Poker Reviews

Christmas 2008 is fast approaching and you might want to start making your shopping list now to avoid the stirring holiday rush and ultimately forefend being potentially labeled as a crappy gift giver. Since both you and I are fans of online gambling, particularly online poker – I am going to list down 8 great Christmas gift ideas to give away for our online poker addict friends.



Books – There are a lot of books that give tips on how to play your online poker game well. If you are a serious online poker player, Doyle Brunson’s “Super System” is a great addition to a poker player’s arsenal. I would also recommend “The Full Tilt Poker Strategy Guide: Tournament Edition”. Brunson’s Super System (I and II) covers the spectrum of online poker as played in ring games at casinos. This volume is the counterpart for tournament play.

Poker Movies in DVD plus 21– Both “California Split” and “The Rounders” are classic poker movies. Califonia Split of 1974 is the only movie to ever attempt to show the day to day life of card-playing, sports-betting, sleep-till-noon gamblers. While “The Rounders” is a story about how a poker player can read the mind of his opponents like a book but can’t read the minds of his traitor girlfriend and best friend. Ludicrous isn’t it? Yet, the poker scenes are really good and you can make this an online poker educational movie marathon at the end of the day. I would also recommend 21 even if it’s not about poker. “21: The Movie” is a recent drama film from Columbia pictures. The film is actually inspired by a true story of the MIT Blackjack Team. Really good movie. Albeit the movies are not directly about online poker gaming, you’d still learn a few tips and polish your online poker strategies further. To top this wonderful Christmas treat, make sure that popcorn and soda are present.

LCD Monitor – If you have money splurge and you’re feeling generous, an LCD monitor would surely put you in your friend’s “Best Gift Giver” list. A big monitor resolution is great way to enhance one’s online poker gaming experience via multi-tabling. Multi-tabling is good for online poker tournaments since reads are not that important, and you don’t usually have to watch every piece of action to gauge your opponents.

Poker Padz – This is a green felt, poker table-shaped mouse pad made from the same materials used on casino poker tables around the world. This should be the most amusing and cute gift for an online poker player since this mouse pad even let’s you hold a couple of stacks of chips. Your online poker friend would surely enjoy re-creating the feel of live action poker while intently playing online.

Poker Heads – As online poker players, there are several iconic poker players we look up to. Cyber Arts, an online poker software developer, advised to go for inspirational gifts and incite the poker master in each of us by giving collectible Poker Heads. Poker Heads are limited edition bobblehead collectibles, also known as the Stars of Poker Series.

Poker Video Games – These poker games are a good break from the competitive realm of online poker. These games also enable one to get a poker fix without putting any real money at risk. One of the hottest titles is the game “Stacked,” available for the Xbox.  This retails for $29.99, and is unique in that it features adaptive artificial intelligence, and you can get tips from Daniel Negreanu as you play.  Other titles available for Xbox and Play Station 2 include: “World Championship Poker,” “World Poker Tour,” and “World Series of Poker.”

A Poker Themed Wall Clock – For the round-the-clock online poker players, this poker-themed wall clock is a great addition to liven-up a bland wall with poker aesthetics. These clocks have neon, and look great on a wall near any poker or pool table and even next to your computer. They can be found for about $50 (with neon); less expensive models can be found, too.

A Check – Give a check either to pay for the registration or offer to pay the buy-ins, any avid online poker player would love you for that.



For more information, you can check on online gaming software and development.

In part one of the Caribbean Stud Poker Tip Sheet, I went over the all-important odds chart and gave you some insight into what to expect when you’re playing Caribbean Stud Poker. Next, let’s go over four fast tips to help you maximize your fun and potential profit when playing Caribbean Stud Poker.

Caribbean Stud Poker Tip One – Staying In

This one is pretty easy. If you are dealt two pairs or better, add to your wager and stay in the hand. The premise is simple. The dealer will only have a hand better than two pair once per 47 hands in theory. The probability of you winning is on your side.

I’d also expand this and say that with one pair you should strongly consider staying in the hand. The probability of getting two pair is 1:21 and if you win you’re being paid 1:1, so the value is in your favor. The dealer will fail to qualify very often and that’s what you want when you have one pair.

