What is the High Card Hand in Poker?

The high card hand, contrary to its namesake, is actually not a hand you want to find yourself having to play in poker. The best hand, as most people understand, is a royal flush, which features a run of matching suit picture cards. Then, we have the straight flush, which is a matching suit run of non-picture cards. Then we have four of a kind, which features all four of the same card in each suit. Full house is the next best hand, with three of one card and two of another – of course, each of these hands can be outranked by higher full houses e.g. 222-33 will be beaten by AAA-KK. Then we have the flush, with features five cards of the same suit. Then we have the straight, which features five consecutive numbered cards of any suit. Three of a kind comes next with three of the same card and two random cards, then two pair – which is the most common winning hand – and simply features two pairs of cards. Then we have one pair, which features just one pair and three miscellaneous cards, and then the high card hand, which consists of cards that don’t form any pairs or sequences.

So the high card hand is only worth playing should your opponents not have any of the above hands – which is less likely than you’d expect. The high card hand is based on the highest card in your hand. So, Ace High is the best for a game such as Texas Hold ‘Em poker. It’s difficult to attain a winning hand with high card moving down past the picture cards. Continue reading

The Different Positions in Texas Hold’em

If you’re new to poker and just learnt the rules, you may not give much thought to the different positions in Texas Hold’em. You know the dealer button moves around each time and that’s all that matters right? Wrong. Your position in the hand is one of the most important aspects of the game. This is not a matter of opinion but unanimously accepted by professional poker players. We will take a brief look at some of the positions in Texas Hold’em.

The Blinds

The small and big blinds are the forced bets that happen every hand. These are generally tougher positions to play poker from. This is due to the fact you have to play out of position for post-flop. Playing out of position simply means acting before your opponents. It’s considered a disadvantage as your opponents have the advantage of acting after you and seeing how you react before investing any chips or money. Continue reading

Top Three Hero Calls

It’s just a fact of life that you aren’t always going to have the cards you need to win the hand. Bluffing has been a part of poker for years and there’s a definite skill in being able to trick your opponents into thinking that your hand is something else. Getting the other players to keep raising when you have a strong hand is one thing, but convincing them that you have the best hand when all you have is high card or a low pair? That’s a whole different kind of bluffing. Sometimes a player will see clean through it and call, even though you’re sending all the signals. The only way you can refer to that is a Hero Call. Here are a few examples of some pure heroism from players who just weren’t willing to fold. And if this gets you in the mood to play, why not stop by https://casino.paddypower.com/live/3-card-brag and see how lucky you are?

Steve O’Dwyer vs Roger Sippl

At the 2015 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, an experienced Steve O’Dwyer was facing off against a comparative amateur in Roger Sippl. The hands were dealt, Sippl had J♠10♦ and O’Dwyer A♥10♣. As the game progressed the cards came out and they ended up with Q♥8♦8♣2♠3♠ on the river. Both players only had their high cards to play off and it was going to be down to who could get the other to fold and Sippl was determined it wouldn’t be him. He went all in on the final card, a clear message that he had something. If O’Dwyer called he would win the entire pot and be the champion, if he folded he was still up 2 to 1 but would concede a lot of ground. Finally, he called – and was rewarded with the win. Continue reading

Play online poker with World Series of Poker

We don’t know about you but watching the poker pros win big in Las Vegas and over in Europe really makes us determined to put some serious time into our game. It’s not just the professionals that get us fired up, when a player no one has heard of comes through and scoops up the pot – now that’s what poker is about for us! If you’re one of many dreaming of international poker success, online poker is a great place to start. Here are our tips for getting started…

Train with the best of the best

If you want to learn, you might as well learn from the very best. We’re talking the most prestigious and well-established name in the poker world – the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Not only do these guys run the most respected tournaments in the world, but they offer you the chance to hone your skills online, on your desktop or mobile, at WSOP.com. Step into America’s largest online poker room and earn your stripes in a variety of no-limit hold’em, stud and Omaha games. Continue reading

MTT Basic Strategy

МТТ (Multi-Table Tournament) – a poker tournament with the following structure: participants start playing sitting at different tables. MTT begins at a scheduled time and ends when one of the participants wins all the tournament chips.

