New Poker Training Center

I have just found out about a new Poker Training School that's taking the poker market by storm! Tim, Errol and the rest of the team are the real deal.. They recently launched the "Outstanding Poker Training" Site. Click Here To Check It Out... Heck, you can even watch them put their strategies to work. They have recorded their success on Video and now you can take a peek at every hand and understand why they pay the way they do. The only way to successfully learn how to make money off of playing poker online is by actually sitting down and watching videos of online professional poker players. Imagine if you can watch and listen to online poker pros while seeing their hole cards. Act now and as a special Launch Bonus you will Get a FREE Full Length Training Video from an Outstanding Poker Pro. Click the link below to see their stats...pretty impressive I'd say. Check Out These Stats... You owe it to yourself to take a look... Again, here's that link. Start making money today! All the best, MG

Free Poker Training Update

Earlier this year I announced that I would be offering free poker lessons. A lot of thought has gone into this and how to best accomplish my goals of helping a select group become skilled Texas Hold'em players and improve the poker community. First, I'm taking on some apprentices who have the desire and aptitude for poker but not the experience or skill yet. Look for an announcement in the coming weeks about how to apply and please be aware that registration will be extremely limited, so stay tuned so you don't miss out. Email me at interest@moderngrinder.com if you want to participate, have any questions or suggestions. Until next time... MG

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! Featured Poker Rooms: AbsolutePoker.com Full Tilt Poker PokerStars Ultimate Bet

Win More Games By Developing Your Own Poker Playing Style

If you new to No Limit Texas Hold’em poker and have watched the WSOP you are probably amazed at the brilliant play of some of the professionals. Most likely you find yourself saying, “Wow! How did he know to raise in that situation” or “How in the world did he know that he was bluffing?” Well, sometimes it is luck but more often than not it is skill and knowing their opponents tendencies. When you are staking out your next opponent you may want to keep in mind that most players fall into four distinct categories, loose passive, loose aggressive, tight passive and tight aggressive. The term loose and tight describes a poker player’s frequency of played hands. A loose poker player will play many hands and mix their play up. They don’t necessarily wait on what would be thought of as a good starting hand. A tight player will play hands less frequently usually waiting on a good starting hand or at least to be in good position. The term passive and aggressive describe a poker player’s betting tendencies. A passive poker player will normally check or call many times even if they have top pair or over cards. An aggressive player, on the other hand, has a tendency to bet or raise and put your ability to read them to the test. Loose Passive A loose passive player is generally new to No Limit Texas Hold’em. They will start with almost any hand not fully understanding which hands are strong and which hands are marginal. When the flop and turn are shown and they catch middle or bottom pair they will generally check or call giving the opponent an opportunity to catch cards. This type of opponent may scare easily with a large bet on the river. Loose Aggressive An experienced loose aggressive player is a very dangerous player and you always want them on your right. This type of poker player will play various types of hands and also bet very aggressively, as if he/she always has a great hand or is catching a great flop. Watch out for this type of player because it is extremely difficult to put them on a hand. Tight Passive A tight passive player is one of the most respected players at a poker table but that can be a good and bad thing. A tight passive player will only play a limited number of hands. They generally wait on good cards and will call or bet only when they have made their hand. Generally a poker table will recognize a tight passive player and when they represent a hand the table will respectfully fold their cards resulting in smaller pot sizes. Tight Aggressive A tight aggressive poker player will sit back and wait on a good hand or good position and then bet aggressively. It is thought that this style of play fits extremely well with No Limit Texas Hold’em. This type of player will frequently raise pre flop. If he/she is on a draw or thinks the hand is good, you better believe there will be a strong bet or raise following as well. If you’re new to the game then you may not have a strategy down yet. Remember, there is no right answer to what type of style you choose or fall under but with practice you will probably be able spot what type or poker style suits you the best. Featured Poker Rooms: AbsolutePoker.com Full Tilt Poker PokerStars Ultimate Bet About the Author: Nigel B. is a poker consultant for Signature Poker. For you next home game check out great Poker Chips for at http://www.signaturepoker.com Read more articles by: Nigel B. Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Winning Online Poker Strategy: Improving Your Tournament Play

