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Teammates At The Poker Table

July 18, 2008

If you think that you are all alone in a poker table then why don’t you get a teammate to help you out? Team poker is something that should be done very subtly. You should not be obvious when you play team poker at the poker table. What happens if you become obvious? I am sure you know that you will certainly get kicked out of the Poker table if you do that. The other guys will smell something fishy and they will kick you out as soon as they notice that you are pulling off a stunt.

You may be wondering, how do you play team poker anyway? Here are some techniques in playing like partners or playing like a team. One way to play like a team is the chip donation. For example, if you are three players that have equal amount of chips and you are partners with the other person then you can wait for the two of you to meet up in a match. When the opponent is out of the round, you and your partner can simply go all in and then the winner will end up with twice as much chips as the opponent. Your team mate or you will have a bigger chance of winning the pot. If you have twice as much chips as the other person then you can definitely bully him or her around. If you put this in a larger scale, then it can be scarier for an opponent. If you are four at the poker table and three of you are team mates then all of you can simply give your chips to your team mate and give him or her the chance to win. When the winner emerges, you can simply divide the winnings amongst yourselves.

Another way where you can play team poker is through confrontational avoidance. This is the exact opposite of the chip donation. In the chip donation technique, you are giving your chips to your team mate. In the confrontational avoidance technique, you simply avoid all instances of going against your team mate. In case, both of you match up, you simply have to keep checking until the round is over. You should only raise and you should only up the pot if you are competing with an opponent. For example, if you are three on the table and the other one is your team mate. Whenever both of you go head to head, you simply check and check on each other. This way, any of you will only get a minimum amount of chips on each other. The nice thing about this technique is that you will always have a lot more chances of getting good cards as opposed to an opponent. In the three person table, two people getting cards will certainly have better chances of hitting straights and flushes than only one person. Two chances are certainly better than one, right? So what are you waiting for, find a team mate and pull off your stunts at the poker table as soon as you can!

Written by Dre · Filed Under Poker Strategy | 1 Comment 

Learning Omaha Poker

June 21, 2008

Everybody loves the Texas Hold’em Poker style of game. You are dealt two cards and then it is up to you which five card combination you can make with three cards on the flop, one card on the turn, and another card on the river. If you think that Texas Hold’em is exciting then you should learn how to play Omaha Poker too.

How is Omaha Poker played anyway? First, you are dealt with four cards. Second, a round of raising and betting takes place. Third, the three flop cards are shown by the dealer. Fourth, another round of betting takes place. Fifth, the turn card is taken out and the dealer shows it to everyone at the table. Sixth, another round of betting takes place. Seventh, the river card is taken out and the dealer shows it to everyone. Eighth, the last round of betting takes place. You may have noticed that the previous rounds are pretty similar to Texas Hold’em. The last part of Omaha is the most important one. In Texas Hold’em Poker, you may only use one of your cards and four from the community cards. This is okay. In Omaha poker, the case is different. You have to use two of your four cards and three of the five community cards that are available to all. I shall repeat that one more time so that you remember it. You have to use two cards of the four cards that were given to you at the start of the game and you have to combine these two cards with three community cards. You should be able to make the best possible combination with these five cards.

What makes Omaha exciting anyway? One of the things that makes Omaha exciting is the way you play the community cards and the way you play your cards. What is the best five out of all? If you play your cards well then you will always spot the best five card combination possible. Another thing that makes Omaha exciting and analytical is since you have a lot more cards, you can rule out more cards that are yet to come out. For example, if you are holding a three of diamonds, then you should not keep your hopes too high to expect another three to come out in the game. Lastly, Omaha is exciting because your opponents are more unpredictable. They are just as excited and they are just as immersed in the game as you are. When you have four cards in your hands and another five cards in the community, you should be thinking and thinking about all the possibilities that you can make. Always make sure that you are getting two from your cards and three from the community. It is not like Texas Hold’em where you can only use one card on your hand and the other four from the community cards. Remind yourself of this always because you might still be stuck in the Texas Hold’em mentality. You do not want to make mistakes at the heat of the game, right?

