Monday, 29 September 2008

Online vs Live Poker Play

There are differences between live and online poker. Each day the number of poker players is increasing. The game has changed significantly since the online version was introduced and the popularity of the version is on the rise always. However, nothing much has been contributed to the online poker game and so, the game is still in its growth period, as far as online poker is concerned.

The games don’t have many differences though. If you are good in a casino or at live poker, then you will find online poker pretty much the same and can easily win if you get used to just a few differences and with the use of software instead of live cards. In both the games, you will need good cards which will give you an edge over your opponents and of course you don’t have to ‘tilt’, whether it is the online game of the live poker. If you are a beginner, whether you are playing the online poker or the live poker, you should always stick to your ‘level’ and if you are advanced enough then you can play at your earned level in both versions of the poker.

But having said that, there are differences especially with the strategy. First, when you consider the fact that in live poker you can only play one table and not six as it is possible with online poker and that it is easier to ‘read’ the people in live poker, then for sure you will approach the game differently. The online games are more involving and need more concentration than the live games. The live games are quite passive and so here, the player will be quickly compelled to limp at any position; but if the tables haven’t been raised already, and he limps with any reasonable hand. If you are playing the online game, the tendency is to play more hands. However, in the process the players might make mistakes on the amount to bet.

As mentioned earlier, the online game needs more planning and concentration since you can’t see the players you are playing with, to read them. The game therefore becomes tighter than the live game and so it is advised that one should opt for ‘open rising’ if you want to opt for stealing blinds and also in setting up a heads up pot. When this is done, you then go on firing bets and lead in betting to make good profits. In the live game, it is better to start with a limp go on getting money from there, taking advantage of the ignorance about size pots. (continue reading &aquo;)

Monday, 21 April 2008

Mastering The Art Of Slow Play In Poker

Hey Guys!

Sorry it's been a while since i've blogged :) Lots of stuff going on.
How was everyone in the merry month of March? The UK was a little wet and miserable but I soldiered through, came out with a cold though :( I hate them.

Got another article prepared, I have a few tbh so the next week or so will see more frequent updates. This one is about a special poker technique known as slow play. Hope you find it useful and remember if you need more help visit wassonline to learn to play poker

If you happen to acquire the expertise to slow play in poker, you will prove to be a formidable foe to your fellow players and will be able to cripple them adding their chip stacks to your own. The term slow playing denotes a style of poker playing, in which there is a display of weakness when in fact your hand after the flop is exceptionally strong. If the flop is an off suit 8-6-K and you hold pocket sixes, it gives you an excellent opportunity of slow play as the flop eliminates a flush draw and also makes straight draws highly unlikely.

With such a hand and flop, you let your opponents do the betting as you put on an act of silence, simply calling when they bet. Aggressive players are very much in the habit of betting when no one else does and the slow playing strategy will work best against such players. As you remain disciplined continuing your play acting, you can rest easy that no scare card will pop up on the turn and you can check-call again. Your time to raise or check raise comes when your opponent bets on the river. This presents an opportunity to extract some more chips from his pile.

However, this is not the proper strategy to pursue at every favorable flop or each time you happen to ‘flop’ a set. Your opponents are also intelligent players and would be doing their own analysis and betting as per their own strategies. When you raise pre-flop, they may become suspicious if you check later, although at a weak table you might just be able to get away with it. With strong players at the table you need to analyze the flop carefully and determine what sort of draws are possible on the existing board and what cards can your opponents hold that could result in those draws. You first need to watch out for flush draws which may be a possibility if there are two or three suited cards on the board. Then examine the possibilities of straight draws. Either of these draws makes slow playing undesirable. However, you can try it on a flop, and if a scare card comes upon the turn, you can examine if your set is still good and increase your speed.

When slow playing, you need not be scared because you only slow play when you have a monster hand! Therefore, just play cautiously keeping close watch for draws and let your opponents chase them. Slow playing may not be suitable against conservative players, but if there are super aggressive ones on the table, it may be the ideal style of poker for you.

Monday, 18 February 2008

Online Gambling 101: Baccarat

Online gambling offers gamblers an option of gambling that has as its inherent properties the comfort of home and the ability to play whenever and wherever you want. All you need is a bit of luck, time and the appropriate software.

