Strategies to Play Poker on Bubble

In a play poker game, the bubble is the point in the tournament at which the next player out will not win any money, but the rest of the players will win money or cash. In other words, if the tournament pays out the top 27 players, when there are 28 people left, they are on the bubble. That unfortunate player knocked out in 28th is said to be knocked out “on the bubble,” or to be “the bubble” and have been “bubbled.”

Playing on the Bubble

The bubble period is where things can get quiet, weird, or wild. Players often change their style of playing online poker real money depending on their stack. It’s a do-or-die time when you have to decide whether you can survive to take the prize or you need to be actively playing to bust out the other players.

Bubble best online poker players can generally be broken into two categories. There are those whose goal is to simply survive the bubble and take home some cash. Then there are those who are playing to win, and who can use the bubble to accumulate more chips.

You are likely to see some players folding every hand, even good hands, playing as tight as can be. Meanwhile, other players start raising and going all-in on many hands. Your choice will depend on the size of your stack and how the other players are playing.

Your strategy will also depend on how many players are left at your table, which determines how many hands you can survive folding with the antes and as big blind and small blind. The bubble also presents a good opportunity to accumulate chips by playing loosely and aggressively, especially if you have a big stack.

Big Stack on the Bubble

You are in the best position if you’ve accumulated lots of chips before the bubble. Now you can play aggressively and take advantage of the tight survival play by the other players. You can steal the blinds with preflop raises. You are under less stress because it’s actually to your advantage to keep the bubble going and giving you these opportunities to add to your stack. That means you don’t have to call every raise as you can cut your losses on any one hand. You’ll need to observe the medium stacks carefully as they are the ones that can eat into your stack if you misread their play.

Medium Stack on the Bubble

It can be tempting to play passively when you have a medium stack on the bubble, but that will usually result in only a small prize and losing out on the opportunity to the bigger prizes. It’s a wiser choice to play tight but to keep playing, looking for opportunities to add to your stack.

Short Stack on the Bubble

If you have a stack of 8-10 big blinds on the bubble, you are short-stacked, but you aren’t quite into the danger zone where you need to either fold or push all-in. Your stack can still be intimidating enough who you open raise. But when you are down to 5-6 big blinds, you have little choice but to fold or go all-in, choosing your starters wisely and determining whether your opponents are playing loose or tight.

Happy playing!

 

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Different Types of Poker Online Tournaments to Play

A poker online tournament is a structured event in which players compete against each other to acquire all the chips in play. Unlike cash games, players cannot simply get up and walk away from a tournament. Play must continue until one player has all the chips.

Sit N Go Tournaments

The most frequently played elimination tournament poker online is the Sit N Go, which typically starts out with up to 18 players and begins immediately once all the seats are full. Typically, the top three finishers are paid. The reason these are so popular is that a good player can win consistently by playing Sit N Go’s.

Satellite Tournaments

Satellite tournaments of best online poker are the preliminary events for larger tournaments, often referred to as qualifiers. Usually, the top finisher will advance on to either another satellite event or will win the grand prize, which is typically a buy-in package for a very large live or online tournament. Sometimes a big event will have satellites starting at a few dollars. Winners of these events will graduate to the next level satellite that would otherwise cost more to enter. Players can work their way up to the highest-level satellite event to compete for the actual prize package that will often include the buy-in price to the large event and many times additional cash for travel expenses if the event is a live tournament.

Bounty Tournaments

Bounty tournaments are new to online poker real money and have become especially popular online. The twist on these tournaments is that every player has a “bounty” on their head. By knocking out a player, you receive the bounty. Technically, winning this tournament isn’t that important because you are consistently gaining cash by knocking out your opponents throughout the tournament. You don’t have to last until the final hand in order to come out ahead. In general, half of the buy-in to a bounty tournament will be the bounty on you, and the other half will go into the prize pool for tournament finishers.

Re-buy Tournaments

In re-buy tournaments, players are given a certain amount of time to re-buy chips once they have lost all their initial chips. These tournaments typically show more aggressive play early on due to the fact that players will not be eliminated for losing all of their chips; they can simply re-buy if their risks don’t pay off. If early risks do pay off for some players, then they are at a large advantage early on. This is different from typical other tournaments in which players start off playing very tight in order to wait for other players to go broke first. These tournaments typically have a higher prize pool in relation to entry cost than other standard tournaments.

Freeroll Tournaments

Freeroll tournaments cost nothing to the player to buy into, with no entry fee but do award real prizes. These are usually promotional tournaments, so many freerolls have stipulations attached. For instance, they may be for new players only or require a certain number of loyalty points to register. It is quite possible to build up a decent-sized bankroll by starting out at a freeroll, winning real cash, and then moving your way up the limits.

