Know When to Stop Playing that Losing Game of Poker

• Author: Tom Kearns
• Filed under: Casinos
• Date: Feb 7,2010

We often regret having prolonged the game (to the private glee, we feel, of a few players who led us on). It would have been better, we always realize too late, to have left too early. If we had left earlier, we would have then been tormented by the question of whether we should have stayed, but having lost too much right now is definitely worse, with the last hour having been a grueling experience. What\’s worse, we can\’t really say why we have stayed too long and so we are likely to repeat the same mistake when next time we inevitably show up at the table.

It is crucial to be able to stay or leave based on a logical analysis of the situation, not an emotional impulse. If logically you have matters to attend to – liking picking up your wife and kids or attending work – you must be able to leave immediately. Sometimes a desperate hope for by now certainly imminent better luck is so strong that you miss dates and business appointments. But, the longer you stay overdue, the worse you play, because you know you are supposed to be elsewhere and that possibly your are ruining your life and career.

Poker is meant to be entertaining. If you are not having fun, that\’s as good as reason as any to walk away early before the game becomes a tragedy of poor play and an even poorer frame of mind. A lot of players begin the game of poker for recreational purposes. If the game becomes overwhelming and they cannot leave, but neither can they play a decent game, it ceases to be recreation. They may be staying out of a sort of guilt, doing penance by playing badly and losing. They stay on and on suffering greater losses with every new deal, instead of taking their medicine with maturity, maintaining their good nature and understanding that it is just a game after all.

To locate the source of the problem, it is crucial to realize that the problem does not really have anything to do with the game itself. If in spite of yourself you persist in a pointless and counterproductive activity you do not enjoy, it must be because you are avoiding something. If poker is not the reason you stay at the table time and time again, yet you don\’t know why you are staying, it must be that you are avoiding something unconnected with the game.

In this case, whatever it is that you are avoiding, it is likely that it manifests itself in other activities as well. Shifting your focus may help to realize the source of the original problem. Rather than stupidly pondering why you have again stayed that fatal extra hour half-playing a doomed game, try to observe yourself in your other activities. You may discover that things which seemed completely unrelated to your poker plight have surprising connections to your inability to leave the game in time.

The problem may lie in not facing the fact that you hate your job, or owning up to a real feeling of grief that you have suppressed for a long time. If you are able to make a connection, you may be able to stop kicking yourself and enjoy the reality of life and of poker.

The author is a successful limit cash game player. He plays poker online and receives Full Tilt Poker Rakeback as well as Rakeback at Virgin Poker.

Omaha Hold\’em – A New Form of the Standard Texas Hold\’em

• Author: Tom Kearns
• Filed under: Casinos
• Date: Feb 5,2010

For anyone that has ever experienced the thrill of playing poker, you would know that there is always something exciting happening in the game. Omaha hold\’em is no different. It\’s pretty much the same as normal Texas hold\’em but with the added twist of being dealt four cards instead of just two.

A surprising number of possibilities spring up with the extra two cards. They offer two more options to play your hand but also add to you decision making process. You must decide which two to keep in your hand based on the community cards dealt to the table. In Texas hold\’em, the same circumstances prevail but you don\’t have to decide which of the cards in your hand to keep, you play them all. Omaha offers that extra challenge of which cards to choose for play.

This leads to playing more hands and gives you more chances at winning. In poker, its not just in the cards. If all you want is a card game, stick to Gin Rummy. Betting brings the game of poker to a whole new level and forces you to concentrate more than in other less risky card games.

The rules and play of Omaha are the same as for other hold\’em games. Each player is dealt four cards to use in the round. At this point, if your cards are such that you wish to continue the play, an initial bet is placed. This bet is called the big blind. You determine from your hand whether to call, raise or fold.

With round one of betting completed the first group of community cards is dealt to the table, the flop. Once again a round of betting ensues and you must decide from the cards in your hand whether to raise, call or fold. Once betting is over, the next community card, the turn, is dealt to the table and another round of betting takes place.

Once the last card is dealt (the river), the final round of betting begins and here is the card that will make you either a winner or a loser. Either way, you are ready to start all over again to either win back a loss or add to a win. The rounds of betting allow you to judge the strengths of your opponents\’ hands and with experience and developing your skill at perception and insight, you will know when to bet and how much.

All forms of poker involve the challenge of playing against people rather than just the cards. Most of the time a person is unpredictable, until you begin to learn their playing style. If you can pick up on how they play, then you can predict what a person will do based on how you play.

With experience and the effort required to sharpen your people-reading skills, you will overcome your opponents every time – well, that and a little luck.

