poker strategy

Nicholas Tan asked:

In the summer of 1949, as the story goes, inveterate gambler Nicholas “Nick the Greek” Dandolos approached Benny Binion with an unusual request - to challenge the best in a high-stakes poker marathon. Binion agreed to set up a match between Dandolos and the legendary Johnny Moss, with the stipulation that the game would be played in public view.

During the course of the marathon, which lasted five months with breaks only for sleep, the two men played every form of poker imaginable. Moss ultimately won “the biggest game in town” and an estimated $2 million. When the Greek lost his last pot, he arose from his chair, bowed slightly, and uttered the now-famous words, ” Mr. Moss, I have to let you go.” Dandolos then went upstairs to bed.

Though significant in its own way as a chapter in poker history, the five-month marathon took on added importance to Benny Binion. It wasn’t until 1970 that Binion decided to re-create the excitement and stage a battle of poker giants - dubbed the “World Series Of Poker” - to determine who would be worthy of the title “World Champion.” Johnny Moss came out on top. The decision was democratic in that the champion of the World Series of Poker was decided by popular vote.

The following year, Moss again was declared the World Series of Poker Champion. In 1972, when Thomas “Amarillo Slim” Preston won the title and went on the talk-show circuit, the World Series of Poker began to gain a wider following.

It was only a year later that Binion participated in the Oral History Project at the University of Nevada-Reno and discussed the World Series of Poker with interviewer Mary Ellen Glass. “This poker game here gets us a lot of attention,” he told Glass. “We had seven players last year, and this year we had 13. I look to have better than 20 next year. It’s even liable to get up to be 50, might get up to be more than that.” Binion then paused, and as if gazing into the future, prophesied, “It will eventually.”

In the early 1980s, Binion’s prophesy came to fruition and the popularity of theWorld Series of Poker soared.

Today, the legacy Benny Binion left the poker community ranks as the oldest, most prestigious, and most media-hyped gaming in the world. The World Series of Poker has touched thousands of lives over the years.

Five world series of poker rules

1. Hold ‘em

-Each player is first dealt two cards down.

-A round of betting occurs as players decide for the first time if they are in or they’re out.

-Then five community cards follow with betting after the flop, the turn, and the river.

-In the end, the best five card combination wins the hand and takes the pot.

2. Omaha

-Instead of being dealt two cards, each player recives four down cards.

-A round of betting occurs as players decide for the first time if they are in or they’re out.

-Then five community cards follow with betting after the flop, the turn, and the river.

-Those still in reveal their cards. But here’s the catch… A player must use two and only two of their down cards along with three of the community cards. And as

always, the best five card hand wins the pot.

3. Seven card stud

-Each player is dealt three cards. The first two are down and the third is up for everyone to see.

-Players must then decide for the first time whether they’re in, or out.

-The next three cards are all dealt face up, with more rounds of betting after each card.

-The seventh and final card is dealt face down.

-After one last round of betting, players still in will reveal what they have. As always, the best five card hand wins the hand and takes the pot.

4. Razz

-This game is a lot like seven card stud except of course the low hand wins.

-To begin, three cards are dealt to each player.

-The first two are down cards the third is up for everyone to see.

-A round of betting follows, as it does after each of the next three up cards are dealt.

-The seventh and last card is dealt face down.

-One more round of betting before players still in will reveal what they have.

-Now remember the low hand is the winner and flushes and straights don’t count as high hands so ace to five is a good as it gets.

5. Lowball

-Basically, it’s five card draw and the low hand wins

-The point of the game is to have the lowest hand possible.

-But unlike razz, straights and flushes count as high hands.

-So the best possible hand a player could have is 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7.

-Each player receives five cards face down.

-After a round of betting a player is allowed to draw up to five new cards.

-Once a player receives their new cards, a final round of betting follows.

-Players then reveal their cards and since the lowest hand is the best-2,3,4,5 and 7 off suit is as good as it gets.

Groshan Fabiola asked:

Pacific Poker stands out as one of the pioneers of online poker, and has now been operating for over ten years. One of the main attractions with this online poker room is that they have micro limit games and daily online games. Some enthusiasts of Pacific Poker even go as far as saying that very few poker rooms can offer the facilities that it can. That fact that it is compatible with Windows, Linux and Mac, due to its feature no-download quick-play makes it all the more attractive.

