Poker Pro Chantel Mcnulty
February 1, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Name: Chantel Mcnulty
Age: 25
Current Residence: Las Vegas, Nevada
Relationship Status: Single
Probably the most controversial lady in the poker world, Chantel McNulty started her career very early. As a teenager she participated in underground card games in Dallas and even got a fake ID to play in Las Vegas poker tournaments by the name Ashley. The most talked-about topic about Chantel seems to be her breast implants but the Texan doesn’t seem to mind so much. She even came clean about her poker personality: “When I’m playing poker, I’m very mouthy. I’m like Gavin Smith, Matusow and Tony G combined. I get along with other players really good, or they don’t like me at all.” Oh and she’s single. Wow, is it getting hot in here or what?
Chantel’s Top Placings: 17th WPT Season 6, Mandalay Bay Poker Championship, 23rd 2006 WSOP, Event 18, Pot-Limit Hold’em, 56th 2006 WSOP, Event 15, Ladies Event No-Limit Hold’em
Poker Pro Erica Schoenberg
February 1, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Name: Erica Schoenberg
Age: 31
Current Residence: Las Vegas, Nevada
Relationship Status: in a relationship with fellow poker player David Benyamine
Erica Schoenberg is a classic example of what you call a lucky beauty. She’s drop dead gorgeous but gentlemen, really sorry to break your hearts as the Ohio-born Erica is currently in a relationship with high stakes poker player David Benyamine. Before going pro at poker, The 31 year-old has worked as a pro beach-volleyball tournament trainer, personal trainer and a kickboxing instructor.
Erica’s Top Placings: 16th in the 2006 World Poker Tour $25,000 championship, 3rd in the 2007 World Series of Poker, won the $2,500 No Limit Hold’em Mandalay Bay Poker Championship.
Poker Rakeback Tips and Strategies
January 31, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Once you have signed up to your chosen online poker room and have a rakeback deal in place it is worth knowing a few tips on how to maximize your rake back return. Here are a few tips compiled by the team at rakebackpoker to give you a bit of a head start when playing cash games. There are cash game tips in total but please check out our full poker rakeback tips and strategy articles.
5 Tips to make you a better cash game player
Cash games, also known as ring games, is where players bring real money to the table and are defined by the fact that the game has “no pre-determined end time”. Players may come and go as they please and bring more funds from their bankroll to the table if they need to. The great thing about cash games is that your potential winnings are only capped by the amount of money that all the players have at the table. Even at very small No Limit stakes, single pots of $100+ can be won. Cash games are riskier than tournaments and if you play too loosely or are very unlucky, you are likely to lose more than you would in tournaments.
Cash games are played for “table stakes”. On Betfair Poker, players can play from as little at 5cents/10cents blinds right up to huge stakes such as $1,000/$2,000. These blind levels do not increase as they do in tournaments and this is one of the reasons why cash games require different basic poker strategy.
1. Look out for the Loose Players
If you are playing at poker rooms like Cake or Interpoker then it is likely that you will be playing with some very loose players. This is great because they both calculate rake with a contributed method so you will earn more rakeback playing cash games. One sign of a loose player is if they post their blinds too quickly, it shows they are careless with their money and are willing to gamble. If you are a solid tight player and wait for the optimum time against a loose player they will gamble big usually resulting in a big win for you.
2. Pick your Tables
When choosing a cash game online, look at the players at the table spot the regulars and stay away from that table. At most Rakeback Poker Rooms you will have a variety of tables to chose from and are able to view whose playing, how much money they have, how many flops per hour and the average pot. When you see a table that has a high Average Pot it usually means it’s a loose table a lot of money is being tossed around. This little tip offers an extra edge in your profit per hour.
3. Table Hop
Use online poker to your advantage and don’t be scared to hop around and find the juiciest table. If the game isn’t good, the table is too tight, too many good players then leave. You should table hop find the best game and then glue yourself to the seat. This is also the case for if you are losing, don’t be stuck to your chair if you’re down – try another table. To be a consistent winning poker player you need to look for all the little edges around you, and use them to your advantage.
