Home Run Poker - Team Poker: July 2005

Monday, July 25, 2005

A Look at Pokeroom.com

Pokeroom.com is an innovative online poker room with several unique features. Pokerroom began real money play back in 2001 and is considered one of the oldest and most reliable online poker rooms. Pokerroom has a no-download option so Mac users and Linux users can play there easily.

Pokerroom's graphics are very nice. They manage to convey the feel of being at a real poker table but without becoming overly busy and crowded. The software is reliable and operates smoothly. As mentioned above, it is available in a Java version (great for Mac & Linux players) as well as a regular download version.

There is a good variety of poker available at Pokerroom. In addition to Texas Holdem, Omaha, and 7 Card Stud, Pokerroom also offers 5 Card Draw poker. On the tournament side of the house, Pokerroom offers a good selection of No Limit Holdem multi-table tournaments, newbie freerolls, Sit & Go tournaments (including shorthanded sit & go's)

Pokerroom also offers casino games. You can try your hand at Blackjack, Roulette, Slots, Craps, Video Poker, Pai Gow (Chinese Poker), and other casino games.

Traffic is good at the site. You can usually find a nice soft game especially at the lower limits. Limits range from .25-.50 on up to $50-$100 and I believe I've seen some tables higher at times. Most of the action is at the lower levels $5-$10 and below and mostly Texas Holdem.

Pokerroom offers a signup bonus of 20% up to $100 and entry into the Shark Cage newbie tournament. They also have Player Point Payback system which is great for active players. Each day they split $1,000 amongst the top 50 accumulators of the Player Points. Hit a Royal Flush and you receive a bonus of 100 times the big blind up to $5,000.

Support is very good. In addition to e-mail support, they also have live chat and telephone support. Pokerroom is considered very secure. They have been around and have a good reputation throughout the industry.

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Sunday, July 24, 2005

Friday, July 22, 2005

Poker Player Profiles

Here is a list of the profiles I've done on the various poker players. I'll be adding more from time to time. Click on the links to go to the post.

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Thursday, July 21, 2005

Playing Online Poker From Your MacIntosh

For poker players that go online from their Macintosh computer, playing online poker can take a bit of doing. No problem, the typical Mac user is very web savvy.

If you have a Macintosh computer there is an online poker room that was built by Mac users with you in mind. Almost all of the other online poker sites require you to download PC only software. Pokerroom.com is different.

Pokerroom.com easily solves the download dilemma by simply requiring no download. You can play poker at Pokerroom.com directly online via your current browser. (A download version is available for PC users.)

All you need to do is signup at Pokerroom.com. A valid e-mail address is all that's required. There's no deposit required if you just want to play at the play money tables. If you decide to play in the real money games be sure to take advantage of the signup bonus. (20% bonus up to $100)

Well that's great, Mac users can play at Pokerroom.com. But what if you would like to play at one of the other online poker rooms? What if all your friends play at Party Poker and you want to play with them? Not a problem. Check out Virtual PC for Mac.

Virtual PC is an application that "makes it possible for you to access PC-only software, files, networks and devices from your Mac."

So now if you want to play poker online at an online poker site anywhere from UltimateBet to Paradise Poker there is an application to help you do so.

Mac users now have two solutions to the problem of playing poker online from their Macintosh. You can signup at Pokerroom.com and play at their no download poker room. Or, you can download the application at Virtual PC and play at all the sites available to PC users.

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Yankees, Red Sox, and Orioles-Oh My!

The battle for the American League East division title is currently a close contest between three teams with great hitting and shaky pitching. Unlike past years the American League wild card may not come from the East. So, winning the division title could carry greater importance this year.

As of this writing, the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Baltimore Orioles are all within one game of each other. The Yankees have been surging lately and seem to be the current hot team. They recently took 3 of 4 from the Red Sox in Fenway on timely hitting, blue smoke, and mirrors.

The Orioles after leading most of the way have shown signs of slipping. They are looking to shore up their pitching staff and are currently trying to put together a deal for Florida Marlin pitcher A. J. Burnett. The offense is strong with Rafael Palmeiro and Miguel Tejada leading the charge.

The Yankees may have shored up their staff by accuiring Al Leiter from the Marlins. Leiter pitched a gem against Boston in his return to the Big Apple. Only time will tell if the move to New York can re-ignite Leiter's career as well as the Yankee pitching staff.

If the Pinstripers can get their pitching fixed there's still a gapping hole in centerfield. Sadly, Bernie William's skills have eroded and he is now a liability to the team.

There's plenty of talent left on George Steinbrenner's $200 million plus payroll. Derek Jeter, Gary Sheffield, Hideki Matsui, and Alex Rodriguez have provided enough offense to keep the Yankees in the hunt.

Then there is Boston. The modern day "Murderer's Row" can be found at Fenway Park and not Yankee Stadium. Johnny Damon, David Ortiz, and Manny Ramirez headline a strikingly strong offensive lineup.

The bugaboo for Boston is also the pitching staff. Curt Schilling's rehabilitation from off season ankle surgery has taken more time than the Sox would have liked. Curt is now trying to help the team from the bullpen until Keith Foulke returns.

Three teams. Possibly one playoff spot. It could boil down to the last team standing. This should be fun to watch.

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Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Clonie Gowen

Clonie Gowen is one of the poker players that has become famous during the poker boom of the past couple of years. Her easy going manner, beauty, and poker playing ability have all combined to make Clonie a popular figure at any poker event.

