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These days many people play poker professionally to provide an income or part time to supplement their main income. However as there is an element of luck involved with the game, this can lead to some pretty drastic swings. The Term Variance is used to describe this swings involved in poker. Variance is defined as an event that departs from expectations. Therefore if we know that we win 4 big blinds per 100 hands at 100nl (50c/$1 blinds), over the course of 1 million hands, we expect to profit to a tune of $40,000. If we graphed X expected Income and Y No of hands and drew a straight line from 0 to the bisection of $40000/1m hands, it would result in a straight upwardly pointing line. However during the course of that 1million hand journey, there will be many occasions where your results will deviate greatly from that line, and this is our variance. If you cannot deal with this variance, this in turn will lead to bigger problems that will adversely affect your win rate. So what are the best ways to deal with the massive swings poker can throw at you?
Put the swing into Perspective
Go into Holdem Manager and produce a graph four your last years play. See how it has risen over that time, and indeed there were many troughs but the image that shines through is the consistent progression upwards. We all know the swings are tough but you must be able to separate the emotional attachment to the variance or else it will lead to bad decisions on the table. By looking at the graph it helps us think of the long term and help us refocus into making the right decisions all the time
Increase your study/play ratio
If you are in the middle of a downswing, then one of the most beneficial things you can do is increase your study time away from the table. Try for every two hours of play, do one hour of study over the course of a month. This may be watching a poker training video but also taking notes, getting coaching, practising and understanding more on the mathematics of poker, analysing opponents etc. Not only will this help refocus your game which may have stagnated but it will serve as a way to increase motivation with your newly found concepts and ideas.
Play shorter sessions
When your are in a downswing, it sometimes feels like you just cannot win a session. Implement a strategy like ‘2 buy ins or 2 hours’. Therefore you will play with the intention of doing a 2 hour session, however if you make two buy ins within the first 25 mins, you will automatically quit the session. Then go for some exercise and come back later and do the same. Basically try and get a few positive sessions under your belt to increase confidence which may be low.
Do some reading on the psychological aspects of the game
There are some good resources out there which cover the mental side of poker. Two such books are ‘The Elements of Poker’ by Tommy Angelo, and ‘The Poker Mindset’ by Matthew Hilger & Ian Taylor. These books will help give you a better understanding of how our brains naturally react to negative swings and how we can change our attitude and our thinking to avoid this.
Ensure you have a rakeback deal
This is mostly commons sense, and if you are playing poker professional, you will already of course have a rakeback deal. Basically it will guarantee some income for you while going through a bad run of cards and will hopefully keep the wolves form the door! If you do not have a rakeback deal then you are seriously missing out on free money.
nd ‘The Poker Mindset’ by Matthew Hilger & Ian Taylor. These books will help give you a better understanding of how our brains naturally react to negative swings and how we can change our attitude and our thinking to avoid this. Ensure you have a rakeback deal This is mostly commons sense, and if you are playing poker professional, you will already of course have a rakeback deal. Basically it will guarantee some income for you while going through a bad run of cards and will hopefully keep the wolves form the door! If you do not have a rakeback deal then you are seriously missing out on free money.
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Playing video poker is fun, it is the most popular game in the casino, and there are two reason for this. Before we explore this, you should know that about 10% of the people actually win, how else can the casinos stay open 24/7. Lets explore how the average player can realistically win at video poker.
The popularity of this game is enormous, there are two reasons. The first is it’s just you against the machine. Unlike real poker where you play against several other players, you only have to play against the machine. Second, the average video poker player thinks they have a good chance of winning because the casino tells them the odds are only slightly in the houses favor.
The Odds Favor The House
This is no big surprise, but it might surprise you to know how big the odds favor the casino.
Here is what your up against. The biggest hand, the royal flush, pays 4000 to 1, the odds in hitting the royal flush are 40,000 to 1. So you can see what kind of edge the casino has right from the start.
How Can The Average Person Win?
After playing thousands of hands of video poker here in Vegas, and watching how other people play, I can pass on two important keys for winning.
1. Leave your emotions at the door. Poker machines are designed to trap you, there designed to make you think your close to a winning hand. So what do you do? You do exactly what the casino wants you to do, take more money from your pocket and play some more, your close to winning, right?
