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Multi-Table No-Limit Poker turneringer

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Multi-Table No-Limit Turneringer

POKER STRATEGI

Populariteten av no-limit hold’em turneringer blir stadig større og større. Dette er, til en stor del, forårsaket av WSOP (World Series of Poker) og World Poker Tour. Mange mennesker ser disse turneringene på TV og har lyst til å prøve å spille i en poker turnering selv for sjansen av å vinne de store jackpottene. Faktisk så er meste parten av Texas Hold’em spilt i turneringer nå nå til dags i stedet for på standard poker bord, "ring" poker.

No-Limit Texas Hold’em turneringer har en helt vanvittig "variance", det vil si at "stacken", pengene du har å spille med, går opp og ned mye mer en i en vanlig "ring" Texas Hold’em spill, altså en standard online poker bord. Grunnen til denne svære svingen på stacken er at innsatsene er så store preflopp spesielt mot slutten av turneringen. For eksempel en Ess Konge mot "pocket" par er en veldig vanlig kamp sent i en poker turnering.

Jeg sier ikke at dere ikke burde spille i poker turneringer men ikke tro at disse turneringene er kun basert på ferdigheter, det er mye flaks involvert også. Man må ha flaks for å vinne en no-limit Texas Holdæem turnering fordi man må vinne så mange risikable 50-50 hender for å ha noen sjanse av å komme til finale bordet i det hele tatt.

Begynnelsen av turneringen

Strategen i Texas Hold’em turneringer er ganske forskjellig fra en no-limit Hold’em ring poker spill. Det er ikke så lett å bløffe seg til en pott fordi de andre spillernes stacks er mindre i forhold til potten. Også fordi du har likså mye å risikere som du har å vinne ved å bløffe mister det mye av sin verdi uansett.

Dette kan virke ganske forvirende. La oss si at du prøver å bløffe deg til 1000 chips ved en 1000 chip pot og du regner med at du har en 50-60 % sjanse av suksess med bløffen. Mange ville tro at dette er verd risikoen, men det er ikke riktig siden de 1000 chippene du kan vinne er verd mye mindre en de 1000 chippene du kunne tape hvis det går galt. Hvis du har en stack på 2000 chips og faller ned til 1000 svir det og affekterer spillet ditt men å gå opp til 3000 spiller ikke så stor rolle siden chippene i en poker turnering ikke betyr penger. Den eneste måten chips tilsvarer penger i en poker turnering er enten om du taper alle chippene eller vinner alle av dem. Hvis du taper halvparten av chippene er du halvveis ut av turneringen men hvis du vinner 100 chips hjelper det bare litt mot å vinne.

Dette betyr ikke at du skal spille tight men at du ikke bør ta unødvendig risko heller. I en poker turnering går blindene opp veldig fort så hvis du ikke vinner noen potts taper du uansett i det lange løp. Mot slutten av en poker turnering kan du tenke på å vinne pots for å vinne hele turneringen men i begynnelsen må du vinne potts bare for å overleve.

I begynnelsen av poker turneringen burde du derfor ikke ta for store risikoer, stort sett så er det beløpet man vinner ikke værd sjansen man tar, hvis det er billig å se en flop så gjør det med gode kort eller hvis noen går all in preflop og du sitter med AA burde du absolutt spille. Men jeg ville advare mot å bløffe i en poker turnering, de andre spillerne vil fort vite når du bløffer og de fleste spillere er langt mer aggressiv i en poker turnering uansett, så det er ikke verd risikoen!

Midten av poker turneringen

Mot midten av poker turneringen trenger du å øke tempoet litt. Fordi blindene blir større er det mye viktigere å kunne stjele noen blinds fra motstanderne og det er her at "gap" konseptet blir veldig viktig. Det tar en mye svakere hånd enn vanlig for å gjøre en raise og stjele blinden men de andre spillerne må ha en bedre hånd en vanlig til da å call din raise. Midten av turneringen introduserer "survival mode" konseptet.

Meste parten av tiden prøver du å bare å overleve denne delen av turneringen og øke stacken din. Du burde unngå situasjoner hvor du må gå all in bortsett fra hvis du er temmelig sikker på at du sitter med den beste hånden, men meste parten av tiden burde du bare prøve å spille gjevnt og forsiktig og stjele noen gode blinds og presse andre spillere.

Hvis du har en stor stack allerede kan du benytte deg av de andre spillernes "survival mode" til å presse dem. Ta kontroll av spillet og sett spillere inn i all-in situasjoner hvor de risikerer å bli slått ut av turneringen mens du kun risikerer å miste noen chips. Du burde ikke gjøre dette for mye, stjel for all del noen potts men ikke hele tiden sånn at de andre spillerne ikke bar gir faen og spiller mot deg hele tiden, du vil fortsett tape ganske ofte selv med gode kort, spesielt mot dårlige spillere som gjør call på alt!

Mot slutten av turneringen

Mot slutten av turneringen er hvor du må ta noen større sjanser for å ha noen sjanse av å vinne hele turneringen. Ved dette stadiet er blinds ofte så høye at spillere som er short-stacked ofte gør all in preflop. Generelt hvis du går all-in bør du ha ett Ess med en god "kicker" kort eller et par på hånden. Hvis du har ett ess med en god kicker har du fordel mot hender som ikke er par og nesten garantert dominerer du motspillerens hånd hvis de ikke har par. Hvis du har par har du en liten fordel over andre hender som ikke er par og en stor fordel over mindre pocket par.

Generelt hvis du har en brukbar hånd er det best å bare skyve alle chippene inn preflop. Når du har en liten stack kan du risikere å miste chippene dine på blinds. Når flopen kommer er det en stor sjanse for at den ikker er perfekt for deg men ved å satse alle chippene preflop har du en brukbar sjanse til å stjele blindene og du unngår sjansen av å bli presset ut av noen med flere chips etter flopen.

