Day 133 ... PokerRoom.com $1.80 + $ 5.50 (cancelled game)

Whilst the forum sign-ups seem to coming on ok I'm still stuggling with getting the tournies off the ground. No suprise really as I haven't got a big enough base yet for it to be easy. So the game at PokerRoom.com got cancelled so I took the only other entry fatvilla on in a short handed SnG game - he came 2nd and eventually after rather a tough heads up game I came 1st - which was nice. All went a bit down hill after that he suggested a rematch and caught up with me in what I thought was a NL SnG full table - half right I'd managed to drop into a limit table - which was interesting - well it wasn't really it was wierd and hard work but still managed to get 5th, don't know where the villa finished up. Hope the next tournies go better - got over 20 for the TitanPoker $100 freeroll but no signups out of it - these freeroll hunters seem to come out of the woodwork and I know loads of the other forum guys are up against the same thing. Anyhow got so bored with the limit game that I was playing a NL cash game too - which was going ok, I'd doubled up but yep you've guessed stuck with a hand I knew I had no business being in and came back down to make a whole 5 cents profit.

$5.50 NL SnG short ... 1st ... + $12.00
$5.50 L SnG full ... 5th ... - $5.50

$8.00 NL Cash ... $ 8.05 ... + $0.05

Day 133 ... $ 7.30 ... + $ 6.55 ... total $ 13.85 ( - $ 250.15)

Poker article of the day ...
Poker Starting Hands - Suited connectors - by scrawnybob

Day 132 ... PokerRoom.com ... $12.80

$5+0.5 NL SnG ... 8th ... - $ 5.50
$5+0.5 NL SnG ... 6th ... - $ 5.50

Well there we go another dismal and all too quick loss of cash, I got screwed a bit on the river in the last game but I've really got no one to blame but myself. I've now got myself into a downward cycle of expectation that means I'm nowhere near on my game - such as it was. I'm also a couple of months out on my $44 per month rule. If only I'd stopped playing when I realised that building 4kingpoker (at least at this early stage) was going to be a big distraction - I would still have a half decent bankroll.

Live and learn - Looks like I'm going to be playing freerolls if I get some free time - 4hrs to pick up $12 doesn't really seem worth the effort but maybe it will teach me to play less recklessly. My bankroll makes todays article look all the more ironic.

Day 132 ... PokerRoom.com ... $ 12.80 ... - $ 11.00 ... total $0.80 ( - $ 263.20)

Poker article of the day ... Poker Starting Hands - Everything else is a 4king waste of time -
by scrawnybob

Day 131 ...

No play today ... Getting my teeth into trying to write some more articles and pushing the site as much as possible - The more I read about running a poker site the more I realize just how much work is really involved and how much I still have to learn to make it successful. I guess this is some inspiration, half the new start sites will sink without trace and fade into the background. I just hope that all my efforts make sure that mine isn't one of them - fingers crossed.

Poker article of the day ...
Poker Starting Hands - Position in Poker - by scrawnybob

Day 130

No play today, after my less than impressive play last night I think it's probably best that I leave it alone for a bit - and figure out how to get back to how I was playing before I started this blog, maybe I wasn't a huge winning player but I certainly managed to make my backroll last a hell of alot longer and get more games out of it.

The 4kingpoker Tour follow up game was a non event - not surprised really as most of the players are US based and had turkey and family to take care of - Going to keep plugging away at the tournie side of the site, never thought it was going to be easy but it's proving frustrating as I just want to get things going rather than sitting and waiting for nothing to happen I'm making the effort and probably expecting a bit too much too soon.

Poker article of the day ...
Poker Strategy - Losing less IS Winning more - by scrawnybob

Day 129 ... Royal Vegas ... $ 15.47 ... PokerRoom $0.35 + deposit $44 (Dec / Feb)

$ 8.00 Cash NL 0.05/0.1 ... $ 18.01 ... + $ 10.01
$ 8.00 Cash NL 0.05/0.1 ... $ 00.00 ... - $ 8.00
$ 8.00 Cash NL 0.05/0.1 ... $ 9.35 ... + $ 1.37
$ 8.00 Cash NL 0.05/0.1 ... $ 8.00 ... + $ 0.00
$ 8.00 Cash NL 0.05/0.1 ... $ 00.00 ... - $ 8.00

Not a great performance and back to square one on their money. I'm going to cash up early at PokerRoom as I've got the whole night to play tonight without any chance of interuptions and Royal Vegas isn't really lighting my candle.

$5+0.5 SnG ... 7th ... - $5.50

$12 cash NL 0.25 ... 00.00 ... - $12.00
$12 cash NL 0.25 ... 36.45 ... + $24.45

$12 cash NL 0.25 ... 0.00 ... - $12.00
$12 cash NL 0.25 ... 0.00 ... - $12.00

$5+0.5 SnG ... 2nd ... + $9.50

$12 cash NL 0.25 ... 0.00 ... - $12.00
$12 cash NL 0.25 ... 0.00 ... - $12.00

I'm not even going to comment on tonights play - I got unlucky a couple of times but for the most part I knew exactly the hands that were going to cost me my profit and sure enough I still carried on and made vertually every winning session a loser because I got greedy and thought I was on a roll - I end up playing like a massive fish.

Day 129 ... Royal Vegas ... $ 15.47 ... - $ 4.62 ... total $ 10.85 (+ $ 10.85)

PokerRoom ... $ 44.35 ... - $ 31.55 ... total $ 12.80 (- $ 251.20)

UltimateBet ... total $ 0.15 ... (- $ 43.85)


Poker article of the day
Just DON'T play online poker like you see it on the TV - By scrawnybob

Day 128 ... Royal Vegas ... $ 9.40

$ 9.40 ... Cash NL 0.05 / 0.10 ... $ 14.54 ... + $ 5.14
$ 8.00 ... Cash NL 0.05 / 0.1 ... $ 18.92 ... + $ 10.92

$8.00 ... Cash NL 0.05 / 0.1 ... $ 0.00 ... - $ 8.00
$ 8.00 ... Cash NL 0.05 / 0.1 ... $ 6.01 ... - $ 1.99

I have to say after playing short tables (6 players) on PokerRoom and finding the competition decent, playing at Royal Vegas was a pleasant suprise, I wasn't that fussed about the software (which now I'm used to it seems fine) but the level of fish here is excellent - I mean really seems to be sweet. In got a bit carried away on one hand which cost me all my money but it seems like they are mostly tight passive players - they know their hands ok but are easily intimidated - and if they're not then they prob have something - in the mena time they are happy to call.

Day 128 ... Royal Vegas $ 9.40 ... + $ 6.07 (inc bonus $1) ... $ 15.47 (+ $15.47)

Poker article of the day ...
2005 World Series of Poker - Complete Report - by Tom Howze

Over 29,000 poker players came to Las Vegas from 40 different countries all over the earth to play in the 2005 World Series of Poker tournament events. This generated a total net prize pool of over $103,000,000 dollars, more than twice the total prize pool amount in 2004. New records were being made and old ones being broken so fast the challenge was to keep up with them all. Here is a "complete report" of what went on at this years World Series of Poker. It is complete because it covers tournament events #1 to #45.

Records were being made from the start as 662 casino employees entered Event #1 which was the "Casino Employee No-limit Hold'Em" tournament. The number broke the record set last year, which was 279 entrants. Andy Nguyen, a poker dealer from Binion’s in Las Vegas, won this event earning a payday of $83,390. Things really picked up as Event #2 "No-Limit Texas Hold'Em" began with an astounding 2,305 players signing up to play. For comparison, the 2004 WSOP Main Event had 2,576 players in it. Allen Cunningham was the recipient of a WSOP gold bracelet and $725,405 for winning this one. Event #3 "Pot-Limit Hold'Em" had Thom Werthmann pocketing $369,535 by overcoming tough play from Layne Flack in the heads up match at the final table. Another WSOP record was set when 21 year old Eric Froehlich became the youngest person to earn a WSOP championship bracelet by winning Event #4 "Limit Hold'Em" and an additional $361,910 for his efforts. Pat Poels who quit his full time job to become a professional poker player won event #5 "Omaha Hi-Low Split". His paycheck that day was $270,100. Isaac Galazan won Event #6 "No-limit Hold'Em" a shootout tournament by defeating a determined Harry Demetriou and took home $315,125 for becoming champion.

Event #7 "No-Limit Hold'Em with Rebuys" was won by 24 year old poker tournament millionaire Michael Gracz, picking up an additional $594,460 for the win. But Michael said he would give up all the winnings just to have the WSOP bracelet, that's how much it meant to him. Event #8 "Seven Card Stud" had online qualifier Cliff Josephy claim the victory and $192,100. Erik Seidel picked up his 6th WSOP bracelet and $611,795 after winning the Event #9 "No-Limit Hold'Em" tournament. Reza Payvar who saw a marathon 13 hour heads up match to the end, won Event #10 "Limit Hold'Em". Reza, who received $303,610 and a WSOP bracelet, stated he dedicated the win to his father who passed away last year. Reza missed the 2004 WSOP to be with his father who had cancer. Online qualifier Edward Moncada won Event #11 "Pot-Limit Hold'Em" receiving his first WSOP bracelet and $298,070. The winner of Event #12 "Pot Limit Omaha" was Josh Arieh who earned his 2nd gold WSOP bracelet along with a $381,600 payday.

