This free poker online article looks at the tricky area of split pots.
A split pot is a pot where two (or more) players have identical five-card hands at the showdown. For example, in a board with 8-9-10-Q-2 both players have a Jack meaning both have a Queen-high straight, therefore, they split.
Or if both players use the board cards as their 5 card hands, for example, if the board is A,K,Q,J,10 where one player has 9,9 and the other Q,J.
Which ones will win? Both. They use the board cards as their hand; both of them have a Broadway Straight, so they split the pot.
The majority of players think they have to use at least 1 card from their hand to make their final hand. In the above example, the player with 9-9 might think that his straight is King-high, when actually it is Ace-high.
The other player, assuming no flush possibilities, might go all in. This action could scare player 1 into folding. Don’t do it! You both have nuts hands.
Some Straights on the Board are a little bit more suspicious. Like 4-5-6-7-8. Someone bets substantially and now it’s up to you whether you call or not, or even raise. Just keep in mind that a Nine can finish you or your opponent.
In this case, you want to represent the Nine. When? If the Board is 6-7-5-4-8, in the order in which they fell? What if it is 4-5-7-6-8? 8-7-5-6-4 or 4-5-8-7-6? On which Board do you think your opponent will be most inclined to represent the Nine so you can fold without remorse? It’s important to be as analytic as possible here.
If a board is say 9-9-8-8-8, what then? It’s a Full House. Both players already have the Full House. Say you have Q-10 and you follow to the river. Then in a jolt your opponent bets enough to put you all-in. Do you call?
It’s possible that he’s bluffing you with, say, J-10; you both still have the same hand. He may just have the last 8, but if so then he really should have folded since you bet the Flop and the Turn.
Then, with unmistakable confidence, (easy in free poker online maybe) you overtly declare, “I play the Board, I call.” If you did, then you?re the 1997 World Series of Poker runner-up, Kevin McBride, who lost to J-9. The winner? Scotty Nguyen (baby, baby, baby). You have Eights full, baby. Scotty had Nines full (9-9-9-8-8).
With the Broadway Straight (with no flush) it is appropriate to call the all-in, and it is a sign of a smart player to do so. (Don?t call yourself smart if you held the 9-9 and you folded.)
But with the above Full House on the board just determine all possible hands that can beat you: a lone Nine or the last Eight. Surely if you have many more chips, just stack them and wait for some more hands.
But read the board well, don’t be psyched out by the chatter of the other player. During the interview after the heads-up match, McBride admitted that he called because of what Scotty said to him after Scotty pushed him all-in: “If you call it’ll be over baby”.
In some boards, such as A-K-2-2-7, if you have an Ace and your opponent bets substantially on the river, you can well put him on the Ace (but not A-K or A-2) and call him, even though you know you can’t win. You just split the pot.
If he bets heavily, forcing you to make the hard decision, you might as well fold. Why hope for a tie when you can win later?
Split pots is a tricky area no doubt about it, I hope this made sense! If it seems hard then my best suggestion to you is to go and practice lots and play poker online for free then when you play for money all that free poker games experience will allow you to play with a greater degree of confidence.
In this free online poker guide you’ll learn about applying the KISS concept in poker. Normally this means “keep It Simple Stupid” but in poker there are 2 more very relevant meanings.
First, how about Keeping It Simple (Against) Stupid Players? Secondly, Keep It Simple and Straightforward if you’re up against not so stupid players!
On free poker games sites such as NoPayPOKER you’ll come up against both types though maybe a few more of the less clever ones than you’ll find at say a $500 buy in table in Vegas!
For example, with A-10 in hand would you have the courage to play against a clearly good player with the flop showing A-8-3? No problem if it’s a free poker game but what if it’s a really big game with a lot of money on the table?
Your options are to simply call again and again or you might bet and pray he does not play strong. Why? Since he is a good player, you might put him on A-K, or an Ace with a better kicker. Then should he go all-in, you will know what to do. Scamper, and wait until you have the A-K, or maybe a Set.
Here you will have to consider the following. Has he really got A-K? Or just J-J with which he is willing to take to showdown but is not so willing to call a large raise with? Or maybe it is 8-7, since he reckons my bet on the Flop is simply a continuation bet so he will call?
The biggets problem is that 5 or 6 weak or dumb players, you might have to ask these questions for each one of them! Does he really have ?-? (for Player 1). Does he really have ?-? (for Player two) ? Or just ?-? (for Player three)? and on and on until your brain is fried and you get nailed by someone holding A-8.
