It’s hard to imagine that yet another massive poker scandal has rocked the online gaming boat. Online poker is certainly no stranger to fraud, cheating and malfeasance, but few people had any idea that something so huge was brewing. Enter the world of Sam Simon – the producer of the world-famous animated television series, The Simpsons. The irony is that the fraud that was going on was at a very basic, although highly insidious level. The cheaters didn’t have the smarts to hack poker servers (that’s pretty impressive by criminal standards) or to control multiple player accounts. What they did in fact was commit a B&E. In layman’s terms that’s a breaking and entry into Sam Simon’s friend’s apartment. It just so happens that this friend was a high stakes online poker player. And the sum total of the losses of this particular friend is estimated at over $4 million.
How did it all go down?
According to Sam Simon, the criminals placed a hidden webcam in the home of his friend. The webcam was pointed at the computer/keyboard where he played online poker. What this did was allow the cheaters to see the hole cards. And the game that Simon’s friend was playing was none other than the King of Poker games – Texas Hold’em. The cheaters naturally logged onto the same virtual poker game at the same poker table. And by making use of the spy camera they buy rx drugs would adjust their strategy accordingly. The fact that the story broke is important in uncovering the various types of fraudulent activities currently being perpetrated by cheats.
But the extent of cheating extends far and beyond Simon’s friend to Simon himself. Apparently he was a victim of a collusion scam on the famed poker site – PokerStars. Rumor has it that this very poker site was running an algorithm on past hands of two players. This collusion was then used to defraud the two players. It’s notable that collusion schemes always require the cooperation of 2 or more people. What these players do is to share valuable poker information such as hole cards and team up against other players. Sadly this all came too late for Sam Simon because he’s lost confidence in online poker sites.
Party politics is a big component of legalizing the moves towards regulated online poker gaming. An example is that of Harry Reid a Democrat Senator from Nevada who was pushing to legalize online casino gaming from casinos that donated to his re-election bids. Currently the terms of the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) of 2006 makes it illegal for US banks and financial institutions to transfer funds to online gambling companies. Thus the act of providing online gaming to US citizens by companies is hotly contested. It’s interesting to note that Anurag Dikshit – co-founder of PartyGaming – voluntarily paid $300 million in fines to the Department of Justice and agreed to work with them to avoid jail time. And yet other notable poker rooms continue to operate from within the US.
Understanding the basic poker playing strategies takes time, patience and diligence. Texas Hold’em poker is about more than forming the best 5-card hand from the 2 hole cards and the splash of community cards. It’s about psyching out your opponents and knowing when to hold and when to fold. That’s the beauty of poker – you play the odds and you play the player at the same time. But before you learn to strategize, it’s imperative that you learn the basics of poker play. Texas Hold’em is one of the easiest games to learn and one of the most rewarding at the same time. Unlike Omaha and 7-card stud, Texas Hold’em poker is fairly easy to master. All it takes is commitment to the cause and the game takes care of itself. Players are advised to practice as much as possible in order to fine-tune their skills. That’s the strategic advice that always works best.
Strategy, tips and playing advice from Texas-Holdem-Poker
All the top online poker rooms offer their players a variety of fun-play tables. These allow players to ply their poker smarts against one another without having to risk any of their own cash. Once a player is ready to begin betting for real money, it’s easy to make the switch. Online poker gaming provides ease of use (in terms of setting up tables, dealing cards, shuffling the deck and calculating which hand holds the highest value). Getting started is a snap. Players will be faced with either a Limit game or a No-Limit game. Then there are blinds and antes to deal with. These are the start-up costs to get into the game. Once that’s out of the way, players get dealt 2 hole cards from the deck of 52. These ‘pocket cards’ as they are known are only for the player’s eyes. A betting round gets underway, beginning with the player to the left of the blinds (small and big blind).
This pre-flop allows for quick calls, raises and folds. After the betting round has ended the dealer removes the top card of the 52-card deck and flips 3 cards face-up on the table. The flop constitutes community cards that can be used in combination with the player’s hole cards. Next up the player left of the deal bets and the dealer again flips another card (removing the top card to prevent cheating) and the turn is on. Again the player to the left of the dealer bets. This betting round ups the stakes and it is followed by the 5th community card – the river. The goal is to make the best 5-card hand from buy generic drugs the 5 community cards and the 2 hole cards. A final betting round commences and then a showdown of remaining players ensues. Typically the pot is won by a single player, but in the event that more players have equal-value hands – the pot will be split.
