Thursday 22 January 2009

Time to get serious folks

Ok folks, it's time to stand up and be counted!

Are you happy playing poker online as a hobby? Great, if you are then this article may not be for you but humour me for 5 minutes and you won't be disappointed!

If you want to stake your claim at trying to generate a nice income or even become one of the online elite, then read on as I have some great news for you!

What if I were to tell you that there was a way to get FREE $50 (or even $150) of real money as starting capital towards your online poker playing!

Sound too good? It probably does, but I can GUARANTEE you that there is a group out there that offers this - and MORE!

If you want to skip straight to it and see it for yourself, go here.

If you need some more justification, then feel free to read on - I PROMISE you won't be disappointed.

In my opinion, the 3 most important things you need to be a poker player are patience, timing and possibly most importantly a sensible head.

If you take me as a real example, I started playing poker about April last year. Started on the 1cent/2cent tables and learned the game from there.

I now play comfortably (meaning I am not risking my entire bankroll and sanity) on the $5/$10 tables where the average pot is about $90-$120!

So for example, you take $200 to the table, win a few hands and leave with....say £350-$400, effectively doubling up on what you took to the table in the first place.

And this can happen in as little as 50 hands, but not always.

When it comes to poker, playing without a poker strategy is like randomly betting on a roulette table, sometimes a miracle can happen and you can win money. Eventually though, your luck will run out and you will end up with nothing in your bankroll (disaster).

But it doesn't have to be that way!

Learning and playing poker on the lower levels with a correct strategy enables you to steadily build your bankroll, the bigger your bankroll the higher up the stakes you can go, let me show you what I mean by a sensible strategy;

Start off with $50 in your bankroll (remember, the $50 is completely free so you've nothing to lose)

Play the low end tables which have blinds of $0.10 and $0.20 until your bankroll is up to about $90-$100 dollars (much easier than you think)

Then you can play a level up on the $0.15 and $0.30 tables (doesn't seem like much, but bear with me:)

With proper poker strategy and patience, you can easily get up to $150, once at this point, this is where the fun begins and the serious wins start!

NOW, with your $150 move up to the middle stakes tables $0.25 and $0.50 (this is where big changes are noticed on your bankroll)

When you get up to $300-$320, you can move up to the $0.50 and $1 (Yup, you're climbing the ranks well!)

And so on and so forth.

You won't win every hand you play, but trust me, with a poker strategy, timing and patience, you will comfortably move up the ranks faster than you might think!

NOW, if you're still with me on this article I have great news for you!

You can learn proven poker strategies, get tips, have access to a member forum and the ability to have hands evaluated by joining one of the worlds best poker strategy sites, and they will even throw in $50 (or even $150) to get you started.

These guys are SERIOUS about educating you so you CAN become a good if not great poker player. Again all it takes is patience, strategy and time.

I hope you have found this article fun and informative and wish you all the best of luck in your online poker playing, whether you choose to continue it as a hobby or start playing with the big boys!

Best of luck, and see you at the tables!

Paul has been playing poker online as a semi-professional and is well respected in the UK poker community. He has claimed top spot in 6 major tournaments last year and finished in the money in most of the touraments he has played online. He is also a ruthless player on the cash tables and plays alongside some of the UKs biggest high-rollers.

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Tuesday 20 January 2009

Can You Make Money Playing Online Poker?

A lot of people have become interested in playing online poker because of the popularity of the television programming that has featured this game. This is the reason that some people have decided to get in on the games to see if they have what it takes to win at online poker games. In the beginning, it is a fun way to relax in the evening and have a bit of fun. You might find that in the beginning you lose a little bit as you make your way around the sites learning all you can about playing poker online.

Eventually if you pay attention to what is going on at the tables, you will realize that there is money to be made by following some of the rules of poker. It is recommended that you get some information on the game and read as much as you can on poker strategy. You will begin to see your study pay off when you begin to win some hands and tournaments.

One of the most valuable things that you will learn about playing poker online is to wait for the good hands. Too many players try to win on every hand that they get. This is a strategy that will get you nowhere but broke fast. You should hold back until you have the good hands and then bet them aggressively. It is this type of player that makes money at online poker. Raise big on the good hands and hold back on the losers.

Psychology is a big part of online poker so don't let the other players push you around. There will be some very aggressive players online with you and it is important that you don't let them push you into playing hands that you know you shouldn't. Patience is the key to winning big with online poker.

The online poker players who play their hands in a smart way are the ones that walk away with the big pots. Read as much as you can on online poker strategy and put into practice what you have learned. There are some wonderful books that have been written about poker strategy that will serve you well, but only if you practice what you read.

You will find that online poker is a fun and enjoyable way to spend an evening. But even more than that, it can become a passion that actually puts money in your pocket if you are playing with a real strategy. As always, don't bet the rent money in online poker. Only play what you can afford to lose.





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Texas Hold'em - Player Stereotypes

If you're a tight Texas Hold'em player, you won't be playing many hands. Don't waste your idle time watching TV or daydreaming; put that time to use by studying the style of the other players and capitalizing on what you learn.

According to Lee Jones in his excellent book, Winning Low Limit Hold'em, you can identify four different types of opponents. The first type calls all the time. He confidently believes that any two cards can win, and doesn't want to be out of the action if his hand could turn into a big winner. A large percentage of players at low limit hold'em fall into this category, and that's a good thing for the rest of us. Once in a while they'll get that miracle they are hoping for and will beat us, but most of the time they'll steadily toss chips into the pot in losing causes. The important thing to remember is not to try to bluff these players; it simply won't work. They keep on calling no matter what. Jones labels these players as "calling stations" or loose-passive players.

The next type is the loose-aggressive player. He also likes to play a lot, but he's not satisfied with just calling, he prefers to raise even with marginal hands. He wants to gamble and loves to bluff. He plays too many hands of little or no value, and will bluff his way to winning some pots, but eventually he'll lose all his chips. If you have a good hand, you can sit back and relax because this player will do all the betting for you. If you have two or more of these at your table, pots can become very large, but you must be careful to stay in only with excellent hands. When the pots are large, your risk gets large also.

The "rock" is the type of player who has played many hands and knows which are the good ones. He waits for two big (high) cards and then bets them. He doesn't like to gamble on speculative hands or throw his money around. You won't win much money from this type but on the plus side he's very predictable.

You should try to be the fourth type: tight-aggressive. This is the solid player, who won't be playing many hands, but takes control when he does play. He takes advantage of all the strategies open to him: checkraising where appropriate, laying back to get a free card, playing errorless poker, and capitalizing on his opponents errors. You like to be the only player of this type at the table; however if there are too many of this type at your table, pack up and find another table.

Watch about 20 hands before you sit down to play. Notice the types of players at the table. Also notice what cards each player shows after the showdown and notice what they don't show. For example, if the winning hand is top pair and the other player throws his hand away you have a fix on what he could have been holding. Gather information which will be useful to you and use it to help you win.

One last word of advice: be alert for players who change their style of play for no reason. They are dangerous since you never know what they are doing.

Visit my website for more about Texas Hold'em.

Joseph Starr ended his formal education when he earned a Ph.D. in finance and accounting. He taught business, economics, and computer subjects at the college level for 30 years and is now retired. He writes on a variety of subjects to keep his brain from fogging over. Visit his website http://allaboutcasinogambling.com to read all about popular casino games and strategies.