But seriously, my point is actually about not being intimidated at the poker table.  There are many well known poker players out there that have risen to the top through their aggressive poker play.  These sharks cruise the poker rooms and bully their way to bigger bankrolls. Aggressive play can totally freak players out, that they just freeze – which is just what I would do if I bumped into Shaq by mistake… I would watch my whole life play out in a matter of seconds, stammer an apology and run for it!

Don’t get pushed around on the poker table.  If you know you have a good hand with a chance of winning, stand up and fight! – don’t run for the nearest exit.

Maybe its because of the growth of online poker players or people learning loose play with play money in freerolls.. I dunno but there has definetly been an increase in aggressive play.  Speak to any of the old poker pros who have been around for a while or listen to Doyle Brunson muttering away on High Stakes poker and you will realize just how much more aggressive the play is now.

If you follow the poker play in online casinos and it doesn’t matter whether its texas holdem or omaha, then you will often see players betting on off suited cards.  Waiting to get lucky on the flop, turn or river is one way to play but it is risky.  Then again if you want to stick to something easier like slots online, then don’t play big games with the big boys.

He says to me, “Heh Johnny you got a nice poker bot?”

I says back to him, “Heh steady on kid, watch yourself…”

“No, no… a bot, a robot… a poker android.. you know what I mean?” he blurts out.

“What you been smoking dude?  Can I have some of that good stuff?”

Jimmy is a computer programmer and I have learnt to expect anything from him.  He is crazy about poker and loves every single gadget that there is to do with poker and poker strategy.  Being a programmer he knows all the good software there is out there, the tricks to online poker and how to win at poker.

So I had a look at it, because he said it was good.  All you have to do is download the software and it will tell you what to do.  It takes the fun away for me, I personally would prefer to make the decision myself – but if you are into this sort of thing, then by all means use it.  Just remember you are still not guaranteed to win.

I want to go back to some good, old fashioned reading of poker books to get some poker tips.  Think I’ll have a look on Amazon and see what they have, what I haven’t read, get some new ideas etc – type in poker books and it gives you a long list of poker books, difficult to choose, even after reading the online reviews.

I know what will happen though, I’ll have it next to my bed and read a few pages every evening before falling asleep.  Then next evening I’ll pick it up, not know where I am and read the same pages over again…

There are no so many Texas Holdem resources for strategy – no longer is it sufficient to have a title like, “How to play Texas Holdem poker”.. yawn, everyone knows that!  Now they want, “How to win millions at online Texas Holdem poker tournaments”.

Dunno maybe you wnat to get all deep and meaningful, will something like “The pros and cons of gambling” do as a title?

It was whilst I was watching the jackpot grow and grow, that something struck me – like a ton of bricks, as they say… Its amazing how things come to you when you are doing something completely different – ever happened to you?  Have you ever lost something and then suddenly out of the blue, weeks later, you pick something up and there is the thing that you were looking for, just staring at you saying, “Why couldn’t you see me fool?…..”

Ok where was I?  Phew lost myself….oh right…the growing jackpot reminded me of how you must let the pot grow – build yourself a big pot.

It doesn’t matter whether you are playing online poker or whether you are at a real poker table, you must remember to build a pot of money – let it grow.  Many beginners get excited when they have a great hand and get carried away, they raise too much or too quickly.  The other players pick up on this, if they are good, they should pick up on the fact that you have a good hand and then they fold.  Leaving the blinds and your money in the pot.  Not a great return on your investment!

What you have to do is draw your opponents money out onto the table.  Let them think they have a chance of winning – build yourself a big pot!  Manipulate the situation, don’t scare them off.  The idea is to get as much of their chips into the table so that you can maximize your winnings.

Funny how it takes a visit to an online casino to remember my poker strategy!  But if you think about it, letting the jackpot grow is the same thing really – there is no point in joining a game when someone has just collected the jackpot.

In No Limit Holdem the All-in is a powerful weapon – but you have to know how to use it.  Many poker players get it wrong.  I found a great video clip that explains the All-in, when to use it and why. Do you need to protect a hand pre-flop, protect a hand post flop with an aggressive move to force your opponent out or just pressure your opponent?

Its good to be aggressive, but sometimes you can be too quick to go All-in. It’s way better to keep your options open and don’t go All-in too soon. The video clip explains it better – take a look.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Video clips on YouTube are a fantastic way of learning more about poker, I can’t tell you how many tips I have picked up. And, the beauty is that you can replay clips and move to another video at the click of a …

Enjoy!