In his 58th major tournament win, T.J. Cloutier picked up his 6th WSOP bracelet by winning the Event #13 "No Limit Hold'Em" event and pocketing $657,100 in the process. Event #14 "Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split" lasted 36 hours, but in the end Steve Hohn picked up his bracelet and $156,985. Steve even endured a 4 1/2 hour heads up battle with Mike Wattel at the final table to capture this tournament victory! Mark Seif was able to place a desired crown on his poker resume by winning Event #15 "Limit Hold'Em Shootout" and $181,330 in his wallet. The champion for the Event #16 "No-Limit Hold'Em Shootout" tournament was Anthony Reategui, proving himself the best of 780 players for the title of champion and $269,100. Quinn Do ended up with $265,975 for winning Event #17's "Limit Hold'Em" tournament. Denis Ethier came from behind as the final table's short stack to win Event #18 "Seven Card Stud High-Low Split". Denis was rewarded with $160,682 for his effort. And Barry Greenstein became the champion of the Event #19 "Pot Limit Omaha" tournament gaining another $423,405 and a bracelet. Barry in his true humanitarian form dedicated his win to a terminally ill cancer patient named Charlie Tuttle. For Event #20 which was "Pot Limit Hold'Em", Brian Wilson won $370,685 for his efforts at the WSOP.

Todd Brunson, son of Doyle Brunson was the winner of the Event #21 "Omaha High-Low Split" tournament. Todd won $255,945 and entered World Series of Poker history, as he and his father became the only father and son to win championship bracelets. And Mark Seif captured his 2nd WSOP bracelet in a week plus $611,145 to boot by winning the Event #22 "No-Limit Hold'Em" tournament.

Event #23 "Seven Card Stud" had a happy Jan Sorensen from Denmark ready to take home $293,275 and a bracelet for winning this tournament. Event #24 "No Limit Hold'Em" was won by the very serious, solid playing Farzad Bonyadi who earned $594,960 for the effort. In Event #25 "Pot-Limit Hold'Em", Johnny Chan won his 10th WSOP bracelet breaking a 3-way tie with him, Doyle Brunson and Phil Hellmuth Jr., setting a record in the process. Johnny picked up a hefty $303,025 as well. Actress Jennifer Tilly turned heads again by winning Event #26 "Ladies No-Limit Hold'Em". She actually dominated final table play against top women poker players in the world to win $158,335 and a bracelet you can't buy in a store anywhere. Expect no less from the girlfriend of Phil "Unabomber" Laak. Phil Ivey overcame a determined Robert Williamson III to win Event #27 "Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys" earning his 5th gold WSOP bracelet and $630,685. Dan Schmiech won $404,585 by winning against actor Gabe Kaplan in the Event #28 "Limit Hold'em" tournament. Event #29 "No Limit Hold'Em" has Lawrence Gosney as this years champion pocketing $483,195 for the win. Now Event #30 "Seven Card Razz" is actually a little tough to understand and play, but O'Neil Longson proved he could do it and took home $125,690 as proof.

The 3-way tie Johnny Chan broke earlier became a tie again as Doyle Brunson won the Event #31 "No-limit Hold'Em (Short Handed 6/table)" tournament earning his 10th WSOP bracelet and $367,800 once again showing how his legendary reputation was earned. Event #32 "Omaha High-Low Split" was won by David Chiu taking home his 4th bracelet and $347,410. Andre Boyer, a poker analyst for TV station Le Réseau des Sports in Quebec won Event #33 "No Limit Hold'Em" who's skill was rewarded with a $682,810 payday. Event #34 "Seniors No Limit Hold'Em" has a new champion who's name is Paul McKinney. Paul, who is 80 years old, can relax in the sun after depositing $202,725 in his bank account. Rafi Amit won Event #35 "Pot Limit Omaha" and $511,835 after becoming victorious in a heads up battle with Vinny Vinh.

A dominate Todd Witteles won Event #36 "Limit Hold'em" knocking out opponents left and right to take home the bracelet and $347,385. Event #37 "No Limit Hold'Em with Rebuys" was won by Jon Heneghan taking home $611,015 in the process. Event #38 was a super satellite tournament for seats to the Main Event, so no prize pool or list of winners was produced. Event #39 "No Limit 2 to 7 Draw Lowball with Rebuys" had David Grey as the champion who was heralded with $365,135. Event #40 was also a super satellite like #38 so there is nothing to report unfortunately. When it came time for raising money for charity, the media and celebrities in Event #41 showed up at the tables. Randy Bowman of the media won $10,000 for the Noblesville Boys and Girls Club.

Event #42 is the WSOP Main Event, the big tournament where millionaires are born. This year the first place prize was $7,500,000 and every person who made the final table became a millionaire guaranteed. 5,619 entrants competed in the tournament making it the largest in WSOP history. In fact it was so large that it had to be spread out over 9 days. 2004 champion Greg Raymer made it up to 25th place before elimination, receiving $304,680 for his efforts. But it was Joseph Hachem who became champion for this year, pocketing the $7.5 million and a beautiful diamond bracelet that can only be earned by winning the Main Event.

For those who were busted out of the Main Event, they found additional tournaments for play in Events #43, #44 and #45 which were 1 day events. Ron Kirk beat out players like Erik Seidel and Marcel Luske to take home $321,520 for winning the Event #43 "No Limit Hold'Em" tournament. Event #44 "No Limit Hold'Em" was won by John Pires who received $220,935 for his victory. And the Event #45 "No Limit Hold'Em" winner was Willie Tann who happily received his bracelet and $188,335 for 1 day's work! Not bad at all.

With the sheer size of this event and a total number of staff and players that could make up a small city, it is hard to think of anything the poker world could do to surpass it. But Harrah's has already released the 2006 World Series of Poker Tournament Circuit schedule and it is expanded from 2005's five tournaments to twelve, so we'll have to wait and see. Poker on TV will keep us all happy until then.

Tom Howze is a webmaster for 9 sites that relate to 2005 World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour events, updates and information.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Day 127

No play today ... I've got peanuts left around in all sorts of poker rooms but I'd rather get my teeth into 4kingpoker site than play bad half concentrating poker. Just off to post a couple of baseball caps over to the states to the winners of the last 4kingpoker Tour freeroll at UltimateBet, I'm hoping we get a few players for the $5+0.5 tournie their on the 27th - It's Thanksgiving which probably wasn't the best piece of planning but still fingers crossed we get some more last minute players. The it's of to Titan Poker for the $100 freeroll on the 4th Dec. I've got a busy time of poker tournies coming up what with the launch of The 4kingpoker Series with a $5+0.5 buy-in at PokerRoom.com on Wednsday 30th November too.

Looks like I might be on my own representing the 4kingpoker forum at the Poker Forum Challenge $5000 freeroll at Royal Vegas but you never know it's a few more days till the last entry date on the 29th November ... don't know that I'm going to play too well as I've got a Christmas Curry to go to before I try to play at 1am probably in a mess.


Poker article of the day ...
The Main Event for the 2005 World Series of Poker - by Tom Howze

The Main Event for the World Series of Poker is what defines the ultimate challenge in Texas No Limit Hold'Em. In 2005, 5,619 players sat down to compete for 9 days in order to get a chance at the $7,500,000 first prize. Everyone who was lucky enough to reach the final table became an instant millionaire. And the total prize pool was also impressive, reaching $52,818,610 dollars! But to even have a shot at the great amounts of cash, players had to survive the elimination rounds of the tournament.

With a field so large the competitors were split up into 3 groups, each competing on one of 3 days: Day 1A, 1B & 1C, which were very long and brutal for some. The elimination goal was to play down to 500 to 600 for each daily round. The first day, Day 1A, lasted 15 hours and 25 minutes for the 1,885 players who competed in order to continue on with only 663 players surviving that round. Day 1B began with 1,857 players stopping at 593 contestants. And Day 1C started with 1,877 entrants and ended up with 608 after the dust settled. At this point the total field has dropped from 5,619 to 1,864. While a lot of players had their pocket A's cracked like eggs at the RIO's breakfast buffet over this 3 day period, numerous others had outstanding performances. Sam Farha, Lee Watkinson, Jim Meehan, Robert Mizrachi and Robert Mizrachi did well. Now at this point last year's champ Greg Raymer is holding at 469th, but you'll hear a lot more from him before this is over.

Day 2 saw the field whittled from 1,864 to 569 and it had a lot of activity. Within the first hour 2003 WSOP champ Chris Moneymaker, Gus Hansen, David Sklansky and Marcel Luske were among those leaving for good. Greg Raymer decided it was time to play poker as he began sending people home along with raising his standing to 9th from 469th the day before. WSOP champion Dan Harrington who made it to the Main Event final table for the past 2 years was eliminated. Layne Flack had an excellent day at the ESPN table making his stack grow, even cracking pocket A's held by other players in the process.

Day 3 was exciting because there were 569 players and the payouts began at position 560. It was good for almost everyone but Karl Ygborn who received no money period when he became the "bubble boy", finishing in position 561. However, Harrah's awarded him a free seat to the 2006 WSOP Main Event for next year! After the bubble burst, players were leaving the tables left and right to collect their money, evidence of the fact that many players were drained and very tired. Raymer continued to pound away with an effort that vaulted him to number one in the chip count for Day 3. Other notables were Farzad Bonyadi, Phil Ivey, Minh Ly, 1994 WSOP champ Russ Hamilton and Brad Kondracki who has also done very well so far. At the end of this day there were 185 players left.

Days 4 and 5 raised the bar and intensity of play with Greg Raymer continuing to bust out players left and right. Lots of upsets with names like Paul Darden, David Plastik, Howard Lederer, J. C. Tran, Nani Dollison, Mike Wattel and Webber Kang being eliminated. Incredible performances by players like Tiffany Williamson, Brad Kondracki and Aaron Kanter will be seen by all on ESPN. By the time Day 5 ends 11 1/2 hours later, there are 27 players left that will continue the Main Event at Binion's in downtown Las Vegas.

