Andrew – Page 6 – SmokePoker Magazine

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… Continue reading How To Start Your Own Home Poker Game

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… Continue reading Tournament Poker Basics and Advanced Strategies

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… Continue reading Feel Like Taking A Poker Vacation?

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… Continue reading Poker Etiquette – Ain’t Misbehaving

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… Continue reading Poker Tournament Basics (Part 2)

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… Continue reading Poker Tournament Basics (Part 1)

Jamie Gold – Poker “Talent” Wins $12 million

Jamie Gold, former Hollywood talent agent, pulled an Oscar-worthy acting job and bluffed his way to winning the World Series of Poker in the 2006 event. He won $12 million. Gold was a sterling example of good psychological warfare. By convincing Paul Wasicka—a former restaurant manager—he had a weaker hand, he convinced him to push… Continue reading Jamie Gold – Poker “Talent” Wins $12 million

How To Play Small Poker Tournaments

Do you think you’re ready to join an online no-limit holdem tournament? Small tournaments are a great way of testing and sharpening your skills, as well as bringing home hundreds, even thousands of dollars in just a few hours. Small tournaments are very popular because many of them have an affordable buy in fee (about… Continue reading How To Play Small Poker Tournaments

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… Continue reading Shout-Outs (Multi-Table Tournaments)

How Poker Developed Over The Ages

Historians can’t quite agree how the game of poker emerged. They think the name of the game may have originated from the French word “poque”, a variation of the German “pochen” or “to knock” or “to brag”. This may refer to how bluffing is an integral part of the game—you pretend to have great cards,… Continue reading How Poker Developed Over The Ages

Johnny Chan – Living The American Poker Dream

Johnny Chan is one of the greatest poker players of all time. He has 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, and became world champion twice. And look at how much the man’s won—over four million dollars from career tournament earnings, not counting what he’s earned from cash game winnings. He’s always at the famous Bellagio’s… Continue reading Johnny Chan – Living The American Poker Dream

Andy Bloch – A Poker Millionaire

When Andy Bloch first started playing poker in 1992, he was a law student looking for a way of relaxing between midterms. Then he started getting serious about it, joining small weekly tournaments about once a month (paying an entrance fee of $35, which he saw as an “investment”). As Bloch’s skills grew, so did… Continue reading Andy Bloch – A Poker Millionaire

Poker Alice – The First Great Female Poker Player

Poker was a popular pastime in the days of the Wild West, and Hollywood pays homage to this sport in many films that either revolve around poker or feature it in one of its scenes. What Hollywood doesn’t tell you is that not all the poker players were men. Sure, it was a macho society… Continue reading Poker Alice – The First Great Female Poker Player

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… Continue reading Beginner To Poker? Think Omaha Poker!

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,… Continue reading Poker Goes To Hollywood (Part 2)

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… Continue reading Poker Goes To Hollywood (Part 1)

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… Continue reading Texas Holdem – What You Need To Know

Understanding The Casino’s House Edge

No matter what the ads tell you, there’s no such thing as completely overcoming the house odds in blackjack. The casino will always have a slight advantage; they have to, it’s a business for them. They wouldn’t be dumb enough to bother with running a gambling operation where they have a higher risk of losing… Continue reading Understanding The Casino’s House Edge

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.… Continue reading Why Einstein Would’ve Made a Good Poker Player

Beginner’s Tips for Texas Hold ‘Em Tournaments

Online Texas Hold ‘Em is one of the most popular poker games on the Internet. It attracts thousands of players — making it exciting, and also difficult. With so many experienced poker players battling it out for some of the highest pots on the web, online Texas Hold ‘Em can be intimidating to the beginner.… Continue reading Beginner’s Tips for Texas Hold ‘Em Tournaments