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Omaha Poker is a Challenging Game

If you’re used to playing Texas Hold’em and have tried playing Omaha or Omaha High Low, you’ve found that you’ve had to adjust your thinking. Although Omaha is sometimes called Omaha Hold’em due to the fact that as in Texas Hold’em you are given hole cards and share five community cards, the games are really quite different. What makes Omaha Poker a game that can be challenging for those stuck in the Texas Hold’em mode of thinking is the fact that instead of two hole cards, you are given four. However, of the four hole cards you are dealt, you...

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Act (still sucks!)

Articles / Info / News

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Act (still sucks!)

Years after the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act was first introduced to the public, there is still a general pervading sense of hope within the poker community in the United States. Despite the events that have been happening which testify to the strictness and seeming effectiveness of the Gambling Act, poker players – especially the online poker players – still hope that there will be some way to circumvent this law. After all, there have always been loopholes to any law that has been laid down. Yet just recently, someone with authority – a top American gambling administrator, no less –...

Texas Hold ’em Starting Hands

Articles / Info

Texas Hold ’em Starting Hands

Despite the waves that the US Congress Bill has been making, online gamblers all over are still feeling hopeful that somehow this mess will be sorted out. As the saying goes, life goes on… A friend of mine recently bought a 500 piece poker chip set and we had a good old game of Texas Hold ‘em round at his place. This got me thinking that I should write a series of posts about this particular brand of poker, so I’ll start with some facts about starting hands. More than being the current craze in our homes, Texas Hold ‘em...

Video Poker Tips – Getting Started

Articles / Insights / Tips

Video Poker Tips – Getting Started

Video poker is admittedly one of the most attractive features in many casinos – both online and offline. Who can easily resist all those brightly colored flashing lights and the large signs predicting a WIN? Yet for those of us who have actually given in to the video poker machine’s allure, we know that the promise of the bright lights is not all that we expected it to be. Then again, I would have to admit that the chance of winning and the actual losing is part of video poker’s image. It just seems to keep on giving you enough...

Playing Shorthanded In Texas Hold ’em Poker

Articles / Insights / WSOP

Playing Shorthanded In Texas Hold ’em Poker

When you watch poker games on TV, such as the World Series of Poker, you normally see them starting out with ten players. However, as the game progresses, players get eliminated and the numbers around the table start to dwindle. The starting number – ten players – is what is called a full table. When the players start falling out, then we have what we call a shorthanded table. In all online poker rooms you have the standard full table and with some poker rooms they offer shorthanded from the outset, which is normally six starting players. Is there a...

What Are Sit And Go Poker Tournaments?

Articles / Insights / Tips

What Are Sit And Go Poker Tournaments?

Sit and Go tournaments have become one of the most popular ways of playing Texas Hold ‘Em Poker today. Both offline and online, Sit and Go tournaments are played by countless players. So what exactly is a Sit and Go poker tournament? It’s basically just the same as any other poker tournament except that it’s like playing at the final table. No more elimination rounds – just the round that counts. Sit and Go tournaments might also be single table or multi table and these days there’s an emerging form of Sit and Go tournament online that’s proving ever more...

ORAC – The World’s First Poker Bot

Articles / History / Insights / Stories

ORAC – The World’s First Poker Bot

Anyone who is into poker bots will probably know exactly what I’m talking about here, because ORAC was the first ever attempt at a poker bot. Created by Mike “Mad Genius” Caro in 1984, this poker bot could actually be dubbed as the father of all poker bots. So who is Mike Caro? Well, his Wikipedia entry reads: “In 1978 he contributed 50 statistical tables to Doyle Brunson’s Super System and wrote that book’s chapter on draw poker. He acts as a consultant to many casinos, providing odds, and he helped develop the Poker Probe, the first serious commercial PC...

How To Play Video Poker

Articles / Insights

How To Play Video Poker

Though Texas Hold ‘Em undoubtedly holds the top position when it comes to popularity these days (thanks to the World Series of Poker mainly), there is no doubt that video poker is one of the most loved versions of poker there is. When you first look at a video poker machine, you may mistake it for a slot machine – especially if you are a beginner. Unlike slots, however, video poker requires skill from a player on top of the luck factor. In order to win at video poker, you need to know certain rules as well the ranks of...

Poker Pros Speak Out About The Gambling Ban

Articles / Info / News

Poker Pros Speak Out About The Gambling Ban

Soon after the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act was signed, professional poker players from the US and Canada started to make their feelings known. Their reactions ranged from disbelief, to defiant, to downright angry. Personally, it doesn’t surprise me that these poker pros reacted in the way they did. I’m sure that many of them cannot help but take this bill as a personal matter. After all, it’s their livelihood that we’re talking about. Poker expert Tim Lavalli decided to go around and get it from the horses’ mouth. Here are some quotes that he compiled from different poker pros. Read...

Mistakes Even Advanced Poker Players Make

Articles / Insights / Tips

Mistakes Even Advanced Poker Players Make

Just because you’re an advanced poker player doesn’t mean that you’re not bound to make mistakes once in a while. Poker players are human after all. Yet knowing what possible mistakes you can make will definitely help you avoid them, so here are some of the most common errors that you can make in a poker game. Mistake #1: Missing value bets Value bets depend on the kind of poker game you’re playing. For limit hold ‘em, the bets are small in relation to the pot. Thus, the other players will probably call your value bet even with really weak...

