Holdem Poker Guru

There are those that say that the internet revolution of the last ten years or so has been a positive advancement in the way we live our lives. And, of course, like everything else in life, there are those who disagree. Certainly things will never be the same again in the way we do things in the 21^st century, in business as well as in pleasure. Online gaming has become a principal offshoot, and Texas holdem poker has become the hottest card game of all time without question, Millions of new players are taking up the game from all over the World. They want a share of the prizes as well as to be part of the glamour that the game generates.

The problem with Texas holdem poker is that on the surface it appears to be the easiest and most straightforward game to play and win. In fact, to anyone in the know, the opposite applies. In order to win consistently at Texas holdem poker you need to have to acquire a battery of skills and strategies as well a mathematical brain and a psychologist’s knowledge of human nature. If you don’t have at least one of these skills coming in, your career as semi-professional Texas holdem poker player will be both painful and short lived.

So what do we need to look for when we seek out a bad Texas holdem player?

A bad Texas holdem poker has a terrible need to win every hand, when even his mother would have to tell him that this is impossible. They will have not taken the trouble to learn too much about the game, which cards are worth opening with and which to throw away, when to fold, check and when not to raise. They will be so easy to read and to defeat that it is almost a shame to take their money from them.

But you will have to, because education never came cheaply to anyone.

If the bad player has any real desire to play the game for enjoyment as well as profit, they will quickly come to realization that good players are not born, they are made. Their experience has come from practice, observation and possibly taking a few knocks along they way and learning from them.

As Texas holdem poker has grown in popularity over the last few years, then slowly but surely, more and more celebrities have been attracted to it. If you cast your eye over the tables at some of the major televised Texas holdem poker tournaments you will see a sprinkling of media stars not just making an appearance, but also taking part in the tournaments but also doing pretty well. Stars of the silver screen, television and sport are among those who have also discovered the thrills and intellectual stimulation that playing Texas holdem poker can bring.

One of the first celebs to discover Texas holdem poker was Jennifer Tilly, the squeaky voiced, statuesque star of screen and television who can hold her own with the best players on the circuit on a good day. She is, at least till now, the first celebrity to ever win a major Texas holdem poker tournament, the Ladies no-limit event at the World Series of Poker in 2005.

Others following Jennifer’s lead, but not necessarily for the money, are Hollywood heartthrob, Ben Affleck, who takes part in a lot of televised tournament, James Woods , well known star of television and the movies. Jason Alexander, the legendary “George Costanza” of the long running and now sadly defunct Seinfeld television series, is another among many who has shown his skill and enjoyment of the game.

Recently Jason got together with other celebrity Texas holdem poker lovers to organize a celebrity charity tournament. They have succeeded in raising some considerable donations form with the entertainment industry, as well as sports, media and for the poker circuit players and organizers. All prizes are donated to the favorite charities of the tournament winners and runners up. This is indeed a fine example of the positive aspects of playing Texas holdem poker and how the celebrities are both enjoying themselves whilst helping the less fortunate among us.

If you are a fan of Texas hold’em poker and have only just begun to test your newly acquired skills and strategies game online, then you should never need to feel alone.

After all the internet is supposed to be an information carrier, and the good news that there is a bush telegraph of every kind of news that you need to know about your new found sport or hobby. Known as Texas hold’em poker forums, you can get to meet and discuss with similar lovers of the game online and exchange information on all the latest bonus offers, scintillating plays and tactics and who is on the white list and the black list this week.

The truth is that there are a lot of poker rooms out there on the internet and not all of them are as good as you want them to be or as they claim to be. Forums, which are completely objective and run by amateurs, can provide you with all kinds of information to make you Texas hold’em poker online gaming experiences more profitable, enjoyable and safer.

These are just a few things that a good Texas hold’em poker forum will help you to look out for:

Information security– Online forums will keep you up to date on which poker rooms may have become a little slip shod in protecting your personal information, You do not need to expose yourself to the risk of fraud and even identity theft . Online forums will know which poker room’s encryptions services are not what they are cracked up to be.

