texas holdem poker

Simple Tactics for New Poker Online Players

Of course, you want to win at poker; that’s why you’re playing, after all. Even people who are fond of saying they poker online for fun want to win. Fun is more intense when you win. If you keep on losing, how can you have fun, right?

Unfortunately for poker beginners, skill has more weight than luck in play poker. While some people would willingly attest that beginner’s, luck is true and that you can win a lot of money when you’re just beginning in poker, the fact remains that you cannot survive long in poker if you mainly rely on luck to win you the pot.

Since you understandably have little online poker real money playing experience and cannot rely on it to tell you how to play the game profitably, then just make do with the following poker playing strategies for now. Later on, as you become more proficient in the game, you can deviate from these strategies and invent your own unique playing style.

Keep Your Focus

Do not play for the sake of playing; play because you want to win. This will keep you focused on what goes on in the table.

Focus takes on so many forms. Basically, however, this means that you should keep an eye out on your opponents. Study when they raise and, if you get the chance, find out if they were raising because of good cards or were raising to steal the blinds. Focusing on your game also means that you have to think about every bet you make and study how other players in the table take your actions.

Be Sensible

This is perhaps the best strategy that you should employ when playing online poker India. When you know you have a very small chance of winning the hand, do not wait around to prove yourself right. That is, fold before the flop.

For instance, if you get low, unsuited and disjointed hole cards, it must be very obvious that your chances of improving such hole cards are pretty slim. Therefore, you should immediately fold when it’s your turn to act in play poker online. Do not wait around for the flop as the first board card couldn’t possibly help you. Staying around when you have such hopeless pocket cards is akin to giving away free chips.

Don’t Play Guardian

Some players actually go on betting and calling even if they know they’ve lost just because they want to challenge another player into revealing that he was merely bluffing. This is a costly exercise and is only practical if your cards have a fighting chance of winning you the hand.

Happy playing!

Read more:
Become a Consistent Winner at Poker Online
Poker Online – Poker Chips Value

3 Easy Steps to Play Texas Hold’em Poker Online

Do you know that many people say that to successfully poker online, it takes a long time to practice and master? However, but we believe that anyone could actually be a master of the popular variation of poker. Texas Hold’em, in just a short time, if you are determined? Are you ready to be a master of online poker game, especially Texas Hold’em? If the answer is yes, read on to know more about the poker game.

Let us first define Texas Hold’em poker for you.

Texas Hold’em poker is played with the standard 52 card deck. Though play poker online game uses the standard card deck, it differs from other card games through the use of five community cards which are cards dealt face-up on the table that all players share. For the starting hand, each player receives two face-down cards each – hole or pocket cards. The winner is determined at the end of the game wherein after several betting rounds. The winner could still use his hole cards together with the five community cards. And make the best-ranked five-card poker hand.

There are also rules that are applicable to best online poker; in fact, there are 3 basic rules in Hold’em poker. Here are the 3 rules in playing Texas Hold’em poker:

Starting hand Value

Always remember that in poker, the two pocket cards or hole cards is the one which separates you from the other players, therefore, you must really pay attention to it. An AA (ace-ace) combo has a much greater chance of winning than other combination like a 7-3 kind of combo. One more thing, in Hold’em poker online, it is better to play good starting hands and fold the bad ones.

Position Play

In poker, a person’s place and position could help a person win thus being seated in a “late position” is a very huge advantage because one could see all the moves of your opponents before you do. A little observation and a keen eye would help a lot so if ever you are seated in the “late position” when playing poker, better grab the opportunity.

Fold

Always remember people, that poker is all about the cards and of course, the bet. If the betting round is getting higher and higher but your cards are always on the low and can’t draw to anything, fold faster baby! It’s as simple as that.

Now, enough of the basics of poker and let us talk about strategy, yes, that is right! Even in Texas Hold’em, strategies still exist. First things first, as a player, you should know what type of game would be suited for you, though this may take time, it is worth it. Once you find your game, stick to it! Another thing, poker is also focused on the odds so do not ever play against impossible odds because it is like playing with the devil himself.

Reading your opponent is also a good strategy when playing poker, and when I say reading your opponent, it doesn’t mean that you go and conduct a background research of the person. Just notice the way the person plays like is he aggressive or does he take his time? These observations could actually lead you to a winning streak if you know how to utilize this strategy in poker.

Another thing in playing poker, do not be afraid to commit. The ace, ace (AA) and king, king (KK) are typical starting hands that very seldom should be played passively, therefore, be aggressive yet cautious! Go and explore your fortune in the cards of Hold’em poker.

Happy playing!

