The Thrill of Live Poker

Welcome back everyone!

Christmas is nearly upon us and I am definitely getting excited about the break :)

Spending some time relaxing and eating after eights sounds pretty good from where I am standing. Hope you have all done your Xmas shopping by now, I have like 3 items to go, one more trip and it will be over, thank god, I sure do hate the busy streets at Christmas.

Todays article is about the exciting side of playing poker, live poker. It tries to get across how amazing playing some real poker can be as well as different ways you can play, remember you don't need to attend a big tournament you can have lots of fun at home!

Merry Christmas everyone, hope it's a good one for you.


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For years and years, poker has been one of the most popular casino games amongst casino lovers all over the world. What with all the poker books, games, supplies, tournaments and other poker related games like video poker, there’s no wonder people love playing poker so much. But in the past decade, there has been a tremendous explosion in the number of people who have taken to playing poker. And, this is primarily because of the emergence of televised poker tournaments and online poker rooms.

Regular poker has a number of special characteristics that make it quite a thrilling past time activity:

• The odds and statistics of the game will challenge your abilities to make decisions.
• A large part of poker deals with psychology, like the bluffing, decoys, traps and intimidation part of it.
• The thrill of playing live poker can keep you wanting to learn more and more and will constantly be a challenge to you no matter how many years you’ve been playing it.
• Once the real money betting begins, the excitement and pressure of the game can keep you awake all night long.
• Small poker tournament buy-ins can give you the opportunity to win big money stakes from smaller stakes.
• Poker is a fun activity and can be played by people of all ages at home, at casinos or even at poker halls.

Poker is indeed an entertaining sport, and those of you who like to do things your way, you can even equip a room to handle or coordinate the weekly or monthly games. For the poker collector, there are so many opportunities out there for you, from the vintage poker chips and cards to the collector’s items poker books. Besides being just a regular Friday night event, you can take poker along with you holidays as well!

So, whether you are an avid poker fan or not, you should try your hand at poker at least sometime in your life. There are thousands of excellent poker resources that will help hone your poker skills, taking you to the next level. Once you start playing poker, you’ll never be able to stop! Especially, if you’ve mastered the game enough to compete against others in tournaments or at casinos, you’ll find that the excitement of sitting at a poker table will raise the fun to a whole new level!

When it comes to playing live poker, its important to do your homework first, be thoroughly prepared, and the game will take you on a roller coaster ride of excitement and fun!

Poker Tournaments

Hey All,

The temperature is beginning to drop in England this week, I spent a good 10 minutes thawing my car out before I could drive it twice already (would have been 3 days in a row but I had a day off work).
Not fun in any way.
Top top it all off it's that time of year where it's dark when I get up and dark when I get home, I barely get to see the daylight :'(

At least Christmas is on it's way, really looking forward to a few days off and seeing my family. I don't get much chance to see them since everyone is always at work so it will be nice to catch up.
Lots to do on our new house to though so I doubt there will be much rest.

Today's article is about Poker Tournaments. It is to introduce you to the great atmosphere of a live tournament and will also help you to understand some basic rules and tactics for attending.
It is part of the mini article series I have been writing lately so it's not too long a read for you. You will find a more in depth guide to live poker tournaments online.

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Poker tournaments can be quite exhilarating, but like most of the exciting things in life, it can also be very scary. There is no other thrill like the thrill you get when playing at one of those big money poker tables. Most players, who are faced with a real poker challenge, find it very hard to handle the pressure of the game and of playing for so much money.

On the other hand, playing online poker can be just as exciting, minus the pressure. If you are an avid poker player, then there are hundreds of different poker sites on the Internet that offer poker tournaments as well. Most of these online poker tournaments can be a lot of fun, and what’s more, you’ll get the chance to make big money here also! Usually, online poker tournaments tend to have big pots, making it a lot more to fun to play at these tournaments.

While there are many poker tournaments that offer mixed games, like the HORSE events that combine Texas Holdem, Razz, Omaha, Stud and Stud Eight, most of the other tournaments feature matches of one form, like the Omaha, Texas Holdem, Seven-card stud, or Seven card stud hi-lo. Both, the Texas Holdem and Omaha tournaments are generally offered in no-limit, fixed-limit and pot-limit forms.

Playing at poker tournaments is very different from your regular poker play. Usually, the poker play at tournaments takes a much longer time than your regular poker games. While some poker tournaments are rather small and consist of only one or maybe two tables, other poker tournaments can be quite large consisting of numerous tables. If you want to play at a poker tournament, then you have to make sure that you are fully prepared for the long haul. Once you’re there, there wont be much time to run around, so make sure you are comfortable and ready so that you can finish the game quickly.

