Key Skills to Master to Succeed at Poker

Poker is one of the most classic gambling games of all time. You could, of course, play it only for fun. But there’s more thrill in a high stakes bet that rides on your next decision. It’s the stuff so many movies are made of, and one of the classic Las Vegas moments we all aspire to have.

 

That said, poker is also a strategically complex game that demands excellent social skills. You have to know when to hold ‘em and fold ‘em, as the song goes. You also need to be good at reading people and possibly fooling them. If you’re already good at those things, then you’re on the right track! If not, there’s no shame in that. Analyzing people and making informed decisions on their nature is an entire field of study. So is guessing the validity of your poker hand. There’s a reason people make a profession out of poker playing.

 

If you want to up your poker game, we’ve included some tips and tricks for you. These won’t make you a pro overnight, but if you put these into practice over your next few games, you’ll find a lot more hands going in your favor. If you’re playing for money, you might even find your wallet getting fatter. So read on to learn the key tactics you need to work on to become a poker master.

 

The Best Way To Bluff

Let’s get right into the most famous poker skill: bluffing. You’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s all about lying really well, or tricking other players into thinking you have an unbeatable hand. In reality, your bluffing game should be more about buying time to turn a decent hand into a great one.

 

If you find that your hand is simply garbage, you’re better off folding and waiting for the next round. You lose less that way and can try to come back stronger when the cards are more in your favor.

 

You want to try bluffing when your hand actually has potential. Even if it isn’t great in the current form, you might be able to turn it into a straight or flush with future draws. That’s when you bluff – when you want to buy time for better cards or get your opponent to fold. Pros call this a “semi-bluff” as you’re not totally lying. You are still betting on the chance of something good happening, but you’re better off than if you were trying to completely bluff a bad hand.

Go All-Out On Your Good Hands

As said in the tip above, just fold if your hand isn’t going to go anywhere. Your goal is to limit the hands you’re playing to ones that can believably be a win. When such a hand does come along, be ready to go on the offense.

 

Aggressive play can scare off less experienced players easily. It can even give poker enthusiasts second guesses about their hands. It can be hard to project full confidence, but it’s a skill you must master to make the most of your game. Raise, semi-bluff, and play as quickly as you comfortably can. After some rounds of doing this successfully, the other players will learn to be wary of you.

 

Play With People That Are Worse Than You

It might sound mean, but the best way to win and make money is to bully weaker players. That doesn’t mean actually harassing them, just that there’s no shame in being the best player at the table. You should prefer that, in fact, as it makes it easier to consistently win. This tip goes differently if you’re playing for the love of the game, as then you might relish the challenge. But if cashing in is your goal, be sure to leave the table once you discover someone is consistently outplaying you. Look for players who hesitate or raise too eagerly, as those are the ones who are prime to make mistakes that you can take advantage of.

 

It’s an exciting time to be a poker player, as you can engage using online casinos to stay safe and play at your convenience. This goes doubly for those in Arizona, as online gambling just became formally legal. DraftKings Arizona is open for business, as are many other great online casinos and sports betting sites. Many are offering great bonuses for signing up during the opening, so check in to get some extra plays and put your new poker skills to the test.

A Poker Champion’s Knack for Knowing

Poker Pro Vanessa Russo

Poker Pro Vanessa Russo

Making the Best Decisions

In poker, the way we used to delineate players who relied on their intuition was to call them “feel players.” This could range from amateurs who knew nothing about strategy to highly decorated players like Phil Hellmuth. Most players start out with some basic strategy combined with gut instinct. As they move up the ranks, their strategy continues to improve and they tend to rely less on feel. They have default hands they specifically open from each position. They develop strategies for certain board textures and learn how to categorize hands that need to be played a certain way. Eventually, at the highest stakes, they may even develop a strategy derived from running millions of simulations on a computer. This process is vital and necessary to becoming a top poker player.

But if everyone is using the same tools, what separates the best from the fifth best? Or twentieth best? Is it superior reasoning ability? Is it a better handle on their emotions? Is it just running more simulations or ‘working harder?’ Amongst the ultra-elite, what makes the difference?

Fedor Holz was the best tournament poker player I’ve ever played with. I have no doubt he would’ve continued to dominate the high-stakes scene had he retired to pursue entrepreneurial ventures. What made Fedor special was…

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Striking the Balance Between Luck and Skill

Maria Konnikova:

A few years ago, I went through a period in my life where it seemed like everything that could go wrong did.

Out of nowhere, I came down with an autoimmune disorder that no one could diagnose. My grandmother, totally healthy, slipped on her way to the bathroom, and never woke up. My husband lost his job. My mom lost her job, all in a span of weeks.

We don’t really think about the importance of luck in life when things are going our way. But all it takes is a series of events totally outside our control to make it clear just how limited our agency can sometimes be.

So, what should we do? For an answer, I turned to a less-than-traditional teacher, the game of poker. And more than any experience in my life, including my Ph.D. in psychology, it has taught me both the crucial importance of skill and its limits.

Most people assume that poker is luck. It isn’t. You can win with the worst hand and lose with the best hand. Remind you of anything? In fact, it turns out the actual best hand wins only some 12 percent of the time. What happens the other 88 percent? The best hand gets outplayed by superior skill…

All Bets on Yellow: Double Free Spins Bonus Roulette in Sweden

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Roulette is definitely one of the easiest casino games to play. Its rules are so simple that you don’t need to even memorize it all. You only have to bet