There are some basic starting hands that are the “ultimate” hands in Texas Hold’em. These hands include pocket pairs, which are any pair. The best of which are aces. Getting a starting hand of 2 aces is the best hand in the game. The reason for this is, when the flop and river come, even if nobody on the table gets anything but a pair, you still win. In addition, nobody can have a higher pair than you.

The fact that this hand is the best hand would make everyone think that this hand should be used at all times and you should bet all you’re money in. This is not correct thinking. First of all, when you get this hand, you don’t want to bet too much money at first because you will cause anyone who knows even a little strategy to fold causing you to lose out on a few more bets. One of the people that you caused to fold might have thought that they had the better hand with a pair of kings and raised for you, which would have meant more money for the pot. You want to keep that pot as large as possible and you want to cause as many people as possible to lose.

This can easily be done by luring them out. Luring out players is very simple to do. If you have a semi-decent hand that you are sure can win, try not to cause you’re opponents to fold by betting low. Think of it as a backwards bluff. You bet lower then what you’re cards are worth to create a safe feeling for you’re opponents. Then when the flop is down, you can start to raise and finally with the few people left you can go all in and try to eliminate someone while giving yourself the top position.

In a tournament, is it more important to you that you win or is it more important to you that you can stay in the game and try and win in any place and receive a prize. In my opinion, its more important that I get into any place rather then not place at all. Lets take this into what I wanted to discuss, which is sacrificing great hands for survival. Imagine that you had a pocket pair and you folded. You would never do that right, that would be an impossible reaction to a 2 aces. What if I told you that it would be wiser to throw them away?

If you where in a game with 6 people left,

• Player1 – $210
• Player2 – $156
• Player3 – $90
• you – $70
• Player5 – $30
• Player6 – $18

These are the current statistics of the game and you have just received 2 aces.

You would want to go all in and take player 5 and player 6’s money right? Well chances are if you go all in, they would fold, thus causing you to lose out on there bets. They know that you probably have a great hand and you will win, so they fold. Now there still in the game and you have a chance, at this point, of losing with nothing in with the next hand and you probably made only a minimum win with the aces.

If you folded then what? That would have made a much greater impact if you think about it. If the players with more money in the top spot decided to bet $20 or $40, players 5 and 6 would be out if they lost. You would still be in at this point with $70. If the next bet went up to $90 player 3 would be out to if he lost. Now if instead of going all in with the aces which would have won, you folded, you would still be in the game and in the number 3 spot entitling you to the third prize if you lose right there. Of course you have almost no money left and might lose unless you get another good hand. This is better then getting a small gain and possibly losing in without gaining 3rd place thus getting no prize and losing all money.

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The Original Post is Located Here: Texas Hold’em; Folding With Any Hand

When we are referring to pot odds we are actually talking about a crucial element in the game of poker. The pot odds are determined by evaluating the size of the pot and the bet that is about to be made. Let’s take a little example for clarification purposes:

The size of the pot is $20 and a bet of $5 has been made and now you are about to call it. The pot odds in this case will be 20/5, that means odds of 4:1. If the call would be done for $10 instead of $5, then you would get pot odds of 2:1. Generally, the pot odds are identified by dividing the size of the pot to the amount of the bet when all bets of the round are equal.

The size of the pot

You must always be aware of the size of the pot if you are planning to calculate the pot odds. When playing in a Limit room, the odds will also depend on the numbers of the bets in the pot, instead of the actual amount of the pot.

For double bets like some games of hold’em have when on the river you will count twice, that means two small bets for each double bet. If the limit is put only on the pot or if you are playing no-limit hold’em, then the amount of bets is a little harder to calculate and the resulting pot-odds will be more as a guideline than as exact facts, but you still have to try and calculate them at all times.

Using pot odds

In order to use the pot odds, you first have to know them for your game. After you calculated your pot odds, they must be evaluated in a direct connection to the value of the cards you are holding. This includes evaluating the hands of the other players too, and making a plan or a statistic of the outcome of your own hand, calculating the chances you can get to have the best hand in the game.

