Scant attention has been paid to poker players’ diets in the widespread literature on the game. While many of us may well take this for granted, there are some important lessons to be learned from the dietary intake of players at both online and traditional poker games. Poker players are likely to indulge in all manner of ‘finger foods’ while playing at home-based games. And it’s really interesting what types of snacks the fellas and ladies are enjoying. Here’s a list of the most common poker foods at home-based poker games and contests:

Chicken Tenders with BBQ and Honey Mustard Sauce – this is by far one of the most exciting and tasty treats to indulge in when playing your favourite games of Razz, Stud, Texas Hold’em and Caribbean Stud poker. But it’s not ideal for video poker because those games usually require quick thinking, so you’re best advised to stick to chicken nuggets for video poker  .

Peanuts & Raisins – These are the ideal gaming accoutrement for a wide variety of traditional and online games. Players will find that this food is not only an exciting taste sensation, but it’s ideal for ongoing quick games. If you’re a video poker fan, this food is ideal and if you’re seated at a game of Hold’em then this is a great way to keep the nibbles at bay.

Dried Fruits – Bingo! These little beauties are the bee’s knees in keeping players wide awake and focused on the game. But a caveat is in order here: too many dried fruits will give you the runs and unless you’re playing cricket, this is NOT what you want. So enjoy these in moderation.

Salads – In truth very few serious poker players will be seen eating salads at their high-stakes games. For the sake of appearances, image and perception, it’s probably best to stick to the culinary norms here .

Pizza & Pasta – There can be no doubt that these foods are ideal for home-based poker games and all manner of online poker games – especially between hands or during breaks. Pizza & pasta are terrific for long-term sustenance and they keep you well stocked for the long haul. Carbs are always great and these foods taste fabulous!

Remember to provide a wide range of beverages to help wash down all these tasty tidbits. And besides, it’s always good to keep players hydrated, not imbibed, on lots of sodas, sky-juice or whatever else is being provided on the house.

*Be sure to use napkins or paper towels because you certainly don’t want to be wiping your hands on the poker felt!

Myriad online poker sites make use of up-to-date poker ranking systems. These systems measure the performance of players over a designated period of time and then rank players (under the usernames/poker playing names) accordingly. Many online poker rankings sites exist. One such site is Official Poker Rankings or OPR for short. This site is renowned the world over as a popular online gaming den where ratings are listed for tourneys, poker ratings, player rankings, site rankings and player stats.

What are some of the Benefits for Online Poker Players?

Poker players can quickly and easily check up on poker results, poker rankings, poker ratings and more when they click on OPR. The range of options includes the likes of poker profits, poker prizes, return on investment, ITM and even exact finish results. Those are but a few of the benefits to online poker rankings. The results from these sites are made possible via multi-table tourneys, satellite contests, Sit & Go’s and larger table Multi-Table tourneys.

Players are always keen to pit their playing smarts against other online players. In this vein, it’s important for players that they’re able to keep up with all the latest poker results and poker rankings information. Online poker players can evaluate their own performance relative to other players online. It’s even possible to check out other active and listed players online and see how they’re doing. The poker statistics on offer are available in real time too. In the case of OPR for example, the statistics are automatically added to the official poker rankings every 24 hours. This is important in being able to ascertain the poker player ratings and prize ladders on a daily basis.

Each poker site online has its own player rankings lists. Carbon Poker lists these Top 5 players: luckyleo80, phatcat1, bullitpete, tford219 and MiguelSantiago. FullTiltPoker while it was still in operation listed these Top 5 players: S_Dot111, cswidler, P1NkUn1C0rN, oleg12345 and WHOPPWHOPP. OnGame Poker lists these 5 players: 1banditpanda, -MortenVM-, chiips111, nelss0n and Im-John-Galt. These results have been collected over the past 120 days at the time of printing.

What Can Players Expect from Poker Rankings?

You can quickly and easily find information on any player in any number of poker sites. And more importantly, players can get information on Multi-Table Tourneys, Sit & Go’s and Heads Up contests, among others.  Players can quickly create profiles, write bios and add pictures to their personal poker areas.  But beyond the basics, players are able to take pictures of and view their last 10 tournaments for better analysis of their games. Graph links and player profile links can be placed pretty much anyplace online. Poker is so much more than a game, it’s a highly competitive work of art!

