Archive for the 'Poker' Category

Poker: Johnny Chan vs Erik Seidel, 1988 Main Event

Posted by Trix @ 12:00 AM, Tuesday Oct 13th, 2009

This is an interesting poker hand from a poker strategy perspective. The poker hand begins with Chan being dealt (Jc,9c) and Seidel (Qc,7h).

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Chan makes up the blinds and Seidel checks, with the flop falling (Qs,8d,10h). Seidel then makes a bet of 50k and Chan does some theatrical thinking before smooth calling and setting a trap. The (2s) falls on the turn meaning that Seidel is drawing dead, and after Seidel checks, Chan again lures him into a false sense of security by taking the time to think, and finally checking behind.

The river is the (6d), and surely feeling his top pair is in front, Seidel pushes the rest of his chips into the pot. Chan immediately calls to win his second WSOP main event in a row. This poker hand demonstrates perfectly how you can respond to an aggressive poker player when you hit a flop very well.

Chan had to feel that Seidel had some part of the flop due to the 50k raise, but he resists the urge to reraise, feeling that by convincing Seidel his poker hand is weak, he can extract the most from his poker hand. The turn card brings a second spade to the table, but again Chan resists the temptation to raise and protect his hand. He is an astute enough poker player to know he has little to fear from a Flush. An aggressive poker player would certainly see picking up a Flush draw as good reason to follow up his bet on the flop, with another bet on the turn.

Seidel checks however, and Chan does too, knowing that his position of second to act means that Seidel is forced to make the first move on the river. This poker play works out perfectly when Seidel bets it all on the river, and is understandably surprised to see Chan instantly call and turn over the nuts.

Best Poker Games

Posted by Trix @ 12:00 AM, Monday Oct 5th, 2009

Every player has their favourite poker games, and if they play regularly online, they will often have their favourite tables too. The main reason players usually develop a best poker game is because they are successful at it, and that applies to tables and stake levels too.

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Players often need to be playing the right game type to perform at their best and truly feel comfortable, and it would be fair to say that in particular, stake levels are important. It can be a little daunting when you move up to higher levels of cash games, and these are probably not the best poker games for you if you cannot afford to go on a bad run.

The best poker games are those that you play regularly and are comfortable in, and for the general poker population that is often Texas Holdem. This game has become hugely popular over recent years and many people will tell you that this is the best poker game. Some players prefer Omaha though, as it’s four hole card format brings a great deal more draws and excitement into proceedings.

How you judge the best poker games in terms of the forms of poker game that are available to us is entirely up to the individual you happen to be asking, but you would have to say that some games are more widely played than others. it is likely that as players become better and better at Holdem that many players will switch to Omaha as a new game where they know player will make plenty of mistakes, and there are certainly signs that Omaha is increasing in popularity.

Best Poker Games

Posted by Trix @ 12:00 AM, Monday Sep 28th, 2009

It is always difficult to say that one poker game is definitively better than another, as such judgements are always a matter of opinion. Most players will probably say the best poker game is that which they play the more often and are the most skilled at. So you might say that those who predominantly play mixed games would have the most balanced opinion on this matter.

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You can however say with a degree of certainty, that some games are better for keeping the pots to a friendly level, and others allow big pots to build quickly. Equally, you could say that some poker games are more complex than others. Due to this fact, you could probably argue that some games are better than others in terms of learning the basic rules of poker. Games such as Five Card Draw for instance, are simplistic, but still enjoyable, whilst allowing basic elements of more complex poker games to be learned.

When judging the best poker game, you could perhaps simply look at the most popular, which would mean that Texas Holdem deserved the accolade. Many poker players would argue that games such as Omaha that have an exciting twist in the fact that there are four hole cards instead of two, would make them better poker games.

If you decide to set up a home game or tournament, then the best poker game to choose would probably be that which most players know how to play. Different poker games provide interesting differences in plays, but most are enjoyable to play. It is difficult to say that one poker game is the best out there, partly because most people will not have played every poker variant invented, but each are worth taking the time to learn how to play.

Online Poker Deposit Bonuses

Posted by Trix @ 12:00 AM, Thursday Sep 17th, 2009

As online poker becomes more and more popular and begins to be looked upon as more of a sport, amazingly generous online poker deposit bonuses are getting bigger and better, with the most famous names in online poker hopping onto the bandwagon.

