MyPokerCorner.com

Stud 8 or Better – Starting Hand Selection

MPC admin — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 13:28:09 +0000

Seven Card Stud 8 or Better is one of the more misunderstood games in a HORSE online poker tournament. Many players figure that since there is usually a split pot, they can play looser than they normally would. However, experienced Stud 8 players realize that this is an illusion and that solid play is a key to winning at Stud 8. If you want to be a winner at Stud 8 or Better, you need to play a solid game.

Starting hands in Stud 8

In Stud 8, starting hand selection is important to winning. If you play too loose, or play too much like a regular Stud player, you will find you chips quickly dwindling. The main object to Stud 8 is to scoop pots. If you cannot scoop the pot, you want to have a really strong one way hand in a multi-way pot. Let’s take a look at the best starting hands to give you the best chance to scoop.
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Poker Sponsorships Now Within Your Grasp!

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 23:30:29 +0000

Poker sponsorship has, till now, been the privilege of only those exceptional players who are winners of high profile events. Someone who has made the final table at the EPT or the WSOP is more likely to be chosen for a sponsorship deal. In short, you only get a sponsorship if you have proven yourself by consistently winning your ring games or made it to the final table more often than not. But then, there are so many expert poker players out there who cannot afford the entry fees or buy a seat to a tournament. Millions of people play poker but becoming a star player or making a career out of poker is not easy.

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Making Smart Decisions in Poker Tournaments

MPC admin — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:35:49 +0000

There’s a lot of poker math involved in making smart decision in poker tournaments. The simplest calculations involved determining the size of a bet or counting your “outs”. Factoring your chip count or the chip counts of opponents in your decisions is important. Calculating pot odds, implied pot odds, or taking into account the independent chip model calculation and having to make all these analysis in a matter of seconds is simply difficult for a lot of people.

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Ultimate Bet Bonus Code Requirements

MPC admin — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 19:00:45 +0000

Ultimate Bet offers a 111% Bonus up to $1100 on your first deposit. The Ultimate Bet Bonus can be claim by using the bonus code “REDUCTIONUB” when you’ll make your first deposit at UB.com. The minimum deposit amount is $10.

Earning Ultimate Bet Status Points

There are four ways to earn Status Points(...)
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Small Ball Poker Tournament Strategy

MPC admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 18:02:15 +0000

Small ball poker is a move which involves minimising the size of pots during a hand. It’s been heavily exploited in Daniel Negreanu’s Poker strategy and it reduces the risks of committing large chunks of your stack,(...)
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More Heads UP SNG Strategy

MPC admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 01:50:10 +0000

Heads up sit and go tournaments (SNGs) can be incredibly profitable but they are also difficult to master. Once you have a little poker experience under your belt, heads up SNGs are a good way to make money and improve your skills. Heads up poker is a high stress, high reward game.

The constantly rising blinds and difficulty of having to play the same opponent in every pot makes heads up SNGs intimidating to new players. If you take the time to learn them properly, you can make a lot of money. Anything that is difficult rewards those who work the hardest and tackle those challenges head-on.

If you’re new to poker, I wouldn’t recommend you jump straight in to heads-up SNGs. Poker itself is a complicated game as it is, and heads-up SNGs only make it even more complicated. But if you’re bound to play heads-up SNGs, you’ll be glad to know they are great for clearing poker bonuses and building the bankroll.(...)
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Heads Up SNG Strategy

MPC admin — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 11:59:34 +0000

In my experience Heads Up games are about outwitting, manipulating and ambushing your opponents. They are great for churning a good ROI because they give you the perfect opportunity to exploit weak players and use your own post-flop skills.

Unfortunately, there isn’t that much room for “normal” poker strategy because with only two players in the hand, you’ll be bluffing far more pots than you would in a 6 or 10 man table. The outcome is that they’ll be moderate swings throughout the games, but the game itself is decided in one or two “perfectly played” hands.

In terms of Variance, I would say it can become an issue if you only play 5 – 10 games, but anything above 20 games should give you some nice results.

Playing Style

Heads Up games are most profitable for loose aggressive players (LAGs) who can readily understand their opponents. (...)
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Heads Up Poker – Phase Tournaments

MPC admin — Mon, 17 May 2010 13:59:01 +0000

PKR Poker is running Heads up phase tournaments all the time. You buy in for $3.80+$0.20 and start at level one. When you win your match, you move up to the next level. There are 10 levels in total. If you make it to the final phase, then you’ll win money no matter what. The winner of the Heads up final phase earns $380 while the looser earns $75.

Losing a Heads Up Poker Game

OK so winning means you move one step up. What happens when you lose? Simple: you drop 2 steps. In other words, as long as you don’t lose at phase 1 or 2, then you’re still in the game which means that $3.80 can last you a while. (...)
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PKR Double Thru Strategy Poker Video

MPC admin — Wed, 12 May 2010 11:55:05 +0000

The idea of Double Thru is quite simple: Half the poker table will double up while the other half will loose their buy-in. Double Thru SNGs are a great way to make money playing poker because you would win half the time (everything else being equal). Everything else is not equal however! If you’ve been reading our articles and watching our poker strategy videos, I’m going to assume that you’re beating the odds!

In the video below, I personally show you how to win these SNGs. You’ll get to see the full game and I comment about strategy through the whole poker video. At one point, I do make a mistake and get into serious trouble. It happens to all of us. You’ll get to see how I opted to play, and why, to make it back in the money.(...)
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Rake Race

MPC admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:06:55 +0000

A rake race is a competition amongst poker players who frequent the same poker room. The goal is to generate more rake than everyone else within a certain period. For example, if you sign up to Doyle’s room via our link, you are automatically included in a 35K rake race every single month! If you sign up to Full Tilt Poker via our links, you’ll be competing in an ongoing weekly 5K rake race, and a monthly 10K rake race.

Most rake races will pay the top 25 to 100 rakers. Below is a list of our rake races. You only get access to these by creating your poker rakeback account via our links.

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They Know I’m Gooder Than Them

MPC admin — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:50:33 +0000

This video just cracks me up! The creator obviously intended to go for some chuckles while doing it, but I doubt he expected things to end the way they did. That makes this funny poker video even more hilarious!

Looking for Poker Donkies?

It’s your turn to show those poker donkies why YOU’RE gooder than them! There’s plently of donkey action at Players Only Poker. Check it out!

Rush Poker

MPC admin — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:32:07 +0000

Rush Poker is a new and exciting poker format that will certainly become the favorite for those in need of speed. Everyone knows how annoying can be waiting for everyone else to make his bets or fold; at Rush Poker, every player can fold as soon as they want, even out of turn, by clicking on the “Quick Fold” button. After making a quick fold, players will automatically be taken to another table and be dealt a new hands. Rush Poker rules are very simple!

Earn Full Tilt rewards faster

Players will only remain at the table when they are in action, otherwise they can go to another table to play with other players, resulting in a large number of played hands during a session. Online poker might never be the same with Rush Poker where players can play about 300 hands per hour! Negating the need of multi-tabling, the average number of hands is between 277 and 318 during an hour. More hands per hour means more rake being collected. As such, this means players will earn Full Tilt Poker points faster! (...)
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Carbon Poker Rakeback

MPC admin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:40:27 +0000

Get 35% Rakeback!

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PKR Poker Rakeback

MPC admin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:55:23 +0000

Get 30% Rakeback!

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2010 Cake Poker Rakeback

MPC admin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:48:28 +0000

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Poker Strategy eBook

MPC admin — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 02:08:38 +0000

Tired of loosing money at 6 player SNG’s? Our free 6 player SNG Poker Strategy eBook can help you turn things around! Best of all, it’s completly free! Sign up below to get it via e-mail.

Free Poker Strategy Book Offer

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2010 Doyles Room Rakeback

MPC admin — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 01:26:36 +0000

Get 33% Rakeback!

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Bodog Poker Rakeback

MPC admin — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 02:15:52 +0000

Get 30% Rakeback!

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Absolute Poker Rakeback

MPC admin — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:57:06 +0000

Get 30% Rakeback!

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Ultimate Bet Rakeback 2010

MPC admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:36:56 +0000

Get 30% Rakeback!

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Full Tilt Poker Rakeback 2010

MPC admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:20:28 +0000

Get 27% Rakeback!

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Rush Poker Strategy

MPC admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:21:37 +0000

Rush Poker is a new and exciting game introduced by Full Tilt Poker. In Rush Poker is the perfect game for the fast paced action junkie because of its unique concept. As soon as you fold a hand in Rush Poker, you are instantly moved to a new table a dealt a new hand. There is no waiting time, which is very appealing to a lot of players. You could be sitting at table A in seat 7, fold your hand and immediately move to table B and get dealt a new hand. Until your turn actually comes up on table A, no one from that table knows you actually folded your hand yet. Exciting isn’t it?

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PokerStars Marketing Code

MPC admin — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:43:36 +0000

When you sign up to PokerStars and create your account, you’ll be asked for a “PokerStars Marketing Code”. This code is optional and does not give players any extra benefit directly. PokerStars uses marketing codes for marketing purposes. They want to know where players are coming from. For instance, players might see an ad in a magazine and decide to create an account after reading it. By entering the ad’s marketing code, PokerStars knows you signed up because you read that specific ad. The same applies when you sign up to PokerStars via our links. If you enter our very own pokerstars marketing code, then you’re telling PokerStars that you signup via MyPokerCorner.com. If you’re interested in doing that, our marketing code is “mypokercorner.com”.(...)
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What Is A Satellite Poker Tournament?

MPC admin — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:34:09 +0000

This article will explain what a poker satellite tournament is and show you where you can play in the best poker satellite tournaments online.

Differences Between Satellite Poker Tournaments And Regular Tournaments

There is one main difference between satellite poker tournaments and regular tournaments. Players in satellite tournaments are usually all competing for the same prize where as the prize pool in regular multi table tournaments is staggered based on how close you are to winning. If you play a $10 satellite to the Sunday Million on Pokerstars then a certain number of players will win a ticket to the Sunday Million and the other players will win nothing. (...)
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Stealing the Button Position Advantage

MPC admin — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:48:54 +0000

A lot of poker strategy concepts involve table position, and this one does as well. This particular poker strategy is easy to learn and can drastically improve your poker performance.

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$250K Guaranteed Tournament at Full Tilt Poker

MPC admin — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:35:36 +0000

On Sunday October 18th 2009 you can cash in your Full Tilt Poker Points to play in a $250,000 guaranteed Full Tilt Poker point’s tournament. For just 5,000 Full Tilt points you can enter this tournament and have a shot at the over $20,000 first place prize or a share of the entire $250K prize pool. The tournament kicks off at 2:15pm EST and there is a maximum of 12,000 entrants. The tournament is sure to fill up quickly so buy-in today.

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5 Tips to Beat 10 player NL Texas Holdem

MPC admin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:38:59 +0000

Here are 5 great tips to help you beat 10nl Texas Holdem. If you are struggling to beat the 10nl Texas Holdem games then hopefully these top 5 tips will help you turning things around. A running theme when considering how to beat 10nl Texas Holdem is simplicity. Don’t try to get out of line, play solid ABC poker and include the tips below in your poker strategy repertoire.

Play a Tight Preflop Range

You are going to encounter a lot of fishy players on the 10nl Texas Holdem tables who are playing far too many hands to be profitable players. You are going to see players with stats which have big gaps between their VPIP and PFR all the time. These players are playing too many hands and the hands they are playing they are not playing aggressive enough. You can exploit this by playing a tight range of hands preflop. Superior hand selection should be enough to give you a good chance in these games. You want to be looking to play between a 15 and 18 VPIP with a gap of no more than 3 between your VPIP and PFR percentages.

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Good Poker Players vs Great Poker Players

MPC admin — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 11:00:05 +0000

So what is it that makes great poker players great and good poker players… well, not so great? Or to put it another way, what’s stopping good poker players from moving up to higher levels or increasing their winrate at their current level? Perhaps with the help of Daniel Negreanu poker training videos? Sure, that can be helpfull but consider the following…

I don’t believe that there are any simple answers like “double barrel more” or “3bet light often”. However, there are a few things that I think really separate the truly successful poker players from those that find themselves restricted by their current ability.

Great poker players know the “why”, not just the “what”

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Moving to Higher Stakes Poker Games

MPC admin — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:43:05 +0000

Knowing when to move up to next level can be quite difficult and once you are there learning how to adapt your approach to win at that level can be equally difficult. If you know how to approach playing in higher stakes games then you have more chance of staying in them. However, if you don’t know when it is the right time to move up then you are going to struggle, no matter what changes to your game you make.

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Winning NL Holdem Poker Cash Games

MPC admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:49:34 +0000

There’s a huge difference in poker cash games vs poker tournaments or SNGs: the blinds are fixed in NL Holdem cash games. That changes a lot of things in your poker strategy and if you’re consistently loosing money at the cash tables, you’re probably doing one or more of the following things:

Playing too many hands
Chasing cards when you don’t have pot odds
Bluffing to frequently
Playing higher limits than you should

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Playing Your Position

MPC admin — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 22:38:14 +0000

Article Sponsored by the Team at Online Poker Rakeback

As any experienced poker player will tell you, poker is not just a game of cards. Poker is a game of psychological warfare, with a felt battlefield and mental ammunition. It’s not always the player with the best cards who wins – it’s the player who can make everyone else at the table believe he has the best cards who takes the pot.

Now you’re probably asking yourself, “Does this guy want me to bluff every bad hand?” Absolutely not. But when the situation calls for it, by all mean, yes!

Now you’re probably wondering what this has to do with playing your position in poker. That’s simple enough. When you’re in the best position – late position – you have the greatest opportunity to claim a sizeable pot with a terrible hand. This won’t happen every time, but it can certainly come in handy when your opponents haven’t a leg to stand on.

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How to play poker

MPC admin — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 13:07:11 +0000

Poker is cool. There’s no question about it. You see poker players wins millions of dollars on TV every single week and it makes you want to be there and live the experience. For a few of us, this might actually happen but before you can win at poker, you need to learn how to play poker.

Learning how to player poker is like learning a musical instrument. Some people have a natural knack for it while others need to work a lot harder at it. There is also the few that are simply tone deaf and will just never be good at it no matter how hard they try.

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Quads and Royal Flush at Full Tilt Poker

MPC admin — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:25:32 +0000

I record my poker sessions so when I catch something good, I can use it to make videos. In this short handed SnG I flop four Jacks, and a few hands later I hit the Royal Flush at Full Tilt Poker.