Online poker tournament play can be a daunting experience for even the most seasoned veteran so when you are ready to get started in tournament play it is best to have a solid strategy and that you have taken the time to get comfortable with tournament play. There is a philosophy used by many musicians that can be applied to preparing for tournament play. Musicians may spend hours in their rehearsal space pretending they are on stage at Madison Square Garden or Carnegie Hall, preparing themselves for the experience by imaging themselves in it. The same philosophy can be used in preparing for tournament play. Start with single table tournaments and pretend you are at the final table at the World Championship. Every chip is precious as is ever move you make, apply this simple philosophy to your early single table tournament play and it will help you develop the skills needed later on when you make the move to multi table tournaments. A smart strategy to use when beginning at single table tournaments is to play only premium hands in the first three rounds. Slowly open up and play more hands and get more aggressive as the tournaments continues and as shorter handed the tournament becomes. By slowly building your bankroll and getting within one or two spots from the money it is easier to rob the more desperate players trying to make their money back. Play aggressive at this stage and jump on the chance at taking more of their chips! As with your standard online poker play, you should always stick to your strategy. Fold often, use you bluff sparingly and always be aware of the habits and tells of the other players involved in your game. Be prepared and aware of what types of players are playing at your table and use their habits against them. Studying the other players early in the game will arm you with valuable information that will help you deep into the game. Playing a few early bluffs may be an effective tool in your strategy as can early folds. Your aggressive play should increase deeper into the game but, at the same time, you should be playing a smart disciplined game. It is easier to get aggressive when you feel in control of the game, so study, study, study! Finally, never get yourself into a tournament you are not prepared for! Build your skills and get comfortable with the experience before jumping in. Featured Poker Rooms: AbsolutePoker.com Full Contact Poker Full Tilt Poker PokerStars Ultimate Bet About the Author: Check our poker room reviews, our Poker.com bonus code, and our Poker Room deposit code. Read more articles by: J Finney Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Poker Bankroll Requirements

Your bankroll is the amount of money you have set aside to play poker with. Some players can easily add to their bankroll from outside sources while others have no way to add if they lose theirs. If you fall into the latter category, it is very important to not play at limits that exceed your bankroll. One very important point you should know is that until you become a consistent winner it doesn’t matter how big your bankroll is. The only thing that will matter is how much you have to lose. For this reason, the information below is written for you assuming you are a winning player overall. The first rule is to not confuse bankroll and buy-in. A buy-in is the amount you sit down in a game with or the entry fee in a tournament, not the entire amount you have available to play poker with over a period of time. For example, you may have a bankroll of $10,000 to play 15/30-limit holdem. If this were the case you would probably buy-in for between $500 and $1,000. I have seen bankroll size suggestions ranging from 200 times the big bet at the level you are playing at ($800 at 2/4) to 300 times the big bet ($1200 at 2/4). My recommendation, particularly for holdem, is to start with 300 times the big bet. I play much better when I have this cushion. I have played at levels that I had much less than 300 times the big bet in bankroll and it sometimes hurts my play. This is a psychological hurdle but when reduced to facts it makes sense. 50 times the big bet is a common downswing, even for professional players, and nothing to become too concerned about if you are still playing well. However, if you start with only 100 times the big bet, if you are down 50 big bets you have lost 50% of your bankroll. If you had started with 300 big bets and are down 50, you have only lost roughly 17% of your bankroll. If you are a very sound Omaha/8 player, you can play with a 200 big bet bankroll. This is because Omaha/8 is a much more mathematically direct game than holdem, or in other words there is less short-term variance or luck. Because of the short-term variance in holdem, even professional players may see a 200 big bet downswing at times. For this reason, that extra 100 big bets may keep you from being forced to drop down a level before the cards turn in your favor. Featured Poker Rooms: AbsolutePoker.com Full Contact Poker Full Tilt Poker PokerStars Ultimate Bet About the Author: Wes Young runs a poker web site at http://www.pokermonger.com where you can find information about poker strategy, poker room reviews and unique poker articles. He also publishes a weekly poker column. For information visit thepokercolumn.com Read more articles by: Wes Young Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Playing Poker: What Motivates The Top Poker Players

