February 23, 2012

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Poker tips – Don’t Let The Actions Of Others Sway You

January 12, 2012 By

Players act with differing speeds when it comes to the action at the poker table. Players like Sam Trickett and Alex Wice play extremely fast, Mike “Timex” McDonald is famed for taking exactly the same time between motions and then there are some players who take an eternity to make a decision.

We are sure you will find your own pace but it is important to take a moment to pause in between actions and consider your options. Sam Trickett and Alex Wice may move like lightning but they are experienced and have been playing poker for a long time – plus they are very good at it!

When pausing to take your time in between actions a new dynamic will present itself and one you will have to manage well if you are going to be a successful poker player. When you take your time other players at the table become impatient and they will let you know it. Some players will yawn, pull a frowny face or more directly just tell you to hurry the hell up.

Everyone will be staring at you, waiting for you to make your move and you will start to feel a little nervous and edgy. It is this nervousness and edginess that you need to battle. If you let it get to you then you will not pause for thought and your action will be hurried and less optimal as a result. Obviously if you are on a poker website  then you don’t feel that direct pressure. However, it is good to practise with poker promotions online before stepping into the real world casino, where your opponents will be watching your every move.

So when taking your time try to get into the zone. Shut out everyone around you and just focus on the most important thing – your action.

Filed Under: How to play?, Online Poker

Another rule in poker – always have a System

January 12, 2012 By

Poker is a game of situations, and for every situation there will be a correct way to act.  You learn these correct ways to act through a variety of different forums. Some of these forums include playing experience, talking poker with other poker players, reading books and getting coaching.

These situations occur repeatedly in Texas holdem poker and it is because of the repetitive nature of the events that it makes sense to create your own system for playing the game. Have you ever heard the term playing on autopilot? Players who operate in this manner do so because they have a system.

The system has been created and refined for so long that it becomes second nature to them, unlike a beginner who has only just began playing their poker download and therefore have to think about their every move that little but more. Having a system that allows people to play on autopilot also frees up brain capacity. Freeing up brain capacity when playing poker is vital because it allows you to think about the more complicated problems (especially when multi-tabling online) for example.

The last reason having a poker system is very important is for continuous improvement. If you have a system then you have rules and part of your system should be reviewing your game. Having a specific set of rules allows you to dissect them during review. Rules that are losing you money can be changed and new ones created. When you introduce new rules, because you have specifically done this, you can then measure the success or failure of these rules and this is known as continuous improvement.

Lastly right your system down on a piece of paper. Transferring the rules and processes from your mind and onto paper will really help you improve your game by getting to know your system more intimately.

Filed Under: How to play?, Online Poker

How to deal with 16 in blackjack

November 30, 2011 By

One of the most difficult hands to judge in blackjack is 16, you are vulnerable if you stick on the total, but at the same time there is a good chance you will bust if you take the risk and hit another card.

Everyone will have their own way of playing 16, depending on what you judge as a good total in the game or if you use card counting to determine your next move. Fans of Betfair online blackjack should remember this.

Regardless of how you play the hand, consideration should be made to the dealer’s up card before you make your decision. If they have a seven or above, you should be wary about sticking, on the other hand, a six or below will give you more confidence about keeping your total.

You have a further option to contemplate if you are dealt two eights, as you can split these cards into two hands. Separating a pair of eights is usually a good idea because it takes away the vulnerability of your current total. Although you will have to pay double your initial stake, you only need a 10 or face card to reach a minimum of 18 which would be a much more comfortable hand to be able to stick with. Those who play online casino should remember this.

The total 16 is one of the most common starting hands to receive because there are a number of ways of receiving it. You can either receive a six with either a 10, Jack, Queen or King, or an Ace with a five. The latter also adds up to six if you use the Ace to the value of one.

Filed Under: How to play?

Why not try red dog?