Another thing you need to be careful about when it comes to playing at poker tournaments is the way you behave. It is very important for you to follow the rules of the concerned tournament otherwise you will be asked to leave the tournament. Make sure are always polite and kind to all the other players that are participating in the tournament. Remember that a poker tournament, whether it’s a live one or an online, is no place for profanities and a bad attitude. Everyone must be treated with respect, just the way you would like to be treated and the game will be a lot more fun for everyone!

Online Poker Vs Offline Poker

Hello Everyone,

Hope everyones weekend was good, I certainly had an eventful one.
We had an office Christmas party, lots of fun and some great food but also very embarrassing for certain members of the team. Anyway the less said about that the better.

There will no doubt be a lot of people gearing up for their own Christmas do's over the next few weeks, I think the best advice is to just ban cameras, they are annoying and don't do anyone justice.

I am updating the mini-articles today with a new one about the differences between online and live poker. This article will be of use to players who have only played one form of the game and need to know how to prepare them selves to play the other.

Personally I do prefer live poker but online poker has a hell of a lot of advantages and convenience. WassOnline actually host their own live poker tournaments in professional casinos around the world. I would highly recommend you take part in such an event but make sure you have some practice first!

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With the rise in the popularity of poker in the last two years, poker lovers have now got several alternatives to choose from while considering the place to get their poker fix. Most people love the casino culture, but many prefer playing at home too. It depends upon different individuals and their preferences, as both have their own pros and cons.

While distinguishing between online poker and offline poker, the first factor to be considered is the incidentals involved. It involves expenses that go outside your bankrolls and which you may incur while playing poker. Incidentals are one of the most determining factors due to which many poker players prefer to play online than offline. It includes the transportation charge, food and drinks that are often purchased when people go to casinos to play poker. Besides, it also involves parking fees and tips. However when you play online, you need not spend on extra things like these, as you can easily play online poker for hours from anywhere and besides you also need not pay a virtual tip. In casinos, though it is not mandatory to give tips to anyone, but it is a courtesy to tip your dealer or the waitress serving cocktails each time you win a pot. It is observed that parking attendants, chip runners and floor people also offer better service when tipped, which usually tends to add up by the end of the evening.

Online poker also offers the benefit of data management as compared to offline poker. In case of a casino session, you may vividly remember the highlights, the times when you went wrong or did a brilliant job, but you would probably not remember the exact play of each hand. Besides if you play continuously, chances are that you would not be sure what you figured about certain opponent in case you play the person again. But in case of online poker, you can easily feed input notes on your opponents that will be there if you log in to play again.

Death of a Legend: Chip Reese

Morning All,

I am sad to say that I have recently heard the news of Chip Reese dying at the relatively young age of 56.

Chip Reese was a very well known and respected player and his career has seen him do many amazing feats including 3 word series poker bracelets and card room manager of the world famous Dunes casino.

He always came across to me as a funny and intelligent man and certainly one of the most down to earth and intelligent players I have seen in the World series.

My thoughts go out to his family, you will be missed Chip.

-Frank

Slot Machine Payback Probabilities

Hello All,

Things are still dull and wet in England and everyones mood is reflecting this.

I may be working on some housing details later this month so I will keep you guys updated in case you care ;)

Today I have posted the 4th part of my mini-article series which concentrates on slot machines inside casinos.
You will find this article quite eye opening, especially if you don't already know anything about random number generators and how slot machines pay out. If you like it let me know, if not let me know why.

The whole series has been co-developed by WassOnline.com and if you want to know more details then why not visit their casino reviews section and check out ther slot machine guides.

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Slot machines are as random and unpredictable like a game of roulette. In a slot machine, when you pull the handle or press the spin button you are actually not generating any numbers. This is done to add to the excitement in a casino. How a slot machine actually works is with a microcomputer that is constantly generating numbers even when the machine is not in use.

There are known as Random Number Generator (RNG). Therefore, when you pull the handle or press the button the machine displays the last set of random numbers that were generated.

A good slot machine is one that gives you a higher payback percentage. These are machines that offer anywhere between 95 to 99 percent and try and play these only. Generally, the machines where you play with $1 or a higher amount are the ones that provide you with a higher payback percentage.

Machines that require you to play with $5 or more statistically have proven to have the highest payback. Many slot machines have signs indicating ‘up to 98% payback’. This is an indicator showing you that there are many loose machines leaving you with a higher chance of winning some money. ‘Up to 98% payback’ means that the slot machine will payback 98 cents of every dollar, but this takes place in the long term. When this sign is put up it means that probably one of the machines is loose what you can do is to play when the ‘up to’ is missing from the board.

There are many ways to spot these machines; if they provide signs then you are in luck but otherwise look for the machines that are centrally located. This is because the good machines with a high payback percentile are generally located where people can see them and her the sounds of a jackpot.

