Free Poker Games

The other day I was having a fun free poker site Sit and Go game when my belief in the strength of sets was severely shaken. If you’re not sure what I mean by set then it’s simple, it’s a hand made of a pocket pair plus a board card of the same rank, for example, you get pocket 6′s (6-6) and the flop comes up 4-6-8

More than this it was a sharp free online poker lesson in poker maturity for me! I know now when a Sets power is diminished.

A set can be really strong, for example, you have 6-6 and the flop comes A-10-6. In this situation, against A-x (excepting A-10), you are 99-1 favorite, and if another player happens to have A-K or A-Q, you will see all the problems he will face later when he goes all in or calls your all-in.

But at this Sit and Go, there were 6 six players (blinds 10-20, average stack 1500), I was first to go. I had 4c-4s. I raised to 50. The button called, as well as the blinds.

The flop came 4h-6h-7d. Small blind checked; before me, big blind bet 200.

I asked myself, “How could he make such a fat bet (pot-sized)?”. Those players in previous hands always play any hand that drops on their computer screens. They may have A-6 or A-7, but also 8-7 or even 8-5. Or any two Hearts. They never know when to fold or not. And you don’t know when your made Two-Pair will be crushed.

So I figured that the power of my Set was gravely reduced, so I just called in the hope that the Board would pair during the Turn, but the main reason is because there are were dangerous cards that can fall.

A Three, a Five or an Eight will render my Set unplayable, unless everyone checks; a Heart will jeopardize my chances.

Usually, I am inclined to move all-in with a Set, but there might be a stray Five. They are willing to call all-ins, even with draws. Even with gutshot draws. They do it all day.

And I can’t banish them out of a draw by power-play. What if all of them call?

The turn came 3d. There are two Flush draws on the Board and one to a Straight.

Small blind checks; the Big Blind moved all-in (he had 1400 chips, I had 1200).

On already a pot of 2200, although I am getting 2-to-1 on a call all-in (or possibly 3-to-1 or 4-to-1 if the two others call), I folded. The Button called; Small Blind folded.

They showed the hands I guessed they had: an Ad-5c, and Qh-Jh. Either way, I will be smothered if I called too; the chance of the Board pairing is just 25% (10 out of 40) and I would be getting only 3-to-1. Not only I escaped devastating math; I also escaped the onslaught of made hands and big draws.

The point is this, if a hand starts good but then goes sour it is no longer good and won’t EVER get good by magic! Its power is just history and if you keep with it your chip stack is likely to be history too!

This article brought to you by NoPayPOKER.com The world’s only free poker games site where you win real cash on every game. NoPayPOKER is the perfect place for Beginners to learn how to play poker without risking money. Experienced poker players can fine tune their game, test out new techniques or just grind away to accumulate all the free online poker cash!

One of the most persistent discussions in poker is about the role of luck in success, there are those who believe poker is mostly luck and those who think skill is the main factor, today lets lay this one to rest! I have personally been a money and free texas holdem player for some 7 years, I have made some nice cash at times but I have also busted several bankrolls.As such think I can say I’ve got a pretty good understanding of the situation!

First off, lets consider what skill in poker is. In my opinion a skilled player is one who can recognize betting patterns, understand flop odds, and percentages, and have a solid concept of strategy and theory. I have noticed however, not matter how well skilled one may be, you must account for variance, and sometimes aggressive, even poor play from others.

I believe in conclusion it is best to assume that poker is a combination of both skill and luck where the skill level of the player involved has a definite effect on the “luck” component of the equation in the medium and long term.

The assumption would be based on this conclusion that you have to be both pre flop aggressive, as well as post flop smart. Many times a player might find themselves in a position where they made the proper call, yet they find themselves behind due in part to an opponents luck hitting a one or two outer.

It is extremely difficult to combat this situation. This can, in part, be blamed on the speed of online poker hand as opposed to the live game. The action of online poker is much faster, and decisions must come much quicker.

Many players believe there are more bad beats in online poker than in the live game. This is not unreasonable in a math sense due to the far greater number of hands seen and played. There is also, I feel, a tiredness factor in action, players feel pushed or maybe suffer a succession of bad beats.

Consequently decision making may become irrational, and typical hands that might be thrown away are now played, or even pushed pre flop out of anger in looking to win back lost funds.

Others, who are skilled can pick up on such trends and play them to their advantage, which in turn leads to greater loss, and in the eyes of the losing player, more bad beats which he feels was based on luck.

The successful (skilful) poker player is able to manage each aspect of the game. In effect you become able to manage probability (luck) by application of skill and so apply the old phrase beloved of annoying sales managers/gurus everywhere, “make your own luck”. Basically meaning that your skill flattens out the “bad luck” to the extent that you are up consistently in the medium and long run.

But how can you go about doing this? My advice is to start safe and low risk. Go to one of the better free poker online sites like NoPayPOKER.com and practice lots and lots. You will find your confidence (and bankroll) growing and can then take a step up to some low stakes games, and from there…who knows!