The author is a successful limit cash game player. He plays poker online and receives Rakeback at Carbon Poker and Rakeback at Fortune Poker.

Choosing Your Poker Game

• Author: Thomas Kearns
• Filed under: Casinos
• Date: Jan 16,2010

Omaha is an interesting game and, as many attest, is quite profitable, but there is comparatively little material you could find to learn safely from, and Hold\’em is in fact a good place to start for anyone. At the present time Hold\’em ranks as the most popular game in casinos and online and has received much attention in media and literature (online and in book form).

Now that that\’s over, the next step is some personal soul searching to determine your proclivity for risk..

It is a very peculiar thrill, and those who cannot stand, having calculated your best chances, to make that step into the air, like Indiana Jones towards the end of The Last Crusade (he did not so much summon the faith the walk on air, but merely calculated that his father\’s diary implies an invisible bridge), had better keep away from the poker table (watching others play might be the compromise to settle for). Nor is poker the right activity for people who cannot control themselves and play kamikaze-style. For those who feel they do not sufficiently understand themselves, there are tests which determine inclination towards risk. The more risky you are the more sense it makes to play no-limit cash and tournament poker.

Determine whether you are best at \”math\” or \”psychology\”: if you are a human calculator, best try limit games; if you can read the opponents hands by reading his body language, your best shot is at no-limit and in multi table tournaments(MTT).

Should you really want to invest some time and brain matter in the game, the complexity of no-limit and MTT games give you the best shot at developing as a player. For the dilettante, stay with sit-and-go tournaments and limit poker.

The least potential for players reach the heights of fame and fortune is in limit poker. The best games for would-be poker champs are tournament games and high profile no limit games.

Limit poker is becoming rarer in casinos and clubs and is more accessible online. Tournament poker is the only form of the game officially considered a sport, so that it may be important to pay attention to tournaments in public establishments.

If you are looking at playing poker as a major (or only) source of income, what you want to do is zero in on games with an excessive complement of weak players. Limit hold\’em is not one of the forms of poker that fits this category because of the aforementioned plethora of literature on the game. Your target is no-limit and tournament poker, where of course you will focus on learning as much as you can about the game. As a beginner, stay below limits of even $1/$2. In SnGs go no higher than $20+$2, and for no-limit, below $100. At these lower limits, it is sufficient for beginners with a basic knowledge of the rules of the game to play without risking too much. Playing at higher monetary levels requires intense study of the game and a depth of experience. Even then, there is no certainty of consistently winning, but that\’s why we play the game in the first place, lack of certainty.

These considerations are a good preliminary to your first games, but the answers to the questions will become clearer as you accumulate experience.

The author is a successful limit cash game player. He plays poker online and receives Paradise Rakeback and Fortune Poker Rakeback.

Poker Fun Attracts Poker Fish

• Author: Tom Kearns
• Filed under: Casinos
• Date: Dec 31,2009

Those serious, arrogant poker professionals gathered around the table in big shades and hooded sweatshirts are out for blood. They are not attracting amiable amateurs, they are attracting expert players who are the only ones who are not intimidated by their demeanor. This may be good for TV’s World of Poker, but certainly not for the good players who want to pick up a few bucks.

For the amateur will, for the most part, prefer a table where he thinks he can have a good time, whether he wins or looses. For him the game is not a way of making a living, but quality time. The sociable, successful businessman happy to get out of the office or to have a bit of fun before the foreign meeting, the brilliant computer scientist who likes once in a while to play a real game as opposed to online poker: these people, cruising around the room, are looking for a table where players are relaxed and friendly. They will listen for laughter and scan smiles before they at all try to observe the players’ actual poker skills, and will finally go for those tables where people seem to enjoy themselves.

The professional actually seeking to earn money at the game is going to love a table like that. All those Fish! Each one won’t donate a lot to his income, but they will steadily provide the pro with a stream of cash while enjoying the society of amiable people. They will linger, make risky bets, and lose more while being entertained.

The intimidating table full of folks that don’t talk to each other, don’t look at each other and have created a somber atmosphere will keep the amateur far, far away.

On the other hand, a good conversation and a sense of humor combined with a slightly flattering play which keeps the amateur trusting he has a chance will increase the chances of that player coming back for more next time, perhaps even specifically seeking out your table. Since they do not play for the money or the excitement of high stakes, they will not regret as much having lost to an entertaining player.

By keeping the weaker opponents in a fun loving mood, you will keep up their poker hopes. They must be good, they are having such a good time. Luck, being the fickle lady that she is, is sure to fall on them some times. The relaxed ambience of this table will attract more amateurs, making it a golden opportunity for the player looking for serious money.