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Carbon Poker are currently inviting new players to sign up to their suave poker website in order to receive fantastic bonuses and benefits. When you log onto Carbon Poker this month and create a brand new account, you are instantly eligible to receive a 200% online poker deposit bonus. Simply make your very first deposit with the site and you will receive your deposit tripled on any amounts up to a humungous $550! This means by depositing a standard poker deposit of $50, you will receive an extra $100 on top of your initial deposit.

Poker Stars is a highly respected poker site and is home to some well known poker champions and to help you get started on your quest to be a poker king, they are offering a generous 100% online poker deposit bonus on amounts up to a staggering $600. This means if you were to take full advantage of this promotion and make an initial deposit of $600, you would have a juicy poker balance of $1200.

An unusual but very popular new deposit bonus is available at Ultimate Bet. A poker site known for its free rolls and generosity, Ultimate Bet are offering all first deposits an online poker deposit bonus of 111% – that’s more than double your first deposit up to a staggering $1100. Log onto these popular poker sites today to get the most out of your lucky poker cash.

History of Online Poker

Posted by Trix @ 12:00 AM, Sunday Sep 13th, 2009

The history of online poker is relatively brief compared to the history of the game itself, but already, online poker has changed the face of the game.

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Poker was not all that well known 12 years ago, when the first small rooms began to offer a basic playing site online. In the present day, poker is a huge industry online, with thousands upon thousands of players logging into poker rooms every day. Not long after the first room opened online, PartyPoker opened it’s doors to players. They quickly became the leading competitor, and set about outstripping their rivals in much of what was offered. To this day, PartyPoker remains a great poker room, but it has to be said that bigger names have overtaken them in terms of renown.

The past decade has seen online poker rooms opening up one after another, to the point where it could now be argued that the industry has become somewhat flooded with online operators. Even so, the demand for poker still appears to be expanding, along with the games popularity, and so a mass of online poker room closures is very unlikely.

Instead, many poker rooms are thriving, and offering their own answer to the WSOP in the ‘WCOOP’ series, and have continually offered bigger and better tournaments over the past few years. The history of online poker will be an interesting one as it has brought the game to the masses, in such a way to alter the face of the game forever. Let us hope that despite the success of the online game, it never completely eclipses the need for the live game.

Free Poker Sites

Posted by Trix @ 12:00 AM, Thursday Sep 10th, 2009

Generally speaking, poker sites that concentrate solely on free play are hard to come by. The key reason for this being that people enjoy the thrill of playing for money, and the game carries more excitement with it that way. More importantly, people play their poker hands to the best of their abilities and with the utmost thought when there is money concerned, and this is not usually so when it comes to free games.

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Regardless of this, there are still sites dedicated to offering free poker games to players, often for points instead of cash. There are not only poker sites that revolve around cash changing hands to be found online, there also numerous informitive sites and poker schooling sites for those that have a passing interest in the game.

Even those poker sites that are purely for playing the game itself have free play on virtually every one of them, meaning that the game can be enjoyed without financial risk. Players can even play in ‘freeroll’ tournaments on such poker sites, where they pay no money to enter a game, but still have a chance of winning a small cash prize. Free poker sites may not be abundant online, but free poker in general, can be found quite easily. The possibility is there to earn a small amount of cash with a starting investment of nothing at all if you have the poker skill and dedication.

What Is Video Poker?

Posted by Trix @ 12:00 AM, Tuesday Sep 1st, 2009

In the modern era, where you find gambling sites of all natures, you will find computerised versions of favoured gambling pastimes. You can find many enjoyable games in compterised format, including Blackjack, many poker variants, and even horse races.

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Generally, these ‘video’ versions of gambling favourites, are played against the computer with no human counterpart needed. In order to make a profit the gaming site has to make the game such that the odds are slanted in their favour a little, so it is probably not wise to play these games with a mind to making money over the long run. Even if your skill as a poker player is considerable, you will still find video poker gets the best of you in the long run.

