There are easy ways to analyze the play of other players
Many sites have a function where you can write notes on each player, and these notes are
accessible the next time you are at the same table as those players. This is a nice feature that is
unique to online poker. There are also software programs that allow for the analysis of other
players’ games. These software programs can only look at the hands that your opponents playedwhen you were in the game with them and not every game that they have played, but this could stillbe useful.

More hands are dealt per hour online
When players are paying attention, more hands are usually dealt per hour online compared to brick
and mortar games. There is no need to wait for the dealer to shuffle, take in the mucked cards,
collect the chips, make change, take the rake or time, get a rack fill, call for empty seats, settle
player disputes and all sorts of other issues. For the player who plays with a positive expectancy,more hands per hour means a higher expected profit.

Shorthanded games are easy to find online
It is difficult to find a shorthanded game in a brick and mortar casino and when it exists, it may notlast for long. Often these games will break up as most players do not usually prefer to play short,or they fill up to a full table when other players come in. Many online poker rooms have specifictables specially designed for those that like to play short, they may have heads-up tables and/or tables where a maximum of six players can be seated. Shorthanded games mean even more hands per hour as fewer players have to make decisions. This could mean even greater profitability forthe skilled shorthanded player compared to a full game.

Players can play at more than one table simultaneously
One of the great advantages of playing online is the ability to play more than one game at the same time. In a full game often there is some dead time as you watch the other players play out their hands. If you do not know the players, this is a useful time to gather information about how theyplay and use it in the future. However, if you are well versed in their abilities and styles, it can be boring just sitting at the table. In a brick and mortar casino, many people will take this time to chit chat with other players near them, get to know each other, discuss current events or eat a meal. For some players, their primary reason to play poker is for the social aspects, so they rather enjoy this time to talk with friends while playing the game, but online is a different story. Many players know each other online, and can hold interesting conversations, but it is different from a brick and mortar casino. Once you get done with all that stuff, sometimes it can get boring especially if you are dealt junk hand after junk hand and are constantly folding. This is why people like to play more than one table, to deal with the boredom. Instead of getting distracted by non-poker issues,they choose to play two or more games and keep all of their attention on poker.

Most common tells in online poker

1. The eyes – the length of time a player stares at his cards, his willingness to look you in the eye, his eye pupil dilation

2. Facial expression – does a player show a noticeable tic, or obvious unhappiness when a hand is weak, obvious confidence when a hand is strong?

3. Weak is strong, strong is weak – with a strong hand a player tries to look disinterested, with a weak hand a player tries to appear intimidating

4. Anxiety – physical clues such as flexing of muscles, changes in voice, chest expanding

5. Trembling hands – showing nervousness by hands shaking, usually indicating a strong hand.

6. Glancing or playing with chips – Indicating a player is already planning his attack.

Know poker psychology:
A good poker player must be a good psychologist. During a big money game, every kind of human emotion comes into play. I used to play stud with a player who, whenever he was dealer and had a pair back to back, would almost always fail to deal himself an upcard until his attention was called to it. He was concetrating so much on his pair that he forgot he could better the pair by drawing.
Another player at draw poker would always ask, "Whose play is it?" When he asked this question, I knew he probably had openers or a four-card flush -- at least he was going to play. When he had a poor hand he would keep quiet and put his cards down before him. These are little mannersims, if noted by the smart poker player, that will help him win because they will help him to know what to do at the proper time.
These poker strategy tips and tactics are from the world's foremost gambling authority and poker strategy expert, John Scarne.

JV'S KILLER POKER: LIES!

BY: John Vorhaus

Losers speak a certain language, one that requires deft and careful translation. If you pay close attention I can teach you to speak loserese. Just study the following chart:
WHAT THEY SAY WHAT THEY MEAN "I came out a little ahead." = "I lost.""I broke even." = "I lost.""I dropped a few bucks." = "I lost a lot."
Losers are liars. You can't trust 'em. It's bad enough that they lie to you (they swear to god they'll pay you back) but oh the lies that they tell themselves. Let's crawl inside a loser's head and hear what he has to say. Don't forget your translation key above.
"I didn't play too badly tonight. (I lost.) I couldn't catch a damn flop, that's for sure. (I lost.) You just can't protect your hand at this limit. (I lost.) I should play higher."
Hey now, there's a handy lie: "I should play higher." Yeeps. No sooner has this chucklehead's game degenerated to where he's actively denying the grim reality of what he just went through than he's out there looking for an excuse to do it to himself again, and worse.
You see it all the time.
A loser gets hammered out of a game. So then he looks around and says, "What should I do next, go home?" Or no, actually, that thought never crosses his mind. Instead he notices an open seat in a higher limit game, and I mean a much higher limit, the limit that makes him go gulp! (Which raises an interesting question: What is the gulp limit for you? Everyone's is different. Grandma goes gulp at the sight of quarters on the kitchen table. I don't go gulp at Fort Knox. So what's your gulp limit and why? And don't imagine for a single moment that this question is unimportant or not directed at you. Obviously you can't play well with scared money, so it's crucial that you know where scared money starts.)
So this chucklehead marches over to the gulp-limit game and studies it for quite some time which, as losers measure time, is about ten seconds. Let's see how many lies he can tell before he even gets into this game.
"That money I lost just now doesn't count because I wasn't warmed up. But with this money I'm taking out now, I will be much more disciplined. Anyway, this lineup doesn't look so tough. So what if three players have three racks each? That'll be my strength. They're playing super-aggressive, so I'll just wait for quality hands and trap. I'll use their big stacks against 'em!"
That's a funny-looking lie. It's the one the loser uses when he's really undercapitalized for play at his gulp limit, but wants to take a shot with short money. Sad pathetic loser, short money equals gone money; haven't you figured that out yet? Why are you wasting my time?
How it burdens my soul to think about the nonsense you think up. "One loose call won't kill me. One drink won't hurt my play. One short buy-in's okay. One hour of sleep is sufficient. One more hand and I'll go."
And that's only lies that start with "one". Can you think of five lies that start with "two"? Two outs are plenty. Two bets – Oh hell, why am I doing your homework?
Look, I don't care if you lie to your friends. I don't care if you lie to your spouse. I even don't care if you lie to yourself. But you sure as hell better not lie to me. If I ask you how much you won or lost last night and how long it took you to do it and why, you'd better have an honest answer, and not only that but a damn articulate one too. Because this is the simple stuff, Poker Honesty 101, and if you can't get this part right, you have no freaking hope for the rest.
Trouble is, lies are a double-edged sword. Lies come back to bite you. You lie to your enemy when you represent a hand you don't have. That's fine, that's part of the game. But over time you become habituated to lies. You start to think they're a good idea. You start to focus on falsehood as something essential to your poker (it is) and thus to your life (it is not).
Grasp if you can the critical difference between deception and delusion: Deception is what you do to others. Delusion is what you do to yourself. When these forces are in harmony, everyone at the table thinks you're stuck and bleeding, but you know you're not. When they're reversed, however, you think you're still playing well but your foes all know you're in orbit. Where are you then? On your way to speaking loserese.
"I had a run of bad cards. The dealer jinxed me. This one guy just called with anything. You can't beat a guy like that. Unless you play like that. Maybe I should open up my play."
Oh you need help. And I can't do it alone. So ask yourself this question: Are you going to waste all my valuable insight by pretending it doesn't apply to you? Or are you going to strive to arrive at a higher place? The choice is yours and as usual I don't give a damn one way or another. But let me just say that I hate waste, be it your money or my words. So shape up, confront yourself and start seeing reality as it really is. If you want to have a hope in hell of ever playing winning poker, that's the least you must do. Do it. Do it now. The lie you save may be your own.

BY: Ashley AdamsContact at: (Asha34@aol.com) Author of Winning 7-Card Stud (Pre-Order Now on Amazon.com)

Part I: Can you Beat the Rake?

A rake is a cut of the pot that the House takes. Many players don’t pay much attention to it. Since it’s taken out of the pot, to the untrained eye it’s invisible. You only pay when you win. And when you win, well, you’re happy to have the pot. Who cares if it’s diminished by a few bucks.
A rake is different from a time charge. A time charge is an amount paid to the house every half hour for the privilege of being in a game. Typically, in casinos and poker rooms rakes are taken from games below $10/20 and time is charged for games of $10/20 and up. $7.00 a half hour is a typical charge for a $20/40 game, though casinos vary. Some casinos have gone to a rake for $10/20 up to $20/40.
Some of you might not care about this. The rake’s a small amount, you figure, so why worry. Well, you should care. Take the following quiz and you’ll see why.
Eight guys who normally play poker in each other’s homes decide to go to the nearby poker room one Saturday night. They figure it will be a fun night out. They each take $100.00.
They decide to play together. They get a table. They play a $1-5 spread limit Stud game. It’s just what they’re used to playing at home. In this poker room the house charges a 10% rake with a $4.00 maximum.
They arrive at 5:00 PM. They average 25 fully raked hands an hour. (They actually play more than 25 hands an hour – but some are too small for the maximum rake of $4.00).
The best player is 50% better than the worst player. The other players are equal in ability. How much more money will the best player have at the end of their session than the worst player?
The answer is: the best player will have no more money than the worst player. In fact, ALL the players will have exactly the same amount of money. That’s right! They will each have exactly $0.00!
You see, the house will have raked every single dollar from these players. How can that be? Well, it’s simple math. They played 8 hours. The house raked the maximum $4.00 a pot for 25 pots an hour. That equals $100 an hour for 8 hours or $800.00. They brought a total of $800 for the evening. So by the end of the evening it is all gone.
Now this hypothetical example couldn’t really happen of course. In a casino, games are constantly getting infusions of new players and new money. Bad players who go broke leave and are replaced by players with full bankrolls. But you can see how devastating a rake can be on a game. It’s so devastating that many people argue that a rake like the one I’ve described can’t be beaten in a low stakes game – it’s just too much money being taken out of a pot for even a good player to overcome.
The percentage taken by the house is actually a much greater share of a player’s winnings than it initially appears to be. The House says that the rake is 10%. That’s true, but most people don’t realize that taking a 10% rake of the pot is often like taking 20% of your winnings. So if the pot is heads up and reaches $40 and the house takes $4.00 then it is actually taking 20% of the winnings. Half of that $40 is yours to start with. When you are pushed the $40 pot you are actually only winning $20.00. Yet the house rakes 10% of the entire amount.
That 20% tax is pretty tough to beat. You have to be 20% better than the average of the players against you. If the other players are all pretty good, it’s unlikely that you are sufficiently skilled to be 20% better than they. In my opinion, you’ll normally need a couple of really bad players in the mix for you to show a profit after the rake in a game like this. Compare this with your typically unraked home game. If you’re the best player – even if you’re only 5% better than your average opponent – then you’re in a position to win some money over the long run. But in a casino you’re edge has to be considerably greater.
The effect of the rake is different on different types of games. So you must analyze the game with the rake in mind to decide if it can be profitable for you. Consider the following examples. As we said in high school English class, compare and contrast.
The first game is a $1-5 Stud game with a 10% $4.00 maximum rake. It’s short-handed. The players are very, very tight – rocks really. They rarely raise the bring in. They typically check around for one or two streets. And they fold as soon as they see any strength. The pots seldom get much about $20.00 and are never contested by more than two people.
The second game is a rockin $15/30 Stud game with the same rake. It’s a full game with 8 players, two are maniacs and three are loose fish. The bring-in is not only completed every hand, it’s usually raised and reraised – if not capped. And there are never fewer than three people who call all the way to the River. The pots rarely are less than $300.00.
The former game of $1-5 is raked to death, The latter game has a rake that won’t bother the good player. And yet the structure of the rake is exactly the same. How can this be?
Well, the percentage of your likely winnings in the first game is nearly always going to be 20% because of the tiny pot size. The house will always take 10% of the pot, which will nearly always be about 20% of your winnings when you win the pot. That’s tough to beat – especially against rocks.
But the second game has a relatively tiny rake. $4.00 is less than 1.5% of the typical pot of $300.00 in that game. And if the pots are 3 or 4 way then it’s only about 2% of your winnings when you win the pot. That’s not too much tax to beat.