Let us look at another situation now, with a Board of 5-6-J-Q-8.
You have K-Q. A strong player probably has A-Q or K-K, or J-10, or something special, like 7-4 (usually suited). You might as well fold your K-Q at the end, or just call a small bet at the river. But at least you can put your strong opponent into a hand or into a few hands.
But with 5 or 6 poorer players you must be careful. They may have the hands above, but because they’re weak, there will be more add-ons, like 8-5, J-5, Q-8, or even Q-5, all of which will add to the possibility of your K-Q being beaten.
In such a case why not call a small bet at the river (because with many callers you are getting good pot odds to make the call). Then if one of them goes all-in, it’s a strong signal. Fold that K-Q. What hand might they be moving all-in with? With a strong player you may have an idea. But with a weak player, you don’t.
Why go to war if you don’t know what you are trying to beat?
A strong player is willing to play more stronger hands than weaker ones. He is willing to play A-K more often than A-8 in his life, although frequency of play is no clue to how he plays specific hands. He remains unpredictable. But you will expect him to fold A-8 more often than A-K.
But weak players don’t know what hands they are playing. They will play J-5 as readily as A-K. So, when playing with them, because you can’t put them into a hand because they don’t even know theirs, just show them a good enough hand. A Two-Pair or higher, more desirably. In the A-10 example above, you’ll be happy with 3-3. In the second, I wish you have the 7-4 or the 10-9 before you act rashly.
And, unless you are just messing about in a free poker games don’t attempt any fancy manoeuvres like all-in bluffs.
In the 5-6-J-Q-8 Board, don’t move all-in with A-K. Even with just two weak opponents, they will just readily call you with K-Q as much as with 6-4, J-9, or even 3-3. They don’t know the difference between them.
If they have something, they will be willing to take it along to death. So make your something stronger than their something, and take it to their death instead. No bluffs. No calling of suspected bluffs.
So remember to KISS! Keep it Simple or Straightforward against good players and Keep it Simple against Stupid Players!
And what better place to play poker online for free than at http://www.NoPayPOKER.com where you don’t have the fear of losing money like you do at on money sites or live tables yet you can still win real cash.
Plus the NoPayPOKER blog contains a huge pro written free poker games training series, with lessons from basic how to play poker for beginners courses to masters level. Complete the intermediate level course at least and you will find yourself in the top 10% of online poker players worldwide.
One fact the majority of free online poker at NoPayPOKER.com and low stakes players do not realize is that there are different poker strategies for each type of game. In this free online poker article a successful free online poker player who started as a beginner, reveals how he figured how to win both small stakes and free online poker consistently by recognizing and taking advantage of these factors.
To start. On free online poker sites you’ll soon realize that there are more aggressive players than in money stakes games. You will also see many more moves all in pre-flop and crazy bluffs in free online poker.
It’s no mystery why this is. At the start of a free online poker freeroll, a player has no time or money at risk. The thinking is simple. If you can hit a big pot early, it gives you leverage later on as your chip stack gets larger.
If I lose, no problem. There’s another free game around the corner. So the player has no time or money invested so can afford to play silly in the hope of grabbing a pot early on.
The key to winning in this type of game is to survive the feeding frenzy at the beginning. If you can get through to the middle part and beyond then skill and strategy can come into play and make the difference.
Quite simply aim to preserve your stack and fold unless you have a very (very) good hand.
When everyone left has time invested in the tournament most settle into a more sane approach. Things like position at the table, reading the players, and exploiting hand strength become easier to manage. It’s also a great time for beginners to learn how to play poker better and start to really learn the nuances of the game.
Once you’ve learned a little bit about poker in free poker games and you are consistent but frustrated at having to wade through the craziness in the beginning of free online poker games and freerolls then its time to take the plunge into cash tournaments.
When you make the choice to go to cash tournaments, start small. Never go into a cash tournament that you can’t afford to lose. If you start small in cash tournaments you’ll find a lot more players closer to your level of play. You will also find players with more advanced skills than you currently have.
This is good because playing against them, if you approach it the right way, helps you learn things to improve your play that books and articles don’t or can’t always teach you.
But here’s the biggie.
You’ll learn a lot more about how to play the beginning of a tournament in cash tournaments.
