Texas Hold’em, there is no limit to place the bet. A player can place the bet according to his position and choice.

Choose one of these according to your mood and level of playing skill. The correct choice of the type of game matters a lot in winning the game.

Then start the game with complete focus and concentrated mind. Evaluate each move of your opponent and place the bet accordingly. The better you evaluate the game situation the more your chances of winning the game.

While taking notice of your opponent’s way of playing, be conscious about your own style as well. It means if you are playing with concentration, your competitor also has an eye on your moves. Prevent yourself to get into a situation where your next move becomes predictable to other players.

This is the major weakness you have to control over as if your opponent can evaluate your way of playing, he can take benefit of the situation to get an edge over you.

Betting

In Texas Hold’em, sometimes you’ll find yourself unable to bet or unsure of what to do, but you’re also trying to be a part of the hand till the end. In such a situation, check and pass the action to the next player without placing a bet. If you’re unsure of what to do after a bet is placed, fold your hand.

There is some thought about what you should do when you match your hand to the flop. Always be wary of the people who you are up against.

If its someone who doesn’t play very often, you’re going to want to bet them out of the pot. If the person is a known caller, place out bets low enough for that person to call.

If your playing someone that plays recklessly, be careful how you approach them. These are the most likely people to beat or bust out to. This includes people who call an all in on a flush or straight draw.

If you are a seasoned player of Texas Hold’em, you’ll get the hang of things and start playing your opponents more than your hand.

Bluffing

Bluff is another option which can be used to turn the game into your favor. Though it is rather complicated but if you use it timely, it can dramatically enhance the chances of your success.

The best time to bluff is when no player is expecting it, for example if you are playing conservative then no one can predict that you will use this trick. This can be particularly helpful when you are just starting to become short stacked late in a tournament.

Before employing this trick, evaluate your position in the hand. If you try to bluff without taking into account how many people are yet to play, it can be risky and most likely the person with the winning hand will call. So be conscious while thinking to bluff during the game.

How to Spot & Exploit Weakness in Cash Games

November 4, 2009

poker cash game How to Spot & Exploit Weakness in Cash GamesWinning in poker is not only about mastering your own skills and strategies. It’s not only about having a good hand and making the big bets. It’s also about knowing other players’ strategies. It’s about knowing who is strong on the table and who is weak. Not only wars are won by striking on the weak links, poker too is a game of exploiting weaknesses of other players.

Players on a poker table can be categorized on the basis of the nature of their game play. Players can be tight by making their bets very restrictively. Players can be loose by pushing too many chips on to the table. Players can be aggressive, by hurrying into the game and taking others with them and players can be passive and just follow the mood of the table. Observing this nature and then making your strategy based on your observation improves your odds.

The thing is that every player, no matter what strategy he uses, has his weaknesses. It’s only about knowing them and then waiting for the right moment to exploit them to the fullest. The timing part here is the most important because it’s not only you, how has the brains. Other players have it too. So you have to be sure to time your ‘exploitation’ at the right time.

Another thing to remember is that the longer you wait the bigger the pot gets. With every round of betting, the pot inflates. So, you don’t have to strike too early and win the meager amount and you don’t have to wait too long and loose it all.

Every type of player has his strengths and weaknesses. For instance, the tight players, as they are very restrictive in their game play are harder to make out. They don’t give away their hands easily. So, the only practical way to handle them is to steal their blinds. Try stealing from the blind and them the dealer and the player seated on the left to the dealer.

Loose players are the opposite of tight players. They are very free making the bets and thus they are the ones who raise the amount of the pot. They will be playing the bad cards you can use this as their weakness by playing tight. You have to wait for such a player to play the good cards and at make you moves then. This may time, but this is the right thing to do.

A passive player may be loose or tight. In case he is loose, he will be calling on everything. The right thing to do with such players is to make yourself a good hand, bet on it and then the loose player that’s playing the weak hands ends up folding.

Aggressive players are the opposites of passive players, as the name suggests. They are always eager to bet. They want to get over with things quickly so that they can play more and more games. They will try going in with whatever cards they have in their hands to try their luck. They are usually just playing for the luck part of the game. Play wisely with such player cause you never know what they might have. Just wait for them to make the wrong moves.

Here is a website I found that has some more great poker tips. Have a look for yourself.