Toward A Basic Strategy For Low Limit No Limit Hold Em:Playing the Blinds Pre-Flop

BY: Ashley AdamsContact at: (Asha34@aol.com) Author of Winning 7-Card Stud (Order Now on Amazon.com)

SMALL BLIND: EVERYONE ELSE HAS FOLDED

This happens much less, I find, in these low limit no limit games than it happens in fixed limit or higher limit poker. Invariably there is at least one person who has called the big blind before the action gets to you. Even more frequently there are two or more callers. Even so, every once in a while you will be left with only one other player in the hand when it is your turn to act.
Heads up action like this will eventually be based largely on your read of the player you are against and your read of how they read you. It is much less card specific than playing against multiple opponents. But when you start, before you have the confidence in your reads that you�ll eventually acquire, you need to have some idea of what to do in these situations. Here�s what I recommend as a simple basic strategy for playing the small blind in this situation.
In general, raise with any holding that is A-x, K-x, Q-7, J-9 or stronger. Make it a serious raise of three times the Big Blind or so. Call the Big Blind with anything weaker for the extra $1.00. True, in a limit game there are hands that don�t warrant a call. But in no limit, especially against passive players who won�t raise when they�re the big blind unless they have a monster, you can afford to make these calls because of the huge implied odds you have if you actually do make a monster with a perfect flop. Don�t be seduced into continuing this loose play against a raise from the Big Blind or if you face action on subsequent streets and you haven�t made your hand.
If the Big Blind re-raises me significantly I will fold my hand unless I have a pair of Queens or higher or Ace-King. I�ll reraise him by three times his raise if I have Kings or Aces. If he puts me all in or otherwise re-raises me significantly after I have made this re-raise I will fold my Kings and go all in with Aces. It�s not worth it to me, absent a good read on my opponent, to play weaker hands against what I will presume is a very strong holding. This assumes relatively equal and fairly large chip stacks � where the cost of calling his own bet is three times or more what I have already put in the pot. Significant changes need to be made in your strategy if your chip stacks are relatively unequal or if you are short or large stacked. But that will come later.
On the other hand, if he just raises me by doubling my bet � making it another $6 or so, then I�ll call with any pair and with Ace-Queen as well. Again, this presumes that I have not yet developed a read on him, judging him to be a typical low limit player. As my reads develop I can act differently from this bland style of play.
SMALL BLIND � Caller In Front
If one or more players have called the Big Blind before the action gets to me, but there have been no raises then I will raise the Big Blind or so with any pair, with Ace King and Ace Queen. I have what is very likely to be the best hand and I want to limit the field to avoid some random flop giving a random caller a miracle hand. I will generally raise by the size of the pot or so. The more callers, the larger my raise. So if three players have called the Big Blind then I�ll raise by $8 or so, making it $10 to go. If only one player has called the big blind then I�ll make it $8 to go. Again, this raise depends somewhat on what the general raise at the table is. If players tend to make it $10 or so when they raise then I want my raise to be larger than that with a few players in the hand. But absent something clearly defined and without knowing the particulars of a table, the numbers I�m providing should get you in the ball park.
Call the extra $1.00 with any holding because of the huge implied odds if you hit a monster on the flop. Just make sure you�re cautious if the you are raised by the Big Blind (as explained in the prior section) and on subsequent streets.
SMALL BLIND � Raiser In Front
You�re going to play this the same way as you would play in late position. If it�s a significant raise � say to $8.00 or more � you will fold with everything except your premium hands. And you�ll make a significant raise with Kings or Aces. So, for example, if the raiser makes it $8 you�ll make it $25 or so with Kings or Aces.
If it�s only a small raise of double the big blind however, you�re going to call with any pair and with your big cards like Ace-King, Ace Queen and King Queen. You�ll raise with your Kings and Aces as well making it roughly three or four times what the raiser made it. He makes it $5; you make it $15 or $20.
BIG BLIND � CALLERS
You will be at a positional disadvantage against all of your opponents save the small blind. Generally speaking, their calls indicate not much of anything � since players at this level tend to overvalue their hands and raise with poor holdings. They tend to call, often, with any two cards. Small raises from you will not tend to knock them out of the pot once they have called. Large raises may � though some of these guys will tenaciously fall in love with their two cards almost regardless of how weak they seem to be.
As a beginning strategy (that you will modify later as you develop experience and an ability to read your opponents) I have found that passive play works fine. Most of the time I will check if there hasn�t been a raise. I will generally not push the small advantages I may have over the field � nor do I try any clever plays to create an image for the other players. There are a few exceptions.
I will make a value raise to $10 or so if I have a big pair � Jacks or higher � wanting to make them pay if they have a weak Ace or a lower pair. I don�t want to let in for free someone with A-4 or a pair of 8s who might move ahead of me for free if I check from the big blind. I don�t make this move with my big Aces because I want my opponents to hit their Ace when I hit mine. So I save the raising option only for pairs Jack or higher when I�m in the Big Blind.

Baby No Limit, Turn And River Play:Part I: Making Money

BY: Ashley AdamsContact at: (Asha34@aol.com) Author of Winning 7-Card Stud

At first glance, there are few decisions to make on the Turn (and to a greater extent on the River) in the typical Baby No Limit game. In these $1/2 blind, maximum $100 buy-in affairs, your stack, or your opponent�s stack is often so short that going all-in often appears to be a foregone conclusion. That�s because, as a percentage of the size of the pot, the rest of your stack is often fairly small, making a call seem automatic. Players are, in the parlance of no limit poker world, �pot committed� or "pot stuck" � and so they toss in the rest of their chips either in a�desperate�bluff�to get their opponents to fold, or because they believe that they are ahead and want to get as much money from their opponents, or because their opponents have initiated the betting and they think that they have a large enough chance of winning the pot, even if they are behind, to justify a call.
But here�s something that most players in those games fail to recognize. Though there are many situations where doing exactly as I describe above is correct (usually when you�re in the lead), you still need to apply some thought on these rounds � usually by understanding how much to bet when you�re ahead and when it is profitable to fold when you�re behind. So let me give you a basic understanding of how to approach these last two rounds in a simple and thoughtful way � to help you extract money when you are in the lead (or appear to be and can get your opponent to fold) � and to help you save money when you can.
My first suggestion for extracting money is as simple as poker instruction gets. Don�t get cute! That�s right. In limit Hold Em, or in the higher stakes games where players weigh your actions more carefully and usually have larger stacks to protect or exploit, you sometimes need to engage in deception on the Turn or River to win as much money as possible.� In these low stakes affairs against relatively poor players, such deception is wasted. That�s because, as I explained above, players tend to just continue to throw their money into the pot, presuming that they are already committed to the hand � either on a draw or convinced that the hand they hold may hold up in a showdown.
You need to accommodate these calling stations. If you gauge yourself to be in the lead, whether or not you think they�re on a draw or have a lesser hand that�s already made, put your money into the pot � as much of it as you have. Don�t bet incrementally based on how far ahead you think you are or with an eye to enticing them to call. Just push it all in. Invariably, if you are correct in your assessment and really are ahead at the moment you push in your money, you will win the most this way.
True, there will surely be times when you will be drawn out on and lose your entire stack. That�s poker. But better to have made it as expensive a draw as possible, increasing the small chance that they will fold, than to have artificially cheapened their drawing price by pushing in some smaller bet that was easier for them to match.
Here�s an example. You had A-Q suited on the deal.� You raised�pre-flop in�late position.� Two players called. An Ace flopped, along with one card suited to the Ace and a blank. You improved to a pair of Aces with a Queen kicker. The two players in front of you checked the flop and you bet the pot, as you should, on the flop. You got one caller.
The turn�was an unsuited Queen, giving you Aces and Queens � top Two Pair. Your opponent checks. You have $120 left (having started fairly well stacked since you had been winning). Your opponent has about $40 left.
Don�t give two thoughts to anything but an all in bet. If he�s slow playing you with some monster, well then you�re trapped. But if he�s on a flush draw or has a pair of Kings or something like that, he�ll call you for his final $40. It�s not worth the time or the effort to think about whether he�d call for a smaller amount but fold for the entire amount. If he folds for $40, but would call for $20, then let him fold. Good! You won the pot and he can�t draw out and beat you on the River.� So bet that $40.
Similarly, if you had the $40 and he had the large stack, you�d play it the same way on the Turn. Throw in your final $40 with your Aces and Queens. Maybe he has a high pair,�and he�ll think you�re trying to buy the pot with a desperation bet on the Turn (which would be an awful play, as we�ll see later).
In any event, if you have a strong hand and believe that your opponent has the lesser hand, bet it strongly and let the chips literally fall where they may.
That being said, there are, of course, exceptions, even in these Baby No Limit games. They involve situations when your stack and the stack of your opponent clearly dwarf the size of the pot at the start of the Turn. I�ll treat them in more detail when I cover �Close Calls� in a later column. But leave it to say that, in general, when your stack is fairly large and you're against another player who is also fairly deep, the game resembles the higher stakes games and the size of your bet must be taken into consideration more seriously.
There�s one other exception that works against weak players � the timid type who are playing with a short bankroll or are otherwise afraid of calling large bets without the nuts.� It's a bluff.� And though I usually caution Baby No Limit players to stay away from bluffs and other deceptive plays, if the situation is just right, you can use this play to your advantage -- even in a Baby No Limit game. ����
If you�re in late position and your opponent is first to act you can sometimes get away with a bluff when your opponent shows weakness by checking on the Turn. This is often the case when the board is two-suited on the Flop and makes three to a Flush on the Turn.
If your opponent bet the Flop and you called, but then checked the turn, he is often indicating that he is afraid that you made your Flush. A pot sized bet will often win you the pot right there. Of course you have to gauge your opponent well. This doesn�t work against a loose calling station or against a tricky player. But since these Baby No Limit games so often attract the weak tight player, it�s often worth making a stab at the pot in these situations � especially if you have established yourself as a strong, tight aggressive player.
A couple of words of caution about this move. Resist the temptation to make this move with your entire stack -- if it's significantly more than the size of the pot.. A pot-sized bet will accomplish the same purpose most of the time. In these games, there are often players who view an all-in bet as a challenge. It often works, interestingly enough, as a goad � enticing them to call while a smaller bet might have convinced them to fold. So don't provoke a call when a smaller bet might get them to fold.� Keep the bet at about the size of the pot.
Also, don�t feel compelled to bluff on the Turn or River when a Flush card appears on Board just because your opponent checks into you. Save this move for those occasions when you are really up against a weak-tight player and, if possible, when you have some kind of an out if you do get called down. That way, even if your opponent surprises you by calling your bluff, you still have some kind of a way of winning the hand with the perfect River card.
I�ll handle situations where you can save money in my next column � and then deal with those close calls that come up in Baby No Limit. Though they don�t come up as often as they do in the higher stakes version of the game, when they do come up you want to have a simple way of figuring out the most profitable way to play the hand.

