Poker variations

Ok so maybe I was a little unfair on Dwan and Antonius in the Durrrr Challenge.  I’m sure they are both very busy guys with a lot of things to do every day, like… hmm wonder what they really do, apart from play poker?

Looks like the Dwan and Antonius duel got underway again on sunday.  Its still very close, Dwan seemed to win the biggest pot which was close to $124,000.  Both players thought they were in with a chance, so they kept raising each other… until Dwan went all in.  Neither player had any luck with the turn and river cards to get their straight draws, but Dwan managed to put together the stronger hand – pair of jacks against Antonius’s lonely queen.

Its all happening online, you gotta catch it if you can… omaha poker online at its best folks… lets talk up the Durrr Challenge a bit before we all fall asleep again…

Signed up for your rakeback yet?  Here is some more info on rakeback and sign up bonuses for those of you still deciding…

Online poker players often have a tough time deciding between going for the bonus or rakeback – which one is the most lucrative deal?  The answer to that is simple: why choose one or the other, when you can have them both?

There are numerous poker rooms out there which do not deduct bonuses from rakeback, which means that you’ll be able to sign up for a rakeback deal and receive a regular sign up bonus as well.  Not all poker rooms are like this though and some of them will deduct your sign-up bonus from the rakeback you earn.  In such cases, you should know exactly how the rakeback and the sign-up bonus works, so that you can make the correct decision.

Rakeback and sign up bonuses are both different forms of rake rebate.  At a closer look, you’ll realize they’re not all that different at all.

A sign up bonus has to be redeemed.  You redeem your bonus by playing real money hands at cash or tourney tables and by generating rake or by paying tournament fees.  The bonus that you get is always a percentage of the rake you generate, which means that by unlocking your sign-up bonus, you’re basically earning rake back.  Now then, what that tells is that bonus redemption and rakeback are technically the same: they give you a percentage of your rake back.

There is one significant difference between a bonus deal and rakeback tough: while bonuses either expire or don’t get unlocked entirely, rakeback lasts for as long as you play.  Bonuses do tend to give you a better return over the short-run compared to your average (around 30%) rakeback deal.

When choosing between rakeback and a sign-up bonus, you need to have your objectives in sight: how long do you intend to stick around at the poker room in question?  If you do not plan on staying a loyal customer, then you should probably pick the sign-up bonus over rakeback and be on your way as soon as you pocket your bonus.

If you plan on hanging out at the poker room for a while and playing lots of online poker, rakeback is the right choice for you.

There are special rakeback deals called poker prop deals, that no bonus offer can ever beat – there are restrictions but you basically get paid to play poker at certain tables.  Poker propping is done to attract poker players and boost the number of players at tables.

Someone in the online poker room mentioned that Dwan and Antonius resumed their Durrrr Challenge poker match this week.  So now they have played 5, 086 of the total 50,000 hands and it really is beginning to drag on… yawn, fall asleep… waiting for the result… wonder if it will be this year…

You wonder if Tom “Durrrr” Dwan is starting to get cold feet over this challenge, because he started out all enthusiastic and now no-one even talks about the challenge, it is old poker news… maybe if they played more often we would show more interest in railbirding your poker game… durrrr indeed!!!

Antonius and Dwan still seem neck and neck, although at this stage my money is on Antonius – somehow he seems to install more confidence in me.  Dwan has not had a lot of success at his poker this year, apparently he is down about $3.5 million dollars this year so far… wow!!! ouch that has to hurt…

One million dollars was lost to Phil Ivey alone… No wonder he is a little less enthusiastic about his challenge to the poker players!  Thats got to hurt his pockets, no matter how deep they are!

Last night I was in the casino playing a small cash game of texas holdem.  The game had been going on for a few hours and I was starting to get a bit tired, beginning to lose focus.  I had some good hands and some bad, and it was a fairly average evening of poker.  I was about to call it a night, when I had this hand, where I just tried my luck and I admit it was nothing to do with my poker skills… I just got lucky.  The kind of hand that makes you keep wanting to play poker.

