Playing Consistently Well in MTT's

It's always great to hit a huge score in a poker tournament after finishing really high. Of course, due to the variance in poker, just about anybody can occasionally place high in a tournament and haul in some major cash. However, it's a lot harder to do this on a consistent basis and make long-term profits. And for those who are not consistently placing high in tourneys, it's important to evaluate some of the most important tournament strategy concepts.

The first and most basic thing to realize with MTT strategy is that you need to stick with solid plays, and let the aforementioned variance take care of the rest. This contrasts the approach some players take in that they treat every buy-in like it's their last. Unfortunately, this leads to playing overly-tight and letting the blinds eat away at your stack, rather than playing aggressively and making strong plays when the opportunity arises. Assuming you make a good read on another player and take your chance, don't worry if you bust out trying, or your stack is crippled as a result.

In regards to other general concepts, you need to focus on stack size and position when making moves, instead of only focusing on the cards. For instance, let's say that you have pockets 8's in late position with a big stack, and you're facing a 3X the big blind raise from a super-aggressive short-stacked MP player. Seeing as how you are facing a decent-sized raise with pocket 8's in your hand, you might consider folding in most situations. But since you are the bigger stack against a short-stacked player, and the other player has been extremely aggressive so far, this presents an excellent opportunity to either get the opponent all-in, or force a fold with a re-raise.

In addition to this, paying close attention to the increasing blinds is important towards being consistent in MTT's. In fact, the blinds in relation to your stack is perhaps the most critical element to playing well. When your stack falls below 10 BB's, this is the time where you really need to open up your range and be more aggressive. Along with this, you need to be willing to shove with the hands you play, and avoid limping because the stakes are too high at this point (in case a raise comes). On the other hand, with a stack of 20 BB's or more, you have the ability to sit back and wait for stronger hands/position before getting involved in hands.

One final point worth mentioning is that it takes quite a few MTT's before your reading skills and ability to define opponents' ranges come through. After you've played between 500 and 1,000 MTT's in a general range of limits, you will have a good idea as to whether or not you are a consistent MTT player. Likewise, you'll know if it's a good idea to move up in stakes based on how well you're playing.

View the original article here

Playing Consistently Well in MTT's

It's always great to hit a huge score in a poker tournament after finishing really high. Of course, due to the variance in poker, just about anybody can occasionally place high in a tournament and haul in some major cash. However, it's a lot harder to do this on a consistent basis and make long-term profits. And for those who are not consistently placing high in tourneys, it's important to evaluate some of the most important tournament strategy concepts.

The first and most basic thing to realize with MTT strategy is that you need to stick with solid plays, and let the aforementioned variance take care of the rest. This contrasts the approach some players take in that they treat every buy-in like it's their last. Unfortunately, this leads to playing overly-tight and letting the blinds eat away at your stack, rather than playing aggressively and making strong plays when the opportunity arises. Assuming you make a good read on another player and take your chance, don't worry if you bust out trying, or your stack is crippled as a result.

In regards to other general concepts, you need to focus on stack size and position when making moves, instead of only focusing on the cards. For instance, let's say that you have pockets 8's in late position with a big stack, and you're facing a 3X the big blind raise from a super-aggressive short-stacked MP player. Seeing as how you are facing a decent-sized raise with pocket 8's in your hand, you might consider folding in most situations. But since you are the bigger stack against a short-stacked player, and the other player has been extremely aggressive so far, this presents an excellent opportunity to either get the opponent all-in, or force a fold with a re-raise.

In addition to this, paying close attention to the increasing blinds is important towards being consistent in MTT's. In fact, the blinds in relation to your stack is perhaps the most critical element to playing well. When your stack falls below 10 BB's, this is the time where you really need to open up your range and be more aggressive. Along with this, you need to be willing to shove with the hands you play, and avoid limping because the stakes are too high at this point (in case a raise comes). On the other hand, with a stack of 20 BB's or more, you have the ability to sit back and wait for stronger hands/position before getting involved in hands.

One final point worth mentioning is that it takes quite a few MTT's before your reading skills and ability to define opponents' ranges come through. After you've played between 500 and 1,000 MTT's in a general range of limits, you will have a good idea as to whether or not you are a consistent MTT player. Likewise, you'll know if it's a good idea to move up in stakes based on how well you're playing.