Online gambling has now become a vital part of the online gaming industry and the truth is that a number of online casinos are in fact bankrolled by the bigger land casinos. Of course you can’t believe everything that you read and so you need to be very careful when you go gambling on the online casinos.

Today I’m going to give you some interesting facts about the various online casino games. Let’s start with Baccarat. Now what is baccarat and how its played is something that if you’re reading this article should be pretty clear to you and so if you don’t know then I’m going to have to assume that you are a beginner and you need to get rid off the wetness behind your ears before you enter online casinos.

Baccarat was one of the first games that began to contribute to the revenue shares of eth online gaming casinos and was the game that people first experimented with in the early days of online casinos.

You had to be truly adventurous to try and experiment with some thing else. What many people don’t know is that Baccarat is a online gambling game that has its origins in the fourth century. Baccarat like a number of other things was given to us by the Chinese who invented almost every good thing before they turned their attention to simply contributing to their economy.

The Chinese used to play a gem with tiles called “Pa’i Gow.” This word means make a nine in Chinese which of course is the goal of Baccarat. So the next time that you play Baccarat think of the Chinese and remember to thank them for all that they have given you.

Monday, 4 February 2008

A Big Week

Hello Everyone,

How was your start to Febuary? I am pretty tired but I have been building stuff most of the weekend for my new house, we are looking to move in once the heating is fixed this weekend so i'll be a lot more active once i am settled down and not living between 2 points 5 miles apart.
Anyway, believe it or not the sun is out again in England, it's freezing cold but at least it's trying :)
We are making the most of it in the office today, all the blinds are open and it's beaming in. Defiantly making me a little happier.

Today's article is about free roll poker, hope you enjoy it :) I am starting a new article series soon so any ideas on what you want to see will gladly be taken into account, leave a comment and i'll get back to you. In the mean time you may want to learn to play poker variations such as Omaha or Stud as I am going to write a little about them in the future.

Among the different card games, poker has become well known in different parts of the world. This game has gained popularity because it is both fast-paced and easily accessible on the internet. It is no big deal to play online poker. A player can start playing simply by logging into any of the different online poker sites. There are certain sites where the possibility of losing money by playing poker is zero. No entry fee is charged for playing them. These games are called ‘Free roll poker’.

Everyday free roll poker is played by many people and the risk of losing money is zero. Besides, people can win money by using the added bonus. The players can improve themselves and also get ready for bigger tournaments because the risk factor is zero. Many casinos give this opportunity either as rewards to old players or to attract new players. A particular site often as a reward invites the players who play consistently on that site to play free roll poker games. New players are also invited by certain sites to play free roll poker games. The negative aspect of free roll poker is that the prize offered may be as less as $50. However, an experienced player can take part in free roll poker where the prize money goes as high as six figure range. So the more a player plays online, he gets more offers to play free roll poker.

A player should have full knowledge of the policies of online casino before joining a free roll tournament. In order to be offered a free roll poker generally a player has to play a minimum of 50-100 hands of normal online poker. Or else the player for a month must be among the top players in real poker. A person if consistently plays free roll poker, he can participate in the World Series of Poker which in the poker calendar is the most prestigious event. A player can even get an opportunity to easily enter into other high profile tournaments. So a player should not be discouraged from playing free roll poker because of the ‘no-entry-fee’ tag. The incentive that is offered is not less if a player plays a good hand.

Free roll poker games are preferred by People desiring to enjoy and practice the game with no risk of money. So start playing by logging in now.

Tuesday, 29 January 2008

Latest Poker Game

Hey Everyone,

Hope you are doing OK. Not got much for you today, no articles or anything but I have got an interesting poker summary for you.

Played a game at the weekend, 6 players all friends but we had a great night and some really tough hands, a few are below let me know if you think you would have played any differently.