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Big Pot Play Poker Online Bluffing

Identify Opponent Maximizing Value at Poker Online Table

Poker online players have varying styles of play and different levels of experience. If you can quickly identify the type of player you are up against and their skill level you can use this knowledge to alter your playing style and maximize your opportunities.

There are many types of an online poker player and, of course, many levels of experience between those players. Texas Hold’em the card game is similar to pushing spaghetti around a plate – some will get more, others will get less and the house always takes a slice. The statistics of cards over time dictate that we all have the same opportunities. The key to maximizing our potential gains is to quickly identify your opponent type and skill level. If you can correctly identify your opponent then you will be able to alter your playing style to maximize your win, and just as significantly, minimize your loss.

Let’s review the various playing styles that you will come across in an average Texas Hold’em Poker cash game. Players will either be:

Rocks
Tight Players
Calling Stations
Maniacs

And within these styles, you will find a range of aggression that goes from passive to aggressive. What follows are some strategic hints and tips to help you play against each form of online poker real money player in an online environment.

Rocks

Rocks are the most common type of Texas Hold’em Player. They are the easiest to beat and usually are inexperienced new players who think the game revolves around the cards that are dealt. It’s also the most natural playing style and so you will come across them regularly. These are the people you should look to play against. Controlled aggression is the way to proceed. Bet at these players when flops look ugly and they’ll most likely fold. If they re-raise you in return, step aside and let them take the hand, coming right back at the next round. A rock who has been sitting folding the last 20 hands, only to come out betting, is the easiest read of all. If you can’t see them coming then I’d suggest you take up a different game.

Tight Players

Tight players are usually battle-hardened. The difference between a tight player and a rock is that they understand the need to come out more often, with the occasional bluff here and there. More importantly, they usually use the time spent sitting out, to identify opponent characteristics in order to play their weaknesses. The best of all players sit in this category – Tight Aggressive No-Limit Texas Hold’em players need to be identified early on and avoided at all cost. Find one and you should re-examine your table selection.

Calling Stations

Calling stations present an interesting playing style and are the second most common type you’ll find in play poker online. By definition fairly weak, these players rarely take the initiative and thereby have to rely on the luck of running up against an aggressive player while holding the nut or near nut hand. More often than not these people will lose because they are:

1) Playing their cards and not their opponent

2) Have no initiative

3) Regularly rely on card catching strategies

Maniacs

Maniacs are a rare breed of player seldom seen in low limit or tournament Texas Hold’em Poker games. They have no fear of losing, indeed it’ll look like they want to, and it is this that sets them apart from most players online today. Difficult to play against, these opponents rely on your fear of losing your stack to gain chips. Often seen with large chip stacks relative to the table, Maniacs will bet large regularly, and whatever hand you choose to play, it is likely that you will have to be prepared to go all-in with it. No card catching against these opponents – if you try you will be punished.

Happy playing!

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Playing Several Tables at One Time in Poker Online
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Poker Online Freerolls – Fun with No Deposits

Poker freerolls are basically poker tournaments that are conducted for free on poker playing websites. These websites do not usually charge you anything under the pretext of registration fees, unlike normal poker tournaments. Organizers of these poker online freeroll tourneys also sometimes offer cash prizes for the winners of these tourneys. Usually, quite a lot of people enter these poker freeroll tournaments and play in a very jovial manner. And friendly manner because there is no actual spending of money.

When you start to play at the online poker India freeroll tables, you should first make a decision as to which table you want to play in. Most of these tables are categorized on the basis of the prize money they offer. So usually, the tables listed at the top have the best prize money amount. And also have the maximum number of players competing for it. One should note that these poker freeroll tournaments can take a very long time to finish. So you’ll also have to stock up on your patience.

Remember, this is a tournament, even though it’s free. So, you’ll have to up your game if you want to win something big! Keep in mind some simple tricks of the online poker real money. Play competitively, try to be aggressive. If you happen to get a hand of a royal pair (Like a KK) or a double Ace hand, then you should raise significantly to set the pulse of the table racing. The two above mentioned hands are extremely good and can always ensure a good round. In these situations, if you raise your bet by quite a bit, you can be sure that your call will be seconded by someone or the other because the number of participants is really high.

Play the game tactfully

Try to play a smaller number of hands during the game. Sometimes people think that just because they are at the table playing a game of play poker online freeroll, they just have to play in every single round. It’s alright to fold every now and then and is also a technique practised by many. You can keep throwing your cards away till such time you get a great combination, which can almost surely win you the round. When you do get such a hand, then it is the time to become aggressive. Raise your bet, wait for more people to call your bet and then watch the money pile in as you win!

