Holdem Poker Guru

For players who like the sudden death flavor of the final table at a major Texas holdem poker tournament are queuing up to take part in online “Sit and Go” games. And sit and go is exactly as it sounds. Players pay an entry fee as well as table fee to play against a minimum of six and up to ten players. The one left sitting at the end takes all, and the losers get to go, mostly empty handed. The winner get half the entrance fee, runner up a quarter, third place takes twenty percent and the fourth place get five percent, which should amount to half their entry fee.

Statistics show that these Texas holdem pokers sit and go games rarely last longer than between 70 to 100 hands, and some of the more aggressive, ambitious or stupid players drop out after the 20-30. Whilst there is a level of skill involved in winning these tables, it rarely begins to show itself till the last half of the game, when all the less experienced players have been knocked out. The percentage players will be concerned for most of the game in surviving and increasing there chip stack, for when the bigger blind best begin to kick in. Towards the culmination of the game, when there are five or four players left, and they begin to sniff the prize money, no matter how little it is, players will begin to exercise a little more caution.

The real thrills and spills begin at Texas holdem poker sit and go games when the players are down to the last three, where the prize money is guaranteed and only a turn of a card of two divides between break even and profit.

To sum up Texas holdem poker sit and go is for players who don’t have the time and the patience to take part in even medium entry online tournaments, These games are relatively short, and generally reach a dramatic finish within and hour to am hour and a half at the most. So if its action your after, next time you log into your favorite Texas holdem poker room, take a look at the sit and go tables, and book yourself a spot.

If Texas holdem poker was actually invented then the person who can claim that the invention was theirs, can be rightfully proud. There must be no other game that has captured the imagination of millions they way that Texas holdem poker has. And what is truly amazing it has made the transition from the saloon to the casino to online and back to live televised competition without skipping a beat.

Texas holdem poker started its life as a normal game of 5 card poker with a few variations that might be associated with stud poker and then it just seemed to grow and grow. Every variations of the game adds a little more spice of excitement and no card game lends itself to the online Texas holdem poker tournaments being played around the clock every day of the week around the World.

Today there are so many players who enjoy the thrills and spills, and the intellectual stimulation that Texas holdem poker brings them. Unlike many of the other table games played online, Texas holdem poker is a game where skill and experience will eventually shine through, and players who depend on luck or aggression used unremittingly will eventually be sent packing with their back balance considerably reduced.

The most important fact that people should take on board before they begin to play Texas holdem poker online for real money is that practice makes perfect, and there are many opportunities practice online, before making a gradual transition into being a regular money player.

First of all there are so many options to play online for free without any obligation to ever wager real money. Players can take as long as they need to sharpen their Texas holdem poker skills until they are ready to begin testing their new found skills for real money.

At least the first few ventures into real money play should be in low stakes games, for the experience more than anything else. Novice players will be pleasantly surprised to discover that their favorite Texas holdem poker room will normally give them a very generous match bonus to allow them to indoctrinate themselves onto real money play for the first time. Many players who play for real money also continue to practice until they feel fully confident, and gradually up the levels of games and tournaments that they enter.

This are the signs of a sensible approach to playing Texas holdem poker and taking the mixture of enjoyment and thrill of winning money through testing their wits, strategies against Texas holdem poker from all over the World.

Texas holdem is a game of changing fortunes. The rules of the game have been established so that the game will always be dynamic, and unlike conventional poker, players with enough cash, stamina and patience will be able to sit for hours or even days till a guaranteed winning hand appears and they scoop up a major pot. With Texas holdem this kind of scenario is virtually impossible because of the rules known as big blind and little blind. These rules state that the player has to place a preset blind bet, known as the “little blind”. Consequently the player sitting to left of the “little blind” bidder has to also place a blind bet, double the value of the “little blind”.

This bet is known in Texas holdem as the “big blind” These bets are in addition to any “ante” bets placed and increase in value as the game progresses. Sounds complicated? Well it is. And that’s what makes the game of Texas holdem so interesting and adds this essence of drama which has made the game the most popular table game in the World both on and offline.

