Category: Articles

Possibly the single most important skill for a cash game player to learn is patience. I’ll say that word again: Patience. There it is … a mantra to be repeated throughout your poker playing lifetime. Patience. I’m saying it as much for myself as for you, because, without it, you will live fast and die young – and die penniless. Take a deep breath and say it aloud: Patience.

Some perceive poker to be all about action, all the time. Certainly, there are more heart-stopping, adrenalin-pumping, heart-in-mouth moments in poker than in any other game but they are, for each individual player, relatively rare. Most of the tIme, you are folding your cards either before the flop, or once you have seen the flop. You can go hours, even days or weeks, without picking up a decent hand or finding that the flop fits your cards. The expert realizes that this is just the unpredictable run of the cards where normal trends can sometimes seem exceptional. The fact is that every time you sit down to play poker from now on, it’s just another few hands in a lifetime of poker. Over that lifetime, you are very likely to pick up close on average hands. So, it is how you handle the bad times, as well as the good, that will determine how successful you are in the long run. Many players can’t cope with this and a short run of bad cards sees them starting to play hands that should be discarded, call bets that should be folded, and raise hands as a bluff, just to see some action. This will lose them much money in the long term.

If you are the dealer, you are said to be "on the button". This is the most powerful position pre-flop since, other than the Blind bettors (who have been forced to bet), you are the last to act.

A common, aggressive play, when sitting in this position is to make what is called a "Button Raise".

If there have been no callers from early positions (such calls would suggest better than average hands) and only one caller up to you, it may be worth putting in a button raise to try to drive out the two Blind bettors – who may have terrible cards – and also the caller and steal the pot there and then. Because this tactic often succeeds, players make these raises on all sorts of sub-standard hands. At the very least, you should put in a button raise with any of your 21 starting hands.

Because the tactic is well-known, however, when you see someone making a button raise, you should be suspicious that he may be trying to steal. Of course, you don’t know if he is bluffing or has a seriously good hand – the great advantage of raising is that it injects doubt into the other players’ minds, The result of this situation is that you sometimes get a "double bluff" situation where the Big Blind re-raises the button raiser even without a particularly good hand. If the button raiser was bluffing – whIch is quite often – he probably has to concede at this stage. And so the constant psychological battle begins and, at the poker table, it never ends.

Should you get involved in bluffs and counter-bluffs? Certianly not as a beginner, learn the game first: this is only the beginning of a lifetimes journey. Stick to the low-stake games and you won’t find too many players trying to tie you in knots’ they are all still learning the game themselves.

There are so many hands you might get dealt which you certainly should not play. Those containing two different low cards are obviously weak – unless the flop hits them perfectly. It is the mid-range hands that lure players into indiscretions and every mistake you make will likely cost you money. Here are two examples of hands you should not play in any position:

 
Ace with a low kicker, such as A3 or A6
If the flop comes with an ace and a bet is made by an opponent, or if you make a bet and it is called – you won’t know whether you are winning or not. You could easily be outkickered. Almost certainly, you will have to fold, and now you have lost money, and you will be wondering whether you should have folded your Pair of aces.

Picture (or Honour) card with low card, such as K3 or Q6 orJ7
Again, you may hit top Pair and then not know whether an opponent has you out-kickered.
The problem with these hands is that they rarely win you big pots but they can lead you into losing big money when you are beaten. Since better poker involves better judgment, and that is a quality which, quite understandably, as a beginner you are lacking, you want to avoid those confidence-draining situations.

Holding Second Pair: Second Pair means that the second highest card on the flop matches with one in your hand to make a Pair. Now, only a player with top Pair, or an overpair, is likely to be beating you. Top Pair is always reassuring but, quite often, no one hits anything much on the flop and the second highest Pair is winning the hand. There are also chances to turn your hand into 2 Pair or Trips. Betting with second Pair can be dangerous, but it can also reap rewards.

You hold           A(S),J(S)
and the flop comes K(C),J(D),2(S)

You might choose to check if you are in early position but, later on, a bet would be in order. If no player holds a king, you may win the pot immediately. If a player holds a king with a low kicker, say K(D),7(C) (you would not be in the hand with that holding of course – unless you were the Big Blind), you may frighten him off, making him believe that you also hold a king and probably with a higher kicker.

