Wednesday, December 21, 2005 

World Poker Tour

The World Poker Tour (WPT) is a collection of poker tournaments featuring most of the world's professioanl players, you can win a place at the the world poker tour invitation tournament to compete up there with the pro's...

Click BELOW to find out how...



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7:18 AM | |

Tuesday, December 13, 2005 

Poker Glossary- Poker Terms

Click "Read More" for all the terms you will ever need to know when playing poker.

To find a certain term click "edit" on your browsers control bar and click "find".

ABC A player who always plays his cards the same way.
ACE HIGH A five-card hand containing an Ace but no pair.
ACES FULL A Full House with Aces over any pair.
ACES UP Two pairs one of which is an Ace.
ACTION A player’s turn to act.
ACTIVE PLAYER A player still in the pot.
ADD ON The opportunity to buy additional chips.
ADVERTISE To make a bluff with deliberate intention of being exposed as a loose player.
ALLIGATOR Plays well under pressure or nerves of steel.
ALL IN Betting all of your remaining chips.
AN ACE WORKING An Ace in hand.
ANGLE Any technically legal but ethically suspicious way to increase your expectation at a game, a trick.
AMERICAN AIRLINES A pair of Aces in the hole.
ANTE Forced bet that players must make before seeing any cards. This guarantees money in the kitty for each hand.
BABY A small card.
BACK DOOR Hand made in the last two cards.
BAD BEAT Loosing when you have a very strong hand, usually to a very unlikely draw on the last card.
BAGGAGE An onlooker of a poker game who is broke and cannot play.
BAIT A small bet designed to induce opponents to stay, bet or raise.
BANK The container of poker chips representing money in the game.
BANK ROLE The total amount of money you plan to gamble with.
BASE DEAL Dealing cards from the bottom of the pack rather than the top. A form of cheating.
BEAT THE BOARD A hand that can beat any exposed card or card that are shown in any player’s up-cards around the table.
BEEF A complaint.
BEHIND You are behind if you do not have the best hand before the last cards have been dealt.
BELLY BUSTER An inside straight draw.
BERRY PATCH An easy game with many poor players.
BET To put money into the pot.
BICYCLE A straight, A-2-3-4-5.
BIG SLICK Pocket Ace/King.
BLANK A card that has no value.
BLIND Mandatory bet before each round. Usually the player two places to the left of the dealer will have to pay the Large Blind. The player to the immediate left of the dealer will have to bet half as much for the small blind.
BLIND OPENING Compulsory opening of the pot by a blind bet s in any for of Stud And Draw Poker which has to be agreed upon by mutual consent at start of play.
BLIND RAISE When a player raises without looking at their cards.
BLOOD MONEY Money that is hard to come by.
BLOW To loose.
BLOW BACK To loose back one’s profits.
BLUFF To bet strongly whilst holding a poor hand making other players Believe you have a strong hand and attempting to make players Fold their cards.
BOARD The visible cards in a Poker game. These are the community Cards in games like Hold-em and Omaha and the up cards in Stud games.
BOAT Another form of Full House.
BOTTOM PAIR The lowest pair on the board in Hold-em or Omaha.
BOUNTY A small amount of cash awarded to a player when he knocks Out another player.
BRICK A blank.
BRING IN To open a round of betting.
BROADWAY An Ace High Straight.
BRUSH Cardroom employee who handles the seating chart.
BUCK In all flop games a small disk used to indicate the dealer, or Used to signify the player in the last position if a house dealer Is used.
BUG A Joker that can be used to make straights and flushes and can Be paired with Aces but not with any other cards.
BULLETS A pair of Aces in the hole.
BUMP To Raise.
BURN To deal off the top card, face-down before dealing out the cards.
BURIED PAIR In stud games a pair in the hole.
BUST A worthless hand that has failed to improve as the player hoped.
BUSTED FLUSH A hand with only four or five cards in a flush.
BURN To discard the top card of the deck. This is done to prevent Anyone from being able to determine the next card.
BUTTON An acrylic white disk to indicate who is the dealer.
BUY IN The amount you must pay to enter a game.
CAP To put in the last raise allowed on a betting round.
CALL To match the current high bet.
CALL BET to make a bet without putting money into the pot.
CARD ROOM A closed of room in casino where Poker is played.
CALLING STATION A player who almost always calls and seldom raises.
CARDS SPEAK A rule that says the cards determine the best possible hand, not The player. If a player has a better hand than he realizes, the Better hand is the one that is used.
CAP The limit on the number of raises in a round of betting.
CARD MECHANIC An expert who manipulates cards for the purpose of cheating.
CARD MOB Two or more players working in a team to cheat other players.
CARD ROOM The room in a casino where poker is played.
CASE The last card of a certain rand in the deck.
CASH IN To convert your chips into cash.
CASH OUT To leave the game and cash your chips at the cage.
CAUGHT SPEEDING Slang for getting caught bluffing.
CENTRE POT The first pot created during a poker hand.
CHECK To not bet with the option to call or raise in later betting round.
CHECK RAISE To check and raise when player behind you bets.
CHASE To stay in against a stronger hand usually in hope of filling A straight or a flush.
CHECK To basically skip your turn to bet. This still allows you to bet Later in the round should anyone else bet?
CHECK RAISE To check at first then should anyone else bet. This is done as A way to lure other players into betting when you think they may Fold if you bet outright.
CHEESE A very substandard starting hand.
CHOP To return the blinds to the players who posted them and move On to the next hand if nobody calls the blind.
CINCH HAND An unbeatable hand.
CLOSED HAND A hand that is concealed from the other players.
CLOSED POKER When all the cards are dealt face-down.
COFFEE HOUSING An attempt to mislead opponents about one’s hand by devious Behaviour.
COLD If a player says his cards have ‘gone cold’, it means he is having A bad streak.
COLD CALL To call both a bet and a raise.
COME Playing a worthless hand in the hope of improving it is called ‘Playing on the come’.
COME HAND A hand that has not been made yet requires one or more cards From the draw to complete it.
COME OVER THE TOP To raise or re-raise an opponent’s bet.
COMPLETE HAND A hand that is defined by all five cards.
COMMIT FULLY To put in as many chips as necessary to play your hand to the River even if they are your case chips.
COMMUNITY CARD A card dealt face up on the table that can be used by any player.
CONNECTORS Pocket cards of sequential rank.
COUNTERFEIT A card that does not help you but is likely to make opponents Hand better than yours.
COURT CARD A picture or face card.
COWBOYS Kings.
CRACK To beat a powerful hand.
CRIMP To bend the cards in a deck so that a cheat can cut the deck at a Certain place.