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Heads Up Tips

June 9, 2008

One of the most gruelling experiences in poker is when you are left with one more opponent before you become the champion. This is the heads up game. It is a one on one battle in poker. It can be a David versus a Goliath. One of you may have ten times more chips than someone else but any of the two of you can emerge as a champion. It can be a pound per pound match up if both of you have almost an equal amount of the chips. Fate can turn to anyone’s way in a match up like this. If you are the type of person that goes all in then you can be the champion instantly.

Heads up is a tricky part of the game and here are some tips that may help you get to the top spot. First of all, you should play as many hands as you can. Your chances of hitting good cards are exactly the same probabilities your opponent has of hitting good cards. For example, if you get dealt a ten and a four then why should you be so afraid of your opponent? This guy may have received a two and a six that are even off suit. One on one poker is very tricky especially with this aspect. You really never know what kind of cards your opponent has until you finally see them. You should not fret though because he or she is thinking the exact same thing.

Another tip for heads up poker is to be as aggressive as possible. If you are a safe player then you will not be able to take out your opponent. You have gone this far already. You have shown the other players at the table that you are capable of being aggressive. You have shown your poker skills and they are certainly great. The only obstacle that you have left is actually winning the game. Can you bring home the bacon? Can you take home the pot? Can you take down the opponent that is sitting across you? If you want to be the one that emerges as the champion then you have to be aggressive enough to take him or her down. If you really want to win then you have to show it to everyone that you want to win. If you do not want to win more than your opponent does then he or she will take away your chance of winning.

The basic rule when it comes to heads up poker is to play aggressive. You have to be able to go all in with a seven and a jack. You know what I mean. You have to be able to trust your cards. You have to be bolder than your opponent if you want to win. You have the seat, now all you need are your guts and your cards. If you chicken out at this point of the game and be a safe player all of a sudden then you should not be surprised if your opponent snatches away all your chips.

Written by Dre · Filed Under Poker Strategy | 1 Comment 

Hitting below the belt

April 26, 2008

There are a lot of ways to distract your opponents or to get them out of their game. These are the techniques that you might want to use if you are getting desperate already. One of the things that you can do to distract your opponent is to get him or her tipsy or drunk. This is obviously a below the belt way of distracting your opponent but if you get really desperate to win then you might have to bring out the tequila. A lot of people out there have a low tolerance for alcohol so with just a few shots of tequila, they may be going all in with a two seven off suit.

Aside from getting your opponents drunk, you might want to try to distract them with a person of the opposite sex. If you have a lot of guys playing on the table then make sure that you invite a pretty girl so that the guys will be thrown off their game. If you have a lot of girls then make sure that you invite a hunk to the poker table so that the girls will try to charm the guy instead of focus on the poker game. The opposite sex is certainly a great way to distract anyone.

If members of the opposite sex and alcohol are not working then maybe you should drown your guests with a lot of food. Sometimes if participants at the poker table are very full, they tend to get sleepy and sloppy. You will be able to take advantage of your opponent’s sleepiness during the poker match. When a person is sleepy and groggy, he or she will not care so much about the poker game. He or she will simply want to go home and sleep. Well, the buy in is already there so you might as well keep it there.

The bottom line is one thing, make sure you know what your opponents want so that you can distract them from keeping their focus. If your opponent wants a lot of food then give him or her a lot of food. At the end of the day, you will be the winner. If your opponent wants to socialize with a lot of people of the opposite sex then give it to them. Before you know it, your guests will be thinking about their dates instead of focusing their energies on the game. If your opponent wants to get wasted and tipsy then give them as much alcohol as they want. At the end of the day, you are still a winner. Hitting below the belt is really not allowed in the ring. If you are a nasty person that wants to get the whole pot then you might have to do things at desperate times. Everybody wants something. Everybody wants to get it. Sometimes you have something that another person has. Sometimes someone else has something that you have. If you want to get what you want then you have to be able to take the steps to get it.