MTT Prize Pool and Level Structure

Like in any other tournament MTT utilizes a structure with growing blinds. Blinds increase by 1,5 – 2 times on each new level. Level intervals are preset. A 5-minute break occurs every hour. Typically it takes 3-4 hours to reach the bubble stage.

Pay zone is defined for every tourney, but usually 10-20% of participants reach it. Almost always the winnings increase the higher on the tournament ladder the participant gets and the biggest prize is grabbed by the winner of the MTT.

Pros and Cons of the MTT as a Poker Game

The most pleasant feature of MTT is the possibility of winning. For instance, winning a tourney with 1000 players would give the lucky player a prize which is 200 times bigger than the buy-in (a fee player pays to participate in the tournament).

However, it is impossible to beat 1000 players without getting lucky. Thus, high variance is in the nature of the MTT. This means that there is a huge deviation of winnings from expected value. Even experienced players may not manage to reach a single final table playing 100 MTTs. This would lead to negative results.

Therefore, if a player is eager to specialize in MTTs and takes it seriously he should:

– Be tough mentally and be in a good shape;
– Conduct conservative bankroll management;
– Avoid MTTs with enormous player pools;
– Play several MTTs at the same time.
– Learn why limping in is bad and what strategy is best to use.

Goals of MTT players

Many players try to reach pay zone by any means, as any further success depends on luck. Therefore such players believe that frequent pay zone winnings would result in a positive ROI. However this strategy is not optimal. Bottom pay zone positions usually rewards players with prizes worth less than 2 buy-ins. Moreover it is quite difficult to achieve such results. You won’t be able to reach the pay zone in most tournaments regardless of how hard you try. Continue reading

Let it Ride – Tips to Stretch Your Money

If you haven’t had the opportunity to play Let it Ride, it’s a simple game to learn. Here is a quick rundown:

Ante-Up

Most Let it Ride tables have a £10 minimum, with exception to a special promotion. There are 3 circles where your initial bet can be placed. You must put £10 in each of the circles in order to start playing. In addition, you also have the opportunity to play the progressive, which is £1 each round.

Let it Ride

The Rules

Each player is dealt 3 cards, and two additional cards are placed face down in front of the dealer. These cards are a part of your overall hand.

During the 1st round, the dealer will ask whether or not you want to pull your first bet back (after seeing your 3 cards), or keep it there. The 2nd round the dealer will flip one of their face down cards, face-up. Then they will go around the table and see if you want to pull back your 2nd bet, or keep it there.

Finally, the dealer will turn their final card face-up, and then check each players hand to see who has won.

Why Pull Back Bets

You must have 10s or better to win even money on your bets. If you already have it in your hand (before you see the dealer’s two cards), then you always want to stay on all 3 bets. There is never a worry of the dealer beating your hand, which makes this game quite easy to play.

However, it’s not easy to get dealt a pair of 10s or better from the start. If you have a 2,4,9 in your hand, the chances of you losing the round have greatly increased. After all, in this scenario, the only way to win now is if the dealer flips over both cards and they are 10/10, J/J, Q/Q, K/K, or A/A.

Now, if you have A,K,9 in your hole cards, your potential winning percentage has increased. If the dealer turns over an Ace or King, you’re a winner. Continue reading

The Right Type of Poker Tournament Makes a Difference

If you’re going to play poker online, chances are good that you’re going to be interested in a tournament sooner or later. The idea of rising through the tournament ranks to win the big prize can definitely motivate you to do your best. Are tournaments worth playing? Absolutely! The entry fee pales in comparison to the prize at the end. Even if you don’t finish in the top 3, it’s very possible to finish “in the money”. You won’t get as much money as the top finishers, but you won’t leave the casino empty handed either.