CRIPPLE To cripple the deck is when you have most of the cards that Another player would need.
CRYING CALL When some calls even though they are almost certain they are Beat.
CUT IT UP To split the pot after a tie.
DEAD MAN’S HAND Two pair, Aces and Eights.
DEALER’S CHOICE A game in which each dealer in turn chooses the Type of Poker to be played.
DECLARATION In high-low Poker, declaring by the use of coins Or chips whether one is aiming to win the high or the Low end of the pot or both.
DEUCE A two which is the lowest rank card in high poker.
DEUCE TO SEVEN A two to seven without a flush being the best hand.
DISCARD Cards no longer required by players.
DOMINATED HAND Hands hat will always loose to a better hand.
DOOR CARD In stud games the first card dealt face up to the player.
DOWN CARDS Hole cards.
DOWN TO THE FELT Out of money.
DOYLE BRUNSON 10-2 Hole cards in Texas Hold’em.
DRAW DEAD To make a hand that when complete will not win the pot.
DRAW OUT To improve your hand so that it beats an opponent who had A better hand than yours prior to the draw.
DRAW POKER A form of poker in which players receive five cards and then has Option to draw more cards to make a better pack.
DRAWING HAND An incomplete hand such as four cards to a straight in which you Are drawing cards, hoping to make your hand.
DRIVER’S SEAT The player who is making all the betting and thus appears to hold The strongest hand is said to be in the driver’s seat.
DROP To fold.
EARLY POSITION A position on a round of betting in which you must act before Most of the other players.
EFFECTIVE ODDS The ration of the total amount of money you expect to win if you Make your hand to the total amount of bets you will have to call To continue from the present round of betting to the end of the Hand.
EQUITY The value of a hand or combination of cards.
EVEN MONEY A bet in which you hope to win the same amount as you bet.
EXPECTATIONS The profit or loss you would expect to make on an average Number of bets.
EXPOSED PAIR A face-up or open pair in Stud and community cards.
FACE CARD Picture cards.
FAMILY POT A round where everyone calls the opening bet.
FAST Aggressive.
FIFTH STREET The fifth card dealt in stud poker or the final card in games with Five community cards.
FISH Poor player.
FIVE CARD DRAW A draw poker game in which the players start with five cards and Then may draw to replace them.
FIVE CARD STUD A stud poker game in which each player gets one concealed card A four exposed cards.
FLUSH Five cards of the same suit.
FLUSH DRAW Four cards of the same suit.
FOLD To give up your hand.
FOUL A hand that may not be played for any reason and may not make Claim to the pot.
FOUR CARD STRAIGHT Four cards in sequence but not of the same suit.
FOUR OF A KIND Four cards of the same index.
FOUR FLUSH Four cards of the same suit.
FREE CARD A turn or river card on which you do not have to call bet Because of play in previous hand.
FREE ROLL For one player to have a shot at winning the entire pot when he is Currently tied with another player.
FULL HOUSE A hand with three cards of one index and two cards of another.
GET THE RIGHT PRICE The pot odds are favourable enough for you to justify calling A bet or a raise with a drawing hand.
GET THERE To make your hand.
GIVE ACTION Betting, calling, raising or re-raising.
GUNSHOT/GUTSHOT An inside straight draw.
HAND A player’s best five cards.
HEADS UP A one on one poker match.
HIGH LOW A poker game in which the highest and lowest hands share the Pot.
HIGH SPADE BET A side bet made in Draw Poker in which the hand containing the Highest spade wins.
HIGH SOCIETY The highest denomination of chips in a particular establishment.
HIT To pull the card one is seeking.
HIT AND RUN A player who has only been at the table for a short while and Leaves after winning big.
HOLD”EM A form of Poker in which players use five community cards in Combination with their two hole cards to form the best five-card Hand.
HOLE The first two down cards in Poker game.
HOLE CARD A concealed card in player’s hand.
HOME RUN HITTER A player who makes big plays that requires maximum risk.
HOUSE The establishment running the game.
HORSING Passing a small amount of money to another player after Winning.
HOT Said of a player on a winning streak.
INSIDE STRAIGHT A hand in which you have four cards to a straight but missing One in the middle.
IGNORANT END The low end straight.
IMPLIED ODDS The amount of money you expect to win if you make your hand Versus the amount of cash it will cost you to continue playing.
IN A player is ‘in’ when they call a bet.
IN THE DARK To check or bet blind without looking at your cards.
INSIDE STRAIGHT Four cards requiring one in the middle to fill a straight.
INSURANCE Selling the outcome of the hand for its mathematical equity.
ISOLATE Bet strongly in an attempt to make everyone fold except one.
JACKPOT A special bonus paid to the looser of a hand if he gets a very Good hand beaten.
JACKPOT POKER A form of poker in which the card room offers a jackpot for Bad beats.
JACKS OR BETTER When a player needs a pair of Jacks to start betting.
JAM To bet the maximum.
JOKER The fifty-third card in the pack used as a wild card.
KANSAS CITY LOWBALL A form of lowball poker played for a deuce to seven low.
KEEP HONEST To call an op0ponenet on the river, even if you believe he has a Better hand than yours.
KEY CARD The one card that will make your hand complete.
KEY HAND In a tournament the hand that proves to be a turning point for Better or worse.
KICKER An unpaired card used to determine the better of two near- Equivalent hands.
KICK IT To raise.
KICKER The highest unpaired card in your hand.
KILL A kill game is when a player may place extra bets causing The betting limits to go up for that particular hand. The player Posting the bet is known as the ‘killer’ and the hand is known As a ‘kill pot’.
KNAVE A Jack.
LADIES Queens. Indicates the weak hand.
LAY DOWN To reveal your hand in a showdown.
LAY THE ODDS To bet more money on a proposition than you hope to win.
LEAD To be the first to enter the pot after the blind.
LIMIT POKER A game with fixed minimum and maximum betting intervals.
LIMP IN In the first round of betting calling the big blind rather than raising. This allows the big blind to see the flop for free and indicates the weak hand.
LIVE BLIND A forced bet put in by one or more players before any hands Are dealt.
LIVE CARD A card that has not yet been seen in stud games.
LOCK A hand that cannot loose.
LONG ODDS The odds for an event that has a small chance of occurring.
LOOK To call the final bet before showdown.
LOWBALL A form of poker in which the lowest hand wins.
LADIES Queens.
LOOSE A player who stays in more hands than most and stays in them longer.
MAKE A HAND To get a certain hand.
MAKE A MOVE To try and bluff.
MANIAC An aggressive player who plays hands that other players Would not consider.
MARK A sucker.
MARKER An I.O.U.
MECHANIC Someone who cheats by manipulating the cards while dealing.
MEET To call.
