Bad Luck in Poker

For a game where most players rarely consider luck, there are lots of superstitions in poker. When you mention that someone was lucky in that poker tournament they won, be careful of how you say it. For instance, if you mention that you were unlucky, your luck may never change.

Ok, that may sound a bit ubsurd, but poker is a game loaded with superstitions. Did you know that if you are playing a game with two seperate decks and you are asked to pick the deck, you should always pick the deck of cards that is furthest from you? Or, how about If you get a run of bad cards, you must sit on a hankerchief to break your bad luck? It's actually considered good luck to blow through a deck of cards while they are being shuffled.

Some other fascinating poker superstitions are:

• You can change the run of cards by walking around your chair three times.


• The luckiest seat at the poker table faces the door.


• The unluckiest seat has it's back to a fireplace.


• When changing seats, you should always do so clockwise.


• The unluckiest poker card is the four of clubs.


• It's very unlucky to sit with your legs crossed at the poker table.


• Friday is a bad day for playing cards.


• The 13th is also a bad day, regardless of what day of the week it is.

For being such a game full of skill, many people still hold on to the old superstitions.

Beginners strategy for Pai Gow Poker

Pai Gow Poker is a modern game with ancient origins.  Based on the ancient Chinese domino game and the modern American version of poker, Pai Gow poker combines the east with the west in a great game for beginning level players. 

Pai Gow Poker is a poker game that pits the player against the dealer, unlike most other poker games that players play against other players.  By playing against the dealer, beginning players don’t have to worry about other, more experienced people taking their money. 

Another Pai Gow advantage is the relatively slow game play, novices can take their time and strategize without needing to make hasty decisions. 

It’s also easier to play for a long time with just a little bit of money since, to lose, both of your hands must be lower than both of the dealer’s hands. 

Pai Gow is played with 53 cards; the regular 52-card standard deck and one joker.  The player is dealt seven cards face up and the dealer receives seven cards face down.

A five card hand and a two card hand must be made from the seven cards, the five card hand must be higher than the two card hand.  To win, a player needs both of his hand values to be higher than the dealer’s.   

To read more about Pai Gow Poker rules and strategy, visit Online-Casino (http://www.online-casino.com) and browse the game tips and strategy pages.

A Quick and Easy Texas Holdem Poker Lesson for Beginners

The great thing about Texas Holdem Poker is that it is easy to learn.  Even a beginner can quickly develop into a winning player.  By following a sound strategy and playing the best starting hands a Texas Holdem Poker newbie can dramatically shorten the learning curve.  So what are the best hands that a beginner should play?

The best hands for a beginner to play are Ace-Ace, King-King, Queen-Queen, Jack-Jack, Ace-King suited (example – Ace of clubs & King of clubs).

I strongly recommend that you only play these starting hands as a beginner.  In other words, if you are dealt a hand other than one of the above then fold! 

Folding is one of the most difficult decisions for a Texas Holdem Poker beginner to do.  The mindset of most Texas Holdem Poker beginners is to hang around and see the flop in the hopes of hitting it just right and improving a hand.

While a beginner will hit the flop and improve their hand occasionally, more often than not they will miss it.  The Texas Holdem Poker beginner player that plays poor starting hands will end up throwing more money away than they will win.

When you are dealt one of the best starting hands I recommend raising the pot which will serve two purposes.  First, it will force players with weak hands to fold instead of allowing them to stay in the game and see the flop for free.

Secondly, by seeing who raises and calls you get to see who feels that they have a good hand and who may be trying to hang in for the flop.

When the flop is dealt you should look carefully to see if you have improved your hand.  Even if you have not improved your hand, because you started out with one of the better hands you may still have the best hand.  This is especially true if your starting hand was a pair of aces or kings.

If your opponents raise back this can be a strong signal that they may have a powerful hand.  Ask yourself, “What could my opponent have?” “Could they have improved their hand?” 

Ask yourself these questions after each round of cards are dealt and try to “read” your opponents hand.

If you have a high pair a raise after the flop can help you assess whether your opponents feel if they have a strong hand or not.

If you think you are beaten there is no shame in folding at this point. 

When the turn card has been revealed, if you think that you may still have the best hand I would raise the pot so that I could obtain information about my opponents’ hands.

