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Winning Consistently at Online Poker

Sense discovering online poker, I make enough money that I quit my job and play online poker full time. I make on average $45,000 a month playing 40 hours a week. I have read many books on poker and put together this fool proof system to winning online poker. In general, online poker needs to be attacked the same way as poker in a brick and mortar casino. In order to play well and win, one always has to adjust to the players and the circumstances. There are differences between the average online player compared to the average brick and mortar player, but those differences are small enough that some logical adjustments should do the trick. In that respect, this section on online poker is specifically aimed at the differences and uniqueness that online poker presents. What Is Poker? Poker is by far the most popular card game played in America today (if not the world), in terms of both the amount of money that changes hands every year, as well as in the number of players involved. Though there are hundreds of variations of Poker being played today, they can mostly be placed into three main classes:

Flop Games (Like Hold 'em and Omaha) in which each player receives their own hole cards and 5 exposed community cards (flop) that are available to all players. The hole cards are hidden from the other players until the showdown (completion of the hand). Stud (like 7 and 5 Card Stud) Poker, in which some cards in each player's hand are exposed to all the players as the betting progresses, and all the active players' cards being exposed at the showdown. Closed games, like draw poker where you see no cards except your own until the showdown.

The most popular form of poker played today is a (Flop Game) called Texas Hold'em. For this reason it will be the form of Poker that PokerSchool Online initially focuses on. In all the variations of poker, two factors remain constant:

1. The value or rank of each poker hand. 2. At the showdown (when the round of play ends) the hand cannot consist of more than five cards, even though more cards are used in many poker variations. Mention poker to someone and you're likely to hear of one of these three poker stereotypes:

Wild Wild West: where Mississippi Riverboat gamblers with striped shirts and thin moustaches have a derringer hidden up their sleeve, or Dodge City residents like Doc Holliday or Wild Bill Hickok sitting around a smoky table in a saloon. The Sting: from the famous movie, comes the image of Chicago mobsters sitting in a cigar filled room, a bottle of cheap scotch on the table, and a husky football player standing ready at the peep-hole. The Kitchen Table: Uncle John and Aunt Bessie are sitting around their kitchen table playing with their many visiting relatives, with a penny ante. Somehow all their nieces and nephews come away with penny-stuffed pockets.

Since the late 1980's, poker has undergone a revolution toward respectability. Today's poker is clean, brightly lit, and decidedly middle class. Like bowling and billiards beforehand, poker has moved from its seedier roots into daylight and acceptance by the masses. No matter where you live, it's likely that you are only a few hours away from a public card room, or just blocks from a friendly game. Poker is all around you. Poker has achieved its outstanding popularity for the following reasons: 1. It can be played by rich and poor alike. The stakes may vary from no limit to penny ante, just as long as the minimum and maximum betting limits are agreed upon before the game begins. 2. It is easy to learn. 3. It may be played in a great many different ways. 4. Any number of players from two to eleven at one table may play, although two to ten make the best game (Cash Games, Side Action) but in the Tournaments you can see as many as 1,000 players starting out at 100 tables, which ends up with one winner. Many of these larger tournaments are played over more than one day.

5. It is strictly a gambling card game, whether it is Hold'em, Poker penny-ante style or Seven-Card Stud table stakes. The gambling can be replaced with other incentives to play well. Without the gambling or incentive factors it would be one of America's least played games. PokerSchool is showing the industry how to replace the "gambling element" during the learning phase. 6. Each player, on his own, battles all the others. There is no partnership play. 7. It combines both chance and skill and is the only game in which a player can win only one hand all evening and still come out a winner, or win any more than the average number of hands and still lose to the game's action. "If there is any more engrossing card game for a group of reasonable, congenial friends of fairly equal playing ability than Poker, I have yet to learn about it." -John Scarne Quoted in part according to the Famous Card Authority John Scarne from his book "Scarne's New Complete Guide to Gambling". The Science of Poker A great many players believe that Poker is primarily a game of chance and that most consistent winners at Poker are simply lucky. Actually, Poker contains a greater skill element than any other card game, including Contract Bridge, Pinochle and Gin Rummy. Despite the fact that Poker has so many variations and that the proper winning strategy differs slightly in each one, the better player will nearly always win money and the poorer player nearly always lose money in a lone Poker session. I believe that there is more science and skill in Poker than in Bridge for the reasons that follow: My observations of Poker games over the past 40 years have convinced me that if a Poker expert played three average players for 52 sessions, each lasting six hours, the expert player would emerge the winner 51 times. The odds against any such result at Contract Bridge under similar conditions are high. Contract Bridge is a partnership game and as in all such games, one partner is usually more skilled than the other. Their combined ability is therefore less than that of the better player. In Poker, with each player on his own, a skilled player is not handicapped by a less able partner. That is, his skill potential is not reduced.

Contract Bridge is basically a game of strategy plus partnership signals (bidding). Poker is a game of strategy, deception, mathematics and psychology, with a considerable amount of courage thrown in. Judgment of one's opponent's psychological traits or habits plays little part in Bridge strategy, whereas a top Poker player must be a master of Poker psychology in order to simultaneously analyze the playing traits of as many as seven opponents. Deception is used much more in Poker than Bridge and knowledge of the game's mathematics is much more important in Poker than in Bridge. Also, money management is important in Poker and not in Bridge. In most forms of Poker, the game is pure chance only until the player looks at the cards dealt him. From then on, unlike in Bridge and most other card games, chance plays a lesser role because the players need not play bad hands out to a finish. The player can throw a bad hand in and take a small loss, or perhaps none, or he can continue to play a bad hand and sometimes win by bluffing. In Stud and its variants, this decision can be made by the player each time another card is dealt until the showdown. The skilled Poker player will play fewer bad hands than the unskilled player and thus increase his winning chances in a way that an equally skilled Bridge player cannot do. The Origins of Poker There seem to be differences of opinion on the origin of Poker. Moreover, there seems to be no clear or direct early ancestor of the game. It is more likely that Poker derived its present day form from elements of many different games. The consensus is that because of it's basic principal, its birth is a very old one. Jonathan H. Green makes one of the earliest written references to Poker in 1834. In his writing, Green mentions rules to what he called the "cheating game," which was then being played on Mississippi riverboats. He soon realized that his was the first such reference to the game, and since it was not mentioned in the current American Hoyle, he chose to call the game Poker. The game he described was played with 20 cards, using only the aces, kings, queens, jacks and tens. Two to four people could play, and each was dealt five cards. By the time Green wrote about it, poker had become the number one cheating game on the Mississippi boats,

receiving even more action than Three-Card Monte. Most people taken by Three-Card Monte thought the 20-card poker seemed more a legitimate game, and they came back time and time again. It would certainly appear, then, that Poker was developed by the cardsharps. The origin of the word Poker is also well debated. Most of the dictionaries and game historians say that it comes from an eighteenthcentury French game, poque. However, there are other references to pochspiel, which is a German game. In pochspiel, there is an element of bluffing, where players would indicate whether they wanted to pass or open by rapping on the table and saying, "Ich Poche!" Some say it may even have derived come the Hindu word, pukka. Yet another possible explanation for the word poker, is that it came from a version of an underworld slang word, "poke," a term used by pickpockets. Cardsharps who used the 20-card cheating game to relieve a sucker from his poke may have used that word among themselves, adding an r to make it "poker." The thought was that if the sharps used the word "poker" in front of their victims, those wise to the underworld slang would not surmise the change. There are those who also believe that "poke" probably came from "hocus-pocus", a term widely used by magicians. The game of Poker later evolved to include 32 cards, and eventually the modern day deck of 52, not counting the two Jokers. The game of Poker has evolved through the years, through many backroom games to the present day casinos around the world. Its history is rich with famous places and characters. For example, during the Wild West period of United States history, a saloon with a Poker table could be found in just about every town from coast to coast. Today, Poker is carefully regulated by gambling laws, and saloons have given way to casinos and cardrooms, but Poker is played more than any other card game in the world. It has grown into a sporting event, with competitions and tournaments all around the world. Tournaments take place almost every week of the year somewhere in the world. If you compare the prizes of major sporting events around the world, you will find that the monetary outcome of any given event in Poker would (pardon the pun) stack up. Poker today is one of the fastest growing, but hardly recognized sporting events. The pinnacle of the poker world, The World Series of Poker, attracts players from all over

the world every year to compete for money and titles as the world's top Poker players. Poker will always be around and will continue to grow and flourish like so many other past times. There will always be a game to play, money to be won, and crowns to be worn. How to play No Limit Texas Hold'em The following page will provide the rules and the structure of the game. There will be graphics and text to walk you through terminology and step by step play of a round of Texas Hold'em. Once you have developed a feel for the game, the subsequent rounds will be much easier. The Dealer

When the table is full, there will be 9 or 10 players. When playing online, these seats are randomly selected by the computer. A person (or computer when online) does the physical dealing of the cards and is not one of the players. On the table is a small round disc called the button. This button is placed in front of the person who is the theoretical "dealer" to indicate where the dealing should begin. The button will say 'D' on it. See picture above. After every hand, the button moves clockwise as if each player at the table were getting a turn to deal. The dealer's button is always placed in seat 10 at the start of a game/tournament for the first hand. The small blind will be in seat 1 and the big blind will be in seat 2. Now the game begins.