4. Use the power of bankroll in No Limit Cash Games
No Limit Cash Games give you the option to buy in for a minimum or maximum amount. Choose a table that has a lot of minimum buy in as this is often an indication of loose or low confidence players. A tip from regular professional poker players is to buy in for the maximum at a no limit cash game. A bigger bankroll is intimidating to a lot of players and can often give the first impression to new players to the table that he is a good player. Plus you always want to have enough money in your bankroll to cover anyone at the table.
5. Know when to walk away
Every poker player in the world loses, that’s a part of the game and if you’re able to leave a game with a loss without even hesitating then you’ll end up winning a lot more in the long run. The natural thinking of the brain is to stay and get your money back; it takes a lot of discipline and skill to know when to leave a game. Once your able to conquer this inner psychological trait that every human being posses, then you are a good player.
Poker Tournaments – February Poker Schedule
January 31, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
|
Mon 1st Feb 2010 (All Times Eastern) |
||||||
|
Start |
Name |
Game Type |
Buy In |
Entry Fee |
Players |
Prize Pool |
|
00:00 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$10.00 |
$1.00 |
0 |
$1000.00 |
|
|
00:10 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$500.00 |
|
|
00:15 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
0 |
$50.00 |
|
|
00:20 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$2.00 |
$0.20 |
0 |
$33.00 |
|
|
00:30 |
Pot Limit Texas Holdem |
$3.00 |
$0.30 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
00:40 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$0.25 |
$0.05 |
0 |
$25.00 |
|
|
01:00 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$150.00 |
|
|
01:20 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
02:30 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$2.00 |
$0.20 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
02:40 |
Pot Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
02:50 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$3.00 |
$0.30 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
03:00 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$10.00 |
$1.00 |
0 |
$300.00 |
|
|
03:15 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
03:45 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$1.00 |
$0.10 |
0 |
$50.00 |
|
|
04:00 |
Pot Limit Texas Holdem |
$10.00 |
$1.00 |
0 |
$150.00 |
|
|
04:15 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$2.00 |
$0.30 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
04:15 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
0 |
$50.00 |
|
|
04:30 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$10.00 |
$1.00 |
0 |
$250.00 |
|
|
04:45 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$60.00 |
|
|
05:00 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$1.00 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
05:15 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$2.00 |
$0.20 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
05:30 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$0.50 |
$0.10 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
05:45 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$3.00 |
$0.30 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
06:00 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$15.00 |
$1.50 |
0 |
$150.00 |
|
|
06:15 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
06:30 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$2.00 |
$0.20 |
0 |
$50.00 |
|
|
06:45 |
Pot Limit Texas Holdem |
$3.00 |
$0.30 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
07:00 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$500.00 |
|
|
07:15 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$1.00 |
$0.10 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
07:30 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$10.00 |
$1.50 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
07:45 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$100.00 |
|
|
08:00 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$2.00 |
$0.20 |
0 |
$60.00 |
|
|
08:15 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$0.25 |
$0.05 |
0 |
$25.00 |
|
|
08:15 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
0 |
$50.00 |
|
|
08:30 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
08:45 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$3.00 |
$0.30 |
0 |
$500.00 |
|
|
09:00 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$10.00 |
$1.00 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
09:15 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$2.00 |
$0.20 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
09:30 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$15.00 |
$2.00 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
10:00 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$10.00 |
$1.00 |
0 |
$1000.00 |
|
|
10:00 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$2.00 |
$0.20 |
0 |
$11.00 |
|
|
10:10 |
Fixed Limit Texas Holdem |
$2.00 |
$0.20 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
10:20 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$3.00 |
$0.30 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
10:30 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
10:30 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$10.00 |
$1.00 |
0 |
$60.00 |
|
|
10:40 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
10:50 |
Fixed Limit Texas Holdem |
$1.00 |
$0.10 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
11:00 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$1000.00 |
|
|
11:05 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$3.00 |
$0.30 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
11:10 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$60.00 |
|
|
11:15 |
Pot Limit Texas Holdem |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
0 |
$50.00 |
|
|
11:15 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$55.00 |
$5.00 |
0 |
$460.00 |
|
|
11:20 |
Pot Limit Texas Holdem |
$4.00 |
$0.40 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
