Introduction To Online Poker
August 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Tournament poker has experienced a dramatic surge of popularity as millions of people it on television. At the same time, online poker rooms have attracted waves of new fans who want to taste the action of the game. If you have never played online poker, you’ll discover that the experience goes beyond that which you’ll enjoy in casinos. There are a number of distinct advantages. In this article, we’ll explore those advantages along with other factors you’ll need to consider. You’ll learn where to play as well as how to get started quickly without betting.
Advantages Of Online Poker
The greatest advantage for beginners is that online poker rooms such as PokerStars allow you to play for free. One of the concerns of new players is having to compete against those with more experience while risking their money. When you participate online, you can use Play Money. If you run out, you’ll receive more. That way, you can learn the game and develop your strategy at your own pace.
- Online Poker Offers No Risk Free Play Options – great for starting out and learning how to play texas holdem – you can’t do this in a casino
- Tons of tables, games and types of poker to play offered online
- Online Poker is mostly anonymous
- Bonuses and even more – read below
Another advantage is the larger selection of tables available. To put this into perspective, imagine walking into the Bellagio in Las Vegas. They’ll have 10 to 20 poker tables. By contrast, communities like PokerStars have over 100,000 members playing online at one time. You’ll be able to find a table easily. Also, playing online poker means you don’t have to travel to a casino. If you’d like to play for 15 minutes, you can logon to your PokerStars account, play, and then leave whenever you need to.
Here’s another benefit that most people don’t realize (and it’s a big one). When you play online poker, you’ll have access to hand histories. This can be an integral part of your training. As you review hands from past games, you’ll have a unique view that will help you develop your strategy over time. You can also use stat tracking devices to see leaks in your game, but we will talk more about those in later articles.
Online Poker Factors To Consider
First, you won’t be able to see the other players. If your strategy relies upon watching for tells, that’s something to consider. Also, what happens if you lose your connection? A lot of the larger online poker sites like PokerStars use multiple servers and can instantly detect if your connection drops. When that happens, they’ll allow you extra time (about 30 seconds) to reconnect.
Where To Play Online Poker
You’ll quickly discover that some poker websites are much better than others, especially for new players. We use (and recommend to friends) PokerStars. They have a massive community of members at every skill level and offer rooms with limits that range from $0.02/$0.04 to $1,000/$2,000. They provide strategy tips that are specifically designed for beginning players to help them get started quickly.
One of the most alluring reasons to play at PokerStars is because they offer the most popular games in their free poker room. You’ll be able to play Stud Poker, Texas Hold’em, and Omaha Poker without risking any money (besides your Play Money, of course). What’s more, they offer a number of freeroll tournaments that are opened to all members. You can join the freerolls without putting up any of your own money and still win cash prizes.
Easiest Way To Get Started
We’ve found that most new players are hesitant to start playing online texas holdem poker because they don’t know what to expect. New players often have an image in their minds that the poker tables are loaded with experienced players who will eat them alive.
This idea could not be farther from the truth.
Playing online poker, you can join tables with other beginners for low stakes or completely for free. The online poker ’sharks’ are not swimming around on the nickle dime no limit texas holdem games, trust me they are looking for much bigger stakes and fish to fry. Plus these low stakes games are the absolute best way to start out playing online poker.
Plus, you can start out in the free online poker tables (all the rooms offer free play). That way, you’re able to learn the game and develop your strategy without risking anything. Of course, when the time comes to put your strategy into action, you can switch to Real Money poker rooms to try your luck. The bottom line is that it’s your choice.
You can get started today by visiting PokerStars and opening your free account. Download their software, register your account, and jump onto a table in the free poker rooms. It’s the fastest, easiest way to experience online poker.
When To Bluff in Texas Holdem
August 11, 2009 | Leave a Comment
When bluffing is right in Texas Hold’em
A good bluff is the move ever poker player wants to make. After all, if you ask people what comes to mind when they hear the word poker, most people will say bluffing. Unfortunately this sets the wrong tone for most poker players. See, bluffing is something that should be done with tact and cunning, not simply because it has been popularized in culture and because it seems like the thing to do. Rather bluffing is a well timed move during a moment of opportunity that helps one maximize his or her profit. In this article we will actually focus on what some of these texas holdem bluffing opportunities are. We will discuss three situations that you should look for that indicate a good time to bluff and also what cues will indicate a weak player or a weak situation.
Three Opportunities to Bluff Playing Texas Holdem
- 1. When the flop is awful: When a poor flop falls you might find yourself in an excellent position to bluff, especially if you are in middle or late position. When nothing great comes on the flop, there are a few things going on. For starters, unless players were pre flop raising with big pocket pairs, the likelihood of someone having anything real great is pretty low. What a bluff does in this situation is simply discourages passive players to continue or it convinces other players that despite the awful flop, you hit a piece of it with your bad starting hand and now you have something. Either way, a bluff on a bad flop is usually a pretty good move.
- 2. When it’s a check fest: Many times in hold’em, especially in the low limit games, players get in the horrible habit of simply checking around and around the table. Well, this is a great opportunity for a bluff. Basically what happens is a mob mentality ensues and everyone silently agrees that their hands are awful and its best to just see the next card for free. Well, this is where you need to step in and put an end to the festivities. Next time you’re playing some cards on FullTiltPoker.com and this situation comes up, make a bet and let the table know that you won’t tolerate check fests and that you have a hand anyways despite everyone else’s grim outlook. All that even if you don’t have a hand because it’s an excellent time to bluff!
- 3. Against tight players or few players: We have long preached that the key to bluffing is noticing the situational advantages that make it a good move. Tight players are definitely one of them. Tight and aggressive players are dangerous, but just straight up tight players can be walked all over. A well timed bet against a cautious, tight player can often yield excellent results. This bluff can work regardless of where you are in relation to the tight player. A well timed bet or raise in front of the tight players often times is more effective than a raise after the tight player has already bet. The reason for this is that if a tight player bets, they might have a fairly decent hand.
In addition to the points made above, the main things to focus on in terms of bluffing are players acting weak and lots of checking. Players check really for one reason, because their hand is bad and they want a free card. Less frequently players will check in order to deceive. This however is an altogether different situation and is for another time. For now, focus on bluffing in one of the three situations listed above and you will find yourself extracting more money while at the same time protecting yourself from foolishly throwing away chips because someone told you to bluff.
We recommend practicing your bluffs at Sportsbook Poker. Why? They are USA friendly, offer easy credit card deposits, and a large player base of rookie texas holdem players that you can start out playing against. Use a Sportsbook Promo Code “KICKASS” to lock in the best bonus.
Texas Holdem 101
Best Site For New Players