As you watch the video, you’ll also hear me talk about what I think is going on at the table. It’s like your in my mind and I explain how I analyze my opponents and why I make certain decisions. In my head, these thoughts go on in a matter of seconds of course, but to explain it it takes a little bit more time!

I hope you enjoy this video. Feel free to leave some comments on youtube.

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Table And Seat Selection In 5-Card Draw Poker

MPC admin — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:34:42 +0000

5 Card-Draw, made famous in countless Western movies, is now a popular pastime at many of the leading online poker sites. This form of the game attracts a wide mixture of serious as well as recreational players, and is available in several betting formats such as fixed-limit, no-limit and pot-limit. Taking some time to choose the best tables can result in increased profits and enjoyment. This article gives you some easy to implement tips to help you find the most profitable tables today!

Table Statistics

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How To Avoid Getting "Quartered" In Omaha High-Low

MPC admin — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:45:26 +0000

A perennial risk on Omaha Hi-Lo poker involves winning only a quarter of the pot. This usually happens when you share the low side of the pot, while an opponent takes the high side. Many players regularly put themselves at risk of being quartered by playing in such a way as to increase the likelihood of this expensive scenario occurring. This article outlines common situations in which you can be quartered, and suggests ways to spot and avoid these situations in the future.

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Reading Opponents in Poker

MPC admin — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:02:36 +0000

The ability to read opponents in poker is an essential skill to develop and master. In fact, this is one of the first poker strategy concept players should learn because it leads to other things, like bluffing and trapping. This video will explain the basic concepts of reading poker opponents. You’ll learn about the different elements you should be looking out for, and how they interralate. Any poker player needs to watch this video and learn about reading opponents. You’ll never be sucessful at poker if you can nail down this concept.

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How to Play Texas Holdem Video

MPC admin — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:29:04 +0000

I have a few articles that explain how to play Texas Holdem, but I created this Texas Holdem video in addition to the articles available on this site. Obviously, it’s less effort to sit and watch a Texas Holdem video tutorial, and it’s more fun! And of course, the visual aids provided by a texas Holdem video make it easier to understand.

We have more videos in the poker videos section. You can also subscribe to our youtube feed at http://www.youtube.com/mypokercorner

Pot Odds in Poker

MPC admin — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:38:04 +0000

In this MyPokerCorner.com video, you’ll learn about pot odds in poker. More specifically, the video talks about what pot odds are, how you can calculate pot odds on the fly in Texas Holdem, and how you can use pot odds as part of your poker strategy.

Poker Strategy – Pot Odds

5 Ways To Improve Your Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Profits

MPC admin — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 23:42:23 +0000

Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo is gaining in popularity online. With so many fresh faces at the tables the potential for profit is huge. This article gives you 5 ways to ensure that you are taking more than your fair-share of the massive profits available from this entertaining form of poker.

Bigger PLO Hi-Lo Profits #1 – Play Less Starting Hands

With so many hands having potential it can be tempting for many players to stick with a PLO High starting hand selection and add the low hands to this. Profitable Omaha Hi-Lo hands are those which can win both sides of the pot, and have nut potential for at least one side. This means you need to be selective in choosing the right starting hands, particularly with several players left to act behind you.

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PKR Poker Broadcasts Live WSOP online!

MPC admin — Sat, 30 May 2009 19:36:47 +0000

PKR Poker is the exclusive online broadcaster for this year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP). This means that you can watch live final table action from 24 bracelet events as they unfold in Las Vegas via the PKR Portal.

The 24 events scheduled for broadcast include the final tables from the $50K HORSE Championship together with five other $10K World Championship events. Can’t be there in person? See it live with PKR Poker!

See the WSOP Live via this link.

If you would like to learn more about PKR Poker, see our PKR Poker Review.

Basic Hand Reading In 5 Card Draw Poker

MPC admin — Sat, 30 May 2009 13:22:43 +0000

A winning 5-Card Draw poker strategy involves reading patterns in the betting of individual opponents far more than in other forms of poker. This is due to the limited amount of information available in this ‘closed card’ game, with only the betting and number of cards discarded to help you make decisions. This article looks at how beginning 5-card draw poker players can start to combine these pieces of information to make the most profitable decisions.

We start with looking at the number of cards drawn, working backwards from 3 to zero, noting what a ‘straight-forward’ or ‘tricky’ player might hold in each circumstance. Next we show how different betting combined with this information might give you further clues.

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Pot-Limit Omaha Sit N Go – 5 Opponent Errors You Can Exploit

MPC admin — Sat, 30 May 2009 13:13:34 +0000

Sit and Go Tournaments are a hugely popular form of online poker, and Pot-Limit Omaha Sit N Goes are no exception. There are two types of error common in these games which thinking players can profitably exploit. The first involves those not experienced with PLO strategy and the second involves those who do not fully appreciate the changes in poker dynamics which occur in Sit N Go Tournaments. This article lists 5 of the most common Pot-Limit Omaha SNG errors which you can start exploiting today!

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Pot-Limit Omaha Sit N Go Errors #1 – Loose, Passive And Out Of Position

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Daniel Negreanu and Gus Hansen on High stakes Poker

MPC admin — Thu, 28 May 2009 03:49:09 +0000

One way to learn poker strategy is to do a hand analysis and try to figure out why a player acted the way they did. Try to put yourself in the mind of a poker pro like Daneil Negreanu for instance, and see if you can see what he sees.

Here’s a poker video from you tube that is pretty slick. (And sick). Let’s use is as an example for a hand analysis. Below, I am providing my analysis along with the approximate times they occur in the video.

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Doyles Room WSOP Schedule

MPC admin — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:05:37 +0000

Doyles Room 2009 WSOP MAIN EVENT Satellites

Doyles Room is offering poker players the chance to win a great WSOP package worth $13,000. It includes 10K entry fee + 3K cash, a private poker lesson with Mike Caro, a private dinner with Doyle Brunson and other VIPs, and other gifts! You could be one of the winners!

Scheduled Tournaments

One way to get in the WSOP action with Doyles Room is to play in their scheduled tournament. Well… Play and win of course! Are you the next Doyles Room Winner? Register to the events below and find out!

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7 Card Stud Strategy

MPC admin — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:56:29 +0000

Seven Card Stud strategy is intricate and complex but if you take the time to get a good understanding of it, you’ll be worlds ahead of the average 7 Card Stud player and will be in a great position to make a lot of money. As with most poker games, the first thing you need to learn in 7 Card Stud is how to pick the right starting hands.

One thing that makes 7 Card Stud unique is that when you are learning how to pick your starting hands, you’ll also have to learn how to judge your opponents’ cards. This is one of the few poker games in which you can see your opponents’ cards when deciding whether or not to continue on with your own hand.

7 Card Stud Starting Hands

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Titan Poker Bonus of $63,000 in Freerolls

MPC admin — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:27:09 +0000

Players making their first deposit during the month of May 2009 at TitanPoker.com will receive free entry to a series of freeroll tournaments awarding a grand total of $63,000 in guaranteed prizes. Act now before this Titan Poker bonus offer expires.

Note! To qualify for this limited time bonus offer from Titan poker, you MUST register yrou Titan Poker account via this link. Use bonus code “MPCMAYPROM”

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Relative Hand Strength In Pot-Limit Omaha High

MPC admin — Tue, 05 May 2009 23:56:17 +0000

One of the biggest errors made by players transitioning from No-Limit Holdem to Pot-Limit Omaha is making the correct adjustments for relative hand strength. While it is clear to many that 4 hole-cards mean bigger hands at showdown, the large size of this difference often leads to difficulties. This article examines the relative hands strength in Pot-Limit Omaha games, to help you profit from those players who fail to grasp this important concept.

Omaha Hand Combinations

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We start by looking at how the strength of hands at showdown is dramatically increased by the 2 from your hand, 3 from the board. Next the fact that Pot-Limit Omaha is a ‘game of the nuts’ is examined, particularly for big pots. We finish with some simple rules of thumb which should keep you out of trouble while transitioning to this form of poker.

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Top Three Tips for Five Card Draw Poker

MPC admin — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 02:16:38 +0000

Five Card Draw is a favorite for old timers, and has seen a bit of resurgence online as of late. The game is extremely simple to play, but you should brush up on your Five Card Draw strategy before you hit the tables so you won’t get eaten alive. This article will provide the top three tips for new five card draw players, so you can take care of your chips on the felt:

Be Picky

The biggest mistake that new five card draw players make is to play too many hands. Before the draw you should only consider playing premium pairs (Queens or Better), two pair, open ended straight draws, and flush draws. Even the draws should be let mucked if the betting gets too expensive.

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Seven-Card Stud Starting Hands (Part 2)

MPC admin — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 02:09:43 +0000

This guide is designed to help you make good decisions based on your starting hand. In part one of the Seven-Card Stud Starting Hands article, we looked at Trips, Premium Pairs, Medium and Low Pairs, and Three to a Straight Flush. Now we explore three more starting hands and how they should be played. That’s seven starting hands for seven card stud… spooky!

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Seven-Card Stud Starting Hands (Part 1)

MPC admin — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 02:05:55 +0000

To players just learning the game, Seven-Card Stud can seem to be something of an enigma. This is especially true of players who are transitioning from playing games with community cards. In Stud, players need to analyze their starting hands in relation to their opponent’s exposed cards. In Holdem and other community card games, no information is given about opponents’ hands at all.

This guide will help you adjust to the game of Stud by outlining the different types of starting hands, and how to play them.

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Pot-Limit Omaha Tips

MPC admin — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 02:10:48 +0000

Go where the action is – go play pot-limit Omaha. More and more players are fascinated by the amount of fun and excitement this poker type has to offer. Even Pros like Phil Ivey and Patrik Antonius tend to play as much pot-limit Omaha as possible.

Most of the time, players start with Hold’em and then move on to Omaha and test the new waters. Before putting on your swim suit, there are a few things you need to know to get an early edge:

BEST OMAHA SITE FOR BEGINERS – POKERSTARS
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The showdown hands are a lot better

Being dealt four cards will get you further in the hand ranking. (...)
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Pot-Limit Omaha Beginners Guide

MPC admin — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 02:06:35 +0000

Pot-limit Omaha is a very popular game. Not only professional players love it. An increasing number of online poker players enjoy this game for several reasons. For some players it’s just variety and others think they have a bigger edge over their opponents.

BEST OMAHA SITE FOR BEGINERS – POKERSTARS
Get 100% up to $50! – EASY TO CLEAR! – BONUS CODE: “FIRST50“
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Many of the Hold’em players that try out pot-limit Omaha think they could play pretty much the same way they play Hold’em. If they win with a certain strategy at Hold’em it can’t be that wrong in pot-limit Omaha. But this is often the case if a Hold’em player doesn’t adapt properly and is learning essentially Omaha strategy. That’s the reason we will show you some beginner strategy:

Let’s take a look at the starting hands in Omaha.

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Deuce to Seven Triple Draw Strategy

MPC admin — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 02:01:14 +0000

Deuce to Seven Triple Draw, or in short: 2-7 Triple Draw is a very nice game where you can make a lot of money as a good player. Novice players that overvalue their hands are the ones you can exploit. And this is already the biggest mistake you have to avoid at 2-7 Triple Draw. Let’s take a look at it in detail.

In 2-7 Triple Draw you can change three times as many cards as you want. This sounds like you can make very strong hands even if you start with weak hands. If you look at a hand like A-K-2-2-T you have four junk cards that you should discard. But this is way too many even though you can discard three times.(...)
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RAZZ Poker Strategy

MPC admin — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:54:13 +0000

Razz is an exciting spin off of seven card stud low that most poker players (at least those who enjoy a challenge) absolutely love. Razz poker is played similarly to seven card stud low, although there are a few twists and different rules during certain points of the game. Learning razz can be complicated but worthwhile. Some razz poker strategy tips to help improve your razz poker game or get your started on the road to winning the big razz poker pots include:

Starting Hand Strategy in Razz Poker

Learning what constitutes a great razz poker starting hand. The starting hand in razz is pretty indicative of how the game will turn out. (...)
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Seven Card Stud High/Low Hand Selection

MPC admin — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:48:47 +0000

Seven card stud high/low is a fun and exciting seven card stud version that can be very profitable if you learn how to scoop the entire pot. Because seven card stud high/low is a split pot game, the pot is typically split between the high hand and the low hand, although one player can take the entire pot by having both the best hand around the table on the low end and the high end. That said, there’s lot of money to be made at the seven card stud high/low table if you know how to select and play your seven card stud high/low hand.

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Five Tips for 7 Card Stud High/Low

MPC admin — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:45:49 +0000

Seven card stud high/low is a twist on regular seven card stud where the pot at the end of the game is split between the player who holds the high poker hand and the seven card stud player with the lowest stud lo hand – although there is oftentimes not a low hand winner. The high hand winner in seven card stud high/low is determined by traditional poker rules. The low hand that wins in seven card stud high/low must be made up of five cards that are eight or lower. Seven card stud high/low can also have one winner take of both the high and low pot with a hand such as ace – two – three – four – five. As you can see, seven card stud high/low can be quite exciting!
Some seven card stud high/low tips to keep you on top of your game and pulling chips in your direction:

Seven Card Stud High/Low Tip #1 – Scooping

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Five Tips for 7 Card Stud

MPC admin — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:21:15 +0000

Seven card stud is one of the most popular and beloved poker games out there and has been around for many years. Seven card stud can be found in most online gaming rooms and in literally thousands of poker rooms across the U.S. as well as in casinos. Some of the most successful seven card stud enthusiasts points to these tips to improve your game – whether you’re a pro player or just learning the ropes of seven card stud:

7 Card Stud Tip #1 – Playing Pairs

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5 Reasons To Play Online Poker At Cake Poker

MPC admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 19:15:45 +0000

Cake poker is a US-friendly poker site that is growing rapidly, largely due to a great balance between generous bonuses and weaker opposition compared to many other US sites. This article covers 5 reasons that you might want to choose to play online poker at Cake Poker.
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Aced Poker Comp Points are Awesome!

MPC admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 19:13:53 +0000

Aced Poker is one of the few rooms that actually managed to make player points useful and very valuable for poker players like you and me. This is actually one of the reasons why I feel Aced Poker is one of the most exciting poker rooms out there, even if it is fairly recent. The fact that they accept US players is also a plus.

The player points you acquire at Aced Poker are called “comp points” and they can be used in various ways, but I wanted to show you a real example of the incredible value Aced is giving their players with these points.