November 23, 2011 By

Red dog is often a card game in online casino rooms that a lot of people ignore because of no prior knowledge of the game. However, once they learn the rules, they realise it is a fun and exciting acquisition to the collection of card games available. People who play Betfair blackjack online may want to give it a try.

The cards in red dog are ranked just like in poker where ace is the highest card and two is the lowest value. The one thing that is irrelevant is the suit of the cards as they have no significance on your hand.

Once a bet is placed in the game, the dealer will draw two cards from the pack. The spread between these two cards is calculated. For example, if the two cards were a four and a nine, the spread would be four in this instance. If the two cards are identical, a third card is drawn and the spread is then calculated accordingly.

At this point in the game you can decide to increase your bet on your spread, but only to the amount of your previous wager. People who play casino online should remember this.

In order to win from your hand, the dealer will then draw a further card from the pack, if it falls in between your first two cards, you win your bet.
Your odds of winning are calculated depending on the size of your spread, with a four card margin paying 1:1 and a one card gap at 5:1.

The game is very much like poker when it comes to betting. You have two choices: to either raise or call with your hand. The only exception here is you will not be able to bluff your hand in red dog. The cards reflect the outcome of your hand and there is no way deceiving the dealer.

Filed Under: How to play?

How to play Blackjack

July 16, 2011 By

To win you want to beat the dealer without busting. You bust when your cards total to above twenty-one and you lose immediately. The winner is whoever has nearest to a total of twenty-one. You reach twenty-one by adding up the values of the cards. The 21 table seats about six players. Either 6 or 8 decks of cards are used and are shuffled together by the dealer and placed in a card dispensing box called ‘Shoe’. Before receiving any cards players must place a bet. Then the players are dealt 2 cards face up.

The dealer gets one face up, one face down. Each player in turn either stays or takes more cards to attempt to get nearer to twenty-one without busting. Players who don’t bust wait for the dealer’s turn. When all of the players are done, the dealer turns up the down card. By rule, on counts of seventeen or higher the dealer must stay ; on counts of sixteen or lower the dealer must draw. If you make a total of twenty-one with the 1st 2 cards ( a ten or a face and an Ace ), you win immediately. This is named ‘Blackjack’. If you have 21 , you may win one and 1/2 times your bet unless the dealer also has 21 , in which particular case it’s a Push or a Tie ( or a Deadlock ) and you get your bet back.

The leftover players with a higher count than the dealer win an amount equivalent to their bet. Players with a lower count than the dealer lose their bet. If the dealer busts, all of the remaining players win. There are more gambling options specifically Insurance, Surrender, Double Down, Even Money and Split.

Insurance : side bet up to half of the first bet against the dealer having a natural twenty-one – permitted just when the dealer’s showing card is an Ace. If the dealer has a ten face down and makes a 21, insurance pays at 2-1 percentages, but loses if the dealer doesn’t.

Surrender : giving up your hand and lose only half of the bet.

Early Surrender : surrender permitted before the dealer checks for 21.

Late Surrender : the dealer first checks to confirm if he has 21. If he does, surrender isn’t authorized.

Double Down : double your primary bet following the original two-card deal, but you can hit one card only. A solid bet if the player is in a robust situation. Most casinos will enable you to double down on any 2 cards. Some casinos will let you double down after splitting and some will constrain your doubling down to hands that total 10 or 11.

Nonetheless there’s one condition : When you double down, you need to take one further card and you can’t receive more than one.

Even Cash : cashing in your bet straight away at an eleven payout proportion when you’re dealt a natural 21 and the dealer’s showing card is an Ace.

Split Hand : split the primary two-card hand into 2 and play them separately – authorized just when the 2 first cards are of equal value. Use each card as the beginning to another hand and place a second bet equivalent to the 1st.

Hard Hand : A hand without an Ace, or with an Ace costed at one is alleged to be Hard in that it can only be given one value unlike a Soft Hand. ( You can price an Ace one or eleven to fit your needs ).

Soft Hand : A hand that contains an Ace counted as eleven is known as a Soft Hand.

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