Free Online Poker Basic Poker Hand Play Process Guide
In the second part of my learn how to play poker for beginners free poker course we’re moving on from the basic game structure outlined in part one.
In this lesson you will learn exactly how and hand of poker is played out and at the end will be able to start playing (if tentatively!)
We join the action once the blind bets have been posted by the Small Blind (SB) and Big Blind (BB) Now the cards get into action. If “Blinds” means nothing to you hop on back to part 1 for an explanation.
From the Dealer Button (DB) going clockwise rounf the table each player gets 2 cards, face down, handed out one at a time (so the DB goes round the table twice). These are also called Pocket Cards or hole cards.
Now the betting begins; and, after all, isn’t that why you decided to take up the game of poker? Isn’t that why you’ve entered the multi-table freeroll tournament in the first place? The whole betting and winning with it’s associated moves of dare and deception is the main reason you’ve joined that online poker site be it free poker or massive stakes isn’t it?
Of course that’s why you’re there, poker is all about winning money at the end of the day! With the possible exception of the social side anyway, the table and lobby conversations though if you are at all serious about money then this is a very minor reason.
At this stage in the hand (holding 2 pocket cards), each player is betting on what hand they feel their pocket cards may lead to.
The betting begins with the player to the immediate left of the Big Blind (BB).
This player has the UTG (Under The Gun) position. He’s given the UTG label primarily because the Small Blind and Big Blind players were forced to put up bets prior to receiving any cards.
Thus, both the SB and BB are already taking part in the hand; albeit not voluntarily, at least not yet; they’ll have to wait until the betting comes around to them.
And, with this round of betting, each player has three choices:
1) To fold. Usually when they think that their pocket cards are garbage (or rags). By folding in this first round you won’t lose anything but nor can you play the rest of the hand.
2) To raise. Usually when they think that they hold really good pocket cards.
3) Or to call, (match) the Big Blind. Usually when they think that their pocket cards hold some potential.
A 4th option you may have heard of, checking, often available in subsequent betting rounds, isn’t an option at this stage.
When the betting reaches the person who posted the Small Blind (SB), if they want to fold then they’ll lose the chips they were forced to put into the pot prior to the cards being dealt. Or, as SB you can Call the BB by putting in the difference between the SB and BB amounts. Or, this player can call whatever raise has been made, or this player can initiate a raise; or even a re-raise, aa a beginner keep it simple and either just Call the BB or fold, watch and learn othrs to see the raise, new raise and reraise in action.
Then, the Big Blind (BB) player gets to act. If there has been no raise then the BB can Check (do nothing and let the play pass by), or Call, Raise or Re-raise.
About Raises
As this is a No Limit Texas Hold Em tournament, the amount of any one raise is only limited by the number of chips the player who is doing the raising is in possession of. If his stack of chips is 1,500, he’s allowed to raise by any amount up to and including the 1,500 (all of his chips).
Should he opt to make a 1,500 chip bet, it would be called an All-In bet. It’s always an all-in bet any time a player raises by the total amount of chips he currently holds.
And, of paramount importance, especially since you are at the how to play poker for beginners level of the game, make sure that YOUR use of an All-In bet is minimal.
Please do not become yet another free online poker ‘chip-flinger’ (someone who tosses chips around without regard to the quality of their cards).
Once the opening round of betting is completed it’s time to see ‘The Flop’. Things will now start to get really interesting!
The Flop is the set of three cards that are dealt face up in the middle of the table by the Dealer.
1) Each player may use these community cards’ to build their hand. Make sure to read and print a guide to what card hands beat what so that you have a feel for what you are trying to build!
2) Again, as here-to-fore mentioned, the center of the table where these cards are dealt is commonly known as ‘The Board’.
3) With ‘The Flop’ exposed, it’s time for another round of betting. And, the betting that will occur is based on the 5 cards now available to each player, i.e., 2 Pocket cards and 3 Board’ cards.
The betting begins with the player to the immediate left of the Dealer Button, regardless of whether the Dealer is still active in the hand or not.
The player to the left of the Dealer Button will keep the initial betting action throughout the hand. Later, you’ll come to learn that this is the worst position to be in at the table.
Apart from that, the betting process is the same as it was in ‘pre-flop’ betting. However, keep in mind, all of the players who were dealt ‘Pocket’ cards may not be currently playing the hand as they could have folded during the opening round of betting.
So, whichever remaining player is ‘to the immediate left’ of the Dealer Button (DB), it is that person who will be the first player to act; throughout the hand providing he doesn’t fold.