Caribbean Stud Poker Tip Two – Play that progressive

Some call it a sucker’s bet, but let’s be honest. Why are you playing this game? To have fun and win money!

If you get a straight, flush, full house, straight flush or royal flush and the dealer doesn’t quality-again, it happens a lot-you get paid nothing. I don’t know about you, but if I’m dealt a four of a kind and the dealer doesn’t qualify, I’ll look pretty stupid for not betting that $1.

And if you’re a money management and fiscal conservative, go play Craps or nothing at all.

Caribbean Stud Poker Tip Three – Nothing equals fold

Again, a super simple tip to live by. If you have nothing in your hand, fold. Why? Well, think about it. The only way you win is if the dealer doesn’t qualify and that might happen say 30% of the time. If that were the case, you’d have a 70% chance to lose and you’ll only be paid even money on your Ante wager. Your Bet wager gets nothing, but it can lose if you stay in.

Think about it again if you think I’m wrong. You’re wagering two times the amount to win half. For instance, you’re wagering $10 with nothing to win a maximum of $5 and you have a high probability of losing on top of all that. It’s a really stupid move.

Caribbean Stud Poker Tip Four – Play it cool

Caribbean Stud Poker is a great game, but it’s not the best game in the house. Have a blast, but never press up your bets thinking that you’re “due” to win.

Take it easy, have fun, remember these tips and win some money.

Online poker games industry has become a huge business, these days. Everyday, major poker players come out with great ideas, strategies and tips for experienced as well as beginners to enjoy the best time placing bets. Whether you choose to play no download poker or start playing after finding a suitable website, without ensuring suitable strategies you just cannot attain much success in the game. In this article, we’ll be providing some tips that will help online gamblers to get the real worth of their money’s investment:

- Being a virtual game, in online poker, it is difficult to anticipate your opponent’s emotions and thinking pattern. You have to make strategies based on whatever information is available to you. Decide you move carefully to get profitable results.

- The game is quite faster than its brick-and-mortar version. It simple means that you have to be really alert and concentrate while placing your bets. Understand you players’ behavior and choose moves accordingly.

- As a player, you can always brush your skills while playing virtual games and making huge profits. Overcome your weakness and observe others to gain their positive areas.

- Always choose registered and recognized websites to

play poker online. It will help you to enjoy other benefits of online gaming as well.

- Choose a careful deal on your game selection. Always select a game, matching to your skills, ability and playing style. Research well and choose a profitable game.

- You can always consult specialists or experts in poker game. Know their strategies, discuss your own thoughts and figure out if they are worthy or not.

Online poker games can provide you unlimited fun and entertainment. You need to find some great websites that provide you interesting games to offer you great leisure time. So, why wait? Find a good website now and start playing.

Party poker is one of the most popular poker games over the internet. What is party poker? If you are aware of MMORPGs, (more popularly known as Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game), then party poker is just like that. It is a Massive Multiplayer Online Poker Gaming. You can say that it is a kind of Mecca for poker players that don¡¯t have the time to go to casinos. Party poker is played by up to thousands of online poker gamers. It can also be compared to chatting, where you have the chance of joining chatting rooms, but in this case, you are supposed to join poker rooms.

I recommend party poker online, although there are some differences between playing party poker online and face-to-face poker. The difference relies on the bluffing. Because you can¡¯t see your opponents, you will not have the tell tale signs of their bluffs or can you have a reading of their card. Party poker online only gives us the very basic and fundamental laws of the game. Thus, a newbie can have a better chance of winning against a pro in an online game than in real life.

Party poker employs the basic poker rules, although some rooms have modified poker rules. It is good to first learn the basic poker rules and game play before engaging in serious betting online. However, if you are truly interested, there are party poker gaming rooms that are void of betting. These are strictly and purely gaming only. Party poker can also be compared to online casinos. The payments however are not chips, but are in cash. The payments, also known as bets are placed with the use of credit cards. Most of the party poker sites that are available recognize the standard credit cards.

