I’ve read some poker tournament strategy guides claiming that you should only play AA and KK in the early rounds. I think this is a little too tight. If you’re in late position with a pair or A-x suited, I see no reason why you would want to fold, especially if you can get in cheap. While you want to double up in the early rounds, it’s not absolutely necessary to do so.

Poker Tournament

Poker Tournament Strategy Overview

I generally stick with the basic strong, premium hands for the first blind level. I’ll tell you exactly how I would play each of these hands regarding the blinds, but before I get started, you should take a couple of things into account:

• This is basic poker tournament strategy. This poker tournament strategy alone will win poker tournaments for as long as you use it. You also may want to incorporate other elements that you find beneficial to your overall play. Although most people stick straight to the formula, there’ll be times when you need to change it up. I will talk about this later.
• You may want to play more hands. My strategy is stone cold tight. I’ve found that if you possess this kind of patience, you’ll win your fair share of MTTs. A lot of people say this poker strategy is too tight. You can choose to play suited connectors if you please, but let me warn you, your bankroll will take big swings when you’re in a lot of hands.

The European Union mandates a uniform flow of goods and services through the member nations. Ideally this should translate into a uniform legalized and regulated online gambling regime across Europe. The European Commission has been trying to implement such a regime over the last few years, but without much success. As matters stand at the end of 2011, every European country has taken its own independent stand on online gambling.

Online Gambling

The country to make the first move was the United Kingdom. In 2005 the Gambling Act was passed and the Gambling Commission established to regulate online gambling. All verticals of online gambling are permitted. Later the UK released a white list of online gambling jurisdictions. Operators licensed in these jurisdictions were allowed to advertise in the UK online gambling market and solicit business there. These operators pay lower taxes than the UK licensed operators and this is a major cause of friction. Many leading UK online gambling operators have moved base to such jurisdictions. Now the UK government is planning to levy a secondary tax on these offshore operators to level the playing field, but apparently this move has not been well accepted. The demand is to lower British taxes.

Italy:

Italy was the first mainland European country to usher in a regime of legalized and regulated online gambling in 2009. The verticals first introduced were poker tournaments, skill games, fixed odds sports betting and bingo. The success of these led the Italian government to introduce online poker cash games in February 2011 and online casino gambling in June 2011. The turnover of online gambling is expected to double in 2012. Italy legally allows only those operators who have been licensed by the regulatory body AAMS and is trying to block offshore operators.

France:

France established its online gambling regulation in April 2010. Private operators were allowed to compete in restricted verticals after getting a license from ARJEL, the regulatory authority. The allowed verticals were only sports betting, horse racing and poker. Online casino gambling was considered too addictive and is not being allowed. One of the major disappointments in the French regulatory system is the taxation. France levies tax on gross turnover and not on profits, as is being done in Italy. Therefore many leading European online gambling operators have stayed away.

Spain:

Spain will be the next European country to legalize and regulate online gambling. The new system is expected to go online from January 1, 2012. All through this year the concerned authorities painstakingly cleared hurdles one by one, from passing of laws to establishing regulatory mechanisms. By December 14, 2011 62 applications for online gambling licenses were received, out of which 58 have been accepted. 32 of these are reportedly Spanish-owned companies that already hold a large presence in the gaming and media sectors in the country.

Greece:

Greece has been one of the sad stories of European online gambling. Greece desperately needs additional revenues from online gambling in order to meet the revenue generation it has committed to while accepting bailout assistance. However it is unwilling to let go of the situation that now exists, with the state owned company OPAP having monopoly control over the market. It has proposed a regulatory mechanism that will be struck down by the European Commission. The main objectionable clauses are that the licensees are required to locate their servers in Greece and carry out financial transactions through Greek banks.

casino game

Craps is one of the most preferred and popular casino games. It is a type of dice game that is played against the bank or other players. Casino craps is played against bank. Many people consider craps as a complicated game but, this is not true and even a newbie to casinos can learn to play craps just by learning the basic craps rules and strategy. Still many players that are new to craps refuse to even give it a try and learn how to play craps - this is just bad for them because craps has some of the best bets with the lowest house edge available. And the only bet that can be made at online casino with zero house edge is in craps.

Playing the Craps Game

To make learning how to play craps really easy to understand, let’s strip away the betting part first and just focus on the game’s mechanics – basic craps rules. First of all, look at the table, there is a “puck” there which top side would either be black (OFF) or white (ON).  If it is white, then that means that a game is ongoing.  If it is black, then that means the game has not started yet. As you can see craps is a game of rounds.

Essentially, there is only one person who will actually be ‘playing’, and that is the shooter.  The shooter is the one holding the dice.  All the other people in the table will be betting either for or against the outcome of the shooter’s throws.

The game starts when the shooter rolls the dice for the first time, which is called the ‘come out roll’.

If a 7 or an 11 comes out then it’s an automatic win for the shooter.  He also gets to keep the dice and is thereby entitled to another ‘come out roll’.

If, however, he shoots a 2, 3, or a 12, then he automatically loses the game, which is called “Craps”.  He still gets to keep the dice, though, and is still entitled to another ‘come out roll’.

Finally, if he shoots a number other than those mentioned before, then the puck will be flipped over, showing the white (ON) side instead of the black, and the real game begins to decide if player wins.  The puck will then be placed on the number on the table corresponding to the number rolled on the dice.  For example, if the shooter rolled a 9, then the puck will be placed on the number 9 square, and the number 9 becomes the ‘point’.

When the game starts, then the set of craps rules will change. This time, the last number you’ll want to roll is 7. And this is where most people that are trying to learn craps rules get confused (7 wins on come out roll and loses if point was already established). If you’re the shooter, then you will keep rolling the dice until you roll the ‘point’ again or if a 7 comes out.  If the point comes out before the 7 does, then you win.  If the 7 comes out first, then you lose and the dice will change hands.

Craps Bets

When you are trying to learn how to play craps and win, remember that craps is played with two dice so the possible numbers rolled are 2 through 12. Craps play can look confusing and fast-moving because players can place multiple bets on different areas of the layout at the same time.

