Posted on 25th Sep, 2009 by admin
A successful poker player is an amalgam of several attributes and characteristics. The successful player has the following skills and abilities. Odds on hands are well known and they know them. They have the ability to figure pot odds in a split second and then react correctly. When a bad beat overtakes their good hand, they posses the ability to stay cool Really good players have an innate instinct at critical moments in a hand to stay or fold the hand. This stepping aside when a mistake could be made is seen often in TV tournaments. Bad players make bad calls and good players avoid them. Every player can be caught by a miracle draw, but in most hands, these out of left field draws are not the difference between winning and losing.
Good players have also logged hours of play and a huge number of hands to gain the needed experience. The old timers in poker do not have the advantage they once had, as the new young players have played for hours on the Net. This compressed playing time has been a leveler in the play of new players. The new players as a group are far more aggressive in their play. This is particularly true in Tournaments. Their play is often referred to as Power Poker. These top players are always putting the pressure on the other players. Many of them have not seen a hand that they cannot raise on when it is their turn to bet.
Successful players have read the good books and watched tapes and TV shows to learn what they did wrong and what their opponents have done right. This intense study of the game helps them make better decisions when faced with a call or a raise they need to make or call. They also understand table position play, which can make second best hands look more powerful. This aspect of the game is seen in both types of games. Unsophisticated players do not recognize table position value. Solid players understand its value and play it all the time.
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Posted on 16th Sep, 2009 by admin
Five Card Stud is similar to Five Card Draw, the difference being that you do not ever get a chance to replace cards in your hand and therefore do not get a chance to improve that hand. As in Seven Card Stud you get a hole card and 4 open cards for all to see. Most versions play the final card as a community card. Since there is no chance to improve your hand, the winning hands tend to be either pairs or high cards and it is hard to string people along to the final street. Some variations on Five Card Stud alleviate this by making the last card a pocket card allowing for some raises.
The Open
The hand starts with the dealer handing each player 2 cards. First cards dealt are a hole card and then the dealer follows up with an open card for each player. Wagering then begins, usually with the high open card going first and then following clockwise. This continues until betting is over. These are the first two “Streets”.
Third Street
The dealer then hands out a third card, which is another open card. This is followed by another round of betting. Betting begins again with the highest open card opening and continues until there are no more bets made. Then it is time for the Fourth Street.
Fourth Street
Again the dealer hands out an open card, which is then followed by another round of betting. Betting again continues until all call and then it is on to the Fifth Street.
Fifth Street
The Fifth Street is the final card. Usually this is an open card but some variations play this as a hole or pocket card to make the game more interesting. This variation creates more uncertainty about which cards your opponent’s hole cards could be and allows for more interesting betting opportunities. Bluffs and more creative betting make this variation more interesting than four straight open cards.
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Posted on 7th Sep, 2009 by admin
If you are an avid poker player then you will constantly be looking for ways to improve your poker game. Gaming strategies, odds calculators, poker tutorials and more can certainly assist you in your attempts to improve your game. Plus, good old fashioned practice will help you hone your poker skills and will also help you become a sharp and formidable poker player at the tables.
First, if you are looking to improve your poker game, you will want to read every book you possibly can about the subject. Professional poker players often write books about their playing techniques. In learning about the different techniques that various poker player’s use, you can learn the techniques that work best for you and subsequently improve your poker game.
Second, when looking to improve your poker game, you will want to explore as many strategic plays as possible. This can be done at free online casinos where you can learn the different types of rules for poker variants, the different types of hands to play and you can even play against people from anywhere on the globe.
Third, when seeking to improve your poker game, you may want to read or check out various poker game tutorials on the web. Such tutorials may provide you with some insight that you may have not otherwise had before you viewed the tutorial. You would be surprised what you might learn while viewing tutorials and you will find the learning process both engaging and fun.
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