As Day 6 began at Binion's, the goal was to narrow the field from 27 to the 9 needed for the final table. Greg Raymer's bid to repeat a championship was ended with the titan leaving in 25th place. Everyone including the ESPN crew gave him a standing ovation as he left the tables. Others who went out on this day include Phil Ivey in 20th and Minh Ly in 19th. Tiffany Williamson left in 15th and also went out with a standing ovation. The eliminations continued until the 9 for the final table was reached. Those players were Mike Matusow, Aaron Kanter, Andrew Black, Joseph Hachem, Steven Dannenmann, John Barch, Daniel Bergsdorf, Scott Lazar and Brad Kondracki. When Day 7 began, no one knew it would be the longest final table in WSOP history. One by one, each new millionaire left the table after being busted out until only Steven Dannenmann and Joseph Hachem remained. At the final table when this heads up took place as is tradition at the WSOP, the prize money was brought to the table with an armed guard. The amount of $100 bills took up so much room to where it covered the entire poker table -- two feet high! Both players were tired as after 6 hands it was over and Joseph Hachem became the WSOP champion, taking home to Australia $7,500,000 and a beautiful diamond ring that only the Main Event champions can receive.

About the Author - Tom Howze is a webmaster for 9 sites that relate to 2005 World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour events, updates, results along with online sport betting information.

Day ... 126

No play today, I've working on better poker room reviews and a set of top10 lists by bonus / fish etc which should be online soon. Went to pick up the 4kingpoker branded baseball caps - they're the nuts - really classy - think I might sell them as well as give them away as prizes and for gettting 50 quality poker posts up on the forum - I paid £20+ for a similar cap so they'll be a bargain piece of poker bling - the lads in the home game will love 'em.

Poker article of the day ...
World Series of Poker - Joe Hachem - by Matthew Winnington

One of the most prestigious poker tournaments in the brick and mortar world in the 21st century (and previously as well) is the World Series of Poker. The event draws thousands of enthusiastic poker players from the world over each and every year. Indeed, the 2005 World Series of Poker features over 5,600 dedicated participants.

The winner of the World Series of Poker 2005 tournament was Joe Hachem. In winning in the World Series of Poker tournament in 2005, Hachen took home a record breaking prize of $7.5 million.

Brief Bio: Joe Hachem

Hachem is garnering the reputation as being one of the best poker players anywhere in the world. This perception of Hachem actually began to take hold even before his historic winnings in the 2005 World Series of Poker tournament. Many poker experts believe that Hachem will remain a force to be reckoned with on the tournament circuit for years to come.

Hachem was born in March, 1966, in Lebanon. As a boy, he moved with his family to Melbourne, Australia. (Australia remains his home today.)

Prior to taking up professional poker, Hachem was a practicing chiropractor in Australia. He saw patients until about a decade ago when he developed a rare blood disease that prevented him from effectively working with his patients. At that time, and in order to kill time, he took up playing poker as a hobby. According to a number of interviews he has given over the course of the past couple of years, he never envisioned the day that he would be playing poker professionally -- let along winning a large scale tournament like the World Series of Poker.

Hachem is married and has four children.

Joe Hachem and His Career as a Professional Poker Player

Prior to taking home the coveted World Series of Poker prize, Hachem played poker for a mere ten years. As mentioned, he took up poker at that time as a means of passing the time.

2005 actually marked Hachem’s first turn at play in the World Series of Poker. While it certainly is not heard of for a person to win such a large tournament his first time in the door, Hachem is marking territory as a very formidable player in the 21st century.

Hachem is the first Australian who has won the United States based World Series of Poker, although not the first non-U.S. citizen to take home the first place prize.

Joe Hachem and Online Poker Playing

Although Hachem is making his mark in the poker tournaments of the brick and mortar world, he has set his sites on the world of online gaming and poker playing. According to Hachem himself: "I started in casinos (in the brick and mortar world). But, in the past two years, I’ve been playing online a lot."

Hachem made his remarks following his victory in the 2005 World Series of Poker competition. Hachem joins a growing number of poker professionals who have cut their card playing teeth in casinos the world over who are becoming more heavily involved in online poker playing and Internet based poker tournaments. At this point in time, Hachem spends at least some time each week playing poker online.

Hachem and other well known professional poker players are joining the literally thousands of men and women who are taking up poker playing online each and every year. With the tremendous rise in the number of people taking part in online poker, even large casino operators like Harrah’s are getting into the game. (Harrah’s has announced its intention to play a large role in the online casino market -- including poker -- on into the future.)

A growing number of poker enthusiasts (both professional and amateur) envision the day when online poker tournaments will in fact carry with them hefty prizes like the multi-million dollar purse offered in the World Series of Poker in 2005. Indeed, some insiders from the world of professional poker suggest that the day when Internet based tournaments will match the prizes found in the brick and mortar world is not all that far off.

At the present time, Hachem intends to continue playing poker professionally. (When not at the table, Hachem owns and operates a brokerage firm in Australia. He has no immediate plans to end that particular business despite his great success in poker in 2005.)

Hachem intends to continue to play in high profile tournaments -- both in the brick and mortar world and online.

According to interviews with Hachem his family remains the focus of his life. When asked what he sees himself doing down the road, he has replied simply (in multiple interviews):

"Look after my family, my mum, my kids."

Certainly, it goes without saying that a bright future is in the cards for Joe Hachem.

A regular tournament player who contributes to sites dealing with a variety of poker games both online and off, visit Matthew’s site at www.playrealpokeronline.com for the latest news and articles on America’s favorite card game.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Day 125 ... PokerRoom.com ... $ 20.30

$ 5+0.5 NL SnG 30 ... 10th ... - $ 5.50

tried a 3 table SnG out of desperation as funds were getting so low - not a great plan

$ 5 + 0.5 NL SnG full table ... 4th ... - $ 5.50

Didn't fair much better ended up all-in preflop with KK and felt confident when the other player turned over Q3 suited, he was the big stack so I guess he figured me for a steal - board came up 3-- and then the Queen on the turn killed me.

$9.30 CASH NL 0.25 ... $ 5.85 ... - $ 3.45

another not great plan

$ 5.50 NL SnG full table ... 4th ... - $ 5.50

so my final game and no luck - or rather lots of bad calls. I guess it's all over until the end of the month, the way things are looking I'm going to have to put the $44 into UltimateBet so I can play in the tournie on the 27th as my mate still hasn't cashed into his account to free up my bonus. I guess I'll have to have a look at the $ 9.60 I've got left in Royal Vegas Poker.

Day 125 ... $ 20.30 ... - $ 19.95 ... total $ 0.35 ( - $ 263.54)

Poker article of the day ...
5 Top World Series of Poker Multi-Millionaires - by Murphy James

Johnny Chan has played in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) for twenty years, won it twice and has a record 10 bracelets, yet he is only fourth on the all-time World Series of Poker money list.

Aussie Joe Hachem has finished in the money only twice and has one top prize to go along with a cold slug of Foster’s. Yet, Hachem is in first place on the all-time money list and Chan is only fourth.

What’s happening here?

Pure and simple, the prize money has exploded. Today’s winner gets significantly more money than the payout Chan got when he won his two championships in the late 80’s.

Hachem won the 2005 WSOP, a record setting year for payout to the winner ($7.5 mil), participants (5600+), and total prize pool ($56 mil+) in the final, No Limit Texas Hold ‘em event.

Greg Raymer, who won it all in 2004, is in second place with $5.4 mil, courtesy of a $5 mil payday last year.

Steve Danneman, who finished second to Hachem in 2005, moved into third place, one ahead of Chan. It was Steve’s one and only “in the money” finish at the WSOP, but it was a whopper at $4.25 mil.

Johnny, with about $3.5 mil in WSOP payouts over 20 years of play, won back-to-back championship titles, the last person to do so, in ‘87 and ’88, for a total of about $1.3 mil.

How the times have changed. With the big payouts now, the newbies – with a single high place finish - have jumped ahead of some of the biggest names in poker, some of whom have been playing 20 years or more.

Here are the top five, according to the official statistics of the World Series of Poker, now owned by Harrah’s:

Joe Hachem, 2005 winner, $7,525,850

Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, 2004 winner, $5, 433,450

Steve Danneman, second place finisher, 2005, $4,250,000

Johnny Chan, $3,744,331

And rounding out the top five winners, with six WSOP bracelets since his first start in 1985, is T. J. Cloutier, at $3,697,251. Cloutier has never won the Big One, though he finished second to Chris “Jesus” Ferguson in 2000. Cloutier is just a steady, consistent winner.

What will happen in 2006?

Chances are good that all the records set in 2005 will be topped in 2006.

Chances are that an unknown will take it all.

Chances are that a new name will go to the top of the leader board.

Murphy James is a freelance writer specializing in the gaming industry. He has been published in men's magazines, business journals, and newspapers. His website is www.murphyjames.com His email address is murphyjames@murphyjames.com.
His most recent interviews were with poker pros Barry Greenstein and Jennifer Harman.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Day 124 ... PokerRoom.com ... $ 49.80

Entered up for scrawnybob's tour which is the tournie name for the 1st 4kingpoker Series tournie at Pokerroom.com

-$5.50 entry for the game on 39th November

$8 CASH NL 0.25 ... $0.00 ... -$8.00
$8 CASH NL 0.25 ... $0.00 ... -$8.00
$8 CASH NL 0.25 ... $0.00 ... -$8.00

Great evenings play - not

Day 124 ... $ 49.80 ... - $ 29.50 ... total $ 20.30 ( - $ 243.70 inc UltimateBet)

Poker article of the day ...
World Poker Tour - The Beginning of a Phenomenon - by Tom Howze

World Poker Tour high stakes poker tournaments started a revolution in the way the game is viewed, enjoyed, followed and played. Even though the World Series of Poker had been televised for years before the World Poker Tour (WPT), the game of poker was elevated when "WPT cams" were placed around the table so that the world could experience seeing what hand the players were playing and become emotionally involved in the decisions that were being made. When you add the fact that hundreds of thousands of dollars are laid out on the table with watching a few "instant millionaires" being made at these events, the world was hooked. But when word got out that anyone could challenge the planet's top poker player for six to seven-figure piles of money, individuals from all over came out to take up the challenge.