As far as the layouts of Pacific Poker go, it comes with a simple feel and look, and there is no need for a guess of the pot size, as the exact size of pot and bets is known. Some people consider the lack of avatars a good feature, as it allows players to concentrate on the game and not be distracted by certain unnecessary images.

Customer service is consider excellent with Pacific Poker, as it has online, telephone and email support around the clock. The people providing this support for players are knowledgeable employees, who are trained to have an answer to any question a player may have regarding the games at Pacific Poker. As for the games, this poker room spreads Texas Hold’em, Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud Hi Lo, Omaha, and Omaha Hi Lo. The limit versions available are no limit, fixed limit, and pot limit.

The general opinion is that the competition is rather soft at Pacific Poker. But it is the soft games in themselves that bring the appreciation of this poker room among players. Considering that they are quite easy to beat, card sharks should overlook the fact that they may not like the graphics, and look at this poker room as the place to be. Speaking of graphics, it is not an exaggeration to say that Pacific Poker has sub-standard software. There are some players who associate poor software with a major drawback in playing poker online. However, this is not the case with Pacific Poker, whose popularity has grown tremendously in recent years.

Online gambling has raised many issues and has been at the center of many heated debates. In the end, as opposed to U.S. citizens, who may find that playing poker online is illegal, European citizens are free to do so at any time and on any online poker room. European gambling however comes with a license that any poker room has to have when operating. Otherwise, players may be forced to pay taxes for their online earnings, and since many of them may be unaware of this, they may find themselves in the position of having broken the law. This is why the European gambling license is a must with online poker rooms.

The European gambling laws are more relaxed than the U.S ones, which gives European players the opportunity to play online poker, without worrying about breaking any laws. That does not mean that Americans are denied access to online poker. As long as the poker room is not within the United States, there should be no concern to the legitimacy of their earnings. And when it comes to earnings, many players, Americans included, will think of Pacific Poker as a gold mine.

Big Bonus asked:

In Poker, the game ‘Texas Holdem’ needs to be played with smart poker strategies.

For the beginners, this poker game has a practical standpoint with some disastrous implications.

An important thing for the begginers to know is that the poker hands shown on television shows do not well represent an ideal poker player. All the famous poker players like Ted Williams, Magic Johnson and others have spent hours on the basic poker fundamentals and they do follow smart poker strategies. In fact, they devote more time for the improvement of those areas in which they are not much good.

Like any other poker game, ‘Texas Hold’em’ has some basics that are not very apparent, but these basics must be mastered by the players as part of the poker strategy for achieving excellence.

The first poker strategy that comes is - Discipline. It doesn not matter what special skills you have if you do not have discipline. It is always good to work hard on the discipline.

The Bets - The bet is the most important element in poker. We can refer the ‘Chips’ as protons or electrons, but a bet is the basic block of everything that takes place in poker be it good or bad. All the ring games in poker revolve around the bet place by the players. (The case of Tournaments is different. In tournamnets, surviving and being the only winner is a concept that does not relate to the ring games.) In Texas Hold’em, you do not try to win the pots, but you try to achieve the best of it on the bet you place. In this game, a player wagers money, he places bets, with a supposed and analysed favorable expectation. Though it does involve aiming to win the pots, however this is not the main goal of a player, so the whole efforts should not be focused on this. It does not matter whether a player wins or loses, the main motto is to get the money in. So, do not worry about the unimportant things, instead focus on doing the right thing.

The Blinds - Poker is a game of a continuously thinking player. In Poker when the bets are placed without thinking wisely either by bad or good players is not a good thing, a bet is the basic money at the stake. A wise player who belives in playing with poker strategies, should play the game with complete focus on the bets he places thoughtlessly. Now if you have placed the bet without thinking much, then apply this poker strategy - attack the bad players as well as the blinds. In Texas Hold’em, the thoughtful players have an edge when compared to the semi-thoughtful players. Actually the thoughtful players have enormous edges for their bets they place thoughtlessly. Do not forgtet his ‘Thoughful’ poker strategy.