If you do get called, you have several ways to improve your hand. An ace would give top 2 Pair, another jack would make you Trips, and another spade would give you the Nut Spade Flush draw (if a spade comes on the river you would then have the best possible Flush).

If an opponent raises your bet, you might well choose to lay down your hand. He is likely to hold a king with a good kicker and that means you will be betting against the odds.

Intention: a pre-emptive strike to push out intermediate hands, with some possible draws to improve your hand to a definite winner.

When the Flop Pairs: The flop pairing – that is to say when a Pair appears on the flop – brings tears to even the most robust players’ eyes, since any player matching the flop’s paired card suddenly holds Trips and is likely to win the pot easily. A paired board (or flop) can also lead to Full Houses overtaking Flushes and casts doubt on all your usual thoughts.

The standard way of betting on a paired board would be as follows:

•    If you match the Pair on the board and have made Trips, or better still a Full House, you have made a hand which is very unlikely to be beaten whatever appears on the turn or river. With such a strong hand, it is safe to check to allow other players to stay in the hand, hopefully improve and then feel that it is worth betting or calling your bet later, hence increasing your chances of winning more from the other players.

You hold           A(D),J(D)
and the flop comes A(S),J(C),J(S)

You hope that an opponent might also have a jack in his hand – giving him Trips – or that an opponent has two spades in his hand and subsequently makes a spade Flush. You will beat either of those hands, and you want to give your opponents a chance to make them. Then, when you bet (or they bet) you will get more action and therefore more money out of them.

Intention: lie in wait with the best hand and hope that other players bet or call your bets later.
 
•    If you match the odd card, so making 2 Pair, it is usually right to bet at this stage, because you have 2 Pair when your opponents do not. You do not want them to see the turn or river in case those cards are higher and match with their hands.

You hold           A(C),9(C)
and the flop comes 9(D),6(H),6(C)

You now hold 2 Pair but, if you check and allow the turn and river to be dealt, you may see a card higher than the 9 appear.

Intention: win the pot there and then, or make your opponents pay to see cards against the odds

If, when you make this play, you are raised, you will have to judge whether your opponent holds Trip 6s, or whether he too holds a 9 in hand. If he does, you have the best possible kicker to go with it. Finally, of course, it is possible that he holds a higher Pair in the hole, maybe two 10s or two jacks. If you believe this to be so, you should fold.

A paired board is a fearful situation to the inexperienced. However, this in itself can be an advantage to you. In poker, fear is vital: you can read it in your opponents’ faces and in their play. To succeed, you must be fearless. I have made a good deal of money betting paired boards strongly. Imagine you are close to the button.

You hold           A(D),10(D)
and the flop comes 9(S),9(H),4(C)

everyone checks around to you so you bet the value of the pot.

You are suggesting that you hold a 4 in your hand and that you now hold 2 Pair. Often, everyone folds and you win. If you get called, beware. The caller is likely to hold an overpair (higher than the 4) or a 9 in his hand. If you get called, you can give up on subsequent rounds.

Your security is that you have two overcards – cards that are higher than those on the board – so if the turn shows a 10 or an ace, you may well have the best hand. Generally, to bet in this situation with overcards is sound, but not when there are possible Straight and Flush draws which could destroy your hand, even if you improve, later on.

Many top players might try this action in any position around the table.

Intention: to bluff your way into picking up the pot.

Lower Pairs
I have a simple rule when calling with low Pairs. If the flop produces two or more overcards (cards which are higher than my paired cards), I don’t commit any more money to the pot. If there is only one overcard, I may continue pursuing it and if, by some good fortune, all the flop cards are lower than my paired cards, that will be the time to go in with a big raise and try to win the hand there and then, before threatening overcards hit the flop which may beat my hand.

You hold           7(C),7(D)
and the flop comes Q(H),9(S),4(C)

It is just too likely someone holds a Pair of queens or 9s. Fold if there is a raise.