The fact is, that video poker is luck, and whilst you can play these games for fun, it is often best to quit if you manage to get ahead financially. Video poker has not had the same explosion in popularity that regular poker has, and the reasons for this are obvious. Real poker offers the chance to pit your wits against real people across the table, and you can give yourself an advantage by playing superior poker to the player next to you.
Most poker players realise that video poker is essentially a less enjoyable form of the real thing, and with odds slightly against you before you even start. Despite all this, it can be enjoyable to play a few hands of video poker for fun, and there are some interesting different formats of this type of game available.

Learn to Play Poker: How to Play Texas Hold’em

Posted by Trix @ 12:00 AM, Monday Aug 24th, 2009

Learning to play poker has become easier with the introduction of online poker rooms and the wealth of information regarding the game that has followed it’s popularity increase. Texas Holdem has become the most played and enjoyed card game in the world over the past ten years, and the rules of playing are made much more simple if you already understand the hand rankings.

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These hand rankings determine which hand beats which, and the list of these hands can be found online at any site that specialises in poker schooling. There are several variations of the game of poker, but with Texas holdem, each player begins by placing blinds which are forced bets to the left of the dealer button, which moves one place around the table each hand. Then each player is dealt two cards face down and the rest of the table then decides whether to fold their hand, match the blinds, or raise.

Once the raising is complete (if there is any), the ‘flop’ cards are dealt. Three cards are dealt face up in the middle of the table. By looking at these cards you should start to make the best five card hand you can with your two, and the three on the table. After a betting round on the flop, a fourth card is turned up on the table. this is the ‘turn’. One more poker betting round follows, before a final fifth card is dealt face up. This card is the ‘river card’. After a final round of betting, players turn over their hands with the best possible five card poker hand from the seven cards available, taking the pot.

Online Gambling: Online Poker History

Posted by Trix @ 12:00 AM, Sunday Aug 9th, 2009

Online poker is a relatively new development within the game, and it has altered the way poker is played, as well as bringing it into the homes of thousands of players that might otherwise be too scared to go into a casino.

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Stepping through the doors of a casino with little or no poker experience would be very daunting, but with the arrival of online poker, anyone could learn the game.For the moment when online poker truly arrived, we have to look back 10-11 years ago. It is astonishing to think of the comparison between the multitude of online poker rooms and thousands upon thousands of players now, and the fact that online poker simply didn’t exist 12 years ago.

Technically, the first online poker room to open it’s doors to players in the current format was ‘Planet Poker’ although as you might expect, the graphics were poor, and there weren’t exactly players fighting to get in through the door. PartyPoker.com were the first of the big name poker rooms to open, and subsequently build a strong following of poker players in 1999.

Over the next seven years, pokers popularity grew massively, partly thanks to the inceased interest in television companies to air tournaments, mostly in the U.S. In 2006 however, things changed, with the departing U.S government at the time, forcing through a final piece of legislation effectively banning it’s players from online play. The republican governement had been trying to do this for quite some time, and finally managed it. Despite all this, most online poker rooms are still holding their own, and many predict that they will continue to do so until the current governnent has the time to review it’s current legislation on the subject.

Online Poker Deposit Bonuses

Posted by Trix @ 12:00 AM, Wednesday Aug 5th, 2009

Deposit bonuses have become an important part of online poker rooms, as the percentage paid for first time deposits is often the first thing you see on arriving at a poker rooms home page.

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Of course there are lots of finer details involved in these bonuses, but players will inevitably be instantly lured by a big percentage bonus. These incentives are offered by online poker rooms for two reasons really. Firstly, there will always be a contingent of players who enjoy the game but are not overly interested in playing for cash. Provided they are not resolute in a desire to not play for real money, they can be persuaded to make that first cash deposit by the allure of free bonus cash.

This online poker deposit bonus taps into the potential of new players developing their game onsite, and offers them a chance to get started at cash play with a generous boost to their first real funds. The other clear reason that springs to mind is purely competition between poker rooms online. With the rising popularity of poker over the past decade, lots of online poker rooms have appeared, each hoping to fill the space in that particular market. It only takes one poker room to offer a percentage cash bonus to new players depositing for the first time, and suddenly the rest must follow suit so that they are not left behind.

Whatever the reasons, the players are obviously happy to receive these welcome bonuses. Most poker rooms offer around 100% on top of the amount of the first deposit. You will usually need to play for real cash in order to activate this bonus.