Bets are made by the shooter and the spectators.  But only the shooter is required to make one.  There are several possible bets to be made in a game of Craps against or for any possible outcomes of the dice roll.  They can be broad as in ‘win or lose’, or they can be very specific, as in ‘Craps, Snake Eyes, two 1’s in order to form the number 2”.  The more specific bets will give higher pay outs and the broader ones usually pay out evenly, meaning that if you bet a dollar, then winning will give you another dollar.

However, here’s a very important tip for rookies that are trying to learn how to win at craps.  Those complex bets, stay away from them if you can.  The odds will be against you - the probability of winning is very low.  Sure, saying ‘boxcar’ or ‘snake eyes’ is very cool and it makes you seem like a pro, but if you don’t want to go bankrupt after only a few rolls, then keep to the basic bets.

Pass line bet:

First of all, there’s the Pass line bet.  This means that you’ll be betting for a 7 or an 11 during the come out roll.  If a 2, 3, or 12 are rolled, then you will lose.  If the ‘point’ is rolled, then the pass line bets are kept in their place.  They’ll win if the shooter gets the point before he sevens out.  The shooter is required to make a pass line bet. Don’t pass bet is exactly the opposite and is not recommended unless you want to intimidate other players.

Come line bets:

‘Come line bets’ and ‘Don’t Come bets’ are made after a point is established, but they are essentially the same as Pass line bets and don’t pass bets. The advantage is that you can establish another point and take advantage of odds bet (see below) on different points as they are established. Of course, the craps rules are strict – until shooter sevens out.

Odds Bet :

Another basic bet is the ‘Odds Bet‘ which takes place after the point is made. The spectators can bet on the point coming out before the 7 does. If you have $10 on pass line you can make $10 odds bet or $20 at double-odds table. This is the best bet you can make at craps because casino will pay you correct odds on this bet – there is absolutely no advantage (with pass line bet casino has only 0.85% advantage, 0.63% with double odds).

European Roulette

You can bet on any particular number, any combination of numbers, color of numbers as black or red, even or odd as the outcome of a spin. European roulette supports simple rules and regulations. The house edge is lower than American Roulette. The chance of the ball landing on any of the pockets is 1 to 36.

Roulette table comprises of outside and inside betting fields. These fields help you in placing your outside or inside bets. There are maximum and minimum table limits of each roulette table. You are free to make your choice of bet. However, you cannot change your bets after spinning of the roulette wheel.

Inside Bets

Your inside bets should total to the minimum table amount of the roulette table. Zero lies within the inside bet square. There are different choices and combinations of such inside bets. Straight up bet is a bet on a single number with a payout of 35 to 1. Split bet allows you to bet on two adjacent squares or pockets. The payoff is 17 to 1.

Street bet allows you to bet on a particular row of three numbers. This offers payoff of 11 to 1. Line bet helps you place two street bets. Hence, you bet on six numbers and therefore, your payoff is 5 to 1. Corner bet is to bet on any of the four adjacent squares. This provides a payoff of 8 to 1.

Outside Bets

As zero lies within the inside bet square, it does not figure in the outside betting area. Outside bets should total the minimum betting amounts. Outside bets comprise different situations. Dozens bet engulfs three squares from combinations of 1 to 12, 13 to 24, and 25 to 36. Payoff is 2 to 1.

High and Low bet cover two squares of the bottom half of numbers with a 1 to 1 payout. Numbers could be between 1 to 18 and 19 to 35. Odd and even bets offer payoff of 1 to 1 and you have to predict even or odd numbers as the outcome of a spin. Similarly, color bets are for black or red outcomes with1 to one payoff.

Some casinos offer En-Prison rule. According to this rule, if in the outside even money bets of colors, odd or even, the ball lands on zero, you can consider your bet for another or next spin. Rather, you bet remains in prison. If the next spin again lands on a zero, you lose your bet amount.

However, if it does not land on a zero, you get back your bet without any payout. En prison offers the lowest house advantage for even bets in a roulette game-1.35%. La partage rule differs in that you lose half your bet and do not have the option of allowing your bet to be in prison for the next spin.

online casino

When a player begins playing casino games online, they will want to make sure that they do it in a way that will provide them with the most fun possible. They will also want to make sure that they approach their online gambling in a way that will give them the possibility of seeing better results. This is why players will want to make sure that they keep the following tips in mind:

• The first thing a player will want to do is to make sure that they choose the best online casino possible. They should keep their eye out for stable software, great game selection, good bonuses and promotions, good customer support, exciting features, and deposit methods they can use.

• Online players will also want to make sure that they manage their money properly. It is a good idea for a player to make sure they set aside an amount of money that they can afford to lose and only play with that money. Nothing can ruin a players time more than losing money they couldn’t afford to lose and finding themselves in a financial bind.

• Online players will want to make sure that they take advantage of the bonuses and promotions. This can really help them to get ahead much faster. Promotions can also be a whole lot of fun and really add to the enjoyment of playing at an online casino.

• Players should learn to recognize when the game isn’t fun for them and step away for awhile to take a break. While most people go to the online casinos to try to win some cash, they are also there to have a good time. When they find they are becoming more irritated than anything they should take a breather and return to the game when they are in a better mood.

• Players may find themselves on an online casino looking to play a particular game, but they will want to keep an open mind. By trying out some new games players may find that they have a much better time and they may even find some other games they really enjoy. It’s a good thing to take advantage of everything an online casino has to offer and giving as many of the online casino games as possible a try can really help players to get more out of their experience.

Caribbean Stud

Caribbean Stud is a five card stud online Poker game played on a blackjack type table with a standard 52 card deck. The cards are normally dealt from a multi-deck “shoe” or by an automatic shuffling machine that deals in groups of five card hands. Players try to beat the dealer with the best online Poker hand.

Each seat at the Caribbean stud table has a player’s layout and chip slot like the drawing at the right. The slot fixture has small lights that light up when a chip that has been placed in the slot is allowed to fall through for collection by the dealer. Always watch the lights to make sure your jackpot bet is indicated, before the hand is dealt. Sometimes they don’t work properly and that could cost you a lot of money.