11:30 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$1.00 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
11:40 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$0.50 |
$0.10 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
11:50 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
12:00 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$30.00 |
$3.00 |
0 |
$1250.00 |
|
|
12:10 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$1.00 |
$0.20 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
12:15 |
Fixed Limit Texas Holdem |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
0 |
$50.00 |
|
|
12:20 |
Pot Limit Texas Holdem |
$3.00 |
$0.30 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
12:30 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$750.00 |
|
|
12:40 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$2.00 |
$0.20 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
12:50 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$3.00 |
$0.30 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
13:00 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$10.00 |
$1.00 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
13:20 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$2.00 |
$0.20 |
0 |
$100.00 |
|
|
13:30 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$10.00 |
$1.00 |
0 |
$1000.00 |
|
|
13:40 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$3.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
13:50 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$60.00 |
|
|
14:00 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$2.00 |
$0.20 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
14:10 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
14:20 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$10.00 |
$1.00 |
0 |
$109.00 |
|
|
14:30 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$20.00 |
$2.00 |
0 |
$1000.00 |
|
|
14:40 |
Pot Limit Texas Holdem |
$2.00 |
$0.20 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
14:50 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$3.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
15:00 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$1000.00 |
|
|
15:20 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$3.00 |
$0.30 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
15:30 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$1.00 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
15:40 |
Pot Limit Texas Holdem |
$2.00 |
$0.20 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
15:50 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
16:00 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$2.00 |
$0.20 |
0 |
$11.00 |
|
|
16:00 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$10.00 |
$1.00 |
0 |
$1000.00 |
|
|
16:10 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$0.50 |
$0.10 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
16:15 |
Pot Limit Texas Holdem |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
0 |
$50.00 |
|
|
16:20 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$2.00 |
$0.20 |
0 |
$50.00 |
|
|
16:30 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$10.00 |
$1.50 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
16:40 |
Pot Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
16:50 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$60.00 |
|
|
17:05 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$3.00 |
$0.30 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
17:10 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$10.00 |
$1.50 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
17:15 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$10.00 |
$1.00 |
0 |
$60.00 |
|
|
17:20 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
17:40 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$3.00 |
$0.30 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
17:50 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$1.00 |
$0.10 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
18:15 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$1.50 |
$0.30 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
18:20 |
Pot Limit Texas Holdem |
$3.00 |
$0.30 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
18:30 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$55.00 |
$5.00 |
0 |
$460.00 |
|
|
18:50 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$5.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
19:15 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
0 |
$500.00 |
|
|
19:40 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$10.00 |
$1.50 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
Tue 2nd Feb 2010 (All Times Eastern) |
||||||
|
Start |
Name |
Game Type |
Buy In |
Entry Fee |
Players |
Prize Pool |
|
13:15 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
0 |
$500.00 |
|
|
Thu 4th Feb 2010 (All Times Eastern) |
||||||
|
Start |
Name |
Game Type |
Buy In |
Entry Fee |
Players |
Prize Pool |
|
19:15 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$2.00 |
$0.20 |
0 |
$250.00 |
|
|
Sat 6th Feb 2010 (All Times Eastern) |
||||||
|
Start |
Name |
Game Type |
Buy In |
Entry Fee |
Players |
Prize Pool |
|
12:00 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$2.00 |
$0.20 |
0 |
$300.00 |
|
|
13:00 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$30.00 |
$3.00 |
0 |
$5250.00 |
|
|
Sun 7th Feb 2010 (All Times Eastern) |
||||||
|
Start |
Name |
Game Type |
Buy In |
Entry Fee |
Players |
Prize Pool |
|
12:00 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$3.00 |
$0.30 |
0 |
$250.00 |
|
|
Sun 14th Feb 2010 (All Times Eastern) |
||||||
|
Start |
Name |
Game Type |
Buy In |
Entry Fee |
Players |
Prize Pool |
|
18:00 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$3.00 |
$0.50 |
0 |
$0.00 |
|
|
Sun 21st Feb 2010 (All Times Eastern) |
||||||
|
Start |
Name |
Game Type |
Buy In |
Entry Fee |
Players |
Prize Pool |
|
13:00 |
No Limit Texas Holdem |
$420.00 |
$40.00 |
5 |
$12500.00 |
|
Top 10 Poker Tips to Make You a Better Player
May 2, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Want to become a better player, fast? Follow these 10 tips to boost your poker performance & profits. While geared to beginner players, there’s poker tips that even seasoned pros should remind themselves of once in a while.