I’m going to compare aced poker with another unnamed poker room. What’s interesting is that both these rooms are on the same poker network, the merge gaming network. It doesn’t really matter if you play at Aced or at the other rooms, you’re playing o the same network against the same opponents but here’s why Aced is better than any room on the merge network. Below is a chart that shows satellite tickets you can purchase with your points. Notice that the cost to buy these tickets is drastically lower at Aced Poker, yet these are essentially “shared” satellites on the network. In other words, you can register to a $60 dollar satellite in exchange for 150,000 comp points from the unnamed room, or you can register to the exact same satellite at Aced for a fraction of the points, under 20,000 com points in fact!

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RAZZ Poker Rules

MPC admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 19:10:41 +0000

RAZZ is a different kind of poker game because you win the game by having the worse hand. You’ll make up a five cards out of seven available cards. There are no community cards but each player will be dealt 2 cards face down, 4 cards face up, and a last card face down. As in all low hand games, pairs count against the player. That is, any hand with no pair defeats any hand with a pair; one pair hands defeat two pair or three of a kind, etc. No-pair hands are compared starting with the highest ranking card, just as in high poker, except that the high hand loses. In ace-to-five low, straights and flushes are ignored, and aces play as the lowest card. Under these rules, the best RAZZ hand is A-2-3-4-5.

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Five Card Draw Rules

MPC admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 19:08:31 +0000

Five Card Draw used to be a very popular poker game before Texas Hold’em took the main spot. Regardless, it is still a fun game to play and it’s very easy to learn. In five card draw, each player plays their own hand. There’s no community cards, and no exposed cards. You get the opportunity to dump unwanted cards from your hand and replace them with new random cards. The best hand wins.

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Win More Money At Online Poker with Odds Calculators

MPC admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 19:04:10 +0000

Poker odds calculators are a CRUCIAL part of winning money at online poker. A poker odds calculator can QUICKLY and EASILY improve your game in various ways and this is what this article covers.

Understand Your Starting Hand strenght

Most poker players end up playing too many hands. Beginers in particular tend to rely on luck too much and they get invllved in pots hoping to hit the flop. From time to time, you do get lucky and hit a nice flop, but in the long run you are loosing money. The reason is because of the your ODDS. Even though you might make a “great hand” once in every twenty flops, those other nineteen hands will cost you more money then what you gained on the 20th winning hand. Add it all up and you’re running in the hole so stop behaving this way!

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Think Like A Winning Poker Player

MPC admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 19:02:43 +0000

In order to win money from poker, you need to think like a winning poker player. I know, I know, it’s easier said than done, but that’s the same for pretty much anything in life.

Nonetheless, here are a few tips to help you develop the mind of a winning poker player.

Think about the future of your hand

An unfortunate mistake that many amateur (and even intermediate) players make is that they do not consider where a hand is going, and they simply make decisions on the spur of the moment. A lot of the time, if a hand looks as though it’s becoming too tricky to play and you feel as though it will lose you money, it probably will.

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Short Stack Texas Hold'em Strategy

MPC admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:59:49 +0000

During any Texas Hold’em game, whether it be a cash game or tournament, there is always the possibility that you will become short-stacked and have a small amount of chips in relation to the blinds.

When you are in this short-stacked situation, your strategy and approach to the game should change in order for you to continue to make the most profitable plays. Even though you have fewer chips than other players at the table, it does not mean that you should resign yourself to defeat. Even as a short stack, you should still be able to play winning poker.

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3 Ways To Boost Your Poker Bankroll

MPC admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:58:38 +0000

There will occasionally be times in poker where you hit the Doldrums as far as building your bankroll is concerned. Things might be going great for a while, but all of a sudden you find yourself stuck in a rut, and you are having trouble adding those extra dollars to your bankroll.

This could be due to a mix of bad cards and less than perfect play, but at the end of the day you want to get back on to the money-making track as quickly as possible. To help you get your game back into shape, here are 3 tips for breathing some life into your poker bankroll.

1 – Try playing at a new room

You know how rearranging your desk or changing your desktop background can freshen things up a little and make you more productive? How about doing the same thing with online poker?

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Dealing with Bad Beats

MPC admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:51:14 +0000

As much as we hate to admit it, poker Bad Beats are part and parcel of today’s game of poker. If you haven’t experienced a bad beat at the poker table, then I’m guessing you haven’t been involved in many pots or you’ve been playing FAR too conservatively.

Suffering a bad beat can at best leave you feeling angry and frustrated. At worst, it can send you on tilt and affect the way you play your future hands. How can the guy who decided to throw all his chips into the middle of the table with just with just a 9 3 offsuit still end up walking off with your chips? How did he end up drawing the only two cards in the deck that would save him?

It’s this sense of injustice, that needs to be dealt with to ensure that your game does not suffer in the long term. But what’s the best way of dealing with Lady Luck leaving you? Well ideally you’d want to talk about it to get it off your chest, but that’s not an option in poker circles. Your fellow players don’t want to hear your poker bad-beat stories. They’ve got their own stories – they don’t need to hear about yours.

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Asian Poker Tour (APT) Manila – 2009

MPC admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:38:51 +0000

The Asian Poker Tour (APT) circuit is expanding and gaining a high profile. The APT Manila tournament has gained a reputation as one of most exciting poker destination in the world.

The APT first ran in May 2008 and the prize pool and the level of talent continues to reach new heights. The initial tournament boasted a $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool and attracted 315 talented poker players from all over the world. Australian poker pro David Saab made history when he won the first ever APT Manila event and took home $280,000.

The second event on the Asian Poker Tour circuit was staged in Macau in August 2008 with an inflated prize offering of $1,500,000. This event was won by Yevgeniy Timoshenko of the United States who claimed winnings of $500,000.

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Basic Sit-N-Go Strategy

MPC admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:36:16 +0000

Sit and Go tournaments (SNGs) are an exciting form of poker that provide an experience similar to large tournaments without taking up nearly as much time. Some professional SNG players can play well over 50 SNGs a day because of this.

Sit n Go strategy isn’t discussed as often as multi-table tournament and cash game poker strategy so there’s great potential for dedicated players to make a killing at SNGs. All it requires is discipline and a willingness to learn.

There are three major parts to a SNG, each one requiring its own gambling strategy:

Early Poker Strategy – 8 to 10 Players Remaining

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Continuation Betting in No Limit Hold’em

MPC admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:33:54 +0000

Once you learn the basics of no limit Hold’em, such as how to play your preflop hands, the next topic to study is flop play. One of the most important moves you can make on the flop is to make a continuation bet after displaying preflop aggression. The continuation bet is an important play that shows continued strength on the flop, and can also win you many pots when you have nothing. Now, we’ll discuss what a continuation bet actually is.

Continuation bets are ½ to 1/3 pot sized bets made on the flop by a player who made a raise preflop. The best way to explain this is through an example:

Imagine you are playing a NLH cash table and have AK. You raise preflop, and one player calls your raise. On the flop, you make a bet of ½ to 1/3 the size of the pot. This flop bet would be called a continuation bet, because you are continuing your preflop aggression. There are basically two situations when you’ll use a continuation bet, and we’ll discuss both:

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Top 5 Texas Hold'em Tips

MPC admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:32:28 +0000

No Limit Texas Hold’em is easily the most popular poker game in the world, both live and online. Every live casino fills their poker room with Texas Hold’em tables, and every online poker site bases their marketing efforts on recruiting No Limit Hold’em players. If you decide to play poker, you’re likely to end up playing Hold’em, so we’ll provide you with some quick strategy tactics to help you beat the Hold’em tables. Here are our top 5 no limit Hold’em tips:

Texas Hold’em Tip #1 – Start out Small

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Basic Heads Up Texas Hold em Strategy

MPC admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:30:27 +0000

You can learn as much no limit Texas Hold em strategy as you like, but nothing fully prepares you for playing heads up Poker. The fact that you only have to worry about one opponent means that you are not going to be able to rely on basic Hold em strategy and mathematics to carry you through, as you now need to be able to outsmart your opponent to walk away from the table as the winner at the end of the day.

Even if you do not regularly play heads up Texas Hold em cash games, it is a good idea to familiarise yourself with the style of play, so that you can take the experience and use it to improve your overall game. Furthermore, if you are a tournament player, you should brush up on your heads up poker game as you will need it if you intend on finishing first more times than you finish second.

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Early stage Turbo SNG strategy

MPC admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:28:54 +0000

There’s been much debate about when it’s appropriate to steal blinds during a single table Turbo Sit and Go. Some say it’s a free-for-all once the game begins, others say wait until the blinds reach the middle stages of the tournament. The folks that are members of the “wait till later” school of thought reason that it doesn’t make much sense to steal blinds when they are so low relative to your stick. The folks that advocate stealing early and often say that even if your opponent play back, you may get lucky on a flop and bust an opponent.

What Table Image do You Want to Project?

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Six Handed Sit and Go Strategy

MPC admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:27:13 +0000

Sit and Go (SNG) single table tournaments are very popular and for good reason. The action is fast paced and typically last under an hour. Compared to a standard 9 or 10-seated SNG, the 6-handed version can be very lucrative for players who learn to adapt their play by considering the following elements:

Short handed play means you don’t have to wait on premium hands to play
Button steals are far more common in this game
Many flops aren’t contested beyond the flop
It’s easier to isolate opponents with fewer players being dealt in
You can make under the gun raises with more confidence (only 5 more players behind you)

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Heads-Up Poker Strategy

MPC admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:23:08 +0000

A good Heads-Up poker strategy is not only needed if you want to make a lot of money in this form of Texas Holdem; it’s a great deal of fun to master. In Heads-Up poker, there are two players playing one-on-one poker. This might be a freeze-out tournament, or it may be the situation remaining when there are just two people left in a particular pot. As you might imagine, this can be intense, and it can be very much fun to watch–not to mention very educational for the poker student. Heads-Up poker strategy involves every aspect of the game of poker: The power of aggression; great bluffing; the importance of highly accurate pot-odds calculations; the skill with which excellent players mask their tells; knowing when to Texas fold’em!; understanding the probable winning hands; trapping…it’s all here. When Heads-Up poker situations arise or will be featured at the World Series of Poker, they are heavily promoted.

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Low Limit Poker Bankroll Management

MPC admin — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:20:00 +0000

Learning to manage your poker bankroll is a critical step to assuring profitability and minimizing your risk of going broke. Poker is a game of short term luck and long term skill. What this means is that you will need to have enough poker money to withstand some short term setbacks. No matter how good you are at the game, there will be days that you lose, simply because luck will not be on your side. Over time however, your skill will prevail and luck will only be a short term inconvenience. This article will give you the information you need to properly maintain your poker bankroll and how to stay in the game even when things get bad.

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Common Hold’em Misconceptions for Beginners

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:58:18 +0000

Texas Hold’em is a fun game that is easy to learn and very popular. Because of this, the game has been filled with throngs of new players both young and old who sometimes don’t understand the game to its fullest extent. That being said, it can take years to truly understand and master the game, and mastery is very elusive. This elementary taking to the game has been cause for some common misconceptions. It is best that you don’t buy into them if you really want to be successful at the game. This article will cover some of the common misconceptions about the game and the reasons you need to forget about them.

Poker Myth – My aces never win

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Good Poker Bluffs in Low Limit Holdem

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:57:13 +0000

Generally speaking, poker bluffs in low limit Texas Hold’em really isn’t all that necessary. While the absolute best players will use some deception and poker bluffs to increase profits, most players over use it, rendering it a horrible game decision. There are a few situations in low limit games that provide excellent opportunities to bluff. Next time you are playing Texas Hold’em, rather then simply trying to bully someone out of the pot with a bluff, look for the situations outlined below to make your attempts at deception truly profitable.

The whole table checks

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Low Stakes No Limit Hold'em – Completing The Small Blind

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:56:05 +0000

In this article we will discuss why you should “complete” from the small blind less often, and why it’s a major leak the bankroll of most low stakes cash game players.

Winning at low stakes no limit hold’em is tougher than a lot of poker players realize – the average low stakes game online is tougher than your local home game. Most online poker experts would agree that the skill level at Full Tilt .05 / .10 no limit full ring games are about as tough as a brick and mortar casino $1/$2 game, and many would argue that the online games are actually tougher. That said, the $1 / $2 no limit cash games at my local casino are very soft – so let’s discuss a crucial concept that can help you adapt and beat the low stakes online ring games.

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Turbo Sit and Go Strategy

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:54:11 +0000

If you like to live life in the fast lane then the Turbo Sit and Go (SNG) was tailored just for you. Offered at sites such as Full Tilt Poker, Turbo SNG’s are just like regular single table tournaments with the added excitement of shorter rounds. To be a long term winner at Turbo SNG’s requires changes to poker strategy. In fact, some of the tips that you’ve read in the older poker strategy books will have to be completely tossed out! We’ll dive into the reasons why later in this article.

Turbo Sit and Go Strategy

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Playing Flush Draws

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:51:02 +0000

Believe it or not, but as a poker player one of the things that frustrated me the most was to be on a flush draw. That’s because I played them wrong and I’d loose money on them. I was able to learn from my mistakes, and now I want to share the secret to successfully playing flush draws with you.

First, I have to tell you that I don’t play flush draws in a generic way, meaning I play them differently depending on what situation I am in. What I’d like to do is explain a few typical scenarios where people get caught up in there flush draws and make bad plays.

The first scenario is being faced with a raise when you have your flush draw. Let’s be honest, the odds that you will hit the flush draw are no in your favor. The first thing to do here is calculate pot odds. If you don’t know how that works, see this article on calculating pot odds. Now here’s what you need to consider:

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How to Play Ace-King When You Miss on the Flop

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:48:05 +0000

Here is a typical situation in a no limit poker tournament. You are dealt the best drawing starting hand, Ace-King. You raise and get one or more callers. The flop comes and it misses your hand, as there is no Ace or King on the flop.

What should you do when you have Ace King and you miss on the flop?

First, you need to realize that Ace King is a drawing hand. This means that your Ace-King hand needs to improve to be a made hand; a hand with at least one pair.

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Online Gambling Enforcement

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:46:29 +0000

This is a hilarious video that mocks the US Government’s attitude towards online gambling. Just watch it, it’s very well done. I will say no more!