The Blinds

Always moving clockwise, the player to the immediate left of the dealer is called the small blind. This player places 1/2 of the structured bet in front of him or her. To the small blind's left is the big blind. This player places one full structured bet in front of him or her. In our example of No Limit Texas Hold'em, the small blind will post $5. That is 1/2 of the structured bet. The big blind will post $10. That $10 will constitute one full bet. The small and big blinds are compulsory bets. These two players are in actuality betting their first bet "in the blind." The motive for forcing these players to bet in the blind is to create action. Creating action gets money in the pot. This way no one can play for free (without folding) during the first round of betting. When the next new hand is played the small blind then moves around to the player who was the big blind in the last hand, and the big blind moves to the player to his left. This movement of the small and big blinds continues throughout the game. Pocket or Hole Cards

No Limit Texas Hold'em uses all 52 cards in the deck. The dealer begins the deal with the small blind. There will be 2 unique cards called Pocket or Hole cards dealt face down to each player. The hole or pocket cards are exclusive to each player. Each player will view these cards and no other player will see the other players 2 cards. Round One Betting After the pocket or hole cards are dealt, the first round of betting begins. There are several actions a player who is involved in the hand can take. The player may CALL the bet by matching the amount of the first bet (the amount of the big blind.) In the example, that would be $10. The player may RAISE the bet by matching the amount of the first bet and adding an equal amount to it thereby making it 2 bets, or bet his entire stack in no limit hold'em. He may RAISE the bet any amount in between the original bet and all the chips he has. Finally, the player may FOLD. When a player folds, the action taken is one of passing and the player will not enter the hand by placing any money in the pot. This player will place his cards face down in front of him and the dealer will take them and place them in the discard pile. When online, the player will click on the fold button and his cards will automatically go into the discards. The first person to start the betting in the first round of Texas Hold'em is the player to the left of the big blind. As stated before, the big blind has already made one complete bet. The first round of betting is complete after every player at the table has acted and placed the same amount in the pot or folded.

The small blind must add the other half of the structured blind in order to call the big blind bet or must call what raises have been made to stay in the hand. The small blind has the option to raise during this time. Otherwise, the small blind must fold. The big blind will have to call any raises made and has the option at this time to make a raise.

In our example, seat 3 and 4 fold. Seat 5 calls $10. Seat 6 folds. Seat 7 raises $25. Seat 8,9, and 10 fold. The small blind folds. The big blind calls the raise of $25 and uses his option to re-raise $25. Seat 5 calls the $50 in raises and seat 7 calls the $25 raise. During the first round of betting, the big blind will have the OPTION to raise. As the action moves around the table and comes back to the big blind, the dealer will ask if they would like to exercise their option to raise. If they do, they may raise. If they do not, they will just check. In a way, they are raising themselves. This OPTION only happens during the first round. The betting will continue until everyone in the pot has bet the same amount. That means that whenever there is a raise all the players still in the pot must call it, raise it or fold their hand. For example, if seat 5 raises then all the players behind him that want to stay in the pot will have to call the new amount or fold or re-raise. The Flop

The first round of betting is now complete. The dealer will burn the top card and place it in the discard pile. When playing online, the computer will place three cards in the middle of the table. In live play, the dealer will do it. After every player at the table has acted and placed the same amount in the pot or folded. These 3 cards are known as the flop. These are the first 3 of 5 community cards (cards accessible to all players to use with their hole cards) to be dealt face up in the middle of the table. These 3 cards may be used by all the players in the game by combining them with the two unique cards held in their own hand to form the best possible hand. The second round of betting begins with the player to the left of the dealer (the person with button.) This player may CHECK, which is deferring the first action to the next player or choose to bet. This player may bet the minimum amount of the big blind ($10) or he may choose to bet his entire stack or any amount in between. The second round of betting is complete after every player at the table has acted and placed the same amount in the pot or folded.

In the example, the big blind bets $25. Seat 5 calls $25 and raises $75. Seat 7 calls $100 and re-raises $100. The big blind calls $175. Once the betting is complete, each player will have placed $200 in the pot. See picture above. The Turn

The second round of betting is now complete. The dealer will now place a 4th card in the middle of the table next to the flop. This card is known as the turn or 4th street. This round of betting will begin again with the player to the left of the dealer. If this player decides to bet, he may bet the minimum of the big blind ($10) or he may choose to bet his entire stack or any amount in between. Just as with the flop, the turn card may be used by all the players in the game by combining them with the two unique cards held in their own hand, to make the best hand out of 5 cards only. The third round of betting is complete after every player at the table has acted. They will all have either, checked, placed the same amount in the pot, or folded.

In the example, the big blind checks. Seat 5 checks and seat 7 bets $200. The big blind and seat 5 call the $200. Once the betting is complete, each player will have placed $200 in the pot. See picture above. The River

The third round of betting is now complete. The dealer will now place a 5th card in the middle of the table next to the flop and turn card. This card is known as the river or 5th street. This round of betting will begin again with the player to the left of the dealer. If this player decides to bet, he may bet the minimum of the big blind ($10) or he may choose to bet his entire stack or any amount in between. Just as with the flop and the turn, the river card may be used by all the players in the game by combining them with the two unique cards held in their own hand. A player may use 5 of the 7 cards to make the best hand possible. It may be the 2 unique cards in his or her hand combined with 3 from the board (table where community cards are located) or 1 unique card combined with 4 from the board or the 5 cards on the board. This is called playing the board. The fourth round of betting is complete after every player at the table has acted. They will all have either, checked, placed the same amount in the pot, or folded.

In the example, the big blind checks. Seat 5 checks. Seat 7 bets 200. The big blind raises $300 by moving the remainder of his check stack in. This is called moving all-in. Seat 5 folds and seat 7 calls $300. All the remaining players (big blind and seat 7) have placed $500 in the pot. See picture above. Completion of Hand The first person left in the hand to reveal his or her cards will be the one that made the last bet during the 4th round of the hand. If no bet was made and all the players checked, then, in order from the left of the dealer to the last player will show his or her hand. When a player has a better hand, it must be revealed in order to win. If the player elects to throw the cards away because of it being of less value than any other revealed hand, he or she may muck the cards. To muck is to place the cards where they will be discarded. When a player is sure that he or she is beaten, he or she may or may not elect to show his or her hand. This is because it gives information about what hand he or she held. The dealer will identify who has the best hand and the pot will be given to this player. Because the hand went to a showdown, the winning player has the right to request to see the losing hand even if the losing player mucks his hand.

In the example, the big blind reveals his hole cards to be the Ace and King of Diamonds giving him the nut straight (sometimes called 'broadway'). Seat 7 turns over a pair of tens giving him a set of tens. The dealer shoves the pot to the big blind because he won. See picture above. Interesting to note that when a player holds a pair in his hand and makes three of a kind, it is called a set. When a player holds one card and two of the same are on the board, the player has trips. Seat 7 had the option to muck his cards as he had a losing hand (prevent others from seeing his cards). End of Hand and on to the Next

All cards are returned to the dealer. The cards are shuffled and/or scrambled in preparation for the next hand. The dealer button is moved one position clockwise, indicating the new dealers position. The blinds are also moved one position clockwise and the blind bets are posted and a new hand begins.

Poker Odds and Probabilities The relative values of Poker hands were not just conjured up by some rule maker or arbitrarily assigned by the first Poker players. They were discovered through the use of permutation and combination formulas. The exact number of possible five-card Poker hands in a 52-card deck is 2,598,960. These hands were divided into group (ranks) of : no pair, pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, straight flush and royal flush. The ranks were then arranged in relative value according to the frequency of their occurrence. The hands which can be expected to appear most often have the lower rank; those which appear least often the highest rank. A good poker player must have a fair idea of Poker odds and probabilities. Without such knowledge, he has no good way of deciding on his course of action in the various situations which arise. That is, he has no way of making a mathematical analysis on which to base a decision. The tables that follow provide the information that will help a poker player make an analysis. These same tables can also be used to prove the relative value of Poker hands and to settle disputes that arise regarding the chances of drawing certain valuable hands in Five-Card Draw Poker or in the first five cards dealt in any other form of Poker. It would be simple if all one had to do to become a winning player was to memorize the following Poker tables. Knowing the exact strength of your hand or the exact chances of bettering your hand on the draw will not always help you. Thats because the playing habits of your opponents will often throw a monkey wrench into your best-laid mathematical plans. Example: A big raise from a habitually tight player means quite a different thing from the same big raise from a drunk who has already been caught trying to steal (bluff) the last halfdozen pots. Although Poker is a game of skill, the judgments and decisions to be made by even the average Poker player involve a general knowledge of the game's probabilities.

The chances of being dealt any certain pat hand are the same, regardless of the number of players in the game. The same hold true in drawing cards to try to improve a hand. There are 2,598,960 different possible poker hands in a 52-card deck. The following table lists the name of each different possible hand in order of their rank. It also lists the possible number of ways each can be made and the chances of being dealt such a hand in the first five cards dealt. An example would be the original five cards dealt in FiveCard Draw Poker before you draw. Rank of Hands Straight Flush Four of a Kind Full House Flush Straight Three of a Kind Two Pairs One Pair No Pair Hand TOTAL Number of Possible Ways Chance of Being Dealt in Hand can be Made Original 5 Cards 1 in 649,740.00 1 in 72,193.33 1 in 4,165.00 1 in 694.16 1 in 508.80 1 in 254.80 1 in 47.32 1 in 21.03 1 in 2.36 1 in 1.99

Royal Flush 4 36 624 3,744 5,108 10,200 54,912 123,552 1,098,240 1,302,504

2,598,960

In the chance column above, fractional figures have been carried out to only two decimal places, since further extension would mean little. The probability of being dealt a pair or better in the first five cards dealt is almost evento be exact, 0.499--- and the probability of being dealt a no pair hand is practically the same 0.501. So it's almost a 3 to 1 chance, when playing against two opponents, that one of them will hold a pair or better in the first five dealt cards. The probabilities vary slightly depending upon what you hold.

