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Maximize Your time at the Poker Rooms through these selection tips

If you’re going to take on the pros one day, you’re going to have to get really good at building up your effectiveness over time. In other words, everything you do needs to have a purpose, because wasting time while battling in poker could burn a big hole through your bankroll. Don’t think for a second that other poker players aren’t weighing every decision they make carefully. The first decision you need to make is picking a poker room. How will you do it?

Glad you asked! We came up with some key things to think about when you’re trying to select the best poker rooms for ongoing play. Consider each point carefully. Trust us, it all blends together to give you a great path to a room you’ll enjoy for a while.

1. Action

The more popular a poker room becomes, the more action it will see. Why does action matter to you? Well, you can’t win any money if you aren’t getting to play against a wide range of people. Yes, this means that there will be fish. We know how much everyone likes fish, but there’s more types out there than just the easy pickings. There will be some tough customers that really want to take all of your chips, watch you reload, and then take those chips as well. Keep your guard up, study your hands, and do your very best. Isn’t that what matters?

2. Security

Poker rooms have to be able to secure your data. Read reviews, talk to players, and test with prepaid cards where possible. You don’t want anyone getting your sensitive information unexpectedly, and data breaches have hit the gambling world from time to time. Its the nature of being online, we suppose.Continue Reading

Should every state legalise gambling?

By Greg

Out of the USA’s 50 states few have legalised online poker. In fact as of 2016 only Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey licenced online poker.

The good news is the other 47 states are catching up fast. This may 2016 Assemblyman Adam Gray and Reggie Jones-Sawyer of the state of California voted for a bill to approve legal online poker via permitted sites.

The bill would mean the state can earn fees from licencing and tax revenues in excess of $60 million. The funds would then be used for consumer protection, state regulation, problem gambling programs and other state costs. Read more about this legal gambling USA here.

At present there are few legal and licenced US based online poker sites but with the relaxation in laws this is set to change and consumers will be cushioned in the knowledge they are in a protected and safe environment.

So what are the pros and cons of legalised gambling and poker rooms online?

Pros

The state benefits via tax and licence fee revenue giving the economy a boost
Those with gambling winnings will be required to pay tax
Games like Poker are not huge money makers for casinos but they are a popular social game which means legalising it online would be lucrative
For the consumer there are mechanisms for complaints and disputes meaning consumers money and rights are protected.
Legal casinos and gambling haunts can increase tourism and promote spend. Many people will have a game, a meal and some drinks and utilise more than one entertainment service boosting tourism and the economy

Cons

Legalising gambling can be a dangerous step, more people who previously would not have gambled will take up the sport
Money will be spent on helping those with gambling addictions not others in need
Not all gamblers bet what they can afford to lose and some may get into financial hardship
Research has shown cities that legalise gambling have an increase in crime. Some suggest this is due to addiction, gamblers losing money or simply the feeling of freedom to enjoy illegal activities. In turn those city’s need increase law enforcement.

The pro’s of legislation are equally outnumbered by the cons it seems. However, it is proven that the more we deny human beings the chance to partake in something by making it illegal the more we want to do it. If we cannot stop gambling on and off line then we can harness it and make it fairer for both the state and the consumer so both can enjoy the rewards of such a fun activity.

How to Rock the Multi-Table Poker Tournament (Without Losing Your Head)

By Greg

Ask a few newer players what their challenges and hopes are, and they’ll tell you. We poker players are a friendly sort, after all. But when we get to talk about multi-table poker tournaments, people start getting a bit nervous. They don’t feel like they’re ready enough. We disagree: you are absolutely ready to take on multi-table tourneys if you can follow a few guidelines and steps.

There are plenty of reasons to play these tournaments, but we’ll list just a few. To start with, the prizes are bigger than usual: a lot of players make this easier. Small prize packages come from a low player count. Of course, you can also enjoy the benefit of qualifying for bigger tournaments without having to pay the big ticket entries. If you rise to the top of the smaller fields, you’ll get invitations to bigger fields in no time at all. The reason why is obvious: the good players attract everyone that wants to take their money. You might be surprised at what events you’ll qualify for simply by placing decently high “in the money”.

Could you use an online tourney to qualify for a big event in Vegas? Absolutely. There are a lot of multi-table tournaments going on all the time — just about every major poker site has this option available.