What does party poker offer to a gamer? Hours and hours of fun! Whether you are a beginner in the game, or a serious poker player, party poker will be your poker gaming oasis. Maybe you want to learn about the intricate yet enjoyable game of poker but have no one to play it with. Don¡¯t worry, because party poker is actually a community in itself. It is a place where you can learn with other beginners. Party poker sites link hundreds, and even thousands of players. The abilities of these players also range from a complete beginner knowing nothing about poker, to advanced and pro players. However, one needs to be wary of your betting, because you might lose serious money in party pokers. The benefits really far outweigh the risks that are involved. Party poker can also reward you a lot of dollars, and might make your wallet fat.

So how does a person eager to play massive online poker do it? All party poker sites require poker gamers to download a poker gaming software. These gaming softwares differ from one party poker site to another. A poker gaming software is limited to that particular party poker site. So if you plan on playing on different sites, you will end up downloading numerous party poker softwares. Most party poker sites will require you to fill up a registration form. All the best party poker sites on the web are on members only basis. This membership will also require a membership fee. In the registration form, you will be asked your credit card number. This is how you will be deducted your losing bets. Your winning pot is transferred to your bank account directly.

Party poker sites earn millions of dollars a year because of thousands of patrons. Because party poker sites can operate online, you have the possibility of playing with poker enthusiasts from around the globe. Place your bets folks!

Traditional land-based tournaments have always been favored by poker players, yet in recent years there is no doubt that the real poker action takes place in the online poker tournaments held by the variety of online poker rooms. Before you make your choice of an online poker tournament, it is important that you know everything there is to know about tournaments of poker online:

Just like in a regular poker tournament, all the players begin the poker game with the same amount of chips, and the game continues up until the point that only one poker player has remaining chips, the winner of the particular poker game and tournament.

In order to make sure that the poker tournament will be concluded after a reasonable amount of time, the antes or blinds are gradually incremented, making the poker players think twice before they continue.

Usually the winner does not take it all and the online poker room divides the prize pool between the top positions, and the winner gets to pick the biggest share.

Poker Tournaments can be about ten people in one table or thousands of players in multiple tables, they can be about Texas poker or 7 card stud but the types of poker tournaments are usually fixed and they are as follows:

Sit n’ Go Tournaments: These tournaments of poker online, as their name implies, begin as soon as enough players, usually 9 or 10, have assembled around the table.

Multi-Table Tournaments (MTT): These poker tournaments are scheduled for a predetermined time and involve hundreds and sometimes thousands of people playing Texas Holdem or Omaha poker at various tables.

Knockout Tournaments: This type of poker involves two online poker players with the same amount of chips. The one who cleans out the other’s poker chips will be the winner.

Satellites: This poker tournament is different from the rest in that the first prize is not only money, but a buy-in to another poker tournament. This prize usually includes a package of plain ticket, hotel and spending money besides the desired buy-in to that poker tournament. The idea behind this type of tournaments is to give good players the chance to participate in a big poker tournament which they probably cannot afford otherwise.

Re-Buys: Once your chips run out in this kind of poker tournament, you can purchase more chips. You can make a limited or unlimited number of purchases depending on the establishment or online poker room you play in.

Freezeouts: Once your chips run out in this type of poker tournament, you have no choice but to withdraw from the race to the prizes since no re-buys are allowed here.

Now that you are familiar with the different types of online poker tournaments, keep in mind two very important things:

First, avoid risky calls. Think about every bet you make while you play poker. Don’t forget that if you move to quickly you might find yourself out of the tournament. Be patient and make your moves wisely, it’s worth it in the long run.

Second, don’t waste all your money in the first few rounds of the poker tournament. Keep a tight control on your budget, and on the rising blinds. Keep your bets relative to the rise of the tournaments: low blinds – low bets and vice versa.

Downloading the poker software is quite easy, many sites point towards it. The real deal is what is done with it and how can one maximize their potential winnings in card game after downloading online poker?

Quite a few great articles debate on why one should download the poker software. They are surely the popular class of the online poker rooms. Many news articles for several types of players speak up on the poker downloading software. The resource page on the game rule, odds and statistic figures, everything is given in the easy to use structure for all new and other experienced players. They have outlined the chances of playing the card game and have given some knowledge about the equipment that is used for poker downloading procedures. There are also references on things which are legal about usage and other illustrated programs for implementing the game for fun and never for actual money.

