Learn Play Poker

Hey Guys,

Been a busy week but how are you all? I am starting to feel a little beter and on the recovery path from my cold but was definately not a fun one and I am major tierd as a result of it (as usual:) )

Anyway I have been a bit ill for poker recently but still managed to play some online games in, I am having loads of fun on the new WasSPoker platform, it always busy and still free to play. It is also canadian/American friendly so I get to meet plenty of good players to test my skills against. So far I am up after an initial deposit of $400 I have $630 in my account. Will maybe think about taking some out soon. They actually do have some ace little games on there too I may check out when I have more time.

your article today is about one of the most fundamental player based tactics in poker, the bluff. It is also the last in the “poker Players Series” *cry* Never Fear! I am working on more articles as we speak so you will be getting new content still next week.

Enjoy and I hope you don’t get the cold going around!

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There are several different kinds of bluffs one can make in the game of poker. Each present excellent opportunities, but only if they are made correctly.

The most common bluff is called the semi-bluff.  A semi-bluff is made in an attempt to disguise your hand and is usually made when you have a large draw but no made hand.  The idea of a semi-bluff is to make your opponents think you have a pair or some other hand of value.  In reality you usually have a flush or straight draw when you make this bet.  When you make your draw this bluff disguises the true power of your hand.

A second type of bluff is a reverse bluff, also often called slow playing a hand.  In this instance you are trying to make your hand appear weaker than it really is.  You make this bluff by checking when it is your turn to act rather than betting.  You can also make this bluff by taking your time and appear to agonize of a decision to call a bet.  This type of bluff is a great strategy of you are at a table with many aggressive players who will fuel the action.  If you arte playing with a group of passive players it is often the wrong strategy to use.

Bluffing based on the board is another form of the bluff.  In these instances the cards you hold are irrelevant. You are using your powers of observation to deduce what cards your opponents hold and acting accordingly.  For instance, suppose you have observed that two of your opponents play only high cards. You are in a hand with one or both of these players.  The game is Texas Hold’em; you hold a king of spades and a ten of clubs.  The flop is dealt two of diamonds, five of clubs, nine of hearts.  You have absolutely nothing but your observation of opponents leads you to believe they likely have nothing as well.  In this case you are making a bluff based only on the texture of the board which obviously does not help players that play only high cards.

The final bluff I will discuss is the scare card bluff.  This bluff is made on the final betting round when a card is dealt that can make a big hand like a straight or flush.  You make this bluff of course on someone who showed strength early in a hand.  When you make this bet you are trying to convince a player that holds a set that you just made a flush or straight to beat him.  This bluff needs to be made with a large bet, quite often by putting all of your chips in the pot while holding a losing hand if called.  It is the ultimate bluff a player can make a bluff that has the highest risk and highest reward.

Hey Guys,

How is everything this week? I have a touch of the tired bug, mainly a side effect of my cold . I think there must be a bit of something going round at the moment

Still managed to get an article finished up for you all however, this one is about a darker side to the game than we usually consider, cheating, most specifically cheating at online poker.

As much as we would all love to think everyone plays fair we must face the world is simply not like that, while the majority play well there are a minority spoiling the fun (as with everything). I have seen many varities of online poker cheat in my time (from both rooms and other players) and i’m not going to “discuss” them all so you know how to do them. I’m jsut oging to talk about the behaviour in general and hand out a little advice.

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I do not believe online poker cheating is a very big concern. I regard all of the major sites to be operated honestly and 100% above board. The concern about cheating in my opinion is more about player collusion and not any direct action by the site itself. Understand the poker sites themselves make large sums of money from the rake at table games.  They do not have stake in who wins a given hand. If they were to ever get caught cheating the ensuing bad press that would occur would wreck their site.  They do in fact police their sites as best they can. As we will discuss below there are forms of cheating that are hard to detect.  If you feel you have been subjected to cheaters you can and should report them to the site you are playing.

Player collusion is of course a concern every player must be cognizant of.  When two or more players at a table know each others cards they have a great advantage. This advantage manifests itself in two ways. First by knowing what cards have been burned you have a keener awareness of what your chances of making a hand are. You also have more information as to what hand an opponent has. Secondly if you are playing at a table with confederates you can use position to maximize your profit.  For example suppose you know a player you are colluding with holds the nuts and cannot be beat.  If you are in position between your confederate and another player in the hand you can raise bets in an effort to extract as much money from the unsuspecting player as possible.

The key thing you need to know is how to spot collusion at your table.  You should try to take note of who you play with, try not to play at tables that seem to have the same players playing as previous sessions.  Watch also for the same players seemingly playing to each showdown together.  Another thing to keep keen awareness of is obvious improper play.  If you see a player call and raise bets all the way to the river without either good hand or a draw to a good hand you need to move to another table.  Players playing in this manner have ulterior motives that likely involve collusion, which is a form of cheating. You should use the buddy list function offered by most poker sites to identify these players and avoid them.

Hey Guys!

How are you all doing? It’s a slightly mroe relaxed week at work this week, a few people on holiday so not as many demands flying around but I am sure that will change when they get back and have stuff to catch up on

Our tournament went well on Sunday, around 25 players there and it lasted around 14 hours (including the BBQ) and it even snowed halfway through.