You learn how to build your chip stack through methods that you learn and start to recognize your own strengths and weaknesses.
Don’t get me wrong, there are always players, even in cash games, that do those crazy things at the start of the tournament like all in before the flop and so on. But, in my opinion, they are fewer and farther between. The good thing is you can usually isolate them and let them burn themselves out.
Finally, I will always play free poker. It’s fun and a little more laid back. But I also like playing cash tournaments because it presents a different challenge. As long as people play within themselves, there is no reason why you can’t enjoy both.
To practice your mental game or indeed any aspect of your poker game and new poker ideas though no pressure or danger of money loss go play free online poker games at http://www.NoPayPOKER.com
The poker at US legal NoPayPOKER is truly free and you get a bankroll full of the Dollar convertible site currency when you join so you can start to play poker online for free right away.
For the full free online poker lesson series on how to play free online poker and for a great how to play poker for beginners course see the lesson series by D M Vadnais on the NoPayPOKER blog. His “Building a Bankroll” series specifically discusses how to dominate free poker games kill off the lunatic players! Go to the NoPayPOKER.com blog at http://www.nopaypoker.com/articles and learn today.
This online poker free article is about a technique I call the Shuffle and Breathe that is a superb method that you can use immediately to win more at poker. This technique isn’t a game tactic as such, instead it is a mental approach based on Tai Chi and meditation.
The Shuffle Up and Breathe technique is not designed to teach you the game of poker, the strategies or its etiquette. It’s designed to help you realize the poker skills you already have and develop the discipline to use them wisely.
Let’s start with what the technique does:
First , it’s important to note that having the greatest poker skills in the world will do you very little good if you don’t have access to them. When the mind or emotions take over, you’re locked out – you become purely a reactionary player.
The technique, described later, is used for balancing and controlling thought and emotion.
The connection of mind, body and breath.
It is a fact that the mind always follows the breath. When you have a busy mind, you’re breath is laboured. When your thoughts begin to slow, you regain control of your emotions and most importantly, your game.
That’s why you can use the “Shuffle up and breathe” technique to:
- Focus on the breath
- Calm the mind
- You do it before, during and after every game.
The technique will help you practice being in the present moment.
Not the past or future, but right now! That’s really truly being in the zone.
Use it to reduce stress
A lot of life is stressful, but add to it having thousands of dollars at stake and you can end up tired and ill. You can reduce that stress to a level you can always handle by using this technique. You’ll feel better and you’ll play better.
Self observation equals self control. By using this simple breathing technique, you’ll become better at discovering your tells and those of others, controlling emotions, developing discipline and time and money management
All of these skills can be used at the poker table, in the office or in any meeting. Learning to stay balanced is the key to success in all areas of life, especially in poker. Consistent use of this breathing technique will result in a clearer mind that makes clearer choices and better math and moves with a great reduction in error.
So what is this amazing technique?
It’s simple. Focus on the tip of your nose and follow your breath with all your attention. All the way in and all the way out again. You will even feel the friction of the air as it goes in and out.
It’s that easy. Your mind will follow the breath and begin to instantly calm. Use this technique before, during and after every game.
Personally, I use it every time I am dealt a hand. If you practice this technique every day and you will find a dramatic increase in your skills and in the quality of your like.
Good players define Luck as the point at which skill meets opportunity. Be ready for it! Just remember to Shuffle up and Breathe.
To practice your mental game or indeed any aspect of your poker game and new poker ideas though no pressure or danger of cash loss go play online poker free games at http://www.NoPayPOKER.com
Plus the NoPayPOKER blog contains a huge poker training series, pro written lessons from basic how to play poker for beginners courses to master. Join today and you will get a free bankroll and can get playing online poker free immediately.
The poker at US legal NoPayPOKER is truly free and you get a bankroll full of the Dollar convertible site currency when you join so you can start to play online poker free right away.
Most poker players, free poker games in particular, don’t like the “technical” parts of poker like odds. After all doing odds means doing math and many of us prefer not to go there!
Sadly it’s a fact that to succeed in poker this is a key part of the game that you need to master, especially if you have any aspirations to play live money games.
The biggest problem is that the formula for doing odds is pretty complex and to do it in your head on the fly under pressure you do need to be pretty hot at math.
As an example ,:
Lets say you hold 8-7 and the Flop is 5-6-A. You want to know your odds on hitting a Straight later.