Although she earns her living expenses in the cash games, most of us know her from her appearances on the Travel Channel's World Poker Tour. Clonie won the inaugural WPT Ladies Night in one of the series best telecasts. The Ladies Night event is a made for television invitational tournament. Kathy Liebert, Annie Duke, Jennifer Harman, Maureen Feduniak, Evelyn Ng, and Clonie Gowen faced off for the $25,000 first prize and a seat at the World Poker Tour Championship.

The match came down to a memorable heads up contest between Clonie and Evelyn Ng. It looked like Evelyn had her but Clonie got the card she needed and won the match before a frenzied crowd. Luck was definitely on Clonie's side at the inaugural ladies event, but in the 2004 event luck abandoned her. The defending champion finished last as Isabella Mercier took the title.

Cyclona "Clonie" Gowen grew up in Oklahoma. She was named Miss Teen Oklahoma at age 15. She was born during a tropical storm-thus the name Cyclona. Gowen lives up to her name with a whirlwind of activity. The mother of two keeps a busy tournament and cash game schedule in addition to her maternal duties.

Gowen considers herself more of a cash game player than a tournament specialist. She first started playing in cash games on the weekend to supplement her income. She became so successful that she later turned pro.

She continues to have success. Recently, Clonie Gowen finished in the money at the 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event. Her 459th place finish was good for a $14,135 payday.

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Monday, July 18, 2005

Do You Tilt ? Wanna Bet?

We use the term Tilt so often when playing online poker. "She really went on tilt after that bad beat."

Or, "He tilted his chips away." So, what exactly is tilt?

When we think of tilt, we may tend to think of the profanity laced tirades of a Phil Hellmuth or Mike Matusow. The Hellmuthian tantrums or a Matusow Meltdown are certainly entertaining forms of tilt. But if we limit our view of tilt to such extreme examples, we won't have a full understanding of tilting.

Let us say then that tilting occurs whenever our emotions cause us to play worse poker than we normally play. So not only does tilting involve the very visible blow ups, it also takes form in other subtle and less obvious ways.

In fact, the ways of tilting are infinite. Yes, infinite I tells 'ya. You can chase. That's tilt. You can loosen your starting hand requirements for no good reason. That's tilt, too. You can just call with King-King because, "I hate Kings; they never win." You can be thinking about the last hand, or how you'd like to bust that loudmouth that's winning all the chips. It's all tilt.

You tilt. That's a safe bet. And you tilt differently from anyone else. Try this simple exercise from Killer Poker by John Vorhaus. The next time you play a game of online poker write down all the emotions you feel. After your poker session online, review your notes and ask yourself how these different emotions effected your game.

The above exercise helped my game and I think it can help yours. We often take notes on our opponents when playing online poker. It can be really eye opening when we take note of our own emotional game.

After we recognize more fully that we are subject to tilt like everyone else, how can we minimize the effects of tilt? The first solution is to leave the game.

This is a big advantage the online poker player has over his real world counterpart. There are so many poker games online that it's very easy to just click off the table and come back later when you've regained your composure.

When playing online poker, we can blow off steam and yell at our computer screen whilst insincerely typing "Nice Hand" into the chat feature. Blowing off steam helps some. Others may find that blowing off steam only causes them to tilt even more. What matters to you is how this effects you. Know Thyself!

Another way to minimize tilt lies in the very recognition that we are subject to tilting. Because we face up to our own tilt early, we can deal with it in it's beginning stages. When we're aware of being just a little upset, it's easier to get back on track.

We can minimize tilt through our lifestyle. Which player do you think is more likely to go on tilt? Sid just drove home from an evening of partying with the boys. He's too jazzed to sleep so maybe he'll just get in a few hands at Party Poker before turning in ( "What the heck..."). And hey, he'll check Sportscenter to see how the Yankees did. He pops open a Budweiser....

Sally has just completed her regular yoga session after a great night's sleep..... Okay, I think you get my drift.

Recognizing tilt in our own games will help us better recognize tilt in our online opponents. We can put ourselves in their cyber shoes. We know that bad beat would have raised our blood pressure. We suspect it has a similar effect on others. Similar but not the same. Remember everyone tilts a little differently. So be sure to verify that your foe is really on the tilt you suspect.

Take a good hard look at your own tilt. Learn how even a small amount of tilting can hurt your game. Learn what pushes your buttons. If you spend some time and effort in learning your own tilt I believe it will help your game. I know that it has helped mine.

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Saturday, July 16, 2005

Playing Online Poker - For Beginners

If you are looking to learn how to play online poker or just to improve your game, there are many helpful resources available online. There are over 1,000 books dealing with the subject of poker over at Amazon.

Perhaps you Googled "learn how to play poker". That search yields over 2 million results.

You could visit online poker forums and participate in detailed discussions of a single hand. This website includes a growing Online Poker Tip Guide for your viewing pleasure.

The point is the "how to play poker online" information is abundant. In this post I'd like to look at the other side of that coin.

William O'Neil, the famous stock market wizard, tells the tale of a group of students who were given an assignment to find out all they could about fish.

They were then to write a report on what they had learned. The day the assignment was due came and the students handed it their work. The Professor briefly scanned the work. He then stood up before the class and tore the student's collective works to shreds!