Why do we play poker? But especially why do you play poker? This might strike you as an odd question but it is very important for your future success in the world of poker. The reason why you play poker is at least as important as the way you play poker. We can categorize somehow the reasons why we play poker, we can properly analyze them and after that we can use them to improve our actual gaming style. If we could ask several hundreds of players “Why do you play poker?” the odds are quite big that their answer would be “For the money”. But if we could access their last year statistics we would see that some just didn’t win any money at all, or at least that they didn’t win more that they lost. If money is the only reason these people play poker they why do they keep on doing it? Of course, there are many more answers that they don’t really want to admit. This happens because there are many other motivations that push us to play poker just as great as the desire to win many, but many of them are even greater. And when you come to think about it, you can surely find many many reasons: fun, the love of the game, competition, making friends, the desire to beat the best there is in the world of poker, and the list can go on and on. But if you understand the various reasons behind your game you will eventually manage to change your view about winning and losing or you will be able to choose the perfectly fit games for you, the ones that will bring you the most success. In his book, “The Psychology of Poker”, Alan N. Shoonmaker explains in detail the importance of understanding personal impulses in order to find the answer to the question “Why do we play poker?” I will take the liberty to speak a little bit about this theory. Take a pen and a piece of paper and write down the following: Money Making friends Relaxing Pleasure Competition Just passing time If you can think of additional reasons, write those down also. Now you will have to think hard and find within yourselves the real reasons you play poker for. Once you did that, write after each reason a percentage, even if it is 0%, just keep in mind that all of them added must equal 100%. If someone would play poker 20% for Money, 10% for relaxation, 50% for pleasure and the remaining 20% for competition, then he would be what is called a loose player most of the time, playing many hands and staying in the game as much as he can just for the thrill of being there. This is the most important thing for him and it influences his style of playing. If you manage to carefully and correctly analyze your own situation you can eventually change some parts of your game you don’t like or improve the ones that you consider are good. In many types of competitions, the battle is firstly within yourself and only after that with your opponents. Bad mistakes in poker are made when you are too proud, when you question your ability and doubt your self all the time, when you are too scared or shy when you must take an action or when your thoughts are just somewhere else. If you play poker just with friends to pass the time, then you must choose games with low bids, so your bankroll will last longer. If you are playing to relax then stay out of the games with poker fanatics and choose some games with less involved players. The answers can be various and they only depend on you. But answering the question is a must if you wish to improve your game. Featured Poker Rooms: AbsolutePoker.com Full Contact Poker Full Tilt Poker PokerStars Ultimate Bet About the Author: If you're searching for poker home games or a local poker tournament, visit http://www.find-local-poker.com today. Read more articles by: J Finney Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Avoiding Tilt When Playing Poker