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Poker Tournaments

A poker tournament or competition is an event where the players all contend for a cash prize. As in Late Night Poker and the World Series of Poker, both of which are tournaments, each player pays an initial buy-in and receives a fixed number of tournament chips. The competitors play until all but one are eliminated and the remaining player is the winner of the event. It is usual for the last three finishers in a tournament to receive a prize from the prize pool. The division of prizes in small tournaments is usually something like 60 per cent to the winner, 30 per cent to the second and 10 per cent to the third. In bigger tournaments, the first ten players might receive a prize, perhaps split 45 per cent to the winner, 20 per cent for second, 10 per cent for third, 5 per cent for fourth and so on until all of the prize money has been allocated.

Tournaments are of two types: those that allow re-buys and those that do not. The latter are called ‘freeze-out tournaments’. Late Night Poker is an example of a freeze-out event and once a player has lost all his chips he is out of the tournament. Those tournaments which permit re-buys allow a player who has lost all of his chips to re-join the tournament by paying additional, money into the prize pool. It is usual for re-buys to be limited to the first time period of the tournament (usually the first 1-2 hours).

After the re-buy period has ended, the tournament then becomes a freeze-out and the size of the blinds (and hence the stakes) increase with time to speed the tournament’s end. If the blinds did not increase in this way, tournaments would last for days instead of the usual four to five hours. Often, the blinds increase
regularly every 20 or 30 minutes in a small tournament but it can be slower in bigger events. Typical increases and intervals are:

Time Interval Small Blind Big Blind

0-120 mins 50 100

60 mins 100 200

60 mins 200 400

60 mins 400 800

60 mins 600 1200

60 mins 800 1600

60 mins 1000 2000

60 mins 2000 4000

60 mins 3000 6000

As the tournament progresses, tables are aggregated and seats removed as players are eliminated. This will eventually produce a final table of ten contestants who battle it out for the prize pool.

Satellites

Sometimes a tournament is too expensive for some players to enter. The entry fee might be £6000 and beyond the pocket of most players. In these cases, it is normal for satellite tournaments to be held with the winner gaining entry to the tournament proper. In this way, it is not unknown for players to invest as little as £50 and end up with a prize of £20,000.

TOURNOI FREEZOUT OU TOURNOI AVEC REBUY ET ADD-ON

Il existe aussi deux types de tournoi: les tournois freezout et les tournois avec rebuy et add-on. Pas de panique, nous sommes là pour vous expliquer tous ces termes qui peuvent vous paraître barbares…

Un tournoi freezout est un tournoi où chaque joueur n’a droit qu’à une seule cave. S’il perd tous ses jetons, même sur le premier coup, il est définitivement éliminé du tournoi! Mais n’est-ce pas là la définition même d’un tournoi, me direz-vous? Si, sauf qu’il en existe d’un autre type: ce sont les tournois avec rebuy et add-on (rebuy signifie "racheter" en anglais). Dans ces tournois, il est ainsi possible de racheter des jetons pendant une certaine durée prédéterminée (en général, de 60 à 90 minutes), le montant d’une cave pour le prix du ticket d’entrée. Seule condition: être totalement à sec! Au terme de cette période de rebuy, qui est soit illimitée (bonjour les dégâts!), soit limitée à un seul et unique rebuy, vient ensuite l’add-on. L’add-on est une cave supplémentaire facultative que l’on peut aussi acheter (pour le prix du ticket, l’équivalent de deux caves). Au-delà, le tournoi devient freezout.

Dans le cas des tournois avec rebuy et add-on, la stratégie de jeu est encore un peu différente de celle des tournois freezout. Certains joueurs profitent de la possibilité de se recaver pour pratiquer un poker explosif et ultra-agressif, et prennent un maximum de risques dans l’espoir de se constituer très vite un gros tapis. Quand ça passe, c’est bien, quand ça casse, ça peut vite grever le budget!

Die Situation in der ersten Wett runde

Das Spiel in der ersten Wettrunde beim No-Limit Texas Hold’ em ist von extrem wichtiger Bedeutung. Man muss die Grundregeln, die diese Wettrunde prägen, beherrschen. Sonst hat man überhaupt keine Chance, weil man jedes Spiel schon falsch beginnt. Am Start erkennt man den Gewinner …

Im No-Limit kann man in den späteren Wettrunden viel Geld gewinnen oder verlieren. Es kommt darauf an, ob man mitspielt und sich überhaupt auf den »Tanz« auf Flop, Turn und River einlässt oder ob man sich das Ganze erspart. Wenn man nicht in der Blind sitzt, kostet einen das Aufgeben in der ersten Wettrunde nichts, und man kann es ohne Reue tun. Man kann sich aber auch dazu entschließen, seine Hand zu spielen und diese im Laufe der Wettrunden wie eine Pflanze vom Keimling bis zum dominierenden großen Baum heranzuziehen.

Zunächst hängt das Spiel in der ersten Wettrunde natürlich davon ab, was man für Karten bekommt. Als erfahrener Spieler werden Sie nun vielleicht sagen, dass es in bestimmten Situationen nicht auf die Karten ankommt, zum Beispiel wenn man sich in einer guten Position gegen wenige Gegner in einem Spiel den Pot kauft. Das ist richtig. Der Wert der Karten kann manchmal ein untergeordneter Faktor sein. Man sollte aber nicht vergessen, dass dies eher untypische Situationen sind. In der Regel spielt der Kartenwert eine entscheidende Rolle und bildet den Basiswert unserer Hand.

Die erste Frage, die man sich stellen muss, ist somit: Was sind unsere Karten wert? Klar, es kommen noch fünf Gemeinschaftskarten, die man noch benutzen kann. Doch das sind Karten, die allen Spielern zur Verfügung stehen. Die HoleCards gehören dagegen uns ganz allein und sind vor den anderen versteckt. Deshalb kann man sagen, dass die ersten bei den verdeckten Karten mehr sind als nur zwei Siebtel der Karten, die man benutzen kann.