2. Build a sixth sense. You can start to see patterns after you play a lot of hands. After playing several rounds of video poker you can build up a sense, at the very least, to know if a machine has a chance to pay.
The important thing to remember is, don’t get trapped into an emotional battle with a machine. I see this over and over again as I observe the bad habits of people that lose. Just this factor alone will increase your chances of winning.
There are several other factors that the average player has to bring with them if they want to win at video poker. In most circles this is called a strategy…system. What this really is, is a set of rules for you to play by. Follow the rules and you will be way above the average player. The other factor for a good strategy is simplicity.
You read about all these other complicated systems which the average player can’t do. Video poker is not complicated, you just have to learn how to overcome the big house odds.
Online poker has gone 3 bet mad lately, and what I am finding is a lot of loose players will start to call a lot of your 3bets when they are in position. So how do you play against these type of players when they will not fold to a continuation bet on the flop.
Firstly, you need some form of poker tracking software with a heads up display which will inform you of their stats in 3 bet pots. This is probably not as important if you are playing less than 4 tables as you should be able to spot their tendencies through simple observations and note taking. However once you go over 4 tables I definitely recommend using Holdem Manager to help you spot the habitually 3 bet callers. It’s also good to track your own 3 bet stats as you may be 3 betting a bit too frequently and therefore giving your opponent ample reason to start playing back at you either through flat calling or 4 betting light.
So if you have notes or stats on your opponent that he is calling 3 bets light and rarely folding to any aggression on the following streets, this simple means you must tighten your 3 betting range to value hands only. Check out his 4 bet stats. If his 4 bet stats are 2% or lower we can safely say that when he only calls he is doing so with hands like AQ, AJ, maybe ATss and 22-JJ, 87ss+. He will 4 bet QQ+, AK the majority of times which accounts for the 2% 4 bet range.
Therefore if we can narrow his calling range to this we can start to 3 bet value hands from KJ+,JJ+ up as when he calls we will nearly always be ahead of his range. If he is calling with pocket pairs, we will at least have 2 overcards when we 3 bet Broadway cards and when we do hit top pair we can safely get it all in as we are more than likely going to have our opponent dominated.
Also keep an eye out for bet sizing tells. One of my regulars has a pretty bad bet sizing tell. He only raises preflop to 2 big blinds with small pocket pairs and suited connectors and raises 3.5 big blinds with big Broadway cards when he plays from the Cut off or the Button. He folds to all 3bets when I 3 bet his bigger pre – flop raise but he 4 bet shoves AKss, KK+. He always calls when I 3 bet his smaller preflop raise and will min – reraise when he connects with the flop, and when he connects he connects hard as its either a set, a flopped straight or an open ended straight & flush draw. This is a great tell to have on an opponent and I urge all of you to keep track of weird bet sizing as people get into a habit and you can take advantage of it.
However getting back to the original issue, of a player who will also not fold to post flop aggression. You have to determine your perceived strength caused by the flop texture before you decide your plan for post flop when you actually miss the flop. If the flop comes dry with one high card, then you must at least double barrel. There is no point just continuation bet the flop then check fold the turn as that is how he wants you to play and he will exploit this until the cows come home. If the flop is low and wet then sometimes it is in your best interest to just check the flop and hope for a cheap showdown and fold to his steal. By doing this every once in a while, it will also add a lot more weight to your continuation bets in later encounters.
The main piece of advice to take from this article is to plan your hand before you play it based on your opponents tendencies. The more you do this the more natural it will become and before you know it you will be swiftly moving up the stakes in the online poker world.
With hundreds of poker rooms out there, which one should you trust with your money? In this article, I will cover the main factors behind choosing the best poker room.
1) Look in the right direction With so many poker networks and so many government legislations in place, where should you start looking? If you live in the USA, the choice is not that big – PokerStars, FullTilt, Cake Network and Cereus Network. If you are lucky enough to be living in Europe or just about anywhere else, you can choose any poker site you want.
2) Age and reputation With new sites opening their virtual doors almost every day, it is getting more and more difficult to find the ones you can trust. However, if you want to play safe, choose a poker site that has been around for a few years. Major poker sites and rakeback affiliates, can help you with that.
