Regarding Poker

In this post I will be discussing two online poker tells that involve a players delayed time to act.

A Delay Followed by a Check

When it’s your opponents turn to act and the player takes longer than usual to ‘check’, that is usually a sign of weakness. The player is trying to convey strength by pretending to think about his strong hand and hoping to get a free card by getting you to check.

It doesn’t matter what you have in your hand, you’ll want to bet if you see this play. Make the bet large enough for your opponent to fold. You’ll scoop the pot the majority of the time if you see this play.

Be aware though, your opponents ’slowed reaction’ may be a result of the player multi-tabling and has not gotten to your table yet to act or is simply distracted at his or her’s computer.

One way of knowing if your opponent is multi-tabling is to do a search of the player. Most online poker rooms will display all the tables that the searched player is currently playing. Note: PokerStars has an option in their software where you can ‘hide’ from the search feature.

If I come across this play I almost always bet, regardless of what I have in my hand. Of course if I have notes on a player that tells me that they trap a lot then I may not make a move there.

A Delay Followed by a Bet

When a player seems to take a long time to make a bet then you better watch out. This usually means a sign of strength. They act slowly to convey the perception that they are weak and are trying to take a stab at the pot. It’s pretty much a value bet and they hope that you come back with a raise.

If you come across this play then you better have a good hand to call or raise with, if not, fold.

Ask yourself how many times you’ve done these plays? Maybe it’s time to mix up your game play? If you are playing a weak player than these plays will work most of the time. If you are playing a good poker player then try the opposite of these moves; try a delayed check when you have the goods and try a delayed bet when you have nothing.

It’s always important to adjust your game to your opponents skill level. Remember, good poker players play against their opponents, not their hands.

I want to mention two great online poker tools that can help your game in more ways than one.

The first one is a website called thepokerdb. This website is a free tool that lets you search any known poker player’s tournament results from PokerStars, FullTilt Poker, UltimatePoker, PartyPoker, and Bodog. Although it is limited to only showing you the winnings of any given player and not the losses, it still gives you enough information on the looked up player to get an idea of their overall tournament performance.

The information given is the type of tournament they entered, how much they spent on the buy in, their results, the amount of entrants and other useful stats.

Use this tool to look up players when you are in a tournament and use it to see your own online poker tournament stats.

Click here to visit thepokerdb.com.

The other online tool I want to share with you is called Sharkscope. This tool covers: PokerStars, FullTilt, CryptoLogic, Ongame, Pacific Poker and Poker.com networks. Support for Party Poker is in Beta test.

Sharkscope allows five free database searches a day, and if you need more than that, then you can buy additional searches.

Sharkscope is similar to thepokerdb.com, but is specifically for sit and go tournament results. When you do a player search in their database it will give you their wins and losses. Sharkscope will also provide charts and graphs, which gives you detailed stats on any sit and go player.

Click here to go to Sharkscope.

Try these tools out, search your player name to see what your stats are and use them when you need more information on the players at your table.

You can refer to these online poker resource tools under Pages > Poker Resources in the right sidebar for future access.

Arm yourself with knowledge!

I only started to play RAZZ a couple months back when PokerStars added it to their list of poker games. Before that I played a lot of Stud High Low Eight or Better and really enjoy that game.

I figured I would try RAZZ because it is similar to Stud Hi/Lo, but with no qualifier and no high hand. When I play Stud Hi/Lo I almost always play the low end, so I figured I would try out some of PokerStars’ $10 + $1 multi-table RAZZ tournaments.

I did quite well, I made the money about 60% of the tournaments I entered and came in first and second in two of them. When I came in first there were 240 entries and when I finished second there were 160 entries.

Although I was very pleased in finishing second it didn’t compare to finishing first. My goal at that time was to win a RAZZ tournament outright.

In RAZZ tournaments I play very tight/aggressive and stayed true to my strategy when I won that RAZZ tournament.

In that particular RAZZ tournament where I finished first, I would only play the game as if there were an eight low qualifier.