Happy playing!

 

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Understanding Re-buying Basics in Online Poker Games

Some big multi-table online poker tournaments allow you to re-buy chips. When your stack falls under the initial buy-in size, you have the opportunity of paying another entry fee to get another stack of chips. However, re-buy tournaments frequently become nothing more than a simple challenge to see who owns the biggest bank account, since some folks have chronic re-buy frenzy.

The ability to re-buy may cause loose playing style, which means that the bad beats begin to increase. Any player with an adequately deep pocket will, in the end, knock out all single-entry player in a re-buy tournament.

In some re-buy poker online games, you may try to do a re-buy any time your stack size falls below the earlier amount the site allotted to you (although a few tournaments allow you to re-buy at any moment during the game). The stack size you get after a re-buy is usually equal to the stack you had at the start.

Steps to rebuy

You can typically request best online poker re-buys by clicking re-buying button on the chip tray. If you bust out, the site automatically shows a dialogue to ask if you wish to re-buy before summarily kick you out from the tournament.

The re-buy debate is mostly a matter of choice. When it is the time to make the actual decision, analyze the situation at your table. If you are sitting at a table with a typically sub-standard playing level, and the average chip stack size isn’t out of sight, you usually get good value for the money if you choose to re-buy, since you have a legitimate opportunity at snagging some of your old chips back and re-grow your stack.

If, however, the play seems hard or some online poker real money re-buys still leaves you seriously under-stacked (frequently due to plenty of chaotic and wild playing style followed by a lot of re-buys at the table), you need to quit and try again tomorrow.

There are two main thoughts on re-buy:

* Only re-buy when your current stack is about thirty per cent of the largest on the table. The underlying idea is that if you do get a nice hand, you should have strong firepower by collecting enough chips. This strategy has merit, especially in no-limit games, since when you have a great hand, you want to get as much return as possible. No-limit permits you to bet big, increasing your potential profits.

* Wait until you lose the whole stack before you re-buy. There are moments where you are in a hot streak and does not have to re-buy. For others, great power can be summoned by being all-in. After you place the rest of your cash in the pot, you can no longer be bluffed out and you will be able to see the remaining cards freely. Or if other players fight with each other and you may patiently wait until the end, all the better – a hand that could beat you promptly may get bet out by another player.

It is good news for the tournament owner; bad news for all single-entry players trying to slog through the tournament, because the tournament had twice as many add-ons and re-buys combined than plain entries. It essentially makes the playing field nearly three times as big as it appears and gives each player a couple of chances to kick any given opponent out.

Happy playing!

 

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Getting the Best Position in Online Poker Game

One of the most subtle but influential assets you can have in online poker games is your position of play. Many people that play poker have little to no concept of the importance of this position, or what position of play even refers to.

Most players are so focused on their card-playing strategy that they overlook other important aspects of the game. But if you are serious about improving your online poker playing this one simple trick can make a huge difference.

An important part of being good at real money poker is understanding the many different things that contribute to the game and how it is played. So many players let themselves get sidetracked by card strategy alone, that even a good hand can be ruined by narrow-minded playing. Once you are aware of the contributing factors you can better protect your hand and even manipulate them in your favour.

What Is the Best Position?

One of those underrated factors is playing position. This is where you sit at the table and the

order that it designates you to play in. Whenever possible having the dealer position is optimal. Otherwise, you want to be as far from the dealer as you can get. On one hand, this means your cards are dealt last which has very little impact. On the other hand, it means you make your moves last.

Worst Position

Alternately the worst position you can have is the first position or the small blind position to the immediate left of the dealer. As the name implies the first position means you have to make all of your moves first. You will set the tone of the hand and have less time to consider your cards.

What a Good Position Can Do for You

The last position is the best poker online position for a number of reasons. Playing last allows you to gauge the choices made by other players. Did they bet or check and how quickly did they do each?

These observations can be used to determine the right move for you. The farther your position from the dealer the more time you have to consider your hand, calculate pot odds and analyze your fellow players and their moves.

Obviously, the first player has no position advantage, while the last player has the largest advantage. All of these are advantages that give you a huge edge against players in early position.

Happy playing!

 

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Spot a Poker Online Bluffer

Bluffing is a part of every poker online game. It is a plain and simple art of pretence that can help increase your odds at winning. Successful bluffers walk away victorious at the end of each poker game.