Should you use a rigorous mathematical solution, you will construct this horror:
You need certain cards to help you do this – Known as “outs” In this case for a straight you need 4 and 9. There are upto 8 such cards left in the deck. The probability of your hitting them later is P (1-P)Q, where P is the probability of hitting your hand on the Turn, and Q is the probability you will hit on the river. It is P (1-P)Q because (1-P)Q is the probability that you will hit on the river if you don’t complete your hand on the Turn.
Now here are the values for P and Q.
- P = 8 cards still on the deck that will help you divided by 52-5 = 47 remaining cards = 8/47.
- Q = 8 cards still on the deck that will help you, as you didn’t complete on the Turn divided by 52-6 (because there are six cards already out, your hole cards and the Board) = 8/46.
The complete answer is 8/47 (1 – 8/47)(8/46) = .170 (.829)(.174) = .170 .144 = .314 = 31%. You’ve got a 31% chance of hitting your Straight later.
Ouch, that’s fun and beyond most of us! However, in a table you usually do not have a calculator (and even if you do you still need to know what to input into it .
And many poker players just understand the outs, but not really much of basic probability theory. How is this? An out by the way is any unseen card that, if drawn, will help your hand win chances.
Here then is a much simpler, easy way to work out odds
Let’s try an approximation formula:
- You divide 8 by 50, because 47 is close to 50, and get 16.
- Double it again and you get .32.
- It is a reliable estimate.
- After all, poker players, in games, do not need exact solutions; they need only a hint as to where they’re standing.
- In this case “about 32%” is an efficient enough answer.
So, in the Flop, here is the approximation:
- Get the amount of your outs, then multiply it by 4, then affix a percent sign.
- This is a reliable approximation percentage of your hitting the hand.
- During the Turn, if you still have outs, multiply it by 2, then affix a percent sign.
- Preflop, when you decide to push all-in, you typically need not do this as you will rely mainly on pure hand strength.
To practice your odds calculations there can be no better way than to play poker online free on http://www.NoPayPOKER.com, at least here you can get it wrong and not lose money as a result! Yes, you can always use odds calculators and many are available for online poker but if you want to play live you need to learn to do it the hard way, so get learning if you have any ambition to move beyond free poker games and win serious cash!
Position is your seat in a poker table relative to other players. Be it free poker games or a cash event, your position defines when you make your move in the hand being played. In normal game of 9-12 players, in any given hand round of betting, it works like this:
(1) Early position consists of the first 3 or 4 players to act.
(2) Middle position includes the following player after early position to the player before late position.
(3) Late position consists of the last three or four players to act. Preflop, the dealer, the small blind, and the big blind are last to act, in that order.
Postflop, the small blind and the big blind are first to act, and the dealer is last to act.
How does position matter?
There are some very definite advantages and disadvantages. The majority of players prefer playing late position. Briefly, it is because you are given more information to work with in late position.
If you are in late position, the actions of the players in early position are added information to you. But the player in early position do not have the benefit of information derived from your actions.
Because of this most players (especially good players) do not like letting go of their button (dealer button) unless they have absolute trash. They call a little raise with any decent hand like 9-7 or A-5 (but not extremely big raises, of course).
In early position, in a nine-handed game, suppose you have got Q-J, a marginal hand, under the gun (the first person to act preflop).
Do you raise? There are still eight players after you to act, and you will see a better chance that they’ll have better hands than you. (A-x will have you beat). So fold.
In middle position, you may call one raise, or you can raise; you’re indifferent.
With the button, you raise if no one has acted prior to you (you can steal the blinds this way). Or call if someone else raised small (since you have position).
With the blinds, you call (since it is discounted) but you should be careful with postflop play since you are out of position postflop. Or you can also reraise a raise if you believe the raiser was weak (raising with junk is prevalent in good players in late position who want to steal the blinds habitually).
Position also matters a lot when playing with players who have a fixed style.
- It is a good idea to act before a rock in order to bluff him easier.
- It is preferable to act after a loose-aggressive chip flinger so you can raise him if you hit the Flop hard or if you have A-A, then expect a rereaise and then you can move all-in.
- Against a calling station, it does not matter where you sit – just bet if you have a hand and then expect a call.
As for the really good players, your ideal position should be outside the poker table. Don’t tangle with them. If you do get caught in a game with better players try to play unpredictably and make the best of your times in late position.