Advantages of Spread-Limit Hold'em

Most card rooms offer both spread- limit and structured-limit hold'em games to their lower limit players. And most players play these two games in exactly the same way. After all, hold'em is hold'em, right! Wrong. Choosing your best game strategy depends on the structure of the game you're playing in.In a structured-limit hold'em game, the amount a player can bet on any round is completely determined by the betting structure of the game. Consider a $4 -- $8 limit hold'em game where the blinds are $2 and $4. On the first two rounds of betting, a player can bet or raise $4 and only $4 and nothing in between. On the second two betting rounds, a player can bet and raise $8 and only $8 and nothing in between. A11 bets and raises must be in increments of $4 and $8. But in a $2 -- $4 -- $8 -- $8 spread-limit hold'em game, where the blinds are $1 and $2, the bets aren't so rigidly predetermined. Instead, a player has the option of betting anywhere from $2 to $4 before and after the flop and betting anywhere from $2 to $8 on the turn and the river. How much a player bets within this spread is completely up to the player. The differences in betting structure in these two types of games are big enough to require drastically different strategies.Your main strategy change should occur right at the top, in the selection of starting hands. In hold'em, the quality of your starting hand should directly depend on the amount of money you have to pay to see the flop compared to the return you expect if you get lucky and hit your hand. Why? Because your hand will miss the flop such a high percentage of the time. As it becomes more expensive to see the flop, you need to increase your chances of hitting your hand by increasing the quality of the cards you start with. Because of the differences between spread and structured limits, you can limp into a pot to see the flop for half as much money in a spread-limit game (e.g., $2) as in a structured-limit game (e.g., $4). Since the price to see the flop differs so much between structured- and spread-limit games, your strategy has to differ, too.Suppose you are dealt a drawing hand, such as the 8d 6d in early position. In your basic structured- limit game, this hand is a marginal starting hand for several reasons. The 8d 6d plays well in only a specific type of situation -- a large, multi-way pot -- and when you are one of the first players to act, you have no guarantee that your pot will be multi-way (unless you are playing in a very loose and passive game). Since you can't know whether or not the pot will be multi-way when you are in early position, it is very important that you get to see the flop for a small bet -- in other words, as cheaply as possible. The earlier your position in the hand, the more likely it is that someone will raise behind you and the less likely it is that you will get to see the flop for a single small bet. This is where these types of hands can get very expensive. In structured-limit games, once you've called the initial small bet you are almost always forced to call any subsequent raises because of how much money is in the pot. Suppose you're in a $4-$8 game where there is $6 in blinds. You limp for $4, a player raises behind you making it $8 to go, and the blinds fold. There is already $l8 in the pot when you have to make the decision whether or not to call the extra $4 raise. There is too much money in the pot to fold your hand for $4. The call is automatic. Since you will frequently be playing for two or more small bets, hands like 8d 6d, played in early position, can be very dangerous and expensive to play -- unless, of course, you are a very good player, capable of getting off this hand cheaply after the flop when you hit it badly and squeezing out those extra bets when you hit it well.A spread-limit game is a totally different story. Drawing hands such as the 8d 6d are clearly playable, even in early position. First, since players only have to pay half as much to see the flop, they are much more likely to limp into most pots. This means that the pot in a spread- limit game is more likely to be both un-raised and multi-way. Which means you are more likely to get to see the flop for only a small bet since spread-limit games tend to play much more loose and passive than their structured cousins. Second, even if there is a raise behind you when you limp in early position, you do not have to play for the extra bet in a spread-limit game. This is because, compared to the same scenario in a structured-limit game, there is not as much money in the pot relative to the size of the bet. Take a $2-$4-$8-$8 game where there is $.3 in blinds, for example. You limp in for $2, there is a raise behind you making it $6 t0 go, and the blinds fold. In this game, there is only $11 in the pot when you have to make the decision whether or not to call the $9 raise (as opposed to $18 in the pot in the same situation in the structured- limit game). Because there is so much less money in the pot in spread-limit, when the pot is raised behind your limp, it is easy to throw your hand away for the extra $4.The fact that you should surrender your hand when there is a raise behind you in the spread-limit game makes all the difference in whether or not drawing hands like the 8d 6d are playable. Suited connectors play best in multi-way pots because when you hit these hands well, flopping either a straight or flush draw, you would prefer to have a lot of company. In a spread-limit game, it is not only 50 percent cheaper to limp in, speculating that the pot will be multi way, but when you find yourself in the unenviable position of having the option to call a raise in a short-handed pot, you can throw your hand away because the pot you are defending is so small compared to the size of the bet. Spread-limit games allow you a bigger choice of starting hands in unraised pots. Remember: Since you can limp in for less, the pot is offering you relatively more -- a major recommendation for playing spread-limit because if you can outplay your opponents from the flop on, you will have many more opportunities to do so.Spread-limit games also have the advantage of giving you more control over the pot when you are in late position, This is because you have complete control over the size of any raise you might make before the flop (e.g., you can raise $2, $3, or $4 in a $2-$4-$8-$8). Consider a situation in which you have the same 8d 6 -- except now you are in late position with four limpers in front of you. This is a perfect situation for this hand -- a guaranteed large, multi-way pot in which you have position on the field. In an ideal world, you would flop the straight or flush draw:, everyone would check to you, and you would bet to buy a free card on the turn in case you miss your draw. The advantage of spread-limit hold'em is that you can actually create this ideal world for the cheapest possible price. When everyone limps to you, you can raise and take the lead on the pot for the absolute minimum (e.g., $4) and cause everyone to check to you on the flop most of the time. When you hit the flop, you can then bet and take a free card if you miss on the turn. And if you marginally hit the board, flopping something like the Kh 7s 2d which gives you a three-straight and a three-flush, you can now take a free card when everyone checks to you and see if you improve on the turn. You have controlled the situation for the minimum amount of money. As another example, consider how a small pair such as the 5h 5c plays in spread- limit. If you are in late position and there are four limpers in front of you, you should again raise $2 but for entirely different reasons from the 8d 6d. In this case, you are raising merely to make the pot a little bigger since your opponents will tend to go farther with their hands the larger the pot is. And if you are playing a small pair, where you are really only looking to flop a set, you want your opponents to chase you as often as possible since a set in hold'em almost always wins the pot. Further, raising with a small pair gives you the added advantage of often being able to see both the flop and the turn for the price of the minimum raise since your opponents will often check to the raiser on the flop. Now, when you miss the flop and everyone checks to you, you can check back and see the turn for free, giving you two chances to hit your set for the price of the small raise.One of the biggest advantages of being able to raise the minimum in the spread-limit game is that you keep the pot small enough to release your hand easily if you only marginally hit the flop (as in the case of the Kh 7s 2d discussed above) and an opponent bets into you. The main problem with taking the lead on the pot by raising with drawing hands like the 8d 6d in a structured-limit game is that, because you are putting in extra money before the flop, your return when you hit your hand is proportionately less (even though the pot is larger) and this will cost you money in the long run. Since your goal is to get off these types of hands as cheaply as possibly when you don't hit the flop, raising into several limpers becomes a very marginal play in structured-limit games.Spread-limit games are more advantageous to the solid, thinking player because of the major strategy differences between spread-limit and structured-limit, most of which have to do with the greater ability to manipulate the size of the pot in a spread-limit game. Even if your daily game is a structured-limit game, you should still apply some of the concepts discussed here to maximally force your opponents to always take the worst of it whenever possible, You might not be able to make your opponents play badly against you all the time (even if they only play well by accident), but if you are always thinking well and making the best decisions possible, winning will take care of itself.

Is Online Poker Legal?