Caribbean Stud online poker rules are pretty simple…

• Play begins with players placing a starting wager, called the ‘ante’
• Each player is dealt a 5 card, face up hand.
• The dealer also receives 5 cards, although 1 is face up, the other 4 are face down.
• Players must then decide whether to stay of fold.  If they fold, they forfeit their ante.  If they stay, they must add a further bet equal to 2x the ante (‘the raise’).
• Once players have made their choices, the dealer reveals their cards. Now, for the game to continue, the dealer must qualify (have a minimum Ace and King online Poker hand).  If the dealer doesn’t qualify, players still in the game win even money on their ante and the raise is pushed (ie returned to the player – no win no lose)  If the dealer does qualify, then the player’s and dealer’s hands are compared and the highest wins (applying normal online Poker rankings).

online casino

For anyone entering the online gaming industry for the first time there is a “Bible” of rules that you should follow in order to guarantee your safety and online gambling enjoyment. This article is going to list some of those golden rules with explanations of why they are important for your safety and security. Online gambling is “overall” a safe and secure form of entertainment, just as safe as gambling at any land based casino, in actuality its better than gambling at your local casino because it costs less, there’s no traveling involved and no waitress to tip for your drinks! But it is a different world online than on land, and it’s wise to know what to look for when visiting an establishment that you may wish to gamble your hard earned money at. The list of “gambling commandments” below is very important, read and remember.

1. Can you contact the casino by phone?

Always search an online gaming establishment’s website for phone numbers. Once you find these numbers be sure to call and see if you are greeted by a customer service rep for that site. It’s very important that you have a line of communication available with the site you choose to gamble at incase of any problems or if you need help in anyway. If there is no phone number listed on the website of the gambling site, move on to another and leave that one alone.

2. Look for a “Seal of Approval” symbol(s):

Accredited online gaming sites will almost always get approval seals to display on there website to provide a visual to its customers that they have been approved of by the top regulators and webmasters in online gambling. Having these “Seals” shows that this gambling establishment is recommended and regulated by the gambling industry which is of utmost importance.

3. Terms & Conditions :

ALL online gaming sites will have their own “small print” which is labeled their terms and conditions and in this document you will find any rules, laws and exceptions to their games, bonuses, contests and progressive jackpots. Extremely important to know these facts especially when taking a “bonus” offer or “free chip” offer from any online casino. Know what you’re getting into before you enter in to it.

4. Using Google to your benefit :

When you find an online gaming site that peaks your interest do yourself a huge favor and do a google search on them first before registering an account and becoming a player there. If there is anything wrong or corrupt with said gambling site, it will most definitely show up in a google search.

Things to look for include:

• Bad player experiences
• Non payment of winnings
• Non payment of progressive jackpots
• Cheating
• Malware installed on your computer during download
• Rogue establishments, if an online gambling site is considered “rogue” by other online webmasters or gamblers its best that you stay away.

These are just a few examples of important issues you can find about any online gaming site by doing a search of said site.

There are thousands of online gaming sites on the web now, and it’s impossible to search each and everyone and still be able to enjoy some gambling entertainment. But by following the gambling commandments above, your online gambling time will be that much safer and enjoyable.

Happy Gaming!

5 Card Draw is the game where a majority of everyone learned how to play online poker and was quite popular in western TV shows, movies and at home online poker games. But in the last few years, it has taken a back seat to more popular online poker games such as Hold’em, Omaha, and even Stud.

5 Card Draw online Poker

Recently however, many online poker rooms have been including more mixed and draw online poker games including 5 Card Draw. This is really a good thing, especially for beginners, as 5 Card Draw is the purest form of online poker mainly because all the elements that are used in online poker such as starting hands, playing position along with pot odds are utilized so much more in 5 Card Draw than in other online poker games. And for those of you that are not familiar with these subjects, 5 Card Draw can be a rather difficult game to make money from.

Having said that, provided below are some 5 Card Draw tips and strategies that players can benefit from when playing their next cash game.

Top 5 Card online Poker Tips and Strategies

What players will want to try to do when making decisions in five-card draw is keep the basic fundamentals of starting hands, position, and odds in the back of their mind at all times.

To begin with, players will want to be sure to start with very good starting hands which will also be based on what position they are in. For example, a player that is sitting in early position say under the gun or one seat to the left of the player UTG will want to play hands that have premium pairs such as Kings and Aces with a slight mix of Queens and Jacks to mix it up. When playing from early position players will also want to raise the pot to try to chase others out who may have only drawing hands. Players will want to be sure to stay with these kinds of hands since being out of position on the drawing round is such a huge disadvantage. Even with an opponent calling, a player in early position will not know if their opponent has a pat hand or how many cards they will need to draw to a better hand.

Players in middle position can open up a bit and add more of the pairs into the mix if a player in early position has not raised the pot. Pairs like AA-1010 are good to play and should be raised and in late position, pairs as lows as 88 can be played and raised as long as no one has raised before you. Late position players can even play drawing hands such as flushes and straights as well as long as there are callers before you to make sure you have the correct odds to do so.

Other pairs can arguably be played, but the point of having a pair is to try to draw out to trips or better. In the scenario that you miss the trips when drawing, a player will want to have a strong pair to play if they go to showdown. So the bottom line is that small pairs really should not be played all that often, if at all, and if played it should be done for as cheap as possible.

After the first betting round, position will play a huge factor. For example, if a player in early position only takes one card, an opponent can deduce that the early player has either 2 pair, or a draw to a flush or straight. If a player in late position only has 1 pair, draws 3 cards, and misses their 3 of a kind, they now know that they are probably beat by the early position player since they more than likely have a made hand. This will not always be the case as it will depend on how tight or loose the players are at the table. But this should demonstrate the importance of position; players can use this information to save money on the final betting round.

Lastly, is how a player uses odds to determine if they should play draws or not. There is a rule of thumb in 5 Card Draw in regards to playing gut-shot straight draws – Don’t! The possibility of hitting a gut-shot draw is about 11 to 1 and more often than not, players will just not have the correct implied odds to call a bet to chase the types of hands.