Poker game software – Online forums will know which poker rooms have just updated their software. It’s very enjoyable to play Texas hold’em poker with the latest state of the art software. It is very un-enjoyable to play on software that is updated or full of glitches. Poker rooms that experience constant connection problems are worth steering clear of. Also Texas hold’em poker rooms whose customer service support has been slipping of late. The role of forums in keeping poker rooms on their toes is invaluable to the online player.

Bonus Updates-If there are bonuses out there that are up for grabs, then the forums will know about it. And let you know! Every cent counts!

Structure of the ante (rake) - If your favorite online Texas hold’em poker forum discovers that a certain poker room has discreetly upped the percentage that they take of each hand, the forum will advise you accordingly. When the poker room reduces their rake then they will advise you also. It works both ways.

Payment information – Find out how a particular poker room behaves when it is payout time, If they have been holding on to people’s money to long, then you will soon find out about it, And drop them like a brick till they get their act together.

These are just a few reasons why poker forums are very much part of the Texas hold’em poker online community. If you have something that you want other players to know about and something you need to know, there is nothing like them. If you are a novice and have a question or issue on a playing issue, you will find that they are very helpful too!

No other game has captured the attention and imagination of millions that way that texas hold’em poker has. A game that combines a mixture of skill and bravado, requiring the skills of a psychologist coupled with a shrewd financial brain, internet poker symbolizes more than any other game, and how the World Wide Web has changed the face of gaming. That is why millions play online texas hold’em poker.

So what will you get if you join an online Texas hold’em poker room?

If you are new to the world of online poker, like anything else new, you will have to invest whatever time it takes to find an online poker room that will suit your expectations.

There are an abundance of online poker rooms to choose from, each vying for your custom. Pulling out all of the stops to provide the most attractive offers and services. The best service including free state of the art software and generous sign on bonuses. That is why it is really worth your while to find the best Texas hold’em poker room.

So what should you look for in your ideal Texas hold’em poker6 room?

• Efficient and friendly customer service is a must. Don’t be shy to test the levels of their customer service before joining.
• A reliable online banking system should be the next thing on your list. Both for depositing and for receiving payouts.
• The software that you are provided with should be both user friendly and capable of providing you with an authentic playing experience.
• Poker rooms are only as good as their chat facility! Any online poker player will tell you that there is nothing more frustrating than a chat facility that takes an eternity to respond.
• The last and most important feature you should be looking for in your online poker source is that the rooms are being moderated to prevent any form of cheating.

If you are new to Texas hold’em poker, you should spend as much time as you can to practice, as well as reading as much information as you can on the game.

Once you feel that you are ready to begin to play for real, then your favorite Texas hold’em poker room should be expected to provide you a choice of tournaments daily, to suit your schedule and not there’s.

This is what you will get out of joining an online Texas hold’em poker room Settle for nothing less!

If you have ever watched a televised Texas hold’em poker tournament, or played a little online, then you will have probably said to yourself at some time, how these people do it. You feel envy or you may even feel pity. After all, you can see the signs of pressure and impatience for their opponents during these online tournaments. OK there is lots of prize money at stake, but is there any reason them to be so uptight. And all these funny outfits they wear. And the tattoos and the dark glasses, the cowboy hats and the fringed jackets. Some of these people look that they might have been out too long in the sun.

Maybe its not so easy you say to yourself. After all these people are on the road all year long, staying in one luxury hotel after another. You might ask yourself what they are getting out of it. What makes an average man or woman stand apart from the crowd, and devote their life to playing Texas hold’em poker.

What makes a young man or woman give up a promising career in a bank, or put college on hold for a year or two, till they check out the possibilities of winning a tournament or two at Texas hold’em poker,

There are those in the know can answer you that question.

It’s the buzz, the unequalled excitement of competing on the poker circuit that fires their adrenalin. Because without the adrenalin they wouldn’t be able to play. And the various facades that they create are only a façade, to scare of and pressurize the more faint hearted of their opponents.