This gregarious, relaxed persona is not necessarily born to the expert players. They learn it along with the skills and techniques of the game and practice, practice, practice. This allows them to manipulate situations to their advantage while projecting a very positive and entertaining experience for the little fishies that took their bait. And, the fishies will thank them for providing them with such an entertaining time at the table.

The author is a successful limit cash game player. He plays poker online and receives Power Poker Rakeback as well as Rakeback at PKR Poker.

How to Spot Chip, Card and Betting Tells in Texas Hold’em Poker – Part 4 of 4

• Author: Daniel L. Cox
• Filed under: Casinos
• Date: Nov 14,2009

Chip Tells

The amount of force a player uses in moving their chips to the pot can be an obvious tell (subconscious action). If the player spikes their chips (slamming down a stack past the bet line), they are more likely to have a weak hand.

Be aware that fumbling of the chips may betray inexperience at a brick and mortar casino, and not betray the fact that the player has considerable experience online. Televised poker tournaments that draw their players from online qualifiers, such as Fox Sports Net tournaments sponsored by major online poker sites, can make this very apparent with some players.

When a player makes a call or raise and they place their chips closer to themselves, they often have a strong hand. By placing them close, they are often subconsciously keeping their chips within easy reach to rake them back when they win. A player who uses a lot of force in tossing in the chips toward the pot, or flings them away, often has a marginal hand. This tossing away of the chips is often because they feel they have already lost the hand and the chips as well.

Players with several denominations of chips in front of them can often give away their hand by which chips they use when betting. If they are unsure they have the best hand, they place their smaller denomination chips in the pot, subconsciously giving away their small chips and keeping their big chips for themselves. If they bet with the high denomination chips, they are not expecting to lose them. A player making a move for their chips out of turn is normally indicating that the most recent community card is an improvement.

Insight may be gained by observing how players maintain their chip stacks. Neat, organized chip stacks are often the earmark of a tight-aggressive player. Loose-aggressive players often have sloppy, irregular chip stacks. How a player cuts out the chips can also give insight into the strength of the hand. Cutting out chips is when a player separates the chips from the stack before placing them in the pot to see how many chips will remain after the bet. It is similar to the way a cowboy would cut out a calf from the herd for branding.

This is the key place to look for chip tells. A player who is unsure of the amount of chips needed for a call, or who is having trouble counting out the correct number of chips, is often unsure of the strength of his/her hand. A player counting and recounting chips may also be unsure of his/her hand’s strength. Unfortunately, playing with chip stacks are where most players go Hollywood (Acting at the table, normally with a reverse tell.), so realize that the player may be using a reverse tell to fool you and the other players.

Card Tells

At what point a player looks at their hole cards can be a tell on their experience level. Many inexperienced players look at their cards as soon as they receive them instead of watching the other players look at their cards. By not waiting until it is their turn to play, they miss viewing possible tells other players may exhibit.

While the dealer places the community cards on the table, you should watch how other players still in the hand react. Their eyes may look to their chips, a look of pleasure may pass fleetingly over their face, or a look of disgust may show they did not hit the card they needed.

Watch for the player who rechecks their hole cards if the flop falls with several cards of the same suit. They may remember the rank of the cards, but be unsure of the suits, and be checking to see if they are on a flush draw. The same tell is possible if the flop cards are connected, since they are verifying their straight draw. Be wary of any strong bets after these tells.

Betting Tells

The speed with which a player bets is often indicative of the hand they have. A fast call or raise normally signifies strength, while taking too much time can be a sign of indecision. Observe the player’s actions for a while to determine the normal speed they play their hands before you can recognize this tell. Also, be prepared for the false tell, as this is an excellent place for an opponent to think long and act weak while holding a premium starting hand.

If you notice that a player always raises with large pocket pairs, you can avoid a confrontation when you hold a marginal hand. If you notice a player continues to bet after a pre-flop raise, then you can safely check to them when you have a big hand, knowing you can get a check raise out of them.

Be sure to follow the betting patterns of your opponents through each street. Follow all hands to the river to see what they have bet and how strong their hand actually was. This information becomes invaluable the longer you play with a particular opponent, as you will be able to correlate their betting with their hole cards.

About the author: Daniel L. Cox is the editor of Poker Insider Magazine, an e-zine dedicated to poker. He is also the award-winning author of “Winning Blue-Collar Hold’em: How to Play Low-limit Ring Games and Small Buy-in Tournaments” and four upcoming books on poker. He can be found on Twitter at PokerInsiderMag, where he gives you a daily poker quote or pokerism.