Making Money in Bounty Poker Tournaments

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:44:18 +0000

Bounty tournaments, where you get paid to knock out other players, are getting more and more popular with online poker players. The top poker rooms are starting to offer this tournament format because players seem to love them. These tournaments are fun to play, and they require a different poker strategy than you would use in non bounty tournaments. I’d like to suggest a few tips that will make you money in bounty tournaments.

For the purposes of this article, I’ll use a 27 player bounty tournament with a $10+1 buy-in and where bounty prize pool is %50 of the buy-in fee. In this case, this means that each player is worth $5 in bounty and the remaining $5 of your buy-in goes towards the position prize pool.

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Taking Advantage of Poker Math

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:42:18 +0000

Some poker players will tell you that the best way to play poker is to consider poker math. That is true, as long as you don’t consider ONLY poker math, which is actually a huge disadvantage.

What is poker math? Well, to sum it up it’s all about making your decisions based on probability, and by taking into account ratios of what you can win versus how much you have to put in, in relation to your actual chances of winning. Poker math can even get more complicated when you’re trying to predict what how everyone else following you will play on their turn, and then incorporating this “guess” into your mathematical formulas to eventually reach a decision about what to do.

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Poker University With Doyle Brunson and Mike Caro

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:37:23 +0000

If you want to improve your poker game, why not learn from the pros? I’ve recently discovered Iamplify, which are in the business of selling training videos for all sorts of things, including poker. Check out this video with Doyle Brunson and Mike Caro. Doyle and Mike have created an instructional video (over 6 hours!) which you can buy right now. Just watch the video below and decide for yourself.

It’s a great product. Give it a try!

When Poker Strategy Becomes Useless

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:32:54 +0000

It’s funny that I dedicate this website to Poker strategy, yet write about how strategy can sometimes be ineffective. However, the reality about poker strategies is that they can only be effective when applied in the proper context. Let me explain what I mean by that.

First, consider how we all learn about poker strategy. Some of us read books, some learn from experience, some read websites like this one, others watch interviews of their favorite poker stars, etc. The problem that most people have is not in understanding the logic behind a particular poker move, but rather the difficulty seems to be around “when” to apply that particular strategy. Often, it is done out of context, and that’s why most players fail. For example, when your favorite poker player talks about how he or she played the first hour of the WSOP and gives advice regarding the strategy used, you can’t just take this advice and apply it to an online turbo tournament. It just won’t work for you because the context is completely different.

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Questions and Answers with Mitchell Cogert

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:28:42 +0000

Mitchell Cogert is a successful strategist to Fortune 500 companies. His first poker book “Play Razz Poker to Win” was selected by PokerStars IntelliPoker to be translated and used on their international website. Mitchell has recently launched a brand new book called “Tournament Poker: 101 Winning Moves” and it is simply awesome!

I recently read “Tournament Poker: 101 Winning Moves” and I was very impressed with the quality of the information, and with Mitchell’s writing style. He writes in a way that keeps you interested and wanting more, which is difficult to do when writing about poker strategy (it is a dry subject after all!). Please pick up Mitchell’s book from Amazon.com today. It’s a quality product and it’s reasonably priced at $19.50.

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Texas Hold'em Starting Hands: Playing Rags

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:22:52 +0000

Most players know that the best way to start off in Texas Holdem is by playing premium cards. Hands where both cards are paired or are higher than ten are more appealing than other combinations. However, it is not uncommon to see players on television holding some very unusual hands. Is it ever okay to play two bad cards, or “rags”?

When Not to Play Rags in Poker

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Pair Odds in Texas Holdem Poker

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:45:54 +0000

Pairs in Texas holdem poker are good hands to get, and the bigger the pair, the better. However, just how good are they? Understanding the odds in Texas holdem with respect to pairs may give you a better understanding of the game and how to play those pairs when you get them.

Holding Aces in Texas Holdem Poker

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Analyzing Flop Structure In No-limit Texas Holdem

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:43:51 +0000

No limit Texas hold’em is a complex game that requires a variety of strategies and decisions on every turn of a card. Each distinct betting round – from pre-flop to the flop, turn and river – requires thought and adjustments in order to make the proper decisions. And in Texas Holdem online, you’re decisions are solely based on betting and flop structure and not physical tells.

Some of today’s players found on various poker sites are afraid of the flop. They would be all too happy to end the hand pre-flop when they are dealt a pair, especially a high one. However to be a long-term successful player at no limit Texas hold’em you really do learn have to play flops. Part of learning to play flops is learning to analyze the structure of the flop.

Holdem Flop Structure

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Trouble Hands in Texas Holdem

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:42:38 +0000

Just as there are many hands in Texas Holdem that will win you a lot of money, there are a number of deceptive hands that may lead you into believing that they are profitable when in real fact they will often lose you decent sums of money from your bankroll. The sooner that you learn about the hands that are costing you dearly, the sooner you can start saving yourself from losing money. This article will address the most common hands that novices play with and highlight the reasons as to why they can be dangerous hands to play.

Chasing a flush in Texas Holdem Poker

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The Squeeze Play in No Limit Texas Holdem

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:40:11 +0000

Most tournament players these days know the name Dan Harrington. He is a World Series of Poker main event champion and a World Poker Tour champion. He has made the final table of the WSOP main event three times. He has also written some of the best books on no limit Texas Holdem tournaments around, collectively entitled “Harrington on Holdem.” In one of these volumes, he refers to a very useful tournament concept known as the squeeze play.

How Does the Squeeze Play Work in No Limit Holdem?

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Moving up in Sit and Gos

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:38:04 +0000

If you’ve been playing sit-and-gos successfully for a while, you may be ready to move on up to the next level. Some players choose sit-and-gos somewhat indiscriminately, playing an $11 sit-and-go now, a $33 sit-and-go since they happen to notice there’s a seat left, etc. You will probably have better results if you approach sit-and-gos systematically, playing a single level of buy in until you have been successful enough that you are prepared to move up. Here are some signs it may be time to move up in sit-and-go buy in.

You are Cashing Consistently

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Semi-Bluffing With A Flush Draw In No Limit Texas Holdem

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:33:08 +0000

An important and vital weapon in the no-limit Texas holdem games is the semi-bluff. The most popular time to semi-bluff is when a player has a flush draw.

When used correctly, the semi-bluff with a flush draw can be a very effective tool. When overused, it can be costly. This is the subject of many poker strategy articles, including this one.

What is a Semi-Bluff with a Flush Draw?

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How to Calculate Poker Side Pots

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:59:48 +0000

Side pots occur when a person involved in a poker hand bets all of their remaining chips but don’t have enough chips left to match the current bet. So if you have $75 left, and the bet is $100, you can bet all your chips, but not be eligible for the full pot which is based on $100 bets. As a result, two pots are created: A main pot and a side pot. You see this happen all the time during online poker games, but if you’re new to poker maybe you didn’t catch it, or noticed it but didn’t understand what just happened. This article will explain how side pots work.

The best way to understand how side pots work is by using an example. Let’s keep things simple here and pretend that we have 4 players at our poker table. Three of them have $1000 in chips, and the fourth has only $200 left. The blinds are at $25 and $50. Let’s get our poker game started shall we?

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Bluffing to Cover up a Mistake

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:55:36 +0000

Bluffing is a tactic that is generally used in poker in order to represent strength so that your opponents will fold and you will win the pot. A good bluff is an intentional ploy that is often set up before the hands are even dealt out. However, sometimes an improvised bluff can get you out of a jam as well.

Mistakes in poker

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The Baddest Bad Beat Poker Story Ever!

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:50:12 +0000

Ouch…

Texas Hold'em Strategy: Hand Selection

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:47:12 +0000

If you’re new to Texas holdem poker, having a keen grasp of some of the basic strategy elements of the game will help you compete with some of your more experienced opponents. One of the best ways to close the gap is by understanding the concept of hand selection.

Texas Hold’em Poker Hand Selection: Why Be Selective?

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Sit and Go Strategy: Equity

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:43:25 +0000

In a sit-and-go tournament, it is important to understand the idea of equity. Equity is a concept that not all sit-and-go players think about, but it is a concept that can change the way you think about sit-and-gos. If you understand equity, you have a great chance of improving your ROI (return on investment) in sit-and-gos.

What is Equity?

Equity is simply how much a sit-and-go tournament is worth to you. In a ten-handed sit-and-go where all players are equally skilled, you would have ten percent equity. Therefore, in a $10 plus $1 sit-and-go (where the $1 goes to the house take), since the total prize pool is $100, you have $10 equity. This means that over time, each sit-and-go is worth $10 to you. If you play ten sit-and-gos, you can expect to finish on average third once, second once and first once, winning $20, $30 and $50 respectively. This represents a win of $100 over ten trials, or $10 per trial.

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Mastering Aggression in Texas Hold em

MPC admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:40:04 +0000

You may have heard it before: An aggressive player is a winning player. This is true in all forms of poker, but especially true in Texas hold em, particularly no-limit Texas hold em. This article talks about what is aggression, why is it so important, and how can you develop the aggression you need to become a winning poker player.

What is aggression in texas hold em poker?

Aggression essentially refers to how willing you are to initiate putting chips into the pot. A player who limps his or her way to the river, just calling any bet made, is not an aggressive player.

An aggressive player is one who wants to come out firing at all times, who would rather bet than check, would rather raise than call. He or she wants to dictate the action, not have it dictated to him or her.

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Basic Online Poker Tournament Strategies

MPC admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:48:08 +0000

Online Poker Tournaments are becoming more and more popular every day. The live coverage of big events like the WSOP, EPT and WPT really puts people in a tournament mindset. After watching the pro’s at the final table on TV, tens of thousands of people from all around the world immediately seek a seat behind their own computer, login to their favourite poker room and start playing some sit and go’s and multi table tournaments themselves. What is it that is so attractive about these tournaments online? What sort of tournaments are out there? And what’s the basic strategy to apply in all these different forms of tournaments? In other words: how do I make it to the final table every time to get some big money?

The Attraction of Online Poker Tournaments

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Online Poker Tells

MPC admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:31:06 +0000

One of the secrets at winning online poker games is to pick the right targets to go up against. The first thing you want to do when you sit at a table is figure out who’s a fish and who’s a shark. This is an important component of your gambling strategy. A poker fish is a bad player, who often loses a lot of money due to poor plays. Generally, an experienced player will have more chances of beating inexperienced players. The secret to online poker success is therefore largely related to going against the right person at the right time. So how do you spot a fish? Well, grab your fishing pole because I’m about to teach you about simple signs of fish activity.

Watch the discussion

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The G-Spot: Game Selection

MPC admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:26:49 +0000

Suppose you’re the best shorthanded no-limit hold’em player in the world for online poker. You sit at a $500-$1,000 blind shorthanded no-limit hold’em game with five other world-class shorthanded no-limit hold’em players. Meanwhile, at the same time, there’s a $100-$200 blind shorthanded no-limit hold’em game featuring three world-class players and two relatively weak players. If your goal is to make the most money per hour, which table would you prefer to site at?

Though the $100-$200 blind game is smaller, it may very well be the case that your expected win rate at that game will be higher than your expected win rate in the $500-$1,000 blind game. It only takes one or two relatively weak players to affect your expected bottom line substantially – especially in a shorthanded game, where fewer opponents can run interference. And remember that your hourly win-rate is a function of both stakes and competition.

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Reading Suggestion

MPC admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:24:09 +0000

A great book to pick up is Harrington on Hold ‘em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 1: Strategic Play. This is the first of three books in this series and they are simply brilliant. It’s is comprehensive and complete and it will help you improve your poker game.

User reviews at amazon are very positive. Here are some of the things people are saying about this book:

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Bluffing In Limit Texas Holdem Poker

MPC admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:22:31 +0000

The art of the bluff, it is truly an art. Someone should frame and hang a proper bluff in a museum. It is ironic: That’s sort of how a player feels when someone has bluffed them. They feel framed, set up and bamboozled. However, that’s how the cookie crumbles, especially when dealing with a player who is familiar with the bluff.

The use of the bluff is more popular in No-Limit Texas Holdem because the bets are a lot higher compared to the pot size. A player is less likely to call a bluff will cost them all of their chips. In no-limit holdem, the bluff move is extremely important.

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Seven Card Stud Rules

MPC admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:11:45 +0000

Seven Card Stud is normally played with fixed-limit betting, but it can also be played in pot limit. Some poker rooms offer a no limit version, but that isn’t really a popular way to play 7 Card Stud. There is also a spread limit variant which is explained further down.

How to Play 7 Card Stud

The goal of the seven card stud os to make the best 5 card poker hand out of seven cards you will be dealt. This is similar to Texas hold’em, except that there are no community cards. All players will each get a total of seven card of the course of the hand. Some of these cards will be dealt face up for everyone to see, and some will be dealt face down so that only the player can see them. You win a hand when every opponent folds, or by having the best hand at the showdown.

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Question from a Reader

MPC admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:09:13 +0000

I occasionally receive e-mails from poker players who want to pick my brain on certain aspects of the game, or even on specific hands they played. I do enjoy providing my two cents, but never do I claim it as the absolute truth for there is no such thing in poker. I provide an opinion only, and hope that my opinion will benefit my readers.

Brandon, from Austin Texas, sent me an e-mail the other day and asked for suggestions in dealing with a problem he’s having at the tables:

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Playing Hold em in a Casino for the First Time

MPC admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:04:30 +0000

While internet texas hold em poker is readily available to practically anyone, a lot of us don’t have easy access to an actual casino. Unfortunately, the concept of “distance” in our 3d world often prevents a lot of people from playing in a casino regularly. People like me who love Texas Holdem with a passion will eventually overcome the distance and play poker in a real Casino at some point in their lives. Trust me, it’s worth the trip! When you do make that trip, here are a few things you should know.

Sign up for the free membership card

All casinos offer some sort of reward program, and this program is offered at no cost to you. When ever you gamble at a machine, you slid your card in it it keeps track of how much you put in. When ever you sit at a table to play poker, blackjack, or any game, someone will take your card and keep track of how much cash you put down on the table. Overtime, you accumulate points that can be traded in for a surprisingly wide range of goods and services such as discount/free hotel rooms, free food, free limo service, tickets for shows, etc. Often, just by signing up, you get a discount on your room for your next visit, regardless of how much money you actually gambled. Casinos don’t make piles of money with hotel rooms, they make it when you gamble. Free or discounted rooms are a common strategy used by casinos to lure you back at a future date.

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Poker Skills

MPC admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:00:54 +0000

Being a winning poker player obviously requires a combination of many different skills you need to master. We’ll take a closer look at a few of the most important ones in this article.