Avoiding Tilt Everybody has suffered from going “on tilt” at some point. Even the best players do and if they think they don’t they are wrong. They just have not noticed because they might only do it slightly. Going on tilt does not have to mean you just lose it all together and blow your stack, it can just mean you start to play worse than normal and not play your best game. The trick is to know when you are going on tilt, why you are going on tilt and what to do about it. If you can do this then you are on your way to taking those poker site bonuses along with other player’s money. Here are a few of the main reasons you might go on tilt. YOU ARE TIRED If you have been playing for a while or late into the night then you are likely to get tired. If you are tired you start to lose concentration and make mistakes. If that’s the case then call it a night and play again tomorrow when you are refreshed and fully alert. YOU HAVE HAD A BAD BEAT This happens to everyone, somebody hangs in with a hand they should have folded and makes their hand with the river card to beat your solid hand that was winning from the off. Get over it, easier said than done but if you lose your cool and let it get to you then you will start to make mistakes. YOU ARE HAVING A LOSING RUN You have been having a run of bad luck and think it has got to turn round sometime. It will if you stick to the strategy but if you think you are due a change in luck and play a poor hand then you only have yourself to blame when you lose again. YOU HAVE NOT HAD A DECENT HAND FOR A WHILE You have not had a decent starting hand for ages and Q 7 unsuited looks like a hand worth having a go with because a Q is the highest card you have had for a while. Its not, you have to be disciplined and wait for the good hands, they will come. But even a good hand can be beaten so you still have to consider what the other players might have when one finally comes along. YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR DEPTH You have built up your bankroll and decided its time to take on the high rollers. You start to feel intimidated by the size of the bets, you start to check when you should be raising or worse still fold winning hands because you are worried about losing your money. You are out of your depth, there’s no shame in it, drop back to a smaller stakes game where you feel comfortable. There are many other reasons why you might go on tilt but as a rule if you feel you are then you should turn off the computer. If you don’t feel you can correct it there and then, switch it off and come back another day. Poker sites supporting US players: Full Tilt Poker Ultimate Bet PokerStars About the Author: This article was written by John Woods of http://www.TexasHoldemStrategy.co.uk The complete on-line resource centre for the texas hold'em poker enthusiast with Texas Holdem Strategies, information, news, software, books, T-Shirts and £000’s in fantastic bonus offers. Read more articles by: John Woods Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Evaluating Starting Hands In No-Limit Hold'em Tournaments

There are three main factors that influence how you should play your hole cards in No-Limit Hold'em Tournaments. They are: your position, the size of your chip stack, and the size of the blinds. As a basic rule you need to avoid marginal hands that appear playable pre-flop but which can lead to huge losses in a single pot. The classic starting hands that fall into this category would be any Ax lower than AQ where both cards are unsuited, any Kx unsuited lower than KQ, and low suited connectors. The tricky aspect of no-limit hold'em both in a tournament structure and in a regular cash game is that these hands can also lead to the greatest rewards. They are extremely volatile, however, and much of the skill of no-limit is knowing how to recognize when that starting hand is a liability and when it could potentially break an opponent. This requires a great feel for the game after the flop. Naturally beginners lack this experience and nuanced understanding of the game, and so it is far safer for a novice to limit himself to playing premium cards only before the flop. The problem then becomes one of predictability - if you only raise with big pairs you are unlikely to get any action, and when you do get action you're in trouble because the rest of the table clearly knows what you're holding to begin with. If you are one off the button or on the button you should loosen your restrictions and play more starting hands, including those marginal ones, provided no one else has entered the pot showing obvious strength. To vary your play effectively you should also consider raising with these hands as a semi-bluff tactic, but no more than one in four times. Keep most of your initial raises down to between 75% and 100% of the pot. If you make it 3 times the size of the big blind to go that typically equals an 80% pot bet. This will protect you in case you get re-raised or called by stronger holdings. If there are limpers in front of you and you are going to raise then you need to make a significant bet, especially in no-limit where you have to make it punitive for other players if they intend to draw out. In that case you could raise as much as 6 times the big blind. Have a healthy and watchful respect for strong-tight players who are rarely in hands, particularly if they play the hand out of position. If a player like this raises in early position you should fold all those marginal hands, and small pairs as well. When weak players have entered the pot, you should be happy to call and take flops with them provided you can do this inexpensively. Slow playing big hands has a higher expected value in No-Limit than it does in Limit games where it is rarely the right way to play. That being said, it is a skill that takes a lifetime to master, and can easily backfire on you. As the blinds increase in tournament play you must be flexible with your evaluation of starting hands as you have to keep your chip stack well ahead of the pace set by the blinds. In tournament play you cannot wait for the perfect starting hand, and frequently you need to make your own luck. Be selectively aggressive, especially in the later stages of the tournament. Initially you should be tight at least until you have a good read on some of the opponents at your table. Try to avoid coin-flip scenarios where all your chips are at stake. This happens all the time in online tournaments where players feel comfortable going all-in on AK and equally comfortable calling that hand with any pocket pair. The winners of tournaments at all levels are usually those players who pace themselves early on, make a move in the middle stages of the event, and then start all over again at the final table by once again playing strong-tight. Poker sites supporting US players: Full Tilt Poker Ultimate Bet PokerStars About the Author: Marc Weinberg is a poker fanatic and regular tournamanet player. For more interesting articles about playing online poker, visit http://www.online-poker-insider. Online Poker Insider guarantees online poker room deposits up to $500. Read more articles by: Marc W. Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Free Modern Grinder Poker League