Most of the palyers there were decent guys and I think I would definitely attend again. The venue was OK, a little cold but I don’t think they could have predicted the crazy weather conditions so I will let them off there. If they have a larger venue necxt time I have offered to place details on the blog, people will get to hear about it a little more too that way.

Got another part of the Poker Player Series articles for you as well.

This one looks at one of the most frequently asked questions in the online poker world, “How do I Play As An Aggressive Player?”

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Simply put you become an aggressive player by becoming aggressive.  This is much easier for people who are aggressive by nature.  If this is the case it is easy to be an aggressive poker player, you simply allow your true nature to surface while you play.

Becoming aggressive is much more difficult for the person who by nature is more passive.  Aggression is key to winning at poker; you should attempt to cultivate this style if you want to win in the long run.

I suggest that if you wish to change your style to start playing games with very low stakes but not with play money.  Use these games to practice your style, always looking for a reason to bet.  The aggressive player does not need a good hand to place a bet. Surely he will place a bet with a strong holding, but he also bets when other opportunities present themselves.  Aggression is a good trait only when it is accompanied by common sense, you must control your aggression without stifling it.

Before you play at a table I suggest you watch the play for awhile.  Aggressive play works best and is practiced best when sitting with passive players.  Look for opportunities to push these players around with your aggressive style of play.

The aggressive player always follows up his raises with continuation bets.  If you raise a pot pre flop you need to follow up with a bet after the flop no matter what your cards are.  You have made a statement that your cards are strong with your raise.  That statement needs to be affirmed with a strong continuation bet after the flop.

To play aggressively you need to understand that there will be times you will put your money into the pot with the inferior hand. The money you lose in these instances will be offset by the money you gain when forcing players to submit to your aggression and release their hand.  If you win five $20 pots in a row by making other players fold you can afford to bet that $100 in a situation where you are facing 4 to 1 odds against yourself.  You are free rolling because you are playing with money you have already won. When you lose you will be back to even money, when you win however you will earn much more than a passive style of play could ever hope to win.

Hey Everyone,

How are you doing? Just letting you know I will be attending a poker tournament this Sunday, I believe it’s in/near Newark but i’m not driving so I can’t remember

I know we will be having a busy day, nearly 14 hours put aside for it and I think there are 18 confirmed players, will defiantly be a lot of fun. I will report up on the occasion next week sometime and let you know what the quality of the venue, players and other things are like.

Anyone else got plans this weekend?

Good luck with the national

Hey Guys,

How are you all today?

I am busy at work this week, lots of stuff flying in and out the office and it’s all hitting me

Anyway I did have time to finish off the latest article in our “Poker Players” series, it’s about famous poker players and should be some handy trivia for the next time your down the pub or in a poker room. It’s not one of the articles that is going to particularly boost your strategy but it’s still interesting to know

I have been spending a lot of time on WassPoker this week, if you have not already checked it out I recommend you give it a try they have a lot of freerolls on over the next month as well as it being a busy poker room. Had some good beats and wins already but I may write a little more about them soon

Hope you enjoy the article, as always comments are welcome!

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Doyle Brunson is perhaps the most famous, and probably most loved, poker player of all time. Nicknamed “Texas Dolly” Doyle Brunson has won ten events in his lifetime at the World Series of Poker, the game’s premier event. He has won the main event (No Limit Texas Hold’em) of the World Series twice.
He won both main events while holding 10-2 as his starting hand. This hand is now known throughout the poker establishment as “Doyle Brunson”, making him the only poker player to have a specific hand named after him. His booked titled Super System is looked upon by many as the bible of poker strategy.

Phil Hellmuth is commonly referred to as the “poker brat”. His antics at the table are very similar to those of John McEnroe on the tennis court. He draws much attention to himself when he complains about a bad beat or berates a player for making a play he thought was unwise.
Phil creates controversy and is a person who is either liked or disliked but rarely ignored. Behavior aside you can also make the case that Phil Hellmuth is the greatest No-Limit Texas Hold’em tournament player to play the game. He has won a record eleven World Series of Poker events. He is a specialized tournament player; he is certainly not regarded as a great cash game player. In tournaments however his record is second to none over many years. Any discussion of the greatest players of poker must have his name near or at the top.

Chris Moneymaker is a famous player for a variety of reasons. First consider his name, if you were to create a fictitious story about his exploits in poker you could not come up with a better character name than in real life. His fame comes from what he meant to the game of poker. Chris won only one World Series of Poker event, the Main Event of 2003. The storyline behind his victory is what fueled the massive popularity boom of poker in this decade.
He won entry into the Main Event through a low dollar amount satellite on an online poker site. In the main event he knocked out famous players like Johnny Chan and Phil Ivey. Then while playing heads up for the Championship he made perhaps the most famous bluff in the history of poker on Sammy Farha. He proceeded to win this head up duel and claim the championship with a full house. His tournament win showed players throughout the country they too could hit it big without having to invest large sums of money to play. This was the fuel for the massive engine that drove poker to heights it now enjoys today.