Poker Free Online Games Easy Patience On Steroids Guide To Ways To Win Poker Games
What is the key to being a good poker player?
This “golden question”, may seem like the end all be all in poker.
Is there some secret strategy which makes players successful and sets you apart from the free online poker games donks?
The answer to this is not difficult and this how to be good at poker lesson has it in a nutshell.
The secret, or insider strategy key for successful good poker play at all levels from free to huge stakes is to be able to make cool headed, logical decisions at every decision point.
In other words, to “use common sense at all times” and win, sorry it’s not more profound than that.
Common sense you screech? But I have lots of common sense you say and still don’t win much! Ah, but common sense, in the context of poker is not very common at all.
Where most players go wrong in regard to common sense is their perception of poker. Too many people reply too much on luck. But in reality poker is totally about skill and common sense decision making has a direct correlation to long term success.
True, short term results seem to be subject to a degree of luck (uncontrollable probability in fact) but long term the skill play approach evens this out and gives players with a profitable style money! Once you adjust your poker view to accept this you see that “common sense” is the core key to winning poker.
But what about those huge crazy bluffs the TV pros make? They have solid (often complex) reasoning behind them.
The internet pros making tens to hundreds of thousands per year?
They make all that money by playing thousands of hands in a solid steady style that overwhelms the majority of their opponents’.
Even at free poker sites better poker players make more than the common herd..
OK great, accepted, so how to apply this? Basically by structuring your game around sound fundamentals and a solid foundation of poker knowledge.
My “key”, to use “common sense”, is really just a more general way to say patience though it expands much further than just “patience”
How exactly does common sense equate to “patience” in poker?
> In a normal Holem game you get 2 cards that only you see befie the betting (apart from blinds) starts.
> Applying simple patience reasoning, we wind up with something like we should wait for hands we can play profitably and then play those because we’ll profit.
> There are not so many such hands so basically we are playing tight preflop.
> Adding common sense into this mix we will now say that the idea of poker is to take money from the other players.
> Therefore when we invest money with better hands we will makes a profit.
> Therefore, we only play stronger hands preflop so we can profit, and as such should generally play tight.
How the Common Sense approach differs to plain patience is in the logical reasoning that you will learn to put into your decision making process.
It’s the difference between “this hand is profitable so we play it” and “this hand is profitable because…so we play it”, this is a significant difference when trying to build a game on solid foundations.
You have to know what you’re doing all the time and WHY you are doing it beyond some set in stone rulebook.
The easiest application of this is playing tight (no trash hands!) preflop.
It’s logical to think that starting out with stronger hands than our opponents preflop will lead to us having better hands postflop and making money off our opponents, and the way to start with stronger hands than our opponents preflop is to play tight and fold our trash.
This approach applies to all poker concepts, for example value betting “I bet when I’m ahead of my opponents to win money”, bluffing “I will bluff when I cannot win the pot unless my opponent folds and my opponent is not likely to fold if I don’t bluff”, and so on.
But those are concepts which will be explored more in depth in future articles in this poker free online games training series.
I hope this poker free online games ways to win poker games lesson was useful, for many more lessons and to play poker free online games against real people go see NoPayPOKER.com
Poker Free Online Games Winning More Cash Guide To Low Pocket Pairs Strategy
In this free online poker coaching lesson learn low pocket pairs strategy.
Low pocket pairs, 2/2 through 9/9, will, long-term, provide you with more wins that any other two pocket cards you’ll ever be dealt.
What more than AA, KK and QQ? How is that possible you shout! It is not only possible but a fact.
In addition to being superb against good players they are also great for destroying those annoying “all in all the time” donk players.
Low Pocket Power Explained
Your probability of being dealt any pocket pair is about 6%. This equates to approx. every 16 or 17 hands.
1) With a pocket pair you have about a 1 in 8 chance to get a set at the flop (3 of a kind).
2) So 6% followed by 1 in 8 comes to you having a post set flop once per 133 hands. At a 10 player table that equates to once every 13 small/big blind bets you deposit on.
3) Low pocket pairs are playable from all table positions however ONLY at a cost that does not exceed the big blind from Early Position, over 2x the big blind from Middle Position and 3x big blind from Late Position.
4) In addition when you have them you should not raise the big blind pre flop.
5) Also if you limp in from Early Position, or if you have called a 2x BB from Middle Position, and there has been a raise to 3x the BB, and there are five plus players left in the hand,then you should call 3x the BB bet from Early and Middle position.