Written by Dre · Filed Under Poker Strategy | 1 Comment 

Two layered bluff

December 24, 2007

What makes poker really exciting is bluffing. You can actually take home an entire pot by bluffing your way to it. In poker, you do not need to have good cards to win. Sometimes, the bluffing skill can take you a long way. If you are able to make a two layered bluff then you are even better. What is a two layered bluff anyway?

A two layered bluff is that you are bluffing that you are bluffing which means that you really have something. You should be able to make your opponents think that you do not have anything. You should be able to reel in your opponents. What is an example of a two layered bluff?

Let us say that you have a seven and a ten that are suited. The flop comes out and then here comes a six, an eight, and a nine, all suited with yours. You have a royal flush already. Your opponents may have something like a pair but you already have the highest five card combination possible. Now, you have to pretend that you do not have anything. Act like a bluffer and pretend that you really have the royal flush. You see, there is a difference in acting like you have the royal flush and acting like you are pretending to have a royal flush. You should be doing the latter. You can give away some tell signs. You can pretend to look away. You can pretend to swallow and do all sorts of fake telling but you should not be obvious. You are an actor in this show and you have the lead role. If you do not get the Oscar Award then you are going to end up broke and kicked out of the table. You have to put on a great show if you want to pull off the two layered bluff.

Now you are in the groove. You have your opponents thinking that you are bluffing. They keep on betting and betting and they are trying to catch you. When the last card comes out, you might want to go all in and pretend that this is your final bluff. If your opponents buy this act of yours then you can easily take out everyone on the poker table. You see, the two layered bluff is the most lethal and most deadly weapon in poker. It is like double crossing someone in real life. If you have been double crossed then you know how being double crossed feels. You are not a fool, are you? As some basketball players would say. If you think that you are getting a one up on someone then you better think again. These people may be the pros at the two layered bluff. You may think that you are gaining on them but at the end of the day, you are the fool. Sometimes you have to stop laughing because the joke is on you already. Do not be a fool. Be smart and aware.

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The tells

November 29, 2007

How do you know when someone is lying? This is one of the most important things to know in poker. If you are an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation then you should be an expert at this. You should be able to apply this knowledge to your poker game. If you are not an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation then you might have to rely on the basics. So what are the basics anyway?

One of the things that will make you find out if someone is lying is if he or she swallows when pulling off a move. If you notice that someone swallows then there is a big chance that this person is telling a lie. If this person is unusually raising the pot then you should be wary of this person. Try to find out if this person really has cards or is he or she trying to bluff his or her way out of the pot? If you think that this person is bluffing then there will be tells. If this person swallows while raising or while making a move on the poker table then be weary. You might want to out bluff him or her!

Another tell that you should be aware of is the moving of the feet or the moving of the legs. If your opponent unusually moves his or her feet then this is another sign of lying. You should not be obvious when you are looking at your opponent’s feet or legs or else you will expose yourself. You should simply allow your opponent to make his or her moves and you should be quiet on the sideline. You should not be obvious when you look at your opponent. Remember that.

The eyes are the window to the soul, as great poets would say. In the game of poker, the eyes are also a great way for you to find out if the person is lying or not. A simple look in a person’s eye can show the signs of a liar and an honest person. When you look at someone and this person constantly looks away then this is a sign that the person is lying. Again, you should not be obvious when looking at your opponents. Allow them to make their move and be an observer on the sideline. If you notice that your opponent keeps looking away when you talk to them then this is a sign that your opponent is bluffing. If you want to make sure that your opponent get knocked out then you have to be very observant of these tells. If you are a keen observer then there is a high chance that you will be the winner of the pot at the end of the day.

The science of tells is a very complicated thing to study but at least right now you have something to work with. In the game of poker, it is the observer that learns a lot from his or her opponent. If you want to win then you have to observe.