"I asked you to learn about fish!" the Prof exclaimed. " All you have done is write reports based upon things you have read in books. The way to learn about fish go to where there are fish!"

Former World Series of Poker Champion Chris "Jesus" Ferguson supposedly was asked how one could improve their poker play. "Stop reading Sklansky!" was the curt reply.

I don't know if either of the above stories actually happened. But, they do illustrate an important truth about improving our online poker play.

You can only learn so much from books and forums and websites.

Don't let the paralysis of analysis keep you from the tables. In order to know where your poker game stands you must play poker. There's a big difference between learning something in theory and applying it in practice. How did you learn to drive a car. Was it by studying that booklet the DMV gave you? Doubt it. How did you learn to walk?

So even if you are a rank beginner, get out there and learn by playing online. You can play the play money tables at first. But it's important to progress to the real money tables after a bit. Sure you'll make mistakes -that's part of it.

When you're just starting out play at a limit where losing won't hurt you. UltimateBet has limit and no-limit tables as low as $.01-.02 and Paradise Poker has tables starting at $.02-.04 .

You can get in a lot of seat time at these penny tables. Then when you start beating these stakes, you can move up to higher stakes. Don't worry about starting at the micro-limits. I'll bet when Dale Earnhardt or A.J. Foyt first drove a car it was in an open field or empty parking lot. You've got to start somewhere. From little acorns mighty oak trees grow.

In this post, I've tried to motivate you. If you've studied the basics a bit, get in there and mix it up with the boys. That way when you do get back to the books, you'll have some real experiences that will help you relate to what the author is trying to get across.

If you're just starting out think of it like shampooing you hair. Lather-Rinse-Repeat. Study a bit and then play a bit, then repeat. Now get out there and show 'em who's boss.

Paradise Poker presents the 10 Minute Poker Coach & poker tips from poker champions. Learn how to play today!

Thursday, July 14, 2005

2005 World Series of Poker- Getting Good!

Mike Matsow, Phil Ivey, and "Fossilman"
Today is Day 6 of the 2005 World Series of Poker. The 27 remaining players have all secured a payday of over $300,000 dollars. Mike Matsow will begin today's play with the chip lead. He is followed closely by Phil Ivey. Defending champion Greg "Fossilman" Raymer sits in fifth place.

Today's action could be electric. It will be interesting to see if "Fossilman" and Matsow tangle again this year. The supremely talented Phil Ivey has to be considered the favorite considering he has made it through more than 5,000 opponents and stands just off the lead.

Nine players will survive today's action. All nine will be guaranteed at least a $1,000,000 payday.

Anna Update
Anna Benson, it turns out, did participate in this year's World Series of Poker main event. Seems she told ESPN radio that since someone decided to wager $10,000 on her to win the event; she'd play.

Alas, poor Anna will not win this years main event and make her one true believer rich. But she did survive well into the evening of her first day. But she was eliminated by a player holding King-Jack to her Ace-King when a Jack came on the turn.

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Learn How to Play Online Poker

Online poker is all the buzz. You see poker played on television night and day. Your buddies are always talking poker. But you don't know Jack about playing poker (especially playing online poker) and you want to learn.

Is that all that's bothering you? Well, you know what Mike Sexton says, "a lifetime to master but only five minutes to learn." Maybe I'm a slow learner but I think it takes a little longer than that.

Fortunately they are some great resources available online. You can learn the basics of Texas Hold'em, Omaha, or 7-Card Stud. You can even take more advanced tutorials.

If you learn better visually, there is a video series that will show you the basics of play. There's even a flash presentation that teaches you how to play online by letting you participate in a demonstration game.

All of these resources are free. They are provided by the various online poker rooms. And there's such a variety and wealth of information that I feel you'll be able to find just the help you're looking for.

If you are looking for the basics, (you know big blinds, small blinds, betting & raising) then Party Poker has you covered. They have sections on the rules of Texas Hold'em, Omaha, and 7-Card Stud as well as a Poker Primer.

Ultimate Bet has an extensive section on Poker Strategy. It includes articles by Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth ("How to be a Crybaby?"). In the advanced section there are several articles about Omaha. And there's a complete section on tournament play. So if you're looking for some in depth instruction, check out the Poker Strategy section at UltimateBet .

If you want to get more comfortable with online play, Poker Room has a great flash presentation. You'll get to play a demonstration hand against pokerbots. Don't worry they are not very good pokerbots!

Finally, if you're more visually inclined, let the lovely Caprice teach you how to play poker in her online video presentation entitled, Learn to play poker with Caprice (of course!). In the video series, she will teach you how to play Texas Hold'em.

So there you have it. You can delve deeply into advanced strategy, play against demonstration pokerbots, or have a lovely model teach you how to play poker. Gotta' admit, I'm a little jealous. My Uncles taught me!

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Playing Winning Low Limit Online Poker

When we think of low limit online poker games, we typically think of loose passive affairs with many callers and frequent showdowns. We think of a game where we will get plenty of action. The typical low limit strategy involves waiting patiently for great starting hands, playing straightforwardly, and showing down the best hand.

This type of strategy may work well in many of the loose passive games you'll find at the low limits. And, it's well and good to seek such games out. But even if you correctly find a good game in the online poker world, players move in and out of these games quickly. Just when you enter that nice soft game you've scouted out, a couple of calling stations click the 'leave table' button and make a quick exit. Soon a clueless maniac arrives and quickly puts the table on tilt. An online poker table can change from a good table to a bad table very quickly. There are probably other sharks watching that juicy game you've found and are just waiting to get in.