Let’s say you are playing hold’em and are currently on the flop, having a flush draw. Your opponent is most likely to have at least a high pair. The cards you should concentrate on are the outs, the nine cards that can give you a flush once you already can see four of the cards that will be used in your flush. The chances to get the card you need on the turn or on the river are of about 35%, or 1:2 for you, so in order to be sure you are making the right choice, your calls on the flop should be made only if they are based on 2:1 pot odds.

The implied odds

The term of implied odds asks for a calculation of the pot you are most likely to win if you do win. The implied odds are relative and dependent on the evaluation that you provide the game with. They are the relation between the actual size of the pot and the expected final size of it.

Let’s consider one player bets in a limit game $5 and the pot is $20, so if you call your implied pot odds would be of 5:1 because you are betting a fifth of the expected winning. This is where we should tell if your opponent is either going to call or raise later on the game. Then the implied odds can get to 6:1 or 8:1 depending on the future bets that you must predict.

I hope this helps you better understand calculating pot odds and why it is important to help you become a winning poker player

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The Original Post is Located Here: Poker Pot Odds: Why They’re Vital If You Want To Be A Winning Player

The best hands for a beginning Texas holdem poker player to play are:

• Ace-Ace
• King-King
• Queen-Queen
• Jack-Jack
• Ace-King suited (example – Ace of clubs & King of clubs).

I strongly recommend that you only play these starting hands as a beginner.  In other words, if you are dealt a hand other than one of the above then fold! 

Folding is one of the most difficult decisions for a Texas Holdem Poker beginner to do.  The mindset of most Texas Holdem Poker beginners is to hang around and see the flop in the hopes of hitting it just right and improving a hand.

While a beginner will hit the flop and improve their hand occasionally, more often than not they will miss it.  The Texas Holdem Poker beginner player that plays poor starting hands will end up throwing more money away than they will win.

When you are dealt one of the best starting hands I recommend raising the pot which will serve two purposes.  First, it will force players with weak hands to fold instead of allowing them to stay in the game and see the flop for free.

Secondly, by seeing who raises and calls you get to see who feels that they have a good hand and who may be trying to hang in for the flop.

When the flop is dealt you should look carefully to see if you have improved your hand.  Even if you have not improved your hand, because you started out with one of the better hands you may still have the best hand.  This is especially true if your starting hand was a pair of aces or kings.

If your opponents raise back, this can be a strong signal that they may have a powerful hand.  Ask yourself, “What could my opponent have?” “Could they have improved their hand?” 

Ask yourself these questions after each round of cards are dealt and try to “read” your opponents hand.

If you have a high pair, a raise after the flop can help you assess whether your opponents feel if they have a strong hand or not.

If you think you are beaten there is no shame in folding at this point. 

When the turn card has been revealed, if you think that you may still have the best hand I would raise the pot so that I could obtain information about my opponents’ hands.

I would follow this same strategy on the river card.

To summarize this basic Texas Holdem Poker beginner strategy:

• stick to playing the best starting hands
• fold the bad hands
• use the power of the raise to knock out weak players and to assess the strength of your opponents hands

By following this Texas Holdem Poker beginner strategy you will start out winning more hands than you lose.  You will start out winning more money than you will lose.

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The Original Post is Located Here: A Quick and Easy Texas Holdem Poker Lesson for Beginners

Here are 9 golden tips on how to ease your transition from playing online to playing in live poker tournaments.

1) If you have difficulty facing pressure in daily life, do not think that playing in front of watchful eyes and a roomful of people will have no effect on you. If you are very easily moved and influenced, I suggest you keep your money and forget about playing in live poker tournaments at all and this is relevant even more when talking about a live poker tournament.