Before we even begin: discipline. It is the single most important “skill” in poker. Without discipline, there’s no use to master all the other skills, because there’s no way you’ll ever be able to properly apply them.

Winning poker can be boiled down to a single sentence: Win on as many hands you commit too, commit on as few losing hands as you can. None of that is achievable without proper discipline. You see, the problem with the game of poker is, that it is designed to push you to your emotional limits. Whether you go beyond that or not, is entirely dependant on you.

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Poker Books You Should Read

MPC admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:58:48 +0000

Occasionally, I’ll be recommending some quality reading material you should look into. My first pick is Phil Gordon’s Poker Box set, which is a must have for any poker player. The three books from this set are simply brilliant. You’ll get the following books:

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Play the Right Limits

MPC admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:55:04 +0000

Generally, the higher the limits are, the more experienced your opponents are. It’s only natural to play higher limits as you improve over time, but if you make that transition too fast, it may cost you. If you play poker to win money, you’ll have more success playing against people that are less skilled and experienced than you. If you are not winning at the current limit games you are playing, try moving down in limit. The competition will probably be weaker. If you find yourself winning most of the time, try to move up in limit.

No limit Texas Hold'em: Playing the Pot Odd

MPC admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:53:47 +0000

While playing Texas Hold’em poker, you may have heard someone say “I don’t have a great hand, but I like the pot odds,” or “I love my draw, but I don’t have the odds to call.” If you don’t know what the phrase pot odds means, you need to learn right now if you are going to be successful in Texas No Limit Hold’em. If you do know, you should be thinking about how to put your knowledge into practice in your games.

Pot odds are the amount of money the pot is laying you if you win the hand. For example, if you are facing a $10 bet and there is $40 in the pot, you asked to risk $10 to win $40, giving you 40 to 10, or 4 to 1, pot odds. This means if you win this situation once every four times, you will break even, as you will put up your 10 four times for a total of -40, and win the 40 pot once for a total of +40.

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Things You Won't Learn With Poker Theories

MPC admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:48:11 +0000

No matter how good a poker player you think you are, there are people out there you could never-ever hope to beat. People who play better than you do even when you’re on your best game. People who seem to have something inexplicable around them which makes them successful. We generally like to refer to this “thing” as talent, but can talent be further dissected? What exactly makes these players talented?

Poker Talent

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Backspin and Drifter Tutorial

MPC admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:45:55 +0000

The poker chip back spin trick is easy to learn. In fact, it’s almost automatic. You’ll need to practice a little but you’ll quickly figure out how it works. A variant to this trick is the drifter, where you control the trajectory of the poker chip and make it go around your chip stack. That’s a little harder to do, but with practice, you’ll get it.

Fantastic Poker Promotion!

MPC admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:44:02 +0000

I am please to say that Carbon Poker, the best poker room available online today, is offering never before seen deposit bonuses. But hurry because this promotion is only valid until the end of July.

Carbon Poker offers your three options:

Beginners may be interested in 200% sign up bonus (up to $500). That’s right! 200 percent! Simply use the code FIRST200 when you make your deposit.

For experienced players who may want to deposit more, Carbon Poker offers 150% up to $1000. To take advantage of this amazing offer, use bonus code FIRST150.

Finally, a great offer for High rollers! How does 125% sound? How about 125% up to $2500! Now that’s one hell of an offer! Simply use bonus code FIRST125 when you make your next Deposit.

Remember, these promotions are valid for new and existing players. Just make a deposit before the end of the month and use one of the three bonus codes (FIRST200, FIRST150 or FIRST125).

In addition to getting these awesome bonuses, you’ll also get 14 days of $500 depositor only freerolls (there’s one every 3 hours!) and you’ll get a free entry in a $10,000 freeroll.

Seriously, this is the kind of offer you just can’t turn down! Great bonuses, great poker room, great poker software. You can’t go wrong!

Strategy for Short Handed Turbo Sit and Go’s

MPC admin — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:40:42 +0000

Forget about everything you’ve read about general Texas Holdem strategies because when it comes to short handed turbo poker tournaments, it’s a whole different game. In this article, I want to teach you about playing a 6 person sit and go game (no limit). These types of games provide a good way to earn money steadily without putting too much of your poker bankroll at risk. To win these games, you have to apply reverse poker psychology.

What do I mean by reverse poker psychology? Well, in traditional games where the blinds go slow and when you have 10 opponents at the table, most websites will offer poker tips such as playing tight in early positions, to raise with strong hands, and to fold frequently. In a turbo setting with only 6 players at the table, things are different. With blinds going up every two minutes, you have to be aggressive.

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Phil Hellmuth Car Crash

MPC admin — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:58:44 +0000

Phil was showing off in an Ultimate Bet promotional car when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a pole! Here’s what Phil had to say about the incident:

Short Handed No Limit Texas Hold'em

MPC admin — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:52:32 +0000

What is Short-handed? Simply put, it means that there are fewer players actively playing then there are spots at the table. For example, in a tournament where a table can normally accommodate 10 players, you may have situations where some players are moved to another table but not yet replaced by new players, some people are sitting out, and some people just lost all their chips. So you may end up facing 6 players for a few hands even if the table allows for 10 players. Read on to see how this impacts your poker strategy.

Tournament Play: Stack Size

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Heads Up Requires Patience

MPC admin — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:12:32 +0000

Playing head’s up against tight players can be challenging for a lot of us. I often see aggressive players loose to them because they don’t adapt to the style of their opponent. In this article, we’ll examine what aggressive player can do when facing a tight player in a heads up situation.

Tight players are easy to bluff. They are easy to push around. That in itself can be problematic in the sense that the aggressive player often scares them away too early and the pots won are not very significant. The aggressive player doesn’t get a lot of mileage out of his hands.

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Sit and Go Strategy: Avoiding Loose Play

MPC admin — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:11:11 +0000

In a sit-and-go, especially ones where the buy in is relatively low in comparison to your bankroll, it is tempting to play loose. After all, the whole point of a sit-and-go is to play right away. Folding hand after hand is never any fun and with the blinds so low to start, it’s tempting to take a shot with Q5 suited and see what happens. However, the reality is that this type of loose play is unlikely to win you more of your share of sit-and-gos. Here are a few things to keep in mind when considering playing loose.

Every Eliminated Player Increases Your Equity in a Sit-and-Go

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Have you tried Party Poker yet?

MPC admin — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:24:49 +0000

Party Poker has been around for a long time and it’s one of the busiest poker room online today. Thanks to their aggressive marketing efforts (and hilarious TV commercials!), the Party Poker brand was able to stand out above the rest.

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Overcoming a Loosing Streak

MPC admin — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:10:46 +0000

If you play poker on a regular basis, eventually you’ll hit a losing streak. It happens frequently, even to great poker players. A lot of people will tell you to just take a break. They assume that you’ve been playing too much and that you are simply tired. While that may be a possibility, it’s often more than simply being physically and emotionally tired.

I certainly don’t deny that fatigue can have an impact on your game. But while being fatigued, something else can happen: we make stupid basic mistakes without even realizing it. A good indicator of this is the luck factor, or in the case, the bad luck factor. If you are loosing frequently, and it seems like you’re just unlucky, it’s probably because you’re putting your money in situations where luck is too much of a factor, and the risks are too great. People who are chasing flushes constantly, even when pot odds don’t warrant such actions, are a prime example. You’re not loosing because you’re unlucky (i.e. not catching that spade you needed), you’re loosing because you play hands you shouldn’t play. Hey, if you can chase a flush for free, of for little money, go nuts. If it’s going to cost half your stack to win double that amount, well… give it up already!

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Flopping Two Pair in No Limit Texas Holdem

MPC admin — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:08:39 +0000

Two pair is one of the trickiest hands to play in No Limit Texas Holdem. Amateurs tend to make one of two mistakes when it comes to two pair. They either highly overrate or highly underrate the value of their hand. The reason for this is that two pair in Texas No Limit Holdem is a hand that is both likely to be the best on the flop, and extremely vulnerable. Here are some examples to illustrate what this means.

Keep in mind that when we talk about flopping two pair in Texas No Limit Holdem poker we mean that both of your hole cards pair. If you hold 8 9 on a board of T T 9 you technically have two pair, but it is not a “true” two pair, since you share one of the pairs with all your opponents.
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Flopping Top Pair

MPC admin — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 18:01:09 +0000

A lot of new texas holdem poker players think top pair is a good hand and they often put to much money on that hand. Top pair is not a bad hand, but depending on the cards on the table, it may be worthless, even with a great kicker.

Reading the Board

Playing top pair is really about your ability to recognize a safe board from dangerous one. Pre-flop, the game plan is usually simple: Limp in or raise with a strong hand. After the flop, and when you have top pair, don’t get excited just yet. Take the time to look at what’s out there first.

Let’s say you had Jh-10d in your hand and the flop was Js-7h-6s. Although you have top pair, there are risks associated with this particular flop. First, someone could have a flush draw, someone could have two pairs, someone could have a straight draw, and someone could had trips. And of course, someone could have top pair with a better kicker. The more players that are involved in the hand, the greater the risks. If everyone was allowed to limp in, consider that it’s quite possible that opponents got a cheap flop with a bad hand, and that a band hand can actually turn out to be a pretty good hand with a flop such as this one. If a lot of people limped in, beware. If someone has a flush draw or a straight draw, beware.
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Playing Poker Online

MPC admin — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:08:34 +0000

Playing Poker online is the most effective way to learn poker. You play against different opponents who have various degrees of experiences and a wide range of play styles. I recommend you start playing online with play money until you get comfortable with the game, and with the site you play on. Then, once you feel ready to gamble with real money, try out a real cash game or a cash tournament, and reap the rewards!

MyPokerCorner.com recommends specific online poker rooms to play poker on because of various reasons like the quality and likeability of the software used, the reliability and reputation of the company, and quality of support they provide. (...)
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The Wrong Way to Bluff

MPC admin — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:04:45 +0000

Bluffing is an integral part of Omaha. If you are simply waiting to get good cards and folding anything else, you’ll never become a great poker player. In doing so, you are giving randomness and luck the upper hand, and that’s not the best way to win pots. Bluffing is therefore required but unfortunately, some people are not very good at it. In this article, I explore common bluffing related errors. Learn what they are, and stay away from them!

Every time you try to bluff you are taking a risk. The key is to minimize this risk, and the following situations should generally be avoided:

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Bluffing to steal a very small pot, or worthless blinds

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Table Position is Important

MPC admin — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:59:22 +0000

Depending on where you sit at the table vs where the dealer button is located, you may have advantages or disadvantages. Learn what they are and use them! When sitting in the button position, you’ll get to see how everyone else acts before you make your play (after the flop). This is a huge advantage, and it’s a great position to steal pots and blinds. When you are in early position, conservative play works best. When you are in blinds position, you have money already invested so pre-flop aggressiveness is often warranted. It’s also not bad spots to steal pots, but other players may give you less credit for you hand based on your position alone.

Raise! Raise! Raise!

MPC admin — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:58:01 +0000

It is critical to raise in poker. You should be raising or folding much more often than simply calling. By raising an opponent, you can win the pot two ways: By making them fold, or by having the best hand. If you simply call, then you must have the best hand in order to win. Additionally, a raise is helpful in obtaining information about your opponent’s hands. More specifically, how they react to your raise will give you an indication of the strength of their hand.

Know When to Fold

MPC admin — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:56:18 +0000

Listen to Kenny! He knows what he's talking about when he's singing about folding your hand. In poker, we all know that bluffing is a significant component of the game. It doesn't mean you can bluff anyone at any time on every hand. Sometimes, you get yourself in difficult situations and when it's getting too expensive to find out more, the right play is to give up the hand. You'll loose some chips in the process, but you'll protect your remaining stack by not putting even more chips at risks in a situation where you don't even know where you stand, and when you don't have much hope of winning should you get called.

Don't Fall in Love With Your Hand

MPC admin — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:53:50 +0000

A great starting hand is only great if the flop favors it. In Texas Holdem for instance, a lot of players will start out with A-K which is a very strong hand, and they will raise pre-flop. That is a good play. When the flop comes and reveals low cards, perhaps suited, perhaps connected, then A-K isn’t that great in this particular hand. Unfortunately, some players keep being aggressive, even when facing reraises and calls from tight players. Sometimes, they’ll even put all of their chips at risk, and loose. If this is happening to you, my advice is simple: consider pot odds.

Pre-Flop Betting

MPC admin — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:50:46 +0000

In Texas Holdem, the first betting round is critical. This is where you get to decide if you’ll invest in a hand or not, and your play will contributes to your table image. This article will cover two main topics: how to interpret the bets of your opponents, and how to react accordingly.

Situation #1: With nine players at the table, you are in early position, meaning you are one of the first three individuals to act.

In this situation, you don’t get the opportunity to obtain much information from other players, but you get to give them information by checking or folding, by placing an opening bet, or by raising the stakes. What factors do you need to consider before making your decision? The more obvious factor is your cards, but that’s not the most critical factor. Start by considering blind levels, especially if you are playing a tournament/sit and go. You have to decide if you’ll try stealing the blinds on this hand or not. Early in the game, blinds are so small that they are not worth stealing. The amount of money you have to put at risk far outweighs the benefit you’ll get in return.

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No Limit Texas Hold'em Poker: How to Advertise

MPC admin — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:48:30 +0000

There are a couple of different scenarios you’ll find when you sit down to play No-Limit Texas Holdem. Much depends on your opponents. Sometimes, you just won’t have to get complicated. You’ll be sitting at a table with rank, unobservant amateurs, that hardly even know the Texas Hold em rules and plain-old solid, straightforward play will win. That’s it. Other times, though, you’ll have to rely on more sophisticated tactics. You’ll be up against experienced, observant, tough players and you’ll have to go the extra mile to trip them up.

One of the most effective ways to do this: Advertising.

What it is

What do you do when you want everyone to know about something? You advertise. Texas Holdem is no exception.

Advertising in Texas Holdem poker is simply making a play designed to give your opponents a false impression, so you can take advantage of it later.

What Do I Need to Know?

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Managing Your Poker Bankroll

MPC admin — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:46:44 +0000

This article is complementary to one of my previous article entitled Responsible Poker and Planning. I strongly urge you to read first as I will refer to it throughout this article.

