Monthly archives for January, 2011

Poker Codes Can Be a Great Bonus for Any Player

Jan25
2011 Written by George

Poker Bonus & Referrer CodesIf you play a lot of online poker, the cost can start to add up. Even if you have good bankroll management, playing regularly can be a drain on the finances and depending on your success rate; this may start to become an issue. If you are winning more than you are paying, you are doing very well but not every player has the ability to do this just yet. Learning poker skills can take time and practice so many may suffer losses in their early days. This is why anything which can help you win more or spend less is a great bonus for poker players.

Referral codes can boost your bankroll balance

One of the ways that poker players can lower their level of expenditure is by taking advantage of the many bonus codes or referral codes that can be found online. With so many online poker companies competing against each other, many of them are happy to offer bonuses to encourage new players to use their site. This is definitely in the favour of the players and taking advantage of these bonuses can help you learn about new sites and different games.

It is not just new or unpopular sites that choose this method of promotion, all of the big sites do it. Full Tilt Poker is one of the biggest poker sites online and has a number of huge celebrity endorsements. Even they offer bonuses and referrals which means that Full Tilt referral codes are amongst the most highly sought in the industry. Having the opportunity to play one of the best and most-respected poker sites in the industry for free or very little money is a fantastic opportunity and one that many poker players are keen to take.

Something for nothing is always of benefit

Even if you are a regular poker player and you manage your bankroll very well, getting something for nothing has to be worth considering. Playing on different poker sites can allow you to compete against new players and improve your skills in different environments. Gaining all round skills and adaptability is a good way to develop your skills and will stand a player in good stead for future tournaments. Practise is essential in all walks of life and the range of bonus codes that are available online should offer plenty of poker practice opportunities. If you want to improve your poker skills at no extra cost, using bonus or referral codes is a fantastic way of going about it.

Posted in Online Poker

The Most Famous Poker Tournament in the World

Jan24
2011 Written by George
World Series of Poker

World Series of Poker

The World Series of Poker, (WSOP) is unarguably the most well known poker tournament in the world. Players from across the world qualify for cheap on poker sites and travel to Las Vegas to participate in this event seeking to claim the coveted WSOP bracelet as their own, not to mention the multi-million dollar grand prize. But the WSOP isn’t about the money… well… ok yes it is. Who doesn’t want to win seven figures for playing poker? However, professional poker players can do that on high stakes poker tables filled with rich flounders just as easily. For the pros, the WSOP is about being the best in the world, winning the bracelet. Every poker player dreams of owning the WSOP championship bracelet, and making your way through the thousands of entrants who register to play in the World Series every year is no easy task. The winner of this tournament truly deserves the title of World Champion.

The WSOP was born in 1970 when the owner of the Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas, Benny Binion invited seven of the best known poker players to showdown at his casino to decide once and for all who was the best. The seven players were the famous Doyle Brunson, Carl Cannon, Puggy Pearson, Johnny Moss, Crandell Addington, Sailor Roberts, and “Amarillo Slim” Preston. The tournament was set to take place for a specific period of time, after which the players would vote by secret ballot for who among them was the best. Each player was asked to cast two votes, the first vote being for the best player at the table, the next for the second best. As the story goes, each player voted for himself in the first vote, and Johnny Moss was voted as second best. Johnny Moss was declared the winner of the tournament, awarded a silver cup trophy, and became the first World Series of Poker champion. It wasn’t until 1976 that the WSOP bracelet was introduced as the trophy for winning the tournament, and has since become the most coveted prize in the world of poker.

These days the WSOP consists of almost 60 events, and each a different variation of poker, and each awarding a bracelet to the winner. Numerous of online poker sites run WSOP satellites between the months of  January and July, when the prestigious main event begins, still (and likely always will be) the cut throat, heavy swinging game of No Limit Texas Hold-em, widely considered the ultimate poker game in the world of poker. The winner of this event is crowned the World Champion of poker.

Posted in Live Poker

Playing Poker – The Key to Success

Jan22
2011 Written by George
Poker Bankroll

Poker Bankroll

Any professional poker player will tell you, poker is a game of skill. To be successful in poker requires patience, at least some idea of how to calculate odds, the ability to read your opponents, knowing how to control the pot, and sometimes even all that is not enough.

While it goes without saying to anybody who knows better that poker is indeed a game of skill, there is an element of luck involved. You can do everything right, read every hand your opponent is holding correctly, and still lose sometimes. The secret to being successful despite this element of luck involved in poker is to learn to minimize your losses while maximizing your winning opportunities. In other words, when you can’t win a hand, protect your money. When you can’t lose a hand, win as much money as you can manage. There are a few strategies that can be employed to achieve this goal, the most important of which is bankroll management.

The first rule in bankroll management is never to put any money into play that you cannot afford to lose. Many gamblers will end up playing with money they should be using to pay bills, or buy food. If you ever find yourself in this position, you need to step away from the game. This is the road to ruins that all too many people have traveled. Set aside a portion of money to play with, and do not over-extend that limit… this is your poker bankroll.

Once you have your bankroll established it’s time to play some poker, but don’t jump into the first game you find in which you can play all the money in your bankroll. This is another classic mistake that many gamblers make. You should never sit at any table, or buy into any tournament with more than a certain percentage of your bankroll. As we’ve already mentioned, regardless of how skillful a player you are, there is an element of luck involved, and therefore there will always be losing streaks. It is simply the nature of the game. Laying down most, or all of your bankroll on a single game puts you in danger of losing your entire bankroll on that single game should you find yourself in a losing streak.

The bankroll percentage played will vary from player to player depending on their own style, but you should set up your own bankroll management strategy before playing, and stick to it religiously. One popular strategy is to never lay down more than 5%-10% of your bankroll on any cash game, and never buy into any tournament for more than 2%-5% of your bankroll. This is a sound strategy, but you will have to decide for yourself what is right for you. You may even have to adjust your bankroll strategy until you find one that works well for you.

Posted in Poker Advice, Poker Strategy

5-Card Draw

Jan21
2011 Written by George

5-Card Draw5-card draw, commonly referred to as “draw” is most popular in home games. Draw was somewhat popular in the 70’s and 80’s, but has since lost some popularity after the explosion of Texas Hold’em swept across the world over the last 2 decades. You don’t see the game played in too many large tournaments, (though it is out there) and some online poker rooms don’t even offer the game. It is however a fun variation of poker well worth playing once you understand the strategies you need to perfect to play well.

The game is set up with blinds, a big blind and a small blind, which rotate clockwise around the table each hand. The small blind is half the BB and positioned to the left of the dealer button, the BB is set to the left of the SB. These are mandatory bets that must be placed before any card is dealt.

Once the blinds have been laid, each player is dealt 5 cards face down. A round of betting takes place in which each player, starting from the player to the left of the BB and rotating clockwise around the table may either call the BB or raise the bet. After all betting has been completed, each player remaining in the pot is given the opportunity to turn in any number of cards from their hand and draw the same number of new cards from the deck. Another round of betting takes place, this time starting from the player on the SB. Each player may now either check, bet, or if a bet has already been established, call, fold, or raise the bet.

The object is to make the best possible poker hand. Once all bets have been established after the drawing round, the players remaining in the pot go to showdown. They turn up their cards, and the player with the best poker hand wins the pot.

Posted in Poker Rules