But again, if you’re going to play them well, you have to take a few things into account:

Your Stack Counts (Big Time)

The first thing that you’re going to need to think about when it comes to pulling off a tournament is the size of your stack. It really does count for a lot in this style of play. Once you run out of chips, you’re knocked out. Not every tourney lets you rebuy so once you’re drained…that’s it. If you have to play with a smaller stack than everyone else, you need to understand one thing: everyone will target you. They’re going to try to knock you out fast because then they can move on to other threats. This is the law of the jungle: hunters will chase, and prey will be chased. Therefore, your first strategy is to not become prey for very long. The only way to do this would be to get more chips than where you began, and quickly. You may have to go all-in to get more chips, or fold until you can get a good hand and lure players out. Continue Reading

Ultimate Video Poker Strategies for Online Casinos

By Greg

Video Poker has been growing in popularity for some time although in some places, such as Australia, the ‘Pokies’ have been the number one game since mains electric was introduced.

One of the glories of playing online casino games, like video poker, is the lack of intimidation. Play a hand of poker unconventionally or badly in a live game scenario and your opponents will be very quick to voice their disapproval.

As a player, such attention is unwelcome and can make you feel very uncomfortable. It doesn’t only happen at the poker table. Draw a card when holding 16 at a time when the dealer owns a 6 at a Blackjack table and all the seated players will jump on your case. Even more so when it transpires your decision was the difference between everyone winning or him busting.

Resultantly more and more people choose to play online casino games. Video poker at those online casinos is increasingly popular too as it features all the exciting aspects of poker with the ability to play any of the scores of variants which can give you far more fun and excitement.

There are no two ways about it, the fun and excitement is in the winning and to maximise those winnings you need a clear online casino strategy. The best online casino games at sites such as Guts.com offer very fair percentage returns and video poker at the online casino is no different.

While there is a percentage against you, or in the house’s favour, the most important tool in your armoury is the ability to dictate your stakes.Continue Reading

Taking it Slow: How to Succeed at Slow Play

By Greg

It can often be tempting to adopt a “make-em-pay-to-play” strategy, especially if you are holding strong hole cards. However, this tactic of trying to force your opponents to fold pre-flop can be disastrous.

One way to avoid getting called on a high pre-flop bet or raise is to put the onus on your opponents. Enter slow play. For some, slow play is, when executed correctly, a clever strategy for making a profit on the poker table. For others, it is a frustrating tactic used by those who refuse to contribute to the pot. Whatever the case may be, you will need to know what it is and how to employ it.

So, what is slow playing? Quite simply, it is downplaying the strength of your hand. Whereas most people would bet strong (or raise) with pocket aces and a A,7,7 flop – the player adhering to a slow play strategy would simply pass or make the minimum call. Follow the five simple steps below and you will be able to add the art of slow play to your repertoire in no time.

1) Don’t slow play all the time

This should seem obvious, but many newcomers to the game of poker like to use the slow play tactic constantly. The more you develop a habit on the table, the easier you will become for other players to read – and the faster you will lose your money.

2) Don’t get trapped

Quite often, new players will use a slow play tactic until seeing the turn – then seeing the card they want, re-raise to a high amount (oftentimes going all-in). All it takes is for the opponent to call and get the river card they were looking for to destroy your bankroll. Always keep in mind all the possible scenarios that could beat your hand and don’t slow play yourself into a hole.

3) Let the pot increase

If you have a good hand – and especially if going against no more than three people – don’t be afraid to let the pot grow as much as possible. Poker is a game of risk and reward – no risk, no reward. The key is knowing when to take the risk and when not to do so.Continue Reading

When to Raise Preflop, and Why It’s Important

By Greg

If there’s one thing that poker newbies don’t do enough, it’s raise. It’s like they’re scared to draw attention to themselves. You really shouldn’t be, at the end of the day. As long as you’re willing to take risks, you’ll have a glorious poker career in good time. But you can’t get there if you’re always limping.

Yet you can’t just raise whenever you feel like raising. You need to think about what’s going to be the most beneficial for you, and then do that. Yes, that means that these rules aren’t set in stone. Deal with it.

Moving on to the heart of the article: why raise preflop? Well, the short answer is simple: it’s profitable to do so. If you have a monster hand, why on earth would you let everyone see the pot for free? By making a raise play, you’re calling attention to the fact that you’re a contender, not just another limper hoping to get “flop lucky”. You add value to your hand by taking advantage of the fact that some people will put up the ante yet they won’t have a strong hand. If you can catch blinds, why not?

The first instance where you want to make sure that you raise would have to be when you have a suited ace. It’s going to let you get the highest flush possible of that suit, so why not bet preflop and then raise again when there’s a flush draw? The neat part about a suited ace situation is that you can get to where you may catch a straight even if you don’t catch the flush. This scenario happens often with A5s.