From Poker Hobby to Poker Profits

When we first start playing poker, we usually just play for fun once in a while. We play online or with friends in home games, and we’re not that concern about money, and we tend to play low stake games when ever we feel like it. In essence, we play for the pleasure of playing. Some of us however do develop a passion for poker and realize that if we play our cards right, we can actually profit from poker. In fact, it can be so lucrative that some people quit their day jobs to play poker full time.

Establishing Your First Poker Brankroll

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Importance of Table Position

MPC admin — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:44:34 +0000

Table position is one of the most overlooked and underestimated parts of texas hold’em poker. I was stunned at the difference in my play when I first started taking position into account. Table position is basically where in the order of play your turn is. Why is it so important? Well one of the most basic examples of the importance of position comes in the game of baseball. The home team always has the advantage because they get to bat last.

Poker is no different. The later you are to act in the hand the more of an advantage you have because, you already know how most of the players at the table have acted, whether they have called, raised, or folded. Playing position can literally take you from a losing player to a marginally winning player, it is THAT IMPORTANT

Poker Starting Hand

The most important aspect of your position is in choosing your starting hands. When in early position you really want to be careful about the hands you get involved in, while in late position you can play a wider range of hands, and make more lucrative calls. Now your position is determined by your spot in relation to the dealer. Play goes clockwise from the dealer, so if you are 1 or 2 seats to the left of the dealer(the blinds), this is considered early position. If you are 1 or 2 seats to the right of the dealer, you are one of the last players to act, and thus are considered late position. Everything in between is considered middle position.

Opponent’s Player Position Matters

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Big Blind Play in Limit Hold 'em

MPC admin — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:43:15 +0000

In Limit Hold ‘em, the big blind is one of the toughest position to play. You’re out of position, and that’s never a good thing, but usually, you’ll be getting excellent odds to continue with the hand. Against a single opponent who has raised, you’ll be getting better than 3 to 1 and, in most hands, you’re no more than a 2 to 1 dog. The problem is, you’ll often find yourself going into the flop with shaky cards and, at that point, you’re sure to face some tough decisions.

Before I talk about some tricky situations that develop in the big blind, I want to note that you can make your life a little easier by folding some hands pre-flop. If you’re holding a medium Ace and you’re facing an early position raise from a player who you know plays only good cards up front, then fold. It may seem like you’re getting a nice price to continue, but in this spot, you’re only going to get into trouble. When you miss the flop completely, it’s going to be tough to continue and, if you hit an Ace, you may lose a lot to a hand that has you dominated. I’d rather play 6-7 against an early position raise from a tight player than A-7.

There are some hole cards that are just hopeless. If I’m facing a raise from any position and I find something like J-2, T-3, or 9-4. I’m going to surrender the hand.

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Playing in Loose Low Limit Holdem Games

MPC admin — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 14:33:55 +0000

When you start out playing Texas Holdem, you’ll probably begin playing at a low limit. Even if you have a large bankroll, it’s a good idea to start out playing at a limit fairly low relative to the amount you have, as it will give you a chance to get a feel for the game without mistakes becoming too costly.

What you may be surprised to find if you are new to Texas Holdem and have been studying principles for correct play, is that the games are often shockingly loose. A loose poker game is one where many opponents are seeing the flop, and opponents seem almost careless with their money. In fact, since the stakes are so low, this may often be the case.

What Does a Loose Texas Holdem Game Mean to You?

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Short Handed No-Limit Strategy – Unrestricted Buy-in Games

MPC admin — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 14:29:53 +0000

Short-handed no limit hold’em poker is considered by many players to be a dream come true. They get lots of action and can concentrate on beating just a few players, rather than having to focus on a full eight or nine opponents. A type of short-handed no limit Texas hold’em that can be extremely lucrative but also very dangerous is the unrestricted buy-in game.

An unrestricted buy-in game means that you can buy-in for as much money as you want. The level of the game is determined by the size of the blinds. You can play an unrestricted buy-in game with blinds of $1/$2 or with blinds of $10/$20, and sit down with the same $1000 in either game, if you so choose. These types of games are easy to find at most online poker sites, in both full ring game form and short-handed. These are two very different types of games though, with different strategies to keep in mind.

Play Lots of Hands

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How to Build a Bankroll

MPC admin — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 14:21:24 +0000

A poker philosopher once said, "It is not difficult to get hold of a sizable bankroll – keeping it that way is the hard part." And he couldn’t be more right. Many players manage to win quite a lot of money only to waste it by playing with high stakes.

Play the Right Poker Limits

To maximize the chance of steady bankroll growth and minimize the risk of going bust, you have to play on certain limits. The standard formula for fixed limit holdem is that your bankroll should be 300 times a big bet. Therefore, to participate in a $1/$2 limit holdem game, you must have $600 in your bankroll. The rule for no-limit holdem is 3,000 times the big blind. This may sound like a lot, but no-limit holdem is a game with huge swings, so this formula ensures that you can recover from a bad streak.

Of course, this is only relevant as soon as you have money to play with. But how do you get yourself a bankroll to begin with?

Poker Bonus

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Draws in Pot Limit Holdem

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 14:38:29 +0000

Pot limit holdem is a variation of Texas holdem with a betting structure that is a little different from the one you may be used to. Unlike in no limit holdem where you can bet all the chips you have on the table at any time, in pot limit holdem, you can only bet an amount up to what is in the pot. This calls for some slight variations in your Texas holdem strategy. One issue you will have to deal with in pot limit holdem games is how to handle draws.

A draw is a situation when you flop a hand that is close to becoming a flush or straight but is not quite there yet. For example, you have Ah 5h and the flop comes Kh 8h 3s. You have the nut flush draw, as any heart that does not pair the board will give you an unbeatable flush, although right now you have nothing. If you have the 9d Tc and the board comes Js Qd 4h, you have an open ended straight draw, as any of the four kings or four eights will give you a winning straight. Note that if the 8 comes you have the nut straight, but if the king comes you could still lose to AT.

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Small Blind Play in No Limit Texas Hold'em Poker

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 14:36:29 +0000

Position play is a vital part of no limit Texas hold’em poker. Where you act in the hand will determine much of how you act. A position in no limit Texas hold’em where you are most vulnerable is when you are in the small blind, and you need to know how to play from the small blind to be successful.

What is the Small Blind?

In a game like seven card stud, the initial pot is built up by the presence of antes, forced bets that each player must put into the pot before the hand begins. In Texas hold’em, instead of antes, the action is driven by blinds, forced bets that players must put in to start the game. The first player to the left of the dealer puts in a set amount, usually equivalent to half a standard bet, and the player to his left puts in a full bet. This first player is called the small blind, the second player is the big blind. The action then starts with the first player to the left of the big blind, and goes around until it reaches the small blind, who may call a raise, complete the bet if there has been no raise, raise himself, or fold.

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Implied Pot Odds

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 14:35:07 +0000

A lot of poker players know about pot odds. If you are not familiar with the concept, please read our Calculating Pot Odds article. Fewer players know about implied pot odds so this article will explain what they are.

What are Implied Pot Odds?

Implied pot odds are similar to regular pot odds in the mathematical sense, with the exception that you add another variable in the formula. This new variable is the amount of bets you expect to win from your opponents. In other words, implied pot odds include what’s in the pot and what you bet right now, plus any future amounts that you think could be added following your action. To clarify, the implied pot odds is based on amount in the pot and the amount that you think you’ll win from your opponents should you hit your hand (compared to the bets required to play the hand).

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Responsible Poker and Planning

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 14:21:41 +0000

Everyone knows that gambling can be addictive and saying the contrary would by a lie. On the other hand, why condemn gambling as a whole because a minority can’t be responsible with it? Poker can be extremely fun, lucrative, and it’s a great hobby or social activity to get into. Ultimately it is a game, and with all games there needs to be certain rules in place. I will tell you something about myself: I have an addictive personality. That’s a fact. I can also tell you that over the years, trough experience, I have learned to manage my addictive tendencies and I want to teach you how. It requires discipline and commitment, but it works so well for me I just had to write about it! And best of all, it’s extremely simple.

Set general Gambling Goals

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Playing Non Premium Hands in No Limit Texas Holdem Poker

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 14:17:42 +0000

If you’ve picked up a good book on Texas Holdem poker, you probably have read about the importance of playing premium hands. In limit games, you should try to play these types of hands almost exclusively, as it is often the case that the times you hit with weaker hands you cannot make the pot large enough to make up for all the times you miss with these types of hands. In no limit Texas Hold em poker however, there is a little more flexibility in the kinds of hands you can play, since the amount you can win when you hit a non-premium hand is limited only by the number of chips you have in front of you.

What Is a Non-Premium Hand?

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High Stakes No Limit Holdem – New Players

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 14:16:21 +0000

It may seem hard to believe now if you are a low to middle stakes no-limit Texas holdem player, but you may someday suddenly find yourself engaging in online poker or live casino poker battles at high stakes. Maybe you'll pull down a big tournament win, like Jamie Gold did when he won the main event of the 2006 WSOP. Or maybe you'll be cruising your favorite online poker site and realize that the best game available for you is the $25/$50 no-limit. Everyone is a new player at the high stakes poker table at one time or another. Here's what might happen when you are that new player.

You May Become a Target

There are usually so many low and middle stakes players in a game that nobody notices when a player has moved up to join them. However, at higher stakes, especially in live casinos, the player pools tend to be smaller. In addition, professionals at the high stakes games tend to want to stay out of each other's way and focus on the new blood. Either way, you may well be sized up by your opposition more carefully than ever before.

This does not mean you should expect that the other players are all going to try to run you over, although if your play is too tentative, this may happen. Many players at this level are professionals, and they understand there is more to beating a vulnerable opponent than simply rampant aggression.

Expect that your opponents may analyze your poker strategy carefully, looking for weaknesses and tendencies in your particular playing style that they can exploit. Whatever your style is, you will need to play in confidently, unpredictably, and be ready to make adjustments if things aren't working.

You May Feel Out of Place

If you've been playing at lower limits, playing for pots that are worth a small car or a year's rent may seem surreal. However, if you've arrived at the high stakes table honestly, by tracking your results until you are confident you are ready for the game, you should stick with it if your bankroll allows, even if you don't start winning right away. Once you know how much you are going to buy in for and how many rebuys you will allow yourself for that session, you need to stop thinking of the absolute value of the poker chips and think only of their value in the game. However, if you see real indicators that the game is too tough for you, there's no shame in dropping down to a more profitable level.

You May Be Tempted to Change Your Lifestyle

Big wins at high stakes poker games can literally be life changing money. Before you run out and spend it all, make sure the win reflects a legitimate win rate, and not a lucky streak. If you can really beat the high stakes game, you want to make sure your bankroll stays large enough to weather the inevitable swings that will come. Once you are confident in your win expectancy, it may be time to take a chunk of that money out of the poker economy and spend it on yourself.

How to Play No Limit Holdem by Phil Gordon

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 14:08:53 +0000

If you don’t know how to play no limit texas holdem poker, then this video by Phil Gordon explains the basic rules of the game. We also strongly recommend that you pick up this great Phil Gordon Poker Box Set from Amazon.com. Also check out our own Youtube video and learn how to play texas holdem.

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The Knuckle Roll (or Coin Roll)

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 14:06:31 +0000

This is a very common and popular trick. You’ve probably seen it before either in real life, in a casino, on TV or in a movie. This requires some practice but most people can learn it quickly. If you have a small hand, you may find this trick dificult to perform with a poker chip. In that case, try practicing with a coin first, and then move on to a poker chip once you are more comfortable with the motion.

The Roll Down

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 14:04:16 +0000

The roll down is an impressive trick, especially when you can do it fast. It’s fairly difficult to do and a lot of people will need to cheat a little, as explained in the video.

How Table Position Affects Your Game (Part 2)

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:51:16 +0000

In part one of this article, I talked about playing in early position, now let’s look at how playing in a late position completely changes your game. I’ll base this article as if I was playing in the button position, which is the best table position you can be at. The button position is the seat immediately before the blinds. Let’s look at some plays you can make from this seat!

First, let’s get an understanding of why the button is considered to be best table position. Here are the benefits:

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Number of Players in Texas Hold'em No Limit Poker

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:49:37 +0000

One of the unique things about Texas Hold'em No Limit poker is that the game changes as you move from having a full table of players to 4 or 5 and then just one other player on the table. This variable changes the texture of the game of Texas Hold'em No Limit poker, and the style of play which you may wish to adopt.

Consider this: Take a deck of cards and deal them out face-up as if there are 10 players playing. Then deal the 5 community cards out. Observe that the strength of the cards required to win a round may tend to be a 5 card combination like a full house or a flush, and at the very least a two pair. Often, at least one or two players will have strong cards at the pre-flop stage like a pocket pair or two picture cards.

Compare this to dealing cards for 2 players and then dealing the 5 community cards. You may find any pair may be sufficient, or otherwise the round boils down to a high card. Having understood how this affects the texture of the game, here are just 3 examples of how best you may wish to deal with this variable in Texas Hold'em No Limit poker:

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Reading the Board Cards in Texas Hold'em

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:47:41 +0000

As a person starting out in Texas Hold’em No Limit poker, one of the best things you can do for yourself, whether playing live or online poker, is to learn to read your opponents and their cards.
The first step towards this may be to learn to read the community cards – the board cards that all players can see and use to make their best 5 out of 7 cards.

Indeed, when playing in online poker rooms where you cannot see your opponents, this is one of the best preliminary pieces of information you will have to decipher how your hand stacks up against your opponents.

Analysis of your Holdem Hole Cards

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No Limit Poker: Location, Location, Location

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:39:49 +0000

One of the best basic rules of Texas Hold'em No Limit poker you can learn is the principle of location. Essentially, he who acts last profits from the most amount of information. Information, you will find, is critical to your decision making in Texas Hold'em No Limit poker. As such it is advantageous indeed to be 'on the button' as they say, or to have the dealer button positioned on you as this means you are the last to act. This rule applies whether you are playing Texas Hold'em No Limit poker live or online at one of the many online poker rooms available on the internet.

Oftentimes, examples are the best way to illustrate the principle of location in Texas Hold'em No Limit poker. Here are just 3 of the best available examples we can provide to consider the benefits of location in Texas Hold'em No Limit poker:

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How Table Position Affects Your Game (Part 1)

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:35:31 +0000

Your table position alone constitutes an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on where you sit. Table position is a very important component of poker strategy. That means you should adjust your play style according to your table position. If you don’t, you’ll often throw away some money and that is not what you want to do. In this article, I will tell you about playing in first position. Part two of this article will cover the last positions.