View the original article here

Playing Consistently Well in MTT's

It's always great to hit a huge score in a poker tournament after finishing really high. Of course, due to the variance in poker, just about anybody can occasionally place high in a tournament and haul in some major cash. However, it's a lot harder to do this on a consistent basis and make long-term profits. And for those who are not consistently placing high in tourneys, it's important to evaluate some of the most important tournament strategy concepts.

The first and most basic thing to realize with MTT strategy is that you need to stick with solid plays, and let the aforementioned variance take care of the rest. This contrasts the approach some players take in that they treat every buy-in like it's their last. Unfortunately, this leads to playing overly-tight and letting the blinds eat away at your stack, rather than playing aggressively and making strong plays when the opportunity arises. Assuming you make a good read on another player and take your chance, don't worry if you bust out trying, or your stack is crippled as a result.

In regards to other general concepts, you need to focus on stack size and position when making moves, instead of only focusing on the cards. For instance, let's say that you have pockets 8's in late position with a big stack, and you're facing a 3X the big blind raise from a super-aggressive short-stacked MP player. Seeing as how you are facing a decent-sized raise with pocket 8's in your hand, you might consider folding in most situations. But since you are the bigger stack against a short-stacked player, and the other player has been extremely aggressive so far, this presents an excellent opportunity to either get the opponent all-in, or force a fold with a re-raise.

In addition to this, paying close attention to the increasing blinds is important towards being consistent in MTT's. In fact, the blinds in relation to your stack is perhaps the most critical element to playing well. When your stack falls below 10 BB's, this is the time where you really need to open up your range and be more aggressive. Along with this, you need to be willing to shove with the hands you play, and avoid limping because the stakes are too high at this point (in case a raise comes). On the other hand, with a stack of 20 BB's or more, you have the ability to sit back and wait for stronger hands/position before getting involved in hands.

One final point worth mentioning is that it takes quite a few MTT's before your reading skills and ability to define opponents' ranges come through. After you've played between 500 and 1,000 MTT's in a general range of limits, you will have a good idea as to whether or not you are a consistent MTT player. Likewise, you'll know if it's a good idea to move up in stakes based on how well you're playing.

View the original article here

Grospellier Snags WSOP Bracelet

 The World Series of Poker $10k Stud event is over and done and has it's winner. Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier is the latest WSOP bracelet winner. ElkY, who once said he would retire from being a poker pro, beat out 126 players to win the prize and $331,639. This event was number 21, and ElkY has added its winnings to his total live tournament career earnings, which now approach eight million dollars. His furthest run in a WSOP event before this was a 9th place finish in 2007.

The Building Blocks of Poker Instinct

Todays poker tips is about a poker players/poker pros instincts when it comes to playing Texas holdem. First of all no creature on the planet is born with good instincts toward Texas holdem. More and more we are finding that the things that were once considered instinctive in the animal kingdom is simply learned behavior. If a bear who was born in the forest doesn’t have some innate knowledge of best to bring down a mule deer, it is unlikely that most poker players will instinctively know what to do with an straight draw in Texas holdem. For the most part, a poker players/poker pros “instincts” are simply a combination of knowledge and experience.

So how do poker players hone their instincts? In Texas holdem, and just about everything else in life, trial and error is generally the best teacher. It is a fact that we learn more from our failures than our success, but there is a cost associated with that. No poker tips in the world would encourage a green player to throw themselves out there and a cripple their bankroll by gaining experience on the wrong side of encounters with more skilled poker players and predatory poker pros. While practical, real world experience is going to need to happen, reading is the best way to prepare for that.

Lions have to learn how to bring down prey by trial and error because reading is not an option with them. If there were a field guide to the most efficient way to smother a water buffalo, they probably all be reading it. There are a plethora of books out there about how to play Texas holdem; many of them written by highly decorated and battle tested poker players and poker pros. Absorbing the teachings of these books will help hone ones Texas holdem instincts, and make them better poker players.

Some of what the poker pros have to tell you in their books will work for you straight out of the book, other times it needs to be seen in real life. While poker television often offers a skewed view of the game (because the television cameras don’t cover every hand, just the exciting ones) many poker tips talk about the value of watching televised tournaments. It will give players a flavor for how the game is played without having to risk their own stack.

