Category: Tips

Defending Blinds Doesn’t Mean A Blind Defense

Regardless of how tight a player you are, in poker you are forced to put money in the middle twice every orbit (if we’re talking about community card games, but there are compulsory bets in each and every poker variant regardless of its exact rules). It is therefore quite natural that dropping your compulsory bets will create a massive hole in your game. This is why it’s important to develop a strategy to defend your blinds. Defending your blinds is by no means an exact science, and chances are that you will lose money on your blinds regardless of how...

Want To Win A Shoot Out? DON’T Play Poker!

I’ve been playing some multi-stage Texas Hold’em shoot-out poker tournaments lately. More importantly, I’ve been winning many of them! It occurred to me that the reason I was doing so well at these tournaments was that I was employing different strategies and altering my game play accordingly to adjust to the new playing environment. I also have a strange warm-up regimen that ignores online poker altogether! Read on… For those of you who don’t know, a “Shoot-out” tournament is a table of usually 6 or 10 players who play until there is one winner. As players lose out, the number...

Do you know the WORST Starting Hands in Online Poker?

I see so many articles and sources showing off the best starting hands in poker (Texas Hold’Em). There isn’t a poker place you can go to online or offline that will showcase the pocket cards that you can safely play.  And I’ll admit it.  I’ve certainly contributed my fair share of articles regarding this area of poker playing strategy. However, there’s not nearly as many articles that show you exactly what the poorest hands are and why they are a no-go despite the temptation to play.   There is another article on SmokePoker.com that discusses this topic, but I thought it...

Forget No-Limit Hold’Em!  Learn The Secret to Dominating “Limit” Poker

Forget No-Limit Hold’Em! Learn The Secret to Dominating “Limit” Poker

There are many differences between limit and no-limit poker.  Many no-limit players have difficulty gearing down for limit play, and limit players lack the courage and feel needed for no-limit games..  Many of the high-powered strategies that are available to the aggressive no-limit player can’t be used to great advantage in limit.  Specifically bluffing and getting small pots are much more difficult when the game limits you to a maximum bet. However, one thing remains constant between the two games.  That is the need for an aggressive style.  The nature of limit hold ‘em makes it necessary to keep a...

Do You Play Online Poker In The Evening?  If So, Read This!

Do You Play Online Poker In The Evening? If So, Read This!

Tick-tock-tick-tock… Do you ever think about WHEN you play online poker? What if I told you there’s a lot more money to be made (or lost) simply because of the time of day you play online poker?   There’s definitely evidence to support this – and the pros know it!   The time of day you play online poker could very well determine whether you are tremendously successful or go horribly broke! Often overlooked by novice players and even many amateur/pro players, making a conscious decision on the optimal best time of day to play poker is actually a lot positive than...

You Got To Know When To Hold ’em, Know When To Fold ’em…

You Got To Know When To Hold ’em, Know When To Fold ’em…

Ah… the timeless country sounds of singer Kenny Rogers.  He was right.  You do have to know when to hold your hand and definitely when to fold it.  I’m dedicating this post to the art of the fold. Yup, it’s one of those things that good poker players do routinely.  And the best poker players do ALL the time.   Do you ever wonder when you watch poker on television, nearly every hand is always so exciting and has action right to the river with wicked hands? Well, if you didn’t know already, you can certainly guess now that editing...

Top 5 Online Poker Tells From The Pros!

Everyone knows that about poker “tells”.  You know, the scratch to the nose, the clearing of the throat, or lean back in the chair that may give away the strength (or lack thereof) of your hand at play.  But when you’re playing online, that aspect of the beautiful game of Poker is lost… or is it?  You would be surprised about how much focus the “professional” online players put into what we call virtual or online tells.  Indeed, if you want to keep winning those pots (or start!) the following is essential learning… Because the players aren’t physically in front...

Video Poker Tips – Getting Started

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...

What Are Sit And Go Poker Tournaments?

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...

Mistakes Even Advanced Poker Players Make

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...

How To Find The Right Poker Room

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...

How To Build Your Own Poker Table

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?

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?

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...

Do Online Poker Tells Really Exist?

Do Online Poker Tells Really Exist?

You’ve got the skills, you’ve chosen your poker room, and you’ve got the best attitude ever. Now what? You’re definitely ready to play online poker, but what if the other more experienced players can sense you’re a newbie? In offline poker, “tells” are one of the most important aspects of the game. In this context, a “tell” is any behavior, habit, or physical reaction that may give the other poker players on the table information regarding the hand of that specific player. In a sense, a tell gives indications as to how you must proceed in the game. The question...

The Art Of Bluffing In Poker

The Art Of Bluffing In Poker

If there is one thing that the general public knows about poker, it probably is bluffing. Even the uninitiated have heard tales of great bluffing feats to win a game – how a player keeps his emotions in total control, without showing any hint in his body language. Where do you think the widely used expression “poker face” comes from? Yet stop a moment and ask yourself, what do you know about bluffing? Aside from the general idea of misrepresenting yourself (or your hand for that matter), what do you really know about bluffing? What is presented in TV and...

Understanding the Net Present Value in Poker

Understanding the Net Present Value in Poker

It may come as a surprise but many poker concepts can actually be learned by studying other disciplines. For example, there are so many parallelisms between poker concepts and business. Various companies must make crucial decisions based on the net present value of money. In the simplest terms, this means that you would assign a discount rate that is based on a particular market factor in order to arrive at the net present value of money that you are going to spend or receive in the future. For example, if there is a choice between spending $10,000 three years from...

How To Play Chinese Poker

How To Play Chinese Poker

It seems that there is an emerging (though quite not prominent yet) poker variant in existence today. According to Nicole Gordon of PokerNews, well known names in poker have shown quite a propensity for this type of poker. What am I talking about? Chinese poker, or 13 Card poker as it is also known, seems to be catching poker greats in its lure. Stories are rampant wherein poker greats play the main role. Each story varies but the end result is the same – poker players love 13 card poker and spending a lot of money on it. So what...

Poker Bots (and how to get your’s FREE!)

Poker Bots (and how to get your’s FREE!)

(NOTE:  The “Free Poker Bot” is no longer available.  However, we recommend using the Online Poker Bot v. 4.  We’ve negotiated a deal exclusive to SmokePoker members who are looking for a superior and reliable, undetectable poker bot that is compatible in over 22 rooms.  Use COUPON CODE: SP15OFF to save 15% off your purchase) ———– I’m sure you guys know all about poker bots. I’ve talked about them several times, one of my recent articles being one of them, but have you really encountered a poker bot while playing online? More so, have you actually tried using one? Poker...

Doyle Brunson: “It’s A State of Mind”

Doyle Brunson: “It’s A State of Mind”

Of course you have all heard about Doyle Brunson, right? One or two of you guys out there probably even idolize this poker great – I sure do. Well, I ran across something he wrote just the other day at Poker Player. Coming from a man of his great experience, the thoughts expressed in the article were really provoking and insightful. So his idea was basically about the mindset of the poker player when at the poker table. It’s not something new. I’ve talked about it many times before – how your state of mind affects your playing to a...