The Modern Grinder has teamed up with Ultimate Betto offer an exciting new online poker league with the goal of sending at least 5 members to the World Series of Poker. The league will have exclusive league tournaments, bonus cash, prizes and the top members will be eligible for free entry into other tournaments both online and live! Effective immediately enrollment is open to the first 500 who sign up. After the open enrollment period you will need to be sponsored by a league member in good standing to join. To qualify: Agree to uphold the highest standards of sportsmanship, professional conduct and integrity. You must also abide by the bylaws of the league which you as a founding member will help establish. Sign up for a new Ultimate Bet account using the registration/bonus code: mgleague which is also good for a 100% deposit bonus. Your account name must end in mgl (grinder_mgl for example). Make a deposit of at least $50 and accumulate 1,500 Ultimate bet points (this is the only way we know you are serious and we only want serious players). Once you've completed steps 1-4 send an email to league@moderngrinder.com with full name, city and country of residence and UltimateBet user name ending in mgl. You may also include a short introduction of yourself (250 words or less). You will be notified of your acceptance within five business days. Don't wait! Membership will fill up fast and we will be voting for officers and drafting the new bylaws soon. There are many more exciting things in the works that we can't announce yet. Subscribe to this blog and email this post to all your friends NOW so you don't miss out. Join The Modern Grinder On-line Poker League Today!

Playing QQ In No Limit Texas Holdem

While there is no argument that QQ is one of the most powerful starting hands in no limit Texas holdem, it also can be challenging to play correctly. The trademark of a good player is one who can win big pots while losing small ones. What this means is that the best players minimize their losses when they do lose a hand and maximize their profit when they win. QQ is one of the starting hands that separate the winning players and the losing ones. When you are first to act or the first player who hasn’t limped into the pot, you should raise most of the time. There are two reasons for this. The first is you don’t want anyone to see the flop for cheap, especially hands with an Ace and small kicker. The second reason is that you need to do everything you can to find the strength of your opponents hands. By raising, if one of your opponents re-raises and/or moves all in, you will have a difficult decision to make, but you may be able to get away from the hand if you think your opponent has AA or KK. This is the absolute worst position to be in. In addition, QQ plays best against one or two opponents. You should keep all of your pre flop raises roughly the same to not give away the strength of your hand, usually three or four times the big blind. Playing QQ after the flop is usually straightforward. If you have shown strength by raising pre flop, continue to show strength until one of your opponents convinces you that they have a better hand. This includes when an Ace hits on the flop. You must bet to represent an Ace in your hand. If you check, you are giving your opponents permission to steal the pot from you, as you will have to fold to a bet. When you bet and an opponent calls or raises, you then must decide if they actually have a better hand or not. In most cases they will have a better hand because you have shown strength two times and they should respect your hand, unless you have been playing too loose. There are a few situations in which I will check after the flop. They both happen when I am in the hand with an aggressive opponent and I feel I have the best hand. The first is when a Queen hits on the flop giving me trips. By checking, rarely will a free card hurt me if my opponent doesn’t bet and this gives them a chance to bluff off more chips to me. The other situation is when the flop doesn’t have an Ace and appears ragged. My plan when this happens is to move all in when my opponent bets after I check. There is danger in both of these situations, especially the later one. Your opponent may have hit a set, in which case you will be drawing almost dead. However, I have found that the times they can’t beat my hand far outweigh the times they can, so these situations are profitable. The key to both of these is that you must be sure your opponent will take the bait and bet. Giving free cards can be harmful. I do not do this when two cards of the same suit are on the flop unless I did flop a set. When you flop a set, you have many outs to a full house, even against a flush. The other thing is that these plays do not work very well against the best competition. They will respect your hand and will be less likely to bluff at the pot after you check unless you do a great job of acting weak. After showing pre flop strength, this is often difficult. Poker sites supporting US players: Doyles Room Full Tilt Poker Ultimate Bet PokerStars About the Author: Wes Young works with Tom Ake of Royal Poker Online at http://www.royalpokeronline.com Take a look at the online poker room reviews today. Read more articles by: Wes Young Article Source: www.iSnare.com