I would follow this same strategy on the river card.

To summarize this basic Texas Holdem Poker beginner strategy:
-    stick to playing the best starting hands
-    fold the bad hands
-    use the power of the raise to knock out weak players and to assess the strength of your opponents hands

By following this Texas Holdem Poker beginner strategy you will start out winning more hands than you lose.  You will start out winning more money than you will lose.

Caribbean Stud Poker: How to Play

Caribbean Stud Poker is gradually gaining in popularity as compared to its stud twin: Texas Holdem mainly because it is an easier game to learn and you can play it face to face and still enjoy.

Originating in the Caribbean and based loosely on five card stud poker rules, this game offers a fan alternative to traditional table games with an opportunity to place a side bet and hit a big jackpot too. Some of these jackpots are progressive and you can win millions of dollars if you break those machines or tables..

What is Caribbean Stud?
It is not a traditional poker game in the sense that you play against the other players and the best player wins the pot. Caribbean stud belongs to the family of games including Pai Gow poker, Let it Ride and Three Card poker for example, where your opponent is the dealer and your goal is to form a better poker hand than the dealers hand. However, basic knowledge of traditional poker hand ranking is required.

The Rules of Playing Caribbean Stud:
1) The game begins with the players placing an ante bet at the same amount as the table minimum on the ante circle on the table.
2) At the same time, you should decide whether to place an additional side bet for the progressive jackpot.
3) Then, the dealer deals each player five face down cards plus four face down cards and one up to himself.
4) After looking at your cards, you should decide whether to fold or to call. If you decide to call, you should place an additional bet double the amount of your former ante bet.
5) After all the players have made their decisions, the dealer shows his hand. In order to qualify in a Caribbean stud poker game, the dealer must have an ace and a king or better. If he does not qualify, you will be paid back your ante bet but the call bet is a push.
6) If the dealers hand qualifies, he compares hands against each of the players individually. If his hand is better than yours is, you lose both your ante and your call bets.
7) If your hand is better than the dealers hand, you would be paid even money for your ante while for your call you would be paid according to a paytable. The paytable can vary from one casino to another. Generally, US casinos pay out 50:1 on a straight flush; 20:1 on four of a kind; 7:1 on full house; 5:1 on a flush; 4:1 on a straight; 3:1 on three of a kind; 2:1 on two pairs and even money on one pair or less.
In case your hand and the dealers hand are even, both ante and raise will push.

One of the reasons that Caribbean stud poker is so popular is the option of placing a one dollar side bet and winning a large progressive jackpot prize. In order to qualify for the bonus payout you should have a flush or better. For a flush, you would be paid a 50 dollars bonus and in order to win the jackpot that usually resets from 10,000 dollars, you must have a royal flush. However, your chances to hit a royal flush are estimated as about 650,000 to 1, therefore I would recommend skipping it.

Poker And Asia

Across the world, we see an explosion of the game of poker.

Australian Joe Hachem's big 2005 WSOP win inevitably triggered increased interest in the game Down Under, and lifted the attention of people in the Asia Pacific towards poker. Those in the poker industry in established countries see the vast opportunity for bringing poker competitions to Asia.

Already Asia has, in the 6 months prior to the writing of this article, seen at least 3 new tournaments sprouting around the Asian continent. The most famous of these was the Asian Poker Tour held in Singapore.

The APT is a prelude to Singapore's 2 new integrated resorts, of which casinos formed the highlight component. The integrated resorts are major commercial and residential property developments introduced by the Singapore Government's as its latest initiative to drive the Singapore economy and to grow Singapore into a major tourist destination for the region.

But Singapore is not the only destination in Asia with a draw for the poker player's dollar.

Macau has, less than a decade after the liberalisation of its casino restrictions, recently surpassed the dominant Las Vegas as the highest revenue generating gambling destination in the world. Perhaps there are benefits to introducing casinos and poker to the Asian region still enjoying rapid economic growth and populated by some two thirds of the world's population.

Singapore and Macau in the Asia Pacific are sure to provide many more opportunities to play poker in this region.

All the signs are that poker can be bigger here than it could ever be in Europe and North America.