The right type of poker tournament makes a difference. Good casinos will give you multiple flavors of tournaments to choose from. Online casinos have everything from single sit-n-go tournaments all the way up to full scale tournaments that have some huge prizes. The size of the field can dramatically change how much money is at stake. You don’t want to miss out on the challenge just because you’ve never done a tournament before.

poker tournament

Tournaments actually look like single poker table matches on steroids. Once you defeat players at your table, you’ll move on to another table, and another table, and another table. This will continue until you bust out, or you get to the top table. Be warned: there are players of all skill levels in a poker tournament. You won’t be able to breeze through everyone. Some players will present more of a challenge than others. Yet there’s always the element of luck to save you when things get rough! You might get the exact card you need that gives you the advantage in a particular hand, but you also may be able to use your mental prowess to defeat players. Bluffing is a strong tool when it’s used properly, after all.

But let’s get back to the fun of the tournament itself. Did you know that at an online casino you can chat while you play? If the action isn’t on you, there’s nothing wrong with a little friendly chat. Some people ignore the chat window entirely, so don’t take it personally if no one answers you for a little while. As the match progresses, they will be more than happy to chat a little bit. They’ve gotten to know you a little bit, and they might give you some praise when you make a great play.

With so much going on at a poker tournament, you can’t skip them. They’re just too much fun! Why not go where the poker action stays hot?

Confidence in Poker is a Must!

Look, you guys wanted me to talk about poker, so I’m going to talk about poker. In my opinion, poker is one of the all time gambling games around. The truth is that you either can get down with the competitive nature of poker, or you can’t. There really isn’t a middle ground. The middle ground is where people get eaten. If you try to be diplomatic in poker, you’re going to get eaten. If you try to be too friendly, you’re going to get eaten. Do you see the pattern here? If you don’t come to the world of poker looking to win…you’re going to get eaten.

This is something that a lot of people don’t really think about, but it’s absolutely true. What you have to do from here is know that if you aren’t reaching for the top, you’re going to fall behind. People are hungry to play poker. Maybe in the beginning, it wasn’t as cutthroat. But now that we have the World Series of poker and the World Poker Tour, the truth is that you’re going to be looking at a LOT of competition. People are thinking about quitting their jobs and doing nothing but playing poker all day. That’s something that’s pretty tough to deal with, and it’s not something that you want to look down upon in the slightest.

Confidence in Poker

You just have to peek into a different world and plan for the best outcome possible. I’m not going to tell you that you’re going to become some sort of poker god in less than six months. But you can take steps to better yourself in the field without losing your cool.

The first step is definitely confidence. If you’re not confident in the world of poker…well, I’ll let you fill in the blanks. 🙂 The truth is that confidence is an absolute must. You can’t bring the stress and strain of everyday life into the poker world with you. Even though it’s online, these poker hounds will pick up on any type of stress or worry that you’re going through. You have to set those feelings aside because they are absolutely toxic in the grand scheme of things.

If there’s something that you need to figure out, you have to make sure that you get it together. There’s nothing wrong with pushing hard if that’s something that you’re trying to do, but there’s something to be said about having your head in the game.

There’s a difference between being confident, and being cocky. You have to make sure that you’re not overplaying your hand. If you keep raising and everyone’s going along with it, you could be walking into a trap. But pride won’t tell you that. Pride will tell you that everyone’s a sucker and you’re the smartest guy in the room. That’s not something that you want to find yourself dealing with, either.

The best thing that you can do from here is make sure that you’re focused on your game. Don’t get emotionally involved in the poker hijinks of others. Don’t be afraid to fold if you know that you don’t have the nuts. Pride will tell you that you should stay in, play loose because that’s where the money is. Don’t give in to pride.

Confidence, in my mind, is much calmer and far quieter than pride could ever be. You are never going to be the best poker player that ever was. That just isn’t going to happen at all. However, what you can do is make sure that you embrace the challenges of poker. Roll with them. You’ll make mistakes but I promise that you’ll have fun along the way. Good luck!

Are Data Mining Sites in Poker Truly Harmful?

We know that poker is a pretty big game online, with millions of players logging in to play. They want to know the ins and outs of what they’re up against, including the competition. You can pick up statistics on individual players and even general statistics. These are stats that can give a pro serious advantage over other players.

Yet Bodog, a top casino, has decided to take a stand to block data mining sites. The policy is about a year old at the time of this writing, and it’s designed to protect the causal poker player. Contrary to popular belief, not every player really wants to be a rockstar at poker. They want to log in, play a few casual games, and otherwise have a good time. They want to be able to really make sure that everything is in order. Some people disagree with this, but you have to understand what the casino is thinking.