My starting hand was an eight of hearts and a three of clubs… normally I would have chucked it, but I was bored and thought, time for some variations to my game… so I checked and stayed in the game…

The other players didn’t look too excited.

And then the flop came 3♠ 7♥ J♥

Still not too much to get excited about, there was a strong chance someone was sitting with a pair of hearts, but I hung in there and didn’t commit too much.

The turn card was 3♦, I was trying desperately to look cool.

Now did someone else have the 3 of hearts?  No-one was letting on…

Greg came on strong in the betting, but I decided to take him on… did he have the remaining three???

The river was K♣ which didn’t change much, unless someone had a pair of kings… ah why not lets take a chance..

Ended up taking it with the three threes… what a poker hand!!! Everyone was looking at everyone else thinking what does he have??  What should I do???  It seemed to take ages to play.  I was lucky none of them had a stronger hand and I took a chance…

Go and learn how to win at blackjack if you just want to play against the dealer…

Nowadays you don’t even have to – step out of the comfort of your house,  make sure you take enough cash, and find a casino where there is a video poker machine available – in order to play your favorite card game.  If you have a credit card or better still… if you sign up to an e-wallet account like moneybookers, click2pay or NETeller, then you could be playing video poker online.

With some research on the internet you’ll find a convenient online gambling room, a poker machine and you are ready to play.  Technology advancements have led to casino games improving in quality and functionality.

Video poker can be compared to chess, a poker strategy is needed, but chance also plays a part.  You will never get rich by playing video poker online, but if you are a cards fan, and you like strategy, planning, and wish to test your poker skills, then why not to give it a try.

This is among the few games that can be “beaten”, perhaps that’s also why it has gained such popularity among players.  If you are a first time player, and you only want to “test the market”, but would like to try online video poker, there is plenty of online material to read – explaining the game, what strategies you should follow, dos and don’ts…

On the other hand those of you who already play video poker online, already know that these playing formulas and strategies exist.  You can learn and read about these strategies to perfect them.

Regarding the types and variations of video poker, there are a few that should be mentioned.  Perhaps the most popular is “jacks or better” – your tactics, strategic thinking, spiced up with a little luck… could give you 90%+ chance of winning.

Then, there is “deuces wild”, where again if you have a good strategy plus if you count hands with a little patience and some invested money – the odds of winning are great.  Both in the case of “jacks or better” and “deuces wild” it is good that you have a strong knowledge background, which you can gain by surfing the net and reading material on the topic.

There are many experts in the field who dedicated their time to years and years of video poker and now they pass on their valuable knowledge for others to gain from.  “Bonus poker” has a relatively simplistic layout as a game, easy to understand and again you have to rely both on chance and knowledge.  Four cards of the same kind seems to be the common link for most variations of the video poker, because it is about getting four of a kind in order to win.

The “double bonus’s” secret is the gathering of four aces in order to make payout, while the “double double bonus” requires different types of four of a kind, not just aces.  As seen from this short summary, there are many possibilities and plenty of combinations.  All it needs is your determination and patience to win.

The “ace invaders” variation of the video poker game, or “aces and faces”, or “bonus flush” are all variations you should be familiar with in case you want to become a video poker player.  If you want to become more of an expert, or if you have some great expectations of winning, you should calculate what the odds of winning are.

If you can’t make your own calculations, programmers have developed programs to help you.  With a simple search you can find and download software which calculates the probabilities of winning.  The program is not a guarantee of winning, it is just a suggestion to improve your video poker.

If you measure up the advantages and disadvantages of video poker and compare it to other casino games.  Players may become addicted, but you can’t lose more than $5 at a time (maybe in some cases a bit more), and you can stop at anytime.  It is important that once you settle for the online version of a casino, you choose a website that has some reputation among gamers.  The online site must make you feel at ease.

The method of payment should be convenient and shouldn’t jeopardize the security of any of your personal information.  Is there flexibility?  Does the gambling site accept more than just one method of payment – both credit cards and e-payment methods?   Does it look secure and is it a trustworthy site?