RAZZ can be a VERY frustrating game, and if you are not discipline and patient then this game is not for you. Even when you are dealt the best starting hand and two other players are in the pot, you can expect to win maybe 30% of the time, and even heads-up it’s a 50/50 chance to win a pot even when dealt the best starting hand. RAZZ is a drawing game, and in this game it sometimes feels as though the other players are always out drawing you.

This is where patience and discipline come in. You have to know when to give up your hand and wait for the next. When I do win a pot it is usually a big pot, because when I am in a pot, I like to ram and jam when I think I have the best hand.

I see so many RAZZ players (newbies) play to get lucky. They get dealt three babies and then a brick, and another brick, and yet they will call many bets hoping for runner, runner. Although they will most certainly lose more pots then they win it gets very frustrating when they do hit their cards and beat you. This is RAZZ.

You can also expect to be dealt A23, and then be dealt KKQQ! Again, this is RAZZ!

So you must be able to fold your hand when you are the dog. If I am dealt A23, and I’m dealt a brick on fourth street I will not pay for another card if my opponent is showing something decent.

Here are my tips for playing in a RAZZ tournament:

• Be patient and discipline. Wait for your winning hands, they will come. Don’t give yourself excuses to play in a loosing pot!
• Know when to fold your hand, even when it started off so beautifully! You have to fold on fifth street if you catch bad and your opponent(s) looks good.
• Try to isolate the pot/hand to one opponent if you can. You will need to raise to try and get the other players to fold and you’ll need to bet on the following betting rounds.
• Play RAZZ as if there is an eight low qualifier. Of course there are exceptions, such as position or if you are playing someone who bluffs a lot or playing with a player who’s new to RAZZ.
• Make notes on the players at the table. This is VERY important. I make notes on player’s starting hands, if they bluff, if they are weak RAZZ players, if they are good players, etc. These notes WILL help you make tough decisions and are even more helpful later in the tournament.
• Turn ‘chat’ off. Why let other players put you on tilt by chatting garbage to you. Besides, you have more to focus on then watching the chat window.
• Never slow play and give your opponents free cards that might end up beating you. Slow play only if you get the wheel (A2345) by 5th or 6th street.
• Never give up, no matter how low in chips you get. When I won a Razz tournament I was second to last place after two hours of play, and then slowly climbed to victory. Remember the old adage, ‘a chip and a chair’.
• Keep track of the up cards after they are dealt. Start looking from the Bring in and then look clockwise. Sometimes you have to look quickly as some players will fold their hands quickly. You want to make note of all the up cards that are eight and less that would help your hand. The less you have to remember the better it is for your hand. Usually if I have to remember more than four or five cards then it’s not a good sign. If the count is one, or none, then it looks promising to improve your hand.
• Only sign up and play in a RAZZ tournament when you are totally 100% focused and committed to winning the tournament.
• Don’t play garbage starting hands. By this I mean, no pair and baby, no small babies and a face card. Try to have your starting hands eight or less.

I hope these RAZZ tournament tips help you as much as they helped me. I will be writing more about RAZZ and get into the details of playing this crazy, frustrating, and fun game.

Be sure to fold your hand when you hit bricks!

I want to go over the online poker games that are available at PokerStars, FullTilt Poker and Absolute Poker.

More and more online poker rooms are adding more poker games to their online poker rooms. There is more to online poker than Texas Hold’ em, and exploring these other games will help improve your poker skills and make you an overall better poker player. You may even find a game that you like better and find more profitable than Texas Holdem!

When I first started playing online poker I was pretty much like everyone else and played Texas Hold’ em exclusively. There was a time when I became bored of this game as I played it all the time. So I then tried different versions of Texas Holdem, Limit and Pot Limit Hold’em. That diversity lasted for a while, but I was still finding myself bored and ready for something new.

I explored the different games available to me and did some research via reading poker books and poker articles on the Net.

Once I was fairly confident that I wouldn’t be a Donkey playing these games I sat down and tried them.

To my surprise I was re-energized with playing poker again and found several new poker games that I absolutely love playing and some of them I even found to be profitable.

The poker games that I tried where Seven Card Stud High, Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo, Razz, Five Card Draw, HORSE, Limit 7-2 Triple Draw Lowball, and Omaha Hi/Lo.