The 1,302,540 possible five-card no-pair hands are divided as follows: POSSIBLE POKER HANDS OF LESS VALUE THAN ONE PAIR Ace Counting High Ace hgh King high Queen high Jack high Ten high Nine high Eight high Seven high King Counting High, Ace Low King high Queen high Jack high Ten high Nine high Eight high Seven high Six high TOTAL Number of Possible NoPair Hands 502,860 335,580 213,180 127,500 70,380 34,680 14,280 4,080 1,302,540

The lowest-ranking regular five-card Poker hand is comprised of 7,5,4,3,2 in mixed suits. The above table is particularly helpful to players who play high-low variants of Poker. In the short run each additional active player in the game increases the odds against you on any particular hand. In the long run, since all players have to put an equal sum into the pot, thus increasing the size of the pot in direct ratio to the increased odds, it doesn't make much difference as far as odds are concerned if you are bucking one or seven players. In HighLow Poker, where aces count both high and low, the perfect low hand is 6,4,3,2, and ace. To simplify matters, the figures in the following two tables have been rounded out when necessary to the nearest 1/2 or whole number. Note that your chances of making four of a kind are three times as great when drawing a pair minus a kicker than when holding a kicker. Odds Against Improving the Hand in Draw Poker When Drawing Three Cards to One Pair Odds against any improvement 2.5 to 1

Odds against making two pairs Odds against making a full house Odds against making four of a kind

5 to 1 97 to 1 359 to 1

Odds against making three of a kind 8 to 1

ODDS AGAINST IMPROVING THE HAND IN DRAW POKER WHEN DRAWING TWO CARDS TO A PAIR AND A KICKER Odds against any improvement Odds against making two pairs Odds against making a full house Odds against making four of a kind 3 to 1 5 to 1 119 to 1 1,080 to 1

Odds against making three of a kind 12 to 1

In fact, you have a better chance of improving your hand when drawing three cards to a pair than when drawing two cards to a pair plus a kicker. The tables above give ample proof of that. However, good Poker playing demands that a player occasionally hold a kicker with a pair so as to keep your opponents in doubt as to your playing habits. The odds against making a full house by drawing one card to two pairs are about 11 to 1. ODDS AGAINST CHANCES OF IMPROVING THE HAND IN DRAW POKER WHEN DRAWING TWO CARDS TO THREE OF A KIND Odds against any improvement Odds against making a full house 8.5 to 1 15.5 to 1

Odds against making four of a kind 22.5 to 1 CHANCES OF IMPROVING THE HAND IN DRAW POKER WHEN DRAWING ONE CARD TO THREE OF A KIND PLUS A KICKER Odds against any improvement Odds against making a full house 11 to 1 15 to 1

Odds against making four of a kind 46 to 1 These two tables above show that the best chance for improvement with three of a kind is to draw two cards and not hold a kicker. Holding a kicker increases the odds against the player for any improvement. CHANCES OF ODDS AGAINST FILLING IN A FOUR-CARD STRAIGHT IN DRAW POKER Odds against making a straight open at one end 11 to 1

Odds against making a straight open in the middle 11 to 1 Odds against making a straight open at both ends 5 to 1 ODDS AGAINST FILLING IN A FOUR-CARD FLUSH IN DRAW POKER The odds against making a flush by drawing one card of the same suit are about 4.5 to 1. If you insist on drawing to a three-card flush, the odds against your catching two cards of the same suit are approximately 23 to 1. ODDS AGAINST MAKING A STRAIGHT FLUSH IN DRAW POKER When drawing one card to a four-card straight flush, which may be open in the middle, at one end, or both ends. Odds against making a straight flush open at one end 46 to 1

Odds against making a straight flush open in the middle 46 to 1 Odds against making a straight flush open at both ends 22 to 1 The odds against making a royal flush are the same as a straight flush in similar conditions. CHANCES OF HOLDING VARIOUS POKER HANDS IN THE FIRST FIVE CARDS DEALT WHEN THE JOKER IS WILD MAKING A 53-CARD PACK Rank of Hands Five of a Kind Number of Possible Ways Hand can be Made 13 Chance of Being Dealt in Original 5 Cards 1 in 220,745.0

Royal Flush 24 Straight Flush Four of a Kind Full House Flush Straight Three of a Kind Two Pairs One Pair No-Pair Hand TOTAL 216 3,120 6,552 7,768 20,532 137,280 123,552 1,268,088 1,302,540

1 in 119,570.2 1 in 13,285.5 1 in 919.7 1 in 437.9 1 in 369.3 1 in 139.7 1 in 20.9 1 in 23.2 1 in 2.26 1 in 2.20

2,869,685

A very unusual mathematical situation arises in Joker Wild regarding the relative value of three of a kind and two pairs. As you see above, the chances of drawing three of a kind are one in 20.9 and the chances of drawing tow pairs are one in 23.2. Since there is a better chance of drawing three of a kind than two pairs the latter should be of a higher rank and beat three of a kind. This peculiar situation is caused by the fact that there are 82,368 possible five-card Poker hands that contain a pair plus the joker. When a player holds one of these 82,368 hands he values his hand at three of a kind, making the joker count the same denomination as the pair he is holding. But if we should permit the two pairs to rank as a higher hand than three of a kind, we would accomplish nothing; the playing holding one of the 82,368 possible Poker hands containing a pair plus the joker would use the joker or form another pair with the highestranking odd card and would value his hand at tow pairs. This would bring the total number of two pairs in a pack of 53 cards to 205,920 and the possible number of three of a kinds to 54,912. Under these conditions, considering the relative value of both hands, three of a kind must remain of higher value than two pairs.

There are two solutions to this. I give them here in case there are a few players who may want to play a completely sound mathematical game. If the following two rules are used they will mathematically permit three of a kind to retain its higher value in relation to two pairs. I did not incorporate either rule in my laws of Joker Wild in Scarne on Cards because I have learned that you cannot change playing habits that easily. 1. If a player has a hand containing a pair plus the joker, the joker cannot be considered wild, and therefore carries no value whatever; and the joker must be considered an odd card; or, 2. If a player has paired aces, kings, queens, jacks, tens, nines, or eights plus the joker, he is permitted to rank his hand as three of a kind. If he has a pair ranking lower than eights plus the joker, he cannot value his hand at more than two pairs.

Legality It is clear that the United States government will go after any entity that tries to start an online casino or poker room if the entity is located in United States territory. However it is not clear what the legal status is on players playing online games in the United States on computer servers in foreign countries. This is the case with all the popular online poker sites. Some government officials have stated that there is nothing they can do about it because there are simply too many players and they cannot arrest a million people (or more) for gambling in their own homes (this includes sports betting and other casino games as well). However, whether or not the government will take any action on players, does not say anything about the actual legality of online poker. As of yet, there is no definitive answer whether or not online poker is legal. It is possible that in the future the legality will be defined more clearly, and it is useful to keep up-to-date when any news breaks. Although this section is about online poker, in no way am I claiming it as a legal activity nor am I suggesting that anyone go out and play online poker. That is up to the individual to make the decision for themselves.

Ranking of Hands Pictured below are the hands of poker, listed in order from highest to lowest. Royal Flush The five highest cards, the 10 through the Ace, all five of the same suit. A royal flush is actually an ace-high straight flush. The suit doesn't matter in poker. Two people with royal flushes would tie. Straight Flush Any five cards of the same suit in consecutive numerical order. Our example shows a five-high straight flush. Four of a Kind Four cards of the same denomination. Our example shows four jacks with a deuce kicker. Full House Any three cards of the same denomination, plus any pair of a different denomination. Ties are broken first by the three of a kind, then the pair. Our example shows sevens full of threes. Flush Any five non-consecutive cards of the same suit. Our example shows a queen-high diamond flush. Straight Any five consecutive cards of mixed suits. Ace can be high or low. Our example shows a six-to-ten straight. Three of a Kind Three cards of the same denomination.Our example displays three of a kind, fours.

Two Pair Any two cards of the same denomination, plus any other two cards of the same denomination. If both hands have the same high pair, the second pair wins. If both pairs tie, the high card wins. Our example shows two pair, eights and fives. Pair Any two cards of the same denomination. Our example displays a pair of nines. In a tie, the high card wins. High Card If no other hand is achieved, the highest card held wins. In our example, the king of hearts is the high card.

Top Rated Pre Flop Hands

Level 1- The top starting hands Ace-Ace King-King Ace-King suited Queen-Queen Jack-Jack Level 2- Very strong starting hands Ace-Queen, Ace-Jack, Ace-10 all suited Ace-King King-Queen suited 10-10 Ace-10, King-Jack, Queen-Jack, Jack-10 all suited Ace-Queen, Ace-Jack 9-9 King-Queen King-10, Queen-10 suited Level 3- Playable in most positions in a looser game 8-8 Jack-9 10-9 both suited 7-7 9-8,8-7 both suited Ace with any other suited card King-Jack, Queen-Jack, Jack-10 Level 4- Decent hands best played sparingly and in a late position in a loose game if your playing 'personality' will allow it Any low pair (e.g. pairs below 7) Connected suited cards, ie 8-7,5-4,4-3 Ace-10, King-10, Queen-10

King-9, Jack-8 suited Hands not on the list are or for the most part, should be folded and only played where you have an advantage over the other players. For example: You are in the late position with no callers on the blinds or against known weak players.