1. Don’t Play Every Hand / Do Fold More
Probably the number one mistake beginning poker players make is that they play far too many hands. When you’re just starting out playing poker, you want to play poker, and that means staying in hands that aren’t very good just to be part of the action. But playing more doesn’t mean winning more, it usually means losing more. If you find you’re staying in half or more the hands you’re dealt, you need to upgrade your starting hand requirements.
2. Don’t Play Drunk
Countless nights have I sat across a table from someone & watched them get plastered silly and throw away their entire stack of chips. I’ve been that person too – and there are nights where you’re just playing with friends for low stakes and it’s more about the fun than the poker – but if you’re in a casino, watch the alcohol. The truth is, while you may be more relaxed after 2 drinks, it may lead to you playing looser and less sharply, even if one’s not ‘drunk.’
3. Don’t Bluff Just For Bluffing’s Sake
A lot of beginner’s understand that bluffing is a part of poker, but not exactly how. There’s is NO rule that one must bluff a certain amount or at all during a poker game, but many players don’t feel like they’ve won unless they’ve tried a poker bluff. Bluffs only work in certain situations & against certain people, and if you know a player always calls to the showdown, it is literally impossible to bluff that player. It’s better never to bluff than to bluff “just to bluff.”
4. Don’t Stay in a Hand Just Because You’re Already In It
Another common mistake beginners make is to think that “Well, I’ve already put that much in the pot, I have to stay in now.” Nope. You can’t win a pot just by throwing money at it. There may be cases when pot odds warrant a call, but if you’re sure you’re beaten, and there’s no way your hand can improve to be the best hand, you should fold right away. The money you’ve already put in the pot isn’t yours anymore, and you can’t get it back just by playing a hand all the way to the end.
5. Don’t Call at the End of a Hand to “Keep Someone Honest”
This one follows the last tip. I see a lot of players look at another player’s final bet, look at the hand, & say “I know you’ve got me, but I have to keep you honest,” as they throw in a final call. It may be worth it to see if a player really has the hand if you’re not sure & you’re gaining information that will help you later on, but if you really feel a player has the hand he’s representing & you’re beat, why give him another pile of your money? Those bets will add up over an evening.
6. Don’t Play When Mad, Sad, or in a Generally Bad Mood
When you play poker, you shouldn’t do it to escape from being depressed or having a really bad day. You start out on tilt — playing emotionally, not rationally — and you won’t play your best. Likewise, if during a poker game, you lose a big hand or get sucked out on and feel yourself going on tilt, stand up & take a break until you feel calm later on. Fellow players will sense your mood & take advantage of it.
7. Do Pay Attention to the Cards on the Table
When you first start playing, it’s enough just to remember how to play and pay attention to your own hand. But once you’ve got that down, it’s incredibly important to look at what’s going on at the table. In Texas Hold’em, figure out what the best possible hand would be to fit the flop. Make sure you notice flush & straight possibilities. In 7-card stud, pay attention to what’s showing & what people have folded when you consider calling opponents.
8. Do Pay Attention to the Other Players
As you play, one of the single best things you can do is observe your opponents, even when you’re not in a hand. If you know if one player always raises in a certain position, & another has a poker tell when he bluffs, & a 3rd folds to every re-raise, you can use that information to help you decide how to play against them. Once you know that player 3 always folds to a re-raise on a river, that’s when you can bluff & steal a pot.
9. Don’t Play at too High Limits
There are many reasons people move up to a higher limit game than they usually play. Good reasons like they’ve been winning consistently at a lower lever & are ready to move up, & bad reasons like the line is shorter for higher limits or you want to impress someone. Don’t play at stakes that make you think about the actual money in terms of day-to-day life or with money you can’t lose. Even if you had one super-good night at $2/4, resist the urge to play $5/10. The next tip explains more why.
10. Do Pick the Right Game for Your Skill Level & Bankroll
One of the reasons you shouldn’t jump into a $5/10 game after winning a huge bunch of money at $2/4 is because as the stakes rise, so does the average skill level of the players sitting there. You want to be one of the best at the table, not the fish who sits down with sharks. If you’re making stacks of money at a lower level game, why move? You’re winning stacks of money. The swings up & down at higher limits are much bigger, and one big night’s win won’t last long at a high-stakes game.