Before entering an online casino, and especially if you have never played casino games before, you should first download and install a free version of the video poker game – where you can practice your gaming abilities, without risking your money.  This kind of software can be easily found and installed on your computer, and it doesn’t require a deposit in order to start.  Once you have acquired the necessary skills and gaming strategies, you can register at an online casino to win some real money.

Nowadays gambling has become a science, where more and more energy is being directed towards the development of better gaming strategies.  Detailed machine statistics are made available to help you understand and analyzing your game.

The other thing that you can do to improve your poker game or learn about new poker variations is – get onto some of the top poker sites and register on a poker forum, that way you can discuss real live everyday poker problems that you may have and get an answer on quickly.

You can learn poker strategy in a poker social network, or maybe just share your poker knowledge and exchange ideas.  Some people just like to read a poker forum, others cant help themselves and have to have their say on anything.

But seriously it is a good place to keep up to date and find out about poker news, events and tournaments.

Watching poker videos either online or on TV is a very good way of learning how to play poker and improve your poker strategy.  Its like having a tutor or a team of  experts show you the way.  Sure you still have to learn the game by doing… by grinding… by actually playing poker.  There is only so much poker theory you can learn and then you just have to play the game.

Its always nice to see how the poker pros handle certain situations and then you learn what to do in that given situation.

You can of course pick up tips with online gambling guides and poker websites that teach you how to play poker online, how to fine tune your poker strategy and master some of the more subtle points.

Personally I like to search for poker videos on the net, you would be amazed what you can find and what you pick up from them.  Get onto Google and YouTube… check it out!  Poker TV Network is not bad..

Or just get a TV Channel that has poker on it and glue yourself to the screen!

I always get this…”why don’t you give us more poker tips?… thats the only reason I look at your blog… to get some poker tips…. an Omaha poker tip, a Texas holdem tip…anything!!!!!  Instead you go on and on about everything else from online casinos to the weather…”

Ok so today I’ll give you a Texas holdem tip, well actually its a tip that can be applied to any poker variation… in fact now that I think about it can be applied to any game or any sport for that matter.

Have you spotted the weak player?  If not, then maybe its you and maybe you should not be playing poker in this league at this table?   they’ll gladly take your money… why don’t you just hand it over now and be done with or are you trying to prove something?

Seriously though it is always wise to spot the player that plays weak hands that they shouldn’t play.  That way you can challenge them, call their bluff and take their chips.

So, actually there are two tips for the price of one here… what a bonus!  1. Spot the weak player and 2. Never play weak hands.

Have you set up your rakeback so that you can maximize your profit?  In poker the rake is a cut taken off each pot by the casino… they need to make a profit somehow… so, rakeback is where you get some of the rake back… get it???

A lot of poker players out there are so busy playing poker and trying to win that they forget to set up their rakeback options properly.  Or…  maybe they are just not worried about maximizing their returns at the poker table…

Often I will be asked by players, “But I have already registered with a poker room, how do I get rakeback and what do I have to do?”

Well, its really simple if you follow a few easy steps and create a way around the problem instead of just accepting the status quo.  Go have a look at some rakeback sites, study the best rakeback deals that they can offer you and then follow the steps that they advise to implement rakeback.

Its as easy as that… and yet people still don’t do it for some reason… who knows why?

I nice steady liitle trickle of income into your account each time you play poker… whats wrong with that???

Well in January I was harping on about the weather and how terrible it was.. bla bla.. as if anyone cared…

But I am starting to feel better because we have just had the most fantastic clear days this week, ok its still not warm, temps are in the teens, but at least we are getting some decent weather for a change.  Its too early for spring, although are we starting to see the first signs of spring earlier – its global warming I tellya!!!

A lot of people ask me about casino games and strategies to help them beat the house edge.  I always try my best to give them the best knowledge I know and to help them or at least point them in the right direction.  Talking of which if you are looking for blackjack game rules then this is good place to look for a clear concise explanation of the rules.