Starting Hand Selections

Reasons to Play Poker on the Internet There are many reasons for playing poker on the internet. 1. You do not live close to a poker room Legal poker rooms are now all over America, but many people still live far from a poker room.

Online poker is a nice solution for the people that do not have a chance to play poker on a regular basis in brick and mortar card rooms. 2. Even if there is a poker room in your vicinity, you do not have to commute. Many players do live closer to a poker room but find that it usually takes a bit of a commute to get there. Even if you live fairly close to the casino, it may still take half an hour or more to get to the poker room, and even then, you may have to wait a bit before getting into a game. On the internet, there is no need to commute and the wait for a seat is typically much shorter than in a brick and mortar casino. Also, for those that are physically challenged and find it difficult to commute or go to a casino, playing poker online is an ideal solution. They will be able to play comfortably at home, whereas they may not be comfortable in a casino environment. 3. There is no second hand smoke A few years ago, the state of California banned smoking in certain establishments. Casinos and poker rooms were affected by the new law and now there is no smoking in California poker rooms. Several other poker rooms across the country have also made this adjustment to nonsmoking poker rooms, such as the Bellagio in Las Vegas and Foxwoods in Connecticut. This is all great for the player. However, even if the poker room itself is a non-smoking room, many of the non-Californian casinos still allow smoking in other parts of their casinos. The smoke can often creep around in the air and find their way to the poker room. Since players are sitting down for long periods of time, they may be susceptible to the harmful effects of second hand smoking. Even worse are the poker rooms that do allow smoking. For those who are worried about second hand smoke, playing poker online is a healthy alternative. 4. The rake may be lower online Many of the online poker rooms offer a lower rate per hand than brick and mortar casinos. They may still collect a higher rake per hour because typically they deal more hands per hour in an online poker room. This is a benefit to players as they get to keep a bigger portion of the pots that they win. The only situation where it may not be a benefit to players is in a situation like heads-up

poker where the rake is usually negotiable between the players and the poker room management but would not be online. 5. There is no tipping online Tipping is a somewhat controversial topic. In brick and mortar casinos, a major part of the dealers income comes from tips. However tips do eat up on potential profits from the winning players, and it increases the losses for the losing players. Online poker requires no tipping, you cannot tip even if you wanted to. This means the winning players will make more money and the losing players can play longer, or at least play more hands. 6. You can play any time of day Online poker rooms are 24 hours a day operations. If there are players, there are games. Once an online poker room reaches a certain critical mass, they will likely have games at all times of day at all limits. Not every site has this feature as they are not all that successful, but there are a few sites that have achieved this critical mass. This means players can play any time of day they feel like. This is great for many people, including morning people, people who work at night and can only play during the day and people who are nightowls that play in the wee hours of the morning 7. You can play for a very short time if you prefer If you make the effort to go to the local poker room, you probably feel you should stay there for a while. Nobody likes to drive half an hour just to play a couple of minutes and then drive another half an hour to get home. This is different with online poker. You could play one round which may take as little as one minute, you could play for five minutes and decide to leave. This is a great option for all players, although it does make for a relatively high turnover of players at the online game compared to the brick and mortar game. 8. There are easier ways to analyze your own play online Most of the online poker sites have an option where you can see your hand histories. This makes for analyzing your own play much easier than in a brick and mortar casino, where the only way to track your own play is to actually write every single hand down, this is simply not practical for

most people, not to mention the tremendous effort it would take. Recently several people have developed software to help players analyze their game. It may be worthwhile to find out about these software programs to see if they can help you analyze your own game. 9. There are easy ways to analyze the play of other players Many sites have a function where you can write notes on each player, and these notes are accessible the next time you are at the same table as those players. This is a nice feature that is unique to online poker. There are also software programs that allow for the analysis of other players games. These software programs can only look at the hands that your opponents played when you were in the game with them and not every game that they have played, but this could still be useful. 10. More hands are dealt per hour online When players are paying attention, more hands are usually dealt per hour online compared to brick and mortar games. There is no need to wait for the dealer to shuffle, take in the mucked cards, collect the chips, make change, take the rake or time, get a rack fill, call for empty seats, settle player disputes and all sorts of other issues. For the player who plays with a positive expectancy, more hands per hour means a higher expected profit. 11. Shorthanded games are easy to find online It is difficult to find a shorthanded game in a brick and mortar casino and when it exists, it may not last for long. Often these games will break up as most players do not usually prefer to play short, or they fill up to a full table when other players come in. Many online poker rooms have specific tables specially designed for those that like to play short, they may have heads-up tables and/or tables where a maximum of six players can be seated. Shorthanded games mean even more hands per hour as fewer players have to make decisions. This could mean even greater profitability for the skilled shorthanded player compared to a full game. 12. Players can play at more than one table simultaneously One of the great advantages of playing online is the ability to play more than one game at the same time. In a full game often there is some dead time as you watch the other players play out their

hands. If you do not know the players, this is a useful time to gather information about how they play and use it in the future. However, if you are well versed in their abilities and styles, it can be boring just sitting at the table. In a brick and mortar casino, many people will take this time to chit chat with other players near them, get to know each other, discuss current events or eat a meal. For some players, their primary reason to play poker is for the social aspects, so they rather enjoy this time to talk with friends while playing the game, but online is a different story. Many players know each other online, and can hold interesting conversations, but it is different from a brick and mortar casino. Once you get done with all that stuff, sometimes it can get boring especially if you are dealt junk hand after junk hand and are constantly folding. This is why people like to play more than one table, to deal with the boredom. Instead of getting distracted by non-poker issues, they choose to play two or more games and keep all of their attention on poker. There are the obvious advantages, but also some not so obvious disadvantages. Playing multiple tables simultaneously is further discussed later in this chapter. Getting Paid and Bonus Hunting Since it is your own money at stake, it is your duty to make sure the poker site that you play at is trustworthy. You want to be able to expect to get your withdrawal check when you ask for it. With the huge increase in the popularity of poker in the last few years, and especially the huge increase in the popularity of online poker, many entrepreneurs have and will try to capitalize on this relatively new market. It is possible some of these new sites may actually go under, in which case it would be almost impossible for players to get their money out. How would you go about trying to get a few thousand dollars from an entity in one of the Carribean Islands whom you dont even know the actual owners? That is one of the dangers of online poker, and it can be scary and very frustrating when the unthinkable happen. Poker players should take a lesson from their sports bettor brethern. The offshore sports betting industry has been around a bit longer than the online poker industry. The sports bettors have seen

several very big sports books go under due to mismanagement, insufficient capital and outright fraud. All sportsbooks need clients in order to make money, in the effort to find and retain players, new sportsbooks need to give players an incentive to give them a try. They establish themselves and entice players to join by offering deposit bonuses. This can often lead to a business that seems to be built like a ponzi scheme. An example would be an offer of a 25% cash bonus on a deposit, but with some restrictions such as a five times rollover and a one month minimum period before making a withdrawal. A five times rollover in sports means that the player must bet their balance five times over before they are eligible to take a withdrawal. On the surface, this makes sense from the sportsbook point of view, because it is guaranteeing that they get some minimum action from the player. On the players side, he is thrilled to get 25% of his deposit as a bonus for just signing up and depositing. Their rationale is that since they are going to play anyway, why not get a bonus as an extra kick. As the sportsbook signs up more players, they start to get a reputation through the sports gambling forums and word of mouth. With deposits from new players, the sportsbooks have a steady stream of incoming cash flow, which means they will have plenty of funds to pay anyone that requests a withdrawal. This leads to even more confidence by players, especially those that take a withdrawal, because they will now feel more confident about leaving the rest of their money in that book since they already got paid once. It is logical to think if someone paid you once that they are likely to pay you again in the future. However, if the book does not do a good job managing the lines, they may start to lose to the sharp bettors. If the new deposits start to dry up concurrently, then it could lead to the collapse of the ponzi scheme. Now the book no longer has funds to pay everybody and sooner or later the customers will suffer. Yet players still think it is ok to give new sportsbooks a shot, because they believe in the greater fool theory. They believe they will be deft enough to get in and get out before the impending doom happens. This is a dangerous game

which requires a lot of attention and calculation which most people cannot afford to take the time to do. Of course, poker rooms operate differently than sportsbooks, in that sportsbooks are playing against the customers directly whereas poker rooms are not. But these issues are still useful to keep in mind. Other than the vague legality issues, this is the biggest danger in the offshore sports betting industry, and all the experienced sports bettors have an understanding of these issues by now since most of them were affected by past collapses. The greed of the bonus hunting leads to the players losing their own deposits. This is a lesson to be learned for the upcoming years as more and more outfits try to take advantage of the online poker boom. Of course, there are still many reputable offshore sportsbooks, and many of the new poker sites may also be financially fit and well managed. However, from a players point of view, it is often difficult to identify which site one can trust with ones funds, and which sites one cannot trust. Researching as much as possible is always recommended, but research alone may not always help. Often the sports sites will be backed with confidence from other people that you may think you trust. However it may be that those people are in on the scheme along with the book, or are paid by the book to promote them without doing the due diligence themselves. Planet Poker is a positive example of an online poker room that has the faces of two prominent and trustworthy people in the poker industry, Mike Caro and Roy Cooke. Similarly, Ultimate Bet with Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke gives the players a sense of financial comfort. However, there has been at least one online poker room that went bust, even though it was promoted by one of the most famous names in poker. Be more weary of new startups unless you have a good reason to be comfortable. For example, several high quality sportsbooks that have been in business for many years and have impeccable reputations have recently created their own online poker rooms. These poker rooms will be safer than other brand new startups who are not attached to any other known entity. If you are