3) Bonuses and other promotions Poker rooms are in a constant fight with each other over you. As a prospective player, you can bring them extra profit. To attract players like you, poker rooms come up with different promotions and bonus offers. Some give you a good old $500 first deposit bonus and a freeroll token, while others have crazy multimillion-dollar promotions. Depending on your bankroll and experience, you might have a chance to score big. However, always keep in mind that most large promotions are meant for so-called whales. Do your homework and check out poker room websites before making a decision.
4) Rakeback Poker rooms take a small amount out of the pot every time you play a hand. It is called rake. There is a possibility to get some of that rake back to your account. As you might have figured out, it is called rakeback. Depending on how much you play, this can result in thousands of dollars extra income every month. Rakeback is substantial for your bankroll. It is important that the poker room of your choice has a good rakeback scheme. Plenty of poker affiliates that give you good rakeback deals.
5) Player reviews Once you have narrowed your choice down to a few poker rooms, it is important to scan the internet for reviews. Your best options would be simply conducting a Google search. Another way to get some firsthand experience is searching through 2+2 forum, the largest poker discussion board on the internet. If a poker site exists, there is a great chance that it has been reviewed by 2+2ers. Pay attention to player traffic and quality, software, rakeback and other promotions, customer support and withdrawal speed.
As you can see, choosing the right poker room is a step-by-step process that might take a little bit of your time, but will definitely pay off in the end!
Top 10 Rules of a Winning Poker Player
Every successful poker player has a set of rules that keep you on the right track. Follow these simple guidelines and your poker career will exceed your most daring expectations!
1) Obey the Bankroll Management
The most important advice a poker player can get is follow the bankroll management rules. Learn them, print them out, post them on your wall and repeat them like a prayer. If you play lower limits than your bankroll allows you to, you will be losing profit. If you play beyond your bankroll, you risk losing it all in a flash.
2) Do not go on tilt
.. and if you do, stop playing! If you lose control because of a bad beat or a chat insult (the best way to avoid that is simply the turn the chat feature off), you can kiss your money goodbye. Always remember that bad beats are part of the game. In the long run the best player wins and your goal is to be that best player.
3) Play with Rakeback
Poker rooms take a small amount out of the pot every time you play a hand. It is called rake. There is a possibility to get some of that rake back to your account. It is called rakeback. Depending on how much you play, this can result in thousands of dollars extra income every month. Rakeback is substantial for your bankroll. Where to get good rakeback deals? Read on!
4) Take advantage of the first deposit bonus
Most poker sites offer a first deposit bonus. What does it mean for you? Your first deposit will be matched up to a huge amount! Usually the bonus money is released in increments while you play. Choosing a poker site with a good deposit bonus can easily give you anywhere from $600 to $2500 in free cash. That brings us to the next point.
5) Choose a reputable poker site
With literally hundreds of poker rooms out there, which one is the best for you? Poker rooms vary by the amount of players, currency used, bonuses, rakeback and other special promotions. Our advice would be sticking only to reputable poker sites (Betfair, Titan Poker, PartyPoker, Full Tilt, etc.). Not only will you have thousands of players to play against, but also your funds will always be safe. Reputable sites also offer great promotions, so it truly is a win-win situation! Where to find a reputable poker room, with great promotions and rakeback? Read on!
6) Choose the right affiliate
Affiliates are special websites that give you increased rakeback and other bonuses, if you sign up through them. Reputable affiliates, such as VipPokerShop, give you the best rakeback deals at the best poker rooms. VipPokerShop also gives you special VIP Points for every poker hand you play.
7) Use HUDs
Most successful players use special software that collects and displays information on other players in real time. There are two major software packages – Poker tracker 3 and Holdem Manager. Both cost around $80, but your investment will definitely pay off very soon. Some poker affiliates give you this software for free.
Keep improving your game
Read poker books and articles (such as this one). Be active on the major poker forums. Sign up for coaching sites – they will dramatically improve your game for a small monthly fee. Remember to constantly improve your game to end up on the top one day.