So to think we can blindly play a basic default strategy when playing low limit online poker is a mistake. It has been said that each poker game is different. In online poker because of the rapid turnover, each hand must be treated differently. Because of this ever changing landscape, we must be constantly evaluating the table dynamics and adjusting our play accordingly.

Certainly many of the players that play at the lower limits are weak players. Many but not all-not by any means. Just as there are players of all abilities in the higher limits, there's a broad range of talent at the low stakes tables. Good players that are building a bankroll play at the lower limits. Experienced social players like to play and win here. The math whiz at the local university may be paying his tuition by multi-tabling at the smaller tables.

So it's important to know your adversary's playing style and tendencies. While there may not be quite as many situations where fancy tactics are necessary in an online low limit game, there will still be plenty. We need to know in advance if our opponent is weak and can be moved off a hand by a well placed bluff or raise. We need to know when to bet for value against a chronic bluffer. We need to know who's multi-tabling at our table and if they are playing ABC default poker. In short, we need to be always watching play at the table and constantly learning about our opponents.

If you've been playing an ABC default type of poker in your low limit online games, start looking for opportunities to expand your repitiore. Start picking up those small orphaned pots. Check-raise that weak opponent on the turn. Learn who you can bully and who you cannot. You'll start adding variety to your play. You will become harder for your opponents to read and they will in turn make more mistakes against you.

The poker played online keeps getting better. It wasn't long ago that you could win at the online lower limits just by playing a nice- safe- tight game. Playing that unimaginative style now will make you not much better than a break-even player. You might win a little but not much. In order to be a significant winner at the online low limits, you'll need to develop the more advanced skills and then use them correctly against the right opponents. If you become good at applying these skills in your low limit online poker game, you should be a big winner.
Learn to play poker with Caprice

Monday, July 11, 2005

Poker Hand Rankings

Let's take a look at the basic ranking of hands in poker. Here are the hands ranked from highest to lowest in strength in a standard poker game. A hand consist of the five cards that make the best hand.

Royal Flush- The Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten of the same suit. This is the highest hand possible in a standard poker game.
Straight Flush- The next highest hand, it must have 5 cards of the same suit all connected. For example 10-9-8-7-6 of Diamonds.
Four of a Kind- Four cards of the same rank. Four Jacks, Four Dueces, etc.
Full House-Three of one rank and two of another. For example, three Aces and two Kings. This would be referred to as "Aces full of Kings". A nice hand indeed.
Flush-All five cards are of the same suit. King of clubs, Jack of clubs, Nine of clubs, Six of clubs, Four of clubs would be a flush. If two players have a flush, the player with the highest flush card wins. If the highest card is a community card, they tie.
Straight-Five connected cards of mixed suits. 5-4-3-2-Ace of more than one suit would make a straight. With more than one straight, highest card wins.
Three of a Kind-Three cards of the same rank with two random cards. Ten-Ten-Ten-Queen-Five would qualify.
Two Pairs- Pretty much self explanatory. King-King-Eight-Eight-Ace, for example.
One Pair- A hand that has two cards of equal rank and three cards that are random and don't match up. Two Sevens and a King, Three, Four of mixed suits would give you a pair of Sevens.
High Card- This comes into play when no one has any of the above hands. Then the strongest hand is the one which features the highest card. For example if I have a Jack-high and you have a King-high, you win! If the High Cards are equal, then we must compare our kickers or next highest cards. In the rare instance both High Card and kicker are equal , we continue down the line comparing next highest cards.

These are the basic hand rankings for standard poker games such as Texas Hold'em, Omaha, and 7-Card Stud. They do not take into account variations such as Hi/Lo or Wild Cards. For a more detailed look at these variations see this article.

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Sunday, July 10, 2005

Know Your World Series of Poker ABC's

This year's World Series of Poker Main Event has been so large that it's taking three days to seat all the participants. July 8-9-10 have been designated Day 1A, Day 1B, and Day 1C. Each day a different group starts the tournament. Yesterday (Day 1B) must have been pretty eventful. Saturday featured a publicity seeking male player in a white wedding dress, a two hour late grand entrance by poker brat Phil Hellmuth, and a strong showing by 2003 runner-up Sam Farha.

How do I know all this and much, much more? Child's play, really. You see, I just know where to look. And the best places I've found to look for information on the World Series of Poker are from these guys.....

World Series of Poker

World Series of Poker Live Blog

World Series of Poker Photo Gallery

2005 World Series of Poker Tournament Results

Saturday, July 09, 2005

Our Sunday Night Game

This Sunday at 8PM EST we'll be having another ParadiseIpod tourney. Be sure to enter for a chance at winning your own Ipod or cash including a Grand Prize of $2,500. Also be sure to enter the Paradise Poker Million Dollar Freeroll after you sign up.

Friday, July 08, 2005

Online Poker Tip: Play For Free

Are you thinking about playing poker online? Maybe you've become interested it playing poker recently but think that playing poker online may be too risky. In short, you are just not comfortable with the idea of risking your hard earned money in something as crazy as playing poker online.

If these concerns sound familiar, you may want to play online poker for free. That's one of the great advantages of the online poker games. Almost all of the online poker sites offer two ways that you can play for free.