comfortable with the financial status of the online sportsbook, and they are providing online poker as part of their business, then that is may be a safer place for your money than a startup online poker site with no link to an entity you trust. In order to reduce the hurt if one of these poker sites collapses financially, you need to be preparing ahead of time. You should constantly withdraw funds as your funds increase. Keep in mind a maximum dollar amount that you would be comfortable keeping at the site, and if your balance ever goes past that number, consider making a withdrawal request. Free Games Online are not very useful as a learning tool Online poker rooms and other internet sites will often offer games with fake or play money. These games are completely free, no risk no reward. It may be tempting as a new player to think of these games as a nice practice field. Unfortunately, they would not serve that purpose well at all. When playing in these games, it is human nature to play differently when it is free compared to when there is real money at stake. Players will not be afraid to call any bets, they will have no fear of calling raises and they are happy to bluff often. This is not what poker is about at all. The players in a free game do not have anything to lose, and most people will play accordingly. Poker is only poker when there is something at stake, where losing means losing something that has value to the player. Playing in the free games to get an idea of the mechanics of the game is useful, but not as practice for the real money play. It may actually do more harm than good, as you may get the wrong impression of how other players actually play when there is something real at stake. Pitfalls of playing online There are more pitfalls to playing online. There are many possible distractions you could have playing online poker that you would not have in a brick and mortar poker room. These distractions include surfing online, writing or reading emails, watching TV or even reading a book (hey, if you are playing online poker right now as you read this, STOP. Either play the game, or read the book, dont do both!). If you know the other players well and are confident you know how they play, you

may not lose much by focusing your attention elsewhere. However, even if you do know the players well, they may be playing a bit differently in this particular session than they normally do. Maybe one of them is slightly on tilt, having lost a few bad beats in a row. This may mean they are playing more aggressively on hands that they may normally not play at all. If you know the players well, it is still economically beneficial to pay as much attention as possible to the game. These distractions are all-internal functions. It is your own discipline or lack thereof that will determine if you allow distractions to cause you to lose your focus. It is not something that anyone can tell anyone else to do. It is all up to each player individually. Many brick and mortar poker rooms will allow players to read magazines or newspapers while sitting at the table. It may seem like one is just as likely to get distracted when playing poker online as playing poker in a brick and mortar casino if you are allowed to read at the table in both places. There is a big difference between the two however, in that when a major occurrence happens in a brick and mortar casino, you will often hear the players talking about it. Even if you are reading, you can hear the commotion and you will lift your head up to see what is going on. The online poker rooms do not have this system. The noise level will be the same whether or not there is a major bad beat or any other interesting issue going on. Advantages and Disadvantages of playing multiple games simultaneously Some players like to play more than one game at a time. On one hand, playing multiple games simultaneously may be good in that it forces players to focus completely on poker. On the other hand, one game can be a distraction to the player over the other game. If you are involved in a hand in one game, you will not have the chance to examine the play of the hand in the other game, and that may mean you could miss some important details about how the other players play. In playing multiple games online, you need to weigh the benefit of getting expectation from two games at once versus the negative of possibly losing some expectation from each individual game.

The advantages of playing multiple games simultaneously are obvious for winning players. Although you may reduce your win rate at each table, your overall win rate could increase. If your win rate at each of these tables is at least half of your normal amount at only one table, then you are actually making more money playing two tables simultaneously. If you are playing at three tables at the same time, then your win rate at each table would have to be at least 1/3 of the win rate at one table. This seems like a good deal to most players, and it is a good deal for those that can keep their win rate above those levels. Spend the same amount of time playing poker and make more money, who wouldnt want that? However, for losing players, they will just lose their money at a faster rate. Another way to view multiple tables is to play at a lower limit at each table, whereby the total expectation may be the same as playing at just one table with higher limits. The reason this may be useful is that a player may be able to get the same expectation out of multiple lower limit tables, but gain the advantage of reducing variance. In other words, they get the same reward for less risk through diversification. In full games, good players will not be involved in as many hands as the average player. This means you will not often find yourself involved in two hands at the same time and so you can devote most of your concentration on the table where you are involved in a hand. For some players, it would seem that they would not lose that much edge playing two full games. Since their win rate would have to slip to less than half of the win rate at one table, it would benefit them to play two full games at once. The poker rooms prefer this because it means they can collect more rake. The poker rooms will have several players playing two games at once, and that may mean spreading one or two or even more tables than they would if players could only play one game at a time. This is a big advantage that online poker rooms have over their brick and mortar counterparts. Playing two tables may alleviate the boredom, and actually steer you away from doing other things that are

harmful to your concentration, such as checking out internet sites, listening to the radio, or writing a book (thats a joke folks). So playing multiple tables may actually cause you to concentrate more on each individual table than you would if you were only playing one table at a time and fooling around on the side. The bottom line though, is that if you are a winning player, and do not lose too much edge from your normal win rate, playing more than one table is a nice boost to your profitability and/or a nice reduction of risk.. However, there are disadvantages also. It is harder to concentrate on each table, and you may miss some juicy pieces of information. When playing poker online, the players flit in and out of the table at an incredibly fast rate compared to brick and mortar casinos. It is all too easy to miss the fact that the table composition has changed drastically, and instead of a loose table, now the table is made up of a few more tight players or vice versa. This may lead you to act inappropriately with some hands. Playing two or more shorthanded tables makes it even tougher. You need to concentrate more on shorthanded games since it is even more important to have a good handle on how each player plays. Also, if a bad, loose player leaves the table and is replaced by a solid, tight player, that changes the characteristic and the composition of the whole table since one player in a shorthanded game makes up a much higher percentage of the table than one player does in a full game. It is too easy to be caught in the situation where a solid player has replaced a loose aggressive poor player and you do not notice it until after you have acted. In shorthanded games, you will be involved in hands more often than at a full table, this means if you are playing two shorthanded games at the same time, you will have a higher chance of being in a situation where you are involved in hands at both tables simultaneously. This is not nearly as much of a concern in the full table games as in the shorthanded games. Another problem is playing one shorthanded game and one full game simultaneously. You may find yourself to be too aggressive in the full game and not aggressive enough in the shorthanded game.

Playing multiple games online will seem like playing a video game at times. For many younger players who grew up in the video game age, this will enhance the experience of the game and make it more fun, although not necessarily more profitable for everyone. These players do not have a problem with the fast changing screens or the action as they are used to it from their experience in video games. For older players who are not used to video games, it may be tougher for them to adjust. Overall the advantages of playing two full games will outweigh that of playing one full game for most winning players. As for losing players, unfortunately, playing multiple games will only allow them to lose their money at a faster rate. If you have a good handle on some of the players at each table already, it would add a lot to your advantage. However, in shorthanded games, it is prudent to stick to one game at a time, because you will need more concentration and you will be more likely to be involved in hands at both tables. Stack Size and Pot Size Online In online poker, you can easily see how big the pot is and how many bets the other players have left in their stack, whereas in a brick and mortar poker room, sometimes this is difficult to do. People often have both of their hands and arms on the table, as well as water bottles and all sorts of other foreign objects. The player may not be actively trying to hide their stack size, but it may just be circumstantial that you did not realize how many chips he actually had. This can sometimes affect how you play the hand. For example, if you knew your opponent had been losing and was down to just a couple of bets left, you may feel that he will play looser and more aggressive just to get all-in and get the pain over with. This happens fairly frequently and these situations are very easy to identify online but a bit more difficult to notice in the brick and mortar casinos. If you do not notice he is close to going all-in, you may miss the fact that he may be playing more aggressively than normal. Also a player could have a large denomination chip along with the other chips. So it may look like he is short stacked when in fact he is not.

Another situation where seeing the stack size is helpful is when you expect a player is going to go all-in and you want to use him by manipulating his bet for your own purposes. For example, you are first to act in a three player pot. You have a hand you think is strong, but is vulnerable to draws. You would be happy to have a player going all-in to your right. If you are first to act, you can check, hoping the second player also checks. When the short-stacked player bets and goes all-in, you can raise and make it more expensive for the second player to draw out. If the shortstacked player acts first and bets out while going all-in, you can now raise even if you are not sure if you have the all-in player beat, since the portion of your raise will be in the side pot. In an online poker room, you will have no problem seeing that the player has gone all-in, while in a brick and mortar casino, you may not realize it until after you have acted. Seeing the pot size in exact dollar amounts is helpful in case you were not counting the pot size as this book recommends, but do not use it as a crutch if you also play in real casinos as well. This is because the counting of the pot as the bets go into it is extremely useful to your play in a full brick and mortar game. You can make better and faster decisions if you do not have to stop and take time to count the pot. While playing poker online you can allow the software to add up the pot size for you and make decisions from that information. However, if you are going to be playing poker both online and in a brick and mortar casino, your mind will get lazy and stop the good habit of counting the pot as each hand is played. So you may not find yourself at a disadvantage while playing poker online, but then see that you are at a disadvantage when playing in a real casino. One benefit of seeing the pot size online is when you are playing multiple games simultaneously. It will be difficult to count the bets going into the pot when you have to concentrate on two different games, so having the ability to see the exact pot size at any time becomes very useful. Players play more aggressively online From my experience, it seems that the average player plays a bit differently than the average player