Gut sind grundsätzlich Karten, die hoch sind und Paare. Darüber hinaus mögen wir auch gleichfarbige und connected Karten. Diese haben Chancen, sich im Laufe der weiteren Wettrunden zu Flushs oder Straßen zu verbessern. Hier eine Tabelle, die die besten Starthände im Texas Hold’ em zeigt:

Wahrscheinlichkeit, eine Hand der Gruppe oder zu bekommen

Gruppe   Starthände, in der Wertigkeit     Rang       Wahrscheinlichkeit, eine
              absteigend dargestellt                               Hand der Gruppe oder
                                                                            besser zu bekommen

1             AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AKs                   1-5
2             TT, AQs, AJs, AK, KQs           6-10
3             ATs, KJs, AQ, 99, QJs, KTs        11-16       11%
4             88, QTs, A9s, AJ, JTs, KQ,
               A8s, AT                17-24

5            K9s, A7s, KJ, A5s, Q9s, T9s,
             77, J9s, A6s, QJ, A4s, KT,           25-42        20%
             QT, A3s, K8s, JT; A2s, Q8s

6 T8s, K7s, 98s, 66, J8s, A9, 43-51 24%
K6, K5s, A8

7           87s, 97s, K4s, Q7s, T7s, K9,
             J7s, T9, 55, Q6s, Q9, K3s, J9,    52-6S       33%
             A7, Q5s, A5, K2

8           Q4s, A6, T6s, J6s, A4, J5s,
             K8, Q3s, 44, T8, A3, J8,Q8,         69-84        44%
             K7, A2, K6

Diese Tabelle ist auf der Grundlage der endgültigen Gewinnwahrscheinlichkeit der Starthände erstellt worden. Das heißt, dass AA am Ende der Wettrunden statistisch gesehen am häufigsten gewinnt. K6 gewinnt statistisch gesehen am seltensten, und deswegen ist K6 auch eine miese Hand. Die erfahrenen Spieler unter Ihnen werden wissen, dass selbst AA kein Garant dafür ist, die Hand am Ende zu gewinnen. Nein, Asse werden häufig geknackt, und es ist eine bittere Pille, die man dann schlucken muss. Die Wahrscheinlichkeit, die Hand am Ende zu gewinnen, ist aber dennoch mit AA am höchsten.

Die Tabelle hilft mir dabei, meine Karten zu bewerten. Sie sagt zunächst nichts darüber aus, wie ich mich in der ersten Wettrunde verhalten soll. Ich weiß nur ungefihr, wo ich im Vergleich zu den anderen stehe. Wenn ich zum Beispiel AJ auf die Hand bekomme, dann habe ich eine Starthand der viertbesten Gruppe. Ich weiß, dass die Chance, eine solche Hand oder eine bessere zu bekommen, bei ungefihr 11 % liegt.

Auf der anderen Seite kann ich anhand der Tabelle auch eine Aussage darüber treffen, wie oft ich überhaupt eine spielbare Starthand bekomme. Wenn ich nur die Starthandgruppen 1 bis 5 spiele, dann weiß ich, dass die Chance, eine solche Hand zu bekommen, bei ungefihr 20 % liegt. Ich kann also sagen, dass ich im Durchschnitt nur jede fünfte Hand mitspielen kann.

Poker turneringer

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Turnerings Poker blir stadig mer populært. Poker har vært spilt i over 100 år men turnerings poker er relativt nytt. I 1972 var topp premien i World Series of Poker kun $80,000, mens "buy in" var $10,000!! I 2005 tok Joseph Hachem hjem $7.5 millioner da han vant!! Grunnen for denne økningen i premiepenger er nummeret spillere som nå er med og spiller turnerings poker. I 1972 var det kun 8 deltagere i WSOP mens 829 entret i 2003.

Personlig er jeg ikke veldig begeistret for turnerings poker. TV har fått turnerings poker til å virke meget glamorøst og en poker variant hvor det er alt om poker ferdigheter. I realiteten trenger man mer lykke i turnerings poker enn ved et alminnelig poker bord (ring game). I et typisk no-limit poker spill hvor man begynner med $2000 hva er sjansen av at du går hjem med $2 millioner ved slutten av kvelden, vel bortsett fra hvis noen veldig rike idioter setter seg ned ved bordet ditt er det sånn cirka null! I turnerings poker derimot begynner alle spillerne med $2000 og hvis det er 1000 spillere med må du vinne 2 millioner i chips for å vinne turneringen, og mens det er mulig er det ikke lett uten at du har en god del flaks på din side!

Hoved grunnene til at jeg foretrekker å prøve å vinne poker pengene mine ved et alminnelig ring game i stedet for i en poker turnering er:

1. Jeg er god nok til å vinne penger meste parten av tiden på et vanlig poker bord mens i turneringer er det enten store penger eller ingenting.

2. Hell spiller en mye mindre rolle ved et standard poker bord enn det gjør i en poker turnering.

3. Det er mye letter å vite om du spiller bra i et standard poker spill enn det er i en poker turnering, for eksempel en god turnerings poker spiller kan lett gå 10 turneringer uten å vinne noen som helst uten å egentlig vite om de spilte bra eller dårlig.

Selv om jeg foretrekker å spille ved et standard poker bord liker jeg innimellom fortsatt å spille poker turneringer og grunnen for dette er at de er kjempe artig å spille i. Selv om jeg nevnte at hell har en større effekt i en poker turnering må du fortsatt spille veldig bra poker for å vinne. Det er noen ting som er viktigere i turnerings poker sammenlignet med et standard poker spill:

1. Dine chips har en helt annen realtiv verdi. I et standard poker spill burde du se hver $ som å ha samme verdi. Dette er ikke alltid sant i en turnering. Når man starter med 1000 chips er de tusen mye mer verdifulle en de neste tusen du vinner. Man har ikke muligheten til å gjøre en rebuy og man må ha chips for å overleve i turneringen. Ved begynnelsen av turneringen burde du være veldig forsiktig med å gå all-in fordi selv om du vinner er du ikke egentlig i en mye bedre posisjon mens senere i turneringen må du satse mer ellers taper du pengene dine i blinds, fordi blinds går opp hele tiden.

2. Det er mye viktigere å ha dominerende hender i turnerings poker. Senere i turneringen vil blinds være så høye at de fleste hender er all-in preflop. Det er da essensielt å ha hender som dominerer andre hender. Høye pocket par er gode fordi de dominerer mindre pocket par og ess med en god kicker er også en veldig god hånd fordi den dominerer så mange andre hender. Mange spillere gjør feilen av å satse veldig stort med lave pocket par som 55. I realiteten er lave pocket par kun gode for å prøve å stjelen blinds. Hvis noen gjør en call mot dine lave pocket par har du antagelig kun en 50% sjanse av å vinne og det er for risikabelt!

