10 rules to observe when playing poker online

How a beginner can survive in online poker and make a profit.

SELECT AN ONLINE POKER ROOM. 

Rule number one. Be a member of no less than six online poker rooms so you can rotate and move around from poker room to poker room during play. Select only well known poker rooms with excellent reputations for paying quickly and maintaining industry accepted randomizing algorithms (read more on this in another article).

SELECT A BETTING LIMIT. Bet only if it's $1/2, $2/4 or $5/10 blinds. This section will discuss the research, the math, and the studies on human nature that prove conclusively that high~stake limit tables are not the place to make money. They are however an excellent place to lose large amounts of cash in a big hurry. The return on investment (ROI) is best at medium limit tables.

SELECT YOUR STAKE. 

No discussion here if your smart. You must have 50 to 100 times the Big Blind. Any less and your chances of making money nose dive. More stake improves your table 'cred' and helps to intimidate weaker players.

SELECT A TABLE. 

Spend at least 15 minutes watching the play at each table. Review your notes if recognized players are present. Check out at least three tables before you start. Then select the loosest table. To win at Texas Hold'em Poker you must play tight in loose games and play in loose games only. If all the tables are tight, run! Go back to Step 1.

SELECT A POSITION AT THE TABLE. 

Watch for the tightest player at the table. Pick a spot to that players left. We have dedicated an entire article on table position strategy.

TAKE NOTES ON PLAYERS. 

Record playing styles. Do they raise before the flop? Do they fold before the flop? What's the size of their stake? Do they react quickly or slowly when their turn comes up? What kind of cards did they play on? Everyone should take player notes. most online poker rooms offer this feature. Don't know how to take notes? Just right~click on the avatar (picture) of the target player and click  'Player Notes'. That feature is there for a very good reason, use it.

TURN OFF CHAT.  

It's distracting and rarely valuable. If you want to chat, use MSN but never while you're playing for money.

TURN OFF TV's, MUSIC, OTHER DISTRACTIONS.  

Now is not the time to catch the score on your favorite game or consume a bucket of chicken. If anyone's going to be distracted, it should be your opponents. Let them miss cues, watch their stack disappear and wonder what happened.

PLAY TIGHT. 

Follow the Food Chain Theory. Learn the rules. Understand the odds. Bet like a'shark', not a'fish'.

PLAY FOR ONE HOUR 

...then take a break, regardless of whether you're winning or losing. This will keep you sharper than the other players who are hanging on for that one last win.

And there you are. Ten steps that will make you thousands, maybe a lot more over time.

9 Sweet Secrets of Live Tournaments

Learn the secrets that experienced participants know but do not tell anyone else about how to play  successfully in live tournaments.

Playing poker online is fun and I dabble at it as well from time to time. But, many players seem to feel that playing in a live tournament is very similar to playing online. Well, it is and it is not. Here are 9 golden tips on how to ease your transition from playing online to playing in a live poker tournament.

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 a tournament 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 a live game.

5) Do not sit next to the dealer. Most 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 not 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.

8) 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 poker tournament you have entered so as to save unnecessary losses.

Live poker games 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 (You can do this by visiting the BonusCamp poker school.) , think wisely and calmly and you stand a good chance of reaping in the first prize.

The High Five is back with $420,000 Guaranteed!

 

 

 

 



Americas Cardroom will be hosting yet another great tournament series in June!

Did you miss the big OSS III series? Americas Cardroom got another online tournament series that's just as epic.

High Five returns June 11th with $420,000 in guaranteed prize money. For five days straight, players can find five big tournaments per day that they'll want to clear their schedule for. Buy-ins start as low as $1+0.10 and guarantees are as large as $150,000, so it doesn't take a lot to win like a champion.

To give you an idea of how big this could get, the last High 5 series in November guaranteed $350,000 and paid out $430,000. Don't be surprised if this one passes the $500,000 mark.

America Cardroom accepts U.S players!

To participate in this tournament, you need to register an account with Americas cardroom.

Click here to register an account.

Click here to read Americas Cardroom review.

5 Tips to Improve Your Heads Up Poker Play

You've finally made it! You've played Texas Hold'em for hours and hours, dodged some scary all ins, caught a couple of breaks and now you are sitting at the final table playing heads up poker. Once the joy of making the final table has subsided you will have to get down to business and stake out your opponent. Hopefully by now you have got a good read on the player, their tendencies, strengths and weaknesses. However, it may be important to know that poker players often switch modes when it comes down to heads up play. A poker players heads up play may be completely different than their regular play. Here are some tips to help you improve your heads up Texas Hold'em poker strategy.

Tip#1   An Ace in the Hole

The #1 rule of heads up poker play is that when you have an ace as a hole card you will usually be in a dominant position pre flop. You should then raise/re-raise strong to see what the opponent's reaction will be. Often times an opponent will fold (depending on the specific style of the poker player) for fear of the ace or a pocket pair. Sometimes you may get called but remember, in heads up poker players have a tendency to make loose calls. Odds are you will still be in a dominant position.