9) Be patient
No matter how good you get, you will keep experiencing swings every now and then. Even the best players in the world can have downswings that last for months. Remember to play your best game and you will be a winner in the long run!
10) Take breaks
No matter if you are a pro or just in the beginning of your poker career, proper rest is very important. Remember that life is not all about full houses and nut straights. Take occasional breaks to cool down from bad beats and resume the game with a fresh mind.
Keep following these simple rules and get to the top!
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Apart from the unbiased review websites, the players may also rely about the online schmooze websites like yahoo, facebook, twitter, and other blooming forums to discover concerning the intensive ratings and rankings. In fact, only these websites would function instantly to honor the achievement from the players by presenting instant payment, using the precise amount specified in the claims.
- Customer friendly poker sites make the users to navigate expediently inside the site, to discover and procure new avenues of earning money.
- The avid gamers can bump up their aptitude by communicating with veteran poker avid gamers, through the same website. Hence, it becomes essential to narrow down the pursuit by concentrating on the websites where the player can prove his ability. Additional, it is essential to verify the amenities like communication using the professionals, to get their tips and advices to shape up the skills.
Only the customer friendly poker sites which are packed with loads of bonuses can make the money to fall into the players lap. Naturally, there should be enough affirmative outcomes for that invested money. Study additional, to distinguish the bogus types from the thriving authentic sites. In truth a couple of customer friendly poker sites are ready to shell out around $500, throughout the registration process. Although these offers are accessed for promoting the quantity of avid gamers in the website, they’re the clear indicators of reputed and flourishing sites in the on the internet poker realm.
The online world also holds customer friendly poker sites that offer downloading facility, at totally free of price. The complementary software could be exploited only for a specific period of time and also the footballer can use it to compare the inbuilt software. If only the software is user helpful, the footballer can engross within the video game with much more fun. And only a few customer friendly poker sites permit the US players to play in their sites. Some of the bogus websites never mention it in the beginning, but make plain statements only following investing on the sites or while winning over some cash. Ultimately it turns into required to verify when the website is prepared to enable the residents of such nations or even the efforts and cash might go vain.
The expert poker footballer usually seeks for the customer friendly poker sites that lavishly award rake rebates. Actively playing in these sites would bring excellent fortune towards the avid gamers.
These days many people play poker professionally to provide an income or part time to supplement their main income. However as there is an element of luck involved with the game, this can lead to some pretty drastic swings. The Term Variance is used to describe this swings involved in poker. Variance is defined as an event that departs from expectations. Therefore if we know that we win 4 big blinds per 100 hands at 100nl (50c/$1 blinds), over the course of 1 million hands, we expect to profit to a tune of $40,000. If we graphed X expected Income and Y No of hands and drew a straight line from 0 to the bisection of $40000/1m hands, it would result in a straight upwardly pointing line. However during the course of that 1million hand journey, there will be many occasions where your results will deviate greatly from that line, and this is our variance. If you cannot deal with this variance, this in turn will lead to bigger problems that will adversely affect your win rate. So what are the best ways to deal with the massive swings poker can throw at you?
Put the swing into Perspective
Go into Holdem Manager and produce a graph four your last years play. See how it has risen over that time, and indeed there were many troughs but the image that shines through is the consistent progression upwards. We all know the swings are tough but you must be able to separate the emotional attachment to the variance or else it will lead to bad decisions on the table. By looking at the graph it helps us think of the long term and help us refocus into making the right decisions all the time
Increase your study/play ratio
If you are in the middle of a downswing, then one of the most beneficial things you can do is increase your study time away from the table. Try for every two hours of play, do one hour of study over the course of a month. This may be watching a poker training video but also taking notes, getting coaching, practising and understanding more on the mathematics of poker, analysing opponents etc. Not only will this help refocus your game which may have stagnated but it will serve as a way to increase motivation with your newly found concepts and ideas.
Play shorter sessions
When your are in a downswing, it sometimes feels like you just cannot win a session. Implement a strategy like ‘2 buy ins or 2 hours’. Therefore you will play with the intention of doing a 2 hour session, however if you make two buy ins within the first 25 mins, you will automatically quit the session. Then go for some exercise and come back later and do the same. Basically try and get a few positive sessions under your belt to increase confidence which may be low.