in a brick and mortar casino. The main differences are: 1. Players will raise more often 2. Players will bluff more often 3. Players will semi-bluff more often 4. Players will bet for value more often 5. Players will call more often In general, it seems that the average player online plays much more aggressively and expects other players to play much more aggressively as well. Why is this? What is it about online play that makes the average player play differently? Here are some possible reasons: 1. There are more younger players online It is a fact that younger people are more apt to use the internet than older people. It is also probably true that younger people on average are more aggressive and take more chances in life, as well as in poker. Since you are likely to see a higher percentage of younger people (and by younger people, I mean those in their 20s or 30s) playing poker online rather than in brick and mortar casinos, thus you are likely to see a lower percentage of older people playing poker online. That could explain why online games are more aggressive in general. 2. Ambiguity can lead to increased aggression and suspicion. When players do not see each other face to face, it makes it easier for them to play aggressively against each other. It also makes it easier to be more suspicious of other players. In a brick and mortar casino, you can see all the players, and for some reason, that face to face interaction makes some players less apt to bluff. Maybe they feel bluffing is like stealing and is not socially acceptable. Ambiguity also leads to suspicion. If players do not know or see their opponent, players may become more suspicious that their opponent is doing something underhanded, which may mean bluffing. Thus players are more apt to call in an online game. 3. The money feels less real when it is online. In a brick and mortar casino, players have to buy their chips with cash. They hand the cashier or the dealer cash in exchange for casino chips. There is a belief that it is easier for players to take more chances with chips than they would with actual cash, as it feels less like real money. Extending this thought further, it is also easier for players to take more chances with cyber-cash

than chips or cash. However way the player funded their online account, the cash in their accounts will feel a bit less tangible. Because of this, players are willing to take more chances when playing poker online. This leads to more aggressive play. Fluctuations will be a lot higher than in a brick and mortar poker room Online poker players will see much higher profit and loss fluctuations than they would if they played in a brick and mortar poker room. Here are some reasons why: 1. The average online poker player plays more aggressively than the average brick and mortar poker player, as discussed in the previous section. 2. There are also more shorthanded games online than in brick and mortar poker rooms. Naturally, shorthanded games have a higher fluctuation than full table games because all the players are involved in more hands. 3. More hands are dealt in the same time period online. There are more hands played per hour online, so the results will look much more extreme. For the purposes of evaluating fluctuations, you want to compare full table games between online and brick and mortar. The correct way to compare the results is to measure them in terms of the number of hands played. It does not make much sense to use an hourly rate because online players may get twice as many hands as brick and mortar players. That means you can fit roughly two hours of equivalent brick and mortar play into one hour of online play. If you want to compare a shorthanded online game to a full table brick and mortar game, then you have to adjust for two new factors. The first is that shorthanded online games get dealt even more hands per hour than full online games. The second is that players naturally play more aggressively and loosely in shorthanded games. Both factors will increase the fluctuations of all players. When the extreme fluctuations are on the upside, meaning that player are winning, no one complains. The sky is sunny, everyone is having a good time, life is as it should be. It is when the extreme fluctuations are on the downside that players start to complain, wondering why they have such bad luck, cursing the computer and then wondering if there is a conspiracy against them. They start to wonder maybe the other players are colluding, maybe someone has hacked into the

software and the opponent can see all the cards or the future board, maybe the site is rigged to make the poor players win and the good players lose, maybe, maybe, maybe. In times like these, it is important to be strong and not give into the urge to put all the blame on everything and everyone else. It could be that you were playing poorly that day or you just had a string of bad luck, or a combination of the two. These fluctuations will happen in poker and they will happen with greater extremes in online poker. It is at this point that some players enter the internet poker forums claiming they were cheated at certain sites. The phrase to remember in your head for times like these is If the suckers dont win once in a while, they would never come back. So go take a break from poker for a few minutes, hours or days, as long as you need. Get your head cleared, and come back when you are ready to play without anger or any negative emotions. Just because the computer is there does not mean you have to play every day. Deception is less useful in online poker In online poker rooms where many people play, the turnover rate at each table will be pretty high, in fact, this may include you as well. This does not happen in brick and mortar casinos since it is tougher to get into another game, and players are there physically with not much else to do except play poker. This difference in the turnover rate means players should use deception less when playing online. In brick and mortar poker, sometimes it is useful to use a bit of deception with starting hands in order to throw off some of the observant players, players you may encounter on a daily basis. In most games, even brick and mortar games, players will not be that observant, but in tough games, it may be worthwhile to use this strategy occasionally. This strategy translates even less to online poker and should be used even less frequently. When the turnover rate is so high, as it usually is online, it means your opponents will not be as observant. Since they are less observant, on average, this means that deception has less value. Automatic Buttons and Online Tells

The automatic buttons can be useful as you may not want to wait until the action gets to you to tell the computer what you want to do. If an automatic button is clicked on, your action of folding, checking, calling, betting or raising will appear to be instantaneous after the player in front of you acts. This can be a nice feature if you are playing in more than one game. A good time in particular to use it is if you have a starting hand that you know you will fold no matter what the action is in front of you. Thus, clicking on the Check/Fold button will tell the site to fold your hand once the action gets to you. This may allow you to concentrate more on another game and the computer screen will not flitter back and forth between the two games when it is your turn to act. In this instance, there is no advantage or disadvantage in the play of the hand, since you have decided to fold regardless of the action by the other players. The automatic buttons online can sometimes be used to your advantage but be aware that other players may be watching for clues about your hand based on how you quickly you bet. Sometimes players can determine how strong another players hand is by how fast they act. Players with strong hands will often have the Raise button clicked on where they are telling the site to raise no matter what happens. Sharp players can pick up on this, so when they see someone raising immediately when it is their turn to act, sharp players may consider it as an indication that the raiser indeed has a strong hand. This would be an online tell. Each player is an individual and will have his own patterns. Be on the lookout for these patterns as it may become useful in a pot down the line. Technology is a wonderful thing, but you still have to watch your back I was sitting alone in a 10/20 table at one of the online poker rooms that did not have much high limit action. Normally, the highest limit game was only 5/10 at this site and it was rare for a 10/20 game to get started. However since this poker room was attached to an online sportsbook, there was always the chance that someone would show up using his funds from the sportsbook account. Usually these players were not experienced playing poker and were just checking out the poker

room to gamble. I had the table up on the computer while watching an NCAA College basketball tournament game and did not think about it as I watched game. As luck would have it, a player sat down at the table and I was alerted by a beeping noise on the computer. I went to the computer and started playing heads-up with the player. Unfortunately for me, I actually knew the player from previous games. I knew he was a solid player and not one of the possible pushovers that I was hoping for. After a few hands, it was quite clear that neither of us had much of an advantage over the other and it was probably not worth playing any more since the rake is relatively high in heads-up games. In this heads-up game, the button had to put up the small blind while the other player put up the big blind. He was the first to quit, and after his hand on the button, he sat out of the game. Then an interesting thing happened. He quickly sat back in. I had expected he would post the big blind this time and I would get the button and post the small blind. But instead, the button moved back to his seat, and he posted the small blind instead. Since I had the Auto Blind button clicked on, the computer posted my big blind automatically. Boy, was I mad! I had put up the big blind two hands in a row against the same opponent, and I did not have the button on either hand. I was about to leave the table, when I thought maybe I could try the same thing, and get the button in consecutive hands. I played the next hand with the button and the small blind, and in the hand after that, I sat out and came back in. To my delight, it worked! The button came right back to me and the site prompted me to post the small blind. Apparently the other player did not realize what had happened because I kept up the same routine and took the button for at least 20 straight hands. Finally, he sat out and it became clear to him what was going on. What was shocking to me was that this sharp player did not realize it earlier. Maybe he was also playing another game and did not realize what was going on. I was laughing my head off at the situation since I was getting the advantage over him on every hand. After thinking about it for a night, my conscience got the better of me and I felt a little ashamed of

my actions. I decided I would try to make it up to him if I ever saw him again. The next day, I saw the same player at another online poker site. He had the same screen name and it was obvious it was the same player. I told him who I was and offered to give him the chunk of my winnings in that session. He was clearly upset and he refused my offer. He threatened to go to the site and notify them about my transgressions. After that, there was nothing more I could do as he was declining me the chance to make it up to him. Oh well. The moral of this story is that you should always be alert and know the rules and the quirks of each individual site. You need to make sure you are aware of everything so you are not taken advantage of, like this poor fellow was. Using 4-Color Decks If there is an option to use a 4-color deck in the online site you are playing on, I recommend that you do so. These decks have different colors for each suit, typically blue for diamonds and green for clubs. If you are playing more than one game at once, it may help avoid confusion in seeing a flush that may not actually be there. It will also help in seeing possible flush draws on the board. The different colors make recognizing the cards just a bit easier. Different results at different sites As mentioned in a previous section, fluctuations in online poker can be higher than in brick and mortar casinos. If you play at a few different online sites, this may cause some interesting results. It could look like you are killing the players at one site, but are getting killed by the players at another site. You may start to think that generally players at one site are much better than players at another site. Although it is likely there is some difference in skill among the population of players at different sites, the difference in general skill is probably not very large. For the most part, the fallback opinion should be that the difference in profits and loss is a result of randomness and luck, good luck at one site, bad luck at another. Due to the large fluctuations at online poker, this can easily happen. If you ask those that bet sports you will find a similar situation. Some sports bettors seem to make money hand over fist at one online sportsbook but cannot beat another

online sportsbook. They are constantly trying to transfer money out of one account and into the other. Often they will think that the book they are losing to is extremely sharp, and maybe they should not bet there anymore, but typically the true reasons are fluctuation and luck. With that said, there still may be some logical reasons for these differences in winnings other than plain luck, heres a list of these possible reasons. 1. The site you are winning at has worse players in general and the one you are losing at has better players. As I mentioned before, I do not think the difference in skill level is large, but it can still exist. 2. You are playing in shorthanded games at one site and in full games at another. Your game fits one better than the other. 3. You are being cheated at the site you are losing on. 4. There is a software glitch or quirk at the site that you are losing on and someone else has figured it out We can control reasons #1 and #2. It should not take too much effort and concentration to determine if either of these issues is the case. If you are indeed a good player, you should be able to identify the weaknesses of other players, and your opinion of the quality of the players at the different sites should be valid. If you notice that you are playing in shorthanded games at one site and in full games at another, then you may want to think about whether your game is more suited for one than the other. Maybe the aggressiveness and the fast play of the shorthanded games do not fit your style. Maybe the patience that is needed at a full table is something that you lack. These issues we can control and make adjustments for. It is reasons #3 and #4 that we would have problems with and have little control over, and that is discussed in the next section. Cheating, Collusion and Software glitches It would be nice if there was a world where everyone is honest and all games are on the up and up. Unfortunately, where there is money, there are people trying to scam it. This is something that everyone should be aware of. Cheating I would not be concerned with outright cheating online, either by players or by the site operators.