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Glossary of Poker Terms

Ace-High: A hand having an ace but no pair.

Aces Up: Two pair, the highest pair being aces.

Action: The act of putting chips in the pot. gambling of any sort.

Action Player: A player who gives a lot of action, also called a ‘loose’ player.

Active Player: Any player still in the hand, competing for the pot.

Act out of Turn: A player attempting to bet or raise prior to his turn to, act.

Advertise: To bluff and then show the hand to other players in the hope that theywill call sometime later when you have a legitimate hand.

All-in: All your money or chips in the pot.

Ante: An agreed nominal bet required from each player before the start of a hand.

Babies: Small cards – a 2, 3, 4 or 5.

Back Door: To back door a flush or straight is when the last two cards make aplayer’s hand, even though this was not the original hand the playerwas drawing to.

Bad Beat: When a strong hand is outdrawn by a weaker hand, considered to be held by a player who got lucky.

Bankroll: A player’s total stake money.

Best Hand: The one that takes the pot.

Bet: To intentionally put chips into the pot.

Bet Blind: To wager without looking at one’s hole cards.

Bet Half the Pot: To bet half the amount of the pot. Half the pot is the maximum allowable bet in some UK home games.

Bet in the Dark: To bet before seeing the next or any cards.

Bet Into: To make a bet looking at what seems to be a superior hand.

Bet the Pot: To bet the amount of the pot. Pot limit is the usual maximum allowable bet in UK casino games.

Big Blind: The small forced bet made by the player in second left position to thedealer button. It is made before any cards are dealt and is a live bet.Thus the player on the big blind can raise when the action gets back tohim.

Big Slick: Ace-king as the first two cards.

Blank: A card that does not look like it has improved anyone’s hand.

Blind: A forced bet made by the two players to the dealer’s left [or to theleft of the dealer button!. It is ma,de before any cards are dealt andis a live bet.

Bluff: To bet or raise with a poor hand in the hope that other players will pass and you will win the pot.

Board: All five cards, in community card games, turned face up in the centre of the table.

Boxed Card: A card facing the other way to the remaining cards in the deck.

Bullet: Another name for an ace.

Burn: To take a card from the top of the deck before dealing out the cards !it is an attempt to prevent cheating!. This card is removed from play.

Button: A disk used to indicate the player who would nominally be dealing if there were no house dealer.

Buy the Button: A bet or raise which makes players behind you fold, making you the last to act in succeeding betting rounds.

Buy the Pot: To bluff, (usually a big bet at a small pot).

Call: To match the previous bet.

Calling Station: A pejorative term for a player who perpetually calls and cannot be bluffed.

Cards Speak: When the cards are laid face up on the table the correct reading of the hand will win the pot. That is, the highest hand will win the pot irrespective of what the player declares the hand to be, For instance, a player may not see that he has hit a flush and may declare something else, but it is the flush which will count.

Case Card: The last card of a particular rank when the other three are already out.

Cash In: Take your chips and leave the game.

Check: To refrain from betting, This is often indicated by a player tappingthe table. The player may still call or raise if another player bets.

Check Raise: To check and, if another player bets, to raise when the action gets back to you.

Chemmy Shuffle: Scrambling the cards face down on the table.

Cinch Hand: A hand that will win easily.

Clinic: A poker game where there are a lot of post-mortems about the hands that are played.

Closed Poker: Games such as draw poker where there are no community cards and all of the cards are dealt face down.

Coffee Housing: Talking in an attempt tomislead another player about the strength of a hand. For instance, aplayer holding A-A as their first two cards might say ‘Let’s gamblehere,’ implying a much weaker holding. Coffee housing is considered badetiquette in the UK but not in the USA. This is also called ‘speechplay".

Cold Call: To call a raised pot without having any prior investment in the pot.

Cold Deck: A deck that has been rigged by cheats. It will be cooler in temperaturethan the deck used in previous hands, as it has been concealed in thecheat’s pocket and brought out when the ‘mark’ is to be cheated. Thedeck will be fixed to give the mark a good hand but the cheat will geta slightly better winning hand.

Collusion: Any act, including betting or raising, by two or more players in partnership in an attempt to cheat other players.

Colt 45: Reputedly the only thing that beats a royal flush.

Community Cards: The cards dealt face up in the centre of the table that are shared by all active players.

Connectors: Consecutive cards which could help make a straight, e.g. 6-7 or 10-J.

Counterfeit: When a card on the board duplicates one inyour hand. For instance, you hold 10-J and the board is K-Q-3, but if aJ comes on fourth street it counterfeits the one in your hand, makingyour hand worse as a result. Counterfeiting is common in high-lowgames.

Cripple the Deck: To have all of the cards that make up a good handwith a particular board. If you hold A-K, and the flop is A-A¬K, youwill have the deck crippled in that no one else can have a playablehand. If you bet you will not be called.

Dead Card: A card no longer in play.

Dead Hand: A hand no longer in play, perhaps due to some deviation from the rules.

Dead Man’s Hand: Two black aces and two black 8s have become known asthe dead man’s hand because Wild Bill Hickock is reputed to have heldthe hand when he was shot in the back during a saloon poker hand inDeadwood, South Dakota.

Deal: To distribute the cards to each player.

Dealer: The player who is distributing the cards.

Dealer’s Advantage: The dealer is last to act which is a big advantage. Dealer’s Choice: A g~me in which each dealer, in turn, chooses the type of poker to be played.

Dealer’s Choice: A game in which each dealer, in turn, chooses the type of poker to be played.

Deck: The standard pack of 52 playing cards.

Deuce: The 2 of any suit (also called a ‘duck’).

Dog: Americanism for the worst or underdog hand. Big dog is used for a big disadvantage and little dog for a small disadvantage.

Dog It: To play a hand which is good, slowly, in order not to chase the other players away. Similar to ‘slow play’.

Door Card: The first card dealt face up in five- or seven-card stud.