The first way you can play for free is to play in the play money games. These games are a great way to familiarize yourself with each poker room's software. You can play at the free tables until you become comfortable with the site's layout. The play money tables are also a good place to spend some time when you're learning a new game. Say you're a Texas Hold'em whiz and want to learn how to play Omaha--Spend some time at the play money tables. Make your novice mistakes there.

While the play money sites can be fun and useful, you won't get a realistic game there. Since there is no real money on the line, players will bet and raise with nothing. You won't learn much about hand values and betting strategy at these tables. And, while you can't lose any money; you can't win any either.

That's where freerolls come in. In a freeroll tournament you will be competing for cash and/or prizes. While most freerolls feature a small cash purse, several are now offering large grand prizes. In the ParadiseIpods, you could parlay your victory to win an Ipod or $2500. In the Paradise Poker Million Dollar Freeroll, you could win $1,000,000. PokerRoom offers various free (and some nearly free) tournaments throughout the week. Also, be sure to check the various poker sites for special new player freeroll tournaments when you sign up.

Playing online poker for free gives you an opportunity to get your feet wet. It allows you to gain some experience at new and unfamiliar types of poker. It can be a great place for a fun social game of poker. And, in the case of the freerolls you stand a chance at winning some cash or prizes. Playing for free is a great way to enter the game of online poker.

For more tips visit the Online Poker Tip Guide

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Thursday, July 07, 2005

A Look at Party Poker

Party Poker is where the action is. It's always the online poker room with the most players. If you want a game you can find it there. Party Poker draws players from all across the world. At any time of your day or night, thousands of tables will be opened and tens of thousands of players will be playing. During peak hours, Party Poker plays host to well over 50,000 poker players.

Okay, Party Poker is big. How does that help you and me? It helps us a great deal. Because Party is the largest and best known online poker site on planet earth, it is a good choice for the newer player.

Newer players naturally player looser and that makes the games more profitable in general. You can always find a soft game. If your table toughens up, simply find a better table. So if you are just starting out or are looking for soft games, Party Poker can be a great place to play.

As you might suspect, Party Poker offers a wide selection of poker games at many levels- limit as well as no limit. They have a huge selection of both real money and play money tables. At Party, you'll have your choice of a variety of Texas Hold'em, Omaha, and 7-Card Stud games. If Sit & Go's are more your style you're in luck. They have both single table and multi-table games with up to 30 players.

Party runs a Bad Beat Jackpot and a High Hand Jackpot . The Bad Beat Jackpot has provided some nice payoffs. In January a player won $268,867.54 and a player who had only signed up in August won nearly 116,00 in October*

Party Poker has a huge array of large tournaments. They host the Party Poker Million tournament every year. Currently they are playing satellite entry tournaments for Party Poker Million V which is estimated to offer a prize pool of $10 Million. The finals of this World Poker Tour tournament are held annually onboard a cruise ship. You've probably seen the final table televised on the Travel Channel as part of their WPT coverage.

Party Poker runs an interesting mix of freeroll tournaments. For instance, between now and July 23rd players who qualify can enter the Porshe 911 Freeroll . Other freerolls currently listed include: the $5000 Players Club Freeroll, and a $5000 New Player Freeroll.

Party Poker offers generous sign up bonuses for new players. You can get a 20% sign up bonus of up to $100 or a free entry into a satellite for the Party Poker Millions.

Party Poker is part of Party Gaming which had a successful initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange on June 27, 2005.

* From Party Poker News and Events/Jackpot

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

The Amazing Growth of Poker

The World Series of Poker will kick-off it's Main Event on July 7th. Actually the World Series will need three days to properly get underway. If the field reaches capacity, (and it's almost certain to) 2,200 players per day will begin the tournament on the 7th, 8th, or 9th of July.

That's right. The $10,000 buy-in No-Limit Texas Hold'em event is expected to play to a full house of 6,600 hopefuls. With a field so large, this World Series will fill seven days. The final two days will be held at the traditional site for The World Series of Poker : Binion's Horseshoe in downtown Las Vegas.

In last year's Main Event, five player's won a Million Dollars. I wonder if the entire final table will become instant millionaires this year. The growth in poker is not limited to the World Series of Poker. The competition for players has led to some lucrative prize pools in the online poker world. Party Poker has just completed it's fourth Party Million tournament and estimates a $10 million dollar prize pool for next year. Sites are offering large cash prizes and popular items such as Ipods in freeroll tournaments. And now Paradise Poker has launched the mother of all freerolls with it's Paradise Poker Million Dollar Freeroll tournament in which someone will win $1 million dollars.

Poker's most recent surge in popularity had it's beginnings with the popularity of the movie Rounders and the improbable Cinderella story of Chris Moneymaker in the 2003 World Series of Poker. Nowadays you can find poker tournaments televised across the dial. Poker has become the most popular search term on the internet.

This year's World Series preliminaries have already featured a Cinderella win by actress Jennifer Tilly, a record breaking 10th bracelet won by Johnny Chan, and a then a record re-tying 10th bracelet win by poker legend Doyle Brunson. Such dramatics should contribute to strong ratings when ESPN begins it's broadcast of the World Series later this month.

Some have wondered if poker is just another passing fad. I don't think so. It is an intriguing game that anyone can play but that will always challenge even the best players. We may see ups and downs in the games popularity but poker has now become mainstream. Sure there are plenty of opportunities to make a small fortune playing the game. But, for most of us it's mainly a fun pastime. Poker is here to stay.