Limit vs No Limit - No Limit ‘Texas Holdem’ tournament poker is different from Limit ‘Texas Holdem’ ring game poker. Most of the winning tactics that are used by the players in ‘No Limit’ are either useless in the Limit ‘Texas Hold’em’ ring games. Here this reference works well – “The chainsaws may be good to things in a better way, but for some tasks, the butter-knifes are perfect solution. Just because a lumberjack cuts down an oak tree with a chainsaw you should not use one to cut butter”.

Starting Hands - One poorly considered conecpt of Texas Hold’em that the most begginers have is that they focus correspondingly on the starting hand groups. Texas Hold’em is game that is more of a post-flop rather than a pre-flop, but the beginners fixate on believing the starting hands guidelines. You completely miss the main game point when you play without understanding why you are playing a specific hand. And also you should know properly that how you intend to play it after different flops. So, always learn how and of course, why play hands. It is simple - learning how to play this complex game means you actually start understanding the reasons for “what” you are doing.

Become smart enough to make intelligent decisions. By follwing the above poker strategies, you surely will win the game. Best of Luck!.

Lynn Thomson asked:

Over the past five years, the income trust model has played the role of the hunter, searching out mature businesses that generate a steady income stream to flow through the trust and distribute to the trust’s unitholders. However, on October 31, 2006, the Canadian federal government announced that it would be introducing a new taxation scheme, effective 2011, for most publicly traded income trusts. The result of this new scheme is that the traditional tax advantages enjoyed by these income trusts – namely, little or no tax payable by the trusts on distributions to unitholders – were virtually eliminated. Signaling the serious diminution of tax savings for trust investors, this announcement wrought havoc on the TSX in the days after Minister of Finance, Jim Flaherty, revealed the new regime. As unit trading prices for many of these income trusts started to fall, more and more investors began looking for alternative investments and, as many predicted, the creation of new income trusts declined significantly. In fact, it was shortly after the proposed changes were revealed that BCE Inc. announced that it would no longer be proceeding with its earlier stated plan to convert to an income trust.

So, what of the fate of existing income trusts? The devalued unit prices of these once flourishing income trusts have left them vulnerable to acquisition by businesses, private equity investors (typically foreign) and other income trusts on the hunt. As such, the recent trend has been the acquisition, rather than the creation, of income trusts in Canada. Many of the considerations that apply in the context of corporate M&A transactions also apply to similar transactions involving income trusts. However, there are a number of issues that are unique to the acquisition of an income trust, as distinct from the acquisition of a corporation.

The most significant issue is that unlike a corporation, an income trust is not subject to corporate statutes, such as the Ontario Business Corporations Act or the Canada Business Corporations Act. An income trust is instead governed by a Declaration of Trust, which is to the trust as the Articles of Incorporation, By-laws, and governing corporate statute are to a corporation. As a result of this, the statutory mechanisms of Amalgamation and Arrangement are not available when acquiring an income trust (although similar mechanisms may be included in the trust’s Declaration). Therefore, the scope of potential transaction structures may be narrower and the acquisition of an income trust will likely have to proceed by way of acquisition of the outstanding trust units, on either a friendly or hostile basis.

Furthermore, while Declarations of Trust are often based on provisions of corporate statutes, each one is unique and presents different issues for a potential acquiror. For example, when acquiring a trust (as with a corporation), it is unlikely that all of the outstanding units will be tendered to the acquiror’s bid. However, the continuing existence of an outstanding minority interest is generally undesirable. As a result, it will be necessary for the acquiror to undertake a “second-step transaction” to acquire the remaining units not tendered to the acquiror’s bid. Corporate statutes provide a clear framework for compulsory acquisition of minority interests in certain circumstances. On the other hand, the Declaration of Trust may not provide any similar mechanism, or the conditions for engaging the mechanism may be more onerous. In those circumstances, the acquiror may have to alter the terms of its offer, or effect an amendment to the Declaration of Trust (which generally requires the approval of unitholders). This is just one example of how the specific provisions of a Declaration of Trust can affect the mechanics of an M&A transaction involving an income trust.