Online Poker Loyalty Bonuses

Hello Everyone,

Hope the good old weather is not driving you down too much this week, I know I didn't want to crawl out of bed this morning one little bit. I have started the Christmas shopping but it is always a nightmare when you have a little one :)
Like everyone I seem to have a cold at the moment, it's not so bad until I try to wake up in a morning.

Todays update is another part of the mini article series and it is dedicated to poker loyalty bonuses. It will be of use to anyone who is not already taking advantage of these offers as you can easily make a little extra money from doing so.

As with all articles in this series it has been supplies to me by WassOnline poker forum, head over there if you have a second its a cool place and it has a lot of poker information.

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Online gambling has become a massive industry worldwide. Serious interest has been generated in poker due to the proliferation of high stakes televised poker tournaments along with Texas Hold’em.

Online poker rooms are finding it difficult to remain in the competition and due to this they are looking out for several promotional strategies so that more and more poker players can be lured. One of such promotional strategy is online poker bonus. It is basically cash that is offered by online poker rooms so that more traffic can be driven to their sites. Poker bonuses are available in various forms; loyalty bonus, deposit bonus, no-deposit bonus and re-load bonus.

No-deposit bonus is offered by many sites. Various casinos give bonus cash, to play with, even before a player makes any initial deposit. But you need to understand the restrictions that apply to such bonuses. Some sites will let you use no-deposit bonus on certain games only. Deposit bonus is extra cash that you receive when you fund your account with the poker site. It is offered when you sign up to any poker room on the Internet. Deposit bonuses pay a player to just play poker. Reload bonuses are made available to the existing and new customers. Many poker sites offer periodic re-load bonuses so that the players keep coming back. Under this, an extra percentage is given back to the player to refund their account. Sometimes players get credit for being loyal to a specific site.

Online poker loyalty bonuses and frequent player point structures are very common. You can take time and shop around to get the best deal. After you have searched for the best deal, you can effectively use your poker bonus. Loyalty bonus comes after the sign up bonus as a way of enticing the player to extend his or her membership at a site after they have already indulged in some gambling there.

Poker Avatar Maker

Hey Guys,

Got a nice addition to a favorite website that I think you should all know about.

It's an ace poker themed avatar make, you can put your own name in and choose and image and then it will output it in to an avatar shape and size suitable for 99% of forums.

You will find the poker forum avatar maker here. Thats all for today, see you next week :)

-Frank

Blackjack Card Counters

Hello everyone,

Hope the week is going well. I am having a bit of an over the top week work load wise. I am definitely tired as hell :) We are still waiting for news on the house but we know the previous owners have set a moving date so it should be less than two weeks now. TBH I will be happy to get it all behind me because moving house is a bloody nightmare.

The second mini article in this series is about card counting in blackjack. I know we usually concentrate on poker but blackjack is an ace card game too :) If you are not familiar with the rules you can learn to play blackjack as WassOnline or discuss it with members in the Poker Forum.
I'll be back with you for the next one soon but have fin until then, only a month until Xmas!

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While at a blackjack table, card counting is the only strategy you can use to get a statistical, long-term advantage over the house. If you’re wondering what card counting is, then here’s how the concept works – there are some cards that are high-value and are good for the player, while there are other cards that are low-value cards and aren’t good for the player. However, low-value cards are generally good for the dealer, as the dealer is supposed to follow a strict set of rules when it comes to hitting.

By learning card counting, you will be able to play with the odds in your favor for a longer time and you can also triple your long-term profits. Yes, card counting in blackjack can be quick and easy to learn and will definitely make winning the game a lot more possible.

Here is how card counting in blackjack works:

Card counting mainly works because blackjack players tend to use certain strategies with the appropriate card counting systems that are capable of beating the casinos odds. In blackjack, the low cards will always favor the dealer and the higher cards will always favor the player.

As a blackjack player, you will be able to stand on your stiffs if required, but the dealer wont be able to. The dealer is supposed to follow a strict set of rules and cannot make any choices. So, this ability of yours to choose over the dealers
inability to do so actually gives you the odds advantage against the house.

High cards always favor the players because this is what busts the dealer when he comes down with his stiffs. It’s the tens and aces that create the blackjacks. The odds of hitting a blackjack are more or less equal for the dealer and the player, but the player will always get paid more if he hits a blackjack.

When card counting in blackjack, you are not required to count every card value in order to know that you have an edge over the casino. All you need to know is whether or not the deck is rich in high cards or not.

Effective blackjack card counting will let you know when you have an advantage. If you are at an advantage, you obviously must have bet higher and if you aren’t then you probably bet at minimum.

Some blackjack card counter systems are easier to learn and can be as effective as the more complicated systems. Try your hand at all the systems to see which one suits you the best. The one that comes to you naturally is generally the best system.