The WPT is made up of a number of high stakes poker tournaments held in different locations all over the globe. They are open to anyone willing to pay the entry fee, sometimes as high as $25,000 per seat. A person who wishes to enter any of these events can simply contact the casino hosting the event to do so. WPT CEO Steven Lipscomb started the idea of televised poker events with the WPT cams on cable back in February 2002. The breakaway success of this idea spawned many similar ideas and has inspired numerous land based casinos that had closed their poker rooms after dismissing poker as financially not worth the effort, to reopen them. Today, on top of seeing the best of the best in poker you can see millionaires, CEO's, rocket scientists, software kings, mathematicians, women and actors at the tables shoulder to shoulder competing to see who is the best. And on occasion, you can see an amateur beating a seasoned professional which sends out a resounding message that anyone can win.

Having been rewarded for staying a step ahead of the pack by reaching for new levels in the arena of poker, in September 2004 the WPT announced the tournament schedules for seasons 4, 5 and 6 that covers up until 2008 to a waiting public. (Those schedules are subject to change as more and more casinos and online poker rooms vie to host WPT events.) Beginning in 2004 the WPT has also announced the creation of a special poker tour for professionals only called the Professional Poker Tour. The difference is that the criteria for entry will be based on success in previous tournament play verses the WPT where anyone willing to pay the fee can enter regardless of past performance or skill level.

Another innovation is that WPT has partnered with land based and online poker rooms to establish satellite tournaments that can allow a player to win a seat to a WPT event without having to pay the pricey seat fees. These satellite tournaments often have entrance prices of under $200.00, which makes it more affordable for those seeking to play in a WPT event.

The WPT has grown to where it has made an offering of common stock under the NASDAQ symbol WPTE (World Poker Tour Enterprises). And agreements have been completed to have the show presented in Australia, Sweden, South Korea and the Philippines. They have also partnered with WagerWorks to build an online site that will allow real money wagering for poker players, so look for it in the future. (At the time of this writing, U.S. wagers will not be accepted on this new site). Being the version of a reality television series, you can expect new innovations to keep the World Poker Tour on top of the game of poker.

Tom Howze is a webmaster for 7 sites that relate to online gambling, World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour events and updates. For more information, please visit 2005 World Series of Poker . He can be reached at webmaster@justgambleforfree.com for questions.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com


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Day 123 ... Pokerroom $ 49.80 ... UltimateBet $0.00 ... Royal Vegas $10.00

Had a quick look at Royal Vegas Poker to check it out for the Poker Forum Challenge game that I'm trying to get a 4kingpoker forum team for. Graphics are ok and it seems to show good fish potential added to which they have some good sign-up bouses. Anyway ended up with a free $10 start so had a bit of a play - just finding my feet with it so happy I only dropped 60 cents.

$5 ... CASH NL 0.05-0.10 ... $ 4.40 ... -$0.60

Day 123 ... Royal Vegas $10 ... -$0.60 ... total $ 9.60 ... (-$0.60)

Poker article of the day ...
Calculating Poker Odds - The Easy Way! - by Oddvar Pettersen

To be successful at poker you should, at any time during the play of a hand, be able to calculate the odds of catching your hand to the odds the pot is giving you.

Knowing the probability of making a specific hand in poker can be done by calculating hand odds. Figuring out how many outs you have will give you the possibility of calculating the number of times you will hit your hand by the river.

Lets say your'e dealt A-9 of hearts in Texas Hold'em and the flop comes up showing two hearts. Your hand odds for hitting another heart by the river will be approximately 36% or 3 to 1. (you will hit your hand 1 out of 3 times)
You can figure this out by first finding the number of outs that you have. Outs are the number of cards remainig in the deck ( not visibe to you) that can help you make your hand.

So if we are using the hand above as an example and you hold A-9 of hearts and catch two hearts on the flop, than you have 9 more hearts in the deck that can help you complete your flush. 2 hearts in your hand + 2 hearts on the table minus 13 hearts in total = 9 outs.

If you multiply your number of outs by 4, than you will get an approximate percentage of hitting your hand by the river (9x4=36%).

Poker pot odds is the ratio between the size of the pot compared to how much it will cost you to call a bet from another player. The higher the ratio between the size of the pot and the cost of calling a bet, the better your poker pot odds are.

If there are $40 in the pot after the flop and a player bets $10 and two other players calls his bet then you are getting 7 to 1 in pot odds. If you are chasing the A-9 flush draw from the flop , than you are getting a 36% or 3 to 1 in hand odds to catch your card at the river, so calling or even raising this bet will be a correct decision to make.

Webmaster for TRUE POKER GUIDE. A website providing information on rules and strategies for all poker games played at home, online and in casinos today.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com



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Day 122

Poker article of the day ...
Pot Odds and Implied Pot Odds - by John Porter

In a previous article, I discussed odds and probabilities in general terms. Now, it is time to start learning to use odds to our advantage.

Both pot odds, and implied pot odds are used when you believe that you do not currently have the best hand, but you think that you can improve to the best hand. They are 1 part of the answer when you ask the question “should I bet, call, raise or fold?”.

Pot Odds

The term “Pot odds” refers to the odds you are currently getting from the pot. For instance, if there is currently $5 in the pot, and it will cost you $1 to stay in, you are getting 5:1 odds for your $1 call. Another way of stating this is that the pot is laying you 5:1.

There are several important concepts to understand about pot odds. First, once you have put money into the pot, by making, or calling a bet, that money belongs to the pot. It is irrelevant where the money in the pot came from. There are only two things that are important. The size of the pot, and the odds you are getting from the pot.

Next, understand that pot odds only consider the money that is currently in the pot. The money in the pot is made up of the money from bets on previous betting rounds, and bets on the current betting round. For instance, before the flop, 3 players, including you, and the small blind call, and the big blind checks, putting $5 total in the pot. After the flop, the small blind bets $1, the big blind and the next player each call. Now, it is your turn to decide. There is $5 in the pot from before the flop, a $1 bet from the small blind, a $1 call from the big blind and a $1 call from the next player. There is a total of $8 in the pot, and it will cost you $1 to call, so you are getting 8:1.

In the same example, assume that instead of calling, the player before you raises $1. There would now be $9 in the pot. However, because of the raise it will cost you $2 to call instead of $1. Your pot odds in this case are 9:2 or 4.5:1.

Pot odds, and implied odds for that matter, are usually calculated, and discussed in terms of small bets and big bets instead of dollars. This makes it easier to generalize the calculations. It does not matter if you are playing in a $.05/$.10 game or a $5/$10 game. The bets before the flop, and on the flop, are small bets, while the bets on the turn and river are big bets. If 3 people have called before the flop, there are 3 small bets in the pot. Note that the small blind is typically a portion of a small bet, such as 1⁄2 a small bet. If the small blind folds, there will therefore be some fractional number of bets in the pot, such as 4.5 small bets for instance.

In order to use pot odds, you are trying to make the decision we talked about with the coin flip example. Is it a good bet, or a bad bet? If it is a good bet for us, we should take it. If it is a bad bet, we should fold. For instance, if we think that the chance of improving to the best hand is 4:1, and the pot odds we are getting are 5:1, then it is a good bet and we should call a bet. However, if the numbers are changed so that you think your odds of improving to the best hand are 5:1, and the odds you are getting from the pot are 4:1, then the bet is a bad bet and we should fold.

A discussion of how to calculate your odds of improving to the best hand can be found in the article ‘Counting and Using Outs in Hold’em’.

Implied Pot Odds

Where pot odds only consider the money that is currently in the pot, implied pot odds takes into account future bets that may be gained if your hand does improve to the best hand.

Let’s take an example to make this clear. Before the flop, another player calls, you call, the small blind calls and the big blind checks, putting 4 small bets in the pot. After the flop, the first player bets, bringing the pot to 5 small bets, and giving you pot odds of 5:1. You calculate that your odds of improving to what will probably be the best hand are 6:1. Should you call?

Based on pot odds, the answer would be no. The odds of you improving are worse than the odds you are getting from the pot, so you should fold.

But, now you need to consider your implied odds.

Based on the play of the other players you may determine that 1 of the remaining players will also call, and that you will collect 2 big bets on the turn and 2 more on the river if you make your hand. That adds 1 more small bet, and 4 big bets, which is 8 small bets, giving you implied odds of 14:1 if you are correct. In this case, the implied odds turn what seemed like a clear fold into a call.

You must be careful in using implied odds however. Implied odds do not give you a license to call every bet on the flop. There are several factors that you must consider before you call based on implied odds.

First, you need to be realistic about how many bets the other players will call. If you are relying on 2 or 3 players to stay in the pot, and only 1 other player does stay, your implied odds are greatly reduced. Related to this, you can’t count on several players calling multiple raises. Often, a raise will knock most players out, and again, your implied odds are reduced.

Don’t over estimate the odds that can be overcome by implied odds. If you are a 23:1 dog to improve to the best hand, it is very unlikely that you will ever have the implied odds to call. You must consider the chances that you will improve to the hand you are looking for, and still lose. This goes along with reading the board. For instance, if you are trying to improve to top pair and there are 2 cards to a flush, or 2 cards to a straight on board you can improve and still lose. The more chance there is that someone else may improve to a better hand than yours, the better the odds must be in order to call.

If there are players still to act after you, one of them could raise. This would reduce your implied odds, and as well indicate that they already have a strong hand. Worse yet, the original bettor could re-raise, further reducing your implied odds and forcing you to fold, giving up the bet you already put in. When there are players left to act after you do, you once again need better odds in order to call.