Why?
With 5 or more players in the hand, there is an increased likelihood that the flop is going to show 2 or 3 low cards.
This is because it’s likely that the players left in the hand have 1 or more paint cards.
Then the set we get becomes powerful. Especially if it is a set of 2’s, 3’s, 4’s, 5’s, 6’s, 7’s, 8’s, or 9’s. Indeed, Aces to 10s are heavy weapons but with the lower pairs you have a better chance to do evil to your opponents.
The reason is that many players, especially poor ones, do not fear low cards that hit the board as part of the flop.
Let’s use a sample hand illustrate low pocket power.
You’re seated Late Position with pocket 5c/5h. There is a ‘bad’ player with Jh/7c and a ‘good’ player with Ad/Qd.
The ‘good’ player raises 3x the big blind, the ‘bad’ player calls, you call, and everyone else at the table folds. The flop shows Ah/Jd/5s; you have made a set of 5’s. The good player bets 3x the big blind again.
The bad player raises by 3x which is mad as he has a middle pair and the good player clearly betted onto the flopped Ace. You call and so does the good player.
The turn card is a 7d. It gives the ‘good’ player a nut flush draw (Ad/Qd/Jd/7d), and he holds the high board pair (Ad/Ah). The bad player gets 2 pairs, JJ and 77. You have a set of Fives (5c/5h/5s).
At this point you may be concerned that the River will bring a card to fill the flush or a J or a 7.
Don’t be! Left in the deck are 9 flush maker cards and 4 full house maker, 13 in all minus the last 5. the last 5 is a flush maker but will also make you quad 5’s. So there are 12 cards left that can be dealt that will make you lose and 34 that will win it for you. That’s 3-1 in your favour, pretty good odds.
The river card is one of the 34 so is no use to the others. The bad player moves all in, you call and take the pot.
So how was it that this pocket 5 situation was so good?
It’s because the set of Fives was hidden; as will always be the case when pocket 2/2, 3/3, 4/4, 5/5, 6/6, 7/7, 8/8, and 9/9 are turned into sets by the flop (1 in 133; although that includes sets of Tens, Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces).
Plus the fact that no one could have read the cards. And as you slow play it so that both good and bad opponents cannot identify the powerful set the flop created.
The power of low pockets is not very well known but is used by all pro players. After all, they win more money but do is under the radar so the pros are not going to shout about it!
So as a next step, go and practice how to play low pocket pairs on poker free online sites and then move on to low stakes and make money!
Poker Free Online Games Training Discovers If Online Poker Games Are Rigged By By Live Testing Real Sites
That free poker online games is a pretty fair and, as far as it can go, honest game is something most people would agree on. Yes, there are colluder’s and cheats, sadly there are some real pathetic people out there but as far as the actual free poker site games themselves are concerned there is little suspicion of rigging.
Free online poker sites frankly have little reason to rig games in order to cheat players out of money as of course on a proper free online poker site there is NO money involved to be fiddled!
What about when real cash gets involved though? Ever since the beginning of poker online there has been an endless discussion on whether online poker games are as fair as live poker games. In this article we’ll look at the evidence and, as you will find, come to some limited but definite conclusions that can help you feel safe in your choice of online poker site.
The Argument
Just how honest online poker is has been a subject of great debate for years. Accusations of site cheating include the cash-out curse (where after a winning run you withdraw winnings and then when you start to play again you get beaten time and time again…as if the site does not want you there as you were too good before) to pot juicing where the house is also playing and adding money to the pot to increase rake. Some think that counting to 10 before moving all in can help.
Virtually all career live players will tell you that just the slack, gullible and cheats (the victors) seriously play poker online for money.
The fact is that online poker is having a hard time right now. The debacle of Black Friday in the US along with the downfall of Full Tilt and others with associated criminal charges have made things even worse for online money poker. For Full Tilt to fall so hard would have seemed almost impossible before and yet they did adding petrol to an already hot fire.
The Method
In poker runs of bad beats and good runs are part of the online and live game. The theories of cheating and rigging online many will say are just poker variance in action. Now though one group is trying to end the doubt.
Using statistical tests with millions of hands Online Poker Watchdog are now trying to establish if online poker really is fair or a fools game. They claim to be an independent statistical auditor with the sole aim of proving or disproving the integrity of online poker cash games.