Indeed, with the recent passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in the US, several major companies have adopted the policy of completely restricting US citizens from playing in the US. The result is that these companies are actively promoting their poker games to Europe, Australia, and soon, you will find, Asia as well. There are no borders in the internet and any individual sitting in Manchester, Melbourne or Macau can play poker online.

Asia will have its challenges in the development of this industry. Many countries are of conservative values or are still staunch in religions or beliefs and hence that may look poorly upon poker. Of course, the starting perception of poker is as part of gambling and betting and gaming.

However, these are no different from issues once faced by poker players in other continents. Indeed, the perception of poker worldwide is changing. There is argument that poker should be seen more as a sport due to the dominance of skill over the element of chance involved in poker. An increasing number of people do not turn professional to play roulette or other casino games - they turn professional to play poker because there are opportunities to influence the course of game with skill.

In any event, as we see from the many tournaments and casinos sprouting around Asia, those that do not get into the industry (with the right regulations and balance) lose out.
Poker is coming to Asia, and Asia welcomes poker.

Online poker tips for free

This article is all about online poker. I have been enjoying playing poker on the internet for a couple of years now and in this article, I give free tips on how to become a successful online poker player.

For me playing poker is not just about attempting to win money, it is also fun. I love the fact that you can interact with other players from different countries. You have to be quite careful however as some of them attempt to wind you up. This is a well known tactic which some online players use, to entice you into betting to try to knock them out of the game. My advice in this situation is to ignore these people and to not even reply to their comments.

The turnaround of hands is a lot quicker than when you play in a casino or with your friends and it is wise to pick and choose carefully which hands you play and which hands you fold. I have played on some days when I think that I will never be dealt a decent hand. It is very tempting to try to make something happen by betting on a hand which in reality I know I should throw away. This is a risky strategy and you need to be patient as your time will come.

The people who are making the money in online poker rooms are the ones who have this patience. A lot of people can easily get bored and can soon see their money or chips dwindle away.

In the periods of gloom where you are not being dealt the good cards, keep yourself amused by watching the television, listening to the radio or by chatting to the other players. Again the law of averages states, the luck has to change eventually.

On some tables there are over aggressive players who will bet on anything and also raise to stupid levels. These players may win a lot of chips in a short period of time, however in the long run will always lose. You have to stick to your game plan and not get frustrated by these type of players. See it as an easy way to make money as eventually they will come unstuck, hopefully to you.

Poker can become quite addictive, therefore only bet what you can afford to lose. Play the game as a hobby and enjoy it, you are more likely to win with this attitude. I know people who attempt to win a certain amount of money per night and then go chasing this figure if they start to struggle. This in my opinion is not a good idea. I accept that I will win on some nights and lose on others. With the right approach and as the last two years have shown me, I should win in the long term.

Good luck with your online poker experience, I hope to chat to you someday on the tables.

Online Poker

As we move further and further into the age of technology, the Internet continues to evolve and create more entertainment options almost on a daily basis. So it comes as no surprise that some of your favorite casino games can now be found in online casino domains. And perhaps one of the more popular games found in online casinos is Poker.

There are numerous online chat and game rooms devoted to casino style Poker. Oftentimes, the style of play varies from site to site. Some of the more popular types of online Poker are: Texas Hold’em, Omaha Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Lo, 5 Card Stud and 7 Card Stud, to name a few. Due to the fact that there are so many different online casinos featuring Poker rooms, there can be a plethora of different types of games to choose from.

There are several differences between the traditional form of Poker playing and participating in an online Poker game in a virtual casino. The first big difference is that there is a lack of the physical interaction that is so vital to a great Poker game. Body language is a big part of the game of Poker and is a missing component of online casinos.

However, in contrast, players have a better chance of success in an online casino, particularly with online Poker games, as they are able to maintain more than one hand at a time. Many times, savvy players will participate at several different tables within the online casino to increase their chances for winning. Players are also often allowed to enter into the game with more reasonable bets and are often able to catch tips and explanation with the casino’s website features. This can come in handy when establishing which type of game the player would like to enter.

Online casinos offer many different casino games. Just be sure to read all of the rules and regulations of each game before participating and as with any online venture, be sure that you are on a secured site, particularly when exchanging monetary information. After reviewing the online casino rules, it’s time to have some gambling fun!