It takes an enormous amount of talent to bluff your way to the winner’s pot. But it often takes keen observation to reckon when an online poker real money gamer is bluffing. More often than not, buffers aren’t able to take full control of their actions and movements. That is why it’s easy to pursue bluffers through some psychological hints that tell when a gamer plays tricks.

Understanding “Tells”

Most players have certain habits that make they’re bluffing overly obvious. These gestures are more commonly known as “tells”. The latter qualify as giveaways especially when a gambler is a novice poker player. For professional online poker real money players, understanding these “tells” may be a tad difficult to do.

Amongst the most common of tells is when the player acts that he has a strong hand when he is actually holding a losing card combination. As you play poker game, you can learn more “tells” that can help increase your chance of winning.

Behaviours to Watch Out For

There are many behaviours that indicate when your opponent is bluffing.

Melodramatic Raises

It is always a great idea to trace the methods of betting in an online game. It is easier to track players whom you have played with for a long time. But for new opponents, you have to make a correlation between how a player wagers and what type of card he unfolds. More often than not, a bluffer overdoes his actions when he holds a losing hand. However, he might also exaggerate when he’s secure of his cards.

Unexpected Friendliness

You can tell when a player is bluffing if he suddenly becomes friendly in an online game. If the gamer is peculiarly sociable, then that could mean he is bluffing. Be careful in such cases since you do not really know what card he holds.

What Players Do When They Have Good Hand

Some best online poker players would try to convince you that they have a weak hand when they are actually holding a good hand. Here are some time-tested signs that could help you tell they’re bluffing:

Overly Obvious Hints

There are online poker players who exhibit palpable signs of their bluff. This includes gamers who “appear” to be very relaxed and calm despite the intensity of the online game. Another positive sign of a player who is holding a good hand is when he suddenly gets short or irritable with his rivals.

If a player begins to talk in a conversational or easygoing style, this could mean he is bluffing. One of the most apparent hints is when the player starts to act in an indifferent manner.

It is best to come prepared with the list of tells and apply this in your poker games. Start folding once you spot an opponent who displays such signs. In an online game, you are at the most advantage when you keenly observe other gamers as they play.

Happy playing!

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Reasons to Take Notes While Playing Online Poker

When you play online poker, most of the poker rooms allow players to take notes while they on their opponents. Typically, you will be able to click a drop-down menu where each of the player’s names will be. You will then need to click on the name of the player, and from there you will be able to write anything you want about that opponent. There are several reasons why it’s important to take notes when you play poker and we’re going to look at them quickly.

When you play a long session of poker online you can often forget what happened an hour or two ago. This means that you could potentially make the same mistake twice if you forget how you made the first mistake. In order to avoid making mistakes twice against the same opponent, you need to make sure you jot down notes every time you make a mistake that costs you money.

Helps in getting valuable information

Your notes in most online poker real money rooms will be kept forever. This means that if you sit down at a table a month later. The same opponent is sitting with you at the table, you can view your old notes on the players. This will give you valuable information about the opponent from your own previous playing experience against them. This will ensure you know exactly how to play against that player and you shouldn’t make any mistakes against them.

Targeting the fish of the

Some of the software programs that the best online poker rooms use have some unique options such as being able to label the players you write notes about. There are also software programs that you can use on your own computer which will help you target the fish poker players in certain poker rooms so that you can always find a loose game.

The main reason to write notes about your opponents is so that you have the information you need when it comes to making a big call. It’s important to know how your opponent bets certain situations so you have an idea of what to do when they make a move against you. Taking notes could be the difference between making money and not making money as an online poker player.

Happy playing!

 

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Tips for Making More Money from Online Poker

Poker gaming is enormously popular in most part of the globe. Those who want to make money in a shorter period opt for online poker platforms.

Poker games have given online players an opportunity to enjoy and earn money simultaneously. However, winning at online poker takes more than normal skills. Here are ten tips to play winning poker online.

Watch your pocket

Online players should always go for money management and avoid putting everything they have at risk. You should divide your bank into different sessions and as soon as you lose one, call the day off.

Sensible betting

Online poker games online are very interesting. However, if you do not bet sensibly, it will cost you enormous cash. A good trick for sensible betting is that you should be extra cautious and always avoid pumping a lot of money in long shots.

Play with strategies

Playing strategically will help you in reducing the house edge. With specific strategies, you will be able to play consistently. So, it is always advisable to plan and employ them for getting maximum outcome from the game.

Quit while on top

Whenever you are winning, quit and try not to play in that session. All the thoughts that you have that include ‘I am having lady luck’ or ‘today is my day’ is utter nonsense. All odds are directed in favour of the platform and your winning streak can end anytime.