Since expanding my poker game selection I found that playing Texas Hold’ em became more interesting and fun. I found my old passion of the game alive again by taking a break from it and trying something new. Taking a break from the usual poker games will make you appreciate your old favorites.

I highly recommend every poker player to expand their game choices as it will only make you an overall better poker player and it will also keep poker interesting. You may even find a game that you excel at and find one that is your new favorite.

Here are the poker games available at PokerStars, FullTilt Poker, and Absolute Poker:

PokerStars:

Texas Hold’ em No-Limit
Texas Holdem Limit
Texas Hold ‘em Pot-Limit
Omaha High
Omaha High Low
Seven Card Stud High
Seven Card Stud High Low
Razz
HORSE (Limit Holdem, Omaha Hi/Lo, Razz, Stud High, Stud High Low)
HOSE (Limit Holdem, Omaha Hi/Lo, Stud High, Stud High Low)
2-7 Triple Draw Lowball Limit
2-7 Triple Draw Lowball No-Limit
2-7 Triple Draw Lowball Pot Limit
Five Card Draw Limit
Five Card Draw No Limit
Five Card Draw Pot Limit

Checkout PokerStars today and try these other games out. If you are signing up for a new PokerStars account be sure to use Bonus Code: “First2007” for your free deposit bonus cash bonus. Click here to go to PokerStars and to get your free poker cash.

FullTilt Poker:

Texas Hold’ em No-Limit
Texas Holdem Limit
Texas Hold ‘em Pot-Limit
Omaha Hi
Omaha Hi Lo
Razz
7 Card Stud High
7 card Stud High Low
HORSE (Limit Holdem, Omaha Hi/Lo, Razz, Stud High, Stud High Low)
HOSE (Limit Holdem, Omaha Hi/Lo, Stud High, Stud High Low)
HA (Texas Hold’em & Omaha)

Click here to visit FullTilt Poker. Use this link and get a 100% deposit bonus match.

Absolute Poker:

Texas Hold’ em
Omaha Hi
Omaha Hi Lo 8 or Better
7 Card Stud High
7 card Stud High Low 8 or Better
RAZZ

Click here to visit Absolute Poker. Use this link and get a 100% deposit bonus match.

So get out there and try something new, you’ll become a better poker player in doing so!

Is online poker legal? In one word, yes.

The Bill passed last September against online gaming sites is aimed at online payment processors and NOT online poker players.

The U.S. government is trying to make it very difficult for American poker players to make deposits into online poker rooms. They think if they take away the deposit methods then American poker players will not be able to deposit money into their online poker accounts and won’t be able to play.

What the U.S. government fails to realize is that there are many options still available for American poker players to make deposits and more will be available. Although Neteller will no longer accept Americans to deposit or withdraw in and from online poker websites, you still have many secure options.

Click here for the official Neteller FAQ statements regarding their position with American accounts and online gaming sites.

Don’t let the U.S. government push you around and tell you what you cannot do. 90% of polled Americans are against this new Bill and yet the government is not listening.

The U.S. government even passed the Bill by attaching it to a completely different Bill, the Port Security Bill. The government knew that the gambling Bill would not stand a chance on its own so they attached it to a Bill that was guaranteed to pass.

This sounds like prohibition and Americans should speak out. Let your voice be heard and help let the 80,000,000.00 American poker players do what they want to do with their own private time.

Speak out and let your voice be heard that you are against this Bill. Tell your political officials, newspapers, radio stations and TV stations know that you are against this Bill.

Here is a link regarding the Bill.

Here are the official statements from PokerStars and FullTilt Poker regarding their position on serving American poker players:

PokerStars

“As you are probably aware, the United States Congress recently enacted the Safe Port Act which contains provisions relating to Internet gambling.

PokerStars has received extensive expert advice from within and outside the U.S. which concluded that these provisions do not alter the U.S. legal situation with respect to our offering of online poker games. Furthermore it is important to emphasize that the Act does not in any way prohibit you from playing online poker.

Therefore, our business continues as before - open to players worldwide including the US. You may play on our site as you did prior to the Act.