This isn’t so much about table position now, it’s more to do with your entire poker strategy approach so I won’t go into depth on it here. Don’t play above your skill level except when deliberately practising with money you have set aside to lose or better still on free poker games tables such as the NoPayPOKER ones.
Have a look at the free poker games tactics series from D M Vadnais for a whole lot more depth on the areas such as choosing your battles and climbing skill levels. If you are a beginner start with the how to play poker for beginners 101 course and if ready to move on check out Building a Bankroll which aims to propel to to advanced intermediate level (where you will start to win a ton of cash should you wish)
In part 2 of this learn how to play poker online free online poker course we are continuing with the basic rules lesson from part 1.
Now it is time to get into specific detail and learn each part of a hand of poker so that you can (cautiously!) start to play.
Now you are seated at the table and the Small Blind (SB) and Big Bling (BB) have placed their starting blind bets. Now it’s time for cards! If this means nothing to you go back to How To Play Poker For Beginners part 1.
From the Dealer Button (DB) going clockwise rounf the table each player gets 2 cards, face down, handed out one at a time (so the DB goes round the table twice). These are your Pocket Cards, also known simply as pockets and alternatively hole cards.
Now it is time for the betting to begin, that is after all, I imagine why you want to play poker! That is why I’m sure you now find yourself seated at a free online poker tournament table isn’t it? The whole betting and winning with it’s associated moves of dare and deception is the main reason you’ve joined that online poker site be it free online poker or massive stakes isn’t it?
Of course that’s why you’re there, poker is all about winning money at the end of the day! With the possible exception of the social side anyway, the table and lobby conversations though if you are at all serious about money then this is a very minor reason.
At this stage in the hand (holding 2 pocket cards), each player is betting on what hand they feel their pocket cards could lead to.
The betting starts with the player to the immediate left of the Big Blind (BB).
This player sits in what’s known as the Under The Gun position, UTG for short. This is because the Small and Big Blind position players were forced to lay down bets before they got any cards.
Thus, both the SB and BB are already taking part in the hand; albeit not voluntarily, at least not yet; they’ll have to wait until the betting comes around to them.
And, with this round of betting, each player has three choices:
1) To fold. Usually when they think that their pocket cards are garbage (or rags). By folding in this first round you won’t lose anything but nor can you play the rest of the hand.
2) To raise. You raise if you think you’ve got good cards.
3) Or you can call to match the Big Blind bet. You may do this if you think your cards have at least a bit of potential.
A 4th option you might have heard of, checking, often available in subsequent betting rounds, isn’t an option at this stage.
When the betting reaches the person who posted the Small Blind (SB), if they want to fold then they’ll lose the chips they were forced to put into the pot prior to the cards being dealt. Or, as SB you can Call the BB by putting in the difference between the SB and BB amounts. Or, this player can call whatever raise has been made, or this player can initiate a raise; or even a re-raise, aa a beginner keep it simple and either just Call the BB or fold, watch and learn othrs to see the raise, new raise and reraise in action.
Then, the Big Blind (BB) player gets to act. If there has been no raise then the BB can Check (do nothing and let the play pass by), or Call, Raise or Re-raise.
About Raises
As this is a No Limit Texas Hold Em tournament, the amount of any one raise is only limited by the number of chips the player who is doing the raising is in possession of. If say the chip stack is 1500 then the player can raise by any amount upto 1500.
Should he opt to make a 1,500 chip bet, it would be called an All-In bet. It’s always an all-in bet any time a player raises by the total amount of chips he currently holds.
And, of paramount importance, especially since you are at the how to play poker online level of the game, make certain that YOUR use of an All-In bet is the minimum.
Please do not become yet another free online poker ‘chip-flinger’ (someone who tosses chips around without regard to the quality of their cards).
Once the opening round of betting is completed it’s time to see ‘The Flop’. Things will now start to get really interesting!
The Flop is the set of three cards that are dealt face up in the middle of the table by the Dealer.
1) Each player can use these community cards’ to build their hand. Make sure to read and print a guide to what card hands beat what so that you have a feel for what you are trying to build!
2) Again, as here-to-fore mentioned, the middle of the table where these cards are dealt is typically referred to as ‘The Board’.
3) With ‘The Flop’ exposed, it’s time for the next round of betting. And, the betting that will occur is based on the 5 cards currently available to each player, i.e., 2 Pocket cards and 3 Board’ cards.