MISS To not make your drawing hand when final cards are dealt.
MONSTER A hand that is almost certain to win.
MOVE To go all in.
MUCK Pile of discarded cards.
NIT To bide your time whilst waiting for a playable hand.
NO LIMIT POKER A game in which players can bet as much as they have in Of them at any given round.
NUTS The best possible hand given the cards on the board.
ODDS The probability of making your hand.
OFF SUIT Cards with different suits usually referred to as Hole cards.
ONE GAP A hold-me starting hand in which the two cards are two apart In rank.
OMAHA A flop game similar to Hold-em. Each player is dealt four Cards instead of two and a hand must be made using two Pocket cards plus three community cards.
ON TILT Betting wild or making poor bets.
ONE GAP Inside straight.
OPEN To make the first bet in a round.
OPEN ENDED STRAIGHT A hand with four consecutive cards. A straight which can be Completed by drawing the fifth card at either end.
OUTS Any remaining card that will give you the winning hand.
OUTRUN To beat.
OVERCALL To call a bet after one or more other players have already called.
OVER CARD A higher card than any card on the board.
PAINT Face card.
PAIR Two cards of the same denomination.
PASS To fold your cards.
PAT HAND In draw games being dealt a made hand.
PAY OFF To call a bet where the bettor is representing a hand that you Cannot beat but the pot is large enough to justify a call.
POCKET Your unique cards that only you can see.
POCKET PAIR Two cards of the same rank in the hole.
PLAY THE BOARD To show down a hand in hold'em when your cards don't make any better than shown on the board.
PIP The suit symbols on a non-court card indicating its rank.
POT LIMIT A limit on the maximum allowable raise. The limit is the Amount currently in the pot.
POST To put in a blind bet.
POT LIMIT A version of poker in which a player may bet up to the amount Of money the pot when it is his turn to act.
POT ODDS The ratio of the amount of money in the pot to the amount it Will cost you to call the current bet.
PRICE The pot odds you get for a draw or a call.
PROTECT To keep your hand or a chip on your cards.
PUSH When a hand is finished and the winner is determined the dealer Pushes the winnings towards the winner.
QUADS Four of a kind.
RACK A tray that holds a hundred chips in five stacks of twenty.
RAG Poor card that has no impact on the game.
RAINBOW A flop containing three different suits.
RAISE To call and increase the previous bet.
RAKE Set amount of percentage that the house claims from each pot.
RANK The numerical value of a card.
RAZZ Seven-card stud lowball.
READ To be able to assume a person’s hand based on their body Language.
REDRAW A draw to an even better hand when you are holding the best Hand.
REPRESENT To have the appearance of a certain hand.
RING GAME A regular poker game as opposed to a tournament.
RIVER The last card dealt in a game.
ROCK A very tight player.
RIVER In flop and stud games the last round of betting, Fifth street And seventh street card.
ROYAL FLUSH 10 – A Straight Flush.
RUN A series of good cards.
RUSH Several winning hands in a short space of time.
SCARE CARD A card that can turn the best hand into trash.
SECOND PAIR A pair with the second highest card on the flop.
SEE To call.
SELL As in ‘sell a hand’. To bet less than the maximum when you Have a very strong hand, hoping players will call when They would not have called a maximum bet.
SEMI-BLUFF Like a bluff except that your hand might be good enough to Win if someone calls you.
SET Three of a kind.
SEVENTH STREET The final betting round on the last card in seven-card stud.
SCHOOL the players in a regular game.
SCOOP To win the entire pot.
SHOWDOWN The point at which all players remaining in the hand Turn their cards over and determine who has the best hand.
SHORT STACK Having fewer chips than all the other players.
SIDE POT If a player goes all in and there are two or more betters with More funds that call. They may continue to bet. All future bets Are places in a separate pot.
SIXTH STREET In Seven-card stud, the fourth round of betting on the sixth card.
SLOW PLAY When you have a strong hand and pretend that you have a weak Hand to encourage others to bet more.
SMOOTH The best low hand with a high card.
SPLASH Throwing your chips into the pot before anyone can verify the Amount.
SPLIT A tie.
SPLIT TWO PAIR A two pair hand in which one of each of your card’s ranks Appear on the board as well.
SPREAD LIMIT A betting structure in which a player may bet any amount on Every betting round.
STAY To remain in hand with a call rather than a raise.
STEAL THE POT To make a strong bet when it appears that the other players have Weak hands causing all to fold.
STRADDLE An option extra blind bet made by the player to the left of the Big blind, equal to twice the big blind. An effective raise which Forces any player who wants to play to pay for two bets.
STRAIGHT Five sequential cards.
STRAIGHT FLUSH Five cards with sequential rank all in the same suit.
STRING BET A bet in which the player does not get all the chips required for The raise intro the pot in one motion.
STREAK A run of good or bad cards.
STRUCTURED Used to apply to a certain betting structure in ‘flop’ games.
STUD Any form of Poker where the first cards are dealt down or in the Hole followed by face-up cards.
SUITED Cards of the same suit.
SUITED CONNECTORS Sequential hold cards in the same suit.
TABLE COP A player that calls with the intention of keeping other players Honest.
TABLE STAKES A rule in a poker game which means a player may not go into his Pocket for money during a hand. He may only use the money in Front of him into the current pot.
TAKE OFF A CARD To call a single bet in order to see one more card.
TAPPED OUT Broke or busted.
TELL Something a player will do that gives away their hand.
TEXAS HOLD’EM A form of Poker in which players use five community cards In combination with their two.
THIRD PAIR In Seven-card stud, the first round of betting on the first three Cards.
THREE FLUSH Three cards of the same suit.
THREE OF A KIND Three cards of the same denomination.
TILT To play recklessly.
TIGHT Conservative player.
TO GO An amount ‘to go’ is the amount it takes to enter the pot.
TOKE A tip to the dealer.
TOP PAIR The highest pair on the board in Texas Hold’em or Omaha.
TREY A three.
TRIPS/TRIPLETS Three of a kind.
TURN The fourth card in Texas Hold’em or Omaha.
TWO FLUSH Two cards of the same suite requiring three more to make a Flush.
TWO PAIR A hand with two pairs.
UNDERDOG A person or hand that is not favoured to win the pot.
UNDER-RAISE To raise less than the previous bet which is allowed if a Player is going all-in.
UNDER THE GUN First to bet in any given round.
UP CARD An open card dealt face-up.
VALUE Bet for value as opposed to bluffing.
VARIANCE A measure of the up and down swings of your bankroll.
WALK To be away from the table long enough to miss a few hands.
WHEEL The lowest hand in lowball, A-2-3-4-5.
WILD CARD A card designated as a joker.
WORLDS FAIR A big hand.
W.S.O.P World Series of Poker.