How to quit your job and play poker on-line for a living and make more money than you do now.

Beginning Monday January 8, 2007 The Modern Grinder will launch a series of articles designed to teach you everything you need to know to transition from your current job to making your living as a professional poker player. Imagine setting your own hours, working from virtually anywhere in the world and making a good income playing the game you love. • Discover what it takes to be a poker pro • Learn to manage your bank roll and avoid going broke • Legal and Tax issues for poker players • Maximizing profits through promotions and bonuses • Eliminating leaks in your game • Poker psychology • Site, game and table selection • Poker odds and math • How to develop your own personal strategy that works for your unique personality • Surviving bad luck • Live vs. online poker • Poker tournament strategy game strategy • How to transition from your day job to poker • How to appear almost psychic to your opponents and outplay them almost every time • Debt Management, Investment and Asset Allocation for Poker Players • How to use your poker income to retire early • Maximizing your lifestyle Our goal is to help those of you who have the aptitude and desire to quit the jobs that they hate and live the life of their dreams playing their favorite game. The Modern Grinder could charge thousands for this kind of information but we are offering free to all of our readers with no obligation. If you are interested in accelerating your progress through personal chat/email based coaching, qualify for exclusive free roll tournaments and be considered for possible sponsorship to major poker events around the world including the World Series of Poker. You may qualify for The Modern Grinder Personal Coaching program by signing up for a new account at one of the following poker rooms and earning 1000 points. Once you've qualified fill out the form here. Doyles Room Full Tilt Poker Ultimate Bet