Specialize in particular categories

Suppose you are having little stakes, and then you should go for a mixture of games. However, you need to specialize in a particular format if your stakes are higher. The extra knowledge about a game will help you in identifying the best that will provide you with more opportunity to win.

Research your speciality

Suppose you like an online poker real money category better than most, then you should spend some time studying the nuances of the game. You can consult books, online articles, related online pages and always try to learn from your mistakes. Try to turn into a master in your game and avoid being a jack of all trades.

Consider value

Most of the best online poker players have a wrong idea that potential prize offers better value in a game. It cannot do so. However, you have to look at the potential prize as well as your chances of winning it.

Be in command of your play

Online poker platforms are open 24/7, and this unlimited access encourages you to play for longer sessions. This, in turn, can make you tired as well as exhausted and you might end up in taking wrong decisions. So, you should always avoid a longer play session.

Go for free money

Online poker sites are offering bonus cash for opening new accounts with them. So, you should not miss this opportunity.

Use Simulations

There are numerous simulations available for your PC that can be played without any risk of losing cash. Apart from having fun, they also allow you to learn some sound strategies for your real-time venture.

These 10 tips for winning online poker cannot guarantee your money. However, it will help in avoiding mistakes that most of us commit and lose cash in these games. So, follow them, have fun and enjoy your online poker.

Happy playing!

 

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5 Great Reasons to Get Online Poker Rakeback

Rakeback has been available for several years and offers poker players a return on the fees paid to online poker portals. Players benefit from this by getting regular cashback into their accounts, and the rooms benefit through increased player loyalty and often higher volumes of play. If you are not already receiving one of the best Rakeback deals then this article will show you 5 great reasons why you should switch today!

Those Small Cash Game Rakes Add Up

Even though the fees taken from the cash games you play may seem negligible, they can add up to large amounts surprisingly quickly. For example, someone playing just two tables of no-limit Hold’em for 2 hours per day with a reasonable Rakeback deal.

Tournament Fees Reduced By 1/3rd

SNG and Tournament Players can work out how much cash they are leaving on the table very quickly. Those grinding 8+ tables are committing an online poker real money offence by playing without Rakeback – even at the lowest levels!

Site Bonuses and Promotions Are Still Available

Rakeback does not preclude you from the regular bonuses offered by most poker online sites, in fact, while you are clearing sign-up bonuses you can often boost your return to more than 60%!!

Rake Races Add ₹₹₹ To Your Profits

The best Rakeback deals come with access to rake-races – these are contests specific to each Rakeback provider and involve a leaderboard of rake generated over a fixed time period ranging from 1 to 10 days. Players who generate the most rake are then further rewarded via cash prizes. The payouts for rake races can be very large, with the best Rakeback providers offering ₹20+ each month at each of their sponsored sites.

Special Freerolls With Small Fields

Freerolls with prize pools depending on the portals ₹5k are regularly offered by Rakeback providers at the leading sites. The real benefit of these is that many of those who qualify to enter will not do so. For example, the higher stakes cash game players may rightly believe they have a higher profit expectation in their normal games. This leaves some big prizes available to those players who do choose to play.

In conclusion, there is really no reason for any best online poker fan to be playing online without a poker Rakeback deal – make sure you get the best available deal for your favourite site today!

Happy playing!

 

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What’s Final Table Strategy for Online Poker Tournaments

If you have reached the final table of an online poker tournament; you have clearly been doing something right. However, the correct strategy for final table play is much different than the correct strategy for play at previous points during the tournament.

The most important factor in deciding your final online poker table strategy is your stack size. At this point, you may be entering the final table with a short stack, with an average stack, or even as the chip leader. This page will provide strategies for each chip stack and will teach you how to advance in the pay scale and have a shot at winning the entire tournament.

Also, now that you are at the final online poker real money tournament table, you are likely to run into some skilled players. The strategy on this page will help you deal with skilled players at the final table:

Evaluating Your Opponents

Since there were only ten poker online India players left prior to the final table, you should have a pretty good read on at least four of the other players. Your first goal at the final table should be to develop an opinion on each player’s style of play. Use the note-taking feature to record your thoughts so you can come back to them later.

Make sure to note if players like to limp/fold, steal in late position, defend their blinds, or get all-in preflop. This information will come in handy later in the tournament when you need to make an important decision.

Playing the Short Stack at the Final Table

We consider any stock that has around ten big blinds to be a short stack. The blinds/antes at the final table will be very significant and will place enormous pressure on your stack. Because of this, short stacks have to take a very aggressive “all-in or fold” approach just to survive.

