Proper Use of Aggression in Short-handed No Limit Hold’em Games
The 6-player max No Limit Hold’em tables have exploded in popularity at the major online poker rooms over the last year. I suspect that the reason is twofold. First and foremost, there is less waiting between playing your hands - and let’s face it, we humans tend to be an impatient lot. Secondly, much looser play is warranted than in the full ring games. Those two aspects of short-handed action add up to playing a whole lot more hands. As poker players, this is really what we want to be doing anyway. So the popularity of these games should be no surprise.
But playing more hands is a sure way to quick losses, even when short-handed, if you don’t go about it properly. Playing like a maniac just isn’t going to get the job done. This is because it’s just too easy (even for fairly weak players) to develop effective counter-strategies against maniacs. They are the easiest types of players to beat in No Limit, regardless of how many people are at the table. Selective aggression is still the winning approach, as with full tables, just with a much wider range of selection. Most important is playing a style that allows you to take many one-try stabs at small to medium-size pots.
By one-try stabs, I mean that you need to know how to let go of a pot that you are trying to win on the flop if you are called. This is critical. If you can’t do it, don’t expect to win much in short-handed No Limit cash games. All your accumulated profits will leave your stack in one fell swoop and go to the shark who smooth-called you on the flop. Your next bet will have to be quite large if you plan on continuing with the aggression, and that’s when you can expect the shark to raise. When you get called on the flop, just let it go.
The style you need to play in these games is a raise or fold philosophy, especially before the flop. If nobody has entered the pot yet I will raise with any two cards 7 or higher most of the time. If somebody else has entered the pot ahead of me, I won’t play anything except super-premium hands, period. You have no business in any pot where you are not the aggressor, barring a rare exception. In fact, I insist on both “power and position” if I am going to see a flop. Power meaning that I am the last pre-flop raiser, and position meaning that I am last to act. On the flop I always bet around 75% of the pot no matter what cards hit the board. Always. If I meet any kind of resistance at all, including a call on the flop, I simply give it up (unless I happen to be holding the World’s Fair, which does happen sometimes).
Here is what is going to happen if you play this way: 1) You will steal a lot of blinds, 2) Almost every flop you see will be heads-up or three-way, 3) You will win the overwhelming majority of pots on the flop, 4) The pots you don’t win on the flop will be way more than made up for by all the ones you do win, and 5) The rare occasions where you flop a monster against a decent hand will get paid off big-time. You will be the dominate force in your game, and your flustered opponents will watch helplessly as their chips continue to desert them into your stack.
You see, they just can’t call that flop bet. Play this way for a while and you’ll start to get it. If you occasionally screw up and find yourself on the flop when you are not the aggressor, you will curse yourself for being there playing like a fish, because you won’t be able to call that flop bet either. It’s like the great San Francisco 49er offense of the late 90’s with Steve Young at quarterback, coming at you with those slant plays. The defense knows exactly what’s coming, but they still can’t stop it.
Andrew Kasch is the author of the popular ebook “How to Shake the Online Poker Money Tree,” which has recently been expanded and now includes 17 chapters. You can sign up for 5 free online poker tips at his website, http://www.onlinepokerincome.com
Do You Deal Or No Deal?
When it comes to Channel 4’s ultra-successful Deal or No Deal game show are you an addicted fan, or are you scratching your head wondering what all the fuss is about? Like it or not Deal or No Deal is continuing its inexorable rise in popularity, but why is it so universally popular? Is it symptomatic of a world that is obsessed with achieving instant riches by sheer chance, is it simply compelling TV, a bit or both or neither?!
Launched onto our screens in the UK featuring Noel Edmonds as the host, the show has trashed the competition in the ratings, and reinvigorated Edmonds’ TV career at the same time. The ‘infamous’ Dutch company Endemol, responsible for a series of successful shows such as Big Brother and Fear Factor, are the production brains behind the Deal or No Deal franchise. Originally broadcast in Holland, it was quickly followed by an Australian version before being adopted by the rest of the world in countries ranging from Argentina to the USA.