If there is a chance that you may make your hand, and end up splitting the pot with 1 or more players, your implied odds are cut in half, or worse. This typically happens when you are trying to make a straight using only 1 of your cards.

So, implied pot odds can be an important tool in analyzing your choices, but you can’t just assume that the bets will be there to cover your odds, and that you will always win. It requires a bit of analysis, knowledge of what the other players may do, and careful reading of the board to adjust the implied odds to each situation.

Copyright © 2005 A1-PokerInfo.com. All rights reserved. This article may be freely distributed and published, providing it is distributed and/or published in its entirety, including the contact information and copyright.
For more information, and similar articles, contact the author at http://A1-PokerInfo.com.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Day 121

Day off today going to go to the cinema and watch Harry Potter movie - I haven't seen any of the previous ones, the hype kind of passed me by but its the only thing worth seeing and its damn cold today so I'm not going to do anything involving standing outside - trade one nice warm seat for another. And Im still not playing poker - maybe I have got some self control after all.

Poker article of the day ...
Poker Mind Tricks - by Michael Hayter

One thing you must always remember is that the cards in front of you are only one part of the game. The other part of the game is the people around you and of course you are a big part of the game. This is even more so in live games where you come face to face with the people whose money you are trying to take.

There are many ways to play the game and there are many techniques you can use to get an edge on the opponents. Playing correct hole cards, knowing pot odds and position betting are some of these. But another fundamental part of poker is the 'mind' game which can separate a good player and a pro.

I am now going to go into the three different mind tricks that can be used in the game of poker. Each one is extremely effective and will take time to master. If you can manage to master all of these techniques, which very people have, then you will indeed be a shark among the fishes in the poker worlds.

1. THE STARE
You may notice that a lot of players like to wear sunglasses at poker tables. The main reason behind this is that, it is a physiological fact that your eyes dilate when you see something that interests you. So if a king drops on the table and a players eyes dilate then that means that card has taken his interest. Some players look out for this.

What players that wear sunglasses to avoid this don't realize, is that they are actually taking away the ability to use 'the stare' trick. This technique when used properly will also negate the ability of other players to see if your pupils dilate. The only draw back is the fact that you can only use this on one player at a time. But this is why we have the other mind tricks.

Basically 'the stare' is what the name implies, you stare down an opponent. You may say 'Yes, yes I have seen people do this' or 'someone has tried this on me but it really isn't effective.' But you would be wrong as what most people do is only part of it. When most people try to stare someone down, it is usually during a showdown in which case they are trying to see if someone is bluffing or give up as little as possible of their own bet.

In fact to do this technique properly you need to be staring down a player from the moment they pick up their cards until they fold them. This is the reason why you can only use this on one player at a time. Once you get this right, players will find it very hard to read you as your body language will change very little. You will also be able to pick up on any slight changes in their plays. And finally and most importantly you will make them uncomfortable, which will inevitably throw their game off.

A few notes. To practice, sit at home in front of a mirror and focus intently on your own eyes without blinking for as long as possible. Beginners will find that initially they may need to take eye drops with them as your eyes will dry out a lot. When you first start out choose either young players or women, as they are more likely to be effected. Do not under any circumstance try this technique on any old person until you have fully mastered it, as this can lead to hour long stare offs and result in eye hemorrhages.

2. DISTRACTION
The premise behind 'distraction' is to be as spontaneous and unpredictable as possible. This calls for timing, creativity and most importantly you cannot be too self conscious to pull this off.

Now this is another trick to put a player out of their comfort zone, but unlike the first trick, this can be used on as many players as you like. In some cases you will be using this on more than one player at a time. The hard part is maintaining your own concentration while breaking others.

Simply put, you are trying to break up the flow of the game and break player's concentration, especially when key decisions need to be made. You are trying to distract them with seemingly harmless questions, gestures or noises at critical times. This is best way to explain how this is done is by using examples.

One example is constantly asking players what the time is. First start by doing this when you first sit down and continue to ask random players while they are checking their cards. Finally ask a player during a showdown when they are making a decision on a bet/call/raise. This is made even more effective if there is a visible clock in the room or if you have a watch on yourself (when the inevitable question comes of why you are asking when you have your own watch, simply reply that you are just worried it has stopped).

Another example is laughing, burping or coughing at opportune times. This example can be a little more effective and be easier to pull off as you can interchange between the noises you make. A good friend of mine who uses this effectively has numerous bodily noises that he can pull out at will, sometimes at the same time. Same as the other example use it when decisions need to be made.

Talking is also a good example. Just talk to everyone and don't stop, especially if they are deciding to go all in or not. And remember that if they get angry just smile at them and continue. If they are angry then their game will defiantly be off.

As I said you need to be creative and have timing to really make this effective. But a master at this can make a whole table lose their game. To practice try this while at work on colleagues by asking pointless questions during important discussions. While at the mall ask random people random questions as they walk by. The more random the better.

3. THE PAUSE
This can be the trickiest one of all but when used properly and at the right time can bring apart even the best players game. You will have undoubtedly seen many players attempt 'the pause', even on ESPN during the World Series of Poker. These are the players that you see sitting there for an extended period of time making a decision. Unfortunately most players get it wrong and are too obvious. Two major reasons that players get this wrong is that they over simplify it and that they don't use it enough.

If you just sit there staring at the other player or the cards on the table it will become obvious that you are not really thinking about what is going on, you can only get so much information out of a persons face. On the other hand if you are doing things like counting your chips, checking your hole cards or checking the time on your watch (this can go in handy with the distraction method), you will really throw other players off.

Another thing to keep in mind when putting this technique to use is to animate your self. Look confused, blink a lot or wrinkle your nose. Try tapping your fingers on the table or cracking your knuckles/neck. Ask the dealer questions like how many chips your opponent has and then ask that player the same thing. These are all signs that you are actually thinking and not just wasting time… which of course you are.

Don't just limit the pause to heads up situations either. It's the first round of betting, no one has raised yet and you have a 3 and 7 unsuited. Take a minute to think about it before folding. It's the flop and you have drawn trips with your pocket pair, you better have a long hard think about calling that other players bet.

Now you are probably wondering what the whole point of 'the pause' is. The reason is to keep everyone guessing. You want them to be guessing what you are holding, how long are you going to sit there doing nothing this time and once you have mastered this trick you will have them asking if they should be thinking a lot more about their actions.

You can practice this technique in many ways. When ordering take away see how long you can take to place your order. When you go to the movies see how much detail you can get about each movie that is playing from the ticket sales person. When at a red light and it turns green try to be the only car that make it through before it turns red again.

The hardest part after mastering these tricks will be combining them. Knowing when to use each one and who to use them on is critical. And if you can use all three at the same moment then you are a real pro.

A Casino Host & avid poker player,Michael Hayter is the webmaster for http://www.completeonlinepoker.com

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Day 120

Busy working so no time to play and very little time to tinker with the site - Think it's now finished in it's launch form - guess thats only 3 weeks longer than I thought it would take to be where it is - traffic is coming on nicely now and signups to the forum are coming on too.

Really hoping we can get a bit of a team together for the Poker Foum Challenge as its a freeroll with a good prize fund and a great chance to get 4kingpoker name out there a bit more.

Poker article of the day ...
The Psychology of Poker - By Adel Awwad

The psychology of poker basically involves creating mystery, misdirection and hesitation. Sitting around a table with your opponents can be a challenge. You have to keep your poker face, try to read everybody else’s poker face, and not give away your true intentions when you take a card, raise and call. After a few hands you start to notice the physical aspects of your poker opponents. The hesitation when it comes time to bet, an air of resignation when some player takes three cards, the confident betting of someone with an excellent poker hand, all sorts of little nuances.

In online poker, the entire game is changed because you can’t read the other players’ body language and quirks. An internet casino poker game is often reduced to the game’s bare essence, but you can still take advantage of some psychological tricks to get ahead. In the online casino, some do make their game play as consistent as possible to fool other players when there’s a big hand at stake. Others go the opposite way and try to confuse other online poker players with plenty of bluffing and strategic folding.

Players such as Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese and Barry Greenstein are considered to be among the best poker players of all time. These players have perfected their game techniques and worked out how to use poker psychology to give themselves an edge over their opponents.

Of course, none of this applies if you are simply playing against a computer program. In that case, the best you can do is to figure the odds and find a good strategy. In the case of online poker with other humans, it is still possible to use psychology. You just have to learn how to read the game. Internet casinos present a whole new series of challenges to the seasoned poker player, but over time you can learn how to adapt and win.

Copyright 2005 Online Casinos All Rights Reserved. This document may be freely redistributed in its unedited form and on the condition that all copyright references are kept intact along with the hyperlinked URLs.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Day 119 ... At last things are coming together with a bit of luck I might be able to get a game in sometime soon without 4king stuff wizzing round in my head.

Looks like the next home game we have is going to be a speed tournie rather than a straight cash game - should be fun and alot more challenging.

Poker article of the day ...

Online Poker - The Learning Curve - by Steve Hatcher

Poker is a fascinating game. A game of strategy, probability, psychology, and a little bit of chance. Online poker strips the game down to its essentials and, besides the luck factor, brings the game down to being just about the player. About you.

Every hand you play is about what you do and your reasons for doing so. Will you check, call, raise, or fold. Are you raising because you want your opponents to call, or do you want them to fold. Perhaps you were hoping for a re-raise as they attempt a bluff, or you should slowplay the hand to keep others in the hand. But most of the time you should just plain fold.

Every hand is different and you need a big bag of tricks to handle the many unique and sometimes difficult situations. Where does that big bag of tricks come form? Experience.