The worse position you can find yourself in is the 1st position, immediately to the left of the big blind. This position is nicknamed “under the gun” and here’s why it’s a bad spot:

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Pot Odds Are Nice But…

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:32:24 +0000

If you play Texas Holdem, you should be able to calculate pot odds in your head as this is a mathematical representation of the hand at play. It serves as a guide to what you should do on your turn. However, keep in mind that poker is more than simple mathematics and statistics: It’s a people game. Don’t rely solely on pot odds to make your decisions.

Sometimes the right play isn’t necessarily a logical one!

How to Play Small Pairs Pre-flop in Early Position

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:31:07 +0000

Small pairs can really cause you headaches sometimes, but they can also turn out to be huge hands so ideally, you want to play them. They’re great for making three of a kind hands, and even full houses sometimes. When this happens, you can be very dangerous, and very sneaky! But what’s the best approach to play the small pairs? It’s all contextual play so there is not one absolute way. Let’s look at some possible scenarios.

In early position, there are really two options available for you. Well, three if you consider folding immediatly, but I won’t talk about that.

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What is your poker IQ?

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:28:31 +0000

A few days ago, I stumbled upon a well designed online poker test. If you have 20 minutes to kill and want to see where your stand, what your strengths and weaknesses are, take the time to do this test. It’s not the absolute truth, but the questions are well presented and you are provided with enough situation data to figure out the best answer for that context. The test will analyze your results and provided you with various analysis of your performance, such as the breakdown shown in the graph below.

A detailed explanation of each category from the above image is provided here.

Your test results are provided to you via e-mail. Try it out, it’s a lot of fun!

Click here to take the test

No Limit Holdem – Suited Connectors

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:21:56 +0000

Middle-stakes, no limit Texas holdem poker games, with blinds from around $2/$4 to $10/$20 and buy-ins typically ranging from one or two hundred to one or two thousand dollars, provide some great action and opportunities for poker success, both in live casinos and on poker sites. One type of hand that is very popular among middle-stakes, no limit holdem players is the suited connectors hand.

Poker legend Doyle Brunson, winner of two consecutive World Series of Poker main events and author of the seminal poker book Super/System, made small suited connectors famous. Suited connectors are consecutive cards of the same suit, such as Jd Td or 9c 8c. A small-suited connector hand would be one like 4h 5h or 5s 6s. Doyle and many other players like these kinds of hands because when they flop strongly, that strength is well disguised, and when they do not, the hand can be abandoned relatively cheaply. This can be extremely important in middle stakes no limit holdem game when the right flop can win you a few hundred or even a few thousand dollars on the spot from opponents who overplay their big cards. Here are a few things to remember about suited connectors.

Their Value Comes From Flopping Big Hands or Big Draws

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Raise Against Check-Callers

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:19:44 +0000

When a person checks, then and you bet, and they just call your bet, it’s often an indication that they don’t have a strong hand. On the next betting round, try to make them fold by making a nice raise. If they didn’t get a card that helped them, they’ll usually fold. You’ll win more pots by being aggressive against those who are trying to see free cards.

Online Poker Room Terminology

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:17:18 +0000

New poker players may have some familiarity with Texas Hold’em, but may find some of the terminology used by poker rooms to be confusing. For instance, I remember when I first started playing online, I wasn’t sure what a “re-buy” tournament was. This article will provide you with a comprehensive explanation of the most common terms used by poker rooms.

The Poker Blinds

There are two types of blinds: small blind and big blind. These are essentially forced bets that ensure there is a starting pot. The value of the small blind is half of the big blind. Blind values go up periodically in tournaments, at a predetermined level and time delay.

Tournament Blind Structure

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Short Handed No Limit Texas Hold'em Tournament Play: Stack Size

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:16:15 +0000

Short-handed situations come up quite frequently in no limit texas holdem tournaments both at online poker sites and in live poker games. You may be playing a short-handed no limit hold’em tournament to begin with, be in a Sit and Go that has lost a few players, or you may even, if you are skilled and fortunate, be at the final table of a multi-table tournament. In all of these cases, you will need to understand what your stack size means for the short-handed situation, as this is an important part of your overall texas holdem poker strategy.

Short-handed Tournament Play: Big Stack

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Draws in Middle Stakes No Limit Hold'em Poker

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:14:13 +0000

If you’re a no limit Texas holdem cash game player, it’s fairly likely that you’ve gotten involved in some middle stakes no limit poker games, where the blinds are usually anywhere from $2/$4 to $10/$20, and typical buy ins may be one or two hundred dollars or one or two thousand, depending on the player and situation. If you do play these types of games, you may have generated some thoughts about drawing hands, hands that have high straight or flush potential, such as As 5s or Jd Th. Here are some considerations to take into account about drawing hands in your middle stakes no limit Texas holdem poker games.

Should You Play Drawing Hands in Middle Stakes No Limit Holdem?

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Don't play too many hands

MPC admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:11:17 +0000

A common mistake in Texas Holdem is to call a bet on the first betting round when really, you should be folding. People do this because they want to see a cheap flop in hopes to get lucky, and they’ll do it with pretty much any hand. The probabilities of hitting the flop are already low to being with, but what happens when a subsequent better raises? Do you feel obligated to call? And what if you do and hit nothing when the flop comes? You’ll have to fold anyway. Playing to many hands is like throwing your money away, so unless you are in a position where you can really afford to do so, don’t do it.

Winning by Folding

MPC admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 02:30:19 +0000

While the title of this article may sound illogical, I assure you it isn’t. Folding means giving up the hand so how can you win by doing so? To put it simply, it is a fact that you cannot win every single hand at poker and you will therefore loose some hands, and some chips. The question is how many chips will you loose when that happens? That’s where folding your hand comes into play. Folding is a way to get you out of a sticky situation. Sure, you may loose some chips, sometimes a lot of chips perhaps, but don’t loose your shirt over a single bad hand. This is Texas Hold’em, not strip poker!

Good Poker Players Know When They Are Beat

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Adapt to the play styles of others

MPC admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 02:21:47 +0000

When you join a poker table, play tight. This will give you time to study how people play, and gage the general aggressiveness of the table. Once you figure that out, then you can adapt your play style in consequence. Generally when the table is tight you should push people around, bluff, steal pots and blinds. If the table is loose or players are calling stations, then you should play tight because it will be much harder to get away with a bluff.

Choosing the Right Poker Room

MPC admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 02:13:56 +0000

There are literally hundreds of different online poker rooms you can play at. With such a wide variety, how do you choose the one that’s best for you? This may sound complicate at first, but it really doesn’t have to be.

First and foremost, always research a poker room before playing with real money on it. This is critical. If people have negative experiences with a particular room, you can be sure they are writing about it on the web so take the time to do some research! We offer a series of quality and unbiased poker room reviews. Take the time to read them as this can only help choosing where you’ll play. You can find those on all poker rooms we sponsor.

Read Poker Room Reviews

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Cash Games: Choosing the Right Poker Table

MPC admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 02:08:13 +0000

Once you’ve establish what game you want to play, and what stakes you’ll play, you have one more important decision to make: Which table to join. Let’s say you’re playing $5 – $10 no limit holdem and you have a choice of 20 tables you can join, which should you pick? Poker table selection is very important. There are things to consider and I’ll list them for you.

First, decide what your strategy is going to be. Are you looking to join an aggressive table so you can sit tight and try to double up against a risk taker with a big stack, or do you want to find a tight table were you can bluff and push people around?

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Commit to Your Game

MPC admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 02:02:40 +0000

When you play poker online, it is really important to be committed to your game. If you want to win at poker, you have to study every moves made by your opponents, even when you’re not in the hand. Don’t think that folding means you’re on a break! You still have to watch how players act and react to each other because that can give you clues on how to play future hands.

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General Holdem Tournament Strategy

MPC admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 01:55:25 +0000

In this article, I will present general strategies you can use in big poker pournaments where there are hundreds and sometimes thousands of players, such as freeroll tournaments for example. These strategies apply to "normal pace" tournaments. By that, I mean a typical structure found in tournaments where the blinds start low, and the blind increments from level to level are not excessively steep. Also, the total time between level increases is average (10-12 minutes or so is common). These strategies do not apply to "turbo" tournaments where the blinds increase very quickly and by a lot.

Starting Strategy

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How To Read Your Poker Opponents

MPC admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 01:49:06 +0000

If you want to be sure that your poker knowledge is growing, and you want to become a real poker master, it is not always that important to play hundreds of hands, or to calculate the Holdem Odds. Learning to read your opponents’ tells is critical.

A poker tell is a subliminal act of body language, and most of the people don’t even know that they are giving up these tells. In the poker game, a tell can be used to tell you if the gambler in front of you has a strong hand or not, is he going to bluff or not, what does he want to do with his current hand in the given moment, etc. Once you do this, you’ll be able to figure out how to proceed with your hand afterwards.

The fact that most of the people have no idea that they are perpetrate these tells. By trying to keep their outward emotions in check, players can sometimes release the feelings about their hands in different nonverbal actions.

Common Poker Tells:

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Texas Holdem Limits

MPC admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 01:34:06 +0000

There are three variations to Texas Holdem limits:

Limit Holdem
No Limit Holdem
Pot Limit Holdem

I assume that you are already familiar with the basic concept of Texas Holdem (Where players each have two hole cards and share the community cards while going through betting rounds. If you are not familiar with this concept, please read How to Play Texas Holdem first. Now, let’s look at the game variants.

Limit Texas Holdem

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Straight Draws in No-Limit Texas Holdem

MPC admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 01:31:18 +0000

One aspect of post-flop no-limit Texas holdem play is how to handle the straight draw. Straight draws can occur whether you limit yourself to only high cards or whether you frequently play unusual hands. The point is that when your straight draw comes, you need to know how to handle it.

What is a Straight Draw?

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Poker Tournament Structures

MPC admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 01:27:00 +0000

One aspect of a online poker tournaments that players do not always consider is the structure of the tournament. Large $10,000 buy in events usually have excellent structures, with deep stacks of chips, as much as 100 times the opening big blind or more, and rounds of 90 to 120 minutes. Smaller buy in tournaments unfortunately usually have less favorable structures.

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When to Go "All in"

MPC admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 01:15:07 +0000

Going “all in” means betting all of your chips. It’s a way to increase your chip count significantly when you get called and win. It’s also a quick ticket home when you get called and loose. A common mistake amateur players make is that they go all to often, at the wrong times, and when it’s not even necessary. When is the all in strategy best used? Let’s explore that question.

Poker Situations Where You Should Go “All in”

Excluding heads up play which I will cover later, there are only three good reasons to go all in. The first being that you are convinced you have the best hand and you have your opponents beat. The second reason being that you are convince you can fool your opponent in thinking you have the best hand, regardless of what you actually hold. Things don’t always work out the way you plan so beware of the “all in” move. If you’re into tournament play, then there’s a third reason to go all in and that’s when you are one of the small stacks and you need to double up. Generally, you need to consider the all in play when your total chip counts is ten times the big blind or less. If you wait too long, the blinds will eat up your stack and you’ll be out of the tournament before you know it.

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Playing Big Unsuited Connectors

MPC admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:55:58 +0000

One kind of hand you have to consider in Texas Hold em is a hand with connecting cards. Connecting cards are consecutive cards like 9, T or J, Q, and their value comes in that they offer the best opportunity to make a straight. Hands with one gap like J, 9 or even two like T, 7 can also make a straight, but it is much harder for them to connect with the flop. For example on a flop of 4, 7, 8, a player holding 9, T has eight chances to make his straight, the four Sixes and the four Jacks, whereas the player with J, 9 can only make his straight with one of the four remaining Tens.

A big-card poker game

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The Right Time To Chase A Straight

MPC admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:52:52 +0000

Chasing straights and flush draws will BURN you… there’s no doubt about it. The term “chasing” means you stay in the hand… hoping to catch a certain card (or cards) that will complete your straight. The problem with chasing is that the ODDS ARE AGAINST YOU. And as you know, successful Texas Holdem poker is all about
keeping the odds in your favor.

This column is provided free of charge by www.RoyRounder.com

“Roy Rounder” is the pen name of a successful professional poker player and author. To skyrocket your Texas Holdem winnings, join his free newsletter. Just click here.

Sometimes chasing a straight IS the right thing to do.

SOMETIMES.

Let me explain…

First off, let’s look at the two different types of straight draws:

1. GUTSHOT – This is when you’re trying to make an INSIDE straight… like if you have 4-5-6-8 and you need the 7.

2. OPEN-ENDED – This is when TWO cards can “make” your straight… like if you have 4-5-6-7 and need EITHER the 3 or the 8.

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Betting out of Position – By Gus Hansen

MPC admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:46:14 +0000

Every Hold ‘em strategy guide talks about the importance of positional advantage. The standard thinking is that the player who acts last has more information than his opponents, so he’ll have a better sense of where he stands in a hand and can, therefore, make better decisions. There’s no doubt that this is true, but it’s important to understand that the power that comes with position is often granted to the late-position player by the early-position player.

To see what I mean, consider a pretty typical No-Limit hold ‘em hand. Say that I’m in the big blind with 7s-8s – a nice, flop-worthy hand. The player on the button raises to three times the big blind and I decide to call. Many players would check the flop under almost any circumstances. But, by checking, you give control to the late-position player. He can bet whether or not he has a hand, putting you in a tough spot if you don’t get a piece of the flop.

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Calculating Pot Odds

MPC admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:36:46 +0000

What are poker pot odds? To put it simply, it’s a formula that helps determine the ratio between the level of risk involved in a hand compared to the potential reward. Pot odds is something any serious Hold’em player should be familiar with because it helps you make critical decisions and it will improve your game. It expresses a ratio, like 4 to 1, between the size of the bet you need to call versus the total pot value based on increments of your bets. It may sound confusing, but it’s quite simple. I’ll show you how to calculate pot odds when you are playing heads up. And remember that this calculation method applies to all poker sites you play on.

An Example to Calculate Pot Odds

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Don't Bluff Pot Committed Opponents

MPC admin — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:11:26 +0000

If you want to bluff someone who already has most of their chips invested in a pot, you will likely not be able to scare them away with a big raise. For example, in a pot where my opponent has invested 500 chips and he only has 100 chips left, putting them all in will not likely make them fold unless they have absolutely nothing and they just tried to pull a bluff on you. I would say that 90% of players call if they are pot committed, even when they don’t have the greatest hand. Don’t bother bluffing under those circumstances.