He is able to check or bet.
A) If he checks, he’s simply passing the options of checking or betting to the player who sits to his left.
B) If he doesn’t check, and decides to bet, then those who follow will have 3 choices:
1) They can fold
2) They can call
3) Or they can raise. But, since a bet was made, those who follow don’t have the option of ‘checking’.
Once the round of betting has finished, it’s time for another card to be dealt face up on The Board.
This fourth card is called The Turn card, or 4th Street, and, again, the card can be used by all of the remaining players (those players who have not folded). It’s another ‘community card’.
Thus, each remaining player now has access to 6 cards, 4 Board cards, and 2 Pocket cards. There are 4 cards on The Board, one additional card to come.
It is now time for the fifth and final community card to be dealt: The River, or 5th Street.
And, seeing as all the cards have finally been dealt, each player remaining in the hand can see what their finest five card hand is. Therefore, it’s now time for the final round of betting. And, when the betting ends, the hand is over.
It’s time to see who wins.
Each player that has remained in the hand shows their cards, beginning with the last person to initiate a bet. At a cash or free online poker site the software will handle the process of showing the cards.
The winner is decided via use of the universal poker hand rankings. You’ll find that in subsequent chapter; entitled ‘What Beats What’.
If a player wins a pot because every other player has folded, he can decide whether to show his cards or not.
Most people don’t, and it’s typically advised by me never to show your cards. If you’re not required to do so; keep ‘em guessing!
Yet, when you reach an ‘advanced level’ of play, you will get an entirely different perspective from me. You see, there are times when ‘deceitful strategies’ will be added to your acquired set of playing skills. And, a part of the ‘deceitful strategies’ will have you showing your cards. Not now though.
Summing up How To Play Poker For Beginners Free Online Poker Rules Part 2
In part 1 you learned the bare bones of poker, the structure and ideas of the game. Now that you’ve read part 2 you should now understand the specific mechanics of a hand of poker. In part 3 we are going to move on to more poker words and terminology, all those crazy card and hand nicknames are going to be unveiled! But so long as you’ve understood the first 2 parts you can now go and start to play poker. However I do advise you read up on what cards beat what first! Then you’ll get a feel for how to build your hand in the game stages and be able to think about whether to fold, call, raise or check.
At this stage I strongly urge you not to attempt to play on sites where real cash is involved, you will lose all or nearly all of it 99% certain!
Have patience (by the way that is a key poker skill it’s essential to master) and begin out on one of the excellent free poker sites you’ll find online. Later when you’re more skilled there is lots of time to win lots of money and the time spent playing free online poker will set you up for this.
Nick runs marketing for leading free poker site NoPayPOKER.com. NoPayPOKER.com uses a faux currency called FreeD which means the poker is 100% risk free, this makes it the perfect place to how to play poker online, plus if you’re more experienced it’s a great place to practice, oh and the the fact that the FreeD can be cashed in for real Dollars is a nice touch too!
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September 21st, 2010
Play Free Poker Online Guide To How And When To Call In Poker Games
Regardless of if you just play free poker online or regularly grace the big Vegas tables a fact of poker life is that aggressive players make all the bets and raises and seem to get most of the chips.
Players who mainly call are classified as passive. This is because calling puts you into a decision which the bettor hopes you to make. But if you have tons of reasons to call, and you have contemplated about it very carefully, you can call with no shame.
Here is one such hand (Shame on him if he folds):
BLINDS 60k/120k, ante 15k
PREFLOP:
A has 5h-5d, raised to 310k (under the gun)
B has Kc-10c, calls 310k (from middle position)
The raise A makes from under the gun (UTG) implies his hand is strong, but keep in mind that A is aggressive and a tad loose and can represent any hand. Also, A can make everyone fold. B’s K-10 suited is good for just calling, and he does.
With K-10, one should be more careful if a King comes up. With a King, A may have K-J or A-K (A-K, especially from a raise under the gun). I don’t think B is aware of this, maybe because he hasn’t seen the Flop yet. Here it is:
FLOP: 10d-4c-2d
Now only a Ten comes, which is more favorable for B. Those who do not have flush draws with two Diamonds may play a J-10 or a 10-9 strongly, and the King kicker is very strong.
A bets 535k
Because A raised under the gun, he tries a continuation bet. If he gets called, he can put B on a flush draw or a small pair (like 7-7), so he can frisk away later with not much loss.