Double Belly Buster: A hand with two inside straight draws. An examplemight be a flop containing 10-8-6, when you have 7-4, a 9 or a 5 willmake the hand into a straight. The odds of getting the straight from adouble belly buster are the same as for an open-ended straight draw.

Down and Dirty: This expression is sometimes used while the final cardat seven-card stud poker is being dealt. Its meaning is obscure.

Down Cards: The concealed cards. In Hold ‘Em, the first two cards

Down the River: All the way to the last card at seven stud, another name for seven-card stud.

Drawing Dead: Drawing to a hand that cannot possibly win. An example is drawing to a 4-flush when a full house is already out.

Drawing Hand: A potentially strong hand requiring a particular card/s from the draw to make it.

Draw Poker: A form of poker in which each player receives five

Driving Seat: A player holding the best hand and making the betting.

Drowning: Losing heavily.

Duck: The two of any suit [also called a ‘deuce’).

Expectation: The average amount you make in a specific event or period. Thus, if you have won £7500 in the last 34 tournaments, your expectation per tournament is £7500/34 which is £220. Conversely, if you have lost £1500 in the last 34 tournaments, your expectation per tournament is £1500/34 or -£44.

False Cut: A cut which is not properly done.

Family Pot: A pot in which all or most of the players at the table are still involved at a particular point in the progress of a hand.

Fast Game: A game with a good pace of action and frequent heavy raises.

Fast Player: A heavy bettor; a frequent raiser.

Feeler Bet: A minimum bet made to test the strength of the other players’ hands.

Fifth Street: The fifth and final community card on the board. In stud poker, it is the fifth card dealt to each player.

Fill Up: To draw cards and make your hand.

First Position: The player on the immediate left of the dealer. In Hold ‘Em this player is first to act throughout the game.

Fish: This is a derogatory term used [mainly in the US) to describe a weak or losing player.

Flop: The first three community cards, which are turned face up together before the start of the second round of betting.

Flush: Five cards of the same suit.

Flush Draw: Having four cards of the same suit and hoping to draw a fifth to make a flush.

Fold: To lay down one’s hand.

Fold Out of Turn: To fold prematurely.

Fourth Street: The fourth and final community card on the board. In stud poker, it is the fourth card dealt to each player.

Free Card: When all players check, the next card is seen without any money entering the pot. This card is a free card.

Free Roll: In Hold ‘Em or other flop games where two players have the same hand, but one also has the chance of improving to a better hand. For instance, both may have A-K-Q-J-10 except one player has a flush draw and the other does not.

Freeze Out: A game or tournament in which all players start with the same amount and play until one player has won all the chips.

Friend: A card that assists or improves the hand.

Friendly Game: No such thing!

Full House: Any three cards of the same rank, plus any pair of a different rank.

Full Table: At Hold ‘Em, a table of 11 or 12 players.

Gambler: A player that bucks the odds.

Gap: The missing inside card that would make a straight.

Gut Shot: A card that will make a straight. An inside straight draw.

Hand: A player’s best five cards.

Head to Head: Two players heads-up in a game of poker.

Heads-Up: A game between just two players, often the remaining two players of a tournament.

High Roller: A heavy bettor. One who plays for high stakes.

Hold ‘Em: A form of poker in which players use five community cards incombination with their two hole cards to form the best five-card hand.Also called Texas Hold’Em.

Hole Cards: The concealed cards. In Hold ‘Em, the first two cards that are dealt to each player face down. Also called the ‘down cards’.

Hot Seat: The seat that has or had a run of winning hands.

Ignorant End: The low end of a straight. For instance, if the flop in Hold ‘Em is 9-8-7 the ignorant end straight would be the 6-5.

Inside Straight: Four cards requiring one in the middle to fill a straight.

Insurance: A side bet [usually when a large pot is involvedl made between two players, but can also involve others.

Kibitzer: A spectator, usually unappreciated by the players.

Kicker: The second highest card in a hand. If the holding is A¬9, the 9 is the kicker.

Kicker Trouble: When the second card is low, say a 7 or below, the player will have difficulty winning the pot if another player also holds the highest card because his kicker is liable to be bigger.

Lay Down: To fold one’s hand. Often refers to folding a reasonably good hand.

Live Blind: When the player is allowed to raise even if no one else raises first.

Live Card: A card which has not yet been exposed.

Live One: Refers to a player who plays more hands than the game structure justifies.

Lock: The winning hand; a hand that is unbeatable.

Locked up: To hold a winning or unbeatable hand and have the pot as good as won.This phrase is also used to describe a player who has won a lot ofchips and is very unlikely to lose them again. The player is said tohave the chips locked up.

Main Pot: When a player puts all of his chips in the pot [goes all¬inJ. that player is only eligible to win the pot consisting of the bets he was able to match. This is called the main pot. Additional bets are placed in a ‘side pot" and are contested among the remaining players. The names main and side pots remain irrespective of which contains the most chips.

Maniac: An American expression meaning a very aggressive player who plays lotsof hands and raises often. This type of player seems to bet and raisewith very weak hands.

Mechanic: A card cheat.

Miscall: An error made when announcing one’s hand. [See also Cards Speak].

Monkey: £500.

Move-In: To move all your chips into the pot in a no-limit game.

Muck: To discard or throwaway a hand. Also refers to all dead cards in the discard heap.

No-Limit Poker: A game in which players can bet up to the amount they have in front of them on any given betting round, irrespective of the amount of chips in the pot. Also called ‘table stakes’.

Nut Flush: The best available flush.

Nuts: The best possible hand at any point in the game; a cinch hand.

Offsuit: Term used to describe the first two cards if they are of different suits.

Omaha: A flop game similar to Hold ‘Em, but where each player is dealt four cards instead of two. In Omaha, a hand must be made using exactly two pocket cards, plus three from the table.

One Way Action: When only one player is in against you.

On Tilt: Becoming emotionally upset and hence playing badly.

Open-ended Straight Draw: Four consecutive cards requiring one at either end to make a straight.

Open Poker: Games where some of the cards are dealt face up.

Out: A card remaining in the deck that improves your hand.

Outdraw: To beat an opponent by drawing a card or cards to improve a lesser hand into a winner.

Out of Turn: Not in proper sequence.