If you have stayed in the hand this long, it had better be because you think you have the best hand, you know you have the best hand, or you were on a draw for what would definitely be the best hand (i.e. a Nut Straight or Nut Flush draw). You may still be in the hand because there has been no betting on the flop, but those situations are relatively rare.

Remember that the most costly hands in poker are not those hopeless cards that you pick up 75 per cent of the time; they are the quite good hands you see 20 per cent of the time and you over-value, staying in the pot too long, committing too much money to the pot and then finding it hard to throw your cards away and wave your money goodbye. The most dangerous hands are the second-best hands – because you think that they might be best and then they win you nothing and lose you the most. Therefore, unless you are confident that your hand is best, or will be best on a reasonable draw, if there is a bet from an opponent just throw your hand away now.
 
On the turn, if you have a hand that you think is best, do not let your opponents get to see the river for free – if they hit their card on the river, you may have converted a winning hand into a losing hand and then find it very hard to judge at the end.
For example:

you hold           A(S),Q(C)
and the flop comes A(C),6(D),2(C)

As you have top Pair with a good kicker, you put in a bet on the flop and you are called by one opponent.

The turn comes     8(D)  A(C),6(D),2(C)

If you believe you still have the best hand, you should put in another bet and make your opponent pay to see the river card. If you check and he checks, the river appears for free and he may make a Flush or 2 Pair without having had to pay for the risk. For example:

He might hold       A(D), J(S)
or                  K(C),10(C)
and the river comes J(C)  8(D),A(C),6(D),2(C)

With either of the above hands, you have now been beaten by your opponent: with the first hand, he has 2 Pair – aces and jacks; with the second hand, he has the Nut Flush.

If you had raised the value of the pot, your opponent should certainly have thrown away the Flush draw hand (since he has only a 1/6 chance of making his Flush with one card to come) and he might even have conceded with his AJ.

Either way, to let your opponent see free cards when you think you have the best hand is a mistake.

Here is the very basic guide to starting hands and the action you might take with them. As you gain expe¬rience, you will modify these actions to take into account your opponents and what you have learnt about them.

Premium Starting Hands
AA KK QQ AK
Always RAISE in any position; always RE-RAISE in any position.

Good Starting Hands
JJ 1010 AQ suited
CALL in early positions; RAISE in late position; CALL small raises; consider RE-RAISING a button raise or a late-position raise.

Other Starting Hands
99 88 77 66 55 44 33 22 AQ AJ suited
CALL in most positions; consider a RAISE in late position and on the button. CALL (and consider RE-RAISING) small raises and button raises.

Weakest Starting Hands
KJ suited QJ suited J10 suited KQ suited
CALL in all positions, FOLD if raised by a player in early position.
FOLD if the flop does not hit encouragingly (2 Pair, Straight or Flush draw), and there is a raise.

Personal Features

1. There is a temptation to play online when you shouldn’t. Internet poker is so easily accessible that it is easy to find yourself playing when you would be better advised not to (during or after a drinking session, for example). While it is true that alcohol is permitted in most live-action games, you are less likely to run into someone who is playing poker completely drunk in live play than you are online. On occasion, some online players even take the time and trouble to inform others at the table of exactly how much they have drunk! (If you come across such a player, please feel free to e-mail me so that I can join the party.)

2. There are more distractions when playing online than in a brick and mortar cardroom.The fact that most people play online in their homes, means that potentially they could be distracted by other matters and, in failing to pay full attention to the table, start to make mistakes. Whereas in a brick and mortar game, the physical presence of other players should be enough to keep your attention on the game, this safety net is absent from the online game. Most online players are, to a greater or lesser extent, guilty of answering e-mails, surfing the Internet or watching TV while they are playing. (It follows that you will have an instant edge over many of your less focused opponents if you simply give the game your full attention. Online poker is real – the players are real and the money is certainly real!)

3. Like all ‘computer games’, online poker may encourage obsessive and compulsive behaviour in some people.
The relatively easy accessibility of online poker might be potentially very damaging for ‘problem gamblers’, since the next opportunity to gamble is only a mouse-click away. Furthermore, it is easy to get sucked into playing ‘just one more hand’ or ‘just one more round’ and before you know it another hour has passed by.