Texas Holdem – Analyzing the Flop
Most of your important decisions in Texas Holdem poker take place on the flop. That’s why the ability to analyze the flop is essential for your long term results in Texas holdem poker.
You will not get anywhere in Texas holdem if you aren’t able to read the flop properly. Reading the flop means knowing what hands it makes possible, knowing what your own possibilities are as well as your opponents’. You must also understand how the texture of the flop influences the game, that is, how threatening the flop is – to you as well to your opponents.
There are a number of patterns you need to be looking for on each and every flop. They may show up alone or in combinations. Each of those patterns, or structures, gives rise to a certain type of post flop play, all of which you must learn to master.
Let’s walk through those patterns one at a time.
Possible straights
If there are three cards with two gaps or less between them, someone may have a ready-made straight. For example, if the flop comes 9-8-5, T-9-8, or 3-2-A.
Of course, the chance that someone actually has a made straight depends on what precise cards arte required. Q-J-T makes a lot more straights than 7-5-3, since it’s much more likely that someone who has stayed in to see a flop has A-K, K-9 or 9-8 than 6-4 in the hand. Hands like 6-4 are very often thrown away preflop.
This kind of board is pretty infrequent though, and if it’s you who have the straight, you typically won’t get a lot of action from the opponents, since the straight is so obvious and the pot is usually relatively small at this stage.
Possible flush
If all three cards are of the same suit, someone might have a made flush. Just like with the straights above, this doesn’t happen often, and if you have a flush here you often won’t get paid a lot, unless an opponent has another flush that is lower than yours. Which is really rare.
When you flop a made straight of flush, you may be tempted to slow play it in order to entice a bet from another player rather than scaring everyone off. That might be okay, but don’t overdo it. Your hand is never the absolute nuts, there are always cards that may come on the board that will look really bad for your hand.
For example, if the board pairs, your flush may not be good anymore, or if you have a straight and the board flushes.
Pairs on board
With a pair on the board, a lot of dangerous hands become possible: quads and full houses as well as trips and two pair. Once the board is paired, the value of straights and flushes go down, the value of straight draws and flush draws too.
If you get a lot of action on a paired board, you must be able to lay down for example a flush. At the same time, a paired board is a good bluff opportunity, both for you and your opponent. So don’t fold your flush automatically. Think it through!
Also remember that when a pair is on the board, hands like three of a kind and two pair are much weaker than if the board is un-paired. You may be up against one of those super strong hands just mentioned, or else someone may simply have the same trips with a better kicker.
Straight draws
If two board cards are within two gaps or closer, someone may have flopped a straight draw. This means that if you have a made hand, like two pair or trips, you’ll need to protect your hand. Meaning, you have to bet properly to put any drawing hands to the test.
This doesn’t mean that you should bet twice the pot or even move all in, that may be a bit over-protective. Just make a well sized bet so you don’t give away free cards to the drawing hands. Then, if a card arrives that could have filled someone’s straight, then you need to decide if it’s actually the case or not. It’s not easy to separate made hands from bluffs – but that’s poker.
Flush draws
Flush draws are possible as soon as there are two cards of the same suit at the board. Just as with straight draws, a made hand needs protection through a decent bet.
If you flopped a flush draw yourself, you should be aware that there are usually nine cards in the deck that will make it for you, which means you have odds 4-1 on the next street and 2-1 if you get to see two more cards.
Also realize that if you make a flush on a later street, you’ll often not get paid very much since the flush is pretty obvious. People notice when there are three hearts on the board, and they typically won’t give you much action. Unless they happen to have a strong hand, like a lower flush.
Straights are often much harder to see. Imagine a flop of A-8-4. You bet out with A-K and get one caller. The turn comes a 6. The pot is getting bigger, and you want it. You bet and the opponent re-raises. Would you really put him on 7-5? It’s pretty hard to believe. Also, players often may not even notice that a straight has become possible.
If a player draws to a straight and a flush simultaneously, there may be as much as 15 cards that fill at least one of those hands.