They have so far surveyed PokerStars, PartyPoker and OnGame network. They used 2 solid tests on the 3 sites that are far reaching enough to determine if the sites are operated fairly.
First of all 1 million hands were loaded to the sites and the results compared to what would be expected in live games. In the 2nd test they split hands that were ahead and behind pre-flop and compared the results to expected ranges in live games.
The Results
At PokerStars the test was a million hands down loaded and 69,663 pre-flop all-ins coming from tourneys and Sit n Go games. The expectation in live games is 35,748 successful hands. The test returned with 35,850 winners, showing a deviation of just +102. Anyone who is familiar with maths will explain this is as near normal as does not matter. The Second test outcomes contrasting pre-flop all-ins ahead and behind also revealed very close to normal outcomes.
PartyPoker assessments assessed 1.26 million hands that broke down 11,984 hands from $50NL full ring cash game tables. Live game expectation predicts 6,267 wins. From the test they had 6,198.5 wins – a deviation of a meager -68. The pre-flop all-in checks also came in near normal.
The OnGame tests used a 1.42 million hand sample together with 12,306 hands coming from $30NL short handed cash tables. The live game expectation is 6,457 winners. The internet site tests returned with 6,454.5 wins, an infinitesimal change of -2.5. The pre-flop all-in comparisons not surprisingly were very close to normal.
The Opinion
These outcomes are precise to put it mildly. All three sites in the trials clearly show no indications of rigging or cheating. A lot of online players haven’t ever genuinely considered that online games are rigged (why might they play otherwise!) our hope is that this material indicates to doubters the fact that the water is safe, at least at these 3 reputable online poker websites.
While on line pokers legal status might be unclear at this time it is always good to find out that these websites are playing honest, fantastic news for those who play now and those in the US who’ll, in all likelihood have the ability to play once again once the US government works out how to get tax from online poker for cash games!
If you’re not yet ready to play poker online for money or if you’d prefer to just play some free fun online practice poker versus real people and, or get free online poker instruction then go to NoPayPOKER.com.
All the poker there is totally free of risk of losing money due to the fact that you literally cannot deposit any, though, by clever use of advertising you can actually win some real cash! Nopay is also legal for US based players.
Free Poker Online Games Discovers The Best Poker Strategy Books That Will Force You To Win Poker
You may well be familiar with the beginner to expert level free poker online games coaching to be had at NoPayPOKER.
If you’ve not looked at our poker free online games training lessons yet go to the lessons master page and read now, you’ll find tons of excellent stuff there that can be accessed by both members and non members.
The NoPayPOKER lessons form a great free poker library that will be added to all the time but of course it cannot cover all poker knowledge!
So to expand we have researched what we think are the very best poker strategy books.
The poker books reviewed have been aggressively filtered and only top rated poker books have made the cut.
The structure is always to provide the essential information on the poker book, a summary of the content with a summary of critiques we have located on the positives and negatives of the books.
Title – Sit ‘n Go Strategy
* Author(s) – Colin Moshman
* This version printed – July 2007
* Pages – 281
Synopsis –
Many good reviews on this one, in addition there is relatively very little of quality written on SnGs, so this is a very good book/bible for SnG’ers.
Favorable review comments –
* Very well written and comprehensive manual on how to play low and medium buy in, 1 table tournaments. SnG strategy divided logically into low, medium and high blind play sections.
* Goes over a really tight aggressive form of play, whilst he acknowledges, that other playing models may also be successful, when the players are good at post flop play
* A systematic examination of table situations, specific player types, stack and blind sizes, payouts, chip values, and ways in which they influence optimum strategy is presented.
* May perhaps be as valuable for the SNG player as Harringtons No Limit Series is to MTT players.
* After looking at it I understood the idea of equity (including the term in general) so much better than before.
* I completed it in 2 days and right away put $250 into my PokerStars balance.
* I really like that this book is targeted toward online SNG play. There’s lots of players just doing Sit N Go’s just for laughs, and Moshman enters into depth on taking advantage of such bad players.
Disadvantages –
* Not for totally new players
Title – How to Win at Online Texas Hold ‘Em: Insider Tips, Strategies, and Advice to Help You Master the Game of Online Poker
* Author(s) – Jack Parker
* This edition printed – February 2010
* Pages – 78
Synopsis –
Great for beginners. Every single tiny bit of the book is rich with all the latest poker information on how to control the online poker tables. Within, you will discover for example:
- The correct way to work out pot odds and outs.
- When you should blind steal.