But B may want to end the hand with his Pair of Tens, probably because overcards can fall. Moreover, A has been too aggressive all throughout, as we said, and it may be with two face cards or A-x, so B returns A’s favor:
B raises to 1.61m
A needs 1.075m to call
Because A has been representing a strong hand so far (raising under the gun and continuation-betting), he might as well stay consistent. Moreover, A may think that B raised because he thought A had nothing, and he is trying o push A out of the pot with something like K-J or a Flush draw.
As for the possibility of a Ten in B’s hand, why would A think B had a Ten? Even if B did, he would just call (commonly) and then check-check it all the way, because a Pair of Tens is not so strong, especially if faced with a three-bet like this:
A moves all-in 3.075m
B needs 2.5m to call (Pot now about 7.5m)
Maybe A moved all-in because his Pair of Fives have value on a board with only one overcard and whose caller may have a Flush draw. In this case, the caller may still be reluctant because even with a Flush draw with two overcards, it’s still a draw. But he may also be thinking that B is putting a play on him, so he played-back.
Now B is put on the decision which calls for a call.
Here are B’s reasons why he may not call (which B may be thinking, but which will be my reasons for so doing):
(1) A three-bet plus all-in may signify J-J or higher, which is very likely if only small cards are on the table. Or: even a Set which A may have used to trap with.
(2) He is getting approximately 3-to-1 on a call (2.5 million to win approximately 7.5 million), but he should call only if he is getting 4-to-1 (21% chance of hitting Two-Pair or Trips), which is the right price.
(3) If he calls, he will have six 6 million or so chips left. But if he doesn’t, he will have about 8.5 million remaining, and his loss is relatively small for his stack (which is nearly 10 million).
Now here are B’s reasons why he should call:
(1) He can knock out an opponent who has proven to be very dangerous so far.
(2) Maybe A is the one on a Flush draw. Or maybe a Flush draw with two overcards where both of them have nearly equal chance of winning. So it’s OK.
(3) Maybe A put B on a Flush draw and decided to push B out of the pot instead of letting a Diamond emerge. So A’s all-in is just a bluff now.
(4) Maybe A put B on a bluff and decided to counter-bluff.
(5) With only one overcard which is not so likely to be in someone’s hand just as a face card is, B may put A on a pocket pair 5-5 to 9-9. In that case, he has a better Pair (Tens).
(6) He can lift himself up to 14 million chips after this.
(7) It is because B’s guts says so.
With these things in B’s mind, but still brewing over the cons, B tried hard to decide. For a long time he stared at his opponent and the Board. He commented first, You may hate me for this,” but then added, as if nothing but instinct prompted him, “but I call.”
B calls 2.5m (Pot just above 9 million)
A is in trouble now. B won the hand and knocked out A (who is Antonio Esfandiari! B is Steven Begleiter). B may be neutral in choosing between folding and calling, but if I’ll call, I’ll call not solely because of value of the Tens, but because of the above reasons.
In summary
I know this may seem like a lot to take in all at once, the fact is though that while poker is an easy game to learn it is hard to be very good at, hence the crazy stupid “chip flinging” you will come across on many poker sites.
Yes it is mad that so many players play with so little skill, but it is also very good news for you as a player who is learning to play correctly. The reason why is that when you really learn how to play poker well you can turn mercenary and hunt them down in droves in low stakes real money games as well as free online poker sites sites that pay out real money like NoPayPOKER and happily build your skills and bankroll!
As ever practice makes perfect so read, understand and play free poker sites to learn to play holdem good and get your skills finely honed.
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July 30th, 2010
I can imagine a free poker player on http://www.NoPayPOKER.com who, after watching some episodes of the World Series of Poker or the World Poker Tour, suddenly gets ‘inspired’ and tries out one of the big advertised poker sites. Suddenly – suddenly – as he imitates the plays he saw in some episode, like moving all-in with 4-4 in early position – he thinks he is making a good play. Of course it is sometimes a good play, but not always.
In most cases our newly enthused free poker player will proceed to lose a lot of money in a short period of time to the money site sharks.
Instead may I suggest that the best thing to do is to practice these “pro” plays on free poker, so that mistakes can be learned from? He can learn to play hold em lose lots but learn lots and not lose any money.
Play Free Poker On Line is also a great way to build a bankroll, if you don’t have one, and if you play long enough. And if you play long enough you will learn from your mistakes and from the mistakes of others – and it wouldn’t be so costly. Sure, you can try playing your Q-7 offsuit and then flop a Q-5-3 and then get called by A-Q later or K-K – that is when you realize your Q-7 is trash, and you ought not play it again.