If you have suited broadways, you should play this. JTs and QJs are wonderful preflop, because there’s a good chance for a straight or a flush again.

But what about those hands like KQo or AJo? If you’re the first to act, you should still raise hard. I’ve seen too many K-Q-10 or K-Q-5 flops to deny the power of these hands. Play them well and you’ll scare off limpers. This is doubly true if they’ve watched you hit the showdown and actually take the pot.

Suited connectors are a good value for what you want to accomplish, because you encourage increased action from other players at the table. The trouble with playing super tight is that you turn into a rock that can’t be moved. When players have that image of you, they aren’t trying to give you money when you start raising blinds. Giving them a little “loss leader” works the same way it does at the supermarket. They come for the cheap soda, but they stay for the other goodies that happen to be around the soda.

Make sure that you stay as fluid as possible when you’re playing poker. These are strong suggestions, but only you can make the final decision.

Are Poker Players Really Bluffing or Are You Just Hoping Too Hard?

By Greg

Poker is a game where bluffers will bluff, but that doesn’t mean that’s all they’re going to do. Image is a very important tool in poker. A lot of newbies assume that everyone on poker bluffs. Have you checked out the World Series of Poker? Generally speaking, people only make big raises or shoves when they actually have something to play with.

It’s very dangerous to just assume that people are bluffing. Isn’t there a way to look at player intentions before you get too committed?

Yes, there is. It’s actually called folding. People hate folding a hand that could potentially be good. But if you know that you have a weak hand from the beginning, why not fold and watch the show? Looking at what a player does when you’re not in the hand is very important to gain knowledge on what they’re doing.

If you find that one player is bluffing, do you avoid all hands that they’re in? Of course not. You want to make sure that you are practicing good poker policy even when other people are playing wildly. If you cultivate the image of a player that uses their head, you won’t get pulled into emotional situations. It’s unnerving to play with a bluffer, because they’re taking chips that you could have received yourself. When you’re playing for real money, this is even more frustrating.

It’s still in your best interest to be quiet, be patient, and wait for the right opening. Positioning in the game also makes a difference. If you’re the dealer, you’re the last one to act on the opening hand. This will let you know a good idea of what everyone has. If you have a weak hand when you’re the dealer, then you can fold gracefully and leave the pot alone. On the other hand if you’re the first one to act, a simple call vs. a raise can make a big difference. If you do indeed have a very strong pair, like KK or AA, then you should raise.

You have to think about odds with everything that you do. Yes, there will be times where you catch a really bad beat. It can really color your mood. When that happens, there’s nothing wrong with standing up and taking a deep breath. One of the key reactions the typical bluffer is hoping for is to unnerve you to the point where you start playing sloppy.

Don’t let them put you in that frame of mind. As long as you stay mentally strong, you can take over the game eventually.

To Fish, Or Not To Fish – That Is the Poker Question

By Greg

Sometimes winning hands of poker isn’t about the cards themselves, but the people at the table. Given this fact, shouldn’t you aim for the easiest competition out there? The new and fairly unskilled players of poker are referred to as fish, and they aren’t going to cause you too much trouble. If you’re willing to challenge them, they’ll pretty much barrel into just about any hand, giving you easy money…if you choose to accept it.

Listen: some people really like to avoid the fish altogether. They feel that if they’re going to play poker, they should play against people that are just as skilled as they are, if not more so. But if you have a limited bankroll and you really want to make the most of it, you should try to catch some fish as much as possible. It can help you pad your bankroll so that you can go after more serious competition later on.

Don’t be fooled though: fish can be challenging if you’re not fully prepared to engage them. Every fish has at least one lucky day. Poker isn’t just about mental prowess, but the luck of the cards. You might try to bully a fish, only to find that he really isn’t one to be pushed around. He will shove you back and go all in, leaving you to figure out if he’s seriously got something good or not. If the flop isn’t in your favor and the fish is shoving all his chips in, it might be time to cut loose and run.

Finding fish doesn’t have to be as hard as you think. Did you know that the more well established the casino, the easier it is to find fish players? If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. New players flock to where the action is hottest. They’re not thinking logically at all. Instead of logic, they’re thinking purely of all of the money that they could win. They don’t want to find that they’ve been pushed out by stronger players. The allure of winning big poker hands like the players on TV is too strong to resist.

Online poker is indeed what you make of it, and you aren’t guaranteed anything. But if you want to hunt fish, make money, and really capture the spirit of poker…why not take a chance and play today? You just never know how much you can win until you play!