4. Online poker is a very untactile form of the game.
Most players prefer the tactile qualities of physical cards and chips to making impersonal movements of a mouse around a screen. Indeed, some players like to hold a few chips in their hands while they are playing online, in order to make the game seem more ‘real’.

5. Online poker could potentially have negative health effects. For players who play for many hours each day (like anyone else who spends a great deal of time on a computer) there is the risk of RSI or other computer-related health problems such as eye strain and headaches. Furthermore, nowadays many people already spend their working hours at a keyboard, and it may be unhealthy or unsatisfying for them to spend their free time at a computer as well.

Social Features

6. There is little social interaction online.
For many players the general social interaction of a brick and mortar game is one of its most appealing qualities. If you attend a regular weekly game, for example, you have the opportunity to chat with old friends and share the odd joke while you are playing. Although all online cardrooms offer a chat facility, this is a poor substitute for proper conversation. Professional players who play exclusively online may therefore experience a sense of social isolation.

7. There is no face-to-face psychological warfare.
Many brick and mortar players enjoy the fact that they are engaged in combat with other players sitting nearby; human beings whom they can look straight in the eye, rather than pixelated representations on a computer screen.

8. There are no waitresses bringing food and drink online.
If you need beer or pizza you actually have to get up and fetch it yourself!

Financial Features

9. There is no internationally recognised regulation of online gaming operations.
Many players are understandably wary of depositing substantial funds with online cardrooms. Apart from fears over the legality of playing online poker for real money, there are two main reasons for their concerns. First, if the cardroom were to go out of business, they would most likely lose any funds that are being held on account. And second, if they became involved in a dispute with the cardroom, their account might be frozen without any means of legal redress.

10. It is more problematic to buy-in and cash-out online.
In a live-action game you can just show up with the cash and sit down to play, whereas online poker requires that players have some electronic means of funding their account. Likewise, you cannot simply walk away from an online game with a bundle of notes, but will experience a delay of at least a few days while any cash-out is processed. One side-effect of this is that there are fewer purely casual players online than in a casino – the hassle involved in buying in online is enough to deter anyone with only a passing interest in poker from playing solely on a whim.

There are many online casinos out there on the internet and a lot of them offer high roller bonuses these days. I have previously talked about high roller bonuses and how they differ from regular bonuses but just to quickly recap, they are more or less the same thing except with a high roller bonus you have to invest a lot more money yourself but in return you get more money back and at the better casinos a much more favourable deal plus its easier to get comp points etc. What it boils down to in life is that if you flash the cash then you get better service. Now it can be debated whether or not this is a good thing but at the end of the day everyone wants better service and at the better high roller online casinos you certainly get it.

A high roller casino or poker room will also typically offer higher stakes games for you to wager on which increases the drama considerably and also makes it easier to play as it can get a bit tedious having to make a lot of smaller bets, especially in poker.

A High Roller Casino will also tend to focus a bit more on the core games like the table games, Craps and Roulette, and card games like Blackjack and Baccarat and this is something I personally really appreciate as I’m not really that interested in the slot machines and video poker. When I’m in a real casino I always head straight to the VIP area and the games that they have and these tend to be the games I play at an online casino as well.

As I have alluded to before, customer service for me is absolutely vital and is in one of the main things we really value and factor very highly when reviewing new high roller casinos and poker rooms for this site. In my experience customer service can vary a tremendous deal between the casinos but the ones offering a high roller experience tend to be much more focussed on it and are much smoother and quicker when it comes to for example dealing with payouts and any queries and this is absolutely vital to the whole gaming experience, there is nothing worse than having hassles with a casino to get your money paid out.

Online card rooms use computer software to produce virtual card rooms. Players see a depiction of a card table on their screen, showing the other players (cartoon style) and details of their own hand much like you see on console games.

