Archive for the ‘Poker Strategy’ Category

Bankroll Building Tips

Monday, June 21st, 2010

There are quite a lot of aspects involved in building a stable poker bankroll. These aspects go beyond the traditional concepts of freerolls and bonuses. We have listed down some tips for appropriate bankroll management.

Bonuses Differ Greatly

One of the first places to build a steady bankroll is to look up for the sign-up bonuses. These bonuses are offered by a majority of the poker rooms online. The crucial part is that not all big bonuses are great. For an instance, a few sites that offer very big bonuses are known to have lower clearance rates, which mean that two smaller bonuses may result into faster bankroll building.

Look for Hidden Incentives

The additional features such as freerolls, cashback offers and VIP clubs can contribute greatly towards the online bankroll building. Ensure that the site you’re about to register with, offers such incentives. Another such incentive is the reload bonus. This type of bonus is offered to the existing players and there is a VIP rewards program as well.

Play With Your Bankroll Limit

One of the most common mistakes made by the beginners is that they often exceed the bankroll limit. You must always have a disciplined approach towards your bankroll limit and you must risk only a small percentage of your bankroll towards poker sessions. A good rule would be to invest 5% of the bankroll on the cash games and have 50 buy-ins for Sit N Go Tournaments. in addition, you must also learn the strategies involved with game selection. Learning is a continuous process and hence you must learn from your mistakes, so as to have a profitable gaming experience.

Overcome Tight Video Poker Machines

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

All those interested in playing video poker must know that the casinos as well as the online casino can change the payoffs at anytime. This actually means that that they can program the computer chips in accordance to a selected payout pattern. We have listed down a few ways to deal with the tighter poker machines.

The casinos usually want people to think that video poker is purely a game of chance. Annually, casinos make millions of dollars in revenue, because they have the odds in their favour. Programming computer chips would allow them to dictate the way these video poker machines behave over time.

One of the best strategies to win with video poker machines is to identify the ‘cold ducks’. This is the term used to identify the non-paying or the tighter machines. It was brought into existence in the casinos of Las Vegas. Now, there can be two reasons for which the machine throws less winning hands. One of the reasons is that the machine is pre-programmed or the other reason could be the lesser amount of people playing on this machine. If less people play on the tighter machines, it automatically slows down the winning cycles. Unfortunalty this doesn’t work with gambling online.

On the other hand, the computer chip could be programmed in such a way that it would throw away hands when they come closer to the winning hand. Such a way the players would think that the machine is about to hit the win and therefore they end up playing more. Therefore, it is suggestive to have a predefined bankroll so that you do not end up spending more.

Avoiding Tilt in Poker

Friday, March 19th, 2010

Your state of mind is the key to your success when playing poker. The mental control you have influences the way you play. When you are focused on the game at hand, you will learn about the other players, likely hand probabilities, and quickly discover opportunities that allow you to gain the upper hand over your fellow opponents. As a player, it is important to control your emotions and a controlled player is the one who:

  • Keeps their focus, and controls their emotions when faced with defeat. Does not become defensive when they compete.
  • Has confidence in their abilities and lets the other players know this when they play.
  • Does not let other players gain the upper hand by letting their opponents psyche them out.
  • Remains positive. Regardless how unfavourable your hand may be,
  • Getting frustrated about constant bad hands isn’t going to make your odds any better; it’s only going to make you frustrated, which can cause bad judgment once you do get a hand you can work with.
  • Does not let their minds wonder or start daydreaming during a game. It is imperative that your mind is constantly focused on playing the game. That means knowing the probabilities of yours and your opponents’ hand.
  • Stays patient. If you are too anxious to win the pot you can make foolish mistakes, making it easy for more experienced players to eat you alive.

A good poker player is in control of their every action. They are not only aware of their own state of mind, but the minds of their other players as well. They are relaxed, and easily adjust to the different players that enter the game, ready and waiting to defeat them as soon as they get the chance to take advantage of the way they play.

Mastering “Check and Call” In Poker

Friday, March 19th, 2010

If you are able to check in the game, take advantage of this opportunity. Why? Well, if it happens that you are still in the game after the flop, have an O.K. hand, and are the first person to bet, you can check and hope that the other players follow suit. If your plan works, you will be able to make it to the next round and get another card without having to lose any more of your chips.