On the other hand, 4 cards to a flush will give a player 4 to 1 odds on average and open ended straight draws will a bit higher at about 5 to 1. As long as the pot odds are offering higher than these odds at the time you need to make a call, it is mathematically correct to chase your draws. Hands like this should only be played in late position so that you can see what your opponents may be drawing to gauge the strength of your hand should you catch your outs or miss them.

Final Tip for Playing 5 Card Draw Online Poker

There really are not many special secret special plays such as check raises or bluffs in 5 Card Draw. The strategies that a player needs to implement into their game are straightforward and are simply the fundamentals that are required in any online poker game such as starting hands, position, and pot odds. Since the use of these fundamentals are amplified so much more in 5 Card Draw online poker verses other online poker games, once players have a firm grasp of these concepts they will do well not only in five card draw but in any online poker game they wish to play.

To win a blackjack tournament need a different strategy than just winning at normal blackjack game in online casino. This is because the particular form of a blackjack tournament forces you to compete against the other players to win pool prize. When you play normal blackjack game, in that you have to play against dealer and number of chips held by other players doesn’t matter. Here, you play for a collective pool prize, much like in a poker tournament, and the top finishers win a share of the money. In blackjack tournament, having just a little knowledge about blackjack tournament strategy can dramatically improve your chances of winning.

Blackjack Tournament Strategy

Elimination Hands:

The main key of blackjack tournament strategy is to handle elimination hands. During a typical tournament these hands are spread out evenly. For an example, hands 8, 16 and 25 out of a total 30 are a common tournament structure. Though, behind hand when they occur during the match, the challenge associated with each elimination hand remains similar. It’s a simple formula: the player(s) with the lowest amount of chips when the hand is completed is eliminated. Also, any player who does not have enough chips to make the minimum bet on a hand will be eliminated.

The objective of Elimination Blackjack is to beat the other players. The blackjack tournament strategy differs from standard blackjack in that your primary objective is to beat the other players and not the dealer. Even if you lose to the dealer you can still win a blackjack tournament by losing less than your opponents.

Another challenge that is unique to the online elimination blackjack tournament’s format is the introduction of time limits when you are called upon to make critical decisions. In a typical tournament, you’ll have 25 seconds to make a decision during a normal hand.

However, during a critical elimination hand, the time limit drops to a cruelly brief 10 seconds.

The key to Blackjack Tournament success is to enter the tournament with a strategy in mind. However, you have to also be open to adapting your style of play in accordance with the Blackjack Tournament strategy of other players in the tournament. By having a basic idea of the type of strategy that you are going to use combined with a willingness to make adjustments to that strategy as necessary, you can give yourself an edge up on the game.

There is one basic Blackjack Tournament strategy which is going to be at the foundation of every single player’s strategic plan. This is the process of weighing the pros and cons of different bets. What you are looking at each and every time that you go to make a blackjack move is whether or not the move is worth the risk. You have to take a look at the chance of winning versus the likelihood of losing and compare the pros and cons of various bets. Taking only wise and appropriate betting risks is the key to successful Blackjack Tournament strategy.

Basic Blackjack tournament strategy:

In addition to the main strategy of weighing out pros and cons with each move, there are several more specific Blackjack Tournament strategies to consider:

Betting the Deficit.

This is a Blackjack Tournament strategy used to help you determine the best bet for getting ahead of the leader of the tournament play. It is based upon calculations of your deficit and strategic multiplications for betting.

Doubling for less.

Many players don’t know about this strategy because it is almost never used in one-to-one blackjack. However, it is a good Blackjack Tournament strategy to know. It allows you to double your bet for less than the original bet if you are willing to draw one and only one more card. Using this effectively can increase the chances of a Blackjack Tournament win.

Risky bets.

Also known as catch-up bets, if you are very far behind other people in the tournament, you may need to consider taking more risks because of the need to catch up. Weigh the options carefully when deciding how to make such moves.

Seated position at the blackjack table.

Most Blackjack Tournament has random selection seating so that you are not going to know in advance where you will be positioned. You should have a general strategy in mind for each of the different positions so that you are prepared no matter where you end up.

Using free hits.

Know when it can’t harm you to take another card. That way you can make informed decisions about hits and stays.

When considering the use of any of these Blackjack Tournament strategies, you will always want to go back to your main foundation strategy. Look at the pros and cons of each Blackjack Tournament strategy, comparing likelihood of wins and losses against the dealer and against the other players in the tournament. Use your assessments as part of your overall blackjack tournament strategy in order to increase the likelihood of Blackjack Tournament success. And above all, remain calm and focused during play because none of the Blackjack Tournament strategies will help you if you can’t keep your mind clear enough to make use of them.

The following is a list of some of the most common poker tells.

Shaking Hands

During a hand, if you notice a player’s hands are shaking as she places her bet, she probably has gotten a really, really good hand. This is very common for newer poker players. It occurs when the player bets. There hand will shake when they put their chips out. This is not an intentional tell and it almost always means a huge hand. They have hit big and are excited.

Facial Expression

Again, many pros try to disguise their entire face by wearing a cap and looking downward. This is to avoid the classic stare-down that poker pros are famous for. They may try to study your face for nervousness (detecting a weak hand), or even look for repetitive characteristics like a body “tic”. You may have obvious unhappiness in your face when your hand is weak, and conversely, you may show a contrasting show of confidence when your hand is strong.

Checking Their Hole Cards

This occurs most often in Texas Holdem when a flop comes out the entire same suit. The player checks their hole cards. They are checking to see if one of their cards matches the suit on the board. It usually means that their cards aren’t suited, and that they do not have the flush… but they may well have a flush-draw. Typically, the player is looking to see if one of his cards is connecting, because he remembers only that the two cards are different suits.

Body Posture/Attitude

Some players show obvious changes in their posture based on their attitude/hand strength. For instance, you may notice their shoulders drop/slump when they are not confident (weak hand). Conversely, you may notice the player is very attentive and sitting in an erect position when he has strength. You may also notice that a player who bluffs a lot, leans forward in a confrontational way… remember Strong is Weak!