Once you get the hang of card counting, you’ll see how your blackjack game changes immediately. What’s more, card counting will make it easier for you to win more at blackjack.

Poker Bluffs

Hey Guys!

How is everyone?
I was not happy this morning, it was far too cold, car frozen, roads icy and so cold in fact that it made my car stereo crash like an old mac.
Anyway that's my grumpy English weather rant over, I 'spose it is November. Work is manic as usual but I wouldn't have it any other way. Moving is speeding up a little bit now, looks like we may be in for the end of November, I hope to God we are.

I have a short article for you today, we were originally planning this series for something else but I am going to place them here for you guys instead :)

This one relates to bluffing in Poker, it is relevant for both live poker and online poker in certain respects. Check out WassOnline for more poker articles and casino reviews

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Poker is one of the most popular games in the United States and involves skill and fortune along with tact to handle both profit and loss. You can play this celebrated card game by hiding the cards either completely or partially, which are then gambled into a central pot. Finally, player possessing the best set of cards or who makes an uncalled bet is awarded the pot. It is a fun-filled game where the excitement of the bluff involved in the game is the most interesting.

Bluffing is considered to be one of the most difficult talents in poker, as it calls for playing without a hand. It requires a player putting money on the line when he doesn’t hold a good hand. In order to bluff successfully, you need to understand your opponent. You need to read his style of playing poker, so that you can find the tact and tools to bluff flawlessly. You can start by reading his betting styles. It is important to ask your opponent how he folds in several situations. It will give you an idea how to bluff when he uses that skill. In case you notice that he folds almost 90% of the playing time to a bet on the flop, it is advisable to bet with anything. As you become more observant in the game, it will enable you to bluff successfully. Many times, physical tells can also say a lot about the weakness of your opponents. It generally happens when an opponent extends his hand very wide when he throws chips into the pot. In such a condition, your opponent becomes weak and you can easily bluff that person out of the pot.

Playing a limit lower can help you bluff efficiently in poker. It is wise to play at a limit where you do not feel scared of bluffing your opponents out of pots. Once you spend a considerable amount of time in this game, you will observe that you would get a number of chances for bluffing your opponents.

Exciting New Poker Tool

Hey everyone,

Just a quick blog today to reveal to you an amazing new feature my buddies at WassOnline have launched. They are now the proud hosts of a shiny working online poker calculator.
It's a great tool that lets you create almost any hand or table situation as well as look at situations where players have folded. It has a user friendly interface which simply requires you to select the cards that are in play and will give you an easy to understand percentage chance of each hand winning or loosing.
It looks great and I think it's much better than some of the text based poker calculators you see on lesser sites that are just difficult to understand.

Let me know what you think and in the mean time, have a good game!

Oh in other news Meatloaf canceled his Nottingham gig! I was really looking forward to that, get well soon Mr Loaf!

-Frank

The Difference Between Online and Live Poker

Hello Everyone,

Another update from your local poker enthusiast!

I have had another busy weekend, it was Bonfire Night in the UK on monday but it was pretty much celebrated all weekend. For those who are not familiar with the tradition check it out on Wikipedia, it's actually very interesting.

I went with my family to a public display of fireworks on the Sunday, seems they get bigger and louder every year (or I am just getting older and more frail heh), it might be a little shallow but I always enjoy a some pretty lights and big bangs for an hour. Got me an overcooked burger to finish the night off and played with some sparklers which endlessly amused my partner (more so than my child!).

We didn't get chance to play any poker this weekend because of the displays but my friends did bring round Zombie Fluxx, its fun as hell I recommend anyone who likes fun 5 minute card games to give it a try.

I have a new article for you all here, this one is centred around the differences between online and live poker which I am sure you all agree is huge and very important for players. Personally I see pros and cons in both, I love the atmosphere and vibe and live poker tournaments but i enjoy the speed and ease of online tournaments. That's the great thing about WassOnline's poker community, they offer both! As always they have let me post this so give them a visit if you enjoy poker and want to make some new local and international friends, they have photos of their last live poker tournament event.

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Poker is a popular game which has been played by people since the 10^th century. With more people playing this game its popularity is increasing. Another reason for its increase in popularity is its availability on the internet. Online poker has improved the game by allowing thousands of people to log to play from home. It would not be right to say that there is hardly any difference between online and real poker. In reality there is a lot of difference.