Advantages Of Playing Online Poker

Getting involved in online poker games is a wonderful way of enabling you to play a great card game in the privacy of your own home. There are so many tremendous advantages to playing these poker games via the internet. First of all, it is convenient in that you do not have to drive a long distance or even short distance to a gaming facility as you will most likely only need to walk into the other room where your computer is set up. A second reason why online poker games are a great way to enjoy your card games is that the stakes may sometimes be a bit lower than if you were to proceed to gamble at a physical establishment. A third advantage of playing poker games online is that concentration is more readily available as you are not playing poker in a distracting atmosphere where other players are sitting to the left and right of you in sometimes overly close quarters. A fourth and important advantage to playing poker online is that you can play this fun game 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without ever having to leave the comfort of your own home. Lastly, as gaming tables at casino establishments can sometimes be largely filled up, by playing online poker you will ultimately eliminate the wait that often exists at gaming tables in casinos. Texas Hold'em Secrets Revealed Convenience for the seasoned or beginner poker player is one of the many advantages of playing online poker. Even though gaming institutions are popping up in more and more places these days, it is still likely that you will have to drive a good distance to reach a casino. As a number of casinos will usually have ample parking, there will still be those instances where you will have to look around for awhile for a parking spot and sometimes even pay for your parking while you are inside the casino. By playing poker online at home you are able to completely disregard the notion of driving anywhere at all and can use your time more wisely as opposed to wasting it by driving to and from the gaming facility. Another plus with not having to drive to a gaming establishment is that you will save money on gasoline. Online poker is definitely for the convenience-lover. Lower stakes in the poker game are also an advantage of playing poker in an online setting. As individuals that play poker online are often beginners and are trying to learn the ins and outs of the game, low stakes poker games online make this type of table game a great place in which to learn without losing large amounts of money. In order to find the websites offering low stakes poker online, simply do a general search using a phrase such as “low stakes poker online” or “poker games online low stakes” and you will be met with a number of poker websites from which to choose the one you like best. Just be sure to thoroughly review the site prior to playing for safety reasons to make sure it is legitimate. Earn Six Figures Play Poker On-Line A third advantage of playing the game of poker online is that concentration will be more focused and centered in the comfort of your own home. Sometimes when you are playing poker table games at a casino, or any type of table games for that matter, other players can be distracting and almost intrusive. With online poker, you are able to concentrate better thereby increasing your chances of winning. When people are unable to concentrate, they tend to make silly moves thereby losing more money than they might have had they been able to concentrate. Playing poker online enables you to be able to concentrate on the game at hand and eliminates any outside distractions that may be present within a casino setting. Having the availability of playing online poker 24 hours a day, 7 days a week is another wonderful advantage of playing a poker game in this manner. This is wonderful for the individual who likes to wait until later at night when the house is quiet and work is done for the day when he/she can sit down in front of the computer and enjoy a game or two of online poker. It doesn’t matter what time of day it is as you are sure to find an online poker game in progress. Availability is a beneficial advantage to the poker game lover. Finally, playing online poker is a great way to ensure your place at a virtual gaming table. How many times have you driven to your local casino, or in some instances not so local casino, and found that you had to wait an unimaginable amount of time to secure a spot at a card table that was within your budget? My guess is quite a few of you have experienced this type of waiting game. By utilizing the availability of online poker websites you will be able to find a place at one of their virtual tables and no longer will you need to wait in line to enjoy some poker action. This may also help you to relax as sometimes waiting in lines can cause unnecessary anxiety and aggravation. These are just a few reasons why playing poker online is a great alternative to playing this game at a casino in your area. Not only is online poker convenient but it also allows you to concentrate on your game and increase your winnings. Additionally, it allows you to play this entertaining game for lower sums of money, thereby limiting any potential extreme losses. Also, you will never have to wait in a smoky, crowded casino area again looking for a table spot to open up. After hearing about all of the aforementioned reasons, why not give online poker a try and see for yourself all of the wonderful things that it has to offer. Chances are you will not be disappointed. Featured Poker Rooms: AbsolutePoker.com Full Contact Poker Full Tilt Poker PokerStars Ultimate Bet About the Author: Jeff Dragt is an avid online poker player who writes for several online poker website. http://www.texasholdempokerpro.com Read more articles by: Jeff Dragt Article Source: www.iSnare.com

To Show or Not to Show that is the Question!

Do you show your cards when you've folded your pocket kings to show what a good lay down you are making? What about when you've forced everyone out of the had, do you show off your daring bluff? For me the answer to this question is a simple no. Poker is a game of decision making and providing your opponents with more information than you have to is a bad idea. However, there are exceptions to almost every tactic in poker. When you show make sure you do it for a specific reason. For example you have nothing and bluff an opponent out of a big pot. You've been watching him and are pretty sure that you can put him on tilt by showing off your bluff. Just make sure when you make the decision to show your cards you have a good reason and that is not based in emotion or to show off what a brilliant play you just made. Never do anything only to gain approval or respect of your opponents. The pride and self respect that only comes in time from being a consistent winner is all the respect you need. Featured Poker Rooms: AbsolutePoker.com Full Contact Poker Full Tilt Poker PokerStars Ultimate Bet

What Level Should You Play At?