Checking Their Chips

This is another very common poker tell. Right after the flop, a player glances down at their chips. It’s very quick and subtle… to catch it, you have to be watching the players eyes right when the flop comes out. It means they connected. This may be a subconscious reaction, but the tell is the player is already planning his attack!

Asking for Clarification

Anytime you hear a poker player ask the dealer for clarification, it usually means they have a big hand. Questions like “My bet?”, “How much is it to me?”, or “What’s the bet?” usually indicate a strong hand.

Anxiety

Anxiety typically occurs in people when they are confronted, or anticipating confrontation. Psychologists call this the “Fight or Flight” stimulus response, which links back to the days when we were cavemen/cavewomen. In poker, when someone has a big hand they are typically ready for confrontation and can exhibit some physical changes like flexing of muscles, eye pupil dilation, palpitating heart rate, dry throat, chest expanding abnormally, or the player’s voice become slightly higher as he makes a comment. During a bluff, the player may demonstrate anxiety, but if he knows he will fold the hand if re-raised (non-confrontational end) may look quite comfortable.

Holding Breath

Often, inexperienced players will hold their breath if they are bluffing.

Taking a Long Time before Calling a Bet

If a player looks into the pot and seems to be doing some calculating in his head, he probably is. He’s most likely figuring out the pot odds to see if it’s worth it to try and catch the cards he needs to complete his drawing hand.

Watch the Eyes

This is why many pros wear sunglasses or visors/caps when playing; they know that the eyes rarely lie. For example, many players can’t help but stare at big hole cards, so their length of time peeking is longer. Conversely, if a player is looking to steal the pot, he may look to his left to see if the remaining players, who haven’t yet acted, have quickly glanced at their cards and are likely to fold. Another example, a player may try to ask you questions about your hand, knowing that people rarely can “look someone straight in the eyes” while being dishonest.

Remember, in poker there are many contradictions and exceptions to these rule. Also, experienced pros will give out false tells to fool players. Each player has a unique set of tells, and these will certainly not apply to everybody. As a general rule in online poker, remember that when a player acts strong, he’s probably weak, and when a player acts weak, he’s probably got a really strong hand.

What is “art of bluffing”?

The literal meaning of bluffing is to mislead an opponent. The success of bluff lies in the capabilities of the player to observe other. Because when you bluff, you don’t bluff with your cards, you bluff with the cards everyone else think you have.

Bluffing is quite complicated to master, but simple to use. The art of bluffing is entirely psychological that is everything you do; your every movement will have an impact on your opponent’s decision. One important thing in bluffing is that the players around shouldn’t be aware of your playing styles or tactics. Therefore it is advisable not to bluff while playing with your friends simply because they know you well!

Art of bluffing- Different types of bluffing

• Pure bluff or stone-cold bluff

  A player making a pure bluff believes he can win the pot only if all opponents fold.

Semi Bluffing

A player making a semi-bluff can win the pot two different ways: by all opponents folding immediately or by catching a card to improve the player’s hand.

Reverse Bluffing

Players want the opposite to happen meaning you actually want your opponent to stay in the pot. It involves making your opponent think that you are bluffing when in fact you possess the best hand on the table.

Trapping

Slow playing (also called sandbagging or trapping) is deceptive play in poker that is roughly the opposite of bluffing: It involves setting a trap is designed to get players to call when the “trapper” has a better hand.

Art of Bluffing – When to bluff?

There are times where bluffing can be an advantage for you. For example-

• When you are too deep in a hand and you don’t think you can win against your opponents.
• When you find a weakness in someone, be aggressive, make him think you have a great hand

Timing of bluffing plays a very important role. Depending on the timings, your bluffing can be give you cash or make you lose your cash. So be cautious about it.

Don’t bluff too much!

Mastering the art of bluffing does not always mean to bluff every time you play. Bluffing should be used as a strategy and not as a rule of the game. It is advisable to bluff when it is required to. Bluffing can be sometimes very tempting. Anyone can run a successful bluff, but only the true poker player can resist the temptation to bluff.

Remember no bluffing strategy is foolproof, and there will be times that it will not work. But the bluff certainly has its place in online poker, and used judiciously and with precision, the art of bluffing will definitely help you improve as a player.

“I can never have a poker face. Anybody looking at me can tell exactly what I’m thinking”-Gena Rowlands

Poker face is a face lacking any interpretable expression, as that of an expert poker player. It also meant not to give hint about your next move.

Poker is a challenging game to play as it needs to master the skills to win. One of the important skills a poker player should have is to control the emotion by a poker face and to observe others during the game.

Competition and emotion go hand-in-hand. And when the game is poker, emotions are hard to control. Usually in live tournaments many players keep observing other player’s emotions which give them the hint about the opponent’s hand. Most of the time players clearly give indication of the hand they have through facial expression. This is where importance of poker face comes into picture.

Poker Face – Live vs. Online Poker

If you want to know how to win at poker, especially live poker, you know the need for a good poker face. When playing live poker, you must take care of your emotions. The experienced poker players will win a lot of money because of the techniques they have perfected in their games. They will also know exactly how to use the poker face at the right time, giving them an edge over their opponents.

The biggest advantage of online poker is you don’t need to worry about your emotions. This is obviously because of the physical absence of your opponent. Though you must follow some basic strategies but when compared to live poker it becomes pretty easy to bluff or mislead others.

Tips to improve your poker face

• Be Cool while Playing

It is very important to maintain your ‘cool’ and keep your poker face when playing live poker. If you fail to do so then your opponents you are up against will be able to read your expressions and take advantage of your weaknesses.

• Manipulation of the Mind

This is an important step that will help you becoming the master of poker face. Try making other players think what you want them to think. For e.g., let’s say you have got a really bad hand but if you want to bluff then you have to make others think that you have got good hands through your facial expression. As a result most players will fold and you will get the pot.

