Poker Reviews

If you play poker regularly, and you understand the game exactly as it is, you probably know that there are misconceptions among people with no direct experience. You’ve probably heard many of these erroneous viewpoints. If you are like me, you spend a fair amount of time explaining to uninformed people precisely what poker is and what it is not. For the benefit of all, this article will clear up some of the more common misconceptions.

Conversely, if you never play poker, and your entire experience of the game is what you read in print and see in movies, you probably have many wrong ideas. That is to be expected. Please, allow me to enlighten you on a few points.

1. Poker is not casual. Many people think of poker as a mellow social pastime, where friends sit around drinking, laughing and whooping it up. In fact, there is nothing friendly about poker. You can be cordial with others at your table (and you should be), but the game itself is vicious. Played properly, it is a form of warfare. It is an aggressive battle for domination. I think of poker as “violence, without the violence.”

2. A poker face is not the main requirement to play. I cannot tell you how often I hear this misconception. Nearly every time I mention poker to someone whose only exposure to the game is the media, I hear some lame comment like, “Oh, you must have a good poker face.” No, a poker face, a steely-eyed gaze, is not the essence of skillful play. True, you do not want to be sending tells to your opponents, but the so-called poker face is widely misunderstood. The ability to create a poker face does not make you a poker player. Consider this: When you play poker on the Internet, everyone has a poker face.

3. Winning at poker is not easy. Blame television for this one. You generally see only the winners on television. Those who win get the most exposure and are most often featured. The final table in a tournament, for example, is comprised solely of players who are winners. Very little attention is paid to those who lose, say nothing of the vast majority who bust out of tournaments without fanfare. Playing well takes a huge amount of study, discipline and practice. Succeeding in the world of poker is far from automatic.

4. Women can play. The idea that poker is exclusively a man’s game is another falsehood. Years ago, many well-known poker authors wrote that women do not have the killer instinct necessary to play well. Time has proven that theory wrong. Nowadays, women compete at every level, and plenty of skilled women win in cash games and tournaments. The idea that poker is a man’s game is laughable these days, and I wouldn’t have included it among common misconceptions were it not for the fact that many still believe it.

5. Poker is not a game of mathematics. In blackjack, for example, you always have one best move at any moment. Your task is to determine what that move is. If you have 13 and the dealer is showing an ace, then you should hit. That is always true, no matter who is seated at the table or what they are doing. Poker is different. In poker, you must take other players into account, and the mathematically preferable move may not be wise. Top caliber players often debate what is the best move in a particular situation. Poker cannot be reduced to mathematics because there are too many human factors.

6. Poker is a not game of luck. This is perhaps the most common misconception, and it is dead wrong. Luck averages out. Over time, all players receive the same percentage of good hands and bad hands. The difference is what players do with those hands. A good player will maximize the amount won with good hands and minimize the amount lost with bad hands. The key element that separates winners from losers, over time, is not the cards dealt, but the decisions made. Stu Unger, three-time World Series of Poker champion, put it this way: “In cards, the luck always balances out. The good players are going to win. Any player that thinks card playing is a game of luck, I’ll show you a fool. That’s what the losers always say. The winners don’t worry about the short term; we play for the long term.”

7. Cheating is not rampant. The prevalence of cheating is another incorrect impression held by many. In private backroom games, cheating does happen occasionally. But in modern casino cardrooms and high-profile tournaments, where most of today’s professionals play, cheating is virtually nonexistent. (Online poker, however, is a different story. It is possible to cheat when playing on the Internet, due to the nature of the technology. If you’d like to explore a particular way to cheat when playing online, click here: Poker Cheat.) Although cheating is technically possible in some situations, and it does happen, it is not nearly the factor that many people suppose. If you are hesitant to play poker out of fear of being cheated, you are overreacting.

8. Poker is not an addiction. No matter what the media would have you believe, the vast majority of poker enthusiasts play because they enjoy the game, not because they are hooked in some way. Sure, a tiny percentage of players do struggle with addiction, but they are people with an addictive personality, whether or not they play poker. We should not blame poker for someone’s compulsive behavior any more than we should blame sex for someone being a rapist.

9. Poker is not sleazy. There is nothing even remotely “underbelly” about the beautiful game of poker. A great many good and decent folks play for a wide variety of reasons, such as fun, challenge and personal betterment. Poker highlights the best of human interaction and calls into play the most honorable of human qualities, such as courage, sound reasoning and self-control. Poker is a wonderful way to build character.

10. Poker is not illegal. Most people with a functioning brain do not actually believe this, but the forces of misguided morality want you to think that the game of poker is against the law. It is not. Poker is not associated with crime in any way. Nor is it controlled by the mob. Not is it dangerous. You do not need to be on the lookout for gangsters. Or gunplay. No, you do not need to carry a sidearm and shoot your way out of the casino to protect your loot. You’ve been watching too many movies.

These are a few common misconceptions held by many in the public. If you encounter people with these ideas, please set them straight. But be understanding; it’s not their fault that they hold these incorrect viewpoints, which are passed off as fact everywhere in today’s media. It rests with us, intelligent members of the poker-playing community, to spread the truth regarding the magnificent game of poker.

Many players wanting to play online poker for the first time think it is easier than it really is to make big money. While you can make big money, you need to be prepared.

Here are ten tips that will help you maximize your winnings in online poker:

Poker Tip 1: Know Your Game

When playing online poker for the first time, it is best not to jump in at the deep end, but learn the basics first and then play free games until you are comfortable with the way you play.

Poker Tip 2: Focus on One Game of Poker

Many new players try out all variations of poker at once, which is a mistake – concentrate on one game and get familiar with it. This will help you focus and develop a clear strategy. Do you want to play seven card stud, Texas hold’em or Omagh hold’em? Decide in advance.

Poker Tip 3: Allocate Your Budget

Set your bankroll and stick with it. Don’t be tempted to chase losses and have a profit target where you quit the table.

Poker is fun and you can make big money, but don’t start committing money you cannot afford to lose.

Poker Tip 4: Be Selective with the Hands that You Play

Playing to many hands will lose you money; you need to be selective and patient.

You need to discipline yourself to fold when you have a bad hand, you might want to bluff sometimes, but don’t do it too often and only do it in the right circumstances.

Poker Tip 5: Learn Other Player’s Strategy

Other players are watching you and your strategy and you need to do the same to them.

By working out their play, you can gain an extra edge and enhance your winnings from the pot.

Poker Tip 6: Take a Break

If you’re having a bad time at the tables, or find that you are not enjoying the game, take a break.

To win at poker you need to fully focus on your strategy, if not you will probably lose.

Poker Tip 7: Bet Correctly

betting correctly and taking risks is an essential part of winning at poker. Make sure that you are only betting sensibly when the odds of winning are in your favour.

Under no circumstances whatsoever, lose focus when you lose or chase your losses.

Poker Tip 8: Don’t try to be Clever in Low-Limit Online Poker

Don’t try to be too clever in any low-limit tables. You will be up against players who are mostly inexperienced and unfamiliar with poker strategy and you will find your clever bluff goes over their heads and at low limit tables they will be tempted to call you!

Poker Tip 9: You Need to Move Up

Although it is possible for you to win big money at lower limit tables, the big money is made at higher limit tables.

It is here that if you have a good strategy you will make big money, as you are normally playing against players who know what they are doing, so move up only when you are confident.

Poker Tip 10: Formulate a Strategy and Practice!

Whatever game you play you must have a clear strategy that gives you an edge against other players.

This requires time and effort.

You need to have a betting strategy, know how to bluff, how to slow play etc. and remember that practice makes perfect.

To become a good poker player takes time and experience.