Of course, you can watch someone else play the Q-7. He may flop Q-5-3, as above, or even A-J-7. Now you know you have him, because you have K-K (in the first flop) or A-K, or J-J (in the second). Now you remember the times when you win, and when you recall these times every time a similar situation arises, you will win the pot. If you play free poker long enough you will see what these situations are and then be able to characterize them like this: On the first flop, it may be ‘Playing Overpairs’; on the second, it may be ‘Playing Top Pair’ or ‘Playing a Set’.
There is, however, a downfall if you are not careful: Suppose you play 3-2 off and you win. You might think 3-2 off is a good hand, and then suddenly you rush to play real money poker. You lose. You think, “How would 3-2 be harpooned in this board! This just won last week!”
If you are observant enough for a long time in playing free poker you might notice plenty of players doing the same (playing bad hands) and they win. You can watch if they are winning consistently or not, and oftentimes they don’t. Someone plays 7-2, the wins; someone plays it again later, then loses.When you play free poker games it may not yet teach you that A-10 is sometimes dangerous to play after a raise because it might be a better Ace, but it teaches you what hands to avoid and what to play.
In free poker you should not just play any old hand. Play as if you are playing real-money poker. Play only good hands as if your big money bankroll depended on it. If you keep playing bad starting hands without the ability to represent them (and representing hands is not so practical in free poker because many free poker players play just any hand, bet when they hit the Flop and throw when they don’t) you will be a bad player sooner.
Regarding this, here is another point, indeed this is the key point that will win you a lot of money:
Most free poker players are beginners or reckless fun seekers so when you take the time to master free poker then you will know how to blast them into orbit
Next, you will find when you move on to lower stakes real money you will mostly be facing these very same type of novice and maniac who have watched too much TV, and what do you think will happen then?
That’s right, your hard earned free poker skills will trash them and they will “donate” their stacks to you time and time again!. And as for the really good players, it’s so easy – avoid them unless you have the nuts.
To read more articles like this and learn to play hold em check out NoPayPOKER.com’s blog which is full of play free poker games tutorials and offers a fantastic zero risk free poker site where you can put theory into practice.
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June 29th, 2010
In ordinary poker tournaments in online poker be they cash or free online poker, usually the top 1/8 or 1/10 make it to the money, and even here only a fraction make more than twice the buy-in.
The great chunk of money goes to those close to the final table. In double or nothing games though, half the players win 2x their buy in.
For example, if there are 100 players with a buy in of $10 the top 50 win $20, the bottom 50 get nothing.
In this free poker lesson discussion let us assume 100 participants in a double or nothing tournament.
At the beginning, when blinds are small, play standard, solid poker.
Make the normal mainstream moves. Move all-in with A-A or K-K and hope someone with a weaker hand will call. If you have a Pair, hope to flop a Set. Build your stack size by 50% or more.
You can also try “small-ball” poker. While the blinds are low, call with hands that have great pot odds when involved in multi-player pots, like with 8-7, A-5 suited.
If you hit hard on the Flop, say Straight or Flush, knock out someone or double up someone who has a Pair. If you don’t hit, fold, and wait for the time you will hit.
This is how to play until you are just, say, five left before the money. Now there are 55 players left. And lets say you are 55th, what’s the best thing to do?
Because 50th place gets just the same as 1st place, there is not much sense moving all-in, unless the blinds are eating you.
Play conservatively. What usually happens is that those from 40th place below get impatient and move all-in because the blinds are eating them, too.
When they get impatient they’ll kill themselves off fast, patience, in poker, always wins in the end!
If, say, there are 55 players left, you are in 48th place and are dealt A-A, would you move all-in or call an all-in?
In a normal poker tournament, if top 30 win money and you are 27th with 33 players left, you can move all-in with A-A because your callers will be A-K, A-Q or K-K and you are a significant favorite. You can move up from 27th to say, 15th to 20th, and you can win more money later.
But in double or nothing, ask yourself: What if you have 9000 chips and win $10 when you could win $10 with just 4500 chips? It will be unnecessary. 50th place is the same as any place above it.
What about calling an all-in with someone who has 3000 chips? Will you do it? It depends on what player we are, but I would not do it.
The bigger stacks can collaborate on knocking the smaller ones out. Stay out of the way.
If you are on top, say you have five times your starting stack or better, consider it your responsibility to knock the smaller stacks out if you have the opportunity.
