SmokePoker.com

Category: Insights

Doyle Brunson – Texas Dolly

Articles / History / Insights / Players / Stories / WSOP

Doyle Brunson – Texas Dolly

One of the members of the Texas Rounders, Doyle Brunson is a name legendary in the world of poker. Anyone who is really into the game will certainly know who he is. Also known as Texas Dolly, Doyle Brunson was born on August 10, 1933 in Longworth, Texas. It seemed at first that Doyle Brunson would live a “normal” life – with a 9 to 5 job with a sales company. However, he was invited to play a seven stud game on his first day at work and he realized he could earn more than a month’s wages in a...

Amarillo Slim – The First Poker TV Star

Articles / History / Insights / Players / Stories / WSOP

Amarillo Slim – The First Poker TV Star

Amarillo Slim wasn’t always known by this name. Born Thomas Austin Preston, Jr. in December 21, 1938 in Johnson, Arkansas, the first time he won the Main Event of the World Series of Poker was in 1972. Yet before he became famous for his tournament poker skills, Amarillo Slim was already quite well known in the poker world as a rounder. Together with his buddies Doyle Brunson and Sailor Roberts, he would go all over the United States, looking for some gambling action. Prior to the creation of the World Series of Poker, the game of poker didn’t really have...

Stu Ungar – Gambler, Addict, Loser, Legend

Articles / History / Insights / Players / Stories / WSOP

Stu Ungar – Gambler, Addict, Loser, Legend

If you chance upon a cluster of people at a party chitchatting about great poker players, there would be no doubt that you would hear the name Stu Ungar come up at least once. There are a lot of people in the poker world who actually consider Stu Ungar the greatest poker player of all time – second to none. Of course there would be those who would contest that but the greater majority would agree that Stu Ungar was one of a kind. Born in September 8, 1953 as Stuart Errol Ungar, he was nicknamed “The Kid.” He was...

Scotty Nguyen – A Poker Legend

Articles / Insights / Players / Stories / WSOP

Scotty Nguyen – A Poker Legend

Born as Thuan Nguyen in October 28, 1962 in Nha Trang Vietnam, Scotty’s life is reminiscent of thousands of other young children in the 70s. This was the time when the communists had a firm foothold on Vietnam and refugees from this country were spread all over the world – from other Asian countries to the United States. Scotty was one of the more fortunate ones as when he was 14, he had the chance to flee his native country for the United States. He initially lived in Chicago but soon moved to California and spent his growing up years...

An Introduction To Community Poker

Articles / Info / Insights / Tips

An Introduction To Community Poker

Community poker is perhaps one of the most played groups of poker games today. The name community poker is derived from the fact that some cards are shared by all the players. Quite obviously, these are the community cards. Though there are many different kinds of community poker games, the basic idea behind them is the same. A specific number of cards are first dealt to each player – the number of which depends on the type of community poker. After the players get their cards, a certain number of cards are then laid out on the table. These are...

Poker Strategy: Why Not To Call By Default

Articles / Info / Insights

Poker Strategy: Why Not To Call By Default

A lot of poker players call by default—meaning, it’s not a strategic decision, but a gut reaction, an easy response, a habit. You see a spread, and unless some very big red flags force you to do otherwise, you call. Calling is a cautious reaction, the “happy medium” that lets you save money that might be lost on otherwise unreasonable raises, and win every once in a while. Now that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It can even be a good thing. What makes it an annoying habit, however, is when you do it unconsciously. Then poker is no longer...

The History Of Poker Chips

Articles / History / Info / Insights

The History Of Poker Chips

In a recent post, I talked about how you can start your own home game. One of the requisites of doing this however, is having the right equipment and what is the most vital piece of equipment for poker? Chips, poker chips that is. For the uninitiated, once you’ve seen poker chips (even on TV), they’re all the same. For the enthusiast though, each poker chip set is different and he has his certain preferences regarding this matter. Let’s take a look at the basics of poker chips so that you can pick out the perfect set to start your...

How To Start Your Own Home Poker Game

Articles / Info / Insights / Tips

How To Start Your Own Home Poker Game

Watching all those TV shows of poker tournaments has made many people crave for the same excitement experienced in a real life poker game. The majority of poker games are played online, but poker enthusiasts know that nothing can compare to real life games. Yet finding tournaments offline are not always that easy. Your best bet is to start a home game of your own. What exactly is a home game? It doesn’t differ from any other poker tournament – especially of the sit and go variety – except that you usually have one table with around 6 to 8...

Tournament Poker Basics and Advanced Strategies

Articles / Insights

Tournament Poker Basics and Advanced Strategies

It may come as a surprise that the strategies that one will use for a poker tournament differs greatly from the strategies that are used in a live ring game structure. Even though a player will have to look out for the same things when playing poker – trying to spot favorable odds and also a positive expected value (most especially in a live game). But in a tournament, there is one thing that you must pay the most importance to, and that is you have to survive above everyone else. In a tournament, once you have run out of...

Feel Like Taking A Poker Vacation?

Articles / Info / Insights

Feel Like Taking A Poker Vacation?

Poker tournaments — they’re everywhere. Not just the big, worldwide competitions that attract thousands of players (and require thousands of dollars to join). There are also smaller events organized by websites, which require smaller buy-ins and allow recreational players to test their skills without being intimidated by a roomful of professionals. They have fun, they get to meet fellow poker aficionados, and they even get a chance to win a tidy sum. Not a bad way to spend a weekend. While the biggest annual tournaments command a rather heavy $10,000 buy-in, you can find weekly get-togethers that cost as low...