The poker download for all Internet betting room gets resource and guides which tell all the stories on the online cards game. The Texas Holdem, Omaha hi/lo, stud 7 and many other card games also get played. They attempt to evaluate poker platforms to fully supply a helpful tool to understand card games and other knowledge about the equipment that is used for executing different online tournaments.

An overall objective poker game download and the unbiased analysis of the online vendor is long one, it often starts with detailed review of online manual for software and a unique collection of different features in it, including few of the great old fashioned methods to win along with online exhibition of several capabilities of poker download software.

One can play poker online with free poker game downloads from high rated internet poker sites. This could be done in less than two minutes and the downloaded games on the local machine would allow you to be a part of low limit to other high roller poker gaming tables, and all in between, with more than thousands of actual poker players online! This is free, fast, and also easy for beginning to play different poker games like 7 card stud and texas hold’em in actual internet poker rooms like; 24 hours in a day, for mere fun or real money. With the Poker tournaments happening every 15 minutes, the free poker game download is one of the best one on web.

Playing actual poker online

You can enjoy all your favorite poker game downloads including the 7 Card Stud, the Texas Holdem, the Omaha and many more. You could download some state-of-the-art online poker gaming software which would let you play true poker against true people.

Online poker

This would fit almost anyone’s schedule as one may play 24 hours in a day. No traveling time involved is involved here, and there is very less or no waiting for getting into a game once that you log on. Along with the popularity of poker, when you choose playing at some live card room you would apparently wait hours only to get rightly seated at the table. However, with online poker, there would always be a seat waiting for the player.

Never be intimidated by any online poker download table, even if you have never played it before. You could always play the poker downloads for almost free as you learn fundamentals of the poker game. Along with free games of poker, there is nothing at all to lose. As you get some hang of the play, you might want to open some real money account to start playing for actual pots.

Download online poker games

The game of Poker has undoubtedly gained huge popularity over the previous few years. Many people are interested about watching and learning several games; be it poker downloads at the privacy of one’s home, or in casinos, and sometimes even online. Currently, it is common to watch televised games of poker on ESPN and some other network channels, including the shows like the Celebrity Poker, World Poker Tour, and World Series of Poker. A most convenient way of starting to play poker is by downloading real poker software program for free and then join virtual poker game downloads online. Many online poker sites often offer free downloads which take just few minutes of your time. This would lead to actual poker game within minutes.

Why did online poker rooms stop accepting US poker players and What happened?

President Bush On Friday October 13, 2006 signed a bill that affected online casinos, poker rooms, sportsbooks, bingos whose principal purpose is to tighten security measures for the United States sea ports. Attached to that bill was a federal ban on banking institutions knowingly transferring funds to businesses or people that may conduct gambling operations in United States and areas where gambling is prohibited. Many online casinos left the United States marketplace, but, gambling at online casinos is not illegal in most of the United States.

There are 11 states; Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana (felony to play online poker), Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington (felony to play online poker) and Wisconsin that disallows gambling online, but there are 39 that have no laws against playing online poker or casino games.

Full Tilt Poker is an online poker room that allows Americans to play online poker after the United States passed the bill in October, 2006. Full Tilt Poker offers the best in online poker with world famous pros, a huge bonus, real or play money. Play poker online now, it is free to download. Try ther free online poker game 24 hours a day on state-of-the-art online poker software. Play for real money or for free in tournaments or ring games. Full Tilt Poker’s online poker room was designed by world class poker professionals, and offers you the ability to learn, chat, and play online poker with the pros.

Check out Full Tilt Poker at http://www.casinospokerrooms.com/em/fulltiltpoker.html

Absolute Poker is an online poker room that allows US poker players to play online poker after the United States passed the bill in October, 2006, and Absolute Poker are a privately held poker room so the new law does not affect their business like other poker rooms.

Online Poker for Live Players Online Poker, joining this online poker room lets you experience the excitement of playing against live players from all over the world and winning big money and prizes in our great tournaments. Real and play-money games are available and a great bonus and rewards system for everyone. Maybe you will meet Serinda Swan at a poker table? Read how to find Serinda. All you have to do is download their poker software, Log in and start playing online poker.