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Winning The Small Pots

Winning the small pots is a skill that can make the difference between a break even player and a big winner. It's what Amarillo Slim likes to call "running without the ball." Winning the small pots is more important as you climb to higher and higher stakes in online poker. You'll typically see tighter play as you advance. If you are in a game where players will call you down with little or nothing, making plays for the small pots is less necessary (and less profitable). It's a tactic that works better in No Limit than in Limit. You can still pick up small pots in limit in certain situations but you'll often be vulnerable to draws.

The small pots I'm talking about here are pots with no more that three opponents seeing the flop and no pre-flop raise. It's better if you only have two or less opponents in the hand but three can sometimes work. Whenever you are in this type of situation, examine the flop closely for chances to take the pot.

Let's say you are in middle position. You raise with a pair of Jacks after an early player limps in. Only the big blind and the early limper call. The flop comes Ace-9-2 with no flush or straight draws. It's checked to you. You should bet. First of all, if no one has an Ace, you may in fact have the best hand. With your pre-flop raise, a bet here represents an Ace. You could get a weaker Ace to fold here or on the turn.

Say you are on the button and know the two opponents to your left are weak-tight. If it's folded to you consider raising with anything. Even if your weak opponents call you, you will likely have an opportunity to win the pot on the flop.

There are many times when acting early that a situational bet may be called for. Say you are playing in a SNG and it's down to four players with the first three positions paying. You know your opponent has tightened up trying to limp into the money. If a scary flop comes, you can bet as if it hit your hand perfectly. You can pick up a lot of chips in this type of situation.

Many times I find myself in a situation where I say to myself, "I'm betting for information here." Rather than, "I'm bluffing". First of all betting for information is more accurate. I don't have anything and I want to put the other players to the test. If they show strength, I'll have to respect that. I find that it's easier for me to correctly back down when I represent the bet in my mind as fact finding.

When you make a bet in No Limit, you should bet enough that folks will take your bet seriously. Put some heat on them. If you just bet the minimum, your bet will be seen for what it is. Also a minimum bet often makes it correct for draws to call. So bet an amount that will cause draws and marginal made hands to get out.

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Many times when you try to take a small pot you will get caught. Someone has something and you have to back down. Often it's necessary to fold when someone shows strength. Getting caught bluffing can help you later. When you do get a legitimate hand, some of the other players will think you're bluffing again and give you action.

A tough situation is when your opponent check-calls you on the flop and then check -raises you on the turn. If your opponent is tight and straight-forward you can safely fold. But you don't want to automatically fold everytime someone check-raises you this way. You could become very predictable to your more observant foes.

A good counter to this is to selectively re-raise against a player of which you are suspicious. This is usually better than just calling on the turn and river. You could win the pot with your re-raise. Or your foe may just check the river and give you a cheap showdown. And, at least you've served notice to the table not to try and mess with you.

You want to develop a tight-aggressive playing style. Stealing small pots in the right situation is part of an aggressive style. It will also help camouflage your tight playing standards. If you just come out swinging when the flop hits you in the face, you'll be easy for your opponents to read. They'll just back off whenever your showing aggression. Then you'll be winning your small pots in the situations where you want to be taking down big pots.

By betting aggressively, you will put your opponents in confusing situations where they are apt to make mistakes. You'll be picking up many small pots and winning big pots when you have the best hand to showdown. Play aggressively and try "running without the ball" yourself. It's a key to winning poker.

Monday, July 04, 2005

Sunday, July 03, 2005

Chance to win $2,500.....Chance to win $1,000,000...

Join everyone tonight, July 3rd at 8 PM EST, for our weekly ParadiseIpod Tournament. Tonight's tournament is free to enter. Sign up here. You could be the one to parlay a victory into $2500.

If a shot at $2500 is not enough for you.... Paradise is now running the World's First $1,000,000 Freeroll. They are running free heats daily from now until August 26th. Check it out.

Saturday, July 02, 2005

Are Pokerbots Real ?

At the various poker chat rooms and forums you'll hear the occasional whisper. Okay, it's more than an occasional whisper. Maybe you've been suspicious of that player who's always playing poker online and never seems to take a bathroom break. Is he or she an IT ? ? Is it possible we're playing against mindless, emotionless pokerbots?!!? My Gosh, the online world is crawling with them!! Or is it?

Up until now all these stories and sightings have seemed equal parts conspiracy theory and bigfoot sighting. The whole dern thing reads like Oliver Stone's first foray into cyber-fiction. Folks, let's just calm down! Move along; nothing to see here. For goodness sake, there's just been absolutely no hard scientific evidence to support the existence of pokerbots !

That is until now.

Recently a pokerbot--Wally-- has begun blogging. From his journaling we have been able to learn quite a bit about 'bots. For instance, Wally reveals such tidbits as, " Robots do not need to sleep" as well as ," Robots can spin their heads 360 degrees. "

Wally also seems to dislike World Poker Tour winner Antonio " The Magician" Esfandiari . In fact Wally has extended an open invitation to play "The Magician" heads up at UltimateBet. ( Maybe Wally'll get some viral marketing exposure from the challenge. I hope so.)