Tip #2   Lower Your Expectations

While playing heads up Texas Hold'em poker, chances are that you cannot afford to wait on a good hand. A quality hand in heads up poker is not the same as when playing with a bigger group. You may have to settle with J-6 offsuit and just see what happens. The odds are that many times your opponent will have a bad looking hand as well.

Tip #3   Try To Pick Up A Betting Pattern

Many poker players have an extremely difficult time playing heads up. Some collapse under the pressure and others become painstakingly obvious in how they bet in heads up. Make sure you keep an eye on your opponents betting habits. Every now and then you may want to call a hand that you know your probably beat in just to see what the opponent has. If you can pick up an opponents betting habits it's almost as if they are showing you their hands.

Tip #4   Mix Up Your Play

Even if you are not getting the best of cards you must always try to mix up your play to throw your opponent off your scent. Raise with 9-4 suited. Call with A-3 offsuit. This way your opponent cannot pick up a good betting pattern from you. Many poker players are not great when it comes to heads up play. By throwing your opponent off your scent it possible that he/she will be enticed into making a careless all-in call. All it takes is one big mistake in heads up play and you'll have your opponent right where you want them.

Tip #5   Don't Over Do the "All-In" Call

Please do not go over board going all-in. This is like leaving your hand up to fate. There is some luck involved in poker but you don't want to just get by on being lucky. Besides, doing this is a clear give away that you may be less advanced and a veteran will wait for their chance and BURY you. Mix up your play, raises, calls and folds, and in the end the better player usually wins.

4 Gambling Mistakes New Poker Players Make

Poker is a game of chance, but there is still a large amount of skill involved when playing. Many new poker players make gambling mistakes that cost them a lot of money and get them out of tournaments. Some novices play free poker online and never win because of terrible gambling techniques. However, by knowing four common gambling mistakes that are made by new players, you can greatly increase your chances of winning games and tournaments.

1. Going all-in too often or in obvious desperation. 

In many tournaments with play money, some players go all-in the first hand. It may work for a few times, but after a while, someone will call you. In that case, you better hope that you have actually good cards. All-in can be used to get players to fold, but it should really only be used if you have a solid hand and could possibly double your stack. People should bluff very infrequently with an all-in. Going all-in with a bad hand is what many people call "bad poker." Sometimes you can get lucky, but the best players bet carefully.

2. Under betting. 

If you have a good starting hand, don't be afraid to raise pre-flop, or bet high after the flop. If you have a great hand, then slow playing can work very well. However, when you do start placing bets in a no-limit game, they should not be too small. One reason is that you won't end up winning as much money if you bet small. Another reason is that you are giving incentives for many other players to stay in the hand. Therefore, you are giving other players chances to hit a hand that is better than yours. The best players bet just the right amount to get it where only one or two players call. In that case, your odds for winning are a lot better.

3. Over betting.

Some players get very excited when they have a good hand. They may go all-in, or lay down outrageous bets. Not only is it a waste of a good hand, but also people can start to read you. If you constantly over bet only when you have something, then people will always fold and you won't win money. However, if you don't have anything, then people will also know because you aren't laying down monstrous bets.

4. Know when to fold.

Finally, it is important to know when to fold. The best poker players are constantly watching other players, and guessing who could have better hands than they have. If someone bets high, and you know you have the best possible hand (which occurs rarely), then you can call. However, you need to know the odds of the other person having a better hand. Additionally, many new poker players call large bets when they don't have anything, they just need a draw card. This is the worst type of gamble. Seldom will a person get that final card they need for a straight or a three-of-a-kind. Knowing the odds is key to playing good poker.

New poker players are often very easy targets for experienced players. Many new poker players make gambling mistakes that can be capitalized on. In order to avoid those mistakes, it is important to study the odds in poker, analyze what other players could have, and bet intelligently. If you do that, then you will have a fairly successful poker playing experience.

3 Tips For The Beginner Poker Player

So you want to be a poker player? Poker is a very challenging game although gameplay is relatively simple. Before you start throwing money around familiarize yourself with the rules of betting, calling, raising, and folding.

Also, it is important to know the rank of each hand, because you do not want to bet on a hand that YOU think is a winner.

Below are 3 other tips to help you get started as a poker player.

1. Start by playing with play money
 This is probably the best way to get started. You do not have to worry about blowing your whole savings account trying to become a good poker player. Start out playing for fun with friends or go online and play with play money. Numerous sites offer this service and you should take advantage of it.

2. Experiment with different strategies
Find the poker style that suits you best. Perhaps you don't have what it takes to be an aggressive player, so don't try this strategy if it doesn't work for you. Don't stick to one strategy in the beginning because if you do you will be read like a book by better poker players and you will end up getting very frustrated after getting bullied around the table by thegood players.

3. Don't get a big head
You may get lucky and win a few big hands when you start out. Don't get cocky though. Keep a level head when you are up and also when you are down. This will help you to concentrate better and, in turn, play better poker.

Hopefully these tips will help in guilding you as you learn the game of poker. Poker takes a little bit of luck, but this will eventually run out and the skillful players will rise to the top. By following these rules, you can be the last one standing at your poker table.