If you understand the brilliance behind this rule, then you will understand the strategy of many of the top Texas holdem players when you see them bet large chip stacks or even go all in on an opening pair of cards that you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. The reason why this happens is that a thinking player will know that when they are sitting a table where there are maybe only two or three players left, and that there is already guaranteed some form of prize money, and the big blind that they will have to play will knock such a hole in their chip stack, that the odds will gradually wear them down, that they are virtually getting a free bet.

In that case, they have absolutely nothing to lose, so they play their cards in any case, no matter what. However players who have come in with the “hand of death” 3 and 5 unsuited, have won the hand and gone on to win the tournament. That’s what makes Texas holdem the great game and viewing spectacle that it is.

Just a month or so ago, the European Poker Tour second Texas holdem championships was won by a nineteen year old college student from the Midwest of the United States. What was remarkable about this tournament was that it was the first held in Europe where the first prize was over $1,000,000 and the winner was yet to celebrate his twentieth birthday. The winner, Jeff Williams was an invitation player , who had gained all his experience competing in on line tournaments, and had done sufficiently well to be invited to take part in the final being held in the fabulous setting of Monte Carlo in March 2007.

Not only did Jeff arrive but his parents came too, all the way from Atlanta, Georgia. Expecting nothing more than to gain a bit of sun tan and some playing experience, Jeff’s shocked everyone, including himself, and made it to the final table and some guaranteed prize money.

However under the lights and the pressure, Jeff showed a very cool head and poker skills and judgement belying his tender years, and never made a single mistake, gradually whittling down the opposition, including players with some pretty serious tournament experience to walk of with the first prize of 9.000.000 euros. This made Jeff a dollar millionaire at his first ever final table visit. A life changing event for Jeff and Mr. and Mrs. Williams who were understandably proud of their son’s remarkable achievement.

However if you take a look at the tournament winners and runners up lists over the last few years you will see an increasing trend of prize winners who are in their early twenties, and who regularly take home fairly significant prizes at 12 tournaments not only in Europe but also in the United States. The ability to reach the major televised 12 tournaments through the internet is what makes the game so exciting, and why more and more young players are being attracted to the game. And with the chance of becoming an instant millionaire you can understand why.

Texas holdem poker is a multi faceted game, and that’s what makes it so attractive and popular to the many millions of on line players gracing the internet every day.

On the face of things, Texas holdem poker looks like a very simple game, but just about anyone who has taken the game at face value only, without giving to much thought to its strategies and not taken the necessary time and trouble to develop a game plan, has invariably left the Texas holdem poker arena considerably wiser, and not as well of.

There are two clearly defined playing styles for Texas holdem poker. One is to be aggressive and patient and the other is to be patient and aggressive. If a player is overly aggressive, and needs to bet and raise and bluff and bully on just about every hand, the wolves and percentage players at the table will eventually have them for lunch. However if these players temper their aggression with patience and the understanding that it is possible to win every hand, and if you win around half of the hands dealt, then they will win the game. Knowing how often to bluff with the aggressive and patient player is the sign of maturity and understanding of the game that will take them to the champion’s podium now and again and to final tables more often than not.

Players who are more patient than aggressive also have their share of problems. If they remain passive too long, whenever they do make a net, the rest of the table will usually run away, unless they have a really strong hand. So the patient player will have to add a controlled aggressive streak to their play, as they will be worn down by the blind bets that they are obliged to place according to the rules of Texas holdem poker.

Again by finding the balance between patience and aggression, players will be able to hold their own in the Texas holdem poker World.

Online Poker rooms have been springing up on the Internet and they have been growing as more and more people log on to play poker with players from around the world. The trend is that more and more players are being propelled onto the global stage through taking part and even winning large regional, national and going even as far as the World Texas holdem poker championships by learning the game through the internet.

The first player that springs to mind when discussing Texas holdem poker is Doyle Brunson, renowned by all as the father figure of poker. Doyle who began to play the game way back in the 1950’s in Texas, and helped to bring it Las Vegas, and later to World fame has probably never played online in his life. However his shadow looms large over the game and the chances are that Texas holdem poker would never have been heard of it hadn’t been for Doyle and his texas buddies, pioneers of World Series of Poker.