Experience requires lots of time at the tables. The learning curve takes time and can be expensive. New Online poker players need to pace themselves and play without loosing too much money. Start small and slowly, SLOWLY, work your way up to larger stakes games.

Ideally, the new online poker player should start out on the free tables. This is the best arena to learn the basics and see a lot of hands. But it is important to realize that free poker is a far different game than poker for real money. With play money, players are much more willing to play hands they should be folding. This is true for you and your opponents.

After some time playing free poker, the new online poker player will begin to understand what types of hands win more often. They will also begin to play them in such a way as to maximize the profits from winning hands. They will also realize that to stay ahead you must be folding lots hands. Meager hands just don't win often enough to cover the frequent losses from those types of hands.

At this stage the poker player should also realize that he is playing against other beginners who are often throwing their free play money around like it is, well, play money. It is important to develop strategies to cope with player that will call any bet or raise wildly because they are playing to have fun. Developing these skills will become profitable later when playing for real money.

Now that the new online poker player has some experience and a few tricks up their sleeve, it is time to venture onto the real money tables. Expect to be loosing money at first. The transition is difficult as the game has changed drastically with real money on the table. Begin at the lowest stakes tables available and expect to stay their for longer than you think.

The objective is to patiently learn to hone your poker skills until you have become a consistent winner. By consistent, we mean consistent. One big win in one game does not constitute a reason to jump into a larger stakes game with your suddenly huge bank roll.

Once your bankroll has gotten to the point where it continues to grow, and you can confidently be withdrawing profits, you can begin to venture into bigger games. Each step up the ladder to larger stakes poker tables will create a new learning curve. Here, you are learning about yourself and learning to master your own psychology. More money on the tables changes how you make decisions and you must learn to control your emotions in order to make proper decisions.

Stepping up to the next level will often require that you drop back down to replenish your bank roll on the tables you know you can win on. This is where the skills that were first developed on the free tables comes into play. Like free money players, your opponents on the lower stakes tables are inexperienced and prone to mistakes. Sit patiently and wait to capitalize on their blunders. And don't feel bad about taking their money. You are only teaching them the hard lessons you had learned earlier.

Poker can be a life long learning experience. One that can influence your life outside of poker. Knowing when to show your cards, or holdback information, or even bluffing is part of life and interacting with people personally or in business. Just remember to be patient and play your cards right when the opportunities arise. The learning curve never ends.

Stever is the webmaster at The Man With The Axe.com The Man With The Axe.com and an avid poker player, both online and off.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Day 118 ... Glad I'm sticking to my no play rule at the moment

Im a bit stuck with no money in my UltimateBet account I can't even play in my own tournie on the 27th - which is priving to be problematic anyway - as it turns out it's thanksgiving in the US so half the forum players are going to stuffing themsleves with turkey - Stupid Brit I bet there all thinking. Anyhow light at the end of the tunnel if a mate who signed up putting me down as his refer-a-friend get his deposit sorted sometime soon.

Poker article of the day ...

The Fine Print Behind Online Gambling Bonus Offers - By Mike Hellmer

If you have never opened an account with an online casino, poker room, or sports book you may be wondering if the bonus offers are legitimate. We are all aware of the wisdom in the sayings, “If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is” or “There is no such thing as a free lunch”. So what’s the catch? When a casino offers you $100-$1000 in free money should you dismiss it, assuming that there are all sorts of strict requirements, making it too difficult to achieve the pay-out? The quick answer is no. These offers are for real and in most cases the required terms and conditions to receive the pay-out are typically quite easy to achieve. Some are as simple as making small minimum deposit of $50 to $100. Some require, in addition to minimum deposit, a minimum, but achievable, level of play.

How are the online gambling sites able to give away free money and remain in business? The answer is simple. In most cases they get the entire bonus back and more. Casinos live by the odds that all casino games are in their favor and that eventually you’ll lose your original deposit and the bonus. Online poker rooms, on the other hand, get the bonus back by taking a rake (usually 5%) of every pot.

Let’s take a look at the various “free money” offers and the requirements for full cash-out access to the money. The requirements (the catch) are found in the terms and conditions of the bonus offer on the site.

No Deposit Required! Some casinos and poker rooms offer free money without any initial deposit requirements. These offers legitimate and you will be able to play at all the real money tables and slots. The typical catch is that you will need to make at least one deposit before the bonus plus any winnings are released. For example, if you receive a $10 bonus and have $50 in winnings from that bonus, you will have to make a small deposit to your account before the $60 is released for withdrawal.

First Deposit Bonus. To entice you to deposit real money into an online gambling site, a first deposit bonus is almost always offered. The interesting thing is not that they all do it, but the very wide range of bonuses offered. You'll find one online site offering a 10% bonus while one of its competitors offers 200%. All online gambling sites have a maximum bonus limit. So a site that offers a measly 20% bonus could have their maximum bonus set to $200 (deposit $1000) while the site that offers the whopping 200% bonus could have a maximum bonus set to $100 (deposit $50).

Poker Room First Deposit Bonus. The catch for a poker room is that you will have to play a minimum number of raked hands and there may be a time limit. For example, to receive a $50 bonus you may have to play 100 raked hands in 60 days. The raked hand requirement is typically easy to achieve; however some of the very large bonus offers are more difficult. Sometimes these large bonuses are paid in installments. For example, to receive a full $200 bonus the poker room might require 500 raked hands with $20 released every 50 raked hands. If you're new to online poker, don't be discouraged by the number of raked hands required; a typical online table will play 50 to 100 games per hour.

Casino First Deposit Bonus. The catch for an online casino is that you will have to wager a required amount before the bonus is released for cash-out. The typical online casino will deposit the bonus into your account soon after you make your initial deposit. Some deposit bonuses are instantly deposited at the same time as your deposit. Some casinos require that you claim your deposit bonus by filling in a simple form. In this case the bonus may not get credited to your account for 1 to 3 days. Even though the deposit bonus has been credited to your account and you can use it to wager, you will not be able to withdraw the bonus portion until you meet the wagering requirements. The wagering requirements typically state that you must wager 10 to 20 times your deposit plus bonus to release the bonus for cash-out. For example, you deposit $50 and receive a $10 bonus. The casino has a wagering requirement of 10 times your deposit plus bonus, which means that you will have to wager $600 (10 x $60) for the $10 bonus to be released for cash-out.

Sports Book First Deposit Bonus. The catch for an online sports book is that you will have to wager a required amount before the bonus is released for cash-out. The typical online book will deposit the bonus into your account soon after you make your initial deposit. Some deposit bonuses are instantly deposited at the same time as your deposit. Some books require that you claim your deposit bonus by filling in a simple form or sending an email. Even though the deposit bonus has been credited to your account and you can use it to wager, you will not be able to withdraw the bonus portion until you meet the wagering requirements. The wagering requirements typically state that you must wager 3 times your deposit plus bonus to release the bonus for cash-out. For example, you deposit $100 and receive a $20 bonus. The online sports book has a wagering requirement of 3 times your deposit plus bonus, which means that you will have to wager $360 (3 x $120) for the $20 bonus to be released for cash-out.

Reload Bonuses. Reload bonuses are very typical for online sports books, but occasionally you will see them offered in online casinos and poker rooms. The reload bonus simply offers a bonus on deposits made after your initial deposit. The requirements are generally the same as the first deposit bonus requirements.

Before making a deposit at an online gambling site, be sure that you understand the requirements for the bonus to be released for cash-out. You may have to drill down a page or two to get the information. If the bonus requirements seem difficult to achieve then consider another gambling site.

About The Author - Mike Hellmer is a poker enthusiast and the webmaster of Molly's Poker and Gambling Portal mollyspoker.com

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Day 117 ... UltimateBet $ 23.83

I really like UB site and in fairness I'm playing so badly at the moment it comes as no suprise that I've managed to blow the remains of my $44 dollar deposit today - True I don't quite feel at home on the site like I do at PokerRoom but desperation and distraction are the enemy of all poker players me included.

$10 NL CASH 0.1-0.25 ... $0.00 ... - $10.00

$5+0.5 NL SnG Full ... 8th ... -$5.50

I got a bit carried away with A8 when the flop came down AAJ made the right move all-in to try and protect my trips against a straight draw but inevitabily the other guy had more chips and could justify a call with KQ hitting the 10 on the 4th.

$ 5 NL CASH 0.1-0.25 ... $0.00 ... -$5
$ 3.78 CASH 0.05-o.1 ... $0.00 ... -$ 3.78

So there we have it a great example of how not to play and how not to get even close to clearing the points to get the deposit bonus ... Until I have got 4kingpoker setup how I want it and I'm just tied up with day to day maintenance and link building I am just going to stay away from playing poker. It's one thing to be sat there with a clear mind and a cup of tea - but another to be sat in front of 3 screens trying to do something poker related on all of them and expect to play a half decent game out of the corner of your eye - what a waste of $44 and it's not as if my PokerRoom account is good shape either.

At least I have the freerolls Im sorting for 4kingpoker to look forward to - We're entering up a team for the "Poker Forum Challenge" at Royal Vegas Poker and The 4kingpoker Tour will be having a new $100 freeroll at Titan Poker next month ... I've been working on the homepage to bring all the tournament info up to date and easy to find.

Day 117 ... $ 23.83 ... - 23.83 ... $0.00 ... (total -$44)


Poker Article of the Day ...
Poker Starting Hands - Playing AK Big Slick - by Scrawnybob

Ace King ... It's monster hand and you plan to get as much money out of everyone as you can.

Big Slick is called Big Slick for a reason. Yes its a monster drawing hand but it is a drawing hand all the same.

IF you hit either an Ace or a King on the flop then you've got yourself top pair with the best kicker. You might get lucky as is connected to get the nuts straight, if its suited you have got the table crippled if you draw that flush. It's worth noting A-K suited is 5th best starting hand but A-K off is 9th best.