Don’t overdo it, however. In this instance, I would rather snooze away from the table and let the more adventurous big stacks eat the smaller ones.
If you have, say, just thrice your starting stack, don’t call all-ins unless you have nuts or a strong hand close to nuts. I did this once in a Flop with A-5-8 and I have A-10. I have 3200 chips (about 1.5 times my starting stack) and someone moved all-in his 920 chips.
One player between us folded (If he called he may have A-x, and I don’t know what x is, so if we get involved in a pot he might push me and I wouldn’t be able to continue with my A-10) so I called. The player who moved all-in bluffed with 9-2.
If you are on top, you can just wait. If you are near the bottom, just have more patience and don’t knock yourself out like the others who have less patience do. Because once you reach 50th place in our 100-person tournament, you will feel just like a champion.
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June 16th, 2010
With the immense popularity of free online poker and poker shows like the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour, poker, like basketball, has developed a jargon of its own. Many of poker terms have been around for a long time so it seems the core game maybe hasn’t changed so much.
Checks, bets, raises, calls, bluffs, and all-ins are still found and still exist with connotations like: to ‘bet’ is aggressive; to ‘raise’ more aggressive; to ‘call’ is never aggressive; to ‘check’ is still passive, unless you are plotting a raise after it. Bluffing, well that’s always aggressive. ‘All-ins’, in No-Limit, are the most aggressive. as far as many poker players are concerned.
But newer terms have emerged, thanks to the poker commentator’s ideal to be crisp and short. For instance, where a commentator would say ‘check-raise’ today I imagine a 1970 commentator to have said in the same situation ‘He raised after a check.’ ‘Check-call’ may be ‘calling after checking’. ‘Value bet’ may be ‘betting for value’ or ‘betting because A’s hand is good, and he wants B to call’. With this said I’m not implying these terms were not used before the poker explosion. It may be that they are not clear enough to a general audience before in a time when poker was accessible only to a few.
So let us analyze some compound poker terms, like ‘check-raise’ and ‘check-call’. We will be using the terms in their traditional sense, i.e, checks and calls are non-aggressive, and bets, raises, bluffs, and all ins are aggressive.
#1 Check-raise: To check-raise is to check, then if the opponent bets, you raise. For instance, in a Board with 4-7-J and you have 6-5, if you are the first to act, you can check-raise. You can check because you can hit your Straight for free later if your opponent checks, and if your opponent bets, you can raise, so he will think you are on a bluff or on a made hand, so if you hit your Straight later your hand is disguised.
It’s also possible to check-raise if you think your opponent’s weak so that he’s not going to call if you bet, but you want your opponent to think you’re weak so that he can bluff, then you can raise him.
#2 Check-call: To check-call is to check, then if your opponent bets, then you call. Check-calling is standard for the above Board (4-7-J and you have 6-5),p provided you are priced to hit your Straight later. Check-call can also be good if you flopped a monster on the Flop and you want your opponent to represent it so you can trap him.
#3 Value bet: Value is the relative strength of your hand compared to what you think your opponent has. For example, you have A-10 in a Flop of J-10-6-5-2. You can consider your Pair of Tens to be not so strong, but if you put your opponent on 7-7 or weaker, then you can bet a small amount at the river (say, one-third or one-half the pot) so your opponent will pay you off if he, indeed has the 7-7, and if it turns out that he has the Jack, your loss is not so great. The point is you bet the largest amount you think your opponent will call.
#4 Check-raise-bluff: Now we move on to more complex compound terms. You usually check-raise if you have a strong hand or a drawing hand that you want to disguise. If you have none, but want to represent, do this. Check, then if he bets, put pressure on him.
#5 Value-bet-bluff: A value-bet is generally a fraction of a pot, typically 1/3 to 2/3. A bluff is usually greater than the pot (twice or more to be credible). If you bet 1/3 or 2/3 of the pot and you have nothing then strong players are likely to see the value-bet and fold. In this case, your bluff works, with less danger than a traditional bluff, for a traditional bluff may involve more than the pot or even an all-in, while a value-bet-bluff involves just a bet that is value-bet sized.
#6 Three-bets and four-bets: A three-bet means this: Someone bets (or raises preflop), then someone reraises, then someone reraises again (possibly the first raiser). This action is the third, hence ‘three-bet’. If anyone moves over the top after this, then this action is the fourth, hence ‘four-bet.’ To reraise a raise requires a very strong hand, then to reraise this requires a far stronger hand, then to reraise this reraise requires a hand far more stronger. Unless one is representing. So we can make terms like ‘three-bet-bluff’ and ‘four-bet-bluff’, meaning ‘a bluff with a three-bet or a four-bet’.