Of course, both potential straights and potential flushes give players opportunities to bluff. If you consider drawing to a flush, check if a straight draw is also possible, in which case you have a second way out if you don’t make your flush: representing the straight.
High cards or low cards
If the pot comes with one, two or three high cards, chances are that someone has made a connection to his or her hand. At the flop, high cards are much more likely than low cards in players’ hands, since people tend to fold hands with low cards preflop.
This kind of flop leads to a lot of action, and you have to be well aware of your chances as well as the dangers involved. Fasten your seat belt!
High cards also present you with some bluff potential, since they look scary to the other guy. Of course, this is a sword that cuts both ways.
On the other hand, if the flop holds low cards only, it’s very possible that it missed all players. If you raised preflop with a high pair, you’re probably still good after a low flop, even if it actually missed you as well. You can play your overpair strongly here.
On the other hand, the fact that it’s hard to lay down premium starting hands against low boards has given rise to a whole new strategy concept – set mining. This consists of taking flops with low pairs and hoping to hit a set. Then the idea is that your opponent who’s playing a strong starting hand will pay you off big time even though he missed the flop, since he can’t get away from his premium hand and the low board looks innocuous.
For set mining to show long time profitability, a few requirements must be in place. The opponent must have a strong hand. For example, a raise in early position from a tight opponent is a good signal of strength. Also, both you and the opponent must have big stacks, so you can win really big when you hit your set – to compensate for all the times when you miss (7 out of 8 times).
Combining the board and your hand
As a last step in the Texas holdem flop analysis, you should compare the board to your own hand. This can led you to some pretty strong conclusions.
For example, if the flop comes Q-J-6 and you have a pair of tens, the risk for straight draws is much decreased, since you hold half the tens need to form a straight. You have straight blockers.
Or if a player raises preflop, you have an ace in your hand and the flop comes A-A-5, it’s suddenly quite unlikely that the opponent has an ace – there’s only one ace left unseen.
Once you have learned to read the board, this kind of combined analysis is the next step to perfection in texas holdem.
EPT Grand Finals Begin in Monte Carlo
May 2, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
The EPT Grand Final is about to begin in Monte Carlo. Poker pros from all over the world gather in the tiny Mediterranean kingdom to battle it out – while enjoying life big time.
Poker has been called “a hard way to make an easy living”, and anyone who’s tried it knows that there’s some truth to this. At times, though, life in the fast lane of professional poker is just really easy.
Life is easy as hell
David Williams arrived in the Nice airport and took a helicopter to Monaco and his room at five star hotel “Le Meridien” – despite being afraid of heights.
Evelyn Ng lost a chocolate croissant to a huge seagull that flew in through the window and snatched it from her room at the Monte Carlo Bay – also five stars.
Now the Mediterranean sun has come out behind light morning clouds. Some players hit the pool while others sit down to play tournament poker. Day 1A of the EPT Grand Final is about to start.
Role model for Las Vegas
For centuries, this classic place has been providing ultra-easy life for people in the very fastest lanes of life. Luxurious hotels, fine dining, wonderful beaches and of course, ultra high stakes gambling of all kinds – Monaco truly is the elegant older brother of Las Vegas.
Usually there’s not much poker to be found in the Monegasque casinos, but when the professional poker circuit hits town, this detail is taken care of.
The buy-in to the EPT Grand Final is €10,000 (around $14,000). Besides that, the side action will go wild, and the town will get to see some ultra high stakes cash games in luxury suites of various five star hotels.
Ultra high stakes action
Expect to see sit-and-gos with buy-ins at $10,000 and China poker at $1,000 per point. That’s standard. Also, rumor has it a guy called Cheescake is setting up a game of high stakes HORSE. We’ll tell you more when we catch any news.
It’s in the small and de facto-French town of Monte Carlo that Season 5 of the European Poker Tour will end in a big bang grand final in the days to come. It’s about to start right now. The roof just opened to allow sunlight and fresh air into the fancy parlor. What a show!
The last days of competition will be sent live over the internet on Poker Stars TV. That’s poker television at its very best.