Poker players and intending poker players are always keen to sharpen their gaming skills. But where precisely do you learn the rules of the game you love and how do you improve on your gaming chances? These are but a handful of the many questions that poker hopefuls have. The good news is that it’s easier than ever to learn Texas Hold’em poker, partly due to the fact that there are so many places and so many ways to improve your game.

Poker Online

Face it, poker is the most popular online card game on the planet today. Few games come close to matching its popularity. While blackjack has been considered a close second, even blackjack players would admit that Texas Hold’em reigns supreme. So the best advice is the following: follow your heart to the most trusted and revered online poker sites. Credibility is everything. Reputations build trust and so do generous online bonuses. Remember that online poker sites offer terrific poker schools and strategies for players to make use of. Use them well and enhance your game no end.

Friends

Note that friends are a great resource to use to learn and play poker with. But they’re not mutually exclusive to poker online. So play with friends socially, online and at Vegas casinos because poker is most definitely about interaction, psychology and bluffing. Read the cards but play the player – that’s what makes Hold’em the great card game that it has become.

Books

Poker Books form part of an invaluable component of the top resources to learn the game of poker with. Poker books are structured, professional and didactic accounts of how best to go about learning the game, playing the game and mastering the game. But be careful to select books tailored to your way of playing. And it’s imperative that you understand the level at which the pro writer is explaining the concepts.  Highly mathematical books are not reader-friendly and they can become a bore. So select wisely and learn the game.

TV

There can be no doubt that television is a terrific medium to learn the game of poker from. And with the WSOP taking place and being screened virtually everywhere it’s easy to see why television ranks right up there. But it’s often glamorized so watch closely and follow the games through to the end. Poker is about patience and TV has precious little time for that!

Live Poker Tourneys

If you just happen to be at the Aussie Millions 2012 in January at the Crown Plaza, or the Rio All Suites Hotel & Casino for the WSOP 2011, you’ll be able to see how poker pros play in real-time. This is the most exciting way to learn the game. It’s also the most inaccessible. But thankfully poker contests are a dime a dozen so getting to see one in action is not a faraway occurrence.

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There are myriad options when it comes to reading and selecting the most appropriate Texas Hold’em poker books.  A virtual treasure trove of titles – a veritable library – is readily available for players to enjoy. And in this vein, it’s imperative to select wisely. While many of the books are certainly affordable, it’s the quality and the user-friendliness that must be taken into account. Poker advice comes in many forms.

Some poker writers like to provide complex mathematical and statistical reasoning for their formulae and theories. Other writers are more practical and while they cite stats on a regular basis, they know that most readers of poker books are novices. Therefore it’s foolhardy to come down on new readers and potentially new players with so much complex statistical data.

Texas Hold’em poker is clearly a game that meshes strategy and Lady Luck in a fine gaming embrace. It’s the ultimate showstopper in casinos and the most legendary of all the card games in existence today – including the renowned game of blackjack. For poker writers there’s more than just their reputation at stake when they compile literary efforts, there’s also the inculcation of the poker masses and that’s paramount.

Top Poker Reads for New and Seasoned Poker Players

Every Hand Revealed is a terrific poker book. It was written by the poker meister himself – Gus Hansen. It reveals in exquisite and intriguing detail how ‘The Madman’ of poker has played so aggressively and so successfully over the years. Hansen is the master of Texas Hold’em and his reputation speaks volumes. He’s a winner – he’s crazy – but he can play poker like no other. He won the Poker SuperStars Invitational title and he’s claimed 3 WPT Titles. Beat that poker fans! He’s also the 2007 Aussie Millions champ and he claimed over $1 million for that effort. With this latest book – available here – Gus reveals his deepest secrets to winning more poker games. Oh  yeah, the book is relatively inexpensive too.

Kill Everyone: Advanced Strategies for No-Limit Hold ‘Em Poker Tournaments and Sit-n-Gos The title is a little aggressive but the book certainly packs a wallop. This is the bee’s knees of poker gaming. It’s got some incredible fascinating insights into Multitable Tourneys (MTTs) and it details in fine fashion, all the most incredible aspects of poker gaming. The book features terrific illustrations and full-color poker charts. There are also loads of in-house commentary, courtesy of the European legendary player Elky.  It was written by Tysen Streib and Steven Heston. And it’s pretty affordable for a book of this quality.

These and other titles are plenty popular on the poker scene. Grab a copy, new, 2^nd hand or Kindle – they’re well worth it.