#7 Bluff all-in: An all-in implies a strong hand. If you have nothing and this is what you do, then you ‘bluff all-in’. It is good to bluff all-in in a dangerous board (one off a Straight or a Flush, or a paired Board) but it is more dangerous, because your opponent may have the nuts and call you. In less dangerous boards, you can just bet and your opponent will fold if he has nothing – it has the same effect as the bluff all-in.
#8 Call all-in: Technically, call all-in is non-aggressive. To call is not aggressive; you just moved all in because you have a hand that you will be willing to move all-in if you acted first, and someone just set you up to it (or maybe you slow-played and your opponent became aggressive and pushed you all-in and you called).
#9 Check-raise-all-in: This is very aggressive! You check, another player bets, then you go all in. A lot of players won’t interpret it as a bluff, and will call only if they have a hand. Say, on a board with J-10-Q-7-6, even with A-Q it is difficult to call a check-raise-all-in. You must have, say, A-K or 9-8 to do it, or a Flush.
#10 Check-raise-bluff-all-in: The #9 when you have nothing. Say, in the above board, you have 5-5. You just represent a strong made hand.
You can make some more variants of these poker moves. Enjoy it but don’t go too far! Value-bet bluffs will not be understood by weak players, and weak players will call check-raise-bluff-all-ins just as they will call regularly.
To read more articles like this and learn to play poker for free check out the NoPayPOKER.com blog which is full of free poker games tips and lessons as well as offering a no risk free online poker site where you can put theory into practice.
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June 4th, 2010
This strategy is based on cash and free online poker freerolls for upto 1000 players. I will keep it short and sweet, I think you’ll agree if you’ve been around poker any length of time that there are way too many long free texas holdem strategies out there that keep getting recycled.
The first hour
Freerolls are played by everyone, good players bad players, annoying people that just keep going all in and all in again.
The all in on every hand donk players are the ones to watch out for early on. Never take a risk in the beginning of even a free texas holdem tournament, because the players that don’t know the game or so will go all in with A 6 (not even suited) and it would be very sad if you have an As Ks and will be beaten by a A 6!
Just call only when it’s low should you have AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AK (suited) KQ (suited) Note: You should not go all in with these cards at the pre-flop (bad beats are incredibly frustrating)
And extremely important; DO NOT BLUFF during this period.
Following the first hour
This is the time that almost all of the bad players are gone, aside from the lucky ones!
Here you can play more aggressive and attempt to steal the blinds (very important since the blinds increase and ante needs to be paid so what you can get by playing cards is too less to keep playing)
You may also introduce some new cards to you playable hands like:
- AA (all in when in late position and not a lot of people in the pot)
- AK
- AQ
- KK (just like AA)
- KJ
- QQ
- KQ
- 10 10
- QJ
When you find yourself in the pot with a few players and they just check or make low bets/calls you can try to bluff.
Ensure that your stack is not less then the average stack, if it does go back to the “first hour strategy” and tighten up! (it is not a shame to pull back and change strategy a couple of times to create some confusion!)
Congratulations If everything went well you are now in the money, but you can’t tell me that you’d like to quit now and earn some crappy cents, that’s just waste of your time since the most freerolls will extend to 4-5 hours. So concentrate!
This is the part where the “n00bs” are gone and you play with some pokerfreaks so watch out!
You’ll be able to recognize the good players not at the number of chips they have but at their check, bet, call, raise and fold actions!
They will try to get to see the flop with as less chips as possible and fold most of the time (most common way to spot the good ones).
If you want to be in the top 3 (other places won’t pay that well) you have to be careful, but take some risks to! The hands you can play are the same as in the second part of the freeroll from the 77,88 and up.
When in late position try and steal the blinds, but not too often or you will be recognized as a bluffer!
Good luck with your freerolls! As to how to start your freeroll winning career, kick off on free texas hold em sites, minimum risk, good fun and skill and confidence building. Then when you are ready you can get into higher win online poker games.
[Keywords: poker freeroll help, free poker, how to win a freeroll, free online poker help, free poker guide, free texas holdem freeroll help, free texas holdem poker tip, free texas holdem guide ]
May 25th, 2010
Are you a free poker play or a high WSOP stakes roller or, more likely, somewhere in the middle? Whatever your level you know that improving your playing skills is very important. But have you stopped to think about the impact the sort of games you play can have on your success?