2) Wear comfortable and not fashionable clothes. This is not a fashion show: this is poker. Thus, wear those clothes that will help you feel comfortable and at ease. I have known a woman who wore tight jeans and then all through the round, she kept fidgeting uncomfortably. Regardless to say, she was the first one to lose and all because she was dressed uncomfortably.

3) Drink only water and even then only a little so that you will not feel thirsty and also will not get the urge to go to the lavatory. Either of the two feelings are disastrous to a poker player in the midst of a hand.

4) Do not drink alcohol or even sugared soft drinks. Alcohol will cause you to lose your concentration and sweet drinks give a false sense of well-being; both will work against you when you play in  live poker tournaments .

5) Do not sit next to the dealer. Most live poker tournaments allow you to pick your seat in the earlier rounds. It is best to sit opposite the dealer so that you will be able to look at each and every poker player.

6) Try not to change positions while playing. If you really begin to feel uncomfortable, change your position after a hand ends. In no circumstance should you move while playing.

7) Go to the toilet when the break is announced and do not hang around talking. It is best to loosen your gall bladder than exchanging a few words with other players.

Watch how others are doing. Those about to lose will opt to play only when they have strong hands; those with a large stack will be more willing to risk it.

9) Learn the rules and regulations of the particular live poker tournaments you have entered so as to save unnecessary losses.

Live poker tournaments are against people and so if you can read people well, you will have an advantage when playing in a tournament. But do not over-estimate your opponents. Many poker pros fall to relatively unknown players because they are over-confident.

So, study the game , think wisely and calmly and you stand a good chance of reaping in the first prize when playing in live poker tournaments.

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The Original Post is Located Here: 9 Sweet Secrets of Live Poker Tournaments

The most important trick for a beginning Poker player to learn is how to “read” the other players. Unless you have an absolutely stellar hand that you are certain will win, then the strategy of reading your opposing players, to help determine what you should do with your own hand, is essential. You should begin by taking a few hands to observe your fellow players. Try to uncover if there are any habits your opponents have that coincide with a good hand or a bluff. Most great players try to conceal anything that could give away their hand, however, there may be very small, almost unnoticeable, things they are unaware of.

Another good way to try and determine what your opponent may have is by his verbal skills. He may try to distract you from your own hand by carrying on a meaningless conversation or taunting you when he is trying to bluff, be almost silent when he has a great hand, or over-acting like he has a outstanding hand when he actually has nothing. After a few hands, you may be able to decipher any patterns that your opposing players may have.

As you try to read your fellow Poker players keep in mind that they are probably trying to read you as well. Therefore, it is a good idea to try and not develop any noticeable patterns of your own. When playing with close friends, ask if there is anything you may do and are unaware of that could possibly give away your hand. Sometimes even something as little as an eyelid flutter can give devoted and observant opponents the advantage.

If trying to read your opponents doesn’t work out in the beginning, don’t get discouraged! The more you practice reading other players, the easier it will get. With each game of Poker that you play, you will be able to hone all of your skills and strategies until you are a true Poker master and, eventually, you may be ready to enter into the “World Series of Poker” yourself.

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The Original Post is Located Here: Poker Strategies – Reading Your Opponent

Caribbean Stud Poker is variation on the standard five-card poker that can be found both in brick and mortar casinos and online. Here is a brief rundown on how the game is played. Each player starts by making a wager with the option to make an additional wager on the progressive side.

In Caribbean Stud Poker the player can make a side bet of $1 that pays out for hands of a flush or better. Payoff tables vary but always feature a progressive jackpot that pays the whole jackpot for a royal flush and 10% for a straight flush. If two players had a royal flush in the same hand the player closest to the dealer’s right wins the jackpot and the second wins whatever the jackpot is dropped to. In most casinos, the second jackpot is $10,000. This is done because the order of play is from the dealer’s right to left. If two players score a straight flush, the player to the dealer’s right gets 10% of the jackpot and the other player gets 10% of what is left over.