Even if you have moderately good cards that can win you some rounds but not always, you should fold. This holds good for a hand like numerical pairs, such as an 8-8 or a 9-9, for example. Don’t attempt to play the round if you are not sure of getting that pot. Remember, you shouldn’t really try to bluff your way in poker freeroll tournaments. You should really avoid that.

You must remain focused while you are playing because after all, poker online freeroll games are also actual poker tournaments. And since these are played online, it is highly advised that you stay away from any distractions such as email or instant messaging or using your cell phone or glancing at your television.

Poker freerolls are the best places for beginners to learn, so if you are starting, then the poker freeroll sites should be your first stop.

Happy playing!

Playing Against a Preflop Raiser in Play Poker Online

When you play against a preflop raiser during a play poker online game, there are two things to consider. Chip stack will dictate how the game will be played since most small stacks will be forced to bet the best they can after a large raiser while stack leaders will fold after missing the flop.

Another important thing to consider while playing poker online game is having the right position in the table.

Playing Early Position

If you are in a big or small blind position you have the opportunity to put some pressure on the best online poker raiser. You can call a small raise in case you have on hand suited cards, small pockets, or connectors. This will give the other poker players the impression that you got something on the flop. In case someone goes over the top, then decide if you have to fold what you have.

There might also be situations where your opponents will have monsters at hand when ace or face cards come out of the flop. Poker game online can be check and fold.

Game to Play in the Late Position

When you have a late position you can call raises to pairs of cards above 9s; A paired with a 10, J, Q, K; or a K with a J or Q. Watch out for flops like 4,5, J or a 6,7, Q if you have a KJ or KQ since most preflop raisers might be playing AJ or AQ. If the preflop raiser checks, then you can make a move and bet on the flop.

You and your opponent can also end up missing your hands. When you have a rainbow on the board and the opponent checks, then bet your way to his mind. Playing over the top is also another option. This strategy might not work for small stacks which may decide to go all in.

Happy playing!

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Big Pot Play Poker Online Bluffing

The skill to bluff big pots in poker online effectively is something that’s needed. This separates good players from great players. It is no accident that the games played at the highest stakes feature some of the most daring bluffs: big bluffs are a central part of the game.

For small bets, the majority of best online poker players mix up their play very well. They’ll bet out or raise with nothing on the flop with about the right frequency – but a lot of players don’t mix up their play well on big bets. Some players never fool around when they put in really big money on the turn or river. Your opponents can never resist the big bluff when they see a lot of money/chips in the middle. Timing to strike the right balance between value bets and bluffs when you raising the ante in the pot is crucial to playing top-level poker.

When you are playing against world-class pros, bluffing too often is a bigger mistake than not bluffing enough. You will get called very often and you will look to everyone like you are carelessly spewing online poker chips. You’ll question yourself why they are calling you so often, but it’s easy to see why: your opponents will be getting 2:1 odds on a call (if you are betting the size of the pot) and they will infer based on your betting habit that you’re bluffing more often than that.

How can they determine that you are bluffing too often?

In a manner of speaking, if you are balancing your online poker real money big bluffs properly, you will be betting for value about two-thirds of the time. And you will be betting as a bluff about one-third of the time. Hands that you will bet big for value on the turn or river come up quite rarely. It’s not often that you make a straight, a flush, a set, or some other huge hand that earns a big bet on the river for value. If you’re betting big on the river and turn very often, your opponents will figure out that you’re bluffing too often.

Bluffing too often can be a huge misjudgment in an online play poker game. But not bluffing often enough in the truly big spots is one thing that prevents great players from becoming world-class. You’ll probably never hear someone say of famous poker players “he’s never messing around in that spot.” They can be bluffing in any spot. As the pot gets very huge, their bluffs will be less frequent, as they will be trying to represent very thin ranges, but their bluffing frequency will never be zero in any sport, other than some trivial ones where it’s only appropriate to raise with the unorthodox.

Have the edge on an opponent

Most of the time your big bluffs will occur when you have an edge on an opponent. This is most true for big moves on the river. If a player checks to you on the river, it’s likely not a check of strength. With one pair of hands, people will often call on the flop and turn, but not always on the river. Their “check-call, check-call, check” line often tells you that they have a big pair but no better. Some novice players will fold to a pot-sized bluff way too often in this spot, and will not adjust oneself behaviour even when they begin to suspect that you are bluffing them often. Against these players, you are obligated to keep pilfering (stealing) until they adjust.

Definitively, the ability to pull off a big bluff is a crucial element in poker. Highly do so with the correct frequency, and you’ll raise your game to the next level.

