Site Review: UltimateBet.com

I've just finished my revaluation of UltimateBet.com since their last software update. The look is a little more refined but all the functionality is basically the same. The important thing is that it all works. Competition seems to be getting a little stronger here but the site is big enough that you can find lots of the loose action we love so much. There is a lot to like about UltimateBet.com they're well established, they have plenty of traffic (over 15,000 players online as write this review), they have a 100% first deposit bonus up to $650, lots of tournaments including free rolls and World Series of Poker qualifiers. Their software is mature and stable. There are only two things that I would like to see changed, more deposit/withdrawal options and more frequent reload bonuses. UltimateBet.com is simple a great play to play Texas Hold'em or any other type of poker you like. Download the UltimateBet software now!

Worldseries free roll for new players.

For a limited time only when you make your first deposit you will automatically receive one free entry to a WSOP Daily Freeroll Qualifier. This special bonus applies to any of the five first Deposit Bonuses Hollywood Poker has to offer. You read it correctly; Hollywood Poker has FIVE first time Deposit Bonuses for you to choose from. Giving every player a chance to choose the bonus that suits their playing style best. Whether you're a low stakes player, a tournament player or a high stakes player, Hollywood Poker's got the right bonus for you. So what are you waiting for? Click below and sign in for more details about this exclusive offer and your Deposit Bonus options: Play Online Poker Now

Play Against Phil Hellmuth in Sunday's Pro Bounty!

Look for Phil Hellmuth inside your computer this Sunday at UltimateBet. He'll be playing in Sunday's $200+15 with a bounty on his head. Also playing in the $200,000 Guaranteed event are Antonio Esfandiari, KrazyKanuck and P0ker H0. Knock one of them out and we'll give you your buy-in back. Register for the tourney right now or win your way there. Download the UltimateBet software now!

Should you play free poker?

I've been asked many times if playing free poker online is a good way to improve your skills. Personally I avoid playing free poker (by free I'm referring to play money games were nothing tangible is at stake). Doyle Brunson is famous for saying that "poker is not a card game you play with people but a people game you play with cards" or something to that effect. In other words the the thought process of your opponents is just as important if not more important than the cards themselves. Ad: Texas Hold'em Secrets Revealed When there is nothing is at stake people play differently. It's a lot harder to go all-in with your hard earn paycheck than with play chips. Virtually everything you learn about how your opponents react in a play money game won't apply to a real money game. My advice is if you have a small bank roll play at lower limit tables until you have enough to move up. It's not glamorous to play .05/.10 limit but at least what you learn will carry over to higher limits (mostly). There are two exceptions to this rule for me: You've never played poker online or you are learning a game new to you such as seven card stud or Omaha poker. Mistakes at any limit are expensive and few of us have unlimited bank rolls so learning the rules and mechanics of a game with play money makes a lot of sense. You new to the site and want to test out the functionality or are otherwise unsure about it. If you are thinking of playing a site for the first time it makes sense to get used to the layout and controls before you invest any money. But if you are considering a site that is strangely or poorly laid out or if it is brand new I suggest moving onto a more tried and true poker site. Good luck and have fun! Poker sites supporting US players: Doyles Room Full Tilt Poker Ultimate Bet

Aussie Millions at Full Tilt Poker

Cool tournament alert! Full Tilt Poker one of my favorite places to play Texas Hold'em has announced an awesome tournament Aussie Millions. Full Tilt Poker always has multiple paths to win a seat from free roll qualifiers to direct buy in qualifiers what cool about this tournament is the prize package worth $18,000. The package includes entry into the Aussie Millions Main Event, round trip airfare from Los Angeles to Melbourne for you and your guest, 10 nights stay at the Crown Casino Resort, and $3,000 spending money. Combine a cool location with an entry into one of the most prestigious events in the southern hemisphere. Simply awesome. For more details go to Full Tilt Poker Aussie Millions

Warning to new poker players

Here is what happened to me when I first started playing poker online. I registered and made my first deposit. I was a little nervous so I watched for a while until finally I got the nerve to sit down at 5/1 single table sit and go Hold'em tournament ($5 to the prize pool $1 to the poker room). Before I tell you what happened next let me warn you that it is one of the most dangerous things that can happen to a new poker player. Brace yourself...I finished in the money! In fact that day I played 6 sit and go's and won or finished in the money 4 times. What's so dangerous about that? Wow that's great! I can here you saying. The problem is when you get lucky early on you begin to think you are a better poker player than you are. You become over confidence and when your hot streak ends (it always does) and the cards run cold it can be a very expensive lesson indeed. My initial deposit was about $150 and my first weekend playing online I turned it into nearly $600. I was making $8 bucks an hour at the time and not making ends meet and I'd just made $600 in about 12 hours! That works out to be $50 per hour! "I CAN QUIT MY JOB!" I thought. Over the next couple of weeks I was up $1800 total and to be honest it was mostly blind luck. Somewhere around the third week the inevitable started to happen suddenly the cards weren't going my way. And over the next month I went from being up almost two grand to being $1000 in the hole. I couldn't afford to lose a $1000, hell I couldn't afford to lose my initial $150 deposit. One of two things seems to happen to most people when they go through this. Many give up poker thinking that they just don't have what it takes. Others blindly forge ahead believing there luck will change and eventually it does. But because they do nothing to improve their ability they become long term losers. They think that eventually they'll take down a huge pot that will eventually put them ahead while the true pro's sit there quietly building their stacks on the mistakes of those who rely on luck and self delusion. What I chose to do is go to school. I knew that you could make a living people playing poker if you had the right combination of skill, experience and cunning. I also new that I was sick of barely getting by and living pay check to pay check. Since then I've read at least a hundred books on poker and spent thousands of hours honing my skills and a dozen online poker rooms. I've taken hundreds of pages of notes and spent hours analyzing my play. Now I make my living playing poker online. Is it worth it? I think so. Until next time...You've been warned!