Finally, instinct is rarely developed by taking on the big dogs. Baby wolves don’t learn how to fend for themselves by taking on a moose during their first hunt. Most of them cut their teeth on field mice, rabbits, and generally creatures weaker than they are. This translates to the world of poker tips by showing players that they can gain valuable experience by beating up on the weak. Newer players should not throw themselves into the volatile, no limit, games. Newbies should find a limit they are competitive playing at (that will take some trial and error) and drop down to the limit below it. Here they can take advantage of weaker players and learn from what the competition does wrong. Isn’t it a more palatable idea to let somebody else gain experience losing to you then you handing over your bankroll and calling it an education? As you beat up on these players, you will learn their mistakes and chances are you will not repeat them. In the “wild kingdom” of trial and error, let somebody else pay for the lessons.

Poker Hand Nicknames

 You may be wondering in Texas hold em what beats what, and even though you understand poker hand ranking and the poker hand names (like flush and straight) you may be completely confused when playing Texas holdem because of the Texas holdem poker hand nicknames - things like Dead Man’s Hand, and Gay Waiter. The good news is that Texas holdem starting hands and the poker hand names all carry the same value of the poker hand ranking you are used to.

So when it comes to in Texas hold em what beats what, it’s the same in most poker games. It just comes down to you getting comfortable with the poker hand nicknames so that you know what you are playing with - or more realistically, what other people are playing with.

Texas holdem starting hands

Poker hand ranking does not come into play here, and you don’t have to worry in Texas hold em what beats what when it comes to starting hands, because the showdown between hands comes later. Most of the poker hand nicknames come from Texas holdem starting hands, by the way. Pocket Rockets are two aces, Fishooks are two jacks, Ducks are two Dueces and so on. Sometimes the names seem a bit contrived, like “A Royal Wedding” for a king and queen, but names like “Sailboats” for a pair of fours makes sense, because the angle of the number 4 on the card looks a bit like a sail.Texas holdem starting hands aside there are other poker hand nicknames.

For example, Dead Man’s Hand comes from holding a pair of eights with a pair of aces, because that was the hand that a famous cowboy was holding when he was shot dead during a game of poker.

Poker hand names

The hand names that are based on poker hand ranking are High Card, Pair, Two Pair, Three of a Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House, Four of a Kind and Straight Flush.

Variants on Poker hand names

Three of a Kind can be called “trips” or a set. A low straight from 2 to 6 is called a baby straight or a wheel.A Full House is sometimes called a boat or full boat, Four of a Kind is often called Quads and if a Straight Flush is made up of Ten through Ace it is called a Royal Flush.

So the next time you ask yourself in Texas hold em what beats what, just keep in mind that the value of the poker hands are just what you would expect them to be, even if the names may sound a little strange. And don’t worry, people who play poker love the game and all the nicknames that are a part of it, and they love to share their expertise (as long as it wont cost them chips!) So if you get a little flustered when someone’s set gets cracked by a pair of ladies that turned into a full boat, just ask.

Things to Remember when Playing Poker

Poker is a sport that is not only unique in the universe of table games, but is unique to the casino culture as well. With that in mind, there are a few things you should remember when entering a casino and sitting down to play Texas Hold’em, Omaha poker, or any other variation of the game.
1.First of all, when playing poker the house is cut completely out of the competitive mix. Unlike Blackjack and other table game, the odds are not skewed in favor of the house and your only worry is the rest of the opponents at the table. While this may not give a poker player a competitive advantage, it does give gambling enthusiasts a reason to give up other games in favor of poker.
2.At many casinos the drinks are free to poker players (and everyone else). Alcohol dulls the senses and can have a negative impact on your game. Players should avoid making drinking an integral part of their game. Just because a waitress is willing to fetch you a drink, it doesn’t mean you have to take it.
3.Playing poker in a casino is much different than playing online poker. One of the biggest differences is the lack of turnover at the tables. This means they group you start playing with will be largely intact several hours later. Players in a casino are going to have to learn to change their game up within a long session. If not, your opponents will figure you out.
4.Finally, online players are used to a hyper-aggressive environment. This is not the style that dominates most casino poker tables. Aggressive play may bring short term success, but those who do not tighten up will wind up giving away all their chips.
Those are just a few poker tips to remember when entering a casino to play some Texas Hold’em.

What “The Sting” can Teach us about Poker

The Sting is NOT a poker movie. Any of the armies of live poker players and casino poker players can tell you that. The folks who play Texas holdem online probably have never heard of this film, and think Paul Newman is a guy who makes ranch dressing. Despite the fact that no Texas holdem is played in this movie, there is a lot that casino poker players and other live poker players can learn from this movie.