Happy playing!

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A Look at Poker online Tournament Strategy
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A Look at Poker online Tournament Strategy

To begin formulating a poker online tournament strategy, you first have to be aware of the different phases that occur and are relevant to gameplay. The easiest way to approach tournament strategy is to divide the process into four parts, starting with Pre-Tournament decision-making. Also, looking at the beginning and middle stages, and ending with the final stage.

1. Before the Tournament: Pre-Tournament Decision Making

There are many different types of online poker tournaments, so the first step is to be very clear on what type of tournament you’re entering.

Major Tournaments:

Large tournaments lasting for an extended period of time, like one week up to one month with larger buy-in fees.

Minor Tournaments:

Much smaller tournaments that usually last for three days. Buy-ins are cheaper than in major tournaments.

Free Roll Tournaments:

There is no buy-in fee required for entry into the tournament.

Re-buy Tournaments:

Players are given the option during a certain period to purchase more chips. Usually for the same price as the original buy-in. Each tournament has different re-buy rules regarding how many chips a player must have in order to purchase more. And another issue is whether or not the tournament allows for multiple re-buys or a one-optional re-buy. When the period for re-buys ends, the tournament becomes a Freezeout.

Guaranteed Tournaments:

Guarantees from the start that a certain amount of money will be in the prize pool, regardless of how many players buy-in to the play poker online tournament.

Satellite Tournaments:

A one-table tournament that’s used for the purpose of awarding winners with buy-ins to major tournaments.

Shootout: A player must defeat all players at his table before advancing to the final round. All finalists play against each other in a freeze-out format until only one player remains.

Freezeout: Players who run out of chips are eliminated. As seats open up, tables are combined together until there is only one player remaining. Players in the top remaining positions receive a percentage of the prize pool on a predetermined scale.

2. Beginning Stages of the Tournament

Depending on type of tournament, players will have a general tendency either to play more aggressively in early stages or very tight.

Re-buy tournaments, due to the fact that players can purchase more chips during re-buy periods, are played much more loosely and aggressively. The cost of blinds towards the beginning of the tournament is fairly low, which allows players much more leeway when deciding which hands to play poker. Again, factoring your cost allowance versus aggressive playing is important for finding the proper balance somewhere in-between both. It may be worth the risk to invest up to five per cent of your stack to see the flop on marginal hands for the chance of doubling what you have. This is only toward the beginning of the tournament when blinds are still affordable and you know that you won’t let yourself put in more than 5% of what you have on a small pair.

Keep in mind that your main focus in the beginning stages of a tournament should be to keep a decent stack of chips so that you’ll be in a secure position for the upcoming rounds.

3. Middle Stages of the Tournament

Towards the middle of the tournament, significant changes in the blinds need to be taken into account. Blinds will be raised and you’ll be required to invest a larger chunk of your chip stack as the rounds continue. This affects your playing strategy because the general tendency here is to try to win the blind by raising immediately. In order to call, you will have to invest a significant amount of money, which is not a smart move to make if your hand is weak. Smart players will fold immediately if they have nothing to go on. Remember that tournaments are a matter of survival, and if you’re wasting your chips on weak hands at this stage, you probably won’t last long.

To recap, your best bet if you’re in early position is to aggressively make the first raise, but if another player makes the raise, play tight and fold immediately if you have a weak hand.

4. The Final Stage

In order to make it to the final round, you should shoot for winning the blinds at least once per round. If you succeed, you’ll be in a position where the increasingly high blinds leave you in a critical position with your chips and require skilful short-hand play. The best online poker real money strategy at this stage is to take stock of where you stand with your chips and how close you are to the prize money according to the tournament’s prize structure. If you have a decent amount of chips, your focus should be on eliminating the other players by playing aggressively. If not, play conservatively and call only if you have a strong hand. It’s important at this stage to know realistically what’s possible and to adjust your strategy to aim for that goal.

Happy playing!

Read more:
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Poker Online – Poker Chips Value

More Tip and Tricks to Play Online Poker

It is not uncommon for even experienced poker players to flounder at online poker games. This is because there are some differences in the manner in which poker is played in the real world and online.

Use whatever available information to play

When you play best online poker you are not able to see your opponent and thus you cannot gauge his emotions from facial expressions and gestures. Thus, you need to make use of whatever information is available. The time tells at online poker games offer an indication of whether the person you are playing against is a fresher or an experienced poker player. If the player takes time to make his move, chances are that he is new to online poker and you can probably try to bluff him more than you would otherwise do.