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Smith posts the small blind of $100
Frank (me) posts the big blind of $200
---Hole Cards---
Emily raises to $300
Matt calls $300
Rob calls $300
Smith calls $300
Frank (me) raises to $500
Emily folds
Matt folds
Rob raises to $800

Smith calls $800
Frank (me) calls $800

--Pot Limit Hit at this Point ($800)---


Rob shows 3
5
Smith shows 5
4
Frank (me) shows A
A
---Flop--- T
K 4
---Turn--- T
K 4 6
---River--- T
K 4 6 2
Rob shows a straight, Six high
Smith shows a pair of Fours
Frank (me) shows a pair of Aces
Rob wins the pot with a straight, Six high

Later On

Frank (me) posts the small blind of $50
Phil posts the big blind of $100
---Hole Cards---
Frank (me) raises to $300
Smith calls $200
Phil calls $200
Matt folds
Rob folds
Emily folds
---Flop--- A
3 4
Smith checks
Frank (me) checks
Phil checks
---Turn--- A
3 4 7
Smith bets $400
Frank (me) raises to $1200
Smith calls $800
Phil Folds

---River--- A 3 4 7 9
Smith checks
Frank (me) bets $1400
Smith calls $1400
Final Show Down
Frank (me) shows 5
J a flush, Ace high
Smith folds
Frank (me) wins the pot with a flush, Ace high

---


Tuesday, 22 January 2008

Online Poker Bonuses

Hey Bloggers,

How are you all today?

I am busy busy busy in this new year and the good old English weather is making it as uncomfortable as possible. I shouldn't complain though, I for one *touch wood* am avoiding the floods at the moment and my heart goes out to those who have had to leave their homes again.

Today's post is the last one fo the mini articles I had prepared for you! Hard to believe I have completed a series of ten already. Hope you have been enjoying them and this last one looks at online poker bonuses.

There is a massive range of online poker bonuses and hopefully this information will help you narrow it all down and make sense of it so you can choose the best room available. If you want to find more about online poker be sure to check out me favorite poker forum, the people there are pro's and many will have the most up to date advice on where to and where not to play online poker.

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Almost every casino offers bonuses, incentives and comps to players so that they keep coming back, but unfortunately, these are offered only to the so called high rollers. However, it is not the same now because there are sites offering online poker bonuses to players who play good cards. Players can start to receive such bonuses the moment they sign up to become a member of any such website. For instance, the very first online poker bonus for the players would be a cash amount that will be an addition to their initial deposit made on the account on that site. This means that there is more cash to start playing with. Once a player starts gambling on that site, he or she can enjoy more bonuses for online poker. This includes special prizes that are given every day along with free entries to tournaments, with more money or other special tournament opportunities.

Online poker bonus is one of the most important reasons why so many people are indulging in the online poker rooms. Internet poker rooms provide the convenience to play from the comfort of the house and players have secured accounts, with winnings paid to the players promptly. As far as games are concerned there are a lot of gaming options available for the players and they can enter any tournament they want to. They can either play for low stakes or high stakes. Online poker room offers convenience, exciting games, tournaments and great bonuses.

If you want to become eligible for online poker bonus, first you need to sign up with a poker website. Different websites offer different bonuses. Before you become a member of any site make sure that the bonus offered is beneficial. Follow the rules of the site so that you can receive your bonus.

Monday, 14 January 2008

Poker Freerolls

Welcome back everyone,

Hope you are all OK. I have had an interesting first few weeks of 2008 with working extensively on my house, a big pain and a lot of hard work as I have to work in the fay then go home and work on the house at night. I'm pretty tired atm and I will be just be happy to move in and get it over with.

Not managed to play any poker on account of being swamped with work to do but when the house is done I will be in a much better position for poker playing and will likely have my mates around again for a few poker tournaments.

I have another mini-article for you today, the series is actually drawing ti a close now so I will be going back to writing full length articles for you all. Todays subject is poker free rolls, they are a special kind of tournament hosted by online casinos and poker rooms where there is a cash prize but no entry fee.

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Poker freerolls can be the best method of experiencing online poker without losing money. It is like a tournament where no entry fee is required. It is a free Texas Hold’em poker tournament that offers cash prizes. For participation some freerolls have a requirement of “player points”, while some require the player to make a deposit with that specific poker room. As far as winning free money is concerned, freeroll poker tournament has become very popular among the online poker players.

It is not necessary to invest money to play this tournament. The best thing about such tournaments is that the moment a player signs up in order to become a member; he or she can start playing the game even before any deposit is made. Players can choose from plenty of poker freerolls. Daily poker freerolls are provided by most of the major poker sites on the Internet, so that the players can enjoy several poker games on a daily basis.

There is a lot of variation in the standard of competition that is found among the freerolls. Good players can be found in some of the big freerolls and such games are not easy to win. Mostly the top players do not get attracted by the online poker freerolls because the money as prize is not enough to make them sit for three hours and play.