The average Texas hold’em poker professional is a cool and calculated human being, capable of sitting at Texas hold’em poker for hours and days on end if need be, to grind down the opposition to take home their share of the prize money. There are people who have been poker professionals for decades, and are still going strong.

Like any sports profession, Texas hold’em poker has more than its fair share of characters. That’s the nature of the game. There may even be a few that are more than a little eccentric. The question is, were they attracted to Texas hold’em poker because of their eccentricities, or did the Texas hold’em poker circuit help them on their way?

Texas Hold ‘Em is the primary version of draw poker, and has been played in saloons and casinos since the nineteen fifties.

Since the game first hit the internet Texas hold’em has become an online sensation. Its combination of luck and skill, keeps the players and the audience on their toes till that last turn of the last river card, to see who gets to take home the major prizes in tournaments, held either on or off line.

The rules of Texas hold’em poker are pretty straightforward and here is a brief rundown of the basics:

At each Texas hold’em poker table, before the game begins, there should be now more than 6 players and no less than 2.

The dealer shuffles a standard 52-card deck. Both in live casinos and online, the dealer is not a player. His or her function is to deal the cards only on behalf of the players. A dealer button, indicating which of the player’s turn it was to deal is moved around the table accordingly.

The two players to the left of the dealer button have to place a blind bet, so that there will be a pot in every hand. This level of bets is pre-determined according to the amount of money at stake, and rises as the game progresses.

The hole card deal.

Once the blinds have been posted, each player is dealt two cards known as the “hole cards” These cards, for obvious reasons, are dealt face down.

The first round of betting.

The player at the left of the second blind is the first to bet. Players can opt to call, raise, or fold, but only on their turn.

The flop round

Before dealing the flop round, the dealer discards the card at the top of the deck. This is to prevent the very remote possibility of any of the Texas hold’em poker players having seen the card during the hole card deal.

The dealer then deals another three card face upwards on the table, known as the “flop” cards

The flop cards round of betting

Another round of betting takes place, after the flop. The first player to bet is the one to the left of the button, remaining from the first round. Again players can either checks, call, rise, or fold in their turn.

Fourth Community Card.

Again before Fourth Community Card, the dealer discards the card at the top of the deck. This is to prevent the very remote possibility of any of the Texas hold’em poker players having seen the card during the flop card deal.

This card is called either the “turn” or “Fourth Street.” in Texas hold’em poker colloquialisms

Fourth community card betting.

The first player to bet is the one to the left of the button, remaining from the flop round. Again players can either check, call, raise, or fold in their turn.

Fifth Community Card.

Again before Fifth Community Card, the dealer discards the card at the top of the deck. This is to prevent the very remote possibility of any of the Texas hold’em poker players having seen the card during the fourth community card deal.

This card is called either the “river” or “FifthStreet.” in Texas hold’em poker colloquialisms

Fifth community card betting.

The first player to bet is the one to the left of the button, remaining from the flop round. Again players can either check, call, raise, or fold in their turn.

The showdown

Any combination of the seven cards that have been dealt can now be used by players who remained in the hand, to make up the best possible five-card Poker hand

The showdown round of betting.

The first player to bet is the one to the left of the button, remaining from the fourth card round. Again players can either check, call, raise, or fold in their turn. After this round of betting, all players who have remained reveal their hands. The hands are displayed and the player who has the strongest hands wins.

This is a very dry description of the order of play and betting in Texas hold’em poker.

It does not begin to describe the tactics or strategies to play and win at the game.

Like all modern games, the traditional game of poker, began its life as a combination different games that were played around the world. Versions of the game, usually played with checkers instead of cards, were played in China, the Middle East and in South America.

The card version of Poker game began to raise its head in, where else but the New Orleans of the early 19th century. The floating river boats and saloons on the Mississippi River was where traditional 5 card poker in all its variations were evolved and legends were born that remain intact to till this day. Anyone who ever saw the famous film “ The Cincinnati Kid” starring Edward G. Robinson and Steve McQueen will never the forget the drama of the last turn of the card, when Lancey Howard made a Full House to defeat the Cincinnati Kid, and send him reeling into financial oblivion.