Apart from the difference in the environment of online and real poker, there are a lot of dissimilarities among them. Firstly, in case of online poker the game is played at a breakneck speed. The players hardly get any time to think as they get 20-30 seconds before the timer goes off. Whereas in case of real poker the game proceed at a slow pace and the player gets enough time to sit and think about his next move. Secondly, the gaming skills in real players are not better than online players. It is not possible to give a guarantee that offline players are better than online players. Infact, it is often observed that online players have better gaming skill than real players. Thirdly, in case of online games the number of games played in an hour is more than offline games. So stealing blinds is more profitable in case of online games. Thus in online poker the probability to win huge amount of money by blinds- play is more. Fourthly, online poker allows a player to be more aggressive than real poker. So open raising is lucrative in online poker. Fifthly, in online poker it is not possible to read an opponent. Whereas, in real poker which is played with real players it is possible to read an opponent’s face and know what he is thinking. However, this is not possible in case of online game and so there is no reason of bluffing. Lastly, when playing an online game it is not possible to limp and while away time. The key to win is to react fast. Whereas playing a real game because of it casual place is considered a luxury.

Poker today has become famous because of its different versions that are available online. The continuous growth of this game is because of its accessibility to the masses.

Roulette Strategy

Hello Blogsphere!

As I said I have come with an article for you all this morning, it's about roulette strategy and will be an especially helpful for beginners. It does go into the differences between American and European roulette, something you defiantly need to know if your taking a gambling holiday this Christmas. The article has been granted to me by WassOnline, please check out their site if you have time and join in their poker community.

I have not been especially well this weekend, far too tired and colded up. Hopefully will be better soon :( I am going to shop for bits and bobs for the house tonight but going to try and get home quick and get some sleep.

Hope you all remembered to change the clocks!

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Learning to play roulette is not very difficult. But coming across a strategy that is really good is not easy. The reason for this is because manipulation is not much of a possibility in a game of roulette. Being a rigid and non-interactive game, lowering the house edge in order to win the game is not possible. Many people will give you as many strategies, but you would do good to follow the pointers given below to increase your chances of winning.

It would be better to choose the European Roulette wheel in place of an American Roulette wheel. The former has 37 pockets while the latter has 38 pockets. Again, the American Roulette has an additional pair of 0’s. All this has made the American version more difficult to win than the European one which has only one zero and it’s unpopularity is apparent among people in North America.

Following the “En Prison” rule is the second strategy you could follow. This rule states that a player may place an even-money wager, with the ball falling in the 0 pocket. In this case, neither will the bet be given back to the player nor will that particular betting round be over. This particular state is known as ‘staying in prison’. The wager will be kept by the board till the next spin. This next spin will be the decider of what will happen to the bet. In the case of the player winning this spin, he will get his money back, without earning anything extra. On the other hand, if the player loses, then he loses his bet money altogether. Again, if this spin brings results in the ball falling in the 0 pocket, then the betting money will be in the board’s custody and the whole process continues till it’s fate is decided. Keep this strategy in mind if you want to have a better chance of winning.

The next strategy you can use at a casino is to find ‘surrender’. This rule says that after the spin if you see the ball falling in the 0 or the 00 pocket, you will not completely lose the bet but will get back half of the total amount.

And last but not the least, you should decide on the sum of money you will be playing before starting. If you have reached that limit, it’s best to quit instead of carrying on in spite of losing.

The above strategies will help you evolve into a better player and increase your chances of winning.

A New Poker Place

Hey all,

Hope everyone is well. I am currently de-stressing after a day of not-so-fun filled frolics :)
I bring good news however. My good friends over at WassOnline have given me the latest info into their latest project, WassPoker!

WassPoker is a piece of internet poker software that is soon to be launched and filled with eager players. It has been produced to give online poker players a chance to play entertaining poker games in a reliable, appealing environment. To celebrate it's launch WassPoker are holding a special $500 freeroll tournament, it's pre-register only so hop over now and get your name on the list to win $500 for free.
WassPoker will also be committed to holding fantastic events like their opening one on a regular basis and have already rumored additional launch offers with total prizes over $2,500!

The great thing about WassPoker is that it has been built with community ideals that have emerged from WassOnline. This means there is very much an emphasis on building a comfortable community for all players. Dave 'Doc' Sharpe (marketing manager) mentioned himself that they have been working especially hard to make players feel "at home".

I have already signed up so I will see some of you online :) The first $500 is mine!

In other news, I have been enjoying a few games of real life poker with my friends. We played Tuesday an I am happy to announce I won for a change :) pulled off a pretty good comeback to. I was definitely chip looser after the first half an hour but I came back with a few excellent hands (one in which I totally bluffed my brother to beat his straight). I also had a few lucky river cards, but I suppose you have to every now and again right?

Good luck to everyone this week and don't forget that excellent offer from WassPoker!

-Frank

Hey Guys,


Busy week and i'm still suffering from some major tiredness :) Got an article draft for you all though it's a very brief guide to some Texas Hold'em rules. This one is not really finished but it's not going much further for now :)

As always this was published with permission of WassOnline. I enjoyed a great game in one of their free roll poker tournaments recently, was a lot of fun even if I didn't win. If you didn't already know WassOnline actually organize special free roll poker tournaments for it's active members to play and win in.