Overpair: A pair higher than any card on the board. If a player holds K-K and the flop comes Q-1 0-3, that player has an overpair.

Pair: Two cards of the same rank.

Pass: Fold.

Pat Hand: A hand which is complete, usually refers to games such as draw poker.

Play Over: An American term and concept meaning to temporarily play in the seat ofan absent player. A transparent box is placed over the chips of theabsent player.

Pony: £25.

Position: Your seat in relation to the dealer, and thus your place in the betting order.

Pot: The money or chips in the centre of the table.

Pot Limit: A game in which the maximum bet is the total in the pot at the time of betting. The limit used in most UK casino games.

Pot Odds: The amount of money in the pot divided by the amount of money it will cost you to continue in the hand. If there is £300 in the pot and it costs you £120 to call the bet you are getting pot odds of 300/120 or 5/2.

Protect Your Hand (1): To place a chip or chips on your cards to prevent them from being accidentally discarded by the dealer.

Protect Your Hand (2): A bet to protect the money you have already put in a pot. Also called ‘defending your hand’ e.g. protecting/defending the Big Blind means to put an extra small bet into the pot no matter how bad your hand is.

Put a Player On: To guess or otherwise determine an opponent’s hand and play accordingly.

Quads: Four of a kind.

Rag: A card which is small and appears to help no one.

Rag Off: To get a final card that doesn’t help you.

Ragged Flop: Flop cards that are seemingly of no use to any player’s hand.

Rags: Worthless cards. Blanks.

Rail: The sideline around a poker table or playing area.

Railbird: A non-playing spectator or kibitzer. The term is often used pejoratively to describe an ex-player who has lost and is now out of the game.

Rainbow Flop: A flop with three different suits.

Raise: To call and increase the previous bet.

Rake: In the USA and in some European countries, the casino/house makes a charge by taking a fixed percentage from each pot. In the UK, charges are made by the hour for the seat.

Random Card: A card selected from a group of unknown cards not yet in play which have an equal chance of being chosen.

Random Card Concept: The substitution of a random card for a player’s proper card which he may be unable to receive for any reason, leaves the player with the same mathematical chances of winning the pot before the irregularity occurred. It is therefore assumed that the player has not been materially injured.

Rank: The value of a card. Each card has a suit and a rank. The 10C and 10D are two cards of the same rank

Rat Hole: To pocket part of one’s table stakes secretly. It is considered unethical to take money off the playing surface.

Read: To try and determine, using logical deduction, your opponent’s cards or betting strategy.

Re-buy: An additional entry fee in tournament play. When a player loses all hischips, a re-buy is allowed in some types of competitions for a fixedperiod of time, usually the first 1 – 2 hours.

Represent: To bet in a way that suggests you are holding a strong hand. For example, if the flop comes A-J-3 and you hold 9-9 and have bet before the flop, you might also bet on the flop hoping that the other players will think you have an ace (you are representing an ace).

Re-raise: To raise a raise.

Ring Game: A game with nine to eleven players, the optimum size at Hold ‘Em poker.

River: The last community card on the board, also called fifth street.

Rock: A very conservative and tight player.

Rock Garden: A table populated with rocks.

Roll: A winning streak.

Rolled Up: A term indicating the first three cards at seven stud all of the same rank.

Rounder: A poker player, usually professional, who does the rounds of poker games in the area or country. Playing in Glasgow on Monday, Newcastle on Tuesday, back to Glasgow on Wednesday and then on to Dundee on Thursday is an example of a rounder’s schedule.

Round of Betting: The period during which each active player has the right to check, bet or raise. It ends when the last bet or raise has been called by all players still in the hand.

Royal Flush: The best possible poker hand, consisting of 10-J-Q-K-A, all of the same suit.

Run: A straight; sometimes also refers to a series of hands.

Running Pair: Two cards of the same rank that fall consecutively, usually on fourth and fifth street in Hold ‘Em or Omaha.

Rush: A winning streak.

Satellite: A small-stakes tournament where the winner(s) gains entry into a biggertournament. (A super satellite is where there is a very small entry andthe winner(s) gains entry into a very big tournament.)

Scare Card: A card which could make your hand a loser. For example, if you held Q-Qand the flop is A-6-3, then the ace is a scare card for you.

See: To call.

Sell Your Hand: Make a small bet with a strong hand, hoping to get a call. Usually made when you think a bigger bet would make your opponents pass.

Semi-Bluff: To bet with a hand which isn’t the best hand, but which has a reasonable chance of improving. This term was first coined by Oavid Sklansky.

Set: Usually refers to three of a kind or trips where the pair in a player’shand matches a card on the board. Can also be used in the context offour of a kind, i.e. a set of quads.

Shill: An American term and concept where a casino employee sits in on a gameto keep it going. This is not allowed in the UK and is not known inEurope.

Shiner: A mirror or other reflective object used by cheats in an attempt to seehidden cards as they are dealt. In home or self-dealt games, the playermay wear a ring with a reflective surface.

Showdown: The process of determining who has the best hand after all cards are dealt and all bets are completed.

Shuffle: Mixing of the cards before and between deals.

Side Pot: A separate pot contested by other players when one player is all-in.

Slow Play: To bet less than the strength of the hand would normally deserve inorder to get more players into the pot and to deceive other playersabout the strength of your hand.

Snake Eyes: A pair of aces.

Soft Play Agreement: This is where a player bets less than they normally would or checks good hands when against friends, husbands or wives. It is not prohibited, but is unethical.

Speech Play: See Coffee Housing.

Speeding Around: Playing loose for one period and then tight for another with no definable pattern.

Splash the Pot: To throw your chips into the pot instead of placing them in front of you. This makes it difficult for the dealer to determine the amount of the bet.

Split: A tie.

Split Pot: A pot in which two or more hands are equal, and the pot is shared.

Stack: The pile of chips in front of a player.

Standard Deck: A deck of cards having four suits with thirteen cards to each suit.

Stay: Call a bet.

Steal: A type of bluff usually made in late position.

Steaming: Playing badly as a result of an upset – see also On Tilt.

Straddle: An additional blind, the largest in the game. Often refers to a blind made voluntarily.