PokerStars believes that poker is a game of skill enjoyed by millions of players and we remain committed to providing you a safe and fun environment in which to play. We value your loyalty to PokerStars, and look forward to continuing to serve you with the best online poker experience, as we have for the past five years, six billion hands, and 40 million tournaments.

PokerStars Management”

FullTilt Poker

“The new U.S. legislation does not in any way attempt to criminalize the act of you playing online poker. By playing online at Full Tilt Poker, you are not breaking any U.S. Federal laws”.

“The passage of the new Internet Gaming law will not have any impact on your day-to-day experience at Full Tilt Poker. We will provide all of our players, everywhere in the world, with full access to all of our games and tournaments”.

PokerStars, FullTilt Poker and Absolute Poker all gladly welcome players from around the world, including Americans!

So don’t let this Bill scare you off from playing online poker. Play online poker, it’s not illegal, so go out there and have fun and make some money too!

From my experience and from what I read there are situations when you should not play, let me explain.

Winning at poker usually resulted because you were in the mindset to play with little to no distractions. Right? Right.

Why jeopardize your bankroll when you are not at your best? Playing poker for real money when you are not at your best is a simple recipe to lose money. I’m sure in my past poker history it may have accounted up to 30% of my losses.

If you find yourself having one of these days then you should NOT play with real-money:

• Under the weather (sick)
• Physically or emotionally drained
• Bad day of poker/ on tilt
• Emotional unrest, e.g. angry, sad, depressed, etc.

This may seem obvious but many players continue to play under those conditions. It’s hard enough to constantly make money, so why reduce your chances when you are not yourself?

If you really want to play poker under those conditions then you should just play with play chips, and leave your real cash alone until you are 100% yourself.

Follow the advice above and you’ll save your bankroll from going down the toilet.

Be focused and alert and you’ll come up on top!

Managing your online poker bankroll is the most important thing to manage if your goal is to make money consistently, over an extended period of time.

Your bankroll will dictate which game limits you can play. I’ve broken it down to two types of players, cash game (ring game) players and sit and go players.

The examples below are based on Texas Hold’em. Other games like Draw and Stud will require even more of a bankroll when compared to Limit Hold’em because there are more betting rounds with these types of games. So our examples will relate to Texas Hold’em.

Keep in mind that the numbers below are approximate and there are many variables that can change the numbers below to be higher or lower. Also, the numbers below are for a bankroll for the long term.

If you just want to sit down and play a round of poker then all you’ll need minimum is 20 X Big Bet (Big Blind).

Cash Game Players

Limit Hold’em for a Loose Player (sees a lot of flops) – 300 X Big Bet (Big Blind)

Examples:

$0.02/0.04 – You would need a bankroll of about $12.00
$0.05/0.10 – You would need a bankroll of about $30.00
$0.10/0.20 – You would need a bankroll of about $60.00
$0.25/0.50 – You would need a bankroll of about $150.00
$1.00/2.00 – You would need a bankroll of about $600.00
$10/20 – You would need a bankroll of about $6,000.00

Limit Hold’em for a Tight Player – 200 X Big Bet (Big Blind)

Examples:

$0.02/0.04 – You would need a bankroll of about $8.00
$0.05/0.10 – You would need a bankroll of about $20.00
$0.10/0.20 – You would need a bankroll of about $40.00
$0.25/0.50 – You would need a bankroll of about $100.00
$1.00/2.00 – You would need a bankroll of about $400.00
$10/20 – You would need a bankroll of about $4,000.00

No-Limit Hold’em for a Loose Player (sees a lot of flops) – 900 X Big Bet (Big Blind)

Examples:

$0.02/0.04 – You would need a bankroll of about $36.00
$0.05/0.10 – You would need a bankroll of about $90.00
$0.10/0.20 – You would need a bankroll of about $180.00
$0.25/0.50 – You would need a bankroll of about $450.00
$1.00/2.00 – You would need a bankroll of about $1,800.00
$10/20 – You would need a bankroll of about $18,000.00

No-Limit Hold’em for a Tight Player – 600 X Big Bet (Big Blind)

Examples:

$0.02/0.04 – You would need a bankroll of about $24.00
$0.05/0.10 – You would need a bankroll of about $60.00
$0.10/0.20 – You would need a bankroll of about $120.00
$0.25/0.50 – You would need a bankroll of about $300.00
$1.00/2.00 – You would need a bankroll of about $1,200.00
$10/20 – You would need a bankroll of about $12,000.00

Sit & Go Games

For sit and go’s I have found that the formula that works well for me is to play sit and go’s that are no more than 5% of my bankroll.