• Keeping Practicing

The bad thing about poker face is that it is very difficult to master. But it is not impossible. All you need to do is keep practicing poker with as many players as possible before going for a big game. Ask any of your friends to give you the feedback so that you keep improving your poker face skill.

• Observe and Observe

This can be best way to master poker face skill. Keep observing how other players control their emotions. You can learn a lot by watching pros play. When watching professional poker players note how they intimidate other players and study their poker face. Studying the poker faces of the professionals will help you develop your own poker strategies for psyching out other players at the table.

• Check your Body Language

Controlling your emotions during poker is just not restricted to your face. The truth is it is more about body language as a whole and the behavior of a person in specific situations. So also keep a check on your body positions and behavior so that you don’t reveal your games to others.

Not Enough Funds for NHUPC 2011

The decision of cancelling the NHUPC tournament in 2012 was not surprising especially on the aftermath of the Black Friday which has seen Fulltilt and PokerStars shut out of the US market. Both Fulltilt and PokerStars were the primary advertisers and the main sponsor for NHUPC. Without the revenue generated from these two online giants, NHUPC has been slowly diminishing. Not only did these poker rooms pay to advertise, but they also paid the $20,000 buy-ins for many players, as many were sponsored by one of the two sites.

The National Heads-Up Poker Championship is not the first televised poker series that has been hit with Black Friday effect. Another NBC’s Poker After Dark which was sponsored by Fulltilt and Fox network’s Big Game sponsored by PokerStars have also been closed.

NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship Previous years

This popular television poker tournament started way back in 2005. This poker event was only invitation based with buy-  in $20,000 in which 64 poker players competed in heads-up No Limit Texas Hold’em poker tournament over a course of five rounds of play. The first NHUPC event was held at the Golden Nuggets and rest all took place at Caesars Palace. With 1.5 average rating during the last seven years, the NBC’s National Heads-Up Poker Championship had always been the top-rated poker program on television.

This poker tournament event featured many world’s top poker player as well as poker celebrities. Many notable poker players who took home the NHUPC championship includes Phil Helmuth (who won the inaugural event), Chris Ferguson, Huck Seed, Erik Seidel, Annie Duke, Paul Wasicka and Ted Forrest. Many poker celebrities who had been a part of NHUPC include Shannon Elizabeth, Don Cheadle, Brad Garrett, Jason Alexander, Orel Hershiser, Emmitt Smith, James Woods, Rene Angelil, Jerry Buss and Gabe Kaplan.

Will NBC’s NHUPC be back in future?

Well according to the latest poker news there is a possibility of National Heads-Up Poker Championship’s speedy return in the near future as NBC hasn’t yet ruled out the possibility of its returning. Adam Freifeld of NBC informed that NBC will continue to evaluate our poker programming. But returning of NHUPC will depend on when legislation will again allow poker to be played in US.

On the other side, World Series of Poker had recently signed a contract with ESPN to televise poker tournaments till 2017.

Let’s wait and see what would be the next step by NHUPC.

Although the negotiations lasted almost a year, diplomats told the Financial Times on both sides remain “diametrically opposed” to oil prices.

The north, home to pipelines, refineries and export terminals, threatened to disrupt exports from the South, while the southern part, which produces three-quarters of Sudanese oil, has said privately that it is willing to cease production and “go back to Bush.”

Either strategy would devastate both economies in Africa’s largest country as it prepares for partition after a near-unanimous January secession referendum of southerners. Oil revenues, split evenly between north and south since a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of war, represent 98 per cent of revenues in the south and 90 per cent of hard currency in the north.

“It’s like a poker game at the moment,” Barrie Walkley, US consul general in Juba, told the Financial Times. “The final cards aren’t on the table – it’s not so long ago the north was saying [we want] 50 per cent and the south was saying [you can have] zero.”

Southern sources told the FT they had rejected a Norwegian plan to phase out revenue sharing over five to seven years, arguing no independent nation has ever shared its sovereign resources.

The south is prepared to sell oil to the north at a 10 per cent discount over three years and pay pipeline transit fees and other taxes as part of “assistance” to the north that would total $3bn, about half through an oil package and half through cancelling arrears.

The south claims northern proposals – to maintain revenue sharing for six years and charge tariffs – add up to more than they are paying under the current arrangement.

An IMF study indicates the loss of the south would represent a financing gap of $5.2 billion to the north in the four and a half years to 2015, two thirds of which the south was prepared to offer. Sources indicate the north wants at least $9bn in compensation from the south for a financing gap estimated at $15bn by the north.

Many hope Chinese investors will intervene to ensure production continues. Chinese companies CNPC and construction company CPECC are critical to the industry on both sides of the new border.

A consortium of Chinese, Indian and Malaysian companies has three blocks that straddle the border.

“China had a good relationship in Sudan, everybody knows – that kind of relationship can be passed on to southern Sudan,” Zhang Jun, China’s economic counsellor in the south, told the FT, adding China would be a good friend to the south “in the political sector”, as well as economically.

He said China would send “special teams” to negotiate loans with the south, but added there was not yet any other pipeline plan.

“They have nothing in place, even a plan … it will depend on its economic viability,” he said, adding the US had a bigger role to play than China.

The south has previously said it would consider building its own export pipelines south to Kenya’s coast, while CNPC officials said they were still waiting to hear how the two sides wanted to split their existing cross-border operation.

Chinese engineers said it was possible to build a pipeline in a year, but many urged caution.

“We would have loved to have had an agreement on oil before independence arrives, but it’s not in the interest of either side to cut off the oil flow or seek alternative pipelines – it’s just not practical, it’s sensible to come up with some interim arrangement,” said Mr Walkley.

Plenty of investor interest is forthcoming, however.

David Loro Gubek, number two at the southern energy ministry, said South Koreans, Japanese, Chinese, UAE, US and Spanish companies had all sent delegations with proposals to build refineries, hydropower plants and other projects.

No further exploration is planned before the government passes law southern oil prepared with the participation of Norway.

The negotiations for the oil, currencies, and the border will leave after independence. “If we do not have the money in this country should not be in southern Sudan,” said government official of high-level South.