The direct answer to the title question is: I don't know. I'm not an attorney, a Justice Department official, nor a Supreme Court Justice. Nothing here should be seen as legal advice. What is here is a collection of court rulings and the best information on this subject that I have been able to find. Use it as you will. (Scroll down for information on the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006.)Many recent events have brought attention to the legal standing of online wagering in general. The first thing to understand is the skill game of poker is not the same as sports betting nor even "random chance" casino games like craps and roulette. It may be treated the same eventually, but it may not. Legal precedent for a lot of this simply does not exist. As of this writing, no person has been charged, let alone brought to trial, let alone convicted, let alone sentenced for playing online poker. But this does not guarantee one or more of these things will not happen in the future.According to Professor I. Nelson Rose, one of the world's leading gambling law authorities: "no United States federal statute or regulation explicitly prohibits Internet gambling, either domestically or abroad." Still, the US government has taken the position that certain things are illegal, and more importantly, certain things are worthy of prosecution. The Wire Act is the statute most often cited as making on-line gambling a federal offense. The operative subsection reads: "Whoever being engaged in the business of betting or wagering knowingly uses a wire communication facility for the transmission in interstate or foreign commerce of bets or wagers or information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers on any sporting event or contest, or for the transmission of a wire communication which entitles the recipient to receive money or credit as a result of bets or wagers, or for information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both."Rose goes on: "The first element of the Wire Act, says that the statute applies only to an individual involved in the 'business of betting or wagering' (not to a common player)."The question of whether Internet sportsbetting is covered by the Wire Act seems to have been answered by the US Supreme Court's refusal to review the conviction of Jay Cohen. Whether online casinos and online poker cardrooms are covered under the aimed-at-sportsbetting Wire Act is a different question. In February 2001, Judge Stanwood Duval of the US District Court in New Orleans ruled that it did not: "'in plain language' [the Wire Act] does not prohibit Internet gambling 'on a game of chance.'" (Text of Judge Duval's ruling, plus a news story, and Nelson Rose's view.)On November 21, 2002, the US Fifth Circuit Federal Appeals Court upheld Duval's ruling, stating: "The district court concluded that the Wire Act concerns gambling on sporting events or contests... We agree with the district court's statutory interpretation, its reading of the relevant case law, its summary of the relevant legislative history, and its conclusion." (Text of Appeals Court ruling)The Appeals Court further states: "Because we find neither the Wire Act nor the mail and wire fraud statutes may serve as predicates here, we need not consider the other federal statutes identified by the Plaintiffs... As the district court correctly explained, these sections may not serve as predicates here because the Defendants did not violate any applicable federal or state law."The Appeals Court specifically cites Duval's statement: "[A] plain reading of the statutory language [of the Wire Act] clearly requires that the object of the gambling be a sporting event or contest." This is very explicit language. You would have to jump through a lot of mental hoops to consider the playing of online poker to be "a sporting event".So, while the US Justice Department recently stated that the Wire Act covers casino games in addition to sports wagering, the Federal Appeals Court has directly ruled that that interpretation is not correct. This is not a small disagreement. It is a direct contradiction that could well spur the creation of new, 21st Century Federal legislation that actually deals with these issues. The UIGEA aims to inhibit the ability of citizens to gamble online. It however does not criminalize actual gambling online. But other bills may be introduced in the future with that goal.Gambling regulation traditionally has been the responsibility of individual states. For instance, New York State Attorney General (now Governor) Eliot Spitzer reached a settlement with Citibank and PayPal regarding their involvement with online gaming. Some individual states have laws prohibiting any form of gambling, a different issue from whether it is legal on a Federal level.A key distinction exists on a Federal level between bettors and those operators whose business is to benefit from the actual making of wagers: "engaged in the business of betting or wagering... which entitles the recipient to receive money or credit as a result of bets or wagers, or for information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers..." As long as players stay in the "players" category and not in the in-the-business-of-wagering owners/bookies/runners/agents categories, a significant difference in status exists.There are many ways to read the Wire Act, but only under the broadest interpretation could playing online poker be deemed illegal in terms of the Wire Act. In my opinion (which isn't worth a hill of beans... only the US Supreme Court's view will matter unless new legislation passes) playing online poker is not illegal for US citizens, in regards to Federal Law -- unless it is a crime in an individual state, in which case the Federal Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 may apply. The Act makes it a federal crime for five or more persons to engage in a gambling business illegal under state law. Gambling online is definitely illegal in some states, but the Crime Control Act of 1970 does not apply to players. In addition, since the Crime Control Act does not refer to foreign commerce, it is hard to see how a case could be made that it applies to Internet gaming across multiple international borders.In November 2004, the Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda won a World Trade Organization ruling that United States legislation criminalizing online betting violates global laws. In April 2005, the WTO Appellate Body affirmed the principal conclusions involved. (The resources link below will take you to a page with links to the WTO ruling, news stories about it, and further resources on online poker / online gambling and US law.)Finally, in September 2006, the Congress passed legislation that makes it a crime for a bank or financial institution to transfer money to an online gambling site. The bill that was passed did not include language about the Wire Act that was in previous versions. The bill does not appear to address playing online in any way.So, as long as online poker players do not participate in owning a share of the house rake; as long as players only wager against each other; as long as players participate in the skill game of poker and do not bet sports; as long as players obey state laws... draw your own conclusions.

Betting Patterns
Are there identifiable betting patterns you can spot in a poker game, and can you use this knowledge to gain an edge on the opposition as well as to improve your own game? There hasn't been all that much written about betting patterns, but it's something every top-notch poker player thinks about from time to time. If you've never considered the implications of betting patterns, don't feel like you're all alone here, Charlie; many of the opponents you play against every day are blind to them, too. Despite this lack of awareness, they've been seeing these patterns for years; they just haven't done anything with the information. Maybe you haven't, either.
An awareness of betting patterns serves a number of purposes that run the gamut from tracking the playing styles of your adversaries to tracking down some parts of your own game that may need improvement. Let's begin by examining the most common pattern you'll find in a hold'em game. It goes like this: call, bet, bet, check. That's simple, isn't it? You've seen your opponents do this all the time. You probably do it yourself. You call the blinds before the flop, catch a hand you like - something like top pair with a good kicker - so you bet the flop and the turn, but when you fail to improve to three of a kind or two pair, you decide to check the river to save a bet just on the odd chance that you're beaten.
Guess what? By analyzing, or at least becoming aware of betting patterns, you've just picked up a small leak in your game. You're leaving money on the table. Do you see it? Most of the time, the river card is not going to promote your opponent's hand to one that's better than yours, as long as you had the best hand going to the river. Sure, there will be times when you're facing three or four opponents, two suited cards flop, and your opponents passively call while you do the betting on the flop and turn. It looks like at least one of them is on a flush draw, doesn't it? And maybe he is. If a third suited card jumps out of the deck on the river, you certainly have my permission to check as long as your opponents act after you do. But if you have the luxury of acting last, go ahead and bet. You're likely to be safe, not sorry, if you do.
A player who is fortunate enough to catch his flush card on the river usually comes out betting when it's his turn to act. And if he had a bigger hand than yours before the river - suppose he flopped a set, or the top two pair - as sure as we're sitting here, he's gonna do his check-raising on the turn, not the river.
What's the message in this bottle? Most of the time when you have the best hand on the turn, you stand a very good chance of having the best hand on the river, and you ought to bet it. OK, OK, sometimes you'll run into some nasty situations when you bet, are called - or even raised - and are beaten. Don't worry about it. It's no big deal in the grand scheme of things, because you're far more likely to attract a crying call from a weaker hand than you are to induce a raise from someone holding an extremely strong one. This is so true that if you habitually check the river with a hand like top pair and good kicker, you are leaving money on the table, and you're not doing much for your image, either. But this is about as easy a fix as there is in anyone's poker game: Just bet the river. That's all there is to it. Change your betting pattern from call, bet, bet, check to this pattern: call, bet, bet, bet, and see for yourself.
Suppose that you're on the other side of this coin and you don't think you have the best hand on the river. What should you do then? Well, the fact that you know your opponent is going to check all but the very strongest of his holdings gives you a chance to either show down your hand, hoping that it might be stronger than your opponent's, or bluff if he is capable of laying down a hand that fits the call, bet, bet, check betting pattern. That's not too shabby, is it? You can save a bet anytime you have a weak hand that you hope will win in a showdown, and you can take the entire pot on those occasions when you are savvy enough to recognize the kind of player who will lay down a marginal hand - but one that might actually be strong enough to beat yours - to a bet on the river.
Here's another common betting pattern: Call, check-call, check-raise, bet. This is the hallmark of a player with a good hand. Perhaps he's flopped a set, two pair, or even an ace to his A-K. So, he checks and calls the flop, then check-raises the turn, hoping to trap an opponent or two for a few bets. Then, he continues to drive the hand by betting the river. There's nothing unusual here. You've done it yourself, and this is probably the most common betting pattern employed by players holding big hands. They quietly call the flop, hoping to get in a check-raise on the turn; then, they bet out on the river.
So, how can this help you? I'll tell you how. When you see the pattern of check-call followed by a check-raise on the turn, credit your opponent with a big hand that's probably better than yours. I realize you might find some extraordinarily creative players who will check-raise bluff every now and then, but it doesn't happen all that often in most games, and almost not at all at lower limits. So, if you've found yourself the victim of a check-call, check-raise betting pattern, go ahead and throw your hand away unless you've got an extraordinarily strong hand or a draw at the right price to a better hand than your opponent is likely to be holding.
Many players are reluctant to throw away a hand to a check-raise. As a result of their stubborn nature, they lose a big bet on the turn and another on the river. And they needn't do this. After all, most of the time when you are check-raised, your opponent has the better hand. And most of the time when he exhibits this betting pattern, you should do the smart thing - throw your hand away. If you do, you will have saved two bets, and money saved is equal to money won. Even if you are a consistent winning player who averages one big bet in the plus column per hour, calling a check-raise when you strongly suspect that you are beaten will take two hours of play to recoup. When Kenny Rogers sang, " … you gotta know when to fold 'em," that was his message.
These aren't the only betting patterns to be aware of. If you see someone play the pattern of bet or raise, fold, you've got an opponent who is sufficiently disciplined to throw away hands like a pair of jacks to an overcard and action, or get rid of Big Slick when the flop is small and there's some action by other players before it is his turn to act.
Another pattern to be aware of is this one: bet, bet, check, and either check, bet, call, or raise on the river. This is the pattern of a player who takes a free card when the circumstances suit him, and if he does this enough, you can mark him as a tough, disciplined foe.
There's more to be said about betting patterns - much more, in fact - but we'll save that for another time. If you have not thought much about identifying and cataloging betting patterns, I hope this column serves as food for thought. If you're already familiar with betting patterns and scrutinize them whenever you play, I hope this reinforces some of your own ideas. Keep watching those betting patterns unfold the next time you play poker. Stay aware, and stay a winner for life.

