Poker Rules Poker Strategies Play Poker

There are TWO ways to win in poker, one is to improve your game which will definitely take time and a whole lot of practice. Yep, it takes a lot of time, experience learning, introspection and the obvious, HARD WORK.

The other one is MUCH MUCH SIMPLER. The secret to winning in poker? Find bad players. Yep, find players who are worse than you are (if that

Poker is a game of thought, deception, and strategy, so even before I sit down for a tournament, I like to be prepared for anything. There are times when the cards aren’t going to agree with you, and you’ve just got to play through it, but there are also times when you know you’ve got a monster hand and you need to know how to take as much advantage as possible.

One of the first orders of business to attend to when you’re dealt a monster hand is making it known to the rest of the table that you’re holding something worth playing. There are theories that “slow-playing” a monster hand will increase the number of players that will play against you, but in the long run you might not win as much and in Texas Holdem especially, winning one big pot can take you a long way. Also, the cards that are shown off the flop and beyond can hurt you.

Even though monster hands are a great asset, in tournament play folding one in the beginning isn’t such a bad idea. This lets you watch the rest of the table giving you the knowledge of being able to read the other players. By using this technique early enough, you can almost anticipate who your opponents will be later in the game and how they will play against you. Read the rest of this entry »

In order to really understand the competitive beauty of poker, you need to accept the fact that a good liar can make a great poker player. Acting like you’ve got something - or pretending like you don’t - can take you a long way in a poker tournament, so becoming an expert in bluffing can almost guarantee at least mild success. Personally I love to bluff; it stirs the pot and keeps people from getting a pinpoint idea of the cards you are playing. If you win a hand or two with a solid bluff and your opponent knows this, you’re letting your opponent know that you are not afraid of losing and that “you won’t be pushed around”.

So what is a bluff? Bluffing is representing what you don’t have, hoping to win a pot you have no business winning. But remember, your bluffs have to make sense. I like to think of bluffing as telling a nice fictional story. As a kid, I’m sure most of you told a little lie or two to avoid a bad situation, and poker essentially works the same way. But also like as a kid, if you bluff too much, you can get yourself in some serious trouble, so be careful. Read the rest of this entry »

Slot Machine Strategy Guides

I’ve been looking ahead to the next slots guide for my experiments.

I mean, I don’t want John Patrick to think I’m just picking on him. I talk so much about him that I may seem obsessed with the old coot.

But he detailed 25 slot systems. I’m going to give each one of them about 25 sessions of study. So I’m talking about 625 posts about John Patrick.
It’s a full scientific study. I should apply for a government grant.

Still, I’ve thought about checking out other books’ systems. Read the rest of this entry »

Blackjack basic strategy is the most basic system that all blackjack players must master in order to become a successful player. Basic strategy is a mathematical system of charts that show you the correct mathematical play in any blackjack scenario. You need to learn these basic strategy charts inside and out to know every proper play. This is the fundamental system that blackjack strategy is based upon. By correctly using blackjack basic strategy, you can almost turn the casino’s house advantage of 7%-8% into 1%.

The system of blackjack basic strategy has been developed over several years of research and computer simulation to perfect the basic strategy charts. There are a wide variety of charts that change with slight varations, depending on the exact type of blackjack you will be playing. The two most common basic strategy charts are the single deck and multiple deck charts.

Single Deck Blackjack Strategy Charts
Multiple Deck Blackjack Strategy Charts

Using Basic Strategy

Using blackjack basic strategy isn’t complicated if you know how to read and understand basic strategy charts. The left vertical column of the charts is your hand and the top horizontal column is the dealer’s hand. Simply line up the Read the rest of this entry »

The game of casino blackjack or 21 is by far the most popular table
game offered in gambling establishments. If you are unfamiliar with the
rules of casino blackjack or simply need some clarification on the finer
points, you’ve come to the right place! This page will tell you everything
you need to know to play the game, and describe the various rules that
can differ from one casino to another.