While it may seem like a good investment to lay down one dollar in the chance of winning over ten thousand the chances are stacked very high that you will never see your dollar again.

Players are then dealt five cards each, as is the dealer. All cards are dealt face down with the exception of one of the dealer’s cards that is dealt face up. After checking their cards players must decide to raise or fold as usual for poker games. Players that fold forfeit their cards and all wager placed on the game. To raise a player must wager twice the game ante.

The dealer turns over his remaining cards and compares them with the players. Card ranks are the same as regular poker with the additional condition of the dealer ‘qualifying’. This is where the Caribbean poker comes into it’s own.

The dealer must be showing at least an ace and a king or higher to qualify. If the dealer does not qualify the player wins even money on his ante wager and the raise is pushed. On the other hand if the dealer qualifies he beats the player and both the ante and the raise go to the house. If however the dealer qualifies but still loses to the player, then the ante pays even money and the raise pays according to the house pay table. Pay tables can vary so be sure to check it before you play.

If the player and dealer tie then both the ante and raise are pushed. The progressive side bet is paid out based on the value of the players hand. The pay out tables for the progressive bet can also vary.

Caribbean Stud strategy is complicated and only the most skilled players can apply one. As a general rule though you should always raise if you have a pair or higher and always fold if you have less than the required qualifying hand for the dealer.

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The Original Post is Located Here: How To Play Caribbean Stud Poker

Most poker players who I know just grab the first seat available at the limit they want to play without any thought about their opponents or their playing styles. Though it may not be noticeable right away, this practice can be very costly over time. On the other hand, the best players I know take the time to scout a table for a while before taking a seat to see if there are any players they can take advantage of by choosing the right seat.

By observing the table before playing, even if you aren’t able to sit where you want, you will have gained valuable information about your opponents that they don’t have about you. Here are a few general guidelines for proper seat selection.

As a general rule, you want to sit to the left of any remarkable players. By remarkable, I mean any player who is a maniac, betting and raising at every chance, and players who are very solid. These are the two types of players that can be very dangerous. It won’t make much difference in the long run where you sit in relation to the average players at the table, as if you are a better player than them you will profit from them over the long run.

The reason you want to be to the left of any remarkable players is a matter of position. In the majority of hands you will act behind them so you can control the betting action to some degree and you will have the information gained by their actions before you have to act.

The other type of player that we haven’t mentioned yet is the very poor player, often referred to as a fish. Poor players present an interesting seat selection guideline. First of all, you will tend to make money from them over the long run when you are a better player than they are no matter where you sit. However, beyond that your decision on where to sit is based on the part of the game they are weakest at. If they are calling stations, you want to be on their right. If they were notorious for bluffing at too many hands, you would like to be on their left.

If you are one of the players who does not take the time to observe a table before choosing a seat, make it a habit of watching for a bit before joining the table from now on. You should quickly see an improvement to your bottom line and you will be able to capitalize on the information you gain before playing.

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The Original Post is Located Here: No Limit Texas Holdem Seat Selection

Being able to distinguish the cards of a player would help you to save you’re chips when you have a poor hand and win you the pot when you have an excellent hand. Of course, you can’t see what cards you’re opponents have. The only thing you have is there facial and body expressions. In this guide, I will teach 5 of the finest suggestions on the net. These are wonderful secrets that will help you to win several hands on the table you are playing at.

The tells of a player range from what they do to how they act. You have to look at what you’re opponents are doing AT ALL TIMES. Pay attention to each and every move they make and look for the following signs which will help you win each Texas hold’em game. Read the following 5 suggestions very carefully and please print it out as a reference.

1. The way the a player arranges his chips is one of the first signs you have to look for.

This is a tell that can assist you to identify and classify you’re opponents just before the game begins. Now the secret is whether or not the player keeps there pile of chips neat or messy. If the player keeps there pile neat, 9 times out of 10 that is a tight player. This means that they will not bluff normally and you have to expect that they will call with strong hands. If they have a messy pile of chips, you know that they that are a loose player and you can be positive that they will be bluffing and playing rambunctiously.