Try New Video Poker Variants

By Greg

Boredom at home is something that we can all relate to. If you’re ready to break out of the rut and really have some fun, you have to check out stuff that’s going to make you feel better. Why not look at video poker?

A lot of people assume that video poker is only something that you would get at a land based casino, but that’s not true at all. There’s more than just one type of video poker out there, and playing good strategy can yield some big bonuses. It’s up to you to see what type of game that you’re really interested in playing.

Here’s a few choices to look at.

All Aces Video Poker

This is a great video poker variant for beginners. There’s a lot of action here, with some choices that you have to make. If you get 4 Aces, you’re looking at a huge payout. The only thing that’s going to pay out more is a Royal Flush!

Like most video poker versions, it’s easy to play. You get five cards, and then you choose which ones you would like to hold on to. The discarded cards go out, and the new cards step in. That’s when you look at what you win based on the different combinations made. If you manage to get two aces on the first turn and then the other two aces on the second, that’s where you can win big!

Joker Video Poker

Joker Poker is one of our favorites. The joker really comes in handy and can make the difference between a pair and a three of a kind, or move you up to a four of a kind from a three of a kind. Since Jokers are wild, anything is possible.

Oh, don’t forget that you can get an extra joker instead of just one. You’re playing against the machine rather than other players, which takes a lot of the confusion and frustration out of the process. You won’t have other players blocking you from those high payouts.

There’s a 5,000 coin jackpot at stake as well, which means winning could set you up very nicely for a while. Only one way to find out, you know!

Aces and Faces Video Poker

Do you want to play a video poker game where you can double your winnings? If so, then you’ve come to the right game. Aces and Faces is played with one standard deck of cards, but absolutely no wilds.

Even though it’s low on frills, it’s big on fun. You can win with just a pair of jacks, giving you plenty of time to build up your winnings. The double your winnings feature is worth checking out.

These are just a few of our favorites, but feel free to let us know about others that you come across. As always, if you’re going to be a new player at a casino, you might as well get a bonus for it. It’s a great token of appreciation for putting your heard earned cash on the line at a casino. Most casinos realize that without the players constantly coming back, they would be out of business in short order. That’s why they do so many promotions. Not only do they want you to come in, but they want you to become a loyal player. Looking up casino bonus codes for video poker rooms would be a wise move. Not a high roller? It’s not a big deal. There’s room at the casino for everyone, not just the high roller people.

Either way, good luck and enjoy yourself! That’s the real point of the casino, you know! 🙂

Exploring New Poker Variations for Bigger Money

By Greg

You want to play more than Texas Hold’Em? No problem. In fact, if you have dreams of winning big time poker money, you need to make sure that you are trying to get more variants under your belt. The World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour are two poker tournaments that combine multiple types of poker so players win big. You could win a lot of money in the side poker games, like Omaha or Caribbean Stud. There’s also a H.O.R.S.E tournament that combines a bunch of poker variants at once.

But bigger money isn’t the only reason that you should be thinking about this. If you want to sharpen your skills, new poker variants give you the ability to do that as well.

Let’s go over the top variations, shall we?

1. Omaha Hi-Lo

Do you want large pots? Then you definitely want to play Omaha Hi-Lo.

Here’s how it works: every player at the table gets four hole cards. Those are cards unique to you. There’s also five community cards.

Here’s where it gets interesting: even though all the players at the table will use just two cards from the four they were dealt with three from the board, the pot is split. You have to make a high hand and a low hand. That’s where it gets interesting because you need to know not only your poker hands and their rankings, but you need to also think about the lowest. Suddenly, those trash cards from Hold’Em look mighty appealing, wouldn’t you say?

2. Caribbean Stud

Caribbean Stud is one of our favorite variants. It’s pretty easy to remember how to play it, and casinos like it. The odds are traditionally a bit in the casino’s favor than yours, but hey — you wanted a challenge, right?

Here’s how it works: before the cards are dealt to each player, you make your bet. That’s the “ante”. You also have a progressive jackpot that you can bet into. The dealer will wait for the betting round to end, then give you five cards. You look at your cards. Like Hold’Em, youíre either in or out at this point.

If you want to stay in, you have to put down double the ante bet, for the “call”. Once this round is finished, the dealer reveals the four hole cards dealt to him.

If he or she has an A-K (ace-king) or higher, then the dealer will compete with the players. If he or she doesn’t, then the bettors get their money back.

But if he is going to compete, then your hand has to be better than the dealer’s in order to win.

The jackpot game might not be your cup of tea, but it’s fun to see if you get to win it or not. A flush or higher wins the pot!Continue Reading

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