Tilt In Poker

When an opponent goes on tilt, your expected value (EV) could skyrocket. First, he will play so badly that he just gives his money away. Second, the wildly aggressive form of tilt is contagious; when the others see crazy plays and terrible hands winning huge pots, they will often play badly. Sometimes, almost everyone is on tilt, creating a wonderful "party." You will usually gain by creating tilt if you can maintain your own emotional balance.
However, the risks and costs are quite large. First, although your EV will go up, you may lose money tonight; the game may become so wild that anything can happen. Second, you can easily go on tilt; it's hard to keep your head when everyone else has lost theirs, especially since bad beats will become much bigger and more common. Third, if the game gets too wild, you may not have a large enough financial or psychological bankroll; you may play scared and get run over. Fourth, tensions may rise, making the game much less pleasant. Fifth, some of the ways to put people on tilt may violate your principles or your cardroom's rules.
The Ethical Question: How Far Can You Go?
All ethical questions are highly subjective. You might balk at some actions I regard acceptable, and vice versa. There are two ethical issues: Is it acceptable to try to put someone on tilt? If so, how far can you go?
You will have to find your own answer. Some people do very nasty things to upset others. They slow-roll, criticize people's play and intelligence, or call them nasty names, and a few even throw chips or cards at other people. I flatly refuse to be nasty or to tolerate nasty people.
Poker is a game, and the media is calling it a sport. I've always played primarily for pleasure, and we should always practice sportsmanship. We should not try to win at any price, nor should we commit or tolerate rude, humiliating, or threatening actions. But I draw my personal line at actions, not intentions: If I can preserve the "let's have fun" atmosphere but put someone on tilt, I will occasionally do it.
I'm willing to encourage vulnerable people to have an extra drink or to play a little longer. For example, I might order a drink from the waitress and offer to buy him one. Or, if someone is ready to leave, I might say, "It's a great game, and I'm going to play another half-hour. Why don't you stick around?"
Two types of plays can put people on tilt. I regard both as legitimate, but you may disagree. First, you can bluff successfully and show it. Some people just cannot handle being bluffed. Instead of saying, "Oh well," and moving on to the next hand, they get mad, plan for "revenge," think about "woulda, coulda, shoulda," or just lose their concentration. Being bluffed upsets many people, even top players.
Second, if you think someone will go on tilt, you can make plays with slightly negative pot odds but very high "implied odds." That term usually means you will make money on later streets if you catch your card. For example, the pot odds may not justify calling with a gutshot draw, but if you make it and collect some large bets on the turn and river, the call has a positive EV.
Let's broaden "implied odds" to include money you will win in later pots if someone goes on tilt. For example, if you see that someone is close to the brink, you might cold-call a raise with a pair of deuces. If you miss your hand and fold, you take a small loss. But, if you flop a set to crack his aces, or your tiny pair holds up against his A-K suited, he might go ballistic and lose lots of money. Your small "mistake" can pay huge dividends.
Are They Close to the Brink?
Whenever you include implied odds, you must estimate your chances of being paid off if you make your hand. If nobody will pay you off, you should not play without the right pot odds. The same logic applies here: Unless you are confident that a bad beat will put someone on tilt, don't make dubious calls, hoping to give him a bad beat.
For some people, there really is a brink, a sharp edge separating solid ground and a fall into a nearly bottomless pit. They are safe on one side of the brink, but push them a bit further and they are gone. You must therefore estimate how close this person is to that brink.
You need to know his triggers, the factors that will upset him. My last column said, "Triggers are individualistic, and yours may be quite different from mine. You might not even notice things that really bother me, and vice versa."
The same logic applies here. You have to know which triggers will put this person on tilt. Don't assume that everyone has the same triggers as you. Taking three drinks or losing three racks might put you on tilt, but will not bother this person that much.
You should therefore keep track of this person's triggers. Does alcohol seriously affect him? How much does it take, and how much has he had tonight? Does he get severely upset after losing a certain amount of money, and how much has he lost tonight? Do bad beats upset him, or does he shrug them off?
Many players give clear signals that they are close to the brink. They slam down their chips, curse, whine about bad beats, or tell everyone how much they have lost. You probably have heard people go on and on about their bad luck, or even say, "One more bad beat and I'm going to blow up." When people are showing signs of losing control, a little push can put them on tilt.
When in Doubt, Ask Questions
Most people do not give such clear signals. We have all been surprised when someone suddenly and inexplicably blows up. One minute, he is playing his usual, solid game; then, he takes a bad beat or misses a flush draw, or something trivial happens, and he starts throwing money away.
Since you can't tell what is going on in most people's minds, ask questions. Don't ask them in ways that reveal your purpose. If people think you are trying to take advantage of them, they will clam up. But many people want to talk about themselves, especially if they are unhappy. So, ask apparently innocuous questions in a sympathetic way, such as: "How are you doing tonight?" "How have you done recently?"
Many people are so hungry to talk that you don't even have to ask directly. If you express your questions indirectly, they might tell you lots of valuable information. For example, you say, "You seem to be having a tough time tonight." Someone might answer: "Tonight? This is the fifth night in a row I've gotten killed. I'm down three racks tonight and more than $1,000 this week. I'm really disgusted!"
If you have the nerve, you can even comment on how much someone seems to be drinking. "Tom, you don't usually drink that much." He might say, "It's my fifth or sixth, and I'm going to have a lot more."
You may think that people will not give away such valuable information, but many people are so eager to talk about their troubles and feelings that they don't think about how their words can be used against them. Once you know how people feel, it is often easy to put them on tilt. Then, you want to exploit their foolishness, which is the subject of my next column.

No limit Texas Holdem Poker.

“The Cadillac of Poker Games” as referred to by Doyle Brunson.
This is the game that you see played on TV. The game that created the phrase “all-in”. No limit Texas Holdem Poker.
No limit Texas Holdem Poker requires all of the skills that you have developed while playing limit poker but you’ll also need more patience, more strategy and more bravery than when you played limit holdem.
Many players have a lot of difficulty transforming from playing limit to no limit Texas Holdem poker. As you are making this transition you will want to become a tighter player.
If you are a beginner no limit Holdem player I recommend that you play a play a very tight game. Play high pairs 10-10 through AA. Then as you become comfortable with the nuances of no limit Texas Holdem, begin adding A-K, A-Q, A-J.
AA, KK, QQ are good hands to go all in for beginners. But before you do go all in, keep an eye of how your opponents are betting to help determine the strength of there hands.
As you become more comfortable playing NL then you can incorporate more hands – going for flushes, straights etc…
As an intermediate player, begin introducing some of the middle and low pairs into your game 9-9, 8-8 etc.
As an advanced texas holdem poker player, introduce playing suited connectors into your game.

When you begin playing no limit Texas Holdem poker it is important to start putting opponents on a hand – guessing the two hole cards. Do this by paying attention to opponents. How did they bet their hand before the flop? How much did he bet and what does he want his opponent to do (call, fold, re-raise)? What did he have the last time he acted this way? How did the flop change how he played? Also, don’t forget about the cards on the board because that will also play into how you assess your opponent’s hand.
Learning how to determine your opponents hole cards will let you know when it’s right to fold those pocket queens or not.
The most important thing is getting comfortable playing the game. As you do get more comfortable you will probably come to enjoy NL over L because, in my opinion, it involves so much more strategy and different nuances- making it a challenge- but an extremely fun one.
Where as in limit holdem you would chase after draws, in no limit you’ll want to chase carefully. If you are holding suited connectors and don’t hit the flop you will want to think about folding. Staying in the game with these can cost you most if not all of your chips. If you do stay in the game, you want to do it with putting as little as possible into the pot.
There is a greater emphasis on hands that connect with the board to make very strong hands. Many very successful no-limit players limit themselves to playing only the best hands.
You should take pre-flop raises very seriously in No limit Texas Holdem Poker, especially if the pot is raised by someone seated in early position.
No limit Texas Holdem Poker rewards the aggressive player. You should always be thinking about what your opponents may be holding and whether you have a hand that is worth raising with.
One very effective tactic that is used in No limit Texas Holdem Poker is “trapping”. Trapping is when you’re hand connects with the flop so as to create an unbeatable (or nearly unbeatable) hand. For example, you have pocket queens and the flop comes down Q-J-Q.
If you bet right into your opponents, they will likely think you have a set of queens and fold right there. By just checking or calling a bet, they may stay in the pot longer thereby creating a larger pot. You obviously end up winning more and potentially a lot more using this trapping technique. The key is that you can only do this with a very strong hand.

Basics on How to Play Texas Holdem Poker.

The Language of Betting:Make sure you know the language of betting (it’s easy and you probably already know it): 1. Fold 2. Call – matching the bet that is in front of you 3. Check – pass the action to the next player without betting 4. Bet 5. Raise The betting structure of Texas Holdem Poker games is as follows:A Limit Texas Holdem Poker game means that the size of the bet is fixed on each street. An example of this would be, in a $1/$2 Texas Holdem poker game, the bets are made in increments of $1 before and after the flop. On the turn and the river the bets increase to $2. If you are new to the game I highly recommend that you play in a structured limit game.A Pot Limit Texas Holdem Poker game is a combination of structured limit/ No limit, in which you can make a maximum bet at any time up to the amount of money that is in the pot.
In a No Limit Texas Holdem Poker game there is no limit to the amount that you can bet. But there is usually a minimum for each bet.The Shuffle, The Deal and The BlindsThe dealer shuffles a standard 52-card deck. When playing in a casino, the dealer does not play. If you are playing with a group of friends then the dealer can and usually is a player. A round disc -- known as a "dealer button" -- moves clockwise from player to player with each hand. The button marks which player would be the dealer if the deal were advanced from player to player as the game went along.The two players to the left of the dealer start by putting a predetermined amount of money into the pot before any cards are dealt, ensuring that there's something to play for on every hand. This is called "posting the blinds." Most often, the "small blind" -- the player to the left of the dealer -- puts up half the minimum bet, and the "big blind" puts up the full minimum bet. For example, in a $4/$8 game the "small blind" would be $2 and the "big blind" would be $4.Each player is then dealt two cards, face down. These first two cards are "hole cards."A round of betting then takes place, beginning with the player to the left of the two who posted the blinds. Players can call, raise, or fold when it's their turn to bet.
The FlopAfter the first betting round, the dealer discards the top card of the deck. This is called burning the card. This is done to ensure that no one accidentally saw the top card, and to help prevent cheating. The dealer then flips the next three cards face up on the table. These cards are called the "flop."After the flop, another round of betting takes place, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer (the button). During this and all future rounds of betting, players can check, call, raise, or fold when it's their turn to bet.The TurnThe dealer burns another card and plays one more face up onto the table. This, the fourth community card, is called the "turn" or "Fourth Street." The player to the left of the dealer (the button) begins the third round of betting.
The RiverThe dealer burns another card before placing the final face-up card on the table. This card is called the "river" (or "Fifth Street"). Players can now use any combination of seven cards -- the five community cards and the two hole cards known only to them -- to form the best possible five-card Poker hand.The fourth and final round of betting starts with the player to the left of the dealer (the button). After the final betting round, all players who remain in the game reveal their hands. The player who made the initial bet or the player who made the last raise shows their hand first.The player with the best hand wins.
The best way to learn to play poker is of course to actually play it, and you can start practicing your poker skills right now, for free, in Bodog's Online Poker Room.