- When and how to effectively make use of the squeezing technique.
- How to adjust your speed of play when playing with seasoned players.
- Tips on how to properly utilize check boxes/auto plays.
- Methods to monitor your opponents fold & flop percentages.
- How to use the chat box to your benefit.
Benefits –
* I found the info concise and helpful
* specifically took advantage of the chapter on bluffing and also the one on playing in online SnGs.
* I took an absolute beating in an online poker site about 2 weeks ago and came to the conclusion I had better find out a few things before I went back. So – does it work? I earned over $400 yesterday online.
* for anyone like me who has never read a lot and is aiming to start developing their game by learning, I believe this is a really beneficial small book, and personally think that it’s undoubtedly paid for itself based on the amount of cash I’ve won so far during my first forays into online games.
Drawbacks –
Only for novices or those switching from live to online for the very first time. Beyond this and for those really into the maths side you will find it too minimal.
So ends our best poker strategy books review, keep your eyes peeled for more soon, no, they are not free but at the same time do not cost mush and will pay for themselves quick if you are willing to apply the lessons therein.
Online Poker Free Coaching Guide To Small Bet Bluffing Tactics And How Small Bets Can Beat Good Players
This latest poker free online instruction lesson is about ways you may not have thought of to use small bets to get bigger wins. But how can, you ask, small bets give big wins? And how do strong players sway from conventional thinking about small and large bets.
Here is a hand illustration that shows the idea:
BLINDS 6k/12k
PREFLOP:
A is from small blind, has 9d-4d, raises to 35k
B from big blind, has As-3s, calls 23k (Pot 88k)
Both plays are simply standard plays. A may be trying to steal the big blind with a raise from the small blind. B calls since he’s got a good hand for the upcoming Flop.
FLOP: Js-Jh-10h
A bets 25k (Pot 123k)
B calls 25k (Pot 138k)
The bet A makes is small as he has very little but he wants to take the pot by showing a J on a paired table, or a draw. On a flop with Straight and Flush possibilities presenting, B may, indeed, put A on a draw and just see if A slows down later. Also, with a call he gets 5-1 odds.
TURN: Js-Jh-10h-Kc
A bets 25k (Pot 163k)
B calls 25k (Pot 188k)
A places another bet! Could A have the Jack, or even the Ten? Now, what B is thinking is that he is getting about 6.5-to-1 on a call to hit an Ace (where if A also has an Ace, they may split the pot) or a Queen (for a Straight). So he calls.
RIVER: Js-Jh-10h-Kc-8h
A bets 30k (Pot 218k)
Still A bets again! Now with a blank river card which hardly fill any possible Flush or Straight (maybe 9-7 or Q-9, but I don’t think both of them think the other one has it) why did A fire three times! Not only that, it’s a small bet. It may be a value bet where A had a Jack and trapped B for two more rounds of betting.
It may also be a value bet where A had A-Q. B might consider: “A might know I’ve got nothing, but if uses big bets he’ll make me fold. So he’s betting small to get more chips out of me. I’m getting 8.5-to-1 on a call, but no matter. I am not going to fail again B says and folds.
A shows a bluff!
If A was betting big B might think A is trying to sustain a 3 round bluff, and might call it. And recall B is a good player, and can detect sneaky stuff like this. (B by the way is Elky Grospellier. A is Jeff Shulman, anyway.) But A bet small, and strong players think small bets are value bets, so strong players doing reverse-psychology can bluff other strong players with a small bet that looks like a value bet.
Why not give small bet play a go by practicing risk free on a free online poker site such as NoPayPOKER where you can play with no risk of loss and get loads of free poker online training too.
Free Poker Games Guide To The 4 Main TYpes Of Poker Player
In any type of poker game, be it free online poker or cash games you will come across 4 basic types of player in terms of psychology and related playing style and philosophy. They are tight-passive, tight-aggressive, loose-passive and loose-aggressive,
Within each type there are gradations, for example, the most extreme loose-aggressive is termed the “maniac”, this is the player who plays most hands and raises all the time, almost regardless of the cards he’s got.
Every poker player falls into one of these groups as a result of their baseline natural playing tendency. In most cases our natural playing tendency results in lost money as we will either play too few or too many hands and act too passive or aggressive at certain times. All styles have a time and place and good poker players are the ones who can switch styles in order to maximize their chances.
As a first step to improvement you need to identify your natural playing tendency. You also need to learn how to identify other players styles so you can counter their strengths and exploit their weaknesses with maximum effect.