For example, there’s an old story about a poker pro who was the sixth best player in the world but never made any money. That was because he chose to only play against the top five best players in the world. The moral of the story is that you make money when you possess a clear edge over your opponents.
Don’t be overconfident
Everyone wants to be the best and play the best. It’s a matter of pride. However, unless your name is Phil Ivey, you probably won’t have an advantage over every opponent in every game. It’s also important to recognize that even the top poker pros will sometimes step down a level and play lesser competition because it’s more profitable.
If you can’t beat players at lower level cash games, you shouldn’t try to play at higher level cash games. You’re going to go broke trying. Start out on free texas holdem games at sites like NoPayPOKER.com if you need to and work up from there.
This is true with online games as well as live card rooms. A great example I have of picking the right room is a time a few years ago when I found myself in a small resort hotel casino. The players there were pretty loose and passive and as a result with more aggressive play I was able to hammer them with larger bets that they were comfortable with and as a result doubled my money in 2 hours without even winning a pot simply by getting paid off for OK strength hands.
I also remember one time when I played for five hours in a $1/2 no-limit hold’em game at a five-star hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. I barely broke even. The players were tight and aggressive and played back at me when I tried to put a move on them. I knew afterward that I picked the wrong table.
What kind of game to look for
The first thing to keep in mind is your bankroll. If you can’t afford to play $5/10 live or $.50/1 online, then you shouldn’t do it. You should move down to a more affordable level even free online poker if necessary.
Next, your skill. Be honest now, can you compete at this level? If you can’t or are not sure (and not sure means you probably can’t) then drop down a level or even 2. If needs be play free texas holdem poker or micro stakes in order to hone your skills and build self confidence.
Once you’ve decided the level you can beat, you then need to be choosy about the particular table you want to sit at. Ideally, you want to play at a table where you see players making a lot of fundamental errors like playing too many hands or playing too passively. A loose and passive table is probably the most profitable table. A loose game will allow you to win big pots because players will call you down with weak hands, and a passive game affords you the opportunity to hit your draws cheaply and bully your opposition.
If you can’t find a really passive and loose table (that is quite rare sadly) get into the habit of observing regular games before you join. You should be able to get a good feel for if you’ll be able to do the business there. Remember the point is to win. It’s nice to be a good player but not a good player who gets beaten by better players because you couldn’t resist “a challenge” You’ll feel better to be a good winning player trust me! So start fresh now, get more selective with the games you play, if it’s all new to you start with free texas hold em and work up from there.
[Keywords: free texas hold em, free poker, free online poker, free texas holdem, free texas holdem poker, free online texas holdem poker ]
April 14th, 2010
Internet marketing has always been about promoting the best of the products, courses, software tools, etc. And these internet marketers have earned very impressive money selling either their own products and services, or those from other vendors. The content that can be marketed online can be sold in many formats. But one of the most popular forms of selling information on the Internet happens to be through membership sites. Now there are many online marketers who have decided to switch their content delivery format to membership websites.
Stven Lee Jones and Andrew X will soon launch a new course, My Membership Empire, on April 13, 2010. Steven and Andrew are successful internet marketers, and they’re products have allowed newbie and advanced marketers to make their living from online marketing. They’re well-known within the IM community for their effective educational products: My Clickbank Business, Google Massacre, Google Magic Formula, and Niche Socializer. Their latest collaboration, My Membership Empire, will show marketers how to create membership sites, and then transform them into a network of sites. In this review article we shall be looking into what exactly you get when you buy their course and what makes it different.
My Membership Empire simply allows you the opportunity to build and market profitable membership sites. You’ll be shown step by step all the details for building your site from the bottom up. Once you get your hands on the course, you’ll have the knowledge to not only grow your member’s database quickly but you’ll also learn how to retain them once they get in. You’ll be shown how to give people what they want, so you’ll benefit with the highest returns.
The best part about My Membership Empire is that it gives you what it takes to put your whole membership business on auto-pilot, so that you can grow your business the right way. You no longer have to fear the land of membership sites because you now have a map to guide you from point A to point B. The first level profits are made by your initial sales, My Membership Empire includes a section specifically dedicated to generating sales.
Overall, this course is straightforward and upfront. This course is built on proven principles that only work. What’s necessary at this point is some action by you.