Poker Etiquette – Ain’t Misbehaving

Articles / Info / Insights / Tips

Poker Etiquette – Ain’t Misbehaving

Tournaments are supposed to be fun…and they usually are. Unfortunately, a few people who have no respect for rules and get their kicks out of making everyone else miserable can ruin an event. They get into fights, insult other players, distract other people with their tantrums, and generally think that being a jerk is a good poker strategy. Fortunately, tournament organizers have caught on, and are strictly enforcing rules regarding proper conduct in poker rooms. Yes, you can get kicked out of tournaments for misbehavior, or at the very least, slapped with a time penalty that will affect your game...

Poker Tournament Basics (Part 2)

Articles / Insights / Tips

Poker Tournament Basics (Part 2)

Poker players can sometimes look for more than the thrill that they get from playing in casinos or online gambling sites. Sometimes they want something that will really give them an additional level of challenges and bring some adrenaline fueled action to their game. And they usually get this kind of thrill by competing in poker tournaments. More and more tournaments are being held in various parts of the country and it’s now becoming a spectator sport too. In my last article, I discussed the basics of participating in a poker tournament. I offered a number of important tips and...

Poker Tournament Basics (Part 1)

Articles / Insights / Tips

Poker Tournament Basics (Part 1)

Basically, there are two types of tournaments that are popular in the poker circuit – freeze outs and rebuy. A freeze out tournament will usually start with all of the players starting with the same number of chips. This kind of structure means that a player must have a tighter playing strategy. Once a player loses all of his chips then he is automatically out of the tournament. The rebuy tournament, on the other hand, would usually possess a particular number of levels where a player can rebuy chips. One of the common rules in rebuy is that there are...

Shout-Outs (Multi-Table Tournaments)

Articles / Info / Insights

Shout-Outs (Multi-Table Tournaments)

In Europe, “rounders” are not the people who go from table to table, or even that cult movie with Matt Damon and Edward Norton (and if you don’t know what movie we’re talking about, you have no business saying that you love your poker!). Rounders are step tourneys, or multi-table tournaments. They are similar to American shoot-outs, which are typically played online as live events. Once in a while, the World Series of Poker holds a shoot-out event. Some websites also hold shoot-out satellites, or “independent rooms” that are extensions of other tournaments. These allow several players to participate in...

Beginner To Poker? Think Omaha Poker!

Articles / Insights

Beginner To Poker? Think Omaha Poker!

Poker has several variations, with different levels of complexity. Poker enthusiasts can pick from the whole lot, finding the game play they find most interesting and appropriate for their skill level. For example, relatively new poker players may be better off trying Omaha Poker before jumping into Texas Hold Em. The game may not have as much publicity, or carry as much glamour (largely due to the widely anticipated World Series of Poker) but it’s still a very exciting game. Why is Omaha simpler than Texas Hold Em? Well, Texas Hold Em is an inherently random and uncertain game, where...

Poker Goes To Hollywood (Part 2)

Articles / History / Info / Insights / Stories

Poker Goes To Hollywood (Part 2)

Hollywood tends to distort poker with stereotypes and really stupid moves and tricks described by scriptwriters who obviously know nothing about the game. But once in a while, you come across a movie that does a decent job of bringing the excitement of poker to the big screen. Here are a few films to rent, enjoy, and be inspired by. One of the oldest poker movies in the history of Hollywood is the 1922 classic, Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler. It’s a bit kitschy, as you would expect from a movie this old. The premise is that psychic/arch criminal/madman Dr. Mabuse...

Poker Goes To Hollywood (Part 1)

Articles / History / Info / Insights / Stories

Poker Goes To Hollywood (Part 1)

Many movies incorporate the high-stakes, fast-action world of poker — hoping, perhaps, to spice up their plot and add edgy glamour to their characters. Unfortunately, many of those gambling scenes border on the ridiculous. Think of the downright ludicrous House of Games, the painfully stilted Honeymoon in Vegas, and the kitschy Maverick—all of which can make a serious gambler’s skin crawl, if only because of the way they completely dishonor the game and making it as tacky as the film themselves. Others, on the other hand, are very well done, and should be on any poker aficionado’s list of Movies...

Texas Holdem – What You Need To Know

Articles / Insights / Tips / WSOP

Texas Holdem – What You Need To Know

Who hasn’t heard of the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tournament? These two very popular tournaments have contributed a lot to making Texas Holdem Poker become one of the most popular variations of poker in existence today. From face to face games to online gambling, Texas Holdem Poker is played all over the world, by all sorts of people. If you are one of those people who know about Texas Holdem but have never really tried their hand at it, this post is for you. Before getting started on your Texas Holdem career, there are a few...

Why Einstein Would’ve Made a Good Poker Player

Articles / History / Insights / Stories

Why Einstein Would’ve Made a Good Poker Player

Thanks to cheesy Hollywood movies, some people think that poker is all about mindgames: outwitting the opponents, making a cool bluff. Take the phrase “poker faced”: expressionless, unreadable. They get the impression that Poker is about knowing how to tell a good lie. Well, possibly, but some “mindgames” are basically about good math. Yes, math. If you want to spend the whole evening working on your acting, join a theater group. This game requires some computation, analysis, and at the very least, the ability to multiply. For example, the best poker players can look at a hand and generate a...