Loose-passive
The loose-passive player calls many hands pre and post flop. He really wants to lay in as many hands as possible, and will try and hold on to the bitter end without having the slightest chance of winning. Loose-passive players are also referred to as “calling stations”.
Loose-aggressive
The loose-aggressive player will play many hands aggressively with a lot of betting and re-raises. Although these players lose in the long term they are dangerous sometimes as if their luck in no-limit Hold’em tournaments is good they can get a lot of chips quickly and become the chip leader.
Tight-passive
Also called rocks, they play a few hands and play passively. They only bet if they are sure to have the best hand, making their earnings small when they do win. One of many disadvantages the rock has is that if you identify them as a rock and they play a hand you know to fold. As a result on any table with players who have some skill the tight-passive player is largely sidelined.
Tight-aggressive
His game is selective, will bet hard whenever they have the upper hand. Most players who follow this style are more skilled and have learned to play well and takes into account things like pot odds and implied odds. Not all players using this style are good but many are and overall it is the best singular style to adopt while adding loose and passive elements as game demands and situations change.
The ideal way to identify your style, learn to spot other players and improve yours is in good yet low risk free poker games. It’s a fact that we learn by mistakes in poker so let’s keep those mistakes cheap! Small stakes and free poker games are the ideal way to get experience in the early stages, plus be sure to play free poker games and take as many free poker lessons as you can and learn about things such as pot odds, playable pockets and table position tactics.
Free Online Poker Lesson On What The Word Poker Truly Means And How That Can Help You Win More
Whether you play free poker or money games have you ever stopped to think about what the letters in the word POKER might mean? While the truth is that it most likely comes from an old German or French word I’ve thought of a new interpretation based on the letters that is perhaps more suited to modern times and relates to how you should approach poker game play be it a fun free online poker game or WSOP final table stuff! Read on and you might just be playing poker in a better way.
P – Positive attitude
Having a positive attitude helps a lot in poker. You need to play with the hope that you can win and make things happen. Believe that you’re hand is strong (if it is of course…if you’re a blind and it’s 2-7 fold!) and bet accordingly.
Just waiting and hoping to get a nice pair of aces hardly helps in poker, and when you do get them you might be defeated by a pair of twos. If you play with the wrong attitude, then other players will know that soon and force you to fold by raising the bet.
O – Opportunity
So you are positive and you have a decent hand, now you must take every opportunity that presents itself. Once all the cards have been dealt and you know that you have a winning hand, bet in a way to maximise your profit.
It’s no good if you win a hand and get pennies. So keep raising the stakes and win big. Strike when the iron is hot.
K – Knowledge
Real knowledge about poker and being able to figure all the different hand combinations that you can make. It’s not easy and requires a great amount of skill to predict what cards a person might have.
It’s all about experience and the more you play the more you learn. Once you have played enough hands you will be better at judging your opponents. Not only that, you will also be able to bluff and win (sometimes) even if you have a weak hand.
E – Eliminate
Once in a while you will get a pair of aces and what you need to do is make sure that you win. Your aim is to eliminate other players with weaker cards by raising the bet significantly, and forcing them to fold.
If you are playing on a large table then one or more other players is sure to get a good hand combination sooner or later. If not taken out initially that player could end up with a straight or flush and your aces are no match for that.
R – Realize
The final step is to realize what the other person might have and bail out early. It happens a lot of times that you bet hoping that a card you need to complete your straight or flush will come on the flop, turn or river but it never does. You keep on betting and lose money or lost of chips in free poker games. In these situations only continue if the amounts are small, once the bet is raised its better to fold.
Summary – Poker differs to other types of card game as the best cards do not always win as you will learn after a short time playing! A lot depends on the cards that come at the different games stages and the actions of other players and how you interpret and act upon those other player actions.
Poker is a nasty game at times, to keep your sanity and improve your winning keep in mind at all times that it is a game and you will not always win. Play within your means and don’t bet what you cannot afford to lose and if you can’t afford to lose anything or need to learn how to play poker for beginners only play free online poker at first to get better and to win bonuses that you can convert into a cash bankroll for micro and then mini stakes money games on cash poker sites.
Free Poker Online Guide To How To Steal Money All Poker Player Types And Styles
Here are a few free poker online tips I would like to share with you. We’ll look at different player styles and how to counter them and the importance of table position and how to play each position.