Write notes

Online poker is a fast game, more so than poker live. This means that you have to be at the top of your game. You can consider writing notes to yourself about your game plan and mistakes to avoid and quickly glance at them as you play. If possible, memorize the strengths and weaknesses of your opponents.

Analyse strength and weakness

If you are new to online poker real money, polish your skills playing with virtual money first and analyse your strengths and weaknesses to gain confidence. This is the time to develop your own strategies and find out whether you are a safe player or an aggressive one who pushes an advantage to the fullest. You can then move on to playing with real money.

Choose reputed online poker site

Ensure that you are registered at reputed best online poker sites. This is because there is always a possibility of players colluding online against someone and sharing information. The site you are registered with should have an effective monitoring system for keeping tabs on the players.

Select a game syncing your style

Your chances of winning depend a great deal on your game selection. Select a game that is in sync with your skills, ability, and style of play. If possible research on your opponents and get an idea of the quality of opponents that you are going to face. Research on online poker India games shows that there is a great deal of benefit in accumulating as much information as you can on your opponents. The key mistakes that people make and the ones you should look to avoid are calling too frequently, betting too much, or folding too often.

Know skills bringing maximum gains

Know the skills that can bring you maximum gains. For example, if you play with a group that plays very few hands and folds more often, you can benefit by sharpening your short-handed play skills. You should also be a little more aggressive in blind-stealing.

Hold on your cards

Conversely, if you are playing with the “maniacs” who bet aggressively do not be afraid to hold on to your cards because they are betting “maniacally” and not because they have good hands. If you feel that your poker online opponents are calling too often, take advantage of it and do not bluff.

Remember that at an online poker game, if you are unable to form an intelligent opinion of your opponents, you will get sorted out by them.

Happy playing!

Poker Tips: Handling a Problematic Pair of Jacks

A lot of players love getting their best online poker pocket jacks for a starting hand but things can get problematic when another player gets something better out of the flop.

There are several options to play a particular hand in a no limit Texas Hold’em poker. Playing your jacks will really depend on several factors especially how the player on the big blind plays. It will somehow give you a gauge how to play your cards depending on his actions upon the flop. It isn’t fool proof but your chances will be better.

Never play scared

There is always a possibility that you opponent flops a good pocket pair or triples but you cannot play scared of these hands. You need to play your pocket jacks as the best of hands on the table.

Try to know his cards

Your JJ is the best hand but you should try your best to know what your opponent’s cards are to see your advantage. It also determines how aggressive you should play poker.

Problematic Jacks

Set a spike when you see the turn then go all broke. Things happen. The good side about this is that your opponent might think that he holds the best cards and that can be your advantage right there. If the turn reveals a king or an ace, action might just stop. The other player might check then fold thinking that you have an Ace-King and made a monster out of the turn card.

When the turn reveals something small, you get a chance to get a good pot size to take home.

Slow playing

Remember you do not have to wait for monster hands to slow play and trap your opponents. You just need something which dominates the table. You already have an ideal scenario when you have pocket jacks and the board reveals 9-9-3.

Going broke with your jacks happen. That is online poker. That is life but do not let that pull you down. You cannot win big when you do not know how to risk big. Just exert your efforts to assess the situation properly and see if you can double up your money.

Happy playing!

Different Factors which Affect the Value of Your Position

Position is crucial especially when you are playing no limit Texas Hold’em poker online. Now how do you determine the scenarios where position is of greater or lesser value? There are several factors you need to consider when evaluating the value of your position.

We must first understand what a good position on poker games online table is. A lot of people will say that a good position is when you are acting after the other players. True but of course this is not the case in all of the betting rounds. It is hard to simplify the discussion about position and just say that the optimal seat is always the button on the betting rounds post flop. Even the button can have a bad position when the position can be compromised by a pre–flop raiser.

Depth of Stacks

The more money on the table, the higher the chances that the poker online India players will get involve during the betting rounds with more chips being pushed into the middle. When this is the scenario, you can maximize the potentials of your position to outplay the other players. Become a good player and use your position to give your opponents problems. Without using your chips, you can make people commit mistakes as you present them a potential big loss.

Number of opponents

If there are a lesser number of opponents on the table, the lesser the risk you have when checking a card or putting a small bet to see a cheap one. The position is less valuable when you are on a heads up and the other player deceives you by betting when he has weak hand or checking when he has monsters. The more players in the pot, the more honest you can expect the betting to be. A late position in a big field of players is the optimal in best online poker.

Your cards

Your hand matters a lot in determining the quality of your position. Drawing hands often needs a better position compared to made hands. Other players acting before you may spell a free cad, or a hint to steal, or a chance to complete a draw.

Happy playing!