Going extreme can pay dividends or make you go bust
Foolish poker play – like playing every hand and not folding – can result in massive losses. Poker is a game of patience, luck, strategy and skill. Players need to know when to hold and when to fold. Remember this game can make you a fortune if you play your cards right. Start with the free-play option, up the stakes and build a bankroll.
In the world of poker no game is more loved than No-Limit Hold’em. This popular gaming variation ranks very highly among a global audience of players and is offered across the board at a plethora of online casinos and real-life gambling destinations. Many of the world’s premier NL Hold’em games offer fantastic tournaments and mega-prizes. With so many online poker rooms to choose from, Texas Hold’em No-Limit is the must-play gaming sensation.
Here’s how it works:
No Limit Texas Hold’em is all about players being able to bet all of their chips in a game. This format of the game works especially well for tournament gaming action. If you’re a poker greenhorn then you’re going to want to avoid this particular style of gaming until you’re experienced enough to understand poker rules, betting techniques, strategies and the like. All Texas Hold’em poker contests start off in the same way. This is to say that players are dealt 2 hole cards. These are dealt face down. Don’t be lulled into complacency Buy Levitra Online Without Prescription by the apparent simplicity of playing Texas Hold’em. The game unfolds at a furious pace as players have to form the highest possible combinations of cards given their two hole cards and the 5 community cards. These community cards are shown face-up on the table and all players can make use of them to form the winning hand. This means that you will effectively have 7 cards at your disposal to make the best 5-card hand.
Low Limit Texas Hold’em strategy is used to learn the ropes in this type of game. If you’re a novice you’re going to want to start off low and work your way into the higher limit games. A typical low-limit structures involves the $2/$4 system whereby each of the 4 betting rounds in the game first comprise a limit of $2 and the last 2 rounds are constituted by a $4 limit. Note that all betting or raising in a typical No Limit game is restricted to the amount of the limit for that particular playing round. Game play starts off with 2 blind bets. The player to the left of the dealer posts the small blind and the player to the left of the small blind posts the big blind – which is equal to the minimum bet for the game – in this case it is $2. Other players do not post blinds, but they’ll get their turn should they decide to stay in the contest long enough for the dealer position to rotate relevant to them.
Moving along with Texas Hold’em for No Limit and Limit Games
As each player receives two face-down cards, he or she will call after the blinds have been posted. Calling is the process of acknowledging that you wish to remain in the game. In NL games by calling, you’re going to meet the blind bet or raise by putting $4 into the pot. The other option it to fold your hand. The betting continues until it reaches the player who last posted the small blind. Remember that you’re already in the hand at this point if you’ve put in the big blind so you don’t need to raise to stay in the game. You can simply check. The following sequence of events unfolds at this point The Flop (3 cards dealt face up), then The Turn, then The Turn, then The River and then The Showdown. These and other important poker playing stages will be discussed in subsequent posts. That’s it for this week on NL vs. Limit gaming – remember – it’s all about the $.
When determining what makes for a successful poker player, then medicine without prescription odds calculations are vitally important. Important concepts to look out for are the odds of hitting a Royal Flush, a Straight, a Full House, 4 of a kind, 3 of a kind or any other combination. The point is that odds calculations alone count for very little if they are done in isolation. What for example is the purpose of knowing the odds calculation of 4 of a kind if you haven’t factored into account the number of players, the skill level of the players, the pot at stake and even your chip count. These externalities play a greater or lesser role in the eventual outcome and/or possibilities inherent in winning. Feeling good about your hand in poker is but one component of what is required to succeed. Beyond the basics are the real issues – the probabilities that are standard for all poker players. Before we uncover the statistical probabilities of hitting certain card combinations, it’s vitally important to learn what the hand rankings look like.
What are the best poker hand combinations?