Still don't believe Wally's a pokerbot? Wally also seems to understand Omaha. He even presents a tutorial on it's play. If that doesn't convince you he's not real.... I just don't know.

So when you get a chance, bop on over and visit Wally the Pokerbot at his new sight. And if you see "The Magician", tell him to bring his A-game.

Play poker and meet thousands over other poker players! Exciting games, great community and awesome bonuses. Join Now!

Friday, July 01, 2005

Online Poker Tip: Satellites

Satellites and Super satellites are popular and economical ways to play your way into major poker tournaments. There are two basic ways you can enter one of these major tournaments. You can buy your way in or you can play your way in. You could even find yourself playing in a World Poker Tour Event by starting with an online satellite.

For example, you could win your way into the Aruba Classic by playing in the various satellite tournaments offered by event sponsor Ultimate Bet. You could begin by playing in a free roll tournament and winning entry into a $100+$9 satellite. If you win this tourney, you could be off to Aruba !

In last year's Aruba Classic, "Liga26" beat over 600 players to earn $1,000,000 and a seat at the 2005 World Poker Tour championships in Las Vegas.

So, as you can see, the world of online poker tournaments offers some exciting possibilities. You could win huge sums of money if the poker gods smile upon you. And by taking the satellite route, you may be able to parlay little to no investment into a big win.

Play your way to Aruba at UltimateBet!

For more tips visit the Online Poker Tip Guide.

Thursday, June 30, 2005

Online Poker Tip: Pot Odds

That old baseball philosopher Yogi Berra once said," Ninety percent of baseball is half pitching." Yogi knew the odds. You should too.

In poker, we often look at pot odds in order to make profitable decisions. We compare the number of bets in the pot to the size of the bet we need to make in order to arrive at our pot odds. If there's $50 in the pot and we are faced with a $10 bet, our pot odds are 5:1.

Typically we use pot odds when deciding whether to continue with a drawing hand. We determine our outs and compare them with the odds to see if we should stay with our draw.

Here's an example. You have a flush draw after the flop. You know the three cards on the flop and the two in your hand. So there are 47 cards left that are unknown. There are 9 unknown cards that will make your flush. Let's say the pot is offering you 5:1 odds. 47 divided by 9 = 5.22 . So for every 5.22 times you see another card you'll complete your flush once on average. That's 4.22 times to 1 or, 4.22:1 . Since the pot is giving us 5:1 odds we will show a profit over time (assuming that our flush is good).

There are many other factors that should enter into your decision in a real playing situation. You'd want to discount your flush draw if it was not to the nuts. There might be the possibility of someone drawing to a full house or better. There might be players acting behind you that could wreck your pot odds. Determining your pot odds is important but it's not the end of your hand analysis.

Take the time to memorize the odds to situations you'll find yourself in again and again. You don't need to memorize them down to the fraction. But you should know that a flush draw is 4:1 with one card to come, an open ended straight draw is about 5:1, and a gut shot draw is almost 11:1 . That way you'll be able to easily compare these odds to the odds the pot is offering you. And you'll be making better informed betting decisions.

Play your way to Aruba at UltimateBet!

For more tips visit the Online Poker Tip Guide.

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

"Moonlight" Graham

There's an interesting article at MLB.com on "Moonlight" Graham. It turns out that the character played by Burt Lancaster in Field of Dreams was a real person. Today is the 100th anniversary of his one game in the Major Leagues. Here's his story.

Online Poker Tip: Play Tight & Aggressive

Poker players are loosely grouped by their style of play. Players can be grouped into one of four general categories. Those are Loose-Passive, Loose-Aggressive, Tight-Passive, and Tight-Aggressive.

First let's define our terms. These labels are in general use but it's best to make sure we're all singing from the same songbook. A player is said to be Tight if he plays a limited number of hands. Conversely, players are Loose if they play many hands. A Passive player tends to check and call and only play their good made hands. On the other end of the spectrum, Aggressive players like to bet and raise. They look for opportunities to move someone off their hand. They look for bluffs and chances to steal pots.

Loose-Passive players play a great many hands and play them weakly. They subscribe to the "any hand can win" theory. They will often times call you down with a weak to marginal hand. Because they tend to call your bets, bluff a loose-passive call station sparingly if at all.

Their loose starting standards put them in many dominated positions. And, when they do have a great hand; they are often easy to read. They will suddenly spring to life and alert you to the fact that they have something. They will occasionally get lucky and give you a bad beat. Even so these are the best type of opponents you can have. Actively seek out loose-passive opponents when you are selecting your table. Fill your "buddy list" with the screen names of these players.

Loose-Aggressive players can be tougher to deal with. Against a loose-aggressive opponent, you must force him to play your game not his. You must continue to play tightly. Then when you play a hand against the loose-aggressive player you will likely have the better hand. Because this type of player will play many starting hands, he will be harder to read.

Only the most skilled players can successfully play with a style that is loose and aggressive. Highly skilled players like Carlos Mortensen and Gus Hansen can make it work on the World Poker Tour against other great players that are capable of making a tough laydown. But the players you and I face online are not nearly of that caliber.

When the loose and aggressive player is hitting their hands they can be very dangerous. You may be tempted to loosen your starting hand requirements and play down to their level. Stay patient and soon their rush will end. You'll then be in a stronger position. You can be the one betting and raising with the superior hands.

Tight-Passive players are also known as "Rocks. That's because they wait and wait for a strong starting hand. Then they usually play them weakly. They are unimaginative by the book players. They play only their cards and not the situation.