The Worst Starting Hands In Texas Hold’em

Articles / Info / Insights

The Worst Starting Hands In Texas Hold’em

In my last few articles I’ve taken a break from hands, raising, and other poker terminology. It’s high time that we get back on track. I just realized that after I posted my previous article on choosing starting hands for Texas Hold’em, I didn’t do any follow up. Quite logically, if you can get good starting hands, then you can also have bad starting hands. In this article, let’s take things a bit further and talk about some of the worst starting hands that you can have. 2-7 (off suit) When you find yourself with a 2 and a 7,...

My Baddest Poker Beat Ever!

Articles / Stories

My Baddest Poker Beat Ever!

We’ve all been there – having that one hand that you’re sure you’re going to win with so you say the three words every person at the table chasing hates to hear, “I’M ALL IN!”. Well I’m sure you all know what happens next so I am not going to dwell on that part. I was sitting at a low stakes table at the Daytona Beach Dog Track Poker Room and I got a Queen of hearts and a Ten of hearts. So I call and here comes the flop. Now I don’t remember what the suit of the flop...

How To Find The Right Poker Room

Articles / Info / Insights / Tips

How To Find The Right Poker Room

So you’ve decided to try out your career in online poker. Before you actually embark on your journey, you should think about where to start it. There are a multitude of online casinos and online poker rooms to choose from. The bad thing is, not all of them are good places to patronize. As with most things in life, there are those that are reliable and there are some that will just scam you. Then there are a lot of online poker rooms which are not really out to scam players, but that are just not quite good enough in...

The Life Of Stu Ungar (Part 3)

Articles / History / Insights / Players / Stories

The Life Of Stu Ungar (Part 3)

Stu Ungar was a gambling prodigy: breaking records, defeating champions, and becoming the best at every card game he ever played. However, his private life was in shambles. His father died when he was a young boy, he grew up mean and tough on the streets, and in 1986, even his marriage to long-time love Madeline crumbled. It was not the end of a string of personal losses and debilitating mistakes. His adopted son committed suicide after a high school prom. His drug problem escalated from “social” drugs to celebrate a big win, to an almost fatal overdose during the...

The Life Of Stu Ungar (Part 2)

Articles / History / Insights / Players / Stories

The Life Of Stu Ungar (Part 2)

Stuey the Kid (also called Stu Ungar) was one of the best poker players in history. However, his interest in poker was actually prompted by his genius in gin rummy. He was so good that casinos banned him from playing, because nobody wanted to join a table where he was seated. This led him to start playing poker. He was an excellent poker player, who dominated the tables and left those older and more experienced than him in a sweat. He enjoyed seeing the panic on their faces – the hope, the sudden realization that they would lose, the desperation....

The Life Of Stu Ungar (Part 1)

Articles / History / Insights / Players / Stories

The Life Of Stu Ungar (Part 1)

He was called “Stuey the Kid”, and was one of the best poker and gin rummy players in history. Unfortunately, his skill at the tables was matched only by a string of poor personal decisions that left him in debt. When he was found dead in 1998, at just 45 years old, he had lost all of the $33 million he had accumulated over the years. Stuart Errol Ungar was born on September 8, 1953. His father, Ido Ungar, was a bookie, and the young Stu learned the game at an age when most boys were playing baseball in their...

Poker – It’s All About The Attitude!

Articles / Insights

Poker – It’s All About The Attitude!

…and learning to adapt to the situation. Those who hold the idea that poker is all about luck could not be more wrong. Neither are those who say that it’s all about skill. Playing poker is a mixture of these two plus the big one – attitude. Ask the experts and they will all tell you one thing – when it’s done and dusted, everything boils down to your attitude. That’s because poker isn’t all about the winning – it’s in how you play your game and enjoy it too. Then again, winning makes it all the more fun, doesn’t...

How To Build Your Own Poker Table

Articles / Info / Tips

How To Build Your Own Poker Table

Earlier on I was talking about different kinds of poker tables. For those of you who are quite handy with a hammer, a saw, nails and that sort of stuff, you’d probably like it better if you had to make your own poker table. This option gives your more control as to exactly how you want your table to look, plus a big plus point to making your own table is the price. You can cut down on a large amount of money if you design your table, purchase the materials needed, and make it yourself. Then, of course, you...

Poker Tables – What Do You Do?

Articles / Info / Tips

Poker Tables – What Do You Do?

So you got yourself a nice set of poker chips. Now what, do you think you’re ready for your home game? Before you can actually start your home game, you need another vital piece of equipment – the poker table. In this respect, you have more flexibility than with the poker chips. In deciding to get a poker table, you have three options – buy one, build one, or make use of any table available. The last option is perhaps the most economically feasible. All you need is to clean up an old table at home, line the top with...

Could You Play Online Poker For A Living?

Articles / Info / Stories / Tips

Could You Play Online Poker For A Living?

If you’re that much of a poker enthusiast, you have to admit it, one of your lifelong dreams is surely to play poker for a living. Come to think of it, almost everyone in this entire world has a similar dream. Find a job that will pay you for doing the thing that you love most and have fun while doing it. It’s not that much different, wanting to play poker for a living. Is it really possible to live off poker, though? More specifically, would it be possible to earn a living playing online poker? If we were to...