Texas Holdem Guide

After all my railbirding on the weekend, this railbird needed a break! It was great fun to follow the big poker tournaments happening on the weekend – EPT Deauville and the Aussie Millions. Nice to see some new faces finishing in the top ten.

I dont know how the guys have the stamina to keep going in a poker tourny. But I couldn’t just follow the tournaments that was too slow and boring, I have to admit that this self confessed poker addict, was indeed logged onto his favorite online poker room and I might have been playing the odd game or two.

Thats what I enjoy so much about playing online poker is that you can do other stuff whilst playing or you can multi-table if you want a little more action.

Railbirding (watching poker pros at play – spectating) is a great way to learn poker strategy, to fast track your progress and to pick up some useful tips. Its all about knowing what to do in certain situations and then making the right decisions or the best decisions given those criteria. Watching what the pros do in certain situations, teaches and demonstrates what to do and what not to do. The pros have learnt over the years what to do.

Think about it… the human brain is an incredible thing being able to process all the information that is coming at it so fast. Was that a tell? What will he do next? I think he thinks, that I think that he has a pair…

But I also enjoy playing at online casinos and just getting a break from poker once in a while – you know sometimes it all just gets too much…this railbird needs a rest!… or just something different to concentrate on.

I find that if I take a break once in a while I then come back far more focused and enthusiastic about my poker game and I play much better poker.

By the way I discovered that if you are playing online bingo then a very safe way of depositing or withdrawing if you get lucky with the numbers…is to use bingo paypal. I don’t like to take chances with my credit card online and I only use it at safe reputable sites that have security, like airline tickets, Amazon.com etc.

So where was I…. oh yes online casino games are a good way of just doing something different and relaxing the old poker brain!

But I’m not really into Bingo, its way too slow for me. If I’m playing casino games online then I much prefer to play blackjack,slots and online roulette. To beat roulette or should I say to beat the house rather… you have to have an element of luck… actually a huge element of luck!!! But it does help to know your odds.

I enjoy playing roulette for light entertainment and whilst taking a break from poker. I don’t take my casino games nearly as seriously as I take my poker!

At about this time during the winter months it really starts to get to me. I don’t know why, it just does. Well actully I do know why, I have had enough of getting cold and wet, putting loads of clothes on, then taking loads of clothes off…. I need some sun and am sick of waking up in the dark and getting home in the dark… whine….whine….whinge….whinge…..complain…

I know but I just can’t help myself ok. Doesn’t it get to you? And don’t all those irritations I mentioned above also affect you?

My girlfriend says,”Oh but the days are getting longer now”. Well I don’t go for this optimistic stuff, and I don’t notice the days staying light for longer, ok…

Some people just don’t seem to mind winter, in fact some even like winter. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy it too, its just by around the end of January and especially by February I have had enough of winter.

People say you should enjoy the natural cycle of life through the seasons, or that winter makes you appreciate summer… whatever.

I have friends that live indoors all the time, playing poker as you can imagine, and they don’t even know the time of day let alone what season it is outside. They just don’t care and winter certainly doesn’t get to them. They’ll play poker online all day then go into a casino and play live poker until the morning – familair to you?

I have other friends that are “Green Friends”, not literary ok?, not from Planet Gob ok?…Anyway they say like you shouldn’t fly to a warmer place in winter man….it like ruins the planet man…global warming you know?

Well right now I am going anywhere that is warmer and where the sun shines – where does the sun shine right now? You can get travel deals that include staying at or near casinos. So I can play poker on holiday and partake in my favorite pastime and get a break from winter – Way to go!

The other night I needed some time out, so I just decided to kick back and relax by playing some casino games online.

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.

I just love watching the pressure that the All-in creates in No Limit Holdem.  It makes watching poker so entertaining!

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.

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!

Well its the end of 2008 and what can I say, what a year it has been!  It certainly seems to get more challenging out there, every year.  But thats what we like, in fact, what we thrive in – challenging times.

I just want to take this opportunity to wish all our fellow poker players out there, a very prosperous 2009.  Its going to be a good year, we live in interesting times.  Times for inventiveness, intuition and entrepreneurship.  So bring it on – lets get out there and take it on.

Let’s do it!

John

Video poker is one of the most popular games played in a casino, may it be land based or online.  People like to play it because it has a low house edge, and it is quite easy to play.  Of course, beginners lose more often and professionals lose rarely, because online poker is a skill based game.  So now you should ask the question: What are the strategies which will help me win? In this article I will talk about some general strategies of video poker and I will guide you to some more complex strategies which will help you win the jackpot.

First of all you should familiarize with the basic rules of poker. You should learn the terms used in the game, and should be aware of the hand ranking.  Of course, you should do all this if you are a beginner, if you already know the rules and terms, you might want to double-check; because in poker it is very important to know everything by heart, otherwise you have big chances to lose.  Next, you should choose which video poker game you want to play, because online (and land based) casinos offer a great variety of video poker. Here are only a few of the games offered: Deuces Wild, Joker Poker, Aces and Faces, Jacks or Better and the list can continue.

Before you decide on the game, you should check the payout table for each kind of video poker offered by the casino.  Of course, you should choose the one with the best payback percentage.  You might even want to check the same game in several online casinos, since there are slight differences from one casino to the other.  After you decided on the casino and the game, you can start playing.

Now I will write about some general strategies which work on all types of video poker games.  First we have to deal with the discards, because this is the most important aspect of the game.  Discarding a card at the wrong moment will make you lose, but discarding can help you win too. Before you want to discard a card, you should know the rules set for every particular table and the payouts.  Of course there are different writers with different strategies, but you should learn one strategy for the specific game you like to play and when you have a hand which is on the list, you should play according to the strategy.  The main idea is that you should think it through twice if you really want to discard a card or not, think about how it will affect your game.

Do not try to bluff when you play video poker!  Although it might work very well when you play with real people, it does not bring you any advantage when you play video poker.  Another thing which works when you play with real people is keeping a kicker.  Do not do that in video poker, because you just lower your chances of winning.  Another important thing is to have an adequate bankroll.  You should know that video poker comes with a lot of ups and downs, so you should be prepared!  The most important thing of all is that you should understand the pay tables for the most common video poker games, or at least for the game you are playing.  This will seriously improve your play. Play video poker only at full pay games to increase your winnings.  Learn the specific strategy chart for the game you want to play, and play according to it!  All in all, these are the basic strategies which work for all types of video poker.  Now let us see, how I can make it easier for people who want to play online video poker.

If you chose to play online video poker, you have a great advantage: you can consult several sources on the internet before you make a choice.  After you chose the casino and the game, you should prepare yourself.  It only takes a few minutes, but it is very rewarding. You can find strategy charts on the internet for almost every type of video poker.  Since you play online, you can keep the chart open in another window or tab so you can consult it any time. It would be ideal for you to learn the chart by heart, so you can play according to it in every situation.  Do not forget that every type of video poker has a strategy chart; always choose the chart for the game you are playing.

In case you want to be a professional player, you should learn the charts for the games you would like to play.  You might even want to purchase some books on video poker. In these books you can find several strategies for many kinds of video poker, you should master them.  You can develop gaming skills by playing online for free.  This will help you enormously if you are a beginner, but it is useful when you are learning a new strategy, and want to apply it.  This way you can also test strategies you have read about.

All in all video poker is easy to play; having an adequate strategy can help you increase your chances to win. So it is very important to find the strategy for the game you like to play.  If you feel prepared, then you should get started.  Enjoy your game and good luck for the jackpot!

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