The ownership structure of public income trusts, or “funds” as they are sometimes referred to, can also create additional challenges. Income trusts are created by a public offering of units, the proceeds of which are often used to acquire existing businesses. The vendors of these business(es) may retain an interest, typically in the form of securities, in the business. These “retained interests” can complicate the acquisition of an income trust as the securities will often confer voting and/or conversion rights that may allow the retained interest holder to influence the terms of an acquisition. As a result, it will often be necessary for an acquiror to make an offer to the trust’s unit holders, as well as any retained interest holder(s).

Interestingly, while corporate statutes do not apply to trusts, the same is not necessarily true of provincial securities laws. In public income trust takeovers, there is no relief from the often onerous provisions of securities legislation, as these income trusts are considered “reporting issuers” under securities laws. As a result, the same stringent rules relating to “going-private transactions” that protect corporate minority security holders will also apply in the income trust context unless the trust can bring itself within one of the exceptions available for other reporting issuers, such as public corporations.

Thus, we are left with a situation where the overwhelming effect is that income trust transactions are subject to the burden, but do not gain the full benefit, of various statutory mechanisms. In light of the increased income trust M&A activity since October 2006, there clearly seems to be a legislative disconnect with the practical result of the federal government’s decision to change the taxation structure of income trusts.

Nevertheless, these additional challenges associated with acquiring income trusts do not appear to have inhibited the level of M&A activity involving income trusts. A number of corporations have made bids for income trusts, such as New World Gaming Partners Ltd.’s bid for Gateway Casinos Income Fund and Labatt Brewing Company Limited’s (“Labatt”) bid for Lakeport Brewing Income Fund (which resulted in the latter’s acquisition by Labatt). But the income trusts’ predators do not end there. Stronger income trusts have also begun to cannibalize weaker trusts, as in the recent hostile bid by Liquor Stores Income Fund for the outstanding units of struggling Liquor Barn Income Fund. Private equity investors have also caught the scent of devalued unit prices, as in the recent bid by Alinda Capital Partners LLC for UE Waterheater Income Fund (which had itself just reached a friendly agreement to acquire Voxcom Income Fund).

Since the days following the federal government’s initial announcement, there has been some improvement in the unit trading prices of many of these publicly owned income trusts. Nevertheless, the new role of income trusts has clearly become that of the hunted, rather than the hunter. However, this may not be bad news for individual investors who may stand to gain from the takeover of their trust. As with some of the instances cited above, a trust’s unitholders will often be able to sell their units at a premium to the acquiror. This is at least one saving grace to those whose position in the economic food chain was so abruptly commandeered.

John Parks asked:

Choosing an online poker room can be a major decision, especially if you are going to be investing serious money in playing poker online. There are a number of things to consider when choosing an online poker site.

The first thing to consider is what types of bonuses an online poker room offers. Many sites will offer a sign-up bonus. This can get you off to a good start by giving you a little extra money in your bankroll to play with. The best sites will give you up to 100% of your first deposit if you play with their site long enough. PlayersOnlyPoker has the reputation of the best site when it comes to giving out bonuses.

The next thing to consider is the variety of games the poker room offers. A good poker room will offer a variety poker games and a variety of levels for players to play at. It will also have numerous different tournaments constantly running for players to participate in. FullTilt Poker offers one of the widest varieties of poker games on the internet.

It is also important to find out how many players use a various site. A popular site with more players means that there will be more easy money available. A site like PokerStars.net that advertises frequently attracts many players.

Finally, a good poker room will have a variety of ways for a player to withdraw money. Withdrawing money from a poker site can be difficult, but the best sites have multiple payment options for players. For this, bigger sites such as PartyPoker and UltimateBet are the best for withdrawing money.

Clint Jhonson asked:

Party Poker is undoubtedly one of the largest and most popular online poker rooms worldwide. Party Poker has maintained its premier position in the industry, with online poker players numbering tens of thousands everyday. This can be attributed to their relatively loose games, special events and tournaments, promotional bonuses, loyalty programs, among others.

Despite the offshore gaming regulations imposed by the US Federal Government, Party Poker still has a huge number of online poker enthusiasts following. Their online poker rooms still are still characterized by its massive cash-laden poker games and high tournament traffic.