Check out Absolute Poker at http://www.casinospokerrooms.com/em/absolutepoker.html

UltimateBet Poker is an online poker room that allows US online poker players to play online poker after the United States passed the bill in October, 2006. Designed with the assistance of the best poker players in the world, Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke, UltimateBet provides the best poker games available on the Internet. Poker players can download the free poker software, play in free ring games and tournaments and get tips from these pros to learn the sport or to enhance their playing strategy. UltimateBet currently has over 2 million registered players.

Check out Ultimatebet Poker at http://www.casinospokerrooms.com/em/ultimatebet.html

Poker.com is another online poker room that allows US poker players to play online poker after the United States passed the bill in October, 2006.

Make your first deposit with Poker.com now and receive a 100% Bonus, up to $200 FREE. When you join Poker.com you will receive entry to the $50 New Player Freerolls every 3 hours for 4 weeks. Everyday at Poker.com tournaments they run with huge guaranteed prize pools. $50 Freeroll tournaments run every 2 hours. Plus everyday there is either a $1,000, $2,000 or $10,000 Freeroll. The Poker.com software has a range of features that are not available in any other poker software online. You can contact their player support team 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through email or live chat. Every Sunday at 15:00 Poker.com runs a $10,000 Freeroll, and on the last Sunday of every month Poker.com holds a $50,000 Freeroll. Poker.com is the only poker room with instant payouts, Click2Pay and NETeller. You could win your way to the WSOP, the WPT, the Aussie Millions and more by playing their daily satellite tournaments and much more

Check out Poker.com at http://www.casinospokerrooms.com/em/poker.html

Play Online Poker at the Fastest Growing Online Poker Rooms in the World.

What better way is there to get the best tactics, poker strategies and tips than by studying the poker stars. In the world of poker, big names have come out as the ultimate reigning poker players. Many new poker players, new and veterans as well, are always on the look out for poker news. The simple for this is simple: poker news is great sources of lessons, historical poker moves, and of course, inspiration! And we are talking about inspiration for the big money. Since all poker players have in some way or the other thought about the winning the money at stake, then learning how to get it is essential. Many of the great poker players of today have learned from experienced poker players worldwide. Yes, some of them have started in the online poker rooms, moving through the real poker competitions. Now, let us all take a look at the latest poker news from the exciting competitions to updates to the simply interesting.

Competition: Partouche Poker Tour Cannes Main Event

The third day of the Partouche Poker Tour Cannes Main Event started off with eliminations during the first hour and the final table of eight was finally set. Gus Hansen got eliminated and joined the day 3 bustouts Scotty Nguyen, Robert and Michael Mizrachi and Noah Schwartz . Arnaud Corvisier picked up $15,693 for his 48th-place finish and those who followed in the payouts were Romain Constantini, Stephane Fanego and Scotty Nguyen. Arnaud Mattern finished with $15,693.

Finally, Day 3 of the Tour ended after 15 long hours of play and the final eight chips were distributed with Stephane Bazin – 2,387,000 , Alain Roy – 2,225,000 , Philippe Narboni – 1,456,000, Brice Cournut – 1,102,000, Jean Philippe Rohr – 750,000, Claudio Rinaldi – 749,000, Anthonin Teisseire – 541,000, and Michel Abecassis – 375,000.

This big stakes poker game will definitely be on many poker players’ top poker news watch list to see who will be crowned the first Partouche Poker Tour Grand Champion.

Poker Politics

Hanging on to the latest swing politics in USA, http://duplicatepoker.com recently held a survey among 1,639 American poker players to ask them about the election fever of Obama versus McCain in the coming US Presidential Elections. Guess who came out winner? Obama ranked over McCain with 1,043 votes (596 for McCain). It is quite interesting to know that American poker players are also active participants in the country’s politics. They also believe that Obama brings on a promising future for US online poker. Let’s deal!