Inside, however, a brilliant 24 year old says it was a fist pumping moment. “I think it was the second largest network in New Zealand was awarded Card Player ever.” September win came just days after his father had a heart attack and win meant he could help his parents a hard time

The fresh-faced former Waikato University management studies student is ranked among the country’s best by respected poker website PocketFives. Playing it cool has helped Hockin amass poker winnings of more than US$430,000 (NZ$535,000) in the past five years.

The popularity of live and online poker, often for huge stakes, has gained momentum in the past decade on the back of televised professional events like the World Series of Poker, under way this month in Las Vegas.

For Hockin, whose world ranking has peaked inside the top 800, earning his place among the tension and spectacle of a World Series’ final table  the pinnacle for professional card players  remains an ambition.

Hockin says he is determined to make the most of the financial start poker has given him, cutting his poker to part-time while he does his homework on the best way to get the most from his winnings. The money has have bankrolled a growing interest in real estate and property investments.

On the poker front his favoured hunting grounds are tournaments with hundreds of players and a US$20-US$100 buy-in. Hockin has developed a “loose and aggressive” playing style and folds rarely to maximise his chances of taking the pot.

Live tournaments usually run over four days, online they can take seven hours or more with five-minute hourly breaks.

“I only play online one day a week now. Live poker, it’s a lot easier, obviously you can only play one table at a time, and then there’s the live aspect of it where you can read people’s faces and ‘tells’,” Hockin says.

Hockin recalls reading a recent tournament opponent while holding two good pairs and about to push hard. “He was sitting next to me, and even though I couldn’t get a read from his face, his legs were going crazy, and usually that’s a tell, they’re really excited and they’ve got a good hand. The feet are the most honest part of the body and sometimes people forget to hide it. So I folded, and it was a good fold  he had the best hand.”

Hockin wears sunglasses when playing live so he can watch other players without them seeing his scrutiny.

He was a latecomer to poker, only picking it up from a mate as a university student in the mid-2000s.

“Every Friday we’d have a game at a friend’s flat. There’d be about nine of us, five bucks to enter and the winner got $30, which was huge cash at the time,” Hockin laughs.

“We never took it too seriously.”

“I was doing a management degree, and two years into that I was making enough from poker to live off.”

Playing cards was more fun than studying: “I’d go into the uni labs to study and before I’d know it there would be four tables of poker up and minimal words written on my essay.” He studied part time then dropped out altogether. What did his parents think? “They hated it,” says Hockin.

Recent successes include the September payday for US$200,000, another two weeks later worth US$13,500, fifth in an Australian tournament worth more than A$33,000 last month and a US$14,300 win in February. Hockin says people don’t realise the practice and hard-graft research that goes into professional poker playing.

“It’s pretty degenerative be a professional poker player who is sitting in your room every day. I want to play online from 12 to 13 tables, as far as 18th just increases your chances of making money if you are a good player. “You must have a logical mind and not too emotional about it. It is possible to poker to make the right decision and still lose. It is also possible to do evil, and win. “

You must wait for the player to the right actions. If you play out of turn this could give an unfair advantage to a player who does not work yet. If you travel outside of turn one play that might had called could fold. Or if you fold out of turn, give you an advantage to the player on his left hand, now that you know will not withdraw.

2. Not knowing what the bet is.

You should know what the bet is when it’s your turn. After the turn in limit games in Paris is double the amount before and after the flop. You should also consider if the stakes were high.

3. Folding instead of checking.

Sometimes if the player does not like the flop or turn he will immediately fold when it is his turn. If you are first to act you can check. If everyone else checks, you get to see the next card for free. The same is true if everyone checks before it is your turn, you should also check. The free card may just make your hand.

4. Throwing chips into the pot.

Place your bet in front of you. This way the dealer sees that your bet is correct. He will scoop them into the pot.

5. Not protecting your cards.

Place your hands or a chip on top of your cards. If another player’s cards mix with yours when they throw in their cards your hand will be declared dead.

6. Throwing a winning hand into the muck. (Discards)

The cards speak for themselves. Don’t immediately throw in your cards if someone calls out a better hand. The dealer will declare the winner of the hand. If you missed a better hand than you thought you had you might just be the winner.

7. Not controlling your emotions.

Keep your emotions. The picture is not the place for foul language or temper tantrums. It will not be tolerated. Besides, it makes you ridiculous. Experienced players and new players the opportunity to make that mistake.

1. Betting out of turn.

You must wait for the player to the right actions. If you play out of turn this could give an unfair advantage to a player who does not work yet. If you travel outside of turn one play that might had called could fold. Or if you fold out of turn, give you an advantage to the player on his left hand, now that you know will not withdraw.

2. Not knowing what the bet is.

You should know what the bet is when it’s your turn. After the turn in limit games in Paris is double the amount before and after the flop. You should also consider if the stakes were high.

3. Folding instead of checking.

Sometimes if the player does not like the flop or turn he will immediately fold when it is his turn. If you are first to act you can check. If everyone else checks, you get to see the next card for free. The same is true if everyone checks before it is your turn, you should also check. The free card may just make your hand.

4. Throwing chips into the pot.

Place your bet in front of you. This way the dealer sees that your bet is correct. He will scoop them into the pot.

5. Not protecting your cards.

Place your hands or a chip on top of your cards. If another player’s cards mix with yours when they throw in their cards your hand will be declared dead.

6. Throwing a winning hand into the muck. (Discards)

The cards speak for themselves. Don’t immediately throw in your cards if someone calls out a better hand. The dealer will declare the winner of the hand. If you missed a better hand than you thought you had you might just be the winner.

7. Not controlling your emotions.

Keep your emotions. The picture is not the place for foul language or temper tantrums. It will not be tolerated. Besides, it makes you ridiculous. Experienced players and new players the opportunity to make that mistake.

Now, after almost five years since I started playing, I realized that I love so much playing live and online. For me, it’s important not to get bored and switch between these two helps a lot. But there are types of players who prefer one of these options, because each has its advantages and disadvantages.