The software used in Party Poker’s online poker sites comes in both download and onsite versions for PC, Mac and even for Linux systems. This versatility comes along with an easily understandable interface, exceptional graphics and great playability. Players may experience slight delays in lobby screen loading, but this is quite expected for online poker rooms with excellent graphics.

Competition levels in Party Poker are remarkably soft when it comes to small stakes or no-limit games. However, there are medium to high stakes available, although limit games which are tougher than most other online poker rooms are also available. This simply means that there are online poker games available for all skill levels, from beginners, casuals to expert professionals.

Online poker tournaments are most exciting with Party Poker. The site offers a large number of tournaments as well as free rolls which gives you best value. Being on the upper segment of the online poker industry, the traffic volume is reliable, such that exciting poker games are always available anytime. In fact, site statistics revealed that Party Poker today supports about 10,000 ring game real money players and up to 60,000 real money tournament players during the peak hours.

The wide traffic, coupled by its popular variations of the most popular poker games make Party Poker one of the most active online poker rooms. All variations of Texas Hold Em, Omaha (and Hi-Lo), and 7 Card Stud (and Hi-Lo) varying between No-, Pot- and Fixed-Limit, full table, heads up and short handed - there is practically one in this site that you will enjoy to the fullest. What makes Party Poker more interesting is that all poker variants available at real money sites are also provided in play money tables. This means that you can enjoy the thrill of play at online poker rooms without even having to spend your hard-earned money.

If you are interested in maximizing your online poker enjoyment through tournaments, you can join any of the scheduled or unscheduled (those that happen 24 hours a day, called Sit n Go) tournaments. Party Poker.com Million is the site’s flagship tournament which is popular all throughout the world. While initial stages are actually done through online poker rooms, the final stage of this tournament is held offline with qualifiers playing at live poker boards on a cruise ship.

Party Poker has well maintained its position as one of the most popular and reputable online poker rooms in the world. With its massive traffic, variety of game and promotional offerings as well as their excellent service, Party Poker will surely remain so in the years to come.

Sean Moronse asked:

Yes you read it right. There is a possibility to cheat in Poker Stars. In fact, there are Poker Stars cheat programs that are acceptable to use. The moderators of the game allow every player to use these programs to boost their chance of winning the Poker Stars game. So what are these acceptable programs, what can they do and when will you find them?

1.    Poker Tracker - You can find this cheat program in their official website, PokerTracker.com. It is the largest and the first poker analysis and tracking software in the world. This program can increase your chance of winning Poker Stars. Poker Tracker will show record all your hand histories that you had when you played Poker Stars or other online poker games. In this way, you will be able to study and deeply analyze the possibility of winning and to foresee your opponent’s moves.

2.    Poker Stat - This online cheat program can also track all the cards that you have played. It can give you a favored position against your opponents and be able to get all the money. You can view how many times you have won or lost a poker game.

3.    Texas Calculatem - With the use of this cheat program you will receive free advice and exact poker hands on every card while you are on the game to increase your probability of winning. Based on the program’s name, you would know that this uses the power of math. It has a database of practiced algorithms that will analyze your card. This cheat program can support play money or real money games.

4.    Poker Office - If you want to outwit all your Poker Stars opponents, Poker Office can definitely help you to make it happen. Poker Office can provide real time statistics of your opponents and their patterns in betting. It can review all your Poker Stars game and discover openings. Poker Office can in fact display the mucked cards of your opponents.

5.    Poker Weapon - This is a program that calculates and records your games that will assure you of winning all the money. Poker Weapon’s cheat program will calculate the pot odds so that you will determine whether you will stay or step away when you are raised. From the number of outs made, it will foresee your luck of winning Poker Stars.

If you don’t want to download and use the mentioned cheat programs, you can use robot software to play Poker Stars on your behalf. All you need to do is activate the bot before you join a game. Then you can leave everything to the power of the robot. The next thing you know is that you have won big money. You can also ask help a friend that is a computer geek who can help you hack the Poker Stars system and find out your opponents cards and their next move. This can possibly be done because Poker Stars are done online and all players communicate via the internet. However, keep in mind that these processes are against Poker Stars rules. Once you are caught using these cheats’ methods you should prepare yourself from lawsuits and being banned on all online poker games.