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11:56 AM | |

 

Shark Cage tournaments- A Beginner's Guide

A Beginner's Guide to Shark Cage tournaments
This guide is designed to help you take on the greatest and most exciting of all poker challenges: multi-table tournaments! And it specifically deals with the Shark Cage, our special real money beginner tournament. This guide does require you to understand and comprehend the fundamental rules of poker.


What is the Shark Cage?
The Shark Cage is an invitational tournament accessible for new depositing players on some online casino's. This enables players to take it easy, get used to how a tournament works and learn to play without having to deal with seasoned players.


How can I get a hold of a Shark Cage ticket?
Tickets to the Shark Cage are often added as a bonus when you make your first deposit. So it will not cost you anything to play! How much money you can win depends on the number of participants and how much we add to the prize pool. In general, around 50 to 100 players partake in the Shark Cage tournament with a first prize up to $100. This varies from tournament to tournament though. The Shark Cage is a no limit tournament, just like on TV!



How do I enter a Shark Cage tournament?
Entering a shark cage differs from casino to casino. in general, as soon as you complete your deposit, the ticket will appear in your account and you will be able to register for a free Shark Cage tournament. The ticket is valid for 7 days.

The tournament runs at various times depending on the casino you choose. Entry closes five minutes prior to the start of the tournament. You can also register by opening up the poker client and choosing the tournament tab. Find the Shark Cage in the listings and click it.