I started playing online. There where couple of important reasons for that:

• Game selection. At an online poker room you can expect to find hundreds if not thousands of real money tables. And the games are running 24/7. You can try tables of No Limit Holdem, Limit Holdem, Omaha, Stud, Razz, 2-7 Triple Draw, Badugi and mixed games like HORSE and find your own favorite game.
• Moving up the stakes is more flexible. That’s because you can always find the game at your stakes. And you are not bound to playing just one table at a time. The advantage of playing multiple tables is that you can put in more hands per hour. Be careful though with multitabling, because the more tables you play, the less you can focus on each of them.
• Comfort. Unless you live in Las Vegas, it’s probably a long journey for you in the nearest poker room with a wide variety of games and challenges. You can play online in the comfort and privacy of your own home. Simply turn on your favorite music, sit and grind.

Take Deuces Wild. Two versions were the highest paid players folded as “full pay Deuces” and “not so ugly Deuces” – you remember, I wrote a couple of weeks to see the game not so ugly to the Euro-a-Dice in East Peoria.

Pay table differences center on five hands. Full-pay Deuces pays more on four of a kind, returning 5-for-1 rather than the 4-for-1 on NSU Deuces. The other four hands all have higher returns on the NSU version, at 16-for-1 vs. 15-for-a on five of a kind, 10-for-1 vs. 9-for-1 on straight flushes, 4-for-1 vs. 3-for-1 on full houses and 3-for-1 vs. 2-for-1 on flushes.

The four-of-a-kind difference outweighs the rest. Full-pay Deuces, a rare treat, returns 100.8 percent with expert play, while NSU Deuces is still a good one at 99.7. A prime strategy difference comes when we’re dealt two pairs. Let’s say we’re dealt 8-8-4-4-3 of mixed suits. If you’re playing full-pay Deuces, the best play is to hold either pair and discard the other three cards. If you hold one pair, there are 16,125 possible draws. Of those, 4,572 will bring three of a kind, 385 will bring a full house, 615 will bring four of a kind and 20 will bring five of a kind.

That makes the average payback for holding one pair 2.81 credits for each five credits wagered. If you hold both pairs, there are only 47 possible draws. Eight of them will complete a full house, for an average return of 2.55 credits per five wagered.

The pay-table differences change the best play. Holding only one pair brings an average return of 2.74 credits per five wagered. But with the increased payback on full houses, the average return when holding both pairs soars to 3.40 credits per five wagered.

If we always kept two pairs in Deuces Wild, we’d settle for a lower percentage of recovery of full pay games. And if we ever had one pair, we would be reducing our own statement in the not so ugly Deuces. We can not change what happens when we hit the draw button. But we can adapt our strategies to best take advantage of what each pay table gives us.

The book includes 20 different subjects together. The first ten essays discuss relevant issues of strategy poker cash game, but over the last decade to help players improve their performance in Texas Hold’em poker tournaments. The subjects, such as aggressiveness, RSV, Gap Concept, Bubble, stealing blinds and going all-in preflop.

While the title suggests the book is for beginners, many of the essays assume the reader has a working knowledge of Texas Hold’em. Much of the advice is designed for players that straddle the divide between beginners and intermediate or “serious” players – those who know the rules of the game, but have yet to begin serious study of the theory and practice of competitive poker.

Texas Hold’em Strategy for Beginners is currently for sale in the Amazon.com Kindle Store, and is priced at $0.99.

The author Edward Scimia is a freelance writer who has contributed content to many online sites. Most of this work has been in the field of casino games including Texas Hold’em, other forms of poker and the rules and strategies of other casino games

This Monday, the Department of Justice just issued a statement declaring that Darren Wright and David Parchomchuk of BetEd and Ann Marie Puig of BMX Entertainment are being charged in two separate indictments. As part of the indictments, the Department of Justice seized 11 bank accounts located in Charlotte, North Carolina, Guam, Panama, Malta, Portugal, and the Netherlands as well as ten domain names. The domain names in question include a couple of recognizable sites, most notably DoylesRoom.com. Here is the complete list of domains seized:

The US Attorney for the District of Maryland, the IRS, and the Department of Homeland Security were all involved in building the case against online gaming software company ThrillX (DBA BetEd) and online payment processing company BMX Entertainment.

The investigation into the activities of the two companies included a sting operation in which the Department of Homeland Security set up a fake payment processing company called Linwood Payment Solutions. The company processed payments throughout 2009 both to and from the online poker sites. According to the affidavit, Linwood processed over $33 million in payments over the course of more than 300,000 transactions.

“It is illegal for internet gambling enterprises to do business in Maryland, regardless of where the website operator is located,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “We cannot allow foreign website operators to flout the law simply because their headquarters are based outside the country.”

Within the sworn affidavit from M. Lisa Ward, Special Agent for the Homeland Security Office, the companies are accused of violating the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), Maryland State law, and federal laws regarding money laundering.

The affidavit also states that Linwood did business with Absolute Poker and UB Poker in addition to the sites named in this indictment. The Linwood company also signed a series of contracts with online gaming sites represented by K23 Financial Services, aka BMX Entertainment. That contract included doing business with True Poker and DoylesRoom as well as seven other sites named in the indictment. The Beted.com contract is separate from Linwood’s business dealings with BMX, which helps explain why it is included in a separate indictment.

Puig is the owner of BMX Entertainment and the only individual named in that indictment. The second indictment naming Wright and Parchomcuk is in relation to alleged illegal operations of Beted.com.

The government is seeking the forfeiture of the bank accounts and domain names named in the indictment. As of press time, all but two of the sites named in the case were not accessible within the United States. DoylesRoom and BetEHorse’s sites were still accessible.  Though the site bears his name, Doyle Brunson severed ties with Doyle’s Room earlier this month.

In a similar news, the Associated Press has reported earlier that Bradley Franzen who is the one of the 11 individuals named in the 4/15 indictment against the big 3 poker sites as well as a number of payment processors, plead guilty to lesser charges in a Manhattan court in exchange for testimony against some of the other names of the individuals in the case.

Read more about the online poker crash…