A Practical Guide to Playing Pocket Pairs in Free Poker Games
Low pocket pairs are better then many people think they are. They are also a lot worse then some people think they are. If you’re playing a free poker game it may not seem such a big thing but when its high stakes this stuff matters! Actually, even if you are playing “just” free poker games for any reason other than fun then you should treat it serious. So read on!
Ok to start with if the pot odds are about four to one it’s relatively secure to call, although a drawback, you won’t be pocketless after. Four to one may make you think that you should be calling every pocket pair but at the early stages it’s very difficult.
By folding a couple more times now could potentially saving you a lot of money in the long run. If the blinds are quite small compared to the money on the table, and you have gigantic unspoken odds it’s a good time to see these low odd hands.
If the blinds are low then you really have nothing to worry about the amount of money that you lose here calling every single pocket pair you see will be less then the amount of the blinds in 30-45mins.
Although predominately pocket pairs are used as cards to see from the flop, in some scenarios you may even consider going all in with them. To give this some context I wouldn’t suggest going all in with any cards less than 66 as A2 – A5 are favourable cards in today’s game. I cast my mind back to my early playing games where I would miss the flop with AK; you would still end up with an above thirty percent chance to hit the river- so I would go all in without thought.
Some people including myself at one time thought 30% was not bad at all but really the only time you should with such low percents is when you’re forced into a situation that calls for it. Practice your card skills like this in free poker games first before moving on and up into the green.
Free Poker Games Guide to Playing Low Pocket Pairs
It never surprises me how underestimated pocket pairs are in the world of poker. Ok, before I get carried away, I should also say on the contrary they’re also a hell of a lot worse than you may think! Again a lot of this has to be put into comparison on how much you’re betting. To be honest for me this makes no difference as I always believe you should play the free poker games with the same mentality as if you were betting your house.
Ok to start with if the pot odds are about four to one it’s relatively secure to call, although a drawback, you won’t be pocketless after. Four to one may make you think that you should be calling every pocket pair but at the early stages it’s very difficult.
By folding a couple more times now could potentially saving you a lot of money in the long run. If the blinds are quite small compared to the money on the table, and you have gigantic unspoken odds it’s a good time to see these low odd hands.
If the blinds are low then you really have nothing to worry about the amount of money that you lose here calling every single pocket pair you see will be less then the amount of the blinds in 30-45mins.
Pocket pairs are mostly just something to see a flop with and get away from easy but in rare cases you may even consider going/calling all-in with them. I wouldn’t recommend pushing with anything less then 66 as A2-A5 are popular hands these days. I remember when I first started playing poker and I found out that missing the flop with AK your still usually over 30% to hit by the river so I would just push all in regardless.
I use to believe that a thirty percent chance was a favourable amount when talking odds, but as you become more experienced you understand that the only time these odds pay out is the rare occasion your put in a scenario and have to call. Learn your trade playing free poker games before moving on to the money tables so you can understand these rules and odds first hand.
Free Poker Games Guide – All Poker Players Suffer Bad Beats – Its How You Bounce Back that Counts
Excitement runs through your veins as your eyes lighten up to the possibility of what your hand shows: a 2, 8, and yes you guessed it a fabulous King. You mildly lean over giving the slightest touch to the 2 old boys that lay in front of you. All the practice on the free poker games sites has paid off. The cards you hold have finally come in rainbow and the 2 lows are a fair distance apart. Flushes and str8’s are pretty much finished- and the kings reign supreme.
As you sit in anticipation for your turn you take a quick look over your opponents trying not to give any signs away of the fabulous hand you hold- there sits a fish. They have all played their part and helped water the stack as you sit watching it flourish. The bad calls and awful bets are all helping line your back pocket. They continue to outstack you after their latest hail-mary & you sit hoping they continue to push.
Your heart stops as fishy gets his go and as if it was Christmas he throws more money at the pot. This is it, its time to take the pot home; it’s the moment you dreamed of while learning your trade on the free poker games, and you want to take this opportunity. Inevitably it’s time to push your stack and show them all the Kings.
The fish slowly shows his cards and there it is pocket sevens! A huge gasp as everyone must be questioning what the hell they were doing. You stay calm in the comfort that his only possibility of saviour is to pull 2 more 7’s out the hat. Now off of the turn; and as if by magic the first of those 7’s appears. You can’t believe it- and as if things couldn’t get any worse, without hesitation the dealer reveals the 4th dreaded 7! Shock horror!
Your heart sinks and you drop to you knees. You have been forsaken. You swear never to play again as the gods can’t exist and let that happen. You want to scream as fishy. But you don’t. You congratulate and leave.
In hindsight you start pondering with what had just happened- is there anything you could have played different; probably not. I guess there’s no point holding on to this and you decide to let it go remembering how fishy played his hand.