But this is the thing - when you haven't seen any cards what have you got really ? An Ace high ... with a King kicker, just about any starting hand could beat it.

Top players know AK is a great drawing hand but they also know its can be a killer if it just doesn't work out. In the hands of a new player it has 4king bustout written all over it, quite simply they fall in love with it. Now here is the next problem with playing AK - OK it's a drawing hand so your thinking - don't play it too hard until you see the flop and then you can work out how your doing ... Wrong.

Limping in with Big Slick is going to make you a big underdog - It is an easily beaten hand if you let lots of players see the flop, that ragged looking board could have given any of them trips, two pair, straights - allsorts.
However AK doesnt fair so badly against a couple of player with other high cards. You have to play big slick hard before the flop if your playing it. Get rid of all the players with low pairs, big draws and junk - With a big prefop raise you can be fairly sure the one (ideally) or two players left only have something high or decent pairs. Then you have the added advantage - you made the raise and you took control ... again.

Dont make the mistake of trying to keep more people in to make a bigger pot for your "great hands" - thats how to make your own bad beats. With most of the players in to see the flop your as good as giving your chips away - Play it aggressively, raise pre-flop and then hold yourself back when you see the flop.

But DO NOT go all-in before the flop - remember you've got an Ace high nothing more.

In this situation the only hands that are really going to cause you concern are AA and KK - but if someone had that they'd have come right back at your big raise with an all-in before the flop. Chances are unless they hit trips with there good pair (see what they do) you can fire at them once you pair either the King or the Ace infact you should fire out a good size bet even if you dont - remember you've already as good as shouted at them "my hands is a winner".

Then see what they do - if they come back at you know they've got something, probably trips - then you need to slow down accept your beat and try to see the rest of the cards cheap. The chances are they will lay down just about most things that dont hit.

Now this all works well if you were easily able to take control of the table ie. you had good position to get a big raise in after you had seen what everyone else did but remember preflop this is - on the button and the two blinds. The worst postion to be trying to play AK from and indeed any other big hands like AA KK QQ is when your under the gun - this is the first seat after the blinds.

Why ? well your first to act before the flop and first to act after the flop. This seat is tricky especially if you dont hit an Ace or a King on the flop. Again the temptation is to flat call and see what happens ideally hoping someone else cuts the field down for you - thats risky - dont do it. Not only are you risking players limp in, your letting other players get control.

They will sense weakness and have position over you so you could very easily end up facing an all-in decision after re-raising a bet and someone coming back at you over the top all-in with a half decent pair. Then its become a tough decision with that Ace high of yours (lay it down). No by raising even in early position you will take control and narrow the field and against one, maybe two players you have a good chance to avoid AK becoming that Big
Slick.

Poker Articles, Poker Tips & Strategy for Online Poker and Texas Hold'em by Scrawnybob at http://www.4kingpoker.com

Day 116

No Play today ... plenty to do on 4kingpoker

Poker Article of the day ...
What Is Luck and What Is Skill in Poker? - by Gunnar Bengtsson

There seems to be quite a bit of confusion on what role luck and skill plays in poker. What is most important, luck or skill? This article will debate the subject by beginning to look at different peoples perspective. It will then enter into why the question is not as easy to answer as it may seem at first, moving on to the sensible answer and why this answer makes poker popular.

Many slanderers believe that poker is just about luck. That is not very strange. Poker has a history of a mysterious image and is intricately mixed with other casino games. Those with merely a faint interest in poker might stand by this belief even if they have played poker themselves, as they have not been introduced to the profoundness of the game. A concept such as poker professionals - which should be inconceivable unless skill is a part of poker - does not convince the disbelievers as such a profession instead is obscurely mingled up with images of swindlers and crocks.

Tiresome Poker Players' Perspective

The tiresome poker player is certain that both factors effect the game. Whenever the player wins a larger pot, skill was the lone contributor. Every loss is deducted as luck, or rather bad luck. It is easy to attribute all losses as bad luck or bad beats, easy on the ego that is. Especially if that ego is boosted from all prior winning decisions. Of course a player with this adamant faith will not be long lived at the poker tables unless the funds backing up this belief is unlimited.

Both Luck and Skill Are Factors

The poker player described above is right about one thing, poker does involve both luck and skill. It is hard to say in what proportions they come, it varies between different poker variants. Sometimes it is also tough to say what is what in a specific situation. The edge or the advantage a player has on another player in a particular hand may be small, not the least bit insignificant, but small. So when the underdog wins that hand, it was most certainly not an unlikely scenario. Still you can say that the underdog was lucky because in the long run, if that situation comes up many times, the underdog will lose in the end.

Why It Is Hard to Distinguish Them

Now if we say that a specific hand is only played once. Then it can be difficult to say if the win should be attributed to luck or if the winning hand did have the odds on its side. The number of factors that should be calculated and approximated are at times to difficult for that. Sometimes it is very straightforward to see what the right decision was, at other times it is all to easy to lure oneself into saying: "Oh my, I made a good play there" or "Oh my, that must have been unlucky", after a win and a loss respectively. Life is easier that way. After a winning session at the tables it can be difficult to answer: Was I playing well or did I get lucky? The better you know what you are doing, the easier it is to answer. Anyhow, one can certainly not rely on luck in poker.

Time Is the Divider

Luck and skill are both are both elements of poker. Skill can be relied upon. Good decisions can wind up losing, in fact they will lose a certain percentage of the time. The important thing is that if it indeed is a good decision, then the expected result is profitable. Let the same situation come up often enough and the good play will be the long run winner. Luck will not stand a chance. Give it some time and luck will not be factor. That is what separates luck and skill, time. Luck is going against the odds. Eventually math takes over. A bad beat or an unlucky session will not change that. That might disturb your peace of mind, but it will not eliminate the skill factor from poker.

The Complexity of Poker

That is poker. It actually adds to the fun. Most of the time professionals and serious students of the game will come out on top. But in what other game would someone who started six months ago stand a chance against the worlds top ranked players? Imagine that tennis or chess game! There is a nice balance between luck and skill in poker. Sure it is frustrating at times and there is no real substitute to skill but when was the last time someone said "good skill to you"?

Lars Bengtsson is the editor of www.reviewed-online-poker.com which features reviews of the top poker rooms, interesting poker articles and a comprehensive poker school.
This article is part of the poker school at Reviewed Online Poker.
EzineArticles.com

Day 115 ... Home Game results

Bit of a last minute affair playing this 4kingpoker home game - Lots of the lads had prior commitments but managed to get table of 4 sorted - Just happened to be the 4 players who are actually up on their money so this shorthanded game was bound to prove interesting.

Rimmer ... + 111
Scrawnybob ... +35

Crazylegs ... -28
Fatboy ... - 118

Interesting night Rimmer managed to get out of his square or 17 up routine - then he really did get dealt some cards right when someone else (generally fatboy) had made a decent hand. I stuggled up and down like a yoyo - lost couple of big pots against rimmer. And fatboy really suffered - had a cold and dont think he was playing his best - not sure the wine helped either, still in the overall scheme of things we are all still net winners so even with his bad night fatboy is doing well. As for Crazylegs well still getting hands when he needs them and if he had folded a couple of times I'm sure he would have gone home up instead of me.

Overall

scrawnybob +465pts
fatboy +224pts
crazylegs +202.50pts
rimmer +185pts

frazer -13pts
professor -154pts
the echo -168.50pts
hello ginger -222pts
haven -246pts
shrek -273pts

Poker article of the day ...
Playing Online Poker For A Living - By Oddvar Pettersen

Playing online poker for a living is absolutely doable, but it takes a combination of talent, dedication, patience, discipline and disposition to succeed.

You must study and constantly work on the weak parts of your game. Reading a book like "Texas Holdem for Advanced Players" once, will not be good enough. You will have to read it over and over, and you must truly consume, study and learn it. You must take the game seriously at all times, maintaining your focus and always continue to learn, even when you are away from the table.

Knowing where and at what times the the loosest middle and upper limit poker games are played are the number one secret for those that play professional poker online. Online poker professionals win most of their money from the weak players(fishes-suckers), so finding a table with two or three fishes on it, is extremely important if you want to succeed at this game. Tight and conservative poker tables are not profitable to play on, even for the professionals.

Finding the right table to play on will take some time and effort from your side, but will definately be worth it if you are serious of making a living playing this great and complex game.

There are some great benefits playing online poker for a living compare to live casino poker.

*No intimidation from other players.
*No waiting around for a table.
*You can play wearing your socks only.
*No travelling expences.
*You pay no tips to the dealer.
*The rake is much lower.

TO BE SUCCESSFUL AT ONLINE POKER YOU HAVE TO:

Constantly change your style of play. Don't be predictable in your betting patterns.
Keep reading and practicing the game as often as possible.
Playing interactive poker on a Turbo Software program combined with reading a great poker book like Hold'em for advanced players is the best way of improving your game."
Only play in poker rooms that has a few fishes at the table.
Only play with money you can afford to loose. Have a poker bankroll and keep a record of your wins and losses.
Always give the game 100% of your attention when you are sitting at the table.
Take some time away from the poker table if you have suffered more than three consecutive losses.
Win more by playing fewer hands. A bet saved is the same as a bet won. Play quality hands and fold the junk, and you will see your bank-roll increase.

Webmaster for TRUE POKER GUIDE A website providing information on rules and strategies for all poker games played at home, online and in casinos today.
Article Source:
EzineArticles.com

Day 114 ... PokerRoom $56.30

$5+0.50 NL SnG Full ... 3rd ... +$4.50
$5+0.50 NL SnG Full ... 9th ... -$5.50
$5+0.50 NL SnG Full ... 7rd ... -$5.50

Dreadful - OK so I go a place in the first game but generally I wasn't playing well at all.