They are the most predictable of the four basic player types. If they start betting and raising, get out. They have the goods. You can often steal pots from the tight-passive player with a bet or raise. Be on the lookout for opportunities to bluff or semi-bluff these type of players.

Tight-Aggressive players are selective in choosing which hands to play. They tend to bet and raise as opposed to check and call. When they do enter a hand, they are the aggressor. This is the style of the better players. Ideally, you want to be the lone tight-aggressive player at your table. Put your opponents to the test with your bets and raises. Make sure you are the one controlling the action.

If you find yourself at a table with one or more tight-aggressive players, consider finding another table. There are plenty of other choices online. There's rarely a need to play at a tough table. If you do have to face a tight-aggressive (in a Sit& Go, for instance) at least be aware of him. See if you can pick up any tendencies when he is in a hand. Because he's tight, you should only be fighting for the same pot infrequently.

A tight-aggressive playing style works best against passive opponents. Against aggressive (but loose) opponents a tight-aggressive player will still win in the long run but the variance will be greater. Carefully choose the table at which you play online. Tight-aggressive play combined with playing at tables full of passive players is a powerful and winning combination.

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For more tips visit the Online Poker Tip Guide

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

6-Max Texas Limit Hold 'em: Turn & River Play

The Turn- Play on the turn in 6-Max is mainly a time to either be raising or folding. If you have a strong hand or even a more marginal one, seek to be the aggressor. Bet out if your opponents have not shown any strength. You will likely only have one or two opponents at this time and a bet might win it for you here.

If your opponent bets ahead of you, your decision will be based on a number of factors. These include the strength of your hand, the cards on the board, the rounds previous betting action, your read on your opponents, and your perceived table image.

For instance, let's say you flop a pair of Kings and your lone opponent had just called your bet on the flop. A third suited card comes on the turn and your opponent springs to life. Now he's representing a flush. Review the hand as well as your opponents playing style.If he's a straightforward rock type of player, he likely has made the flush and you'll want to fold your pair of Kings.

If he's a more imaginative opponent, he may be using the scare card to try and get you to fold. You'll need to access the probability that he has you beat and compare that probability to the odds and decide how to continue. Just remember that it gets expensive to call your opponent down with a bet here and on the river.

On the other hand, if you fold whenever someone comes alive on the turn; the more observant players will notice and look for opportunities to bully you. One strategy is to raise the bet and hope for a cheap showdown. A raise on the turn cost the same as calling the turn and river and there is some chance your raise may get your opponent to fold.

6-Max is an aggressive game and your opponents will be trying to test you. If you have been acting passively up to the turn, you have given your opponents an open invitation to mess with you. Playing aggressively and controlling the action makes it much less likely that anyone will try and wrest control of the hand from you without having a legitimate hand themselves.

If you find yourself up against a really strong player or two online, you should think about finding a game that is more passive. You'll have plenty of other games available online. There's no need to do battle against opponents that possess the same skills and aggressiveness you do. You want to be the lone aggressor and take control of the table.

The River- Play on the river is more straightforward. It has been said that while you can loose a bet on the river, you can loose a hand on the turn. It's likely that your pot odds are so favorable here that you'll be showing it down in any event. You have to be near certain that you are beat to fold a hand here. Great folds on the river are not the way to make money in limit hold'em.

You'll want to value bet when you feel you have the best of it. If your opponents have just been responding to your betting and a blank come on the river, try to earn those extra bets. If a card comes on the river that could help one of your opponents make a better hand, tread cautiously. Many times you'll want to continue betting even though a river card could possibly give someone a flush or straight. You can't just assume your opponents were chasing whatever the river happens to complete. Consider the number of opponents you are facing. With several opponents it's more likely someone completed their draw.

You may find yourself in the classic situation where an opponent will only call your bet if he has you beat. In such a situation , you should consider just checking and calling. Your check may induce a bluff and you'll gain a bet that way.

As you can see, 6-Max is often a tricky player dependent game. In the online game, table selection is a critical factor to maximizing your profits . You want to be the one putting pressure on your opponents. You want to be the unchallenged aggressor. If you play in a game with several aggressive players, you'll be put in tough situations again and again. You''ll have to make the best choice based upon your skills and read of the other players. But, if you are playing at a passive table you'll be able to pick up many pots largely on aggressive play. Players will reveal their skills and aggressiveness on the turn and river. Always pay attention to their actions even when you are not in the hand. Then when you're faced with that bet on the turn, you will know what to do.

For more tips visit the Online Poker Tip Guide.

Play your way to Aruba at UltimateBet!

Monday, June 27, 2005

Online Poker Tip: Guide

Thought I'd start a guide to the online poker tips so that you could link to and fro from one easy location.

Learn to play poker with Caprice

Last Updated July 27, 2005

Sunday, June 26, 2005

Poker This Sunday Night

Be sure to join everyone tonight at 8 p.m. EST for the weekly series of ParadiseIpods Tournaments . You can sign up through this link for your chance to win an I-pod or up to $2500.

See you there!

Update- "cheater ace" rallied from being one card away from a fifth place finish to defeat a field of 119 players and win tonight's ParadiseIpod Tournament. "cheater ace " got the miracle 6 he needed on the river and then began a rally to take the win with trip 7's.

FIND IT HERE

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