The top players on a casino site aren’t depositing as much as causal players. Why? They don’t have to — their winnings on the tables actually cover them quite nicely. The ones who have to refill their online account more often are casual players. That’s the whole point — you’re going to need to look into the type of player you’re attracting to the tables. Casinos do this day in and day out, and they want a high ratio of casual players to “sharks”. That’s how the money keeps flowing in.

The casino really wants to have recreational poker players feel like they are at home, but will still upset players over time? A lot of players eventually get better and they want to make sure that they can really check out the competition and refine their strategy. It just depends on the casino — some casinos seem to be friendlier to sharks than others.

One of the sites mentioned by Bodog for its data mining, PokerScout, decided to comment on the record about it as well:

“Despite Bodog’s assertions, PokerScout does not give any advantage to some players at the expense of others. Unlike some other websites, we do not track or publish individual player statistics. Many of our readers treat PokerScout as an industry scorecard, showing where the sites rank relative to each other and who is outperforming whom. Other readers drill down into more detail to see what games and limits are popular at the various sites. The data is available freely to everyone, and none of it gives any particular advantage to winning players. Bodog is the only operator to suggest that it does.”

PokerScout continued:

“We continue to maintain close, cooperative relationships with many online poker sites. Some 19 operators, from major companies like PartyGaming and Playtech down to the smallest providers, voluntarily provide us data to improve our tracking of their site traffic. This includes both US-facing and non-US operators. These companies clearly have no problem with PokerScout. In fact, executives throughout the industry have repeatedly expressed enthusiasm and gratitude for the service we provide.”

There’s always going to be sharks, and being critical of sharks isn’t doing you any favors. If you’re going to play online, you have to realize that sharks are part of it. Don’t get caught up in being unable to take care of yourself — you can do anything that you set your mind to.

We think that Bodog means well, and this is their way to carve out a “difference” in the market. Whether players feel comfortable or not is up to them, in all honesty.

Keep playing, keep learning, and keep having a good time — that’s what poker is really all about.

Many of the most popular online slot machine games feature characters from popular films, television shows, and other pop culture sources. The famous Rocky slots include characters from the iconic films, with Sylvester Stallone as “The Italian Stallion”, Talia Shire as “Adrian”, and Burgess Meredith as “Mickey”.

The Rocky slots also feature images related to the champion’s numerous opponents, including Carl Weathers as “Apollo Creed”, Mr. T. as “Clubber Lang” and Dolph Lundgren as “Ivan Drago”. In the bonus games, players can watch the classic matches and win bonus cash. This game is a true “knockout”!

How to Avoid and Overcome Tilt

What is Poker Tilt?

The word tilt refers to the state of frustration or confusion that a poker player generally suffers after a bad beat in poker. This state of tilt often causes players to make irrational and less than optimal decisions at the poker table. Whilst this is a natural human response to a bad beat in poker there are ways to avoid and overcome tilt.

How do I beat Tilt?

Beating tilt can be quite tricky and may take a bit of practice and discipline but through the following techniques it is likely that you will be able to take one or several of these tips and use them to help you avoid and overcome tilt.

Overcome Tilt

Take a Break

Going for a walk, a cigarette break, a coffee or just taking a 10 minute break can help you immensely after a bad beat, get your mind back into the right mindset and prevent you from making irrational decisions.

Listen to Music

If you are listening to songs that you enjoy, the positive aroma that comes from them can help you remember that it is just a game and not to take it personally. Another good piece of advice is to change the song or CD that you are listening to after a particularly bad beat.

Remember your Big Wins

Everyone has good wins and everyone has bad beats, if you focus on your massive wins it can reduce the negative feeling and frustration you will get after a bad beat.

Stay Calm and Collected

Most of all just remember that poker is a game that is won by strategy and not emotions, try to remember that by letting your emotions cloud your judgment you are doing nothing but worsening the situation.

Beating tilt can be hard but with practice it is possible and by being able to recognize and avoid tilt it can turn you from an average poker player into a great one.