Freerolls are hosted by most of the poker sites and players can easily win cash prizes without making any sort of investment. Prize is put up for the top finishers and anyone can join these tournaments. The range of such cash prizes can be from 50 dollars to 5000 dollars. Freeroll is the solution for all the players who are not comfortable playing for real money and do not have the financial backing to cover any sort of loss.

Tuesday, 8 January 2008

Poker Freerolls

Hello Everyone,

Hope you are well. I am still in the in between stage of having a cold and being healthy and getting pretty fed up of it all. Far too many headaches and sleepless nights recently and i'm struggling to catchup up. Never mind though you have to walk through these things. Some good news out of the gambling field to start with, it seems that Germanies aggressive move against online gambling is being largely ignored by the EU and it's fellow members. This means the countrys citizens may only need to hang on a few weeks longer before they can so what they want again.

I am crossing my fingers for you guys!

Today's article is one of the last parts of the mini-article series and is about poker freerolls, it discusses what they are and why they are useful as well as some tips for winning.

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Poker freerolls can be the best method of experiencing online poker without losing money. It is like a tournament where no entry fee is required. It is a free Texas Hold’em poker tournament that offers cash prizes. For participation some freerolls have a requirement of “player points”, while some require the player to make a deposit with that specific poker room.

As far as winning free money is concerned, freeroll poker tournament has become very popular among the online poker players. It is not necessary to invest money to play this tournament. The best thing about such tournaments is that the moment a player signs up in order to become a member; he or she can start playing the game even before any deposit is made. Players can choose from plenty of poker freerolls. Daily poker freerolls are provided by most of the major poker sites on the Internet, so that the players can enjoy several poker games on a daily basis.

There is a lot of variation in the standard of competition that is found among the freerolls. Good players can be found in some of the big freerolls and such games are not easy to win. Mostly the top players do not get attracted by the online poker freerolls because the money as prize is not enough to make them sit for three hours and play.

Freerolls are hosted by most of the poker sites and players can easily win cash prizes without making any sort of investment. Prize is put up for the top finishers and anyone can join these tournaments. The range of such cash prizes can be from 50 dollars to 5000 dollars. Freeroll is the solution for all the players who are not comfortable playing for real money and do not have the financial backing to cover any sort of loss.

Friday, 4 January 2008

Poker Table Selection

Hey Everyone!

Hope you had a good new year. Mine was a lot of fun and I was glad of some time off work, a good drink and some fun company. Saw the new year in with a house party, lots of fun and definitely better than cramming into a pub. We also got a few game sof poker going although it wasn't one of my better nights. We didn't finish completely but at the end we counted chips and I was 3rd. I had a lot of pocket pairs that turned intro nothing that night :(

Got another mini-article update ready for you all, this one is about the fine skill of choosing a poker table in a casino. It's only short so you should be able to read it now :) If you want more advice about playing poker for real in casinos then visit wassonline.com and check out their poker forum.

Poker is a very popular game in the U.S. that calls for skill and good luck, along with special tact to deal with both wins and loses. Poker became popular in the last two years. You can play poker by hiding the cards, either partially or completely, which are then gambled into a main pot. Ultimately, the player who gets the best cards or makes an uncalled bet is awarded that pot. It is one of the most fun-filled games where the thrill of bluffing makes the game all the more interesting.

It is believed that the world’s tenth best poker player is likely to lose money if he would play only with the nine better players. Selecting a poker table is one of the most difficult tasks, which is considered to be as important as selecting hands to play. Moreover, profits in poker usually come when opponents make mistakes. So, it really helps to select the tables with the weakest opponents, no matter what game and limits you plan to play. Some of the tips that can help you to select the right poker tables are as follows:

• Almost every online poker websites display statistics on the percentage of players who can see every flop in the main lobby area. Try to find for the tables that have the highest percentage. 35% and above is considered to be good. It is observed that strong players face considerably less flops.
• Online poker rooms display an average pot size. Try to search for a considerably larger pot size, to get paid off as soon as you hit a big hand. Large pots along with a large percentage of players seeing the flop is considered to be ideal.
• As soon as you identify certain target tables, try to look at the stack sizes of opponents who are already seated. In case there are over 2 short stacks, it may be essential to search for another table. Short stacks are often known to make playing post-flop very difficult.