If you are just learning the game, you can read this document straight
through. If you are looking for a specific answer to a question, just use
the table of contents below to jump straight to the section of interest.

Note to international visitors: The currency amounts and
chip colors mentioned on this page are written from the viewpoint of a
visitor to a casino in the United States, but all other information here
should be applicable around the world.

Blackjack Rules: Table of Contents

• 1.0: Casino Basics
  • 1.1: Choosing a table
  • 1.2: Buying chips
  • 1.3: Making a bet
  • 1.4: Cashing in
• 2.0: Basics of Blackjack
  • 2.1: Premise of the game
  • 2.2: Values of the cards
  • 2.3: The deal of the cards
  • 2.4: How the dealer plays his hand
  • 2.5: What is a Blackjack, or a natural?
• 3.0: The Player’s Choices
  • 3.1: Surrender
  • 3.2: Hitting/Standing
  • 3.3: Doubling Down
  • 3.4: Splitting Pairs
  • 3.5: Insurance and Even Money
• 4.0: Summary Read the rest of this entry »

Texas Hold’em: Set-Up and Play (short version)

Introduction

Texas Hold’em Poker is a community card game with four betting rounds.

Game Play

1. One player acts as dealer. This position is called the button and it rotates clockwise after every hand.
2. The two players to the left of the dealer are the small blind and the big blind, respectively. They are the only players who have money in the pot before the cards are dealt.
3. Every player receives two cards face down. These are hole cards.
4. The first betting round begins with the player sitting immediately to the left of the big blind, and continues clockwise.
5. When the first betting round is completed, three community cards are flipped face up on the table. This is called the flop.
6. The second round of betting begins with the first remaining player seated to the left of the button. The betting resumes, clockwise.
7. When the second round of betting is finished, a fourth community card is flipped face up on the table. This is called the turn.
8. The third round of betting commences with the first remaining player sitting to the left of the button. The betting moves clockwise, with the bets doubling on the turn.
9. When the third round of betting is over, a fifth community card is flipped face up on the table. This is called the river.
10. The fourth round of betting starts with the first remaining player seated to the left of the button. The betting continues to move clockwise.

How to make a hand

Read the rest of this entry »

Basic Strategy

The most important decisions in Seven-Card Stud are made on Third Street. You must be able to decide whether or not to play a hand and how to play it. Some hands play better in multi-way pots and some in shorthanded pots. The hands that play well in multi-way pots are drawing hands, like three-flushes, three-straights and combinations of the two. The hands that play well in shorthanded pots are big pairs.

One of the most valuable skills in Seven-Card Stud is the ability to be very selective about the hands you begin with. The problem with playing too many starting hands is that these mistakes are usually compounded in later betting Read the rest of this entry »

Top 5 Live Tells

Many people believe that playing live poker is the only way to play because there are many good tells you can use to gain an edge over the opposition. However, players shouldn’t make decisions solely based on tells. Instead, they should think of each hand as a puzzle, with tells being a small piece. You want to add up different pieces of information to complete the puzzle.

The problem with tells is that most people rely almost exclusively on them and end up making the wrong decisions because they fail to incorporate other vital information into their game. Equally important factors are how an opponent is betting, what type of player they are, what their current mood is, and how they’ve played in the past.

Let’s talk about the following tells and how you can use them to exploit the players at your table.

1. Chip Loading
2. Betting Patterns
3. Looking Away
4. Staring At You
5. Tentative vs. Laid Back Posture

Chip Loading

Of all the tells, chip loading is probably my favorite. Chip Read the rest of this entry »

Razz, also called 7 card stud low, gained incredible popularity during the 2004 World Series of Poker. The
Poker Stars

Razz Poker Rules

Razz is an ante game. Everyone is required to put in their ante before the cards are dealt. After the cards are dealt, Razz plays very much like 7 Card Studwith a few important Read the rest of this entry »