Luck vs Skill in Poker Games

MPC admin — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:02:40 +0000

A lot of new poker players tell me that poker is a game of luck, and to them I say poker is a game of skills. Luck is just one random factor which you have no control over, and it's not that important when considering all the other variables that you can influence as a player.

Poker Variables – Do You Have Control?

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General Betting Strategy

MPC admin — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:00:49 +0000

There’s nothing more important in Texas Hold’em than to make the right bet at the right time. That’s what the game is all about. Maybe you have the best hand, maybe you want to trap someone into raising you, maybe you have nothing. If you can’t make the right betting decision, it doesn’t matter. If you pick up two aces, and everyone at the table folds as a result of a bad bet on your behalf, then your two aces didn’t count for anything and were wasted. This article will provide you with guidelines on how you should bet when faced with certain situations. Remember:Texas Holdem strategy is very complex. It’s not as simple as a casino card game strategy, like let it ride poker strategy for instance.

What Should You Bet?

Normally, you determine the amount of your bet based on a ration between either the current value of the blinds, or the current pot size. Betting position will also influence your strategy. Normally, the first round of betting is based on the blinds, while the remaining betting rounds are based on pot size.

If you have nothing in your hands, and you are in a bad betting position, meaning you are one of the first players to place a bet before the majority of the remaining players, then you have a two decision to make: First, do you want to play this hand or not. Second, if I play do I want to bluff. Personally, I don’t like to bluff in this situation because the risks are greater, and the rewards isn’t that exciting.

In any Poker Games, Consider What You can Win and What You Can Loose

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Play Money vs Real Money

MPC admin — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:49:53 +0000

When you start playing online poker games like Texas Hold'em, you'll note that the game play is actually slightly different with real money compared to play money. The reason is simple: A lot of play money players tend to go all in and hope to get lucky. There's nothing more frustrating than going all in with two aces, and being called by someone who has 7-2, and loosing! Obviously, there's the "actual personal interest" factor that comes into play. When I play poker for fun with play money, I treat is as if it was real money and I don't make the stupid calls. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks like me and this can impact your game. This article will give you a few points to consider.

Poker and Luck

It's not a mystery that some players treat play money as play money, while others like me treat play money as real money. But then, that's the difference between a serious poker player and someone who just wants to get lucky. If you want to become a great poker player, then don't rely on luck to win. Just acknowledge that luck can influence your game, but always rely on your skills. Luck will show up once in a while. Sometimes it will be good luck, other times it will be bad luck. You know, sometimes you'll make all the right moves, all the right plays, and you'll loose anyway. It happens. It's part of the game. The luck factor can be significant in a hand or a game, but it's is not that important when you look at your entire poker experience over a long time period. If you want to go all in on the first hand with no good cards because you hope to get lucky, then you don't grasp the concept of what poker really is. Perhaps you should consider playing something more random like Bingo!

Play Money Means More Luck and Less Poker Strategy

There's always people out there who join a table, go all in in hopes to get lucky and double up. That's life! I just want to point out that this "win the lottery" play is frequent with play money, and less frequent with real money. It means that if you are a serious player, then you need to play with serious players. Real money is the place where you'll see a lot less of these crazy irrational bets. I was once playing in a tournament with play money and my first hand was two aces. Naturally, I decided to take advantage of the "win the lottery" players and I typed a message that encouraged players to go all in on the first hand. 4 out of 9 went all in, and I won the pot. I hope they learned a lesson from this! The issue that I have with this practice is that during tournament play, one person will benefit from this “all in” play. One person will end up with a lot of chips to start off and that gives them a significant advantage. It's a situation that is frequent with play money but practically non existent with real money.

Non Existent Poker Stakes

Because loosing play money doesn't really impact you financially, a lot of play money players will be more aggressive then they would with real money. They'll make calls that they wouldn't do with their own money. Remember this when you play online. For the ultimate poker experience, you need to give real money a try. You'll notice a huge difference. Still, play money is a great way to prepare yourself for real money games so don't dismiss it, but once you figure out how things work in general, you can move up to low limits using real money. Maybe you’ll struggle a little at first, but consider that a small investment for a greater experience. I view the initial looses as a poker lesson, and I learn from them. Things can be turned around pretty quickly, and if you spend time reading all of our poker strategy articles, you’ll have a huge advantage and your winnings should come sooner than later!

If you haven't done so already, please check out our Online Poker section for a list of poker sites we recommend.

Playing Head's Up

MPC admin — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:47:40 +0000

It’s down to you and another player. The only thing that separates you from victory is your opponent’s chips. No problem! Let’s get those chips!

Although the rules of Texas Hold’em stay the same when you play Heads Up, the way you play the game is much different. Heads up is the time where players will be most aggressive, and this happens for two reasons. First, only two players are left so an average hand when you’re playing against 8 people is a good hand when you’re playing against one. You can take greater risks because only one opponent can defeat you, if they dare to call you! You’ll find that a lot of hands are won at Head’s Up without any of he players having to show their cards. The second reason why aggressive play is important is because by the time you eliminate other players and reach a Head’s Up situation, the blinds are often costly, and they’re only going to get more expensive.

The ability to read your opponent is key when playing heads up. This is the part of the game where there’s usually more bluffs than real good hands so you want to know when to call, when to raise, when to go all in, and when to fold. How you play varies on the size of your stack, on the cost of the blinds, and on the play style of your opponent. A great place to play heads tournaments is at fulltiltpoker.com because of the good traffic this room has.

If you have the Big Stack: Use it!

Don’t let your opponent see a flop for free, no matter what you have in your hands. Always raise on the first betting round. Sometimes, you’ll raise with a hand to back it up, sometimes you’ll raise with a really bad hand. It doesn’t matter. Your opponent knows this. What your opponent doesn’t know however is when you have something and when you don’t. That is why it is imperative to consistently raise, and often raise in the same proportion based on the blinds. I usually like to open with a bet that is three times the amount of the Big Blind. So if the BB is 400, then I bet 1200. Now, your opponent must decide if they will call, fold, or raise. If they are playing super conservative, unless they have cards, they fold 90% of the times. That means you only win the opponent’s blinds. But with conservative players, the strategy is often to gradually take their chips. If you are playing with a supper aggressive player, they’ll often raise you back because they know you don’t have anything half the time. They’ll want to test your nerves. They’ll try to outbid you and steal your chips from you. These are the players you need to worry about the most because they are unpredictable. When they re-raise you, you can either fold, call, or re-raise. Depending on how far ahead you are in terms of chip counts, reraising the opponent by the size of the total pot will usually give the message that you are not fooling around. This puts the pressure back on the opponent. If they had tried to make a move on you, they’ll often fold at this stage. If they call, then they probably have a hand, but not a great hand. If your opponent had a great hand, they would have gone all in at this point. Reading your opponent is done by evaluating the betting patterns. If you’re leading by 5 to 1 or more, meaning you have five times the amount of chips your opponent has, then you can afford to be very aggressive. The worse that can happen is that you go all in and you double up your opponent. If you do, then you’re still in the lead, but you have a lot more work ahead of you. Keep in mind that when the opponent has a short stack, he’ll be more aggressive than usual, especially when the blinds are increasing.

If you have the Small Stack: Attack!

There’s only two ways you’re going to win this game. By bluffing or by having the best hand. If you are the short stack, you want to try and see some flops for free whenever you have a crappy starting hand. However, if you do pick up two nice cards, then raise right away. A good example of when you want to see a flop for free, or for very little, is if you have two suited connectors in your hand, like a 2 and 3 of spades. It doesn’t look like much now, but if you happen to get a straight or a flush on the flop, or at least the possibility of one, then your hand has the potential of causing serious damage. Time to bet! Start with a nice raise (3 times the BB or more) to see how your opponent reacts. There’s no point in going all in just yet. If your opponent folds, then you got some of their chips at least. If they call, then probably fishing for cards. If they re-raise, then they either have something, or they are using the power of the Big Stack to put some pressure on. If you have a descent hand already, then by all means call them down. If you think you have the wining hand, then go all in. If you have nothing, then fold or go all in. There’s no other option. You either give up now, or you fight to the end (and possibly die trying…). This decision is based on your ability to read your opponent. Remember that when you have the Small Stack, you’re only purpose is to double up which can only happen if you go all in. Don’t rely solely on luck. Go all in when you have cards to back it up, or if you feel like you can bluff and get away with it. Beware… If you over do the all in bluff, you’ll get called down eventually when your opponent has the hand to beat you. It’s a super risky tactic, but one that is important to consider any how. If you get to the point where your total stack is about 10 times the size of the blinds, then you’re really in bad shape and it’s time to double up or else the blinds will eat you up fast. As soon as you get an Ace, go all in. It doesn’t matter what the second card is. You probably want to consider going all in with a King-ten or King and something else higher then 10.

A Poker Exercise

MPC admin — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:44:50 +0000

You’ll often read about how making the right bet is your most powerful poker tool. To illustrate this, I want to propose a little exercise that you can try out. It will really give you a better understanding of when to bet, how much to bet, and why.

Play Poker Without Calling

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Aggressive Play in Texas Hold’em

MPC admin — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:40:07 +0000

There are many different styles of play when it comes to Texas Hold’em. I want to teach you a style that works quit well for me. Whether you are playing with your friends or playing online, this playing style works well for a lot of people and it doesn’t have anything to do with how aggressive you should play, but with when you should be aggressive. That is the key.

A common mistake in poker is using the wrong level of aggressiveness at the wrong time. A lot of beginners play too aggressively and think they can bluff anyone anytime, or they have zero aggressiveness and fold all the time. Sometimes, playing super aggressive is good, other times, conservative play is best. The key is to know when to switch gears. As a general rule, you gradually turn up the aggressive play when:

Players get eliminated from the table. If you want to "buy the pot" on a stone cold bluff, the odds that someone actually has a hand to call you (and to beat you) is much greater when there are more players at the table than when there are just 3 players left. Does that mean you should never be aggressive early in the game? Not at all. See the next situation.

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How to play Texas Hold'em

MPC admin — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:37:46 +0000

Texas Hold’em is easy to learn and fun to play. How does Texas Hold’em work? Every player is given 2 cards which they keep secret. Eventually, 5 community cards will be laid down on the table face up. It the end, players make the best 5 card poker hand out of the 7 cards they have access to (their own 2 cards, plus the 5 community cards). Let’s look at an actual example.

Let’s pretend that there are 6 players around a circular table. I will simply refer to them as player 1, player 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, or P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and P6.

Texas Holdem setup

Every player is given an equal amount of poker chips to being with. 1500 total is a good number. If you have a basic poker chip set, you should have at least 4 colors of chips (white, red, blue and black). Pretend the white chips are worth 10, the red are worth 25, the blue 50 and the blacks 100. Give each player 40 whites, 20 reds, 6 blues and 3 blacks. This totals 1500. (you can distribute however you want, this is just an example).

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Poker Terms

MPC admin — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:28:56 +0000

If you’re playing poker games such as Texas Hold’em, you need to learn a couple of terms. At least, you’ll know what the heck people are talking about when you watch a game on TV, or when you play with experienced players! In this segment, I’ll teach you the common terms used in poker and in Texas Hold’em.

Let’s start with the basics:

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Determining the Winning Hand

MPC admin — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:26:06 +0000

What happens when two or more players have the same hand? How do you determine the best hand when two or more individuals both have a full house? In this segment, I will guide you trough all the poker hands and show you how to determine the winner and when to declare a tie. This article assumes you already know about how poker hands are ranked. If you don’t, please read about it here before going any further.

Royal Flush:

Since all suits are equal, all royal flushes are equal. The probability of seeing two royal flushes played on the same hand are likely comparable to the probability of getting struck by lighting!

Straight Flush:

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The Continuation Bet in No Limit Texas Holdem

MPC admin — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:14:19 +0000

The continuation bet in Texas holdem is a very popular bet. A continuation bet is when a player bets before the flop and then bets after the flop, regardless if they caught a good hand or not. It shows a commitment to the hand and forces other players who have nothing out of the hand.

The downside of a continuation bet is that it might not intimidate other players. It could lead to trouble, especially if it’s a technique a player often uses. The continuation bet is easy to isolate if other players are paying attention, and if they are bluffing, they may eventually falter because of its constant use.

As a Semi-Bluff

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How to Shuffle Poker Chips

MPC admin — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 02:34:32 +0000

This video teaches you how to shuffle poker chips. It’s not an easy trick to do at first, and it requires some practice, but it is among the most basic poker chip tricks.

Poker Card Stunt "Ribbon Spread"

MPC admin — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 02:30:27 +0000

The ribbon spread is a card trick that is easy to learn and perform. In addition, the video teaches you how to perform a ribbon turnover which is also fairly easy to execute and looks impressive. It’s a great little trick to show off when you’re playing some home games!

AA vs KK vs QQ

MPC admin — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 01:26:14 +0000

This is one crazy hand! 6 players… FIVE poket pairs including AA, KK, QQ! Watch this hand unfold and witness a brilliant laydown in this unbeleivable poker video.

Poker Hands

MPC admin — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 01:23:07 +0000

Before you can start playing poker, you need to understand what hand beats what. It’s actually quite simple and it is explained here.

How Cards Are Used in Poker Games

In poker, the lowest card is a two, and the higest is an ace. Card have two Important attribute:

Card Rank: The numercial value of the card is called rank and cards are ranked as follows, from lowest to highest:

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How to Avoid Bad Beats

MPC admin — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 00:54:59 +0000

Have you been cursing at your computer because you’ve been really bad lucky? Does it seem like your bad luck just doesn’t go away? Well, let me ask you an important question: Have you ever wondered if you were responsible for those losses? Because guess what, you probably have a hand to play in it. No pun intended!

Sometimes we are faced with the dreaded bad beats. It’s only normal that these situations will come up on occasions, but are they occurring too frequently in your game? Are you loosing your money because of it? Well guess what: It’s not all about bad luck. You are likely doing something wrong and I’d like to suggest a poker strategy to bring your game back on track.

Number of Poker Opponents

The secret in winning at Texas Hold’em is in making sure you are facing as few opponents as possible. Most people think that the more players you have in the hand, the more money you can win. While this is true, you also need to understand that when you have a lot of players in the hand, it’s harder for you to win the hand. You’re better off winning a little less more often, than winning a little more less frequently. Why? Because the sooner you acquire chips, the quicker you can put them to work.

Choose the Right Poker Game

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