While I said this is not a film that focuses on casino poker or Texas holdem, there is one instance of live poker played in the film. In this scene, Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) prepares to for a high stakes game by gargling gin, emptying half the bottle, and pouring water in it. He follows this action by telling his protégé “Always drink gin with a mark, kid. They can never tell if it's cut.” While I don’t endorse stumbling into a home game or off to play some casino poker with a gin bottle in your hand, the theory is sound. He intended to look drunk so that he would be perceived as vulnerable. The other poker players would pick up on his weakness and try to take advantage of him. At that point he would take them to the cleaners. In short, in casino poker and other variations of live poker weakness equals action.

Another gem from this film comes when our protagonists are planning their con against the bad guy. They choose a strategy that hasn’t been seen in a decade; so long that just about everyone has forgotten about it. Texas holdem is a fast moving game, and strategy changes rapidly. While it is a very simple game, there are literally thousands of strategies for how to play it. Look over Texas Holdem articles and books from late 90’s and early 2000s. Chances are you will find live poker strategies that haven’t been dusted off in a while and may be potent against the sort of players who are now accustomed to a world where the 3 barrel bluff is commonplace.

Latest Limit Holdem of WSOP 2011

 

The latest limit holdem event of the 2011 WSOP has come and gone. Event 14 was won by Tyler Bonkowski. Bonkowski outlasted 337 poker players to win the World Series of Poker event, pocketing $220,817 and his first WSOP bracelet. He was down as much as 12 to 1 in chips during heads up play, so his final victory over Brandon Demes was a dramatic one. Demes took $136,419 for second place while Andrew Brongo took third and $100,198, and Shawn Keller won $74,171 for fourth place.

Defending with Aggression in Texas Hold’em

Today poker tip is about mounting an aggressive defense during hands of Texas Hold em. A lot of pro poker tips by well known players encompass a wide variety of styles at the table. Very often the effectiveness of many pro poker tips and their suggested styles will depend on where you are playing. For example, the play in a live poker tournament may be very different from an online poker cash game. So from a pro poker tips perspective about poker tournaments, listening to Johnny Chan may be better than looking up what Tom Dwan has to say on the subject. What doesn’t change is the fact that all poker players are doing their best to protect the money they have thrown into the pot from being abducted by some usurper across the table. To this end, aggression by poker players in Texas hold em is often a very potent defense.
Whoever first stated that the best defense is a good offense probably drank a lot of Red Bull and played online poker. Offense takes energy while defensive is often traditionally played by cramming yourself into a pass (or other such fortification that narrows your foes attack options) and daring your foe to go through you. In Texas Hold em a lot of people play that “hunker down” style, but putting pressure on other poker players with big bets is often the best way to protect the bets you have already made. A lot of people may call that the Texas Hold em version of throwing good money after bad, and in a number of circumstances they may be correct. If your opponents are not overtly showing strength, and are content to let the game come to them (a condition found more commonly in live games than in online poker), then sometimes you should do just that. Take the fight to them and force them into difficult decisions that involve large chunks of their stack. As any poker tournament player knows, fearlessness can be a rare trait in poker players, and in most cases an opponent will hunker down and fold instead of risking a big part of his bankroll to see if your bluffing or not.
Many pro poker tips agree that going on the offensive in Texas Hold em generally works best in casino cash games. Poker tournaments and online poker are already aggressive ecosystems (this is a reality that many formerly successful poker tournament players have not yet adjusted to) and most pro poker tips for that genre may suggest an online form of jui jitsu to use that aggression against them, but in a more passive live environment poker players will want to play an aggressive style against a more cautious bunch than that.
In short, playing a live cash game like it was online poker can be a very effective defense. That is the poker tip for today.

Qualifying for a WPT Poker Tournament

The World Poker Tour has been a leading force in the world of poker for many years. While the World Series of Poker, or WSOP, may be the oldest, grandest game in town, the WPT has a lock on the grand daddy of poker TV. While the heavily edited TV programs that air only the hot hands of the final table have been the source of some controversy, as far as Texas holdem tournaments go there are few that offer such generous poker tournament payouts. Employ the right tournament poker strategy and you might wind up being the next WPT millionaire. But the games are not cheap, so you won't every be able to test your poker tournament strategy unless you can find a way to pay for the game.

You need to learn how to qualify for a WPT tournaments.