The best techniques to nail Poker Stars game are by regularly playing the game and by using fair system.

wwwdrecom asked:

Poker is a pretty intense sometimes. Imagine this situation: two players, all in, final table, player A has more money, he got a heart attack in the middle of the flop and died. What do they do? And what if it’s not in the final?

Sean Moronse asked:

The game of poker is continually becoming popular and frequently played around the globe, because it is a great moneymaking game and the fact that the game is truly exciting. Poker though comes in different types. One of them is the Texas holdem poker, which is by far the best and most famed poker game.

What is Texas holdem poker? It is a type of poker where you can choose to play within a small group alone. It can be as small as two players or up to ten players, depending on your choice. This poker game has simple game rules but offers a fast-paced play, which is why American poker players and other players internationally like this game very much.

Texas holdem poker has four rounds of betting. You play Texas holdem with each player receiving two private cards that are faced down and five community cards that are faced up, and these cards placed at the center of the table for player sharing. The player who wins the pot should have the highest hand at the showdown.

How does one win in a Texas holdem poker? Here are guides to show you the way into playing and winning as well:

? Read and research. The game is filled with lots of scheming players. You should fire up yourself first with valuable information about the game like tips and strategies for better chances of winning.

? Have a tough heart. If you give up quickly, then this game is not for you. Poker is game of money and mind coupled with luck and determination.

? Observe the competition. You should understand and evaluate how the other lose and win. With your game and their game as well, you will get some slice of the recipe for a winning game.

? Explore your poker style. For a novice, try to play the game on a different style each time you are on the table. Until then, you will have a proper grasp on which style is best for the game.

? Be a smart ass. Texas holdem poker is poker; what I mean is every poker game is a game of money. Protect your money and then win some by giving the other player a hard time. Remember, you have been in that losing situation once, try not to ruin your luck this time.

? Play and play again. Experience is the best teacher, so the saying says. If you keep yourself on the game most of the time, chances are you will learn a thing or two in every game - whether you win or lose.

? Practice makes perfect. Get a hand of Texas holdem poker always if you are truly serious about learning and winning the game. Play online, play in a real casino, and play wherever poker is available. Besides, once you get the rules right and the winning secrets intact, you are surely on your way to over a hundred-thousand-dollar earning. I wish you the best of luck down your road to success!

Boris Tomson asked:

10 Good Reasons to Play Poker Online

Playing poker is a beloved pastime for many of people. It’s also a way that many people earn money, sometimes their only income. Poker isn’t a new game, but there are variations that are more recent than others. With modern technology, you can now play poker online.

1. It’s a lot of fun. This is probably not news to you, but it needs to be said nonetheless. Online poker is just as much fun as playing in person; and it’s easier to bluff when you play poker online.

2. It’s easy. Many sites have one click access to games, so you don’t have to spend what seems like hours trying to get to a hand.

3. Technologically impressive. The software that’s been designed for many of the poker website is a remarkable sight. You can see the table, the players’ faces and everything. While one can’t say “it’s just like holding the cards in your hands,” the sites won’t bore you, that’s for sure.

4. You can mix it up and play different kinds of poker games online. Playing poker online allows you the freedom to pick and choose - Texas Hold ‘Em, 5 card stud and more.

5. You can play poker online for free. Most poker sites have free versions which you can play - while you won’t win any money, it’s still just as much fun and a great way to learn the game.

6. You can win real money. When you’ve played all the free poker you can handle and you think you’re ready to play for money, you can do so with the right poker site.

7. You can play in a tournament. You know those poker tournaments that you catch on TV every once in a while, the ones that last for hours and have large pots at stake? You can play those online as well.

8. Learning the game. If you already play poker, you are aware of the fun which can be had. For newbies wanting to get involved, one of the best ways to learn is to play poker online.

9. It’s convenient. You can play poker online from the comfort of your own home, even in your pajamas!

10. You can make new friends. With built in chat when you play poker online, you can socialize as well as simply play a hand of poker.