After Registering...
As soon as the registration process closes make sure to have the Java or Windows client running. This will allow the tournament window to open automatically. All registered players will be taken to their randomly distributed seats and a game window will appear notifying you to sit-in at your assigned table.

Each player begins with an equal amount of chips. These tournament chips have no real value outside the tournament and the values they represent do not in any way represent any eventual winnings from the tournament.

Players are eliminated one by one when they have no chips left. And as the number of players still left in the tournaments drops, players are automatically moved between tables so that all tables remain balanced and equal. So don’t be surprised if you all of a sudden find yourself at a completely different table than you started at.

For each ten players that are eliminated a table is removed from play redistributing the players to other tables. This process continues until only one final table remains. And play on that table continues until one player has won all the chips and is victorious!


Blinds go up and up
The tricky part about playing a multi-table tournament compared to ring game poker is that the blind levels increase throughout the tournament. Starting at say $10/$20 they may well reach $1,000/$2,000 before a victor is crowned! So in order to keep in contention you have to steadily increase the size of your chip stack.


The Goal
A percentage of all contestants in a multi-table tournament win money along an escalating scale. In a 100 player tournament typically the top ten finish "in the money".



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11:44 AM | |

 

Sit & Go Tournaments- A Beginner's Guide

Beginner’s Guide to Sit & Go Tournaments
This guide is designed to help you play your first Sit & Go Tournament (or just SnG for short). SnGs are perfect for learning all the various elements of tournament play and also to quickly gain the experience needed to win on a consistent basis. By reading this guide you will know how to play, what to expect, what to look out for and how to bring your opponents down in Sit & Go Tournaments.


What is a Sit & Go Tournament?
A SnG is a tournament that begins as soon as the tournament fills out. To find all available SnGs look under the Sit & Go tabs in the poker client. All SnGs can be categorized using these two factors:

1. The number of participating players.
Most SnGs are one-table tournaments requiring 10 players to start. Short-handed Sit & Go tournaments, however, only require six participants. But you will also find heads-up (2 people) or two-or-more table tournaments in the future. Then number of participating players also regulates the number of players who actually win money from the Sit & Go.

10 player SnG3 Players in the money
Short-handed (6) SnG 2 Players in the money

2. The buy-in and fee.
The buy-in is the amount you contribute to the prize pool. The fee is our commission for running the tournament. So in a ten-player $10+1 SnG each player contributes ten dollars to the prize pool for a total of $100 in the prize pool. On top of that each player also pays a $1 commission. Once you’ve found a SnG that suits you, log-in to that table, pay the buy-in and fee and prepare for battle!


Shuffle up and deal!
As soon as the last player needed to fill a Sit & Go Tournament registers, the tournament begins with all players receiving an equal amount of tournament chips. The amount varies depending on the tournament. Larger buy-in tournaments tend to feature larger starting stacks than cheaper ones. Tournament chips have no real value outside the tournament and the values they represent do not in any way represent any eventual winnings from the tournament.

At the start of the tournament the forced blind bets will be very small compared to the number of starting chips. But steadily and relentlessly they will go up putting more and more pressure on players to make a move. A typical Sit & Go Tournament will start with all players receiving 1,500 in tournament chips and blinds starting at 25/50. That’s a lot of chips at first, but as the blinds reach levels of say $100/200 then 1,500 is no longer much at all. And that’s where the thrill and excitement of Sit & Go Tournaments lies. To constantly reviewing how much chips you got in comparison to the ever increasing forced blind bets and act thereafter.


Advice on How to Play
The road to success in Sit & Go Tournaments is actually pretty simple to walk down. It’s all about adjusting your game to the circumstances. Early on you have a lot of chips compared to the forced blind bets. In other words, there is no point in taking foolish risks or trying dumb stunts. Time, at the start of a Sit & Go Tournament, is clearly on your side. But as the blinds kick up and you find your stack diminishing at an alarming rate, time is no longer your ally. The 1,500 stack you started with simply doesn’t look so impressive when the minimum bet is 200. So then you have to start looking for opportunities. Hands that were a sure fold fifteen minutes ago might have a lot of potential now, with players getting scared of big bets risking elimination with every move.


On the Bubble
The most nerve-wrecking part of a Sit & Go Tournament is when there are say four players left and only three will make the money. So one more player has to go. And that 4th place finisher will receive nothing but grief. Busting so close to the money is the worst feeling in the world for a tournament player. So a game that was previously quite aggressive might all of a sudden stall as nobody wants to risk busting “on the bubble” (just missing out on the money). This can be a great opportunity to pick up some easy chips, but doing so is of course also very risky.


In the Money
You’ve made it! You’re in the money! At this stage, when all players left in the Sit & Go Tournament are guaranteed a profit, the tournament changes pace again. It’s no longer all about survival but instead winning becomes the all-encompassing goal. Playing the player instead of the cards becomes increasingly important as all the remaining players try to outwit, trap, and lure their opponents. Blinds at this stage might well be large enough to take you out in four hands if you do not make a stand. Choosing the right moment to do so is the key to success.

You will of course not master these finer acts of poker treachery immediately, but although you might find yourself beaten to a pulp the first time you are heads-up for the win, then at least you’ll have won enough anyway to give it another go. And when you eventually grab that first victory, seeing all those chips being pushed your way, then you’ll truly know what that winning feeling is all about.