So, how does the game work? Before it starts differing amounts of money are sealed in numbered boxes or cases by an independent adjudicator. In the UK Deal or No deal is played with 22 boxes, but in other parts of the world the amount of boxes or cases varies. They are arranged in front of a contestant who picks five boxes before receiving an offer from the anonymous banker on the telephone. The host asks whether the contestant decides to accept the offer or decline it.
Then the fun starts! The contestant must say “Deal” to accept the offer or “No Deal” to reject it and carry on. The boxes are opened and the amounts revealed. If low amounts are revealed in the rejected boxes the banker will subsequently offer higher amounts to achieve a deal with the contestant, but the offers will be significantly less than the top amount that remains sealed in an unopened box. The process of selecting boxes and rejecting the bankers offer is continued until an offer is accepted by the contestant, or until only two boxes remain.
For the contestant the risk throughout the game is rejecting a firm offer from the banker against the potential of winning more in an unopened box. For the viewer it’s wondering whether they’ll end up with more or less than they’ve been offered! When all the boxes have been whittled down to the last remaining two the contestant will be offered the opportunity to swap the box in their possession with the last remaining box.
This is the last opportunity to “Deal or No Deal” before the box they have chosen is opened and they receive the amount detailed in the last box. This can prove nail-biting if there is one huge amount and one tiny amount remaining! Which will the contestant win?!
The game is all about gambling on risk and luck, and is highly watchable and addictive. International TV versions may vary; for example in the USA the cash amounts are not held in boxes but by 26 identically dressed stunning-looking models - another bid by NBC to increase ratings, but essentially it has the same format the world over. Just like its forerunner and stable mate Big Brother it looks like Endemol have produced another global winner with Deal or No Deal.
Now the TV game has been successfully replicated online, anyone can play, and in some cases there is big money at stake! But beware; the suspense and the risk can prove addictive!
Play Deal or No Deal online, for fun or real money at http://www.vernons.co.uk/info/deal-or-no-deal/
The UK Leading Online Gambling
Online gambling means gambling on the internet. There are many kinds of gambling, such as casinos, poker, bingo and sports betting. The internet makes it easy to gamble. Many sites offer bonuses when you register with them and you don’t even have to leave your house any more to have a flutter. The simplicity of online gambling makes it a very attractive pursuit to a great many people.
Between April and September last year, up to 5.8 million people in the UK visited gambling sites and as many as 1 million of those are considered regular gamblers. Britain passed the gambling act in April 2005 and it will come into play properly on September 1, 2007. This means that it will be completely legal for online casinos to set up in the UK. The Gambling Commission has been created by the government to check these sites over and approve them, to make sure the betting is fair and the customers know how much they are spending. The Gambling Commission also has to check out key managerial staff in the online gambling companies for any links to organised crime.
The laws are very different in the US. Some states completely ban all types of gambling and others are very strict about them. One of the reasons for this attitude is that money laundering is easier online and gambling can hide criminal tracks. Legislation in the US has been passed making it illegal for many banks to transfer money to online gambling sites. Sites such as Firepay and Neteller were set up to get around this but US residents can no longer use these services as a go-between from their banks to the gambling sites. If they want to play, they must use wire transfers or cheques, with a result that many no longer bother with it at all. In the UK and Europe, things are far simpler. It is possible to pay with a credit or debit card, something that nearly everyone has. Payment can be made immediately and you can be playing within minutes.
Because of the new legislation in the UK, 2007 is a key year in the world of gambling. It is already a popular recreation with millions but the new laws will bring an explosion in the growth rate of gambling sites and millions of new customers. Online gambling sites will be in fierce competition with each other, each offering better deals and bonuses to attract customers will be sure to skyrocket. Almost everyone has the internet available to them now, whether in their home or workplace, and betting has never been so easy. Online gambling appeals to millions of people, regardless of gender or age. When the new laws come into force on September 1, 2007, the UK is sure to be a leader in online gambling.
http://www.monkeybet.com/ Your home for Poker, Sportsbook and Casino gaming.