That is what poker is all about and why it has captured the imagination of so many people.

Constantly evolving, the game sparked off another version, Texas hold’em poker, whose basic origins are clouded in mystery. Rumor has it that Texas hold’em poker was played in the saloons of Robstown, Texas in the earliest days of the Twentieth Century. Its fame and popularity spread through the Lone Star State, and was honed and refined there up till the mid-nineteen fifties. During that time, a well known Texan character, Benny Binion, decided, for the good of his health, to move to Las Vegas where he decided to buy into one of the casino’s there. He introduced Texas hold’em poker to the local population and the game soon became a hit. Following in the path of Benny Binion, came one or two other Texas hold’em poker, the famous Amarillo Slim Preston and the even more legendary figure, Doyle Brunson.

Binion, even before he arrived in Las Vegas, was an expert at arranging face to face tournaments between high stakes Texas hold’em poker players. In Las Vegas he continued with the tradition. In 1970 he veered a little from his past format by organizing a buy- in Texas hold’em poker tournament. In this tournament, which became the fore runner of the “World series of Poker”, the formula of prize money being divided by the players who reached the final table was first used. In this first version of the “World series of Poker” there were only 50 entrants! Nowadays, there are many thousands, who enter every year, despite that fact that the entry fee is more than the first prize way back in 1970!

The internet explosion of the 21^st century has seen the expansion of Texas hold’em poker as a game played and enjoyed by millions, Texas hold’em poker tournaments are going on all the time, all over the World. Players are pitting their wits and their skills to win the considerable cash prizes on offer. By winning certain tournaments, an aspiring Texas hold’em poker champion can find himself taking part in one of the televised tournaments, with prizes running into the hundreds of thousands.

And what of the people who started it all? Benny Binion passed away in 1989 But his legend lives on in the “World series of Poker” Doyle Brunson, now in his late seventies, still takes part in the tournament every year.

Now Texas hold’em poker has evolved into becoming the most popular card game in the World, both on and off line. Get on line and find out why!

To understand the chances of winning consistently at Texas hold’em poker you need to understand the law of probabilities and statistics. A player, who takes second, third or fourth prizes in a tournament, will win more than a player who takes first prize only once in a while. The players who consistently win prizes either in online tournaments or televised ones are the ones who have are capable of calculating their statistical possibilities of winning every hand, as well as that of their opponents.

Each hand begins with players being dealt two hole cards. They thinking player will look at these cards, and within a split second, without displaying even the slightest glimmer of emotion, will decide what will be their strategy for that hand. Other factors will be the state of their chip stack and if they have to post either a big blind or a little blind. Whatever happens, usual strategies will be to try and make it to the flop, with as little financial exposure as possible,

Once the flop cards are exposed, then the player will again try to estimate how these cards have affected their possibilities and also that of the opponents remaining in the hand. These are the decisions that will be made as the hand progresses. To help players who may find themselves in this position in the future here is a list of probabilities of making a winning poker hand.

• Straight Flush ……………………………………………………………… 40
• Four of a Kind…………………………………………………………… 624
• Full House………………………………………………………………. 3,744
• Flush ……. _…………………………………………………………….. 5,108
• Straight…………………………………………………………………. 10,200
• Three of a Kind………………………………………………………. 54,912
• Two Pairs…………………………………………………………….. 123,552
• One Pair…………………………………………………………….. 1,098,240
• No Pair, less than above………………………………………… 1,302,540

Experienced poker players will also understand the full significance of these sets of odds in any Texas hold’em poker hand. As the game progresses and more cards are exposed, they will need to calculate not only how their hand has been affected, but also how his opponents hand may be panning out.

The law of probabilities state that the more players that remain in the hand, the odds of winning are being reduced pro rata. But the stakes are increasing.

This is the basis of all poker calculations but to a varying degree. Each and every player has their own style, either conservative or aggressive. Aggressive players tend to win tournaments more often than they take a place, For conservative players, the opposite usually applies, What’s most important is how much prize money you can take home by playing Texas hold’em poker.