Trouble Hands in Texas Hold ‘em
April 7, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Just as there are many hands in Texas Holdem that will win you a lot of money, there are a number of deceptive hands that may lead you into believing that they are profitable when in real fact they will often lose you decent sums of money from your bankroll. The sooner that you learn about the hands that are costing you dearly, the sooner you can start saving yourself from losing money. This article will address the most common hands that novices play with and highlight the reasons as to why they can be dangerous hands to play.
The ‘any two suited cards’ is a very popular hand that all varieties of beginners like to play. A flush is a pretty strong hand in the game of Holdem, and so if you manage to make one there is good chance that you will win a nice bit of money with it. Therefore many new players to the game will be prepared to enter pots with any two cards as long as they are suited just in an attempt to catch a flush at some point during the hand. There are two reasons as to why playing any two suited cards is dangerous.
Firstly, it is not that much more likely that you will make a flush just because your cards are suited. The probability of making a flush in Holdem is pretty low, and so it does not justify calling bet and raises in an attempt to catch one on the flop. On top of this, amateur players will often continue to call bets and raises with bad pot odds to make a flush on future streets, which just adds to the problem of playing such hands. The second reason is that you can catch half a hand like second pair on the flop, and end up losing money to another player that has formed a better pair than you. So by playing random suited cards you are setting yourself up for two great opportunities to leak money, so don’t do it.
Another type of hand that always manages to cause the beginner poker players a problem is the low connecting cards. These are almost identical to the problems caused by any two suited cards and can help players to lose money over the long run. It is not too likely that you will form a straight every time you enter a pot with connecting cards like 5c 6h, so don’t enter the pot under the false pretences that you will. You will simply be losing more money in the long run, as well as losing money in pots where you catch half a hand and your opponent catches a stronger one. So save yourself some money and fold before the flop.
One final hand that amateur players get overly attached to is a rag ace. Rag aces are simply aces that are accompanied by a low ranking holecard below a Ten. The problem that these hands cause is that players find it difficult to let the hand go after they pair their ace, and so they will often end up losing a lot of (if not all) of their stack to a player that also makes a pair of aces but with a better kicker. The best way to play these types of hands is to exercise a little self-discipline and fold them before the flop. It is unlikely that you will win a big pot with them, but it is likely that you will lose a big one. Save yourself a bit of money by folding and catch out the other amateur players the next time when you hold a stronger ace than them.
Playing Big Pairs
April 7, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
It is always great to see a big pocket pair like AA, KK or QQ when you look down at your holecards in Texas Holdem. These top 3 pocket pairs are the best possible hands you can be dealt before the flop, and so you should expect to make a hefty amount of money from them throughout your poker-playing career. However, if you are not careful with these big pairs and if you do not exercise good strategy with them, these types of cards can easily lose you money when not play them correctly.
One of the biggest mistakes novice players make when playing big pairs is that they tend to slowplay them at every opportunity. Whilst it may be a good idea to play very strong hands on the odd occasion in poker, it is far too early to start slowplaying a hand before the flop, and by doing so you will just be allowing your opponents to improve on the flop and on future streets. Therefore whenever you are dealt a big pocket pair you should almost always raise before the flop to thin out the number of opponents and build the pot to increase the amount of money that you can win.
Now although AA, KK and QQ have been lumped into the same category here, I am going to split these hands up into two, and give a few basic strategy tips whilst playing them. I will firstly go through a good strategy for AA, and then I will go through tips on how to play KK and QQ well. The KK and QQ have been grouped together due to the fact that there is the possibility that overcards can appear on the flop, whereas this is not possible whilst holding AA. So lets move onto the strategy for each of these hands…
With a hand like AA, you always want to be looking to raise or re-raise before the flop. It is never good Texas Holdem strategy with AA to limp or simply call a raise because you are missing the opportunity to get more money into the pot with the best hand, and you are giving weaker hands the opportunity to overtake you on the flop. You shouldn’t be worried about the fact that players might fold and you win the pot uncontested at this point, as it is always better to win a small pot than lose a big one.
After the flop you should again look to keep the action flowing by betting and raising. You do not want to give anyone the correct odds to call for any straights, flushes or drawing hands at this point, so make sure you put them to a tough decision for their chips. However, there could be the possibility that one of your opponents has made a better hand than you on the flop, and so you should always be aware of the fact that you may no longer hold the best hand. But in spite of this, you will normally still be ahead and so you should continue to build the pot unless you have reason to believe otherwise.