Going All-in
Poker is perhaps one of the most popular card games across the United States. Whether played in a casino or at home, or for keeps or for fun, it requires a lot of chance as well as a good deal of skill.
There are many different types of poker games, each with a different set of rules that vary from game to game and sometimes, from one country to another. Still, the same basic rules and skills are applied to the game in general.
Though poker is known as a game of chance, there is a great deal of skill involved in playing a good game. The more you know, the more you develop your skill, and the more you practice, the more successful you’ll be at winning. It is important to know and understand what to do in different situations. For example, knowing when to raise, fold, and check are important, as well as bluffing and spotting the poker tells of your opponents. Though the rules are much the same for casino poker as they are for home games, there are some major differences. When played in a casino, the game is much larger and the stakes higher.
The alternative to table stakes, which are used for large games often played at casinos, is open stakes. In open stakes games, players are allowed to buy more chips during the hand, and may even be allowed to borrow money often referred to going light.
This may be appropriate for private games, like those played at home, but is never allowed at casinos. In open stakes, a player may go all-in like in table stakes if he or she so chooses, as opposed to adding to the stake or even borrowing. This may be done in much the same manner as in an open stakes game. Because it can be a strategic advantage to go all-in with some hands while adding to your stake with others, it is advised that such games have an enforced minimum buy-in several times the maximum bet.
In the case of a no-limit or pot-limit game, a player who goes all-in and wins a pot less than the minimum buy-in may not add to his or her stake or borrow money during any future hand in the game until he or she re-buys an amount that is sufficient enough to bring the stake up to a full buy-in.
When playing, you may also choose to buy chips with cash out-of-pocket at any time, even during the play of a hand. Here your bets are only limited by the specified betting structure of the game.
You may also borrow money by betting with an IOU, referred to as a marker. This is payable to the winner of the pot. In order to do this, all players still active in the pot must agree to accept the marker. If a player refuses to accept, you may bet with cash out-of-pocket or choose to go all-in.
Understanding the rules of the particular game you play, as well as developing good skill and paying close attention to your opponents will help you in making your decision.
Keith Londrie II is a well known author. See the site at http://learn-texas-holdem-poker.info/
for a wealth of information. You may also want to visit keith’s own web site at http://keithlondrie.com/
Online Poker Advantages and Disadvantages When It’s Free
What is Gambling: the act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning (including the payment of a price for a chance to win a prize); “his gambling cost him a fortune”; “there was heavy play at the blackjack table”
Last night I stayed up late playing poker with Tarot cards. I got a full house and four people died. ~Seven Wright
Most of the poker junkies today preferred looking for some free online poker games and rooms than playing in actual casinos or actual poker rooms. Well, maybe it is for the reason that they found some worthy matters of choosing the free online poker than the actual one. However, there are still several poker lovers today that are not aware of the advantages and disadvantages of the free online poker. So to give you some helpful details about the free online poker, I would like to deal generally on both advantages and disadvantages of the free online poker.
Playing the free online poker may be great but we can’t deny that free online poker may also have disadvantages. So to mention first the advantages of playing the free online poker, it is important to note that playing free online poker in the first place doesn’t need you to drive to a casino. You just need to sit in front of your computer and locate some of the free online poker games, and then you can start playing the offered free online poker.
Also, playing free online poker will give you the freedom to play the offered free online poker in your underwear, and you can even smoke at will or breathe clean air at will. Another important advantage of playing free online poker is that you don’t need to tip the dealer and you can even sing along to your headphones without disturbing any free online poker player. And lastly, the free online poker always submits itself to many free online poker players who have never experience playing poker inside a casino and therefore may not be that “social” in their play.
