Celebrity Poker
February 20, 2008
You may have turned on the television and watched celebrities play poker. Some of the celebrities are good while some of the celebrities are not. One of the good celebrity poker players that I have seen is Mena Suvari, star of American Beauty. Mena Suvari is the classic example of a woman that is good at poker. She is able to use her charm when she needs it. She is able to throw men off guard. She is able to take advantage of situations when she has to. She is not all stuck up with her celebrity status when she plays poker. She makes it a point that everyone on the poker table is equal. The only difference between the players is how the game is played. Mena Suvari does a good job at being composed at the poker table and she also knows when to be aggressive.
A celebrity that is also good at poker is Matthew Perry, who starred as Chandler in the hit television series, Friends. Matthew is very good at making faces so he is able to confuse his opponent with what he is thinking. He may have a good hand but make a really weird face. When his opponents look at him, they are simply thrown off guard. They do not have any idea on how to read his cards because he is so good at making faces. He also makes smart remarks and tries to crack jokes from time to time to loosen him self up. Matthew is also one of the guys at the poker table who will be composed but at the same time he will also be tricky to read.
One of the celebrities that also do a good job on the poker table is Neil Patrick Harris, the star of Doogie Howser MD in the eighties. Neil is very good and witty when it comes to playing his hands. He knows exactly when to call and he also knows exactly when not to call. If you are one of the opponents of Neil, you better make sure that you have something on your hand because this guy will rarely bluff. If every this guy is bluffing, your chances of catching him are pretty slim. One of the traits that make Neil an outstanding poker player is his ability to look smart. Opponents feel like he is thinking of something intelligent all of the time. If you are playing against Neil, you better not get intimidated by his Doogie Howser aura. Just play your game and play it well.
Celebrities at the poker table are no different from the players you will play with. They are also human beings who are playing with the same cards. Their celebrity status may help them give off an aura but at the end of the day, you are still playing with the same cards and you are still playing the same game. Everyone is brought to the same level at the poker table, no matter what walk of life you are in.
Losing your composure at the poker table
February 12, 2008
There are many ways where you can lose composure at the poker table. One of the ways where you can lose your head is when you get beaten on a big pot. For example, if you have a king and a queen of diamonds, you already have a two pair at the turn card, and then suddenly someone takes you out with jack triplets on the river card. You are devastated. You are heartbroken. You have no idea what to do. Your emotions are boiling and you simply want to rip the cards apart. This is one instance where you can lose composure at the poker table.
Another way where you can lose composure at the poker table is when you become impatient. You are on your one hundredth hand already and you are getting tired. At one point in the poker game, you do not care anymore. You do not care if you lose your buy in because all you want to do at that moment is to rest and go home. This is another example where you lose composure at the poker table and do not care about anything at all.
How do you keep yourself composed at the poker table then? One of the key ways to keep your composure at the poker table is to wear comfortable clothing. When you are wearing comfortable clothing, you are less irritable and you are more likely to be comfortable at your seat. When you are comfortable, you can withstand all sorts of annoying disruption to your well being. Another way where you can keep yourself composed is a little bit of alcohol. Yes, I said a little bit of alcohol. Too much alcohol and you will end up being not composed at all. A little bit of alcohol like a glass of beer or a glass of wine can keep you relaxed at the poker table. The bottom line of keeping your self composed is simply to be cool and be comfortable. Whatever makes you relax is good at the poker table.
What are the other things in this world that may help you relax? You may be able to relax if you have good music in the background. You might want to bring your iPod along and play some music while you are at the poker table. Smoking may help you relax at the poker table. If you are going to smoke at the poker table then you have to make sure that it is smoking game. If it is non smoking game then you might even get thrown out. Make sure that you can get all the bad vibes away from you when you play poker. If you surround yourself with cool vibes and good vibes, you will always stay composed at your poker game. Even if you get beaten or even after the two hundredth hand, you will still be able to sit back and enjoy the poker game for all its worth. Stay cool at poker and win.