You've just made a real money deposit into your online poker account. Great! But, what level should you play at? In other words should you shit down to a $.10/$.25 Limit game or that exciting looking $100/$200 No-Limit game? The answer of course depends on skill level and experience as well as the size of your bankroll (the amount of money you have available to play with). The first two questions you need to answer are; what do you hope to accomplish with your bank-roll and can you afford to lose it all? You might be saying to yourself, "To win money, you idiot!Why else would I playing poker?" That might be part of the answer but ask yourself if your playing primarily to: Have fun and maybe kill a little time Learn and improve your skills Earn a little extra spending money Make a living What you do with your bankroll and the risks you are willing to take are completely different when you are playing for fun rather than trying to make a living and your ability to pay your rent depended on the outcome of the game. Once you know your outcome you can answer the second question. If you are playing for fun or learning, you better be able to afford to lose your bank-roll. If you can't you shouldn't be playing. If you can afford to lose it and replenish it then pick what ever game you can afford to by into that interests you. If you are serious then you need to think about your bankroll like a farmer thinks about his seed. You must make certain you always have a reserve of seeds (chips) to plant for the next season (playing session) or you will starve (go broke). In Limit Texas Hold'em I suggest you have at least 200 times the big blind in your bank-roll and that you sit down with about 40 times the big blind. For example if you have just deposited $500 then you should be playing at the $1/$2 limit tables and sit down with $80. If you lack experience and are still learning the basics I suggest dropping a level $.50/$1 for example. If you are more skilled you might be able to get away with taking it up a notch. If you have a bad run of cards don't hesitate to drop down to the appropriate level. It's far better to play at lower limits than to go broke. No-Limit and Pot-limit Texas Hold'em are almost completely different animals and are a subject for a future article. For now lets just say that you should be at least 5 times more conservative when choosing what level to play at. Until Next Time....MG Featured Poker Rooms: AbsolutePoker.com Full Contact Poker Full Tilt Poker PokerStars Ultimate Bet

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! Featured Poker Rooms: AbsolutePoker.com Full Contact Poker Full Tilt Poker PokerStars Ultimate Bet

Poker a game of chance or skill?

Is poker a game of luck or skill? People who aren't students of the game will debate this question vigorously. For those of us who do study the game the obvious answer is...Yes! Both luck and skill are factors. You have very little control over your luck (what control you do have will be the subject of a future post) but you do control your how seriously you pursue honing your skills. Still it is nice to get lucky every now and then. Given enough time all players will have the same luck with the cards. In other words over time you will get just as many good hands and poor hands as other players. The difference there fore between a long term winner and a long term loser is what you do with those hands. You can play poker and not have it be much of a gamble by only entering pots with premium starting hands. Most of the time this strategy will pay off. It's tough to beat the rake this way and of course you will suffer some bad beats. Most likely you will over time break even or make a little money but at least you won't lose much. Or you can gamble by pushing you chips in on long shots and hunches. Playing this way is characterized by huge swings in you bank roll because sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you get burned. This is an exciting way to play but ultimately the players with this style of play have to lie to themselves about the results they are getting. Depending on how the cards fall you can make a lot of money. But the majority of the time you will walk away with many fewer chips than you started with. The gambler is were the majority of your profits as a serious poker player will come from. Controlled aggression describes most professional poker players. He doesn't rely on luck nor is he a rock playing only premium hands. He will fold as many times as necessary until the time is right taking calculated risks when necessary to maximize the value of his hands.

Free Poker Training!

Free Poker Training! Pay attention because this is very exciting and may only happen once! The Modern Grinder will be offering personal coaching in playing Texas Hold'em for profit. The goal of this training will be to teach what it takes to be a professional online poker player and to see if you have what it takes. This is going to be a very limited offer so watch for details. I suggest you subscribe now so you don't miss out on any future announcements.