This strategy is based on cash and free online poker freerolls for upto 1000 players. I will keep it short and sweet, I think you’ll agree if you’ve been around poker any length of time that there are way too many long free texas holdem strategies out there that keep getting recycled.

The first hour

In freerolls you will find the whole spectrum of the poker world, the good, the bad, the annoying donks who go all in all the time.

The all in on every hand donk players are the ones to watch out for early on. Don’t take risks at the start of even a free poker freeroll as this type of player, who doesn’t know the game (or care) goes all in with any hand, A 4 (not even suited) and it would be seriously annoying to get beaten by that is you have A Ks!

Just call when it is low when you have AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AK (suited) KQ (suited) Note: You should not go all in with these cards in the pre-flop (bad beats are extremely frustrating)

And extremely important; DO NOT BLUFF during this period.

Following the first hour

This is the time that the majority of the bad players are gone, except for the lucky ones!

Here you are able to play more aggressive and try to steal the blinds (extremely important because the blinds increase and ante has to be paid so what you can get by playing cards is too less to keep playing)

You can also introduce some new cards to you playable hands like:

• KQ
• KJ
• AK
• AQ
• KK (just like AA)
• 10 10
• QJ
• QQ
• AA (all in when in late position and not a lot of people in the pot)

When you find yourself in the pot with a few players and they just check or make low bets/calls you can try to bluff.

Make sure that your stack is not less then the average stack, if it does go back to the “first hour strategy” and tighten up! (it is not a shame to pull back and change strategy a couple of times to create some confusion!)

Congratulations If everything went well you are now in the money, but you can’t tell me that you want to quit now and earn some crappy cents, that’s just waste of your time since the most freerolls will extend to 4-5 hours. So concentrate!

This is the part where the “n00bs” are gone so you play with some pokerfreaks so be wary!

You’ll be able to recognize the good players not at the amount of chips they have but at their check, bet, call, raise and fold actions!

They’ll try to get to see the flop with as less chips as possible and fold most of the time (most common way to spot the good ones).

If you want to be in the top 3 (other places won’t pay that well) you need to be careful, but take some risks to! The hands you can play are the same as in the second part of the freeroll from the 77,88 and up.

When in late position try and steal the blinds, but not too often or you will be recognized as a bluffer!

Good luck with your freerolls! When beginning I suggest starting with true free texas hold em freeroll events and working up from there as you improve.

************
This article brought to you by NoPayPOKER. The world’s only FREE poker site where you win real cash on every game. NoPayPOKER is the perfect place for Beginners to learn how to play poker without risking money. Experienced poker players can fine tune their game, test out new techniques or just grind away to accumulate all the free cash!

It doesn’t matter if you are a free online poker player aiming to win virtual currency or a high stakes roller improving your playing skills will obviously help you win more poker and articles on skills are everywhere. However what is often overlooked is the fact that choosing the right games to play also has a massive impact on your success or lack of it!

For example, there’s an old story about a poker pro who was the sixth best player in the world but never made any money. That was because he chose to only play against the top five best players in the world. The moral of the story is that you make money when you possess a clear edge over your opponents.

Don’t be overconfident

Everyone wants to be the best and play the best. It’s a matter of pride. However, unless your name is Phil Ivey, you probably won’t have an advantage over every opponent in every game. It’s also important to recognize that even the top poker pros will sometimes step down a level and play lesser competition because it’s more profitable.

If you can’t beat players at lower level cash games, you shouldn’t try to play at higher level cash games. You’re going to go broke trying. Start out on free texas holdem games if you need to and work up from there.

This is true with online games as well as live card rooms. A great example I have of picking the right room is a time a few years ago when I found myself in a small resort hotel casino. The players there were pretty loose and passive and as a result with more aggressive play I was able to hammer them with larger bets that they were comfortable with and as a result doubled my money in 2 hours without even winning a pot simply by getting paid off for OK strength hands.

I also remember one time when I played for five hours in a $1/2 no-limit hold’em game at a five-star hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. I barely broke even. The players were tight and aggressive and played back at me when I tried to put a move on them. I knew afterward that I picked the wrong table.

What kind of game to look for

The first thing to keep in mind is your bankroll. If you can’t afford to play $5/10 live or $.50/1 online, then you shouldn’t do it. You should move down to a more affordable level even free texas hold em if necessary.

The next thing you have to be honest with yourself about is your skill. Ask yourself if you have at least a decent chance of wining at this level. If no then you really should drop a level. If you’re new to poker start out on free texas hold em sites and work up. If you’re low on confidence and have had a run of bad beats maybe drop to free poker or right down to micro stakes just to get your confidence up again.

Once you’ve decided the level you can beat, you then need to be choosy about the particular table you want to sit at. Ideally, you want to play at a table where you see players making a lot of fundamental errors like playing too many hands or playing too passively. A loose and passive table is probably the most profitable table. A loose game will allow you to win big pots because players will call you down with weak hands, and a passive game affords you the opportunity to hit your draws cheaply and bully your opposition.