2. The way a player moves his chips from his stack to the pot is a certain tell.

If the player throws his chips in nervously and they spill over, and he cleans them up he is bluffing. The reality that he cleans them up means that he is attempting to cover it up. He wants to make sure you wont call so that he can win the pot. This means that you will need to call for the reason that you are competing against a weak hand.

3. Yet another tell that is amazingly obvious but not understood by lots of us is the way an individual will pay and the way they get chips.

If an individual yells to the dealer that he wants chips and he openly waves his cash and is very showy with his cash, he is a loose aggressive player. If the player is quiet and asks for chips politely, you have a conservative tight player.

4. This is an audible tell.

This one you have to listen to carefully due to the fact it is not straightforward to spot for the reason that it’s a noise a player makes. When a player makes a sad sound like a sigh or a tisk sound, they are obviously bluffing. Make certain not to bet for the reason that they, probably, have a strong hand. When a player sees the flop and makes that sad “tisk” sound, it means they are holding a great hand, they are attempting to cover up there happiness.

5. The final tip of the day has to do with the flop.

This is THE MOST Critical TIP; DON’T LOOK AT THE FLOP WHEN IT COMES!

What you want to do is look at the players reactions to the flop. If a player looks away from the flop, they have an excellent hand since they are attempting to keep from looking like they have a great hand. They want to seem uninterested. The players who stare at the flop have a weak hand.

These are top secret poker tells that you can use to assist you on winning cash in any casino. You can most likely take these 5 suggestions and win at any table that has an advanced skill playing level I hope you enjoyed these Texas Hold’em Tells. 

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The Original Post is Located Here: 5 Ultimate Texas Hold’em Tells

The World Series of Poker, or WSOP for short, has set up this tournament with every intention of granting one million dollars to the winner of the 2010 World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions; which was held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in beautiful Las Vegas, Nevada, during the 41st Annual WSOP.

At a press conference, HIE Vice President Ty Stewart expressed his happiness of their ability to make a revamped poker game that could incorporate millions of fans around the world. He went on to explain that the opinions of several players have helped the idea evolve. He, as well as fans and players, hope that the tournament will be here for good.

Only 27 participants would play in the freeroll poker invitational, and seven of them would be dropped after the public votes on their favorite. Voting opened March 15, 2010 and continued until June 15, 2010 precisely at midnight. To qualify, each player had to be a WSOP bracelet-holder. Any living bracelet-holder is eligible, and currently there are 521 players with eligibility.

With three positions guaranteed because previous WSOP TOC winners receive automatic entry, the reigning WSOP champ for both America and Europe got seats at the table, as well. That means that this year Mike Sexton, Barry Shulman, Joe Cada, Mike Matusow, and Annie Duke make up five out of the 27 players for the event.

Tournament Of Champions visitor Annie Duke feels that it is quite an honor to be part of tournaments, especially the Tournament of Champions. She has been quoted happily saying that winning the TOC was one moment in her poker career that she will never forget. She is just one of a few players that are ecstatic about WSOP’s involvement in hosting this event.

Following the count of the votes and the announcement of the 20 players that will move on, play will began on June 27, 2010 at the Rio. Once down to the final nine, they came be back on July 4, 2010 to try and claim their part of $1,000,000 and the 2010 WSOP TOC Champion title.

Those who did not make it this time were able to try again next year. Also, a grand total of 57 sought-after gold bracelets were up for grabs this year, the same as last year.

WSOP is the richest, biggest, and most prestigious gaming event. It has awarded over a billion dollars in prizes and bracelets, which is known worldwide as the sport’s top prize. If you’ve got the talent, the time, and the poker face; why not try for your seat in the next WSOP tournament?

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The Original Post is Located Here: 2010 WSOP Tournament of Champions

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The Original Post is Located Here: Any web designers want to start a poker strategy site with me?