The betting starts with the player to the immediate left of the Dealer Button, regardless of whether the Dealer is still active in the hand or not.
The player to the left of the Dealer Button will keep the initial betting action for the rest of the hand. Later, you’ll come to learn that this is the worst position to be in at the table.
Apart from that, the betting process is the same as it was in ‘pre-flop’ betting. However, bear in mind, all of the players who were dealt ‘Pocket’ cards may not be currently playing the hand as they could have folded during the opening round of betting.
So, whichever remaining player is ‘to the immediate left’ of the Dealer Button (DB), it is that person who will be the first player to act; through the hand providing he doesn’t fold.
He can check or bet.
A) If he checks, he’s simply passing the options of checking or betting to the player who sits to his left.
B) If he doesn’t check, and decides to bet, then those that follow will have 3 choices:
1) They can fold
2) They can call
3) Or they can raise. But, since a bet was made, those that follow don’t have the option of ‘checking’.
Once the round of betting has finished, it’s time for another card to be dealt face up on The Board.
This fourth card is called The Turn card, or 4th Street, and, again, the card can be used by all of the remaining players (those players that have not folded). It’s another ‘community card’.
Thus, each remaining player now has access to 6 cards, 4 Board cards, and 2 Pocket cards. There are 4 cards on The Board, one additional card to come.
It is now time for the fifth and final community card to be dealt: The River, or 5th Street.
And, seeing as all the cards have finally been dealt, each player remaining in the hand can see what their finest five card hand is. Therefore, it’s now time for the final round of betting. And, once the betting ends, the hand is over.
It’s time to see who wins.
Each player that has remained in the hand shows their cards, beginning with the last person to initiate a bet. At a cash or free online poker site the software will handle the process of showing the cards.
The winner is determined via use of the universal poker hand rankings. You’ll find that in subsequent chapter; entitled ‘What Beats What’.
If a player wins a pot because every other player has folded, he can decide whether to show his cards or not.
The majority of people don’t, and it’s typically advised by me never to show your cards. If you’re not required to do so; keep ‘em guessing!
Yet, when you reach an ‘advanced level’ of play, you will get a whole different perspective from me. You see, there are occasions when ‘deceitful strategies’ will be added to your acquired set of playing skills. And, a part of the ‘deceitful strategies’ will have you showing your cards. Not now though.
Summing up How To Play Poker For Beginners Free Online Poker Rules Part 2
In part 1 you learned the bare bones of poker, the structure and ideas of the game. Now that you’ve read part 2 you should now understand the specific mechanics of a hand of poker. In part 3 we are going to move on to more poker words and terminology, all those crazy card and hand nicknames are going to be unveiled! But as long as you’ve understood the first 2 parts now you can go and start to play poker. It’s a very good idea though to firstly read and print off a sheet on what card hands beat what! Then you’ll get a feel for how to build your hand in the game stages and be able to think about whether to fold, call, raise or check.
At this point I strongly urge you not to try and play on sites where real cash is involved, you will lose all or nearly all of it 99% certain!
Be patient (by the way that is a key poker skill it’s essential to master) and begin out on one of the excellent free poker sites you’ll find online. Later when you are more skilled there’s lots of time to win a bunch of money and the time you spend playing free online poker will set you up for this.
Nick runs marketing for leading free poker online site NoPayPOKER.com. NoPayPOKER.com uses a faux currency called FreeD which means the poker is 100% risk free, this makes it the perfect place to how to play poker online, plus if you’re more experienced it’s a great place to practice, oh and the the fact that the FreeD can be cashed in for real Dollars is a nice touch too!
One must have the ability sit down at any money or free texas holdem table, online or live and study your opponents. In my opinion patience is the key ingredient when it comes to interpreting players and the most critical stage is when the game starts.
Why is this?
This provides you with you an opportunity to sit back and take mental notes about the player’s actions. This is extremely effective during the first half hour of a free poker game in particular as quite a lot of players like to go all in and hope they win the pot. I myself will only call these players with a high pair, or suited low connectors because I’ve played them before, and they will go all in with any two hand cards given.
What Mental Notes Should You Take?
The notes you’ll want to take in the first 30 minutes or if moved to a new table in any money or free texas hold em game are quite simple.
Determine which players are playing carefully and those that are playing loose.