I've got a home game on tonight round at a mates - hopefully picking up real cards will sort my game out but I really have to stop playing until I've got the site going well enough to cut down on the hours I'm putting into it - It has really messed my game up - I'm even thinking poker sites in my sleep now - can't be healthy.

Day 114 ... PokerRoom 56.30 -$6.50 total $ 49.80 (-$170.20)

Poker article of the day ...
Made Hands, Monsters to Mice - By John Porter

After the flop, much of the strength of your hand depends on the character of the flop. Obviously, if you start with a pair, and make trips, a full house or four of a kind, you have a big hand, these are the Monsters. What is not so obvious is how the strength of your hand changes when you hit a fair hand, but get a flop that may have helped one, or more, of your opponents.

In the rare situation where you have a monster, hope that someone either bets, or catches a card on the turn so they can call your bet. You have an almost unbeatable hand, and the other players are going to be scared off by the flop. Your goal in this situation should be to keep as many players around as possible, and to get as much money in the pot as possible.

With your biggest hands, you may want to slow play and entice someone else into betting. But, in those rare cases when you have the best hand and other players are betting and raising, join in and help to build the pot. After all, it is almost certainly going to be yours. If the board later pairs, and there us any betting, you may be facing a full house.

Two Pair

Flopping top 2 pair when you have 2 different cards in your hand, is a very strong hand. Top and bottom pair is also a very strong hand. Since you will usually be playing premium cards, top 2 pair will often give someone else a straight draw, and/or a flush draw.

As a result, you should not slow play these hands. Your goal is to force players out of the hand, and charge those that stay. While this hand warrants raises and re-raises, lots of action could mean they have a set. If so, or a straight or flush is possible, you could be drawing to only 4 outs.

If the pot has already gotten large, you should call it down. If the pot is not large, or you are positive that the other player has you beaten, with 4 outs you need pot odds of 11:1 to make the call profitable.

When you have 2 pair, and 1 is on the board, your hand is not as strong as the split 2 pair. Another player may already have trips, or a higher 2 pair. If a card higher than your pair hits the board, it could make someone a higher 2 pair. There could also be other draws out that may beat your 2 pair.

This is another situation to play aggressively, to chase players out, win the pot immediately, or at least make it expensive for players to draw. If you are raised, or check raised, on the turn, you may be up against trips. But, by now, the pot has gotten big. You may want to back off and call, but you shouldn’t fold unless you are sure you are beaten, or you are facing 3 bets cold.

Top Pair

Top pair, good kicker is a very strong hand. This is 1 reason to treat Big Slick, Ace and King, as a strong hand. With a flop of King, Eight, Three, and 3 different suits you have an excellent hand. The only card higher than the flop pairs your Ace, giving you top 2 pair. There are no flush or straight draws, so you are only worried about Ace, Ace, King, King, or a pair of Eights or Threes in the hole.

You have a strong hand with top pair in the hole when the flop is 3 cards lower than yours and is un-coordinated. If you are the only one who raised with your pair of Kings before the flop, and the flop is Queen, Eight, Three, 3 different suits, you have a very strong hand. There are no straight or flush draws, it is unlikely that someone has a pair of Queens, so you are worried only about an Ace, or another Queen falling, a pair of Eights or Threes.

With hands, and flops like this, you want to get as much money in the pot as possible, since you are a favorite to win.

If you have Jacks, Queens, Kings or Aces in the hole, and get a flop such as Eight, Nine, Ten, or 2 of 1 suit, or the board is paired, your hand is not as strong. Your hand is vulnerable to many cards that can come on the turn or river. Now, instead of a limited number of hands that may beat you, you may be facing a flush draw, a straight draw, or both. With a pair on board, you may be facing trips a full house, or a draw to a full house.

In these situations, you want to eliminate players, and try to win the hand immediately. If you think that someone after you will bet, you should check and raise, to face several players with calling 2 bets. If you are not sure that someone else will bet, you bet. You can not afford to give players a free draw.

When you start with Ace, Queen, Ace, Jack or Ace, Ten, and pair your Queen, Jack or Ten, you have a hand that is mediocre to somewhat strong, depending on the flop. If your pair is the top pair on board, and the flop has no draws, you have a fairly strong hand. But, it is vulnerable to over cards on the turn or river. Ace, Queen, with a flop of Queen , Six, two, or Ace, Jack, with a flop of Jack, Six, Two, the further down you go with this, the more hands that can beat you. With an Ace, Queen, and an Ace on the flop, you are beaten by someone with Ace, King. With an Ace, Queen, and a Queen on the flop, you are beaten by anybody holding a King if a King falls. With Ace, Jack, and a Jack on the flop, you are beaten by any King, or queen, that pairs someone.

Once again, you want to eliminate players, or win the hand immediately. If you think that someone after you will bet, check and raise. If you are not sure that someone will bet, bet out. You can not afford to give players a free, or cheap, draw in this situation.

If you make top pair, such as a pair of Eights, or Sixes, with your second card when you have an Ace, you have one of the mice. There are many cards that can fall on the turn and river that will give one of your opponents a higher pair. In addition, if all 3 cards on the flop are lower than a Ten you are often facing straight and/or flush draws.

Another mistake made by low limit players is to treat a pair of Aces, with a bad kicker, as a strong hand. It is one of the mice. You have an Ace and Five of hearts in the blinds and get in the pot cheaply hoping for a flush draw on the flop. Instead, you pair the Ace, and there are no hearts. You have top pair, but the more opponents you have, the more likely it is that someone has an Ace with a higher kicker.

With these hands, if someone bets, fold and save some money. You have 5 outs that will improve your hand, the 3 Aces, and 2 of your pair, or the 3 remaining of your kicker, and the 2 remaining Aces. In order to call a bet in this situation, you need to be getting pot odds of at least 8.5:1. Since you could improve your hand and still lose, you probably want odds of at least 10:1. If there are players to act after you, you need higher odds, to make up for the times that a player to your left raises.

With a pair of Tens or lower, you will usually only have a strong hand after the flop if you hit the third card for your set. Occasionally, the flop will all be lower than your pair, and be un-coordinated. Also, occasionally, you will hit a straight draw with your pair. Most often however, you will hit a card higher than your pair, face some betting, and should fold.

If you do hit your set, you have a very strong hand. You should bet out, or raise if someone else bets. In low limit games, players will often not believe you have a set if you bet, or raise, on the flop. They will expect you to slow play such a strong hand, and not raise until the turn. They will therefore often call all the way with as little as one small pair.

Second or Bottom Pair

These are more mice. In low limit games, someone who bets, normally has at least top pair. If you have 2 different cards in the hole and paired 1 of them, you have 5 outs to improve, 2 more cards of the rank you paired, and 3 of your second card. With a small pair in the hole, you only have 2 outs to improve. Even if you include implied odds, it is unlikely that you will have the odds you need. To make matters worse, you really need better odds to make up for the times you hit 1 of your outs and still lose. You also need higher odds from the pot if there are players still to act after you.

The only time you should call a bet with second or bottom pair is when the pot is big, your second card is higher than any of the cards on board, and you also have a backdoor draw, 3 to a straight or flush.

Copyright © 2005 A1-PokerInfo.com. All rights reserved. This article may be freely distributed and published, providing it is distributed and/or published in its entirety, including the contact information and copyright.
For more detail, or similar articles, contact the author at http://A1-PokerInfo.com.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Day 113 ... PokerRoom $56.30

No Play today - just lots of pondering about where Im going with the website - At the moment as much as I tell myself I'm expecting too much too soon it still feels like I'm running up hill to be going backwards. So much so I can't be bothered to think of anything to say here.

Poker article of the day ...
100 Best Poker Freerolls and How to Make Money From Them – Part 1- By Ian Mcintosh

Poker freerolls are what’s really hot right now in online poker with everyone wanting to get in on the act.

Just in case you’ve never played one, a freeroll is a poker tournament with free entry that pays out prizes in real cash to the winning players. They are not to be confused with “play money” tournaments that you can also play for free but do not pay out cash prizes.

Some poker freerolls have thousands of players in every tournament and are almost always full. It’s the idea of getting something for nothing that appeals to people and although the freerolls have relatively small prizes and although they require a lot of patience and skill to win, they remain the first port of call for many online poker players.

So how do you win at poker freerolls?

The most important strategy to adopt to have any chance of success is survival, you need to stay in the game no matter what. There are no second chances, when you lose all your chips you are out. You might have been sitting for four hours but if you get knocked out before you reach the money positions it will all have been for nothing.

Don’t be tempted into bluffing too much, you will almost always find someone who’s willing to call you - especially in the early stages of the tournament. Also use your all-in calls sparingly, only when you are absolutely sure you have the best hand and preferably when you have more chips than your opponent so that you don’t get knocked out even if you lose the hand.

On the other hand to win a Texas Holdem freeroll tournament you need to win chips, so when you get a good hand bet it aggressively and take out the “limpers”. Don’t let somebody call you with a 8 3 and flop 8 8 3!

This is a slog and you need to be prepared for the long haul. Four hours is a long time to play poker online and although there is normally a break every hour it is mentally very taxing keeping up a level of concentration for that length of time.

However if you do manage to stay focused on the game, you will be at a great advantage over most freeroll players. The psychology of poker freerolls means that most people don’t treat them with as much respect as they would a tournament that they had paid to enter.

Easy come easy go is often the motto.

So if you maintain full concentration throughout, adopt a strong survival-based strategy and play only good hands betting aggressively, you will do better than 90% of the entrants in a freeroll tournament.

Beating the other 10% is up to you!

Click the link to read part 2 of this poker freeroll article and to see the 100 Best poker freerolls.

Article by Ian McIntosh of www.primepokersites.com
Article Source: EzineArticles.com