[Keywords: my membership empire, my membership empire review, my membership empire bonus, make money online, web marketing ]
April 12th, 2010
Google Adwords is a tried and true advertising medium that both vendors and buyers have come to trust. It is a result oriented advertising tool that vendors prize because it directs targeted traffic to their profitable home business websites. Adwords is beneficial for a lot of things, including making a sale, getting a lead, or testing a new offer. With Adwords one can market a product throughout the world, or geographically target specific locations such as countries, states or even specific cities. However, costly mistakes occur when vendors go about designing campaigns without first considering the market trends, the needs of their buyers, and the precise characteristics of their products. I will be examining three mistakes in this article that are commonly made by marketers to help you avoid them when you are employing Adwords.
Mistake 1: Non-specific Key Words
You can become a victim of serious advertising errors while attempting to use Google Adwords for your home business advertising. This is especially true when you are trying to multi-task with too many things at once and allowing perfection to be a driving force. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are so many people on-line who are successful and making a good return on their investments. You need to keep your eyes on your competitors, especially those who have businesses with a focus similar to yours and are using Adwords as an advertising tool. You will know an ad is successful when it stays online for a couple of weeks or longer. If it was not bringing in money, the advertiser would have taken it off and replaced it. Don’t mistake taking an ad that appears to be successful and copying it to modifying a successful advertisement and personalizing it. Doing so allows you to be successful without reinventing the wheel. It allows you to start converting visitors to sales.
Mistake 2: Bidding For Top Place Search Engine Results
In addition to Adwords, there is an option to display your ads on the Google Content Network, a group of websites displaying ads. It is important to understand that there is no way to know if these sites will be targeted towards your topic. Plus, they could be Adsense based, meaning the information on them is either not relevant or can be strong competition for your products. How does this affect your Forex Invincible marketing campaign? You’re paying big bucks for sub-prime ad placement and there’s a good chance you won’t make any return on your money. Ad’s like these are even more difficult to track. In other words, when you are starting your Adwords campaign, be sure to turn off the ‘content network’ and focus your efforts with Google and its partners. The Content Network does have it’s benefits, but it is a whole other universe with different rules.
Blunder 3: Unrealistic Expectations
Unrealistic expectations are almost always the cause of the number one mistake made by people new to Adwords. They get excited about their potential earnings and start counting money they’ve not yet made. They simply look at the numbers in their market, realize it has a lot of potential, and believe they will be able to have 10,000 visitors in the first month, resulting in tons of profits. However, what they don’t think about when it comes to this is the conversion rate. In order to make a profit, you have to get the traffic to convert. It is better to select a lower, less expensive traffic generating option as you get the hang of Adwords and tweak your campaign, and then grow into the traffic generating mode that best compliments your conversions. Using this type of method, you can maximize your earnings from PPC marketing and Adwords.
[Keywords: google adwords, make money online, pay per click, ppc advertising, internet marketing ]
April 5th, 2010
If you’ve been involved with online marketing, you’ve probably read how successful some marketers are with membership sites. Lots of internet marketers are completely reliant on such sites as their only revenue source. There are a few common issues involved, though – what is a profitable topic, how will you find paying subscribers, what kind of content is used and where to get it.
For most, if you’ve never created a membership site, then it can be daunting to figure out all those questions alone. You can cut a slice from this profitable pie, however you’ll need to know the right answers to those unique questions. Those and more questions are answered for you by My Membership Empire; the product of Steven Lee Jones and Andrew X who are two highly successful and respected marketers. They have successfully launched products in the past that have helped many Internet marketers start their own careers; and have also helped advanced marketers who were able to expand their business. Their previous products include Google Massacre, My Clickbank Business and Google Magic Formula. Their course, My Membership Empire, takes anyone by the hand and reveals how to plan and develop a successful and attractive membership site. In this review article we will be looking into how My Membership Empire can give you the required techniques to start creating your own membership sites.
My Membership Empire is really the bottom line when it comes to a course on membership site building. It offers outstanding details for developing a profitable and stable membership business. You’ll see exactly how to acquire members and retain them as members. Gaining members is hard, but what’s even harder is retaining them. But you will receive training on how to overcome these areas. Aside from that, you’ll be shown how to proceed with content creation for your sites.
Using My Membership Empire, you’d be able to completely automate your whole business after the initial set up. Assistance will be available for creating your websites and also for maintaining them. They also will provide detailed training videos and webinars on marketing and advertising.
In short, My Membership Empire is for real. This course is built on proven principles that only work. You just need to take some action and see your results.
[Keywords: my membership empire, make money online, home business, seo, work from home ]
April 4th, 2010
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