Checking can also work to your bluffing advantage if you have a strong hand. For instance, if you have a strong hand and you choose to check instead of raising midway through the game, the other players may be tricked into thinking that your hand is weaker than it actually is.

In addition, if you believe that your hand is likely the best of all the players after the flop, at this time it is usually a good idea to check/raise. Check/raise means that you check whenever you get the opportunity, and raise if you are bet into. On the flip side of the coin, should you feel that your hand isn’t strong enough you can check/fold, which means you check if you get the chance, and fold if you are bet into.

Above all, you need to remember that when it comes down to it folding is often your best option as it allows you to control your money, giving you the chance to really nail your golden opportunity once it finally comes your way. Hence, spend less time obsessing over winning every game, and use your focus on a good hand to maximize its potential and win the pot.

Some Poker “Don’ts”

Friday, March 19th, 2010

Poker is a game that requires a fine combination of skill and knowledge. You need to learn the etiquette of the game and implement it appropriately in live as well as online poker. We have listed down a few ‘don’ts’ of the game, which would help you, gain some profits.

To begin with, do not ask to see the losing hand. This is an important aspect of the poker etiquette in the land based as well as online poker games. when it comes to the online poker games, the called player would turn in the hand first, which gives an opportunity to the other players to muck their hands, without actually showing whether it is a losing hand or not. However, a majority of the people in the hand would know that the hand history portrays the hands that were mucked and for what reason. All those players who are not aware of such etiquette would request a show for the losing hand, especially in the land based games. Poker games involve a lot of bluffing and therefore the losing hand must never be asked for a show.

Do not look at the winning or the losing statistics if you are about to end your current poker session. In accordance to the prominent poker player Phil Ivey, one of the biggest mistakes most players make is that they play a short session when they are winning and they play longer sessions when they are losing. Therefore a majority of players who are usually successful in the game, end up busted in the longer session. It would be appropriate to remain in the game if you know your opponents too well or if you come across some loose players during the session. If you lack such an experience to determine when to quit, play frequently for a pre-specified amount of time.

The Power of Poker Tells

Friday, March 19th, 2010

Humans tend to have a great ability to lie and we are the only species that use malevolent trickery to pursue our goals. Lying is usually looked upon in a majority of occasions in life; however it forms an integral part in the game of poker.

When it comes to bluffing, as referred to in the game of poker, the body and the mind operate at different frequencies. Simply put, the mind is willing but the body goes weak. So this means that if someone is bluffing or lying, chances are that their body might perhaps betray them after a point and give out substantial clues which prove that the player is untruthful. At the time of playing the live game, there are certain behaviours to look out for, that can indicate if a player is trying to pull a bluff. We have formulated a list of things to look for while playing on a live table.

  • If a player looks down, turns his head away or hides his mouth with the hand, they are probably trying to control or hide a smile. So when someone is smiling over their cards, there are chances that they are holding some strong hands or the flop has gone to his advantage.
  • If there is a player on the table whose hands are shaking, he is probably over excited. This is an easy tell to identify and usually happens with inexperienced players. Trembling hands usually mean an exceptionally good hand with that player.
  • If a player becomes rude after placing his bets, it is an indication that they possess a fairly big hand. Practically, they are trying to rage the other players so as to urge them to call his bets.
  • If there is a player who stares at the flop for a long time, he is likely to go through some mental calculations to find out what they need to make a good hand. This is a player who probably has nothing in his hand to move forward.
  • In Texas Hold’em, if a player checks his pocket cards after the flop, he may perhaps be seeing the cards on the table to find out if he has any of those matching suits in his hand. Whenever this happens, it usually represents a player who has unsuited cards in his hand. There are less chances of getting a flush from this player.
  • If a player starts behaving politely, it is a sign that he has placed a bet with a bad hand.
  • If the player tries to control all the voluntary movements of his body, there are a few involuntary responses to a bluff that may be obvious. If the player sweats in excitement, it shows that he has an extremely good hand. Increased cardiovascular activity could be identified when the player experiences muscle twitches and reddening of the face. These are indications of the players with good cards.

These are a few of the common tells in poker, however, we as individuals tend to give ourselves differently. Observations on the poker table are often valuable, so as to gather information about the opponents.