Straight: Five consecutive cards of different suits.

Straight Flush: Five consecutive cards of the same suit.

String Bet: An illegal bet in which a player puts some chips in the pot, then reaches back to his stack for more, without having first stated the full amount of his bet.

Strip Deck Poker: This is where certain cards are removed from the pack and play takes place without them. For instance, the 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s and 6s can be removed from the deck, making a 32-card deck. In the UK, five-card stud with a 32-card stripped deck was widely played until recently.

Suited: Cards of the same suit.

Super Satellite: A very small-stakes tournament where the winner(s) gains entry into a very big tournament. [See also Satellite.]

Sweeten the Pot: An archaic expression meaning to raise the pot (with a view to making it more attractive to win).

Table Stakes: A game of poker in which a player may use only the money on the table in front of him. This amount can be added to between, but not during, hands. Usually, players are not permitted to take money back off the table unless they are leaving the game.

Tap City: To be broke.

Tap Out: To bet all one’s chips.

Tapped Out: To be broke.

Tell: A player’s nervous mannerism or habitual behaviour which might give clues to his hand.

Texas Hold ‘Em: A form of poker in which players use five community cards in combination with their two hole cards to form the best five-card hand. Also called Hold ‘Em.

Third Pair: Pairing the third highest card on the flop/board. (Sometimes referred to as ‘third button pair’.)

Three of a Kind: Three cards of the same rank, also called ‘trips’.

Tight: A conservative player who only plays strong hands, or playing on fewer hands than the norm.

Tight Game: A game where there is a lot of conservative play, with small numbers of players in most pots,

Tilt: Going ‘on tilt’ means to loose control of one’s emotions and play (uncharacteristically) badly. See also On Tilt.

Toke: An Americanism meaning a gratuity or tip.

Ton: £100.

Trey: A three of any suit.

Triplets: Three of a kind.

Trips: Slang for triplets; three of a kind.

Turn Card: The fourth communal card at Hold ‘Em.

Under the Gun: The first player to act.

Under-Raise: To raise less than the previous bet, which is only allowed if a player is going all-in.

Value Bet: Betting with the hope that an opponent will call with a worse hand.

Vigarish: A charge made by a poker club for the facilities offered.

Wire: To inadvertently let someone know the value of your hand.

Wired Pair: A pair in the first two cards of any poker game.

Le Casino

Vous aimez jouer? Moi aussi. Et nous ne sommes pas les seuls, si l’on sait que chaque année, les Français jouent 1,5 % du produit intérieur brut de la France. En 2002, la consommation de jeux des Français dépassait 7500 millions d’euros, et sur la saison 2005-2006, dans les casinos français, pas moins de 2,7 milliards d’euros ont été joués. Pourquoi tant de gens consacrent-ils davantage d’argent au jeu sous ses différentes formes qu’au sport, au cinéma ou à la musique? Tout simplement parce que jouer est amusant!
Jouer peut être plus amusant encore quand vous savez ce que vous faites. Or, au casino, savoir jouer correctement implique généralement un investissement intellectuel et émotionnel considérable, dans lequel la plupart des gens ne sont tout simplement pas prêts à se lancer.

Voici un exemple éloquent d’erreur à laquelle on peut normalement s’attendre de la part d’un néophyte: si la mise minimale au black jack est de 100 euros dans un casino et de 10 euros dans un autre, ne revient-il pas évidemment moins cher de jouer dans le second casino? Eh bien, pas du tout! En réalité, à condition de maîtriser une stratégie de base, vous perdrez moins d’argent, au bout du compte, en jouant là où la mise minimale est à 100 euros.

« Comment cela? ", me demanderez-vous. Eh bien, les règles de ce même jeu sont certainement très défavorables aux joueurs dans le premier casino,’ si bien que chaque main coûtera au joueur non averti 25 centimes, tandis qu’avec les règles du black jack à 100 euros, calibrées d’une autre manière, ce coût ne sera que de 20 centimes pour une mise de 100 euros. Et les gains? Eh bien, quand on joue gros, les gains sont bien plus importants.

À quel jeu vaut-il mieux jouer? Baccarat? Black jack? Poker? Roulette? La décision sera fonction de votre compte en banque, de votre goût pour l’action et de votre aptitude à gérer vos émotions au jeu. Le principal objet de ce livre est de vous permettre de faire le point sur vous-même et de comprendre les avantages propres à chaque jeu.

Wie organisiere ich ein Texas Hold’em Cash-Game?

Ich brauche nur ein Kartenspiel mit 52 Blatt ohne Joker sowie Chips in ausreichender Menge.
Jeder Spieler kauft Chips ein, wobei jeder im Gegensatz zum Turnier so viele Chips kaufen kann, wie er will. Die Chips entsprechen beim Cash-Game echtem Geld. Man kann alsozum Beispiel mit 25-Cent-Chips, l-€-Chips und 5-€-Chips spielen.

Wie bei einem Turnier werden der Dealer und die Sitzreihenfolge ausgelost, und es kann losgehen. Die Blinds bleiben konstant, und man kann jederzeit aufhören und seine Chips in echtes Geld umtauschen lassen, der so genannte Cash-Out. Gleichzeitig können neue Spieler nach Belieben in das CashGame einsteigen, indem sie sich einfach Chips kaufen. Der Spieler kann auch jederzeit außerhalb einer Hand Chips nachkaufen.

NatÜrlich muss ich mich bei der Teilnahme sowie bei der Organisation eines Turniers oder eines Cash-Game im Rahmen der bestehenden Gesetze halten.

Baccarat Spilleguide

“

Målet i Baccarat er å få til en hånd av to eller tre
kort med en poeng sum så nære eller lik 9 som mulig. Den perfekte hånden har to
kort som tilsammen har en verdi på 9. 8 er da den andre beste hånden og sammen
med 9 så er disse to hendene beskrevet som "natural" hender. Den eneste hånden
som vil slå en naturlig 8 er en naturlig 9. Hvis en spiller eller banken har en
naturlig hånd på de to første kortene har ikke de andre spillerne eller banken
lov til å trekke et tredje kort. Hvis både spilleren og banken har samme
naturlig hånd er det uavgjort og innsatsene er returnert.