In a brick and mortar casino, this may be a concern. Maybe a dealer is in cahoots with some of the players. Maybe a player has marked some of the cards in the deck. Of course these issues are not concerns in the online atmosphere. Collusion Collusion is something that many of us worry about. We worry about other players seeing their friends cards and using that information to take advantage of us. This may take the form of two players playing side by side, exchanging the information on their hands through the telephone or through an instant messenger. The best way to be protected from collusion is by playing at a fair online site. Online sites have access to the hand histories of every player. If there is a good management team, they can review the hand histories of players when there are complaints. This means they can catch those that collude if the play is obvious given the hands that are shown. But it is probably not possible to catch everyone, so we all need to watch out for this possibility. Software glitches Is it possible that a site has a software glitch where some smart computer programmer can re-engineer their system to the point where he may have some inside information? Maybe these smart programmers can know with some precision what the Flop will bring. Maybe they have a way around the software to be able to figure out some of their opponents hole cards. These are scary thoughts, and although they may not be probable, it would not be outside the realm of possibilities. There is no proof that a person or a group is doing this, but that does not mean it is not being done. Of course this is a conspiracy theorists dream, or nightmare, depending on how they are looking at it. The truth is that there are many players making money steadily in online poker, playing the cards, the odds and the opponents. This fact alone should comfort most except the most ardent conspiracy theorists. Coincidentally, these conspiracy theorists usually are not good poker players. I leave it up to the individual reader to determine if this is an issue they think is important for themselves.

Disconnections Players can get disconnected from their internet connection sometimes. It can happen because of a real disconnection or it could happen when a player tries to take advantage of the system. Most sites have an all-in rule where the disconnected player is considered all-in even when they still have chips on the table. Players who try to take advantage of the system will purposely disconnect their internet connction in the hopes that they get to see a free showdown. They do not want to invest any more money into the pot so they do not want to call any bets or raises. However they still think there is a chance they can win so they purposely disconnect themselves so the system can put them all-in and they still have a chance to win the main pot. Oftentimes you can tell when a player is messing around or not. For example, if the board is K-9-A-T-7 with no flush possibility on the Turn, and a player who got disconnected on the Turn shows 43 on the River, it would be obvious that the disconnection was a genuine one. However if the board shows K-9-A-TQ, and the disconnected players hand is J9, then maybe he tried to take advantage of the system because he did not want to have to call on the Turn with an inside straight draw. Players who try this are a real pain to all the other players. Not only is it a form of cheating, but it also really slows down the game as the system will wait the requisite time for the player to act and he is not even there anymore. Compared to brick and mortar poker rooms Internet poker opens up some new forms of cheating but it also reduces some other possible ways of cheating that can exist in brick and mortar poker rooms. I believe that cheating in the modern day poker rooms is quite rare, but I would not completely discount it as an impossible feat. The forms of cheating that may be possible in a brick and mortar poker room but would not be possible online include marking cards, crooked dealers in cahoots with other players, switching cards, holding out cards, front loading (seeing other players cards as the dealer deals them), and sneaking a peek at another players cards. Everyone likes to talk about the possibilities of getting

cheated online, but it seems no one discusses the other forms of cheating that are completely eliminated when playing poker online. Taking Notes Online Many poker sites have a method where you can keep notes on your opponents. This is a very useful tool that every player should take advantage of. Taking notes in live play is useful too, but it is not as necessary because the mind has an easier time with forming opinions about players when there is facial recognition. If you have not played with a particular opponent for several months in a brick and mortar casino, you still stand a good chance of remembering roughly how the player plays. This is more difficult to pick up while playing poker online because there is no facial recognition. It is harder to associate a name with the qualities of the person than it is to associate a face with the qualities of the person. So using the notes tool that is provided by many poker sites should help. Here are some of the types of notes that you should be taking on your opponents: How loose or tight do they play pre-Flop? How loose or tight do they play after the Flop? How aggressive or passive are they? Will they bet when it seems like their edge is small or will they check? Do they check raise often? Do they semi-bluff raise often or do their raises need to be given a lot of respect to? Do they often cold call raises in shorthanded games? Do they three bet from the small blind situation when a late position player open raises or do they just call? How often do they defend their blinds with hands that do not warrant it? The answers to these questions are useful to know. If you have taken notes on a player, the next time you encounter the player at the table, you would immediately be able to take a look at your previous notes and have a better idea of how he plays.

Starting Hands by Position Some starting hands are so strong they can be played in any position. You don't get these hands very often, but when you do, you are generally a favorite from the get-go to win that pot.

Playable Hands in Early Position The following table shows that we recommend playing any pair of 7's or higher in early position, as well as the twelve suited and six unsuited card combinations. Pairs

7's through Aces

Suited

Aces with a king, queen, jack, or 10 King with a queen, jack, or 10 Queen with a jack or 10 Jack with a 10 or 9 10 with a 9

Unsuited

Aces with a king, queen, jack, or 10 King with a queen or jack

Playable Hands in Middle Position When you are the fifth, sixth or seventh player to act, then you are in middle position and can safely play smaller pairs like 6's and 5's. You can also add ten additional suited hands and four more unsuited combinations to your playable repertoire if the pot has not been raised. Cards added to the early position's playable hands are italicized: Pairs

5's and 6's through Aces

Suited

Aces with a king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, or 6 King with a queen, jack, 10, or 9 Queen with a jack, 10, 9, or 8 Jack with a 10, 9, or 8 10 with a 9, or 8

Unsuited

Aces with a king, queen, jack, or 10 King with a queen, jack, or 10 Queen with a jack or 10 Jack with a 10

Playable Hands in late Position In late position you have the advantage of acting last or next-to-last. As a result, you can add a variety of hands to your arsenal. Most are bargain basement specials; however, they should be played only if the pot has not been raised. Moreover, you should be disciplined enough to release them if the flop brings anything less than an abundant harvest of friendly cards. Cards added to the middle position's playable hands are italicized: Pairs

2's , 3's and 4's through Aces

Suited

Aces with a king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4,3,or 2 King with a queen, jack, 10, 9, 8 ,7, 6, 5, 4, 3, or 2 Queen with a jack, 10, 9, 8 Jack with a 10, 9, 8, or 7 10 with a 9, 8, or 7 9 with a 7 or 6 8 with a 7 or 6 7 with a 6 or 5 6 with a 5 5 with a 4

Unsuited

Aces with a king, queen, jack, or 10 King with a queen, jack, 10, or 9 Queen with a jack, 10, or 9 Jack with a 10, 9 or 8 10 with a 9 or 8 9 with a 8 or 7 8 with a 7

If you are new to the game, have been playing indiscriminately, or have an any-two-cards-can-win philosophy, you may believe these recommendations are too tight. They're not. In fact, they are somewhat loose. A hand like K 2 while playable in late position is a pretty sorry excuse for a Hold'em hand. If you flop a king and there's any appreciable action, it's fairly apparent that someone else has a king with a bigger kicker than yours. If you flop a 2, you've guaranteed yourself the lowest pair on board. Even if you are incredibly lucky and flop a flush, there's no assurance that it is the best flush. Probably the very best flop you could hope for is something like A 2 2 , which gives you three deuces with a strong kicker. You also have three cards to a flush, and while the odds against catching two more hearts are long indeed, it is an additional way to win. Players call this a backdoor draw. More importantly, an ace on the board guarantees a call or two from any opponents holding an ace in their hand. Still, K 2 and a lot of the other playable hands in late position are vulnerable from any number of directions, and it takes some degree o skill to navigate your way through the murky waters of a Hold'em pot in a rickety canoe like this one.

