Learn Play Poker

Hey Guys,

Hope you are all well, I am abck at work after a nice bank holiday Monday. For you overseas readers that just means us hard working guys in England (with the least holidays in the world pretty much)actually get a free day off (kinda). Either way I had myself a lie in before initiating a fun evening of gaming and poker with my best friends.

We ended up playing a combination of Mario Kart Wii, Texas Hold ‘em and 7 Card Stud. Loads of fun and I came out the winner of our stud contest (after some killer bluffing) and it was definitely a good win for me.

I didn’t do so good in the Hold ‘em game, mainly because I went all in on a flush and my friend hit a full house on the river (sigh) but thats the fun of poker

This weeks article looks at a response from a question I received from one “Hank Smith” of Suffolk, England. He basically asked me what are free roll poker tournaments and what are they used for?

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Yes all of the freeroll tournaments I have seen offered online are in my opinion good.  It would hard not to define something as good that offers you the chance to win an asset without risking any money.  The key question becomes not whether they are good but rather which ones are best.

Online poker free rolls generally offer a prize in one of two forms.  Some offer cash or physical merchandise as a prize.  These tournaments often attract thousands of players fighting for a proportionally small number of prizes.  The chances of winning a prize are slim even for a great player.  Still you have invested nothing but your time into the venture; if you enjoy playing they offer a venue with no risk.

Some online free rolls offer entrance into tournaments with much larger payouts.  These tournaments are generally much easier free rolls to win.  In most cases the percentage of players that win prizes is much greater.  This allows you to employ a much more normal style than you must use in a large tournament that offers very few prizes.

Choosing free rolls is again a matter of researching what is being offered and finding which ones are best.  All of the major sites offer free rolls but some are much better than others. Your personal style of play is vital to choosing which freeroll to participate in.  I advise that you create accounts on as many of the online sites as you can to maximize the benefit you receive from playing freeroll tournaments.

Once you have entered a freeroll understand the prizes offered and adjust your play accordingly.  One of the major sites offers a multi table tournament freeroll that attracts several thousands players but only pays the top nine finishers.  If you play this tournament you cannot play a normal style of poker.  In a tournament with this structure you need to accumulate many chips very quickly.  You need to take chances and play a much more aggressive style of poker.

There is only in my opinion one potential negative aspect to free rolls. You must not allow them to alter your play when you play for real money with a different structure.  Always keep aware of your objectives. These free roll tournaments can cause you to develop a playing strategy that is flawed when used in a more normal setting. Do not allow yourself to become a reckless and sloppy player.

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.