In the last five years, the World Series of Poker has been won by three Americans, one Australian and one European - Robert Varkonyi, Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Joseph Hachem and Carlos Mortensen, respectively. Showing how much the game has developed an intenational flair since its early days

Chris Moneymaker who won the 2.5 million dollar first prize at the World Series of Poker in 2004 and Greg Raymer who succeeded in winning double that amount in 2005, both won the tournament after being invited to participate by winning a major tournament. However since then they have both proved that they are not “one hit wonders” and have gone on to take some worthwhile prizes at major Texas holdem poker tournaments, both on and offline.

Yet some of the greatest players on the current Texas holdem poker circuit have never won the World Series of Poker, regarded by the professionals as the greatest title of them all

One of the true giant of poker in many ways is Phil Hellmuth who has won millions of dollars playing Texas Holdem Poker. A real crowd pleaser, Phil is an aggressive player who does his best to unsettle his opponents by talking them out of their poise, and it usually works.

The whole Texas holdem poker scene is very fast and dynamic and who knows who the next superstar may be. It might even be you!

As the internet becomes more and more sophisticated, computers become more powerful and software developers continue to stretch their imaginations and skills to tremendous levels, then playing Texas holdem poker online is becoming an unbelievably enjoyable experience for all those who spend some of their free time playing on the Web,

There are many millions of players who test their skills and strategies playing Texas holdem poker online. There are tournaments taking place in every arena, around the clock. Such is the refinements of the new generation of Texas holdem poker software that it has now been translated to most of the main European languages as well as a few Asian dialects where the game is becoming increasingly popular.

Today’s sophisticated poker software has its own standard chat facility, as the players need to discuss various aspects of their hands with their opponents or with the game moderator. Also these chat facilities are supporting more and more dialects to allow players to chat in their native language. Obviously the major international Texas holdem poker tournaments are still held in English.

As far as the software for playing Texas holdem poker available today for online, then the sky is the limit. Three dimensional software has been available online for some time now, but as the competition for online players has increased, then so has the quality. Today’s software is true to life to a degree that borders on the unbelievable. However that is only one aspect of Texas holdem poker software. There are others, such as the banking facility which must be 100% accurate and efficient.

What’s really cool is that this state of the art Texas holdem poker software is available online day or night, and seven days a week. Players can find themselves passing what could have been a potentially boring evening instead pitting their strategies and skills against talented and interesting opponents form all over the World. Without having to leave the comfort and security of their home.

Texas holdem poker is all about drama, excitement, the turn of the river card. Fortunes lost and reputations gained on the turn of a card. Outrageous bluffs carried off with panache. Players being bluffed out of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of chips. Without feeling or knowing a thing. That is what Texas holdem poker is all about.

Texas holdem poker is like a war, and the final table is where the war is won or lost. Players can be the finest tacticians and strategists on the face of the planet, with a mathematical brain the size of Einstein’s, if they can be read, they are in serious trouble. Unfortunately, and most of the time without even understanding why, they will walk, or maybe crawl away from the Texas holdem poker table asking themselves why did they lose that last hand.

What they didn’t come to grips with is that Texas holdem poker is a game of psychological warfare and only the strong will survive. If you ever watch a televised Texas holdem poker tournament, you will notice that many of the players are wearing dark glasses or maybe baseball caps held down low over their eyes. The obvious reason is that the eyes betray many emotions and it’s easy to cover them up. However players, over time, may have developed other behavioral tendencies that their opponents will have begun to recognize and will be stored and used to their advantage later. Certain professionals have been known to scan video recordings of their play at televised tournaments to study their body movements in relations to the hands that they are holding searching for the slightest sign of a “give away”. Scratching their chin, coughing or a nervous tic or two.

Players, who have just won a major hand by bluffing, will sell their mothers into white slavery rather than let their opponents know that. Other players who know that they folded when they had the winning hand, will be eating themselves up inside. However if they show any sign of weakness and regret, the rest of the table will take turns to take another bite out of them, before there is nothing left of you but a vague memory and a pair of dark glasses.

This is why Texas holdem poker is not for the faint of heart, and if you fancy your chances at the table, a few hours in front of the mirror practicing your poker face will be time well spent.