As a short stack, you should be opening pots with an all-in raise any time you have a pocket pair or two face cards. If someone has raised the pot in front of you, you should only call your whole stack off if you have a big pair or two big face cards. The reason why you can raise all-in with worse hands is that you may win the pot uncontested, but if you call all-in you have to go to a showdown no matter what.

Also, any time you are in late position and the other players fold to you, you should push all-in. There is a good chance you can pick up the blinds/antes with this steal play, which will pad your stack and let you survive a little longer. If possible, you should steal against average stacks because they are most likely to fold.

Short stacks are so desperate they may call your steal attempt with a marginal hand, and big stacks have enough chips to call with a weak hand and take a shot at knocking you out. Average stacks, on the other hand, are trying to advance in the pay scale, and are most likely to fold to a steal attempt.

Playing the Average Stack at the Final Table

Average stacks have more freedom to operate than short stacks, because they aren’t quite in “all-in or fold” mode. We consider any stack between 15 and 40 big blinds to be an average stack. Even though these players aren’t short-stacked, they still have to be aggressive to combat the ever-increasing blinds and antes.

At this point, you can use some of the plays discussed above (stealing) along with a few other strategies (squeezing, calling bluffs, and re-stealing) to build your stack and advance in the tournament.

To make a squeeze play, wait until you are in late position and an early position player has made a raise. If a few other players smooth call the raise, go ahead and put in a large re-raise with any decent hand. Since the early position player made an average raise, and the other players simply smooth called, it is likely that everyone has a marginal hand such as KQ suited or pocket fours. Your re-raise should take the pot (which will be pretty big because of the blinds, antes, and the raise/smooth calls).

Playing the Big Stack at the Final Table

Big stacks should follow the advice listed above but should take everything to a higher level. Big stacks should play very aggressively to knock other players out and win more and more chips. If you can amass an enormous chip lead by the time you reach four- or five-handed, you will be a huge favourite to win the tournament.

Note that this aggressive strategy is best for players who want to win the tournament, and are ok with a lower finish if things don’t go their way. If you absolutely need to guarantee a top-three finish, go ahead and play more conservatively while the short stacks knock each other out. You will have less of a chance of winning the whole thing, but you should be able to safely reach the top three prize bracket.

Happy playing!

 

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3 Tips to Beat Satellite Poker Online Tournaments

In poker online satellite tournaments players are attempting to win seats in events with much bigger buy-ins for a fraction of the cost. The number of seats that are awarded from a particular satellite tournament depends on the buy-in of the satellite tournament and the number of entrants, as well as the buy-in of the event players, are trying to win a seat to.

Satellite tournaments are perfect for players who want to play poker in a big buy-in tournament but don’t currently have the bankroll to buy-in direct. Satellite tournaments offer these players a chance at winning the big prizes for a much small price.

The payout structure for best online poker satellite tournaments is much different to that of regular tournaments because there is no difference in price between the first-place finisher and the player who just avoided the bubble. For this reason, there are a few changes you should make to your normal tournament strategy when playing in a satellite tourney.

See Plenty of Flops Early

There are two reasons to see a lot of flops early in online poker real money satellite tournaments. The first reason is that in general more fish play satellite tournaments and if you can catch a strong hand early you will likely be able to get some action and you can build your stack. The second reason is that satellite tournaments award prizes to a smaller percentage of the field and for this reason, it is smart to try to build your stack early to give yourself a chance to run deep and win one of those coveted seats. That being said, don’t throw away your chips. If you can see a cheap flop with a mediocre hand do so, but if you have the best hand you should still be raising.

Ride Your Big Stack into the Money

If you were able to build a big stack early you should be able to win a seat just by waiting out a few more busts and avoiding confrontation with the other big stacks. Since there is no extra prize for finishing with the most chips, there is no reason to risk your stack at this point. For example, if you are in 3rd out of 29 players and the top 20 finishers win the poker online tournament, then you should just wait out the remaining 9 busts. Of course, you can still play against small stacks when you have a strong hand to help knock players out and speed up the process, but in general, you should play very tight and not risk your chips.

Attack the Medium and Large Stacks when Short Stacked

If you find yourself late in the tournament with a short stack you will need to get aggressive and hopefully steal a lot of blinds. The best players to attack are those that are in a comfortable position but would be in danger if you doubled up through them. These players will likely just allow you to take their blinds because they feel they can fold their way to the cash. That being said, you should stay away from players who have such a large stack that you wouldn’t do any damage to them.

Satellite tournaments can be very profitable if you are able to win a seat in the big event and then go on to earn big cash. The most important thing to remember when playing in a satellite tournament is that all prizes are of equal value, so you should adjust your play to account for this.

Happy playing!

 

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