Now get the tables and enjoy the game...



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11:29 AM | |

 

Multi-table Tournaments- A Beginner’s Guide

A Beginner’s Guide to Multi-table Tournaments
Beginner’s Multi-table Tournament is a guide to help you comprehend the most basic aspects of multi-table tournament play. Multi-table tournaments are probably the most fun of all forms of poker and learning how to play them is essential to success. As soon as you reach your first final table, you will know what we are talking about.


How to Play
All multi-table tournaments start at a designated time found in the weekly tournament schedule or in the game client. To participate, players must register at least five minutes before the tournament is due to start. This is also done through the schedule or directly in the game client. Some tournaments are absolutely free to enter, so called freerolls, while other requires the player to cover a buy-in and a small fee. A typical buy-in tournament is $5 buy-in and $1 fee ($5+1).

All the buy-ins are collected into a communal prize pool while the fee is the cost for participating in the event. The number of participating players varies greatly from around 50 to 2,000!!




The Goal
A percentage of all contestants in a multi win money from the communal prize pool along an increasing scale. In a 100 player tournament typically the top ten finish “in the money”.


After Registering…
As soon as the registration process closes, all registered players will take their randomly distributed seats. A game window will appear notifying you to sit-in on your assigned table.

Each player begins with an equal amount of chips. The amount may vary depending on the tournament. These tournament chips have no real value outside the tournament and the values they represent do not in any way represent any eventual winnings from the tournament.

Players are eliminated one by one when they have no chips left. And as the number of players still left in the tournaments drops, players are automatically moved between tables so that all tables remain balanced and equal. So don’t be surprised if you all of a sudden find yourself at a completely different table than you started at.

For each ten players that are eliminated a table is removed from play redistributing the players to other tables. This process continues until only one final table remains. And play on that table continues until one player has won all the chips and is victorious!


Blinds go Up and Up
The tricky part about playing a multi compared to ring game poker is that the blind levels increase throughout the tournament. Starting at say $10/$20 they may well reach $1,000/$2,000 before a victor is crowned! So in order to keep in contention you have to steadily increase and build on you initial chip stack.


Various Tournament Formats
There are a number of different multi-table tournament formats featured on PokerRoom.com.

• Freerolls
Multis that require no buy-in and thus are free to enter. The Prize pool consists of money from a sponsor.

• Added Events
Added multis have a buy-in but in addition, the online casino also adds a certain amount of money to the prize pool. One example is a daily PLUS 500 tournament which is a $5 buy-in event with $500 added. Another example is a $1 buy-in Lucky Dollar where we add a WHOPPING $2,500 to the prize pool.

• Guaranteed Tournaments
Guaranteed means that the total prize pool of the tournament is just that, guaranteed. So no matter ho many players sign-up the guaranteed amount will be paid out in prize money.

• Turbo Tournaments
Works just like regular tournaments with the exception that the blind levels increase faster. Good for moments when you may not have two hours to spare. Expect intense action and a lot of gutsy gambling!

• Re-Buy and Add-Ons
The tournaments are unique in that if you are eliminated you can buy your place right back in again! For a limited time, if you are eliminated you can pay an additional buy-in (called a re-buy) and get back in the action with a new starting stack. When that time period expires you may also have the option of adding some more chips to your stack. This is called an add-on.

• Bounty Features
Some special multis incorporates a bounty feature. This adds an exciting element to a standard tournament by having some players carry a bounty on their head. If you eliminate any of them from the tournament you will receive a special bounty bonus.

• Satellite Qualifiers
You can qualify to big and expensive tournaments through much less expensive satellites. You enter the event paying a buy-in and if you get “in the money” you qualify for the pricier tournament. These satellites truly can be a shortcut to success!

Express qualifiers are satellites that are played in the turbo high-speed format.

• Cash & Qualifiers
Some events combine the distribution of prize money with the qualification to big events.

So if you win you will get both a cash prize AND qualify to a big event.


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11:23 AM | |

 

5 Card Draw- A Beginner’s Guide

A Beginner’s Guide to 5 Card Draw
5 Card Draw is a form of poker that is often played at home, and is often the first variation of poker that people learn to play. No community cards are used, which means that all cards in a round are concealed. To gather information about the other hands at a table, the player simply has to follow his or her opponents' betting pattern and the number of cards they choose to draw.

The Game
5 Card Draw is a draw poker game, which means that players that choose to remain in the game after the first betting round is given the choice of changing one to all five cards – this exchange is called the draw. A player who wishes to remain in the game may also choose to not draw any cards. In this latter case, the player stands pat.

If more than one player remains in the game when the betting is finished, the game enters a showdown phase. He or she wins who has the best high hand.


The Play
This is a description of the course of events during a round of 5 Card Draw, given that at least two players choose to stay in the game until after the last betting round:

1. The players after the dealer post a small blind and a big blind, respectively.

2. Each player is dealt five cards.

3. The first round of betting is carried out. The player after the big blind posts the first bet.

4. The draw round is carried out. Each player is given the opportunity of changing one to five cards, or to not change any cards at all.

5. The second round of betting is carried out. The player to the left of the dealer posts the first bet.

6. The game goes to showdown, and the player with the best high hand wins.


Strategies
As is the case in all poker games, having a strategy is useful. Here are two basic things to consider:

• Be careful when choosing what hands to play. One common advice in a game of 5 Card Draw is to not open a round of betting without a hand consisting of at least a high pair. The same advice concerning hand value is given when you are about to call someone else's bet.