Texas holdem tournaments, by and large, depend a great deal on your relevant poker tournament strategy to win, but no tournament poker strategy in the world will score you the big poker tournament payouts unless you can score a seat into something like the WPT. Of course there are a lot of online tournametns with comprable payouts these days, but that is another article.

As far as WPT Texas holdem tournaments go, the buy in can be steep for the main event. Ten thousand dollars is common, although in recent years they have held discounted events for half that much. But if you check your local poker room (online certainly, but also some live poker rooms) then you can employ a different kind of poker tournament strategy, the kind that can get you into the events for free.

First look for free rolls. Very rarely will one of these get you a WPT seat right off the bat, but many of them are Step qualifiers, meaning you can win one to move up a step, win that to move up another step, and thus work your way up to the final satellite event that will win you a seat into the WPT.

Now, freeroll events are going to be packed full of players, much like yourself, which makes it harder to win. Thus you are going to want to buy in to some events as well. These will have fewer players, and more serious players, which increases the odds of your tournament poker strategy working in your favor. To get to those big poker tournament payouts, especially those of the WPT, you are going to have to mix it up.

This means you will have to play a mix of free Texas holdem tournaments with those that will cost you. As for the money events, mix those up as well. The more you pay, the more your poker tournament strategy has a chance of paying off, as there will be fewer players and more seats being awarded. Also be on the look out for special events that offer multiple prize packages. Some massive events will give away dozens or more, giving everyone with a decent tournament poker strategy a good chance. So take whatever your budget is, cut it in half, and spend that half on one big satellite. Divide the other half among mid to low stake events.

With some good luck you will be sitting down to play for some massive WPT poker tournament payouts in no time.

Look At Free Poker Websites

Have you been searching for some free poker to play on the internet? You have a lot more selections right now than ever ahead of! From absolutely for exciting or perhaps enjoying for funds, you will find many online poker rooms and free poker websites, from locations wherever you'll be able to play Texas holdem like MSN game titles to free on the web Texas hold em poker on Facebook and every one of the areas between, free of charge poker sites are ubiquitous even amidst the drama from the US government chasing down pay-for-play online poker websites.

Texas holdem MSN is really a fantastic illustration of one in the a lot of no cost poker sites. With Texas holdem MSN you've got to sign-up which has a Windows Reside ID (which can be free to obtain in case you do not already have 1. Odds have you been almost certainly do have 1 previously. Just place within your electronic mail address when prompted and have them remind you of one's password.) Texas holdem MSN games are popular simply because MSN video games is popular. A great deal of people are currently there whenever they see that totally free on-line Texas hold em poker is on supply, and so they sign up and play. But no cost on the internet Texas maintain em poker may be present in a lot of locations.

If you would like to play on the web poker with play funds, versus seeking to play poker for income, you can locate some effortless answers. MSN as well as the like must preserve track of one's score with chips or virtual bucks, of course, but normal on-line poker rooms give the chance to play with on-line poker play income, too. Normally you are able to play poker for money at an online poker area, but check with your neighborhood laws concerning enjoying poker for funds on the web, initial.

No cost poker websites supply you with the opportunity to play totally free on-line Texas maintain em poker, and most just play for entertaining. Individuals hunting to revenue from on the web poker play cash can achieve this, nonetheless. There are some sites, just like the not long ago declared RISE poker internet site, that offer a chance to play with no cost poker and nevertheless generate prizes. Even though you'd probably be using on-line poker play cash, in certain techniques it would be like these who play poker for funds, simply because if you do effectively you can win a trip or possibly a seat in a very actual funds poker tournament. RISE poker along with other are subscription primarily based, which implies that you simply pay out a monthly payment to play inside the occasions. This circumvents the legal areas of on the internet gambling since you are never ever placing far more income at risk than the month to month subscription. Needless to say you can play without having to pay for a subscription, but then RISE poker and related web sites grow to be much like other free online poker websites, in which you play just for the enjoyable of it.

If you would like to play for massive prizes inside a dwell arena then check out your nearby pub. There might be some thing such as the Novice Poker League from your Globe Poker Tour. They host normal events and award points determined by how you complete in a very tournament, and then at the end of a time contend to get a large poker prize deal.

Welcome to Poker Rules For Dummies blog!

Hi there poker guru wanna bees!
Hope you enjoy my blog about Poker Rules. Well there will also be alot of other stuff about Poker on the blog.

We will look at the Poker Game. How to Play the Rules of Poker. What is Poker Hand Ranks?

Blog to You soon.