Types of Players
Call Stations
The Call Station is happy to see the flop but will not raise or best, only call until the river comes, hence the name. Play a normal game with decent hands and you’ll get money out of them, just one exception, no bluffing as they will, as the saying goes, call your bluff! Also known as Loose-Passive.
Rocks.
These players do not want to get involved with more hands and thus only plays with strong or premium hands.
The rock is easy to bluff as he believes everyone else is as honest as he is! This players favorite action is folding or calling if he has a premium hand. If a risk calls your bluff respect the call as he won’t be counter bluffing you. Also known as Tight-Passive.
Maniacs.
The maniac loves to bet, raise and bluff all the time almost regardless of the hand. They will often go all in pre-flop without hesitation. This is a common free poker games player. Only call these players if you have the best hand. Bluffs won’t work because they will counter bluff you back. Also known as Loose-Aggressive.
The Solid Player.
These players are sometimes be called the professional players. They understand poker inside out and know a lot of tactics for all occasions and will be trying as hard as you to identify your play style. They know when to fold and when to go all in if sense a bluff. They don’t think poker is about luck, they understand how probability and poker work and make their own luck. The Solid player is also called a Tight-Aggressive.
Position
Position is often the key to getting the most of poker. If you don’t know how to play by position then you are playing poker blindly. An QK might look great to call but its really not too good if you are the first to act and the other players are awaiting your action.
Early Position.
This position describes the first player to act prior to the flop. This position follows the blinds.
There 2 early positions in a table of 10 players. In this position you are at a great disadvantage to other players due to not enough information on the table. It’s always best to be tight in this position and raise with only good hands such as AA, KK, QQ, AK and fold anything else. Why? Since you lack information on the other players and calling so many hands would risk you putting all your chips to the pot. Always raise.
Middle Position.
There are 3 middle positions in a 10 player table. In middle position you will have a little understanding on the other players.
It’s always best to play at least semi loose but still be mindful as there are still other players waiting in line. Hands that can be played in this position are 88 to AA and suited connector cards like 89 diamonds. Be sure to know when you are beat at the flop and fold your hand. Re-raise only if you think that you have the best hand.
Late Position.
Usually this position is the most advantageous. Why? Since you have maximum information on the other players. It is possible to play many cards in this position if the pot hasn’t been raised.
Call with unsuited or suited connectors, suited cards, small pairs like 22, 33, 44 and practically any card as long as you know what the other players are like. This is where bluffs will tend to be successful.
For a great free poker lesson on playable cards and position see the D M Vadnais series, “Building Your Bankroll” also on NoPayPOKER, it’s brilliant.
Unsure how to apply these skills? Don’t lose cash learning, practice and learn first on micro or free poker games sites such as…NoPayPOKER!
And what better place to play poker online for free that at http://www.NoPayPOKER.com where you don’t have the fear of taking a loss like you do at on money sites or live tables yet you can still win real cash.
Find Free Poker Online Success By Knowing When To Fold
This free poker online guide comes from an experience I has in a Sit n Go event I played in a few months ago.
One of the players was duped, but so was I even though I wasn’t in the hand. There is a simple lesson that comes out which is, firstly, you must learn when to fold and second, as related to folding, learn to recognize all the outs available in the hand – or else!
Here’s how and why:
BLINDS 30/60
A has As-Jd, calls 60
B has ??-??, calls 60
Big blind and small blind joins (Pot 210)
FLOP: 8c-4c-As
A thinks his Ace is strongest and so stays aggressive:
Big blind and small blind check-fold
A bets 300
B calls 300
Because A fired out more than the pot, B is now getting less than 2-to-1 on a call, (1.7-1) which is the right price to call for a Straight or a Flush draw with two cards to come. A’s bet is just enough to drive out an incomplete hand. However, since B seems to be a weak player who chases draws, he decided to call.
TURN: 8c-4c-As-5c
The Five of Clubs came, and A, at this point, still has a strong hand, but has weakened. His Pair of Aces is good against what he believes should be a stray Flush draw. If he makes B continue, however, he might not be able to play his Pair. So A continues battering:
A bets 500
B calls 500
RIVER: 8c-4c-As-5c-7d
A Diamond came! Not a four-Flush. Of course A believes his Aces are good already, except if his opponent had A-K. So A tries a check-trap
A checks
B bets 1250
A calls all-in 1250
B reveals 8d-6d, wins the pot
How in the world did B have the Straight? When A saw 3 Clubs, he figured B had, maybe , 1 Pair and 1 Club that could make a made Flush later on. It didn’t, so A thought B’s all-in was because of the value of the small Pair B already had. He believed it will be only 8-x or less, so A called with what he thought was the best hand. It wasn’t.