• Try to vary the number of cards that you draw. One may assume that a player who draws three cards has got a pair, and that a player who draws two cards has got three of a kind. Variation when it comes to drawing forces your opponents to guess!

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11:19 AM | |

 

Omaha- A Beginner’s Guide

A Beginner’s Guide to Omaha
Want to broaden your poker experience and try your hands at the fantastic game of Omaha? Through this guide you will comprehend the main differences in game play and the considerations needed to convert your skill in Texas Hold’em into a reasonable understanding of Omaha.

Note: This guide is not an extensive Omaha rule guide and does require the reader to have a fundamental understanding of communal card poker games such as holdem in order to make sense. With that said it's also true, and that’s what makes Omaha so fascinating, that the skills and talents needed to succeed playing holdem is not necessarily the same needed to excel in Omaha!


4 Hole Cards
In Omaha players are dealt four hole cards instead of just two. This drastically increases the number of possible starting hands, and also requires a player to do a more in-depth analysis of each starting hand’s strengths and weaknesses.


Two Cards in Use
The next big difference between Hold'em and Omaha is the two-hole cards restriction that constitutes that even though you have four pocket cards, two, and only two, must always be “in play”.
You cannot for example “play the board” as such a hand would NOT contain two of your hole cards. Neither can you use two communal spades and add three spade cards from your hole cards to complete a flush, as that would also break the rule – three cards being more than two.

IN OMAHA TWO – NO MORE NO LESS – OF YOUR 4 HOLE CARDS MUST ALWAYS BE IN PLAY.

Which cards you use often changes throughout the hand. And this is what makes Omaha so exciting and also explains why it is to a greater degree than Hold'em is a game of mathematics. There’s (almost) no end to the possibilities!


Pot Limit
Omaha is a game well-suited for the pot limit structure. And most players believe it works far better than playing the game in no limit format. So in order to learn Omaha properly one must grasp the basics of pot limit.

In pot limit the maximum a player can bet at any given time is an amount equivalent to the current pot size. So the larger the pot gets the higher the maximum bet is! This makes for some very interesting game play.

How to actually calculate the size of a “pot bet” is something you will pick up along the way, but this is the basic formula. Don’t let it confuse you.

Amount in pot from earlier betting rounds + 3 x the last bet made THIS round + all other bets this round = Pot bet.

Example: We are in the middle of the turn betting round. After the flop there was $100 in the pot.

Player A bets $10, Player B raises to $30, player C’s maximum pot bet is now: $100+3*$30+10= $200!


A Game of Nuts
With more hole cards in play the chance of someone hitting a really massive hand obviously increases. And this fact must be taken into consideration.

A flush in Hold'em is a relatively strong hand as the chance of someone having a better one is slim. But in Omaha this is much more frequent. Having the “nuts” (best possible combination) thus becomes much more vital. Having semi-nuts (for example a king high flush) can many times turn out to be very, very costly.




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10:45 AM | |

 

Roulette - A Beginner's Guide

A Beginner's Guide to Roulette
This beginner's guide to Roulette is focused on helping you understand the game better and give you some tips on how to become a better roulette player. We hope you'll find it intriguing.

Roulette is a game based on chance. If you get a little lucky you win. It's as simple as that.
Just as you can't predict the outcome of a dice throw, you cannot derive what number will appear on the roulette based on any previous spins. But this however, does not mean that there are no means to help you become a better roulette player.


The Curse of Martingale
The Martingale system is probably the most famous of all roulette systems. And also probably one of the most bogus. It suggests that every time you lose, you should double your bet and thus sooner or later you will cover the loss and win a small amount every time. Let us put this straight. It does not work. Unless perhaps if you are Bill Gates. If anything it probably worsens your chances of winning. So does ALL mathematically based roulette systems. So drop them.


Don't Play Double Zero
A lot of American based roulettes feature the double zero layout. The PokerRoom.com roulette doesn't. A single zero layout vastly increases your chance of winning. Why play with two house-friendly zeroes when you COULD be playing with only one?


Manage your Bankroll
This is the most important aspect of roulette play. Because one of the most fascinating features of roulette is that it is so relatively easy to win a small amount. This will affect your judgement, as no one keeps winning forever. So it is of the outmost importance that you decide beforehand what your goal is!
If you have $100 to play for maybe you think winning $50 bucks is pretty nice. When you do, stop.


Play Through
Another bankroll management trick is to “play through” your entire stack of say $100. You decide what type of bets you would like to make (number bets, outside chances bets or both) and play consistently the same fixed amount bet every spin. No matter if you win or lose each spin you continue the same kind of betting until you’ve played for the initial $100. Hopefully by then you will have collectively won more than that during the spins!


Fight Fire with Fire
Although roulette is a game based on randomness, it is a very good game. A single zero roulette is a better game than most other casino games. But you must keep in mind that it is random. Most people sometimes lose because they can't help themselves tracking patterns that aren't really there. “Seven red numbers in a row, the next number just GOT to be black!”
Based on that they make too big a bet on black. But there is no truth to it. It might as well be 50 red numbers in a row!
So the best way to keep focused and have the chance of winning decent is to fight fire with fire. If the outcome of a spin is random, why not make the income (the bet that is) totally random too?
Roll a dice, ask someone, copy the outcome of a previous session or make a list before you play of the order of bets you are going to make and stick with it.
Never try to outsmart the roulette, because then it can't outsmart you!