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Tipping the Dealer

November 19, 2007

When you play poker, especially in casinos, make sure that you give a tip to your dealer. Why? It is important that you throw in a few bucks to a person that is making minimum wage. If you think a dealer’s job is easy then you got it all wrong. It is hard to be a dealer and it is tiring as well. Even if you enjoy the job of being a dealer, it is still pretty hard. Imagine the life of a dealer. Day in and day out for three hundred and sixty five days in a year, with some day offs of course, your dealer shuffles up and deals every time he or she goes to work. If you think that is easy then try doing it yourself. I am sure that you have tried dealing once in a while. You may think that it is easy for the first few rounds but when you are dealing for eight hours or more, that is tiring.

You may be wondering why tipping is important for your dealer. If you win a pot, especially a large pot, then you should give tip to your dealer. You should not be greedy. After all, there you are having the time of your life, gambling a couple of thousands of dollars while the dealer is working his or her ass off for only eight dollars an hour. If your conscience does not bother you then something else should. You are not giving a tip to the dealer because you pity him or her for the work that he or she is doing. You are giving a tip to the dealer because it is you personal way of thanking him or her for a job well done. The cards turned to your favour and he or she was dealing during that time. Isn’t it right to simply give a tip to this person? I’m sure that this person deserves it right? Who put the luck in the cards? Who dealt those two lucky cards to you? If you give a tip to the dealer after winning a huge pot, it is your way of saying thank you for sharing that luck with me.

Some people think that the world owes them something. Some people think that they deserve to be lucky. Well, if you think this way, if you think that society owes you something then there is something wrong with you. Society doesn’t owe you anything. If you are lucky then you just happen to be lucky. Luck is not something that you can buy. Luck is not something that will be given to you by default. Luck just happens. When you play poker in a casino and you win a huge pot then you should at least give your dealer a share of that luck. Your dealer has been working long hours already and he or she isn’t driving a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, right? Give a tip to your dealer when you win, I’m sure he or she deserves it.

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Folding Pocket Aces

November 4, 2007

There are some moments in the life of a poker player where he or she needs to fold a pocket ace. When are these instances? When do these occurrences happen anyway? Have you been in such a situation? The pocket ace is the strongest hand on the pre flop. If you are a bully then you can go all in and see if anyone calls your bet. If you are smart then you will know when to actually fold a pocket ace.

I think that you should fold pocket aces in the following situations. The first situation where you fold a pocket ace is when you start seeing possible five card combinations. When your opponents can make a straight or a flush then you should think about being so bold about your pocket aces. Remember, your pocket aces are still a pair. Any five card combination, any two pair, and any trio can knock you out of the game. If you start sensing that your opponents can get five card combinations and you know that these people do not bluff then you should start backing off. You will save more chips this way.

The second situation where you actually fold pocket aces is when you are the chip leader and you just want to get to the final table or reach a certain ranking in a tournament. Having pocket aces will always tempt you to become bold and daring. You may be tempted to go all in but at the end of a round, you may still end up losing. The mentality to keep here is that when there is too much risk at stake then you can go fold your pocket aces. If you become daring and start raising your bets then you are exposing yourself to risk. You have to keep your eye on the ball. Do you want to make it to the final table? Do not be greedy and try to win more chips if your goal is to simply make it to the final table. If you have enough chips to cover the blinds then you should play safe and keep risk away. After all, if you are guaranteed to make it to the final table in a tournament then that may be an achievement in itself. Why should you blow away that chance?

The above situations are great ways to keep that betting beast at bay. If you do not want to be a betting monster because you have the strongest pre flop cards then always keep these situations in mind. If you want to become a good poker player then you should always keep your head working at all times. The pocket aces are very flashy when you get them before the flop but you should always keep in mind that there are five more cards coming up. If you do not end up so lucky then your pocket aces can be knocked off by a person with two three off suit hitting a straight. Be careful and do not be overconfident with your pocket aces. Sometimes you just have to let go.

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