No-one else can join these games so you have a got chance of winning as long as you are a little versed in the world of online poker, head over there and join for more information and/or carry on reading for my article :)

One of the well known version of poker played in casinos is Texas Hold ‘Em or (texas holem). It is both a fast-paced game and can be played with many players. Texas hodlem is a betting game, where the basic actions and the winning hands are similar to that of normal poker.

To play this game some simple basic rules should be followed. Firstly, before dealing any cards a predetermined amount of money is put into the pot by the 2 players sitting on the left side of the dealer. The cards are shuffled by the dealer and each player is dealt 2 cards with their face down which is called ‘hole cards’. The player sitting on the left of the dealer starts the betting. The players can call, raise or fold when their turn comes. The dealer, to ensure that no cheating takes place keeps aside the topmost card of the deck. Then the subsequent 3 cards called ‘flop’ can be placed on the table with their face up. After this the 5 ‘community cards’ is placed on the table by the dealer with their face up. The players can use this 5 ‘community cards’ with their 2 ‘hole cards’ to make any combination that they desire. Their goal is to make the best possible hand. Then the 2^nd round of betting begins. The topmost card of the deck is kept aside by the dealer and the subsequent card called the ‘Fourth Street’ is placed on the table with its face up. The players again can call, raise or fold during their turn. The 3^rd round of betting then begins. Again the dealer keeps aside the topmost card and places the subsequent card called the ‘Fifth Street’ or the ‘river’ on the table with its face up. Finally, the best possible 5 card poker hand is created by the players. This is done by making a combination of the 5 ‘community cards’ and the 2 ‘hole cards’ whose identity is known to the players. After this the 4^th and final round of betting begins. At the end of the round, the remaining players in the game show their hands, beginning with the player who made the first bet or the player who made the last raise. The player creating the best hand is the winner.

Though the basic rules of poker are simple, it is important to develop an intuition to understand if the opponents are bluffing or if they really have a good hand. Another good trick to put opponents in a wrong track is by not showing one’s emotions. But having fun is the most important rule of texas holdem.

House News

Hey Guys,




A bit more of a personal update today, I will have some more poker and gambling articles for you either tomorrow or Monday :)


I got news that my mortgage was accepted, good news now all I have to wait for are the crappy solicitors :'(

Going to try and get some poker played this weekend, maybe even try some HiLo since I have not really played that competitively yet. We'll see, good luck to all poker players out there.

-Frank

Do’s and Don’ts in Online Casino

Hey Guys!

Sorry for the absence but I have been slightly bogged down with all the house stuff in my spare time and have not had time to blog! :'(

Anyway, i'm back for now and ready with some fresh content. This article is related to casinos and covers some of the basics of what to do and what not to do.

As always the generous WassOnline have agreed to let me post the rough version on my blogs for free for no charge so if you have chance check out their excellent casino reviews as a thanks, you are likely to find somethign useful there too as WassOnline has some exclusive deals with the big online casinos for bonus codes.

OK, article is below enjoy and let me know what you want the next one to be about.

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The wide array of games played in casinos is all created in such a way that they favor the casino owner rather than the players. You may think that winning is easy, but the fact is that 99% of the players don’t win. A player has to be conscious with his money while gambling or else he will end up losing everything he has.

Learning to play a game correctly is very important. Some games can are easier to learn than others. Not understanding a game makes a player make mistakes. In the case of gambling, this is where they earn their money from: from your mistakes. You need to be knowledgeable about the various aspects of casinos so that you can enjoy the house edge at the lowest point. Again, setting a target that is realistic is also important because that way it will be possible for you to reach your target more frequently.

You need to follow a few do’s and don’ts in whatever version of the game you are playing, offline or online to ensure that you don’t end up losing more money than you win.

The Do’s

• Before starting to play, decide on a budget you will bet on.
• You should the proper techniques, the in’s and out’s of the game you will play at the casino.
• Set a target that is realistic enough to achieve.
• Decide on a time limit you are going to gamble in a session and don’t exceed it.
• You can either join the ‘Casino VIP’ or the ‘Comp Program’.
• You can occasionally they out games like ‘Progressive’ because they have a pretty high prize money.
• Take care to stay in your limits. It doesn’t pay to go overboard.

The Don’ts

• Don’t run if you have lost.
• Don’t play if you are drunk or very tired.
• Don’t participate in a gambling session of a game you can’t understand.
• Don’t spend all your money in one session.
• Don’t think that can be the winner in every game you play.
• Don’t gamble the money which you cannot afford to lose.
• Stay away from games that involve you betting a huge amount of money.
• After you have won a round, don’t put the whole winning amount in the next session up for betting.
• Don’t increase your bets if you are losing.