Good luck and get ready to you hit YOUR lucky number!:


Read more!

10:28 AM | |

Monday, December 12, 2005 

Black Jack - A Beginner's Guide

A Beginner's Guide to Black Jack
Beginner's Black Jack is not a rule guide. Instead, in this very brief and easy-to-read tutorial we will help you understand some of the fundamentals of Black Jack. And in doing so, improve your chance of winning.

Black Jack differs from most other casino games by relying on a great deal of skill.

The chance of winning will increase dramatically if you just learn how to handle certain basic strategic elements. Reading this tutorial will help you some of the way.


Dare Draw
The bank will continuously draw cards until it hits 17 or above. It has to draw until it either gets a good hand or goes bust.

One common Black Jack mistake is to play too passively. Often in Black Jack you have to dare to win. In other words, don’t be too hesitant or cowardice.


Using the Bank's Face Up Card
The bank's face up card is a vital source of strategic information. How you play your game should, in many cases, be based entirely on the value of that card.

If the bank has a ten, then the likelihood of it drawing to a really good hand is much greater than if the face up card is a four.

In other words, depending on the value of the face up card you should be more or less prone to taking risks and try to draw to a really good hand.

There is no point in staying on twelve if most of the cards the bank can draw will make it a qualifying hand (17 to 21).



Doubling Down Successfully
The possibility to double down in Black Jack is a very powerful option.

The trick is to choose your doubles carefully.

Again, the important thing to do is to consider the bank’s face card.

Is it a weaker card than your initial deal?

Does the house hold a ten?

Sooner or later you will find yourself in a very strong position against the house and when you do you should definitely consider doubling down.

It is often not good enough to just base a double down decision on holding favourable cards yourself. You have to take the opposing card into consideration too.

But please keep in mind that Black Jack is still a game based on random card distribution.

Whatever the setup, any two cards can always end up winning or losing.

Splitting Down Your Cards
Consider the following before deciding on splitting two cards of equal denomination.

If you do, you actually have a direct confrontation with the face up card.

Card against card. Are yours better or worse than the face up card?
By thinking one step ahead, you can more easily make a sound judgement.

However, there is one more factor to consider.

You probably don't want to break up a qualifying hand unless the face up card is really weak. Winning on the initial deal isn't that bad, is it?

So don't get too greedy!

Stay tuned for more advanced Black Jack tutorials later on.

NOW GET TO THE TABLES!





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1:06 PM | |

 

Texas Hold'em - A Beginner's Guide

A Beginner's Guide to Texas Hold'em
A Beginner's Guide to Texas Hold'em is not an introduction to the basic rules of Texas Hold'em. Instead, this guide is focused on helping you understand the game better and give you some tips on how to become a better Texas Hold'em player. We hope you'll find it intriguing.

Texas Hold'em is the king of all poker games. And it requires a ton of skill. But still the most skilled player in the world can't beat a lucky strike. So anything can happen. But we thought we'd guide you through the most essential strategy assessments.


Start at the Bottom
Even if you turn out to be the biggest poker talent the world has ever seen, you are best off starting at the bottom. Playing low stakes limit games or tournaments is a good way to get a lot of hands under your belt without taking too big a risk. Sure limit games can be tricky and lacks the element of bluffing, but as a newcomer bluffing is probably not the thing to try. Limit games are much more controlled and less risky to experiment a little with. And as in all things, experimentation is a good way to learn fast.


Don't trust your $1000000000 Play Money Stack!
If you've won a ton of money playing with play money you probably got what it takes to become a good real money player too. But the games differ a lot. So don't jump into a high stakes real money game expecting to kick butt. But you are probably set to take on a low stakes game. Because sometimes they are even wilder than play money games!


Starting hand Value
Your two pocket cards, or hole cards, are the only factors that separate your hand from the other players' hands. So learning how to play them is vital. An AA (ace-ace) combo simply has a much greater chance of winning than say a 7-3 combo. Play the good starting hands. Fold the bad.


Position Play
Being seated in “late position” in a poker game is a huge advantage since you then get to see your opponents make their moves before you have to act yourself. To become a good player, one must understand, and learn to take advantage of this advantage. A good starting hand in an early position may actually be a worse hand to play than a bad hand in late position.


Fold
No matter the betting round, if you have nothing and can't draw to anything, fold faster than Superman on laundry day. It's as simple as that.





Hand Nicknames
AA Pocket Rockets, Bullets, American Airlines
KK Cowboys, King Kong
QQ Double date, Canadian Aces, Siegfried and Roy
JJ Fish hooks
99 German virgin (no, we don’t know why)
88 Snowmen
77 Sunset strip
66 Route 66
55 Speed limit
44 Magnum, Sail boat
33 Crabs
22 Ducks
AK Big slick
AQ Big chick
AJ Black Jack, Jack-ass
KQ Royalty, Marriage
KJ Kojak
J5 Jackson five
Q3 Gay waiter
95 Dolly Parton
A8 Dead man’s hand
K9 Canine
J4 Flat tyre
93 The Sik


By following these simple guidelines you'll be better prepared for the thrill, rush and excitement of online poker!

Sit in before everyone else does.

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12:39 PM | |

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