However, the bad news for playing free online poker includes the fact that your free online poker opponents may easily submit and share details about their hands on a communication channel to which you are not part. Aside from that fact about playing the free online poker, your opponents may also play their hands in a fly-by-night manner by means of a communication channel in which you are not part. Also, in a free online poker, you may play the free online poker with the same person over and over. And of course by playing a free online poker, there is no way for you to be aware that the above mentioned disadvantages of playing the free online poker are still occurring, and even the free online poker operator may not acquire knowledge about it.
So whatever your decision is, whether you will play free online poker or you will drive to casino to play poker, then go on as wish. But please proceed with caution.
Poker can be a lot of fun. Please always play with the intention of having fun and leave the heavy gambling to the pros. Many lives have been destroyed because of addiction to gambling.
For more articles by this author on this subject and over 100 other subjects visit his world of articles at http://www.david-mclauchlan.com
Do Sports Betting Systems Really Help You Win?
Everyone who is involved in any kind of gaming, gambling, or betting as heard the stories of legendary people who have supposedly created the next foolproof betting system and have used the system themselves to help them to avoid losing and get higher profits over the long haul. The fact is that there is not a system in existence that can guarantee you that you will definitely be successful and never lose.
Still, there are tons of bettors looking through rose colored glasses for the holy grail of betting systems that will let them make money without risking any. Well, there is a way to do that and it is called work! Gambling is called gambling for a reason, it
How To Start Placing Sports Bets On The Internet
Placing sports bets online has exploded into a multi billion dollar industry. There are now numerous sports books online most of which are located offshore in places like the Caribbean and Central America. The reason internet sports betting is so popular with bettors is that they have a better chance of winning. Another big plus is that it doesn
Learn How To Easily Find The Best Sports Betting Odds Now
Any one who bets on sports for profit will want to make sure they are getting the best sports betting odds but it doesn
Tips For Betting NFL Games Online
Are you an NFL junkie? Do you like betting on your favorite team? Then you should try NFL betting online. There are numerous sports books available online for you to choose from accepting wagers from all over the world. Just like many other ventures the advent of the internet has led to an explosion in the both the popularity and the numbers of online betting sites available to choose from.
Using an internet based sports book service offers those of us who love football much more than your local bookie is able to provide you. Some of the most important benefits are not having to wait on busy signals and not having to be concerned about collecting your money. Another great thing about betting online is that many of the sports books actually give you bonuses for opening an account plus player rewards offers.
Even more surprising and amazing is that the sports betting companies online actually give you fair money lines. So contrary to the local sharks who will try to screw you over because you are placing a bet on the local favorite or maybe because the are the only bookie available in your area, the online sports betting sites will give you better lines. The thing about online betting sites is that they have lots of competition so they know they have to be competitive to keep your business.
If you are really interested to know where exactly online you can bet on your favorite football team, consider the following sports books.
VIP Sports has long been considered as a major online sports betting portal by many sports betting enthusiasts. Maybe what sets VIP Sports apart from its counterparts is the fact that they are financially solid and is undoubtedly going to pay your winnings upon request. Aside from that, this sports betting site has a huge player base and is well-managed.
Today, VIP Sports offer signup bonus for their bettors. They also process deposits by way of allowing their customers to employ their checking accounts if they wish to consider instant transfer of funds.
Pinnacle Sportsbook is one of the best online sports betting books available on the internet. Here, you will find quick Neteller payouts and a long history online which has been appreciated by scores of players. Also, this NFL online sports betting site has a rock-solid reputation and they offer reduced juice betting options, making them as one of the worth visiting sports books to visit online.
Gregg Hall is an author and internet marketing consultant living in Navarre Florida. For more on arbitrage sports betting or other sports betting issues go to http://www.internetsportsbettingservice.com
What In The World Does Arbitrage Sports Betting Mean?
If you