Starting from the best hand combination to the lowest possible combination – here’s what to expect:
- Royal Flush – all the Royals suited – 10, J, K, Q, A – no other combination beats this
- Straight Flush – 5 consecutive suited cards – 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 would do it
- Four of a Kind – 4 cards of the same rank + a 5th card – 5, 5, 5, 5 + 2 or K, K, K, K + 8
- Full House – 3 of a kind plus a pair – 7, 7, 7 + J, J
- Flush - Any 5 cards of the same suit (all hearts, diamonds, spades or clubs)
- Straight - Five consecutive cards with the exception of a higher ranking straight flush
- Three of a Kind – Three cards of the same rank + 2 other cards – 5,5,5 + 8, K
- Two Pair – Two pairs + one other card – K,K, J,J + 4
- Pair – A pair of cards + 3 other cards – Q,Q + 5, K, J
- High Card – Any 5 cards without combinations, featuring a high card in the hand
Naturally the more difficult the poker hand to form (or be dealt) the greater the statistical ‘unlikelihood’ of achieving it. This is especially true of the top 4 hands – as listed above. The statistical probability ratios of these card combinations are listed as follows:
Royal Flush – 649,739 : 1
Straight Flush – 72,192.33 : 1
Four of a Kind – 4,164 : 1
Full House – 693.2 : 1
Flush – 507.8 : 1
Straight – 253.8 : 1
Three of a Kind – 46.3 : 1
Two Pair – 20.03 : 1
A Pair – 1.36 : 1
High Card – .995 : 1 (Here you’re working with negative odds because any hand is always going to have a high card, but you have to NOT get at least a pair so)
Here on Texas-Holdem-Poker.com we work really hard to bring you the most exciting poker content. If it’s worthy of being showcased, you can bet your bottom dollar (hopefully you never see your last dollars in poker) that we’re going to cover the story and do so with aplomb. The subject of today’s blog post is poker speak. What exactly are those terms and phrases that we all-too-often hear during poker games? I mean, to an untrained ear the words spilling from poker sharks’ mouths sound like gobbledygook. While the list of poker terms can get rather overwhelming there are a handful of them which are easily learned and understood.
What Buy Levitra Online every novice poker player should know right off the bat
Okay so you’re sitting down at a game of Texas Hold’em – what else? There’s no game like it 
– and you’re listening inattentively to the poker speak of the cowboys alongside you. To many players who have no idea of what is being spoken about, the rhetoric and jargon is often dismissed. But should it be? Methinks not. It may appear to be spoken in Flemish but I assure you that it’s English they’re rambling on in and it’s important. First up is the concept of the Ante bet. This is a small wager placed by each player at the start of a poker hand – learn it, it’s important. Then you’re going to hear things like call, fold, raise and the like. Simply put, to call is to place an amount of cash into the pot. This amount is equal to the last bet. Another term used is see. Players may see your bet which is the same as calling it.
If the poker gaming action is getting hot and the play is reaching a bubble, this means that only 1 more player needs to bust before the others are in the money. And if you didn’t know that you’re easily forgiven because being a fish is ample excuse. BTW (by the way) a fish is a novice player – an experienced hand at online poker. Let’s move it along slowly now. Perhaps you’ve made it through the opening phases and you’re looking to use the community cards to maximum advantage. Firstly, that’s the right strategy to employ. You may be staring at the community cards and hoping to hit on the turn or the river. Do you know what that means? The Turn is the penultimate card dealt by the dealer. The River is the final community card dealt. If you’re going to hit on either of those, it means you’re going to score a winning hand. Now the converse of a winning hand is a muck hand. And if you’re holding a poor card, that particular card is considered a muck card. Get rid of it by tossing it into the muck pile.
What about more technical and general poker terms
There are plenty of those and a simple poker glossary will provide you with a veritable feast of lingo. If you’re holding pocket Jacks and one’s a heart and the other’s a spade then your Jacks are off suit. A suited group of cards are simply two cards of the same suit. But wait, there’s something else. I’ve remembered something that’s going to help many players who simply don’t know the purpose of it. It’s called a Satellite. What is it? Simply put it is a poker tourney offering a seat in a renowned poker contest such as the APPT 2010, the WSOP, the Aussie Millions or the WPT. Satellites are plenty popular and lots of budding poker stars relish participating. There are loads more terms and phrases that we can throw around, but it’s best to play poker. Learn from fellow players – these concepts are best understood under playing conditions. Enjoy the game J