The software uses a random number generator to determine the order of the deck of cards. This ensures that, with each game, the cards are randomly shuffled. The software deals the cards and prompts the players to make decisions about their hands. At the appropriate times in the games it gives the options of check, call, bet, raise or fold. These options will appear on the screen. Players select which option they want by clicking with their computer mouse. The screen will tell you how much you need to bet to stay in the game and provide the options that you have at that point in the game. Throughout the game, a running total of the pot and the actions of the other players are shown. At the showdown the cards of the remaining players will be revealed. The software deducts the amount of the bets from the player’s account and credits any winning pots to their account.

Because the games are operated by a computer they are run at a much faster pace than normal poker games. There is no dealer so no time is wasted while the cards are shuffled, dealt and collected. There is often a time limit imposed. If you do not act within the time limit, your hand is folded.

The rules tend to be similar to those found in bricks and mortar casinos. Due to the internet environment, there are special rules that cover what happens if a player gets cut off from the internet during a game (see later).

Cards are burnt as in a normal poker game. You don’t see the cards getting burnt. The players take it in turn to be the dealer. They don’t physically deal the cards themselves. All the dealing is carried out by the software. A disc (dealer button) will indicate which player is the current dealer.

Once all the cards are dealt, the various options that are available during the game will appear on the screen – raise, call, check and fold. The first player has one of three choices: check, bet or fold. Once a bet has been placed, the subsequent players must call, raise or fold. In draw poker you will need to select the cards you want to hold.

Players can take a break, leaving the game for a short while and returning to the same table.

Joining a game
To begin playing you will need to log on to your account. This will take you to the lobby. Here you will find a list of all the games currently in progress. If there is an empty seat at a table you click on ‘Join game’ and you will be taken to that game. If there are no empty seats available, you can put your name on a waiting list. You can specify what stakes you want to play for and how many people you want to play against.

For each table there will be details of how many players are currently sitting at the table and how many are on the waiting list. If you put your name on the waiting list, you will be notified when a place becomes available.

You may sit in any chair that is available. You will be shown the players’ nicknames and how much money they are playing with.

An information box will tell you the name of the game, the limits and type of game the blinds, ante and the buy-in.

When you first sit down at a table you are prompted to enter the amount of your buy-in. There will be a minimum buy-in that will depend on the game being played.
Take your time to familiarize yourself with the layout as they differ with different sites. Most sites allow you to customize the screen to suit your taste.
Watch the games before playing and only join once you are confident that you understand exactly what you need to do. Read the terms and conditions before agreeing to them. Many sites have a code of conduct.

What happens if you get disconnected from the internet?
If you get disconnected from the internet while a game is in progress, the way that your hand is treated will vary with different sites so you should carefully check the rules. In general, your hand will automatically be played as all in. If check is an option, the system will check for you. If not you will go all in and a separate pot will be created. If you have the winning hand, you will be awarded the pot that built up at the time that you were disconnected. To avoid abuse of this feature, players are limited to a number of all ins in a 24-hour period. If you exceed the number of all ins in that time, your hand will be automatically folded if you get cut off from the internet.

You need to be able to correctly identify a poker hand and recognize immediately the value of your hand and where it comes in the ranking. When you first look at your cards, they may appear to show nothing, they will be in a random order and it may not be at first obvious that you have, for example, a straight or a possibility of a straight. At the showdown, you will need to know, for example, that your full house beats a flush.

To get better at recognizing the hands you can practise assessing the hands by dealing out dummy hands. Deal out hands of five cards, identify the poker hands and put them in the correct ranking order. You will soon appreciate how infrequently a good hand is dealt. Once you have mastered the ranking, you can then start to judge whether or not a hand is worth playing.

Get plenty of practice. Take a pack of cards and deal out dummy hands as if you’re playing the game with several players. Look at your own hand. Decide whether or not it is worth playing. Then assess your hand against the others. Did you make a good decision? Would any of the other hands have beaten yours? Are you throwing away hands that could easily win? By continuing to do this you will learn the sort of hands that are worthwhile playing and those that are not.

Play alone or with friends until you are familiar with all situations. Practise placing bets as you play. Some games are played so quickly that it can be difficult for a novice to follow them. With practice you will become faster.

It is also very important to play at the right level. Don’t aim too high when you are still learning. Stick to the simpler, cheaper games and gradually work your way up. Remember, the higher the stakes the better the players.