Stick to the above, and see yourself be a winner at the casino!

Lifestyle Update

Not too much to say this week because I have been very busy organising things for the house, I'm happy to inform everyone the sellers accepted our initial offer so we will be getting the ball rolling soon, hopefully everything will have gone through by novemberish so we can be decorated and in for Christmas.

Not much in the poker front this week since I was so busy organising stuff but I amnaged to get a game in last monday. Was OK but we didn't really get more than one game because we started late at night. I shit out this week and came second to last, mostly because I was taking huge risks which were only paying off every one in ten times, sometimes the luck just ins't with you.

I found a cool feature the other day on the Wass Site you may like a look at. Excellent poker glossary for new plays and pretty handy for more experienced ones as there were quite a few terms in there I didn't know at all

How to Win Money at Online Poker

Hello Everyone,

Here is the rough draft of my latest article "Online Poker: How to Win Money Sitting In Your Living Room"

It is just a really quick guide to playing online poker and it's value on the Internet today.

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The recent years has seen the increase of the popularity of the game of poker. The entire credit for the increasing popularity goes to its easy accessibility on the internet. People can easily log into any of the numerous sites that has dedicated for online poker and start playing the game from their living room itself. Everyday free roll poker games are played online where entry fee is not required and the players have no risk of loosing their money. In case of online poker the players can win millions of dollars from a particular game as the amount of money involved is phenomenal. So the question arises that how can it be easy to win money by playing online poker?

A great amount of money may not be obtained from free roll poker, but normal online poker can change the fate of a player. However, playing poker in a real room with real players is totally different from playing online poker. People who do not perform well in traditional setting, there is a fair chance of them to perform well in case of online poker. The reason for this is the anonymity that the internet offers.

When a player decides to win a significant amount of money by playing online poker, it should be kept in mind that they should first learn how to play the game of poker. The positive points of online poker is that the player is not disturbed by the shouting, drinking and the lights of the live joint and he stays focused on the game. The second important factor is the strategy to follow. But even more important is to stick to that strategy. The player should have a clear idea of the profitable time for him to go all in and the odds he has to face when clearing the pot. It is good to have fun and win, but the player should not make a bet that he cannot afford. A player who wishes to become a pro can follow the different poker strategy guides that are available. The player can improve his game and win more times by following the tips and hints given in the guide.

The increasing number of online tournaments that are played startles the mind of the players. People make a bet of million dollars on this game. As a huge amount of money is involved there will always be some player who will be better than others. However, the players can always improve their playing skill by following the tips.

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Hope you like :) Remember the WassOnline poker forum guys let me put this draft up here for free which is always good of them.
Have a great weekend guys I am going to be putting lots of effort into sorting the house out.

-Frank

A little Update

Hello All,

Hope everyone is well, I am major tired today at work but never mind :)

The house we went to see over the weekend was very nice, big rooms and nice double garage but could do with a spring clean and decorating. Not a problem I don't mind getting my hands drity (as long as there are no spiders!). We are going to view it again and decide if we want to put an offer in or not.

Didn't get chance to play any poker this weekend but we are playing friday next week so that should be a laugh.

I am currently working on another poker article which I expect to upload by the end of the week, until the hope you all enjoy your first day back at work :P

-Frank

A History of Poker

Hello All,

Everything seems to be going OK here at the moment, tired as hell from squash last night but hey that's how it goes. Weather seems to have taken a turn for the worst, not the ebst news when the weekend is on the way but maybe it will get better. I have another house viewing Saturday to look forward to, a bigger semi than I am in now.

Got a nice article for you all regarding the history of poker that I did for some people I know. I rewrote it and thought I would place it on here for you all to see :)

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Poker is considered to be most popular among the different card games played in the world. This game is not only fast- paced but also fun- filled and it can be enjoyed by many players together. How the game of poker is still a mystery. However, people say that this game began more than 10 centuries ago. Since then, there have been a lot of changes in this game.

It is believed that the Chinese were the first to play the game of poker that goes back to the 10^th century. In the 12^th and 13^th century an early form of the poker game was played by the Egyptians. In the 16^th century the Persians used to play ‘Ganfija’ which was a version of poker. In the 18^th century ‘Poque’ was played by the French which was considered its national game. The game played by the German was called ‘Pochen’. Both ‘Pochen’ and ‘Poque’ are said to be early versions of the game of poker. From the year 1526 the Spanish started playing the ‘Primero’ which is considered to be the ‘poker mother’. This is said to be the first version of poker as it has direct similarities with the modern poker. The Spanish knew that in spite of having poor cards the opponents could be deceived by using the concept of bluffing and calling high stakes.