Ess teller som en, ansikts kort (knekt, dronning, konge)
teller som 10 og alle andre kort er den verdien de er. Hvis det totale poeng på
hånden er 10 eller over er det kun det andre sifferet som teller. Med andre
ord en total på 18 telles som 8.

Spilleren som har mest penger ved bordet er typisk
betegnet Banker. Dette gjelder kun i Chemin de Fer, i ordinær Baccarat og
Baccarat Banque, er kasinoet alltid Banker. I Chemin De Fer deler Banker ut kort til seg selv
og to andre spillere, en til høyre og en til venstre. De andre spillerne kan
satse på en eller begge hender til å slå banker eller at banker slår begge to hender.

Hvis
spillerne har mindre enn 8 eller 9 kan de "stand" ved å si "non" eller få et
ekstra kort ved å si "carte". Spilleren som er bank må stå på 6 eller 7 og må trekke et ekstra kort med 4 eller
mindre. Kasinoet tar en "cut" av gevinstene som profitt.

”

Strong Hand V Strong Hand – An Analysis of Poker Hands

Hand 1

This hand is from the World Championship Final of the 1989 World Series of Poker, where the last two were Johnny Chan (winner in both 1988 and 1987) and 24-year-old new kid on the block Phil Hellmuth. If Hellmuth were to win, he would be the youngest winner thus far. If Chan won, he would equal Johnny Moss’s record of three wins and be the first to win three times in a row. Now sadly no longer with us, Moss had dominated the tournament in its early years. He won in 1970 (when the players voted on the champion) and again in 1971 and 1974.
Hellmuth had about a two to one lead in chips when the final hand was played. First to speak, he made it $40,000 to go. Chan called and re-raised $130,000. Hellmuth then immediately said he was all-in. Chan now had a tough call. He had about half a million dollars left, as against Hellmuth’s million or so with about $300,000 in the pot. But if Chan called and won, he’d be a solid favourite.

The hands were:
Chan Hellmuth
AS,7S 9-9

This is similar to the decision Chris Ferguson faced against T J Cloutier. He is probably behind, but will be no worse than about 5/2 against to win it. The difference here though is that Hellmuth has an aggressive image, so Chan could easily put him on a hand such as a K-Q, in which case Chan would be favourite. Nevertheless, I think it was a marginal call since Chan had not made such a huge commitment to the pot that he could not pass. But then he’s got umpteen World Series Bracelets, which is umpteen more than me, so who am I to argue? Chan called. With a spade draw and an overcard, he’s about 2/1 against.
The flop was KD, KC, 10H with fourth street the QS. Chan would now be saved if the river was a 10 (two pairs), jack (straight), queen (two pairs) or an ace. But Hellmuth was delighted to see the 6S, and his two nines held up. So, on this occasion, the best hand on the flop won and there were no issues with bad luck as in the 2000 final. Phil Hellmuth became the youngest ever champion and since then has gone from strength to strength. He is now generally considered one of the strongest players in the world.

Hand 2

This hand involved Debbie Berlin, Dave (Devilfish) Ulliot and Ram Vaswani. This hand illustrates several themes and shows what happens when a strong hand comes up against another strong hand.

Ram raised the pot to £700 before the flop with pocket sixes and was called on the button by Devilfish and on the big blind by Debbie.

The hands were as follows:
Devilfish Debbie Ram
KH,JH KC,10H 6S,6C

The flop was KD, 6H, 3H.

Debbie has a reasonable hand, hitting kings on the flop and she bet £500. Ram just called (he was slow playing his trips – a great hand), hoping to get some action behind him. Devilfish re-raised to £2500 with two kings and a flush draw with another very strong hand. Debbie folded but Ram re-raised again going all-in and Devilfish called. Devilfish has top pair with a good kicker plus four to the flush, but must suspect he is behind. However, there is now too much in the pot for him to pass and he knows he has lots of outs. The turn and river cards were a running pair of fours 4D followed by 4H), making a flush for Devilfish but a winning full house to Ram.

Hand 3

This is another hand with a similar type of confrontation with a strong hand matched against another strong hand. It is also an example of a semi-bluff that has gone wrong. Bambos and Simon Trumper were the players.

Simon, holding AC, 8C raised on the button and Bambos called with KS, QS.

The flop came AD, 8S, 7S.

Simon bet out with the top two pair. Bambos raised all-in with a king-high flush draw. He cannot beat a pair, so his hope is to win the pot on the flop with this semi-bluff. It’s hard to get someone holding the top two pair in Texas Hold ‘Em to pass, so not surprisingly Simon calls. Fourth street brought the AS, giving Bambos his flush but Simon a full house.

Hand 4

This hand involved Dave Welch who raised before the flop with pocket jacks and Dave (Devilfish) Ulliot. Devilfish called, slow playing his pocket aces.

The flop came AS, 10C, 5H.

Devilfish checked his monster hand (i.e. trip aces). Dave Welch, with two jacks, cannot have liked the flop, but he bet, in an effort to win it right there. He knew that if he got called, he was probably up against an ace, perhaps with a weak kicker, and he would definitely slow down after that. Devilfish called again slow playing his trips. Because there is no likely draw on the flop, Devilfish was quite safe in not raising. Dave’s raise before the flop indicated that he was not likely to have two small cards and hence a draw to a bottom straight.
Devilfish was trying to keep Dave Welch interested. If he had raised then, Dave would have undoubtedly passed. Fourth street was the eight of hearts, no visible improvement. Devilfish checked yet again and Welch wisely checked behind him. Dave Welch was hoping this hand was going to be checked out but he was out of luck. The river was the four of diamonds. The board now looked like this: AS, 10C, 5H, 8H, 4D.
Devilfish then bet enough to set Dave all-in. If he checked again here, he knew that Dave would probably just turn his hand over. So he had to bet. This was a tough call for Dave Welch. There was no likely draw that Devilish could have made, except for the remote possibility of the small straight, so it looked like he had an ace or was bluffing. I wouldn’t have liked to choose. In fact, Dave Welch even said to Devilfish that he had either a very strong hand or was on a complete bluff, which was a good analysis. However, Dave called and Devilfish showed his aces.