So if I play a $5.50 single table sit and go I would need to have a bankroll of at least $110.00.

This percent works well for me. My ROI is at 40% when I play the $10.00 + $1 sit and go’s. So what this means is that for every $11.00 I put into a game I will profit $4.40 on average.

To keep your sit and go playing percentage at 5% you will need a ROI (return on investment) that remains positive, e.g. 1% and higher. If you find your games to be less than profitable you will need to go down in the sit and go buy-in amounts.

Another very important thing to mention is whether you will be cashing out on a regular basis or increasing your table limit games.

If you want to cash out on a regular basis, say once a week or once a month, then all you do is cash out anything above your required bankroll. So if you play $1.00/2.00 cash games and your bankroll needs to be at minimum $1,200.00 then anything over that amount you can cash out.

Same goes for sit and go’s. If you play sit and go games at $5.50 with a suggested bankroll of $110.00, then anything over that amount you just cash out. Simple.

Now, if you want to elevate your game and delve into higher limit cash games or sit and go’s then you may not want to cash out and you’ll want to build your bankroll until you reach the required amount to go into higher limit games.

You could also do a hybrid approach; cash out a small percentage of your bankroll when its above your minimum bankroll requirements and this way you get paid and your bankroll will grow to allow you to play higher limits later on.

I hope this gives you an idea of what is required to maintain a poker bankroll. Please keep in mind that these numbers that I threw your way are only approximate and the actual amount needed in your bankroll will be ultimately decided by your play and many other variables.

Here is a free bankroll spreadsheet that you can download (it includes examples). I never used it, so let me know if it’s any good. If not I’ll be posting a few good ones in the Links/recourses later on after I do some research. I use my own poker spread sheet and one day I will take the time to make it available on this Blog for all of you to use.

One last thing, you’ll notice that I didn’t talk about multi-table tournament (MTT) bankroll management here. This is so completely different that I will save this discussion for another day, soon.

So remember, long-term poker success requires good bankroll management!

Cheers

I would now like to talk about patience and discipline when playing poker. Of course when I say this I am referring to non-turbo tournament games; I’ll talk about turbo poker strategy later. 

When I first played online poker I played a lot of hands, just to see the flop. Well, that tactic lost me a lot of money, so I did a lot of reading and to my surprise I found that many poker professionals fold anywhere from 85 - 95% of the their starting hands when playing Texas Hold’em.

After reading that I thought to myself, “that sounds boring”. It is, if you don’t pay attention to the other players when you are not in a hand.

Waiting for the right hands to play based on your table position is probably one of the most critical elements to winning consistently. When you do find a hand to play there is a good chance that you will win with that hand, or more importantly, you will win more often than you loose over many hands.

So to combat the boredom of waiting for those lucrative hands you can pay attention to your table. Watch the players and make notes. These notes WILL help you make critical calls or lay downs later on and in tournament poker they are gold!

I currently have about 7,000 real-money poker player notes on PokerStars. Many times when I first sit down at a poker table I’ll see my notes on several players that I made notes on from previous games. This alone gives me a huge advantage over other players.

Patience is a virtue and to keep your virtue alive you will need discipline. This is something that you will have to harness, and the more experience you get the easier it will be.

So remember patience and discipline will add to your bankroll!

Next, I’ll talk about bankroll management.

Good luck and stop playing those rags in early position!

I will assume two things; 1) that you have a real-money account at an online poker site, and 2) that you want to make money playing online poker.

Making money playing online poker is not as easy as one thinks, unless of course you are a very experienced player and have a boat load of poker talent. There are several key characteristics that winning players share, and they are; playing their strengths, patience, discipline, and bankroll management.