The writings of Jonathan H. Green in 1834 provide the earliest written references of the game of poker. This game was referred by him as the ‘cheating game’. But on realizing that his writing was the only written evidence of this game, he decided to name it ‘poker’. However, the origin of the word ‘poker’ is contradictory. The word poker is derived either from French ‘poque’ or the German ‘pochen’. It is often believed that it may be derived from the Indian word ‘pukka’. It is also believed that the word poker is derived from the slang word ‘poke’ which is generally a term used for pickpockets. Even though the origin of poker is uncertain this one of the most poplar card game in this world.

The present poker scene is dominated by three games which are the 5 card draw, the 7 card stud and the Texas Hold ‘Em. The most prestigious event of the game of poker that attracts players from different parts of the world is the World Series of Poker. Poker is a simple game that has and will continue to attract players. By playing poker people have and will continue to win money.

If you want to learn to play poker visit WassOnline, a fantastic poker community that I mentioned before.

A Weekend of Poker Fun

Hey All,

Enjoying the nice weather in the sunny Midlands for a change :)
Not too much has happened this weekend, had a nice steak while watching the match, quite impressed with the squads performance's this time but I think they still need to pull their socks up. As usual Owen is so hit and miss (literally) I just don't think we can rely on him but with all our other strikers out what can we do? Still had a nice bet on England winning the three games :)

Anyway back to the blog subject! I had my mates over for the footie and we carried on with some poker afterwards. Quite an interesting few games. I didn't come out the winner this time as I lost going all in on a full house but my friend had a better one :( Just goes to show you that no matter how good your hand it can be beaten (except in a few circumstances). Hope you guys learn from my lesson :)

We also had quite a lot of fun playing new market, a betting game that involves choosing "horse" and trying to get rid of all your cards and play the "horse" cards :) I will work on getting you a full rules list for those who don't know how to play. If you don't know how to play texas holdem poker though you can learn to play poker here.

Good luck, have a nice week guys.

A Cheerful Google News Mail

Hello All,

My first official post :)
I subscribe to a google news feed for my chosen hobby (as everyone should) and was happy to see one of my favorite poker community sites featured!
WassOnline.com recently relaunched their site/community and had put out a press release, they had even quoted some of the members i speak to on a daily basis, it was quite a buzz, kinda like seeing your mum on the local news :) I wasn't personally quoted but maybe next time my words of wisdom can go flying around to the thousand corners of the internet. You can find the press release here.

I also went to see a house today, i'm looking for a bigger place. Ended up being really disappointed as it was a lovely shaped house, nice rooms etc but very badly kept. Never mind hopefully I will see a new one soon.

Welcome!

Welcome Everyone!

This is my blog devoted to my life, my hobbies and above all else online gambling!

To introduce myself here is a brief history :)

Name: Frank Woodford
Born: 1969, England
Now In: Nottingham, England
Married: Yes with one son

Childhood: I grew up in the mining town of Warsop, it's fairly small (especially from a worldwide perspective) and there wasn't that much to do but it does have some nice places to run around and the town of Mansfield is a short bus ride or long walk away when I needed some shops to spend my hard earned cash on.
My dad was a typical miner, often working very early to very late but he still found plenty of time at the weekend to do some Father/Son stuff. I have a little sister which meant very often in my younger years my Dad and I went out of the house on a saturday to leave the girls together.

This would often entail a trip to the local bookies with my Dad and his friend David. They would have small bets (usually on opposite results!) as a past time and to hopefully boost the samll amount of disposable income they had. Football and Horse racing were their main vices and we spent many hours shooting at the radio and cursing referees we never saw. On a few special occations (such as my birthday) we took trips to local premiership side (although not anymore!) Nottingham Forest to watch one of the games. These were lots of fun and I often had lots of bets with my Dad about the out come of such events.

I think the big step that really got me into gambling was an event when I was around 11. As a treat I was often allowed to choose one horse in the Grand National and my Dad would put a very small bet on for me once I had chosen a horse from the paper. This particular year I had seen a horse that drew my eye almost as soon as I opened the tabloid he was dressed in blue with white stars and reminded me of the american flag. He was a bit of an outsider (30:1) but he managed to pull of the win and when my Dad came home with my winnings it was one of the funnest moments of my life.

Since I was old enough to bet I have placed small (not dangerous) bets on different sporting occations and along the way discovered something which gives me even more pleasure than normal betting. Poker.

It seemed poker smashed in popularity in the UK in the 90's and then again to an even higher extend in the early 2000's (probably due to growing internet popularity). I learnt to play as a student and I had many great nights playing for beers and bags of crisps or even slices of cold pizza!

There is lots more to my story but thats more than enough!
I will be updating soon with tips, tutorials and general chat, feel free to comment and suggest any sites that offer similar services or contact me directly if you want a review :)

-Frank