Do some reading on the psychological aspects of the game
There are some good resources out there which cover the mental side of poker. Two such books are ‘The Elements of Poker’ by Tommy Angelo, and ‘The Poker Mindset’ by Matthew Hilger & Ian Taylor. These books will help give you a better understanding of how our brains naturally react to negative swings and how we can change our attitude and our thinking to avoid this.
Ensure you have a rakeback deal
This is mostly commons sense, and if you are playing poker professional, you will already of course have a rakeback deal. Basically it will guarantee some income for you while going through a bad run of cards and will hopefully keep the wolves form the door! If you do not have a rakeback deal then you are seriously missing out on free money.
Finding a cheap poker table isn’t easy due to the limited quantities available. You can’t just go to Walmart to find a cheap poker table for your needs and using your dining room table just doesn’t seem right. Therefore, you need to get a game plan for your purchase. A game plan that I can help you with…
Step 1: Determine what type of table fits your house.
I would recommend a standard 96″ x 42″ size, but there are times when this simply doesn’t fit your house or apartment. If so, you might want to consider a smaller size such as 73″ x 33″ or a 4 ft x 4 ft (circular).
Step 2: Determine if you want a table or table top.
Piggybacking on the last step, figure out if your home has room for a full sized cheap poker table or if you just want a table top to go on top of an existing table is yours. I won’t hold it against you if you go for a table top and have multiple great options for those who want to go this route.
Step 3: Determine options
Do you want a set dealer spot on the table? Cushion padding on the sides? Chip holders? Drink holders? There are tons of options for you, and no matter what options you choose, you can still get a cheap poker table without much trouble. I would recommend you visualize your next game with each of these options to determine what will give you the most enjoyment for you future poker fun.
Step 4: Determine look
Do you want a wooden table? A plastic table? A metal table? There are more than a few options to consider. While we love the classic look of a wooden table, those most serious about getting a cheap poker table may be more interested in a plastic table or a table top rather than a wooden table. Another thing to consider is that a table top will be much lighter than the heavier wooden tables.
Step 5: Determine Your Future
Are you looking for a table to last you for 1 year? How about 10 years? How about 50 years? You can get some great cheap poker tables now that can be the last poker table you ever buy. Go for a classic wooden table that may be a bit more expensive, but will give you satisfaction forever if you are looking long-term. This is the one consideration that pushed me over the edge to get a classic wooden table. Although, because I knew how to shop, I still got a cheap poker table.
The online poker game is now a mainstream gambling entertainment, particularly in the area of America. It has been the conventional game among the land-based casinos. Of course, poker in the casino and online poker do have some differences although they are of the similar systems and rules. If you are accustomed to playing poker in casinos, you should have no trouble enjoying the game via internet.
Perhaps one of the biggest differences between casino poker and online poker is the availability of cheating. You cannot possibly cheat via online as you do not play realistically facing other players for them to read your physical demeanor. There is not even a single opportunity for players to leak out any signs of cheating to the other gamblers. In contrary to the virtual table, you will have more playing options regarding the amount to play and where to place your bet as there are plenty of rooms available. For online game, you are not able to place the bets on the tables. So, instead of depositing chips to a real cashier, you will be doing it to the software’s cashier in the online game. You can easily quit the game anytime and withdraw the remaining balance in your account.
Aside from those mentioned, the hands, rules and overall gaming scheme are rather similar to the ordinary poker table game. Of course, there are still important guidelines to emphasize on if you play poker online. It is common for people who intend to cheat or bluff to deliver hidden messages through gestures as facial expressions are easily seen. But in the online poker, you can only cheat by playing high stake of your cards, giving an indication to other players that your cards are good and you are prepared to defeat them.
Besides, be aware that you would need a long of time in order to establish a good reputation in the online poker game. Similar to the freedom on virtual casinos, players are allowed to move around to give you the possibility of playing with many different players in case there are times when you despise anyone’s gaming style. No doubt, generally in any competition, the gaming style and personality do play an important part to keep one’s reputation. However, a game is all about winning and losing. If you are a soft-hearted person then perhaps poker is probably not your game. You need patience and commitment to grasp a good position in the poker game or any other games.
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