Everybody comes to the table expecting to win in a different way. Remember the bad beats but never admonish those who hand them to you. They are profitable people and need to be remembered. Keep them close to you heart and tell no one. Smile and remember there money will soon be yours.
And remember, there are always free poker games to practice on before you have to take a serious bad beat for real!
Free Poker Games Skills – Luck Knowing Players and Betting Strategy
I have been playing free poker for a couple of years now and hope that my experience in this article will help you in your game.
Lady Luck
Well to start with let me be very clear about the fact that like all games of cards this too depends a lot on your luck. Many people say that you can make your own luck, which when playing poker is achieved by picking your cards and games cautiously. If you have any card above 10 it really helps, having an ace though is the best option. This is because most people bet only when they have a card with a high face value. The best time to go all-in is when you are holding a face card or even better, two of them. Although as I said that there are no guarantees and still a lot depends on luck.
Know The Players
One type like to take high risks and more often than not bet all that they have in one go. At times this can be good but in most cases it’s a suicide mission and you are advised to bet once these people loose all their chips or settle down and start betting in a normal way.
The other type of player is the one who is very tight with their betting and even if they have a decent hand is still likely to bet a low amount. These types of players are of no significant danger of knocking you out.
Next come the so called bluffers and these can be quite dangerous. It’s really hard to figure out when they are bluffing and when they really have good cards. They confuse you a lot so be careful while dealing with such players. The best thing though is to play with only when you are confident about your cards.
Betting Strategy
When it comes to betting you need to decide how much you want to bet and if possible wait until the last minute to decide, if possible. If not, just play according to the cards you have been dealt and go all out if you really have a good hand. The best way to get more return for your good hand is to bet small amounts in the beginning, to keep all interested and then increase the bet steadily. In this way the other players are forced to keep betting and you can increase the number of chips you earn.
I look forward to seeing you at the free poker tables soon!
Learning Free Poker Website Lingo
Have you ever been sitting at a table either free poker online or in a real tournament or perhaps watching a tournament on television and hearing the announcers or players using terms you have never heard of?
This guide is to help decipher some of the more complex terms and hopefully introduce you to some new ones in hopes that they will help not only improve your game but can make poker more enjoyable.
We all know some of the terms like , flop, turn , river, check, raise and so forth but there are even some terms for those that are foreign to some players. Such as…
4th street – also commonly called the Turn
5th street – also more commonly called the River
But that is not the limit of the terms you can keep in mind while you’re contemplating your next moves. Keep these in mind when you are watching the bets come around to you.
Plays tight – generally means that a player does not play lots of hands
Plays loose – term meaning that the player plays a lot of hands
Plays “ATC”- they play anything “ATC”= any two cards”.
On tilt- means that a player is being erratic with their bets usually from losing a tough hand earlier.
Above details the pre flop terms, so lets look at board activity terms.
Over pair – A pair in your hand that beats what is on the board.
Top pair – means that you have paired the highest card on the board with one in your hand. Next down is middle pair and bottom pair respectively.
If you manage to survive the flop but have 4th and 5th St. left to endure. Then you have three more terms to keep in mind as you go.
Outs – number of possible cards that can give you the win on a hand.
Drawing dead- Term meaning that you there is no possible way to win the hand. Some players if they are drawing dead may bluff or go on tilt at the last second to try and steal the pot.
Having the “nuts”- Having the nuts means you have the best possible hand available from the cards on the board and in your hand.
Some tricks on betting
Poker and playing free poker is all about betting, checking and raising, but even the three basic options can be pretty interesting.
Even terms like check and raise can lead to some pretty interesting scenarios and put players in a frenzy.
One example is to check-raise. That term means to check when the bet comes to you but then raise if a bet comes up. This tactic can hide the strength of your hand and can lure a player into losing a lot chips if he is not careful on how he plays it.
Value bet – Is a bet that is not a large bet but is considered small enough to call. Some players may call a value bet in hopes of gauging a player’s game play or to see their hand.
Semi-bluff bet – Is similar to a bluff bet but is enough of a bet to make a player think very carefully about what their next move is.
[b]Pot odds -[b] This term I would say is the most useful term to keep in mind. Pot odds is the ratio of your chips in the pot versus the whole pot. For example if you have $1500 in a $6000 pot your pot odds would be 4:1. Keep this in mind if you are in a tight hand and not sure if you should risk more or not.
Pot committed – Term meaning that a player has a majority of their chips in the pot. This is a very useful term as it can decide to back off on a hand or force them all in if you have the nuts.
These terms can all be used in free poker games as well as other poker situations, but if it’s at your table that you see and hear them, then you will know what is going on and that vital knowledge can give you the edge on your next game and hopefully put more chips on your side of the table.