The Kings of Poker

Statistics relating to poker changes continually. More poker players are entering high stakes games and tournaments, challenging veteran poker players all over the world. Yet, there are the big kings of poker who have managed to remain on top either by luck, skill, and experience. The five most famous and top poker players who have made waves in poker news around the world are the American Jaime Gold ($12,041,228) his record as World Series of Poker Main Event Champions, Joseph Hachem ($10,269,186) who won the $7.5 million grand prize in 2005, the young Jerry Yang ($8,250,000), Allen Cunningham ($7,469,380) of California who uses his analytic approach, and Paul Wasicka ($7,371,901) who came in second in the 2006 World Series of Poker but won $6M.

It is approximately two hundred years since poker has been introduced but the poker that is being called online poker is a recently introduced phenomenon. Though online poker is of recent origin, it has gained popularity at a very fast pace and is now played all over the world with a new perception.

Online sportsbooks were the first to be introduced in the internet and they were followed by many, one among them being online poker. Online casinos were also introduced in the mid 90s, the same time when sportsbooks reached the internet. Microgaming, that came up in the early 90s is a good example and has now become a casino software developer.

In 1998, Planet poker entered the scene and was the first to create an online poker gambling rooms. It was the first and the last of its kind for quite long. With passage of time, many new and big poker sites reached the net carrying a maximum rate of about 3 dollars with an initial rake of five percent. The industry was recognized only in 1998 but it noteworthy that the rates have been almost the same.

In 1999, Paradise Poker was created and this has now become the leader in industry. It was around this time that Dutch Boyd created Poker Spot.

Though Poker spot is the pioneer in running poker tournaments online, they faced whole lot of problems. The group did not collect the deposits of the players from its credit card partners. The company did not remit the winnings of the players as all deposits it held, were not returned. This resulted in their fall.

The introduction of the Netellers e-cash system has reduced the repetitions of the problems encountered by the Poker spot group in other poker players. The online poker groups are provided with funds from the Neteller system. The Netellers e-cash system frees the players from the trouble of using the wire transfer or credit card to deposit money in order to enter the poker group. This has helped in the minimization of frauds and improved the credibility of the company.

In the year 2001, online poker industry welcomed the entry of the two giant firms, Party Poker and Poker Stars. Paradise was on the lead until 2003, when they were overtaken by Party Poker due to the latter’s strategic advertising. The launch of World Poker Tour along with the Party Poker Million strategies attracted a lot of people and drove the group to success.

Chris MoneyMaker also contributed a lot to the popularity and growth of online poker. He was charged with 40 dollars to enter the poker room. He won the satellite tournament conducted by the Poker stars and was qualified for the final and the main event. He won the topmost prize of 2.5 Million dollars in a game considered to be one of the biggest of the World’s Series of Poker tournaments and in which about 839 participants had contested.

The creation of the site www.pokertips.org made online poker more accessible to all people especially to those who were new to the field of online poker. In 2004, that is one year after the launch of the site, the game became very popular with the fascinating story of Mr. Moneymaker adding another feather to its cap. The companies pocketed huge amounts and there were other entrants like Noble Poker and the Full Tilt Poker to the industry as well.

Sportingbet , a listed sportsbook acquired Paradise Poker and this contributed to the growth of gambling industry. A lot of companies considered listing in the stock market as it helped them get funds to aid expansion of their business.

The United Kingdom has passed a legislation which states that gambling is legal.

Today we have a lot of sites that educate people who are new to the industry on the game. They aid in developing the skills of the beginners and making them professionals. Here are a few books on online poker: the Super System which is by Doyle Brunson, the Hold ‘em Poker for the Advanced Players and this is by Sklansky,Malmuth, the Killer Poker which is by John Vorhaus and Texas Holdem which is by Ken Warren. You are advised to learn the basic skills and the poker theory from experts.

Some of the best Online Poker Sites

Texas Holdem Poker

StudStrategy

Low Limit Omaha

Poker School Online at www.pokerschoolonline.com

Ichiban Poker

Poker Performance Psychology

PlayWinningPoker.com and www.playwinningpoker.com

The Gamblers Edge at www.thegamblersedge.com

Poker Pro Association

Low Limit Holdem at www.lowlimitholdem.com

PokerStrategy

Poker Pages at www.pokerpages.com