Heads Up Sit n Go Strategy

Heads up sit n goes can be very profitable to a knowledgeable player. Many inexperienced players register in heads up sit n goes, as they figure its a 1 on 1 so anything can happen. Solid heads up players can take advantage of weak players and consistently dominate them heads up.
Structure
Heads up sit tournaments are either two player sit and goes, or four player sit and goes. In the four player matches, two heads up matches are played, then the winners play each other. In both types it is a "winner take all" payout.
Sit and goes usually have 10 minute blind levels, but since the play is so fast you have plenty of hands per level. The poker sites' take is usually the same as a standard sit and go. This means if you play a $5 dollar sit and go, it will be $5 plus a $.50 cent fee. The button posts the small blind and acts first preflop, and last post flop. The player who is not the dealer posts the big blind and acts last preflop, but first post flop.
Position
Position is a crucial topic in heads up matches, as you will either go first or last. When you are the dealer, you will often want to raise with any decent hand, as you have a positional advantage throughout the hand. An example of this is raising 3x the big blind in dealer position with J9. This is a weak hand, but it is likely you are ahead of your opponent, and he will need to hit the flop to beat you. Also, there is a chance the big blind will fold the hand to avoid playing out of position. Your raise also allows you to represent strength on the flop, even if you don't hit. After the flop, if the big blind checks you should usually bet again, as his check shows weakness. If you raised preflop, and the big blind bets into you on the flop, you have to give him credit for a hand.
When you are in the big blind, you should usually check unless you are holding a premium hand. If the big blind raises you, you should fold any weak hands because you are going to have to play the hand out of position. When the flop comes down, if you get a piece of it you should make a pot sized bet, because it is likely that the button caught nothing. If the player raises you, you should fold unless you have a very strong hand.
One tricky play you can make in the big blind is as follows. If you hold AA, or another big pair in the big blind, and the dealer raises, you should just call. You are heads up against a weaker hand, so it is unlikely he is going to outdraw you. By just calling, you make him think you're just trying to catch a flop. After you check the flop, he'll bet, and you can either raise, or continue trapping by just calling. This will make you much more money opposed to reraising preflop, as the dealer will usually fold to a decent reraise unless he has a quality hand. Also, occasionally you will find that the dealer thinks you are just drawing and continues to bet into you with as little as a high card.
Hand Strength
In a standard sit and go, you often need big unpaired cards or a pair to play preflop. However, since you are always in the blinds you have to play many more hands in heads up matches. Any decent hand should be played, as long as the pot isn't raised. If you are in dealer position, you should rarely if ever fold because of your premium position and pot odds.
When you are the big blind, you should fold to raises if your hand is weak, because of your bad position. When the flop comes down, if you catch any piece of it you should bet out to try and take the pot. For example, if you hold 89 and the flop is 2710 you should bet to steal the pot, as you have outs if you are called. The same applies if you flop mid or bottom pair, because it is likely you are already ahead in the hand.
Also, when you actually make a decent hand it is sometimes more profitable to slow play, as it is likely you are way ahead of your opponent. Say you have AK in dealer position and put a raise in. The big blind calls, and the flop is K42. If the big blind checks, you should check here. A bet will almost always scare him away if he has nothing. However, if the turn is a 10 and he makes a pair of 10s, you will be able to extract a significant amount from him.
If you want to learn more about dominating heads up sit and goes, check out the Sit N Go, N Win! system now!

Sit n Go Satellite Strategy

Many larger buy in tournaments are out of range for smaller stakes players. However, sit n go satellites are offered to help increase the prize pool and allow more players the chance to play. If you master the proper sit n go satellite strategy you can play many high buy in tournaments for much less than the buy in.
Format
Almost all sit n go satellites are a winner take all format. The exception to this is when the prize pool is larger than the buy in to the tournament the players are trying to get in to. In this case, second receives some money back, and the second place prize is usually around the size of the buy in to the satellite. An example of this is if you play a $10+1 single table satellite to a $80+5 buy in tournament. If there are 10 players at the table, the prize pool will be $100. Since the tournament you are playing to get into is an $80+5, $15 is left over. In this case, first would win entry to the larger tournament, and second would receive $15.
Strategy
The strategy for these tournaments is quite different than the strategy for a normal sit n go. In a normal single table sit n go, the top three places are paid. In most satellites it is winner take all, with second occasionally receiving some money. For this reason, the last thing you want to do is be eaten away by blinds. At the start of the sit n go you should play more aggressive than in a usual sit n go. You have to get all the chips to win, and you don't want to end up with a short stack three handed. An example of this concept is as follows:
It is the first hand of the sit n go. The winner receives entry into the larger tournament, and no one else receives any money. You are dealt JJ in the big blind. It is folded to the small blind who calls. You raise it, and he calls. The flop is 1054, and the small blind goes all in. In a normal sit n go you might fold here and wait for a better chance to get your money in. However, since you need to get all the chips to win, you need to call here and try to build a large stack early. If you can build a large stack early you will be able to control the table and force people around to win more pots.
Another example of a hand is as follows:
You have AKc in dealer position. It's folded to you, and you raise the big blind. The small blind folds, and the big blind calls your raise. The flop is 8c9c4h. The small blind goes all in. Normally, you would fold here and wait for a better hand to go all in with. However, since you want to build a large stack to control the table you need to call. Since the small blind just called preflop he may have 910, 78, or even just 10J for a straight draw. If he has any of those hands than you have many outs to win the pot.
Short Stack Concept
Another unique strategy you may want to use in satellite sit n goes is the short stack concept. In normal sit n goes, a short stack may play very conservatively to try and make the money. However, since a player has to win the tournament they are less likely to be pushed around. Because of this, you should bully short stacks less than in a normal sit n go. Most players realize when their stack has become too low to win the tournament, and they will make moves to try and double up. A bad way to lose a pot is bullying a short stack when you have a weak hand, so avoid doing that.
If you find yourself in the opposite position, where you have a short stack and people are trying to bully you, you need to make a move. A good rule to use is if your stack is below 5x the big blind plus any antes, then you need to go all in soon. If your stack is more than 5 big blinds along with any antes, you are safe to play normally.

“The Fastest And Easiest Way To Make A KILLING At Online Poker Tournaments”

Everyone knows the surest way to make money at online poker is by WINNING TOURNAMENTS. The reason is because you can win large multiples of your buy-in... 200%, 500%, 1000%, or even higher.
In this strategy article we'll discuss step-by-step exactly how I consistently make a "killing" at online poker by beating Sit and Go tournaments. Read on to learn this amazingly simple method...
What Is A Sit And Go?
A Sit and Go is an online poker tournament. The name "Sit and Go" comes from the fact that these games are fast-- with a clear beginning and end. Each Sit and Go has a pre-determined number of players... so once the spots are filled, the game starts.
Everyone in a Sit and Go must buy-in for the same amount of money and starts with the same number of chips.The blinds gradually go up in "levels" or "stages" until one player is left standing.
The payouts are determined before the game and are displayed when you buy-in.
How Many Players Are In A Sit And Go?
Sit and Go's can have as many as 50 players or as few as 2. It really just depends on which casino you're playing at and which type YOU CHOOSE.
A majority of Sit and Go's are single table games with 10 players. In a game like this, the top 3 finishers would place "in the money". ("Single Table Tournament" is abbreviated STT.)
For instance, let's say you want to play a $10 Sit and Go. You buy-in for $10 and pay an "entry fee" to the casino-- probably a buck. All 10 players would start with the same number of chips-- let's say 800. The blinds would start low, probably 5-10. As the game progresses, the blinds will keep increasing to force action. The buy-ins on a game like this would total $100. That money would get split between the top three finishers. First place would be $50, second place would get $30, and third place would get $20...
How Long Do Sit And Go's Last?
A 10-player Sit and Go will usually last between 30-60 minutes. Some casinos have "turbo" Sit and Go's where the blinds go up faster. Turbo games finish more quickly.
A 2-player Sit and Go-- which is really just a "heads-up" match-- will often last a FEW MINUTES before ending.
There are also Sit and Go's with 5 players, 8 players, 20 players, 30 players, and so on. (A Sit and Go with more than 10 players will be played on more than one table. These are known as "Multi-Table Tournaments", abbreviated MTT.)
No limit Texas Holdem Sit and Go's are generally faster than limit Sit And Go's... because the ability to move "all-in" gets things moving.
How Do Sit And Go's And Ring Games Differ?
The easiest way to understand the distinction is to understand that Sit and Go's are simply TOURNAMENTS. Ring games are like "cash games". Here are some of the key differences:
* You can buy-in or leave anytime during a ring game, whereas you must enter the beginning of a Sit and Go to play.
* Sit and Go's have a clear start (when everyone is ready) and end (when only one player is left). Ring games are ongoing.
* The blinds go up during Sit and Go's, so in the later stages you're forced to loosen your starting hand selection and take risks. In ring games, the blinds stay the same.
* Winning a Sit and Go requires a completely different set of strategies and techniques than winning a ring game...
Why Sit And Go's Are So Popular
Sit and Go's are HOT right now. I personally love to play Sit and Go's, because I can often make MORE money and have MORE fun than in ring games.
Playing a ring game requires "grinding it out"...
Playing a Sit and Go is an exciting battle with ups and downs-- with a "do or die" feeling to it.
And here's the best part: When you learn how to master the STRATEGIES for Sit and Go's, you can amass a FORTUNE in winnings! You can predictably and consistently log onto your computer and win tournament after tournament after tournament...
Here's why: Since Sit and Go's pay the top finishers, you don't have to place first to always make money. You obviously WANT to win first-- but it's not necessary for making a profit. I've developed a system of tactics where I shoot for first, but "hedge my bets" to settle for 2nd or 3rd as a backup plan...
How To Consistently Beat Sit And Go's
Because of their unique structure, there are SPECIFIC strategies you need to beat Sit and Go's on a consistent basis.
It's taken me YEARS to "crack the code" on this and figure it all out. But now that I have, I can easily log onto my online poker account and make money... just about every time.
It's a great feeling. And I want to share it with you.
That's why I developed Sit And Go Shark.
The concept for Sit And Go Shark is actually very simple. This easy-to-install poker software is like having your very own PERSONAL POKER COACH.
That "coach", of course, is me.
When you use Sit And Go Shark, the program shares several pieces of IMPORTANT ADVICE that you need to be thinking about at the table-- everything from your cards to blinds to positioning to pot odds and more...
The advice-- which took me over 6 MONTHS to write!-- is drawn from a HUGE DATABASE of possible combinations and factors. It runs alongside your table while you play, so it requires ZERO extra work from you.
I should also point out that online casinos don't mind if you use Sit And Go Shark. As you know, some software out there is banned and dangerous to use... and I would never, ever recommend you to any of these software programs. You can feel comfortable using anything I point you to.
Anyway, like I was saying, Sit And Go Shark is like having me sitting on your shoulder... telling you what to do each step of the way... and teaching you how to handle the situation.
You'll get two main benefits from using it:
1. You'll win more (a LOT more) money simply by following the advice.
2. You'll learn more (a LOT more) about the game of Texas Holdem. You'll even do better at offline tournaments and ring games, even though you won't have the tool in front of you.
Pretty cool, huh?
OK, so that's Sit And Go Shark in a nutshell. To get started now and check out the website, just click the link below:
CLICK HERE

"How To Use An Odds Calculator To Win More Money At Online Poker!"