The ones who are playing loose are going to bet on nearly every hand and call almost anything.You will find this a lot in free texas holdem games
People that are playing careful will continue to fold until they get the cards in hand they want or any pairs of AA’s, KK’s, QQ’s, JJ’s.
How can you tell if they are Bluffing?
This can be tough if you have not been paying attention to the game as can happen a lot with free poker or if you are playing multiple online games at the same time.
If you have been paying attention to the game you should have more of a feeling as to who might be bluffing..
For instance:
When you’ve got an ace and king of spades you will be feeling good about your whole situation. You are waiting for the other player to check or bet, to your surprise the player bets 400 chips when the pot is at 120 chips.
So you call the player and on the flop lands Queen of spades, Jack of Spades, and ten of hearts. The other player goes all-in in order to make you think he/she has the winning hand. You already know you’ve won it so you call the player’s bluff and go on to win.
That is very obvious but if you are facing a more conservative player then they could try to buy you in by betting low not over the pot before the flop and after. These Players really know what they are doing and most likely will have a full house against your ace high straight. Here is where your experience comes into play…have you marked who is loose and who is conservative?
Here are some practical game and player reading tips|Practical Player Analysis Tips|Practical Reading and Analysis Suggestions|Handy Game and Player Reading Tips}
1) Players who take a very long time and procrastinate are attempting to mislead you into believing they’ve got nothing and wait for you to make a bet worth calling. (Note: in free texas hold em the player might be taking a long time because he/she is playing multiple games.) Filter these players out as this might be a habit for them.
2) Look out for players who anticipate until the last second and raise you all-in. They are attempting to buy the pot with a decent pair hoping you do not have any aces in your hand!
3) Everyone knows a chip bully. Every table has one. The only way to knock a chip bully off his costly chair is not to be affected by his/her large chip stacks. Should you have it, go for it. Quite possibly, he/she is bluffing because, they want to pilfer the pot or blinds.
All Players Have Habits.
And from habits develop betting patterns – But What patterns might they form?
A bad habit (for them) you will witness sometimes is that some players lose a large chunk of their chip stack. They get ticked-off because they’ve taken a serious loss but rather than cut their losses decide to keep going, often all-in until they lose all of it or earn back some chips (rare!). These players have given up and gone on “tilt”. The best course of action is to call them when the time is right. So bide your time and you’ll take their shirt!
Some players are nearly impossible to read because they Know they’re being read and so are always switching their technique. They will repeat themselves at some point but these patterns are very hard to spot. These players will take up the majority of your time! When you can read players like these..well you are probably playing WSOP!
I hope this article will help you fine tune your skills and has given you some ideas you can use at the tables. Every player can be read but if you cannot read players you will make poker impossible for yourself!
My suggestion if you have difficulty with interpreting other players or if this is all new to you is to get in lots of practice in low risk games. Try low or micro stakes games or some free online poker games to get a feel for it all before risking any significant money.
Lets face it, whether playing with your own cash or playing Free Poker Online, the aim of the game is to build a decent bankroll.
There are many ways to start building a bankroll. First start off by playing free rolls and qualifiers for bigger prize pool tournaments.
Now start off by playing cautious and just trying to cash in the beginning. Once your bankroll is up play more aggressive and play to win. Take your time at first, watch your opponents and see how they play their game, and get a feel for the table. Should I be loose, should I be aggressive etc.
Free Poker Online is a great way to get started when learning how to build a good bankroll, if you go wrong and lose all of your money, then technically you haven’t actually lost your own cash.
Now that you have started building a successful bankroll you are ready to start doing buy ins. Try not to invest more than 10 percent of your bankroll on any buy in. If you are successful in those then you are ready for the next step possible.
You should now be experienced enough to try your hand at cash game tables, also known as ring tables. Once again stick to tables that do not require more than 10 percent of your bankroll. I would also advise you to buy in for the minimum allowed. Now once you have mastered the feel for the game and know your limitations it is time to get more aggressive and up the minimums to roughly 25 percent of your bankroll and try to build a little faster.
Now also do not ever try to chase your losses. What I mean buy this is say you buy in for 100 at a table and lose that don’t buy in for 200 and try to get it back. You want to try and minimize your losses while maximizing your winnings. I hope this is hopeful to you all and you take this advice all the way to the bank.
You’re probably not going to be as worried about flunking out if you are playing in free poker games, but bear in mind that many free poker sites actually pay out in real cash, so its well worth building your pot as much as you can at every opportunity.
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