General Texas Holdem Tips

Hold 'em Danger on the Flop When you're check-raised on the flop, be prepared to surrender often unless your hand has promise. It's tempting to bet aggressively when checked into and you hold a fairly weak hand. Betting is okay, because you might win the pot now, or you might win the pot against other opponents with similarly weak hands, even if they call. But a checkraise can mean trouble. It's tempting to call, because the price is cheap considering the amount of money already in the pot. But figure it's going to cost a lot more money to chase your opponent to the showdown. Unless you're against a tricky and sophisticated opponent who often check-raises as a bluff, pass. You'll save money. Hold 'em Starting Hand Rankings In order to determine the rankings of hold 'em starting hands (from best to worst); you must consider the number of opponents. A pair of

eights will do better against fewer opponents, but speculative hands, such as JC 10C, do better against many opponents. Exploiting No-Limit Weakness Suppose you're playing heads-up, no-limit freeze-out. If you're playing perfectly, expect to win more consistently against an opponent who plays too tight than against an opponent who plays too loose. Hold 'em Suits Many players underestimate the value of same-suit starting cards in hold 'em. While it's true that flushes will only comprise a small portion of the hands you finish with, they comprise a large portion of the hands you win with. Here are two powerful rules for measuring the power of suited cards: (1) The larger the ranks, the less important it is that your starting hand is suited, because high ranks often win in other ways; (2) The fewer the number of opponents, the less important it is that your starting hand is suited, because it doesn't usually require great strength to beat a few opponents. Small Pairs from Early Position in Hold'em My computer simulations and other analysis suggest that most hold 'em players will not make a profit with pairs of deuces, threes, and fours for their lifetimes. There is an argument that these hands are worth playing in very loose games, but I'm not sure. You need to be very selective. When you have one of these small-pair hands in an early position, it's tough to anticipate how many players will come into the pot if you just-call the big blind. Will you be raised? There's lots to think about. I believe it's often OK to call after many players have called already, but it's more risky to gamble from an early position in anticipation of a lot of callers. And you often need many callers to justify the odds of playing a small pair and hoping to make at least three of a kind. Remember, in addition to not knowing what your opponents will do, you'll be in an inferior position -- having to act first -- on all future betting rounds. You have to think about what's wrong with a pair of deuces. One bad thing is that occasionally you can catch a third deuce while someone with a pair of, say, sixes catches a third six. Obviously,

you'd rather have these hands reversed. And if a big pair hits the board and two pair beats two pair, it's not going to be your two pair that wins. Also, these small pair often end up having absolutely no value! That happens when two bigger pair hit the board. If the board contains two kings and two fives, then an opponent with two sixes has kings and sixes, while you -- holding a pair of deuces -- have a worthless hand and must play what's on the board. All things considered, I advise most hold 'em players to usually fold small pairs in early positions. The Terrible Truth about Deuces in Hold 'em Even if you play all the way to a showdown in hold 'em, if you start with a pair of deuces, the odds against you catching at least one more deuce among the five board cards is 4.2 to 1. You'll only succeed 19 percent of the time. When you consider that you're unlikely to win without seeing a third deuce, that you might lose -- often at some expense -- even when you do see one, and that it will probably cost you considerably more money to get to that last river card, you can understand why a pair of deuces is usually unprofitable to play in hold 'em More Bad News for Hold'em Small Pairs in Early Seats As you may know, I teach that it's usually wrong to call the big blind early with small pairs, such as 2-2, 3-3, and 4-4. Many things work against these hold 'em hands, such as (1) you can make three of a kind and lose to a larger three-of-a-kind, (2) if you get lucky enough that your pair might matter, a bigger pair (or bigger two-pair when there's a major pair on board and your second pair isn't large enough) might beat you, and (3) two bigger pairs might show up on the board, leaving you with essentially no hand at all. But if this argument -- and the simulation of millions of hands which I've done by computer -- doesn't convince you, here's some more bad news: You usually can afford to call a single raise after you call the blind with a small pair, but not a double raise. So, if you call, and there's a raise, and then there's a re-raise, you should usually fold. But in folding, you're surrendering a first bet without any shot at the pot whatsoever.

When I talk to people who are trying to analyze whether these small pairs are profitable in an early position, they seldom mention the fact that you might have to throw the hand away without seeing the flop. So, even if you can argue that the small pair is a close decision without the forced-to-fold factor, it is not a close decision when that factor is correctly considered. Once again: Seldom play small pairs from an early position, unless you're in a very loose game with very timid opponents who don't raise aggressively AND you can outplay those opponents on later betting rounds. If you never play these small pairs at all from early seats, you won't be sacrificing much. In Hold'em, It's Usually Better Not To Raise From the Big Blind When many opponents just call my big blind, I'll seldom raise unless I have a powerful hand. Intermediate strength is seldom enough to justify my option to raise from the big blind position. That's because I'll need to act early on all future rounds of betting, giving all or most of my opponents a positional advantage. Unless I have real strength, I will usually accept a free look at the flop. You should, too. Beware Of Bunched Aces in Hold'em I call this the "bunching factor." It has nothing to do with poor dealing, though. If you're playing 10-handed hold 'em and the first seven players have folded before the flop, there's a better-than-usual chance that the few remaining players hold aces. Why? It's because when opponents fold, it's more likely that they folded something other than aces. This means that statistically there are more aces left that could appear in the few remaining hands. While this isn't an overwhelming statistical factor, it is significant enough that you should be more selective about the hands you raise the blinds with from the button (dealer position) when everyone else has folded than you would be if the deal began three-handed! This "bunching factor" applies to other games, too -- especially draw poker. Seldom Re-raise As the Big Blind in Hold'em First, you need to know that I frequently re-raise as the big blind when an aggressive, blind-stealing-type opponent raises in the small blind

after everyone else folds. I don't need a very strong hand to justify that re-raise, because even if I'm beat by a mediocre hand, the reraise gives me psychological leverage to add to my positional advantage. Remember, I'll get to act last on all betting rounds. But in all other circumstances, while you should vary your play, and you can certainly sometimes justify re-raising when you're in the big blind position, usually you'll make more money by waiting to see the flop. Among the many reasons for this, these important ones come to mind: 1. If the small blind isn't involved in the pot, you will have the disadvantage of acting first on all future betting rounds. 2. With all but aces and, perhaps, kings, the strength of your hand is not usually defined until after you see the flop. You really don't know if it is strong or weak. Unlike stud games where your strength often changes slowly, one card at a time, the three-card flop strongly defines your hand in hold 'em. Although your cards may be strong enough for you to believe that you have a likelihood of having the best hand, that edge is usually not enough to justify a re-raise and risk facing yet another raise from a rare hand that might truly dominate you. This is especially true because of your poor position. 3. Why announce that you have a fairly strong hand if you don't have to? The very tiny edge of pushing a hand you think might be slightly better than your opponents' hands is often overwhelmed by the fact that you are giving away information unnecessarily. Of course, this show of strength can sometimes work in your favor (and you CAN use it deceptively with weak hands), but it is more likely to work against you by chasing away weak callers and the long-range profit they might supply on future betting rounds. If you just call, opponents will think you might have anything, from very weak hands to moderately strong ones or better. You keep your options open on future betting rounds, and you can fold more easily, having invested less, if the flop disappoints you. For these reasons and others, I recommend usually not re-raising in the big blind with moderately strong hands, except when isolated with only the small blind. How Good is King-Jack Offsuit in Hold'em? It depends on the type of game.

Much of the modern literature ridicules the play of king-jack offsuit and similar hands that might be dominated. The truth is that in very conservative games, these hands are unprofitable from early positions and when calling an early position raise. Still, king-jack ranks high on the list of hands you might be dealt at random and even average players in loose games frequently make money with it overall. I know that statement is shocking to most advocates of tight entrance requirements, but it's the truth. Why is king-jack a winner, when many books say that it will usually be dominated by ace-king, king-queen, ace-jack? It's because real-life players are out there indiscriminately playing hands like king-7, jack5, and who knows what else. The net effect is that king-jack often dominates more than it is dominated, and under command of a skillful player it definitely earns a profit. I'm not taking rakes into consideration by making this claim. But it's definitely true that, in a seat-rental game, king-jack offsuit at a loose table has a long-range profit expectation in many situations, even though players are traditionally ridiculed for playing it. I do agree that inexperienced players are safer not playing the hand, because they're likely to end up not knowing what to do after the flop. Beyond that, I believe the value of king-jack in loose games is widely underestimated. The Difference Between Aces and Kings in Hold'em In hold 'em, you hear a lot of talk about aces and kings being the ultimate hands. That's true, but don't be too quick to put them in the same category, as many players do. A pair of aces before the flop logically belongs in a category all to itself. Here's how often each hand wins against nine opponents holding random hands when everyone stays to the river... A-A = 31% (21 percentage points higher than a fair share) K-K = 26% (16 percentage points higher than a fair share) what really makes the difference is that, when you consider actual betting strategy, A-A is much more likely to gain extra bets and to stay out of trouble. For this reason, in the hands of a professional, A-A can be almost twice as profitable as K-K overall in a full-handed game. That's something to keep in mind

Hold'em: Chasing a Flush with a Pair On Board When you begin with two suited cards and flop two more -- meaning you need to catch one more of that suit on the 4th (turn) or 5th (river) cards, it's often correct to continue to pursue the pot. So, if you start with Kh-Jh in a fixed-limit game and the flop is 7 -A -4 , you probably should call (and sometimes even bet, partially for deceptive purposes). But if there's a pair on that flop, such as 10 -10 -7 , you should often fold. Why? It's because the flush attempt is usually only marginally profitably (on average) without the pair present. The increased chances of you making a flush only to have it beat by a full house when a pair is present often makes the pursuit unprofitable. That's why, if you think the pursuit of the flush would only show a small profit without the pair, you should almost always fold with the pair present. Rare exceptions might involve times when you can use the presence of the pair to bluff or to posture

Review of Online Poker Sites and Poker Informational Sites Online poker is a new industry and that means changes occur very quickly. There are new online poker sites all the time and informational sites. Instead of listing these sites in this book, I will have a page on HoldemBrain.com with information on online poker sites and poker informational sites. If one is going to play poker or look up informational sites online, one will have to go online anyway, so make a pitstop at HoldemBrain.com to check out current reviews.