Let me explain each:

Playing your strengths

This really is a no brainer, but I see so many online players do the opposite and see their bankrolls crash time after time.

Let’s say that you are a tight aggressive player and your strongest game is seven card stud hi/lo, tournament style, e.g. multi-table tournaments (MTT’s) and/or sit and go’s.

One would think that you should play that style of game, right? I see too many players get caught up in the excitement of the poker room with all it has to offer and see a lot of players play games that they just want to “check out” and try. Of course, because they lack experience in these games they lose their money, and lose it quickly.

STICK WITH WHAT YOU KNOW! Or at the very least until your bankroll allows you to “experiment”.

I know one player who plays a lot like me, in that he is very tight and aggressive. This style of play requires you to sit back and wait for the right cards to play depending on your position. This type of play dictates slower blind increases, e.g. blinds go up every ten to 15 minutes (even longer preferably).

So what does this guy do when he gets his first real-money online poker account? He plays turbo games (games where the blinds increases are anywhere from three to five minutes). Big deal you say, well, if he were a super loose and aggressive player then this type of game would be well suited for him, but he’s not, he likes to sit back and wait for the good hands. So why in the world would he play turbo games when he should be playing games with “normal” blind increases which would give him the time to get the cards he’s waiting for without going broke too soon?

Here is my point, if you excel at No Limit Hold’em and you enjoy tournament style poker, and you are a tight player then I would recommend that you play single table sit and go’s with regular blind increases. Simple.

It took me a long time to figure this out and now I preach it! Your online bankroll can go down very quickly if you don’t play games that suit you, trust me.

I almost play sit and go’s exclusively now because that is where I win most of my money. When my bankroll allows me to “experiment” then I do, but I do it cautiously.

Of course, if you do want to experiment with other types of games and structures then try them out with play chips or lower limits and do some homework on the game before playing for real money.

In the next Blog entry I will discuss patience and discipline.

I intend to discuss many aspects of poker, in particular, online poker, PokerStars and FullTilt Poker.

Flop’em dead!

So, are thinking about playing poker online for real money? There are a few things to consider before signing up with an online poker room.

Will the online poker room you choose offer these?

1. Exceptional Customer Support – You’ll want a room that offers exceptional support. By this I mean you should be able to chat with someone via phone or live chat or receive an email to your questions within 24 hours.

You’ll also want the support staff to be knowledgable and helpful and resolve issues quickly.

2. Timely Cash Outs – Isn’t the whole idea of playing online poker for real money is to make money? If the poker room is notorious for giving poker players a difficult time cashing out then you don’t want to be associated with that poker room!

I feel that exceptional customer support and cashing out are THE two most important aspects of choosing an online poker room, and here’s why:

If you walk into a brick and mortar poker room you will have no problem with talking to the poker room staff to get answers to your questions and anything else that you need help with. So why should an online poker room be different? YOU are their customer and they should treat you accordingly, with the highest level of support.

Again, you will NEVER have a problem leaving a brick and mortar poker room with your poker winnings would you? So why shouldn’t the online poker rooms pay you in a timely manner without making it difficult? They shouldn’t, and you should NEVER play at an online poker room that has no problem taking your money but a hard time paying you your earnings.

I’ve played online poker at several places but the online poker room I play at the most at and have cashed out is PokerStars.

After you’ve found an online poker room with exceptional customer support and know that they cash out your earnings easily and in a timely fashion you’ll then want to make sure that they have everything else that you want in an online poker room, such as:
• Game selection in your cash limits
• Large player base
• Good multi-table tournament (MTT) selection with good structures
• Reliable software and servers
• Player rewards program

So from my personal experience and from reading a ton on the Internet here are my top choices:

1. PokerStars – Yup, they do it the best in all aspects. I can truly say PokerStars really does have THE perfect online poker room.

Here would be my other choices from the little I played there and from the positive remarks that I read:

2. FullTilt Poker
3. Absolute Poker

Go to PokerStars and open a real-money account and you won’t ever regret it.

By the way, they now offer a 100% deposit bonus for all new real-money players up to $50! Just use the PokerStars Bonus Code, “First2007”.

Click here to setup your free PokerStars account.

Good luck and play smart!