If you can’t find a really passive and loose table (that is quite rare sadly) get into the habit of observing regular games before you join. You should be able to get a good feel for if you’ll be able to do the business there. Remember the point is to win. It’s nice to be a good player but not a good player who gets beaten by better players because you couldn’t resist “a challenge” You’ll feel better to be a good winning player trust me! So start fresh now, get more selective with the games you play, if it’s all new to you start with free texas hold em and work up from there.

If you are a beginner or a more experienced poker player, whether you play in a casino or play free poker online, bluffing is an integral part of the game. Much of the discussion on winning at poker deals with strategies, mathematical calculations, position, and poker tells. However, the art of bluffing is rarely discussed.

Why? Well, many poker players feel that bluffing is immoral. Historically, bluffing has been a part of poker since its inception and adds a psychological component to poker that makes it more interesting and complex. Bluffing in poker has been around since the inception of the game several hundred years ago.

Bluffing is multi-faceted and has many strategies. The most obvious purpose it to win the pot at hand. Aside from greed, there is also another purpose for bluffing that is more strategic. One strategy for bluffing is to bluff and get caught. Once other players know that you are a “bluffer”, they will be more likely to call your bets in the future. This strategy will lead to getter gains when you are in a winning hand.

Bluffing is an advertisement that you are not a conservative, tight player who will only play premium cards and bet with a winning hand. Giving your self the moniker of being a loose, bluffing player will create a more competitive atmosphere at the table resulting in more calls when you are involved in a hand. After all, who doesn’t want to beat the table “donk”.

A strategy for when and how to bluff in casino tournaments and free poker online is also important and needs to be strategic and planned. Bluffing a hand needs to be planned in advance. Being in the proper position, reading the other players bets, and being aware that a big hand is not being raised prior to your bet is critical. Imagining the cards that you want to be represented when you play will help with the bluff process. Playing the hand the way you would with premium cards will lead your opponents to believe you hold the cards you are representing. Planning and consistency is important in a bluff to deter a good player from spotting your bluff.

Whether you win or lose you bluff is not important. If you win a big pot with a bluff then you have succeeded. However, if you lose the bluff then you have gained a reputation that will serve you well in future hands. Use this reputation to your advantage when you are in a winning hand and your rewards will be great.

I look forward to playing you at the free poker tournament tables, whether you are bluffing or not!

Poker is full of people that want to tell you what to do and how to do it.

Here are 4 of my “top free poker pro tips” things you need to take with a very large (ocean sized) pinch of salt!

Picking up “tells” on players and acting accordingly.
Good poker players can switch style’s as easy as they switch persona’s.

Go for 1st or go home!
There is nothing wrong with just trying to make the money.

Mix it up often so as to not let on your style of poker play.
It is true but can be misleading.

Bet/call 3x plus or don’t bother playing.
Good advice but again misleading.

Play a lot of free poker games and get good before you start to throw money about, then the pros tips may be more meaningful.

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So, you want to be a great poker player?  Here are five top tips to help improve your poker performance and help you earn some cash.  A good way to learn how improve your performance, is by playing free poker games.  This way, you don’t lose any of your own money and you can become an expert before you know it.

We have all been there, a few too many drinks and playing poker seems like a good idea.  Drink makes the vast majority of us have a false sense of confidence.  Chances are, you will regret it in the morning, especially if your pocket is a few pounds lighter than it was the night before.  Go ahead and play for low stakes at home with your pals, you will have a great night, but don’t jump online and gamble away all of your months wages.

2. Is It Really All About Bluffing?

You might have a really rubbish hand and you think you need to bluff to win some money.  But, go within your limits.  If a player always calls right to the end, then don’t waste your time bluffing, you are very likely to lose the hand.  If you do want to have a go at bluffing, then aim for the tight players who are more likely to only play their best hands.

3. Don’t Play at too High Limits

Until you know what you are doing, then don’t play a higher limit game.  Only start playing at a higher limit when you ready to move up and feel experienced enough to do so.  Remember, don’t play with money you can’t afford to lose.  Try playing some low limit games or, better still, some free poker games to build up your experience before moving on to serious money.

4. Pay Attention to the Cards on the Table

It might seem like common sense, but paying attention to the cards on the table is very important when playing poker.  When you first start playing you will be concentrating on your own hand, but before long you will learn how to keep an eye out for all possibilities of a flush or straight.  Look at what cards are showing and what others have folded.

5. Don’t Stay in a Hand Just Because You’re Already In It

Nearly all new players play far too many hands.  Do not try to force an average hand, if you know you are going to lose, then fold and get out before you lose too much hard earned cash.  There is no point in putting money in the pot if you are certain your hand isn’t good enough.  Save your cash and hold out for that good hand, you will get one!

Finally, the most important point of all to becoming a good poker player and making some serious cash, is that practice makes perfect.  Play free poker games to build up your skill before parting with your own money.