Do you use a poker odds calculator?
I sure hope so. Odds calculators are a CRUCIAL part of winning money at online poker. Here are a just a few ways an odds calculator can QUICKLY and EASILY improve your game:
UNDERSTAND YOUR STARTING HAND STRENGTH...
The biggest mistake made by most card players is playing TOO MANY HANDS. For example, tell me if this thought has ever crossed your mind...
"It's worth calling the flop even though I have bad cards-- because who knows, I might catch three-of-a-kind... or two pair... or something really good!"
Every poker player has had this thought from time to time. Even the pros.
But the problem is, thinking like this will cause you to LOSE MONEY in the long run. And the reason is because of the ODDS. Even though you might make a "great hand" once in every twenty flops, those other nineteen hands will cause you to lose MORE money than you won.
But here's the thing:
The right odds calculator will show you EXACTLY how strong or weak your starting hand is... based on a PERCENTAGE and will show you the appropriate "Sklansky Starting Hand Group". What this means is you will IMMEDIATELY know how good your hand is, as soon as the cards come out.
For example, at a 10-man table pocket Aces has a hand rank of 100% and is GROUP 1. Pocket two's has a hand rank of 63.3%, which is in GROUP 7. (This is for hands to the river.)
But let's be honest... understanding how "good" those hands are is EASY. You don't need an odds calculator for that.
But let me ask you, which of THESE hands do you think has the highest "Hand Rank"?
a.) Queen-9 suitedb.) Ace-5 suitedc.) Jack-10 suitedd.) Ace-Queen offsuit
(Here's a hint... the strongest hand is NOT options "b" or "d"...)
Give up? Are you surprised that A-Q wasn't the strongest? Well, that's just ONE of the ways an odds calculator can be incredibly useful... you'll know the exact hand strength right away and can make a more educated (translation = MORE PROFITABLE) decision before the flop.
KNOW YOUR CHANCES OF HITTING AN "OUT"...
As you probably know, "outs" are cards that will help you improve your existing hand.
For example, let's say you're holding 5-6 and the flop comes out 3-4-Q. That means you need either a two or a seven to make a straight...
Since there are four two's and four seven's in the deck, you have EIGHT OUTS.
Odds calculators will show you how many outs you have at any given time... and also give you the PERCENTAGE chance you have of getting them. In addition, a REALLY good odds calculator will "break it down" by each hand...
For example, in the scenario above with the straight draw, let's say you ALSO had a spade flush draw. That means you have more than eight outs, since one more spade will help you.
Premium odds calculators will show you the exact percentage chance you have of making the straight, the exact percentage chance of making the flush, and the TOTAL percentage for the two...
This is a huge time-saver for you. Online poker is fast-paced... and it's not practical to sit there and do advanced calculations and long division while you're trying to make a decision.
PLAY YOUR POSITION MORE EFFECTIVELY...
In Texas Holdem poker, positioning is everything. You want to play MORE hands with good positioning and FEWER hands with bad positioning. It's that simple.
The odds calculator I recommend allows you to ADJUST your starting hand settings depending on where you're sitting at the table. For instance, if you're on the button (the dealer position, which is the best position to be), the program will automatically set the "Hand Rank Requirement" to 50%...
...So if you pick up a hand that has a Hand Rank LOWER than 50%, it will recommend that you fold.
But if you're UNDER THE GUN (the player to the left of the big blind, which is the worst position to be), the program will automatically set the "Hand Rank Requirement" to 85%... so the software will make "tighter" recommendations while you're in this position.
Make sense?
Now here's the real beauty of this:
IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS MORE QUICKLY...
Most poker players improve their skills over YEARS of hard work, practice, and study. This is the slow and painful way.
Using an odds calculator ACCELERATES the learning process dramatically. Here's why:
As you're playing online poker, the odds calculator will automatically compute the odds, hand strength, percentage chance on outs, and so on. You'll use this information, make better decisions, and win more money.
Then here's what will happen...
In a matter of months, you'll find yourself "knowing" the odds and hand strength WITHOUT looking at the software! It will become "natural" to you... because you'll be seeing the same types of hands so frequently.
Of course, you'll still want to use the odds software for the more advanced calculations.
But you'll be AMAZED when you sit down at the poker table with your buddies, see the flop, and then blurt out:
"He has an 19% chance of making the flush on the river."
Your friends will think you're a poker genius! Because the truth is, learning the odds ISN'T about learning the MATH... it's about SEEING and PLAYING with the numbers in front of you frequently enough.
This is how the pros do it... and this is how YOU can do it with the right tool.
GET "ODDS-BASED" RECOMMENDATIONS...
Ultimately, the point is to reach a conclusion about WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IN A GIVEN SITUATION... BASED ON THE ODDS.
You and I both know that "odds" are only a PART of the game. They may be a BIG part, but they're still just a part. There's bluffing strategies, betting patterns, and many other factors that will affect your decisions...
Now let me show you the odds calculator that I use when I play online poker. It's called "Texas Calculatem". One of the great things is that it gives you "odds-based" recommendations...
In other words, it take the outs, percentages, ratios, number of players, starting hand strength, and everything else... compile it all together... and then spit out a "decision" about what you should do.
So while you're playing online poker, this program will run near the bottom of your screen and say something like, "Check" or "Fold" or "Call Unraised Only" or "Raise and Re-Raise"... and so on.
And here's another reason why I like Texas Calculatem so much:
ADJUST YOUR PLAYING STYLE AUTOMATICALLY...
Texas Calculatem lets you adjust your "style" according to your preferences and table strategy.
For instance, let's say you're playing a 10-player Sit and Go. Well, at the beginning you want to play extremely tight because you just want to SURVIVE as the other players start knocking themselves out (after all, Sit and Go's pay out for the top three finishers, so there's no need to risk many chips in the beginning).
So what I do is set the "Pre-Flop Slider" to a very tight setting.
BUT... when you DO play a hand in the early stages of a Sit and Go, you want to play it AGGRESSIVELY. Especially if it's a really good hand like a high pocket pair. Because the reality is, there are a lot of "loose manics" at the Sit and Go's who will call anything... so you want to increase your chip stack by taking advantage of them.
So in that situation, I set the "Post-Flop Slider" to a more aggressive setting.
You see, with Texas Calculatem you can adjust each of these settings without affecting the other. And you can adjust them mid-game or any time you want (I adjust mine back to more normal levels when it gets down to six players in the Sit and Go).
Of course, it's the same way with Ring Games and other tournaments. In a four player ring game I like to play lots of starting hands and aggressively "bully" my opponents... so I adjust the sliders to the looser and more aggressive settings and "Bam!"... the program adjusts its computations automatically.
AND... get this...
Texas Calculatem instantly adjusts all of the odds and recommendations based on HOW MANY PLAYERS are at the table. In ring games people are constantly getting up, sitting out, coming in, etc... and in Sit and Go's players are continuously being eliminated. All of this makes it confusing to figure out which hands to play and how to play them.
Calculatem adjusts everything AUTOMATICALLY. You don't have to input anything, either. It "detects" everything by itself.
Speaking of detection... that's something else you need to be aware of:
DON'T BUY AN ODDS CALCULATOR WITHOUT THESE FEATURES...
There are some KEY FEATURES that make an odds calculator a very effective tool. But ironically, MOST ODDS CALCULATORS don't have these features!
For instance, most odds calculators make you "manually" type in what your cards are... what the flop cards are... and so on.
This makes no sense. After all, you can do the math faster than that!
Texas Calculatem was designed in a way that requires NONE of your time or effort. It automatically "attaches" to your poker game and detects your cards and the cards on the table (from the flop, turn, and river). You just sit back and focus on the game.
Obviously Texas Calculatem doesn't read your OPPONENTS cards, though... since that information is completely secured by the casino. (That sure would make things easier, huh?)
Another great feature that Calculatem has is called "Fold Depth". This basically uses "human logic" to make the odds computations more accurate. For instance, let's say the flop came out 7-7-3 and two players folded.
Texas Calculatem "knows" that neither of those two players folded the seven. (Duh!)
The reason this is important is because it affects all of the ADVANCED calculations from that point forward. Using the "human logic", Texas Calculatem knows a more accurate percentage of WHERE the other two sevens are... as well as all the other cards in the deck.
The result is a program that is far superior and more useful than any other on the market. In fact, I've really only "scratched the surface" of all the features that Texas Calculatem has... and all the ways it can help you win more money at online poker.
Honestly, the question isn't whether or not you need an odds calculator...
The question is: How can you afford NOT to use one?
The cold hard truth is that many of your opponents WILL be using Texas Calculatem... which gives them the IMMEDIATE ADVANTAGE at the tables.
If you're only going to play poker for "play money", then I guess it's OK. But if you're playing for REAL MONEY, then you need to download Texas Calculatem to your computer TODAY. Without it, you're just another fish.
The best part is, Texas Calculatem is FREE when you setup a new account at one of the partner poker rooms...
So click this link, setup your account, and download Texas Calculatem for FREE. You'll be winning more money at online poker within the next five minutes...
CLICK HERE
See you at the tables!

“How To Calculate Pot Odds”


You DON'T need to be a "math genius" to understand poker odds...

Not at all.

In fact, you can be TERRIBLE at math (like me) and still be able to use "odds" to your advantage at the no-limit Holdem tables.

There are TWO main things you need to learn right away:

1. The concept of OUTS
2. The concept of POT SIZE

These are easy. Let's start with the first.

"Outs" refers to the number of cards in the deck that will complete (or "make") your hand.

For instance... if you have Ace-King and the board reads Q-J-4, you need a ten to make your straight.

Since there are four tens in the deck, you have FOUR OUTS.

Or... let's say you're holding Q-J and the boardreads K-10-5. That means you have an open-ended straight draw-- either the Ace or the nine will complete your straight.

Since there are four nines and four Aces in the deck, you have EIGHT OUTS.

Let's do one more. Let's say you've got 8-7 of clubs and the board reads 2c-Ad-Kc-3s. That means there are two clubs on the board and two in your hand. If one more club hits on the river, you'll have a flush.

There are a total of thirteen clubs in the deck (thirteen of each suit times four suits equals fifty-two cards).

But that DOESN'T mean you have thirteen outs, because you're already using four of the clubs.

Instead, you have NINE OUTS (thirteen minus four). If any of those nine cards hits on the river, you'll have a flush.

OK... so that's how you calculate OUTS. We'll do some more in-depth examples in a minute, but first let's talk about POT SIZE.

Pot size is how much money is in the pot. Pretty simple, right?

There are three main parts to pot size:

1. How much money is already in the middle
2. How much is bet in the current round of betting
3. How much WILL be bet in the current round

Let me explain.

Let's say four players call the big blind of $4 in a game. That means there's $16 in the middle.

The flop comes out. You're on the button, which means you're LAST to act. Player 1 bets $10 into the pot. Player 2 calls, and Player 3 folds. Now it's your turn. What's the current pot size?

The answer is $36. There's the $16 that was in the middle first, then $20 more from Players 1 and 2.

The $16 is the first part, the $20 is the second part, and there is no third part since you were last to act.