When playing hands like KK and QQ, you should again be looking to bet and raise before the flop. It is very rare to come up against a better hand before the flop when holding either of these hands, so be happy to be betting and raising to reduce the number of players that will be joining you to see a flop. Many players say that you should never fold KK before the flop because by doing so you are losing money in the long run, and I have to say that I agree. You especially want to be limiting the number of players that you are up against with either of these hands because of the fact that opponents can easily make a better hand than you be hitting an overcard like an Aces to make a bigger pair.
Now on the flop you will be in one of two situations; you will either be facing overcards or you won’t. If there are no overcards on the flop, you should continue to play the hand like you would do if you were holding aces, as both situations are quite similar. However, playing a big pocket pair when there are overcards on the board can be a little tricky. A good way to play is to bet like you feel you still have the best hand, and then evaluate where you stand after your opponent responds. It is unlikely that you will be winning a big pot any more in this situation, and if the pot does get big it is likely that you will be on the losing end. So be prepared to let the hand go if you come up against a lot of action.
On the final few streets with big pairs you should continue to build the pot unless you are quite sure that you are no longer ahead. If you haven’t improved by the turn or the river, you should remember that you still only hold 1 pair, which is by no means a monster hand. It is important to never get ‘married to the hand’ when you have a big pair, as they are by no means invincible. Always consider the possibility that your opponent could have a better hand than you if they are also playing aggressively by betting and raising too. It is not easy to lay down a big pair, but you have to learn to do so when you genuinely believe that you no longer hold the winning hand.
Poker Table Image
April 7, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Whenever you play poker, whether it is online or live, you should always be aware of the way your opponents are playing. It is important to try and gather as much information as possible on the other players at the table to help you influence your decisions in later hands. Are your opponents tight or loose? Are they weak or are they aggressive? It is this sort of information that is key to making profitable decisions throughout each of your poker sessions. But apart from thinking about how you see your opponents, what are your opponents thinking about you?
This is also a key question that you should also consider whilst you play, yet it is something that is often overlooked. Knowing how your opponents view you as a player is just as important as having an idea of how they are playing themselves. This is especially true in the game of no limit Texas Holdem where psychology plays an important role. But why exactly is this important? And what effect should this have on your game?
Depending on the way you play, your opponents will be considering how to categorize you just like you do to them according to different playing styles. If you find yourself getting involved in numerous pots and regularly making continuation bets and bluffing, they may well be categorizing you as a loose and aggressive player in their minds. Similarly, if you are only getting involved with a minimal number of pots and only calling and betting when you have the best of it, your opponents will be noting down that you are a tight player that they should probably avoid having too many confrontations with.
If you feel that it is quite obvious that your opponents consider you to be a certain type of player, you can use it to your advantage by playing differently in future hands. For example, if your opponents think you are tight and only get involved when you have the best of it, you will find that you will have a higher success rate when it comes to bluffing because they will have a good reason to believe that you have a strong hand because of the way you have been playing earlier in the session. Conversely, if you have been playing loosely and have been entering a number of pots, your ability to pull off successful bluffs will be reduced because your opponents are less inclined to think you have a strong hand when you bet.
As a general rule, you should try and play the opposite to the way that your opponents think you are playing. So if they see you as a loose player, you should play tight, and if they see you as a tight player, it will be profitable to loosen up your starting hand requirements. It is never a good idea to fall into patterns when you play poker, so you should always try and change gears from time to time to keep your opponents guessing. If your opponents are unsure of the way you play, you will find that you can make more profit from them than if they know how you play and you continue to play the same way throughout each session.
So the next time you sit down at the poker table, make sure that you are always aware of the way you play and how your opponents will view you as a poker player. Having a good knowledge of your table image at all times is a valauble piece of holdem strategy that can save you a lot of money as well as help you to win money. But be aware that these kinds of impressions are built up over time, and so you should not expect players to have a concrete opinion on your style of play after only a few hands. Whenever you reach a showdown, try and consider the implications of your cards being shown to the table, whether you win or lose. This could help stimulate players to form opinions of your style of play that you can later exploit later on in the session.