True the board was risky, but A did not realize just how much danger there was. By focusing too much on the Flush, he didn’t realize that the Board was one card off a Straight (only a 6 is needed to topple him), and when only three Clubs came, he was lifted his fright of the Flush, but it made him recklessly disregard all other potential hands. His check was correct, but if he’s to have folded a fold would be better after that check.
And I, too, was duped. I thought B had a busted Flush, too. When B pushed A all-in, I, too, thought he was doing it with a pair and a busted Flush draw. It was with a Straight.
So what free poker lessons can be taken from this hand?
One is to know when to fold. If the board is one card off a Straight or Flush or any other big made hand, and a big bet is in front of you (which you reasonably believe is not a bluff), you should, more often than not, fold.
Two is to know which cards can crush you. All of them, not just some.
For A, during the Flop and the Turn, he realized that only Clubs can crush him. On the river, as there are only three Clubs (if B had the flush made, he would have moved all-in on the Turn, and A could have folded), A thinks he?s safe. He focused on the Clubs too much; he forgot the 6.
Of course it’s easy with hindsight and analysis, being aware of factors like all the available outs is a tough one if you’re new to poker (hell even if you’ve got some time tucked away) so for that reason it’s best to practice and play poker online for free a lot at http://www.NoPayPOKER.com before you go off to places like Feltstars and PartyPoker or live games and start throwing real money about. Even when you do progress I advise you to come back and play free poker online regularly in order to de-stress, make errors without loss and practice new ideas.
Free Online Poker Guide To When And How To Move All In With King-High
Typically when we’re short on chips and getting desperate in a cash or free poker online tourney we start to look for an Ace-something and move all in and hope! A lot of players will go for it with AK, AQ, in some cases even as low as A4.
At worst, if someone with A-4 is called by the medium Pair, there’s still one overcard. With A-K you could be called by Ace-lower and still be a significant favorite.
This is fine but should not be your only all in gambit in such situations. In this this free poker games article you’ll see why you should also move all in with King-High when your backs up against the wall!
The trend for tournament players today has altered slightly in favor of moving all-in with King-something, like K-Q, K-J, K-10 (certainly, the applications here apply also to A-K) and also K-x suited. Other players will also call with a smaller pocket Pair, and so A-x has the same probability of winning as K-x against a smaller Pair if both cards are overcards.
And K-x comes with a additional benefit. While a hand like A-5 is a major underdog against A-J, K-Q or K-5 is only a slight underdog.
Approximately, it’s a 13 to 7 underdog, but match it up to A-5 which is a 15 to 5 (or 3-1) underdog. What you want to fetch with K-x is its live card value.
With the A-5, you need to hit the Five in order to pair and take the lead. With K-5, you may have both King and Five pairing.
If you extend your all-in hand range to include K-x, you may have to move all-in more than usual. Because many players will fold to an all-in (including marginal high A-x such as A-10 or A-9) other players at the table will get a more aggressive impression of your play.
Also you can steal the blinds more often. The all-in itself (and not really the cards employed to move all-in) is a sign of strength; it is the same with A-x or K-x.
All in all, if you’re running out of chips and the all in approach beckons don’t limit yourself to just Ace-x, think about the King too, it might just make your day!
So why not experiment with the King High approach on the free online poker tables first, get used to it and then apply in more high risk poker games later.
Hopefully this was interesting and helps your poker game be it free online poker or for cash. Certainly it will demonstrate that in a given poker game situation you will find options to consider based on the cards you’ve got, the game phase, opposition and known and predicted risk to mention but a few.
If you are not used to this approach then by far the best way to get ahead is always to practice a LOT on free online poker sites such as http://www.NoPayPOKER.com and ONLY when you are winning consistently progress to real money stakes.
On NoPayPOKER.com you’ll play genuine free online poker where you absolutely, 100% literally can not lose any money ever no matter how bad you play! Practice to your hearts content and lose all you like, you can always just join the next freeroll after all!
And there is a huge free online poker training series on the http://www.NoPayPOKER blog, from how to play poker for beginners courses upto expert. To get into it just join free today and play poker online free right now with the free bankroll you get to start you off.