Let's take another look. Let's say you were SECOND TO ACT, instead of on the button.

Four players call the big blind of $4, which means there's $16 in the pot. Player 1 bets $10, and now you must make a decision. What's the pot size?

Well, it's $16 + $10 + UNKNOWN.

Why "unknown"?

The reason is you DON'T KNOW if the two players BEHIND you are going to call, raise, or fold. So you really don't KNOW the exact pot size.

This is a fundamental reason why math doesn't solve all your problems in poker. You must use your INSTINCTS to "guess" and "infer".

In this case, you would try to guess whether or not the other two players would call or fold (or raise) and make your decision then. This is also another reason why POSITIONING in a hand is so important.

One more thing about pot size before we move on...

A lot of players don't know whether to count THEIR OWN MONEY in the actual pot size.

The answer is you count your own money that's ALREADY THERE from before. In the example, your big blind of $4 is already in the pot... so you DO use it to calculate the pot size.

Once your money is in the middle, it isn't yours any more. Period.

But you would NOT include your $10 in the pot size, because you haven't put it in yet. You're THINKING about putting it in.

Make sense?

Let's say you called the $10 bet from Player 1 and the other players all folded. The turn card comes and Player 1 bets $20. What's the pot size?

Well, it's $16 from pre-flop, $20 after the flop, and now $20 after the turn.

You DO count your $10 after the flop because now it IS already in the middle.

OK... so what does OUTS and POT SIZE have to do with ODDS?

The answer is EVERYTHING.

Now that you know these two basics, you're ready to start calculating "complicated" poker odds.

To calculate odds, you need four pieces of information:

1. Number of outs
2. Number of "unknown" cards in the deck
3. Pot size
4. Current bet amount

We talked about the outs and pot size. The other two are very straightforward.

The number of "unknown" cards in the deck simply means how many cards you DON'T KNOW. Before the flop, there are 50 cards you don't know. You only know the two in your hand.

After the flop, there are 47 cards you don't know. You know the two in your hand and the three on the board and that's it.

After the turn there are 46 cards you don't know.

Like I said, this is simple stuff.

And the CURRENT BET AMOUNT is just... well, the current bet amount. It's how much you must put in the pot to "call".

OK, let's review.

Let's say you get dealt J-10 offsuit. You call the big blind of $6 and so does one other player. The small blind folds. The player in the big blind checks. That means the POT SIZE is $21 ($6 + $6 + $6 + $3).

The flop comes out Q-2-9. You've got an open-ended straight draw. Either a King or an eight will make your straight. Since there are four Kings and four eights in the deck, you've got EIGHT OUTS.

There are 47 unknown CARDS in the deck (52 cards minus the five that you see).

You're second to act. The first player bets $12. That means $12 is the CURRENT BET AMOUNT.

The POT SIZE is $21 + $12 + UNKNOWN. The unknown is what the player after you does...

So there you have it... those are the four pieces of information you need. The only thing you don't know for SURE is the pot size in this example.

Sometimes you'll know the pot size exactly (like when you have good positioning). Other times you'll just have to estimate.

OK, let's do some odds.

THE WAY TO CALCULATE ODDS IS TO COMPARE THE ODDS OF MAKING YOUR HAND TO THE ODDS OF THE POT.

Here's the exact "formula":

(Unknown Cards - Outs) : Outs

VERSUS

Pot Size : Current Bet Amount

If the first comparison is smaller than the second one, that's good. It means that "pot odds justify a call" (or raise).

For instance, if you have 12 outs and there are 47 unknown cards, that means you have ABOUT a 25% chance of "making" your hand.

The odds against you are 35:12, or about 3:1.

Remember... when you see two numbers like X:X, the first number is the chance of one thing happening against the chance of the second thing happening. You'll miss your hand three times and make it once. That's 1/4 or 25% or 3:1.

Now let's say the pot size is $50 and the current bet amount is $10. That means the odds would be $50:$10, or 5:1.

It's easiest to look at in the X:X format and not use percentages.

OK, so here's what you've got for this example:

Outs = 12
Unknown Cards = 47
Current Bet Amount = 10
Pot Size = 50

There are 35 cards that WON'T HELP YOU (47 - 12).

So the odds are 35:12 for the cards.

And for the pot it's 50:10. You don't add your $10to the first number. Just use the current pot size.

35:12 is about 3:1. 50:10 equals 5:1.

The entire point of calculating odds is to make a good decision. To make a decision of whether or not to call a $10 bet here, you would compare the 3:1 versus 5:1.

The odds here are IN YOUR FAVOR.

If this scenario played out four times, here's how it would look STATISTICALLY:

- You lose $10.
- You lose $10.
- You win $50.
- You lose $10.

You lose three times and win once (3:1). When you add your losses it equals $30 but your wins are $50, giving you a $20 profit.

If the scenario happened eight times you'd win twice and lose six times. That means you'd lose $60 and win $100... for a $40 profit.

For real life poker situations, the key is to calculate whether or not you can "justify" staying in the hand.

Let's say you have A-8 and the flop comes out:

K-10-4

Someone bets $10 and the pot size is $20. What should you do?

Well, you don't have anything but an Ace high. If the Ace comes on the turn, you'd have top pair. So let's ASSUME that your top pair would be the winning hand.

That means there are three cards in the deck that can help you (the other three Aces). And there are exactly 47 unknown cards in the deck.

So we have our numbers:

Outs = 3
Unknown Cards = 47
Current Bet Amount = 10
Pot Size = 20

Using our formula...

(47 - 3) : 3

VERSUS...

20 : 10

So the numbers come out 44:3 (about 15:1) versus 2:1. Should you call?

Of course not.

You're only getting 2:1 for your money but your chances of winning the hand are very slim.

If the hand played out 16 times you would win ONCE. So you'd lose $150 (15 X $10) and win $20, for a total loss of $130.

You're always striving for good odds on your money and good odds on your hand.

Good odds on your hand means the X:X number is as SMALL AS POSSIBLE... because you want lots of outs. You don't want there to be only one or two cards in the deck that can help you. You want fractions like 47:12, 46:10, 46:8, and so on.

Good odds on your money means the X:X number is BIG. You want 10:1, 5:1, 12:1, and so on.

OK, I'm going to give one more example. See if you're smart enough to figure this out on your own (you may need to use a scratch piece of paper)...

You're second to act pre-flop and look down to see Kc-Jc. You limp-in by calling the $4 big blind.

Three other players call. The small blind (who put in $2) folds.

The player in the big blind decides to RAISE the pot to $8. You call. Two of the other three players call... but one folds.

So now there are four players total in the hand... the guy in the big blind, you, and the two other callers. (Still with me here?)

The flop comes out:

Ac-4s-8c

What a great flop for you. You've got the nut flush draw.

The player in the big blind is first to act. He checks. You check also (which I would NOT recommend doing here, by the way).

The next player bets $16. The next one calls. The guy who made the original pre-flop raise folds.

So now the action is on to you.

What is the...

Number of outs? Number of unknown cards? Current bet amount? Pot size?

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY...

Should you call?

See if you can figure it out before I give you the answer.

...

...

...

...

OK, so the answer is this:

Yes, you should call.

The pot size is $70. The current bet amount is $16. The number of outs is 9. And the number of unknown cards is 47.

The pot size was the hardest thing to figure out. Remember... the small blind folded his $2. Another player folded their $4. So there was $6 in the middle, plus $32 with the four callers. So $38 before the flop.

Then there were two players in for $16 after the flop, which equals $32. $38 + $32 = $70. Luckily, there weren't any other players left to act after you in this exact round of betting.

The number of outs is simple. Thirteen clubs in the deck minus the four you already see equals nine. And the number of unknown cards is 52 minus the five you see... which equals 47.

Plugging those numbers into our handy "formula" gives us:

(47-9):9 Versus 70:16

That's equal to 38:9 versus 70:16

Now you might be wondering, "How the hell am I supposed to know what 70 divided by 16 is or 38 divided by 9? It's not like I'll have a calculator handy at the table!"

True.

But you don't have to know the EXACT numbers. All you need to know is if the second one is bigger than the first. And that's pretty easy.

When I do it, here's what goes on in my head:

"38 over 9 is about the same as 36 over 9, which equals 4. That means 38 over 9 is 4 and 2/9ths.

70 over 16 is closest to 64 over 16, which also equals 4. That means 70 over 16 is 4 and 6/16ths.

Now I just have to compare 2/9 to 6/16. 2/9 is like 2/10, which equals .2. 6/16 is kind of like 6/18, which is .33. So the second one is bigger."

And that means the call IS justified.

Now let me clarify something...

In this example the two numbers are VERY close (4.22 versus 4.375). Usually they WON'T be that close. Usually they'll be something like 3.3 versus 8.2 or 2.5 versus 4.1.

That means in MOST cases you won't have to do all that fraction stuff. OR, even if you DO have those fractions, you won't need to calculate it. You'll probably just consider it "about even" and make your decision based on other factors.

All right... so that's basically how you calculate pot odds. Of course, there's more.

You also want to know IMPLIED ODDS. Implied odds aren't as math-related. Implied odds basically pertain to hands where you can "bust" or "surprise" your opponents.

In the last example, you were on the nut flush draw, because you had the King of clubs and the Ace of clubs was on the board.

If your opponent was ALSO on the flush draw and he had the QUEEN of clubs, this would be very good for you...

Because if another club hit on the turn, you and your opponent would both have flushes. But yours would be higher.

In this case, your opponent would likely go "all-in" and you would win a TON of chips.

So even though the "odds" on your money are 4.375:1, they're actually higher because of the "implied odds" of your NUT flush draw.

Besides implied odds, you'll also have to think about the "unknown" pot size, as we discussed. Many times you just won't KNOW the exact pot size, and will be forced to guess.

Also... you must be careful to consider what your OPPONENTS are holding...

Let's say you're holding As-5h and the board reads: 8h-Qh-2h

You have the flush draw. And the odds of "making" it are good. But that doesn't mean you want to calculate the nine other hearts in the deck as your "outs".

Why?

Because all your opponents need to BEAT you is a heart higher than a FIVE. And someone most likely has it.

The point is, when you calculate OUTS, you want to calculate outs based on making the WINNING HAND.

And obviously there's no way to know for sure what the winning hand will be... unless you've got the nuts.

So as you can see... there are a LOT of different factors to take into consideration.

Calculating pot odds is a useful technique for the right situations. Over the long term, it can become very handy and will help you make sound, logical decisions at the poker table.

Of course, pot odds is only one small aspect of "poker math". There are dozens of calculations you'll want to make at the table to quickly, consistently, and easily dominate online poker.

And the best way to achieve this is with an advanced odds calculator. "Holdem Genius" is the world's most advanced odds calculator... and it's available FREE for a limited time. Just click here to learn more:

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