Online Poker Helps Broaden Interest In Game

The more you understand about any subject, the more interesting it becomes. As you read this article you'll find that the subject of internet poker is certainly no exception. 

Online poker has become one of the most popular games played on the Internet today.  With the increase of the number of people who are signing up and logging on, comes an even broader interest in the game.  Whether you are a novice player wishing to learn more about the game, thereby, gaining experience through online rooms and opinions and advice of other players, or a seasoned player wishing to improve your game and gain perspective on your strategy;your options are almost limitless when playing over the World Wide Web.  

Along with growing prizes at mainland tournaments, and increasing television coverage devoted to these tournaments, online poker rooms are now fuelling more interest in the game as a whole.

As the popularity of poker increases, the number of online rooms increases as well. 

Online poker rooms provide secure payment methods, a feature that is important when conducting any business online, random card dealing, a safe playing environment, and a realistic gaming experience. 

Below are some interesting facts and benefits of online poker:

Provides the platform for a large number of poker players to get to know each other online, discuss opinions and strategies, and the opportunity for more players to take part in games from across the world without having to meet in one place.

Some online rooms are more detailed than others, but most feature very vivid graphics, thrilling promotional opportunities, and extremely generous bonuses.

Many available online poker rooms offer a great deal of options that will help enhance your gaming experience.  One of these options is software available for download in multiple languages, again, broadening the opportunities for players from across the globe to join in the game.  Other options offered by some of the online poker rooms include freerolls, referral bonuses, and loyalty programs and deposit bonus offers.  

Many of the features offered for online gaming make playing over the Internet more appealing, and can also help to expand the user volume of the site.  

Another feature offered by many online sites is a variety of available games.  This allows players to choose which poker variant they would like to play, and allows them to switch from one to another if they so desire.  

If you haven’t started playing online, overcome your hesitation, take action and register an account now by clicking here.

#1 Secret Poker Strategy

• Learn how to maximize the efficency of  a strategy you have heard of to win you every game you play.
• Trick the other players into giving you there money quickly and easily.
• If you are a newbie, learn how to use it to your advantage, and go a step further and win poker games with no knowledge of illegal card counting that can get you kicked out of any casino.

If you have ever played poker before you know that you can obviously see all the players around you since you play in a circle (unless you're playing online poker). You just figured out the most important part of poker. You may be thinking that that's impossible.

You probably think that the most important part is the cards; what cards you get how to use them, ECT... These are very important, you are correct, but it all starts with your ability to use your body language to your advantage. The cards are going to be relatively the same for all the players. Luck usually doesn't factor in well in poker since everyone has the same chance to get the same cards.

In case luck begins to play a large role in your game then what can you does? A player always has 4 basic choices; you can check, bet or call, raise, or fold. If you are not getting good cards you can always fold right?

This is not always a good idea. You may be leaving large amounts of money on the table in the long run after a few initial folds. Sure you seemingly get away with losing less but you give up the chance to even try. Bluffing is the art of misguidance. You want them to think you have a bad hand one second and the next a great hand with all the best cards that are sure to win you the pot.

How do you accomplish such a thing? Simply with your body language this can be done. If you have good cards act happy. You may not want them to know that you have good cards but it's a way to change there thinking; now every time you act "happy" they will think you have good cards and may fold. If you have bad cards and you act happy they might fold because now they are afraid.

What you want to do is create a complicated pattern of sad, happy, indifferent, ecstatic, angry, ECT. Actions for certain hands. You want to throw them off but try and lure them into a safe zone where they think they understand your bluffing pattern and then hit them with the reality. As long as they are trying to keep up with whatever pattern you have, you will have them all under your control.

In one game of poker tournament I was playing in I decided to create very complex poker faces. They where not good they where not bad. I scrunched my face, grabbed my lip and scratched my leg; I did the craziest thing that nobody understood. They had no idea what my faces meant so they assumed that when I didn't raise that my cards where not good and they would raise and raise. When it came time to show, guess who took home the pot.

The moral of this little story is that you have to be creative. This is step two of poker (after learning the basics and learning them by heart), body language is very important. If you are known as a newbie and you come in they will expect you to show your cards loud and clear through your body language. You can mislead and kill your competition with a good poker face.

Bonuscamp redesigned website.

Bonuscamp is proud to announce the release of our newly redesigned website. By updating our main site, www.bonuscamp.com, with a stylish new Web 2.0 look and feel. When entering the new site, look for the “Poker Bonus” tab at the top to find all information related to poker bonuses and poker room reviews or “Bonuscamper” to visit our membership page. 

Our Poker school provides not only general information on the different poker types, but it also provides you info on hand rankings, hands to play, bank roll management, poker statistics and playing styles to watch out for while playing online and live tournaments.The Poker school was designed with you in mind! 

Plus, should you choose to become a BonusCamper by registering as a member via the BonusCamper tab at the top right corner of the menu, you will be able to download our ebooks for free and take part in our exclusive freerolls. 

Click here to visit the new redesigned BonusCamp website.