Poker on the Xbox 360
February 5, 2008
If you have an Xbox 360 from Microsoft then you should consider downloading one of their arcade Texas Hold’em Poker games. It is very fun to play on the Xbox 360. If you like playing Gears of War, Call of Duty, and Halo online then the Xbox 360 Live Arcade Poker game may give you a rest from all the shooting.
One of the nice things about playing Poker on the Xbox 360 is that the community of gamers online are playing simply for fun. There is no money involved, just simple socializing and simple fun. When you play online, the people are simply talking and they are simply having fun just being at the poker table with their headsets.
Poker on the Xbox 360 is very simple. All you have to do is buy some Microsoft Points through your Xbox Live account and then purchase the Texas Hold’em game through your console. Once you start playing, you have a starting bankroll of fifty thousand dollars. This is play money of course. You can work your way up and get achievement points for this.
What’s nice about the Xbox Live 360 Poker game is that you will be able to meet other gamers online. You will be able to see their profiles. You will be able to see what games they play. You will be able to check out if they are hardcore gamers or not through the amount of achievement points they have on their profile. Think of Xbox 360 Poker as sort of a lobby where people can meet to play fun poker and find team mates for the more hardcore Xbox 360 games out there like Halo, Gears of War, and Call of Duty.
If you do not have an Xbox 360 then you are missing out on a lot of fun. The Xbox 360 core console system sells for three hundred dollars now. The Xbox 360 with the hard drives and the head sets sell for four hundred dollars now. The Xbox 360 Elite system sells for six hundred dollars. Games on the Xbox 360 cost around fifty dollars each. A one year subscription to online Xbox Live is fifty dollars. If you are a hardcore gamer and you love shooting enemies and playing poker then the Xbox 360 is the console for you. Go out there right now and buy one. You are not going to regret your decision.
Poker on the Xbox 360 is a different dimension all together. There are the fun poker rooms where people simply chat and do useless poker while there are the poker rooms that are competitive and geared towards earning achievement points. When you become an Xbox 360 gamer in the future, you will understand that having a lot of achievement points means a lot. It is some sort of gamer pride. Poker pride too, if you would want to add. If you have a lot of achievement points from Poker on Xbox 360 live then you have gamer bragging rights wherever you are on Xbox Live cyberspace.
Do not hope for the river
February 1, 2008
A lot of experts at poker will say that you should not hope in poker. If you have a flush draw and the river card is about to turn up, it would be very risky for you to hope on that last card. If you are hoping that you will make a flush on the river card or if you are hoping that you will make a straight on the river card then your poker strategy may be too aggressive. Sometimes you have to be conservative especially if the odds are against you.
The river card or the river of dreams card is the card that will make all your wishes come true or all your wishes go extinct. If you have been playing poker for quite some time, you should only bank on the river card in desperate situations. If you have two pairs already and you are hoping to make a full house on the river card then chances of you making it are very slim. If everyone is going all in but you are simply there on the side then you should be careful. Someone might have triplets already or a five card combo. Your two pair will rarely make the cut against these combo heavyweights.
The rule of thumb when it comes to poker is that you can bluff, you can fold, buy you can not hope. If you are always relying on hope to make you win a tournament or a poker match then you are not going to be a good poker player. Poker is not all about hope and luck. Poker is not all about what the cards will end up showing in the end. Poker is about making the rational decision at the right place at the right time. If you want to become a good poker player then you should know when to make the right calls. You should know when to fold your cards. You should know exactly when to hope.
Hope is a tricky topic in poker. So when should you actually hope for the river card to make your dreams come true? The only time when you should hope for the river card to fulfil your dreams is when there is no other option but to hope and believe that you will make the cut. If you have no other choice but to hope then this is your last resort. You should only hope for the river card when there is no other possible way for you to win a match. If you are low on chips, if there are a lot of bullies at the table, or if you should make a move to get in the game are the only instances where in you should actually hope.
In any other case, do not count on the river card to fulfill your dreams. Do not count on the river card to save you from poverty at the poker table. If you want to win in poker then hope is the last weapon you are going to use.