Archive for the ‘Online Poker’ Category

What Are Table Scanners?

Saturday, August 21st, 2010

Table selection is one of the most important parts of the poker game. as a rule with the game, you would only make money if the other players on the table would make a mistake. Therefore you must identify the opponents in the game and play accordingly. However with the explosion of online poker rooms and the hundreds of tables in each room, it is practically impossible to find the best gaming action. Therefore the answer is to use the table scanners.

A table scanner is one of the most common tools used by the professional poker players to identify the best games online. This would help them to maximise their gaming profits. Such software usually comes with a specific monthly fee, however it is well worth the price with its advantages.

To elaborate further on how this software works, it would initially scan all the tables with the limits and your specified game type. You need to select the room you’re interested in and it would record every player on the tables. The information of these players is then displayed on the tracking software and you can see the stats as well. These stats are graded comparatively and given a certain score. You can then sort the tables in accordance to the score given to them and identify the best tables in that room. Usually, all the table scanners would give you a free trial period. You can use these table scanners for the trial period, so as to test its effectiveness. However, if you are playing smaller sessions or lower limit games all the time, it wouldn’t be suggestive to spend more money for software. If you are not using any form of game selection, you would notice a significant increase in your win rate within a short period of time.

What is a Poker Calculator?

Friday, March 19th, 2010

Poker calculators are great online tools which can save the data as well as the hand histories of the opponents. It is also compatible with all variations of poker.  Some of the Poker tracker features include:

  • You can track your games on more than one poker site. This allows you to keep an eye on ring games (non-tournament games that can last for hours or days and players can enter or leave the game at any time they wish as long as they still have money to buy back it) or tournament game.
  • Track the starting hands you obtain and look at the number of hand combinations you receive to discover how many times you are able to reach the flop, fold, raise and win money.
  • Track each opponent you play against to discover who you won the most amount of money from, as well as who has won the most from you. You can also keep detailed notes of each player, which will help you find out how often and when they make it past the pre-flop and flop, as well as when they fold, call, raise, check/raise, check/fold and reach the showdown. Replay your hands, the entire gaming session, or the complete tournament graphically.

As you can see, poker tracker is a nifty program that can really help you gain a good understanding of the way you and your other opponents play Hold’em. When used to your advantage, you can learn many things from this excellent teaching tool.

Beating Your Opponents in Online Poker

Friday, March 19th, 2010

Have you ever found yourself multitasking while playing poker online? It’s easy to do isn’t it? However, whether you’ve realized it or not these distractions have a negative effect on your game, because your mind is busy trying to focus on too many things at once. Remember, if you are planning on improving your game and winning, you need to take poker seriously, and to do that your full attention is required.

In addition, keep on the look out for players who may appear distracted, you can use their scattered mind to your advantage. Pressure them to fold early, or drag them further into the hand so they will add more money to the pot.

Although you have the freedom to make any facial expression you would like when playing online poker, as no one else can see you, this is both to your advantage and disadvantage because your other opponents also have this freedom. Since no player can see their opponent, some players become careless and will bluff to the point of foolishness, because they don’t have anyone to stare them down.

However, just because players frequently bluff online, you can’t always assume every opponent you are up against is pulling a fast one on you. That being said, there will be times were you will have to call or raise more often than you prefer, especially when faced against those players who are desperate to win the pot every hand. In the long run, if you find players frequently bluffing and you have a relatively decent hand, its best to call, as many online poker players find this a far more rewarding tack then constantly making a raise.

What is the Use of Poker Avatars?

Friday, March 19th, 2010

Ever since the inception of online poker rooms, people have been using special images or ‘avatars’ that would represent the players on the table. However, not many people know the history behind these avatars and the way they can affect your play.

Rooms that would not allow you to select your own avatar

Such rooms that do not allow you to choose your own avatar are pretty rare these days. However, there are still some traditional poker rooms online which do not allow you to use characters during the game. This means that you are entirely presented by your username as well as the chip-stack.

Rooms that would allow you to select an avatar from a collection of avatars on the site

These rooms are highly popular and would allow you to choose an avatar from a collection of avatars. These could range from cartoon characters to nature pictures. One such prominent room is Poker Tilt. The site contains about 90 different avatars for the players.

Rooms which would allow you to create your own avatar

Certain established poker rooms such as PokerStars would allow you to create your own avatars and upload them with your user name. During the play, this avatar is visible to the opponents. This would allow you to customize the play since no other player would have the same avatar as you.

The kind of avatar you choose to represent your user name is purely due to your personal preferences. These avatars do reflect your personality to some extent; however, there is no particular effect on the strategies to be employed during the game. Choose the avatar that would help you locate yourself on the table with ease, in case if you are playing multiple tables at the same time.

Time Control With Online Poker

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

When it comes to fast hands, live poker doesn’t even compare to online poker. Online poker games are substantially shorter than those played in a live casino. The major reasons are due to the fact that internet players continually hop from table to table, and hands are much shorter as rounds are quick because of computer software, and players can not see their opponents. This allows online players the freedom to participate in games for as long or as little as they wish.

Therefore, while one player may only be interested in playing a single game for a few minutes, another may wish to spend an hour or longer. A live poker game, however, may last for hours, and this is because the average round during a hand can last anywhere from 10-20 minutes depending on the number of players involved in the hand.

Overall, the experiences provided by both live and online poker tables are equally social, enjoyable and rewarding for players. Furthermore, each environment requires players to adapt to a different style of game play that is often challenging and involves skill. However, when it comes down to it, nothing beats the advantages of comfort, convenience and choice that you will only find with online poker.

Due to the fact that online poker can be played in the comfort and privacy of your own home or place of choosing, you can use a variety of special tools and programs such as calculators, charts and tables when playing a game. The purpose of these devices is to assist you in finding out the best odds in the hand. Although they are not considered cheating, and while some are even permitted in a live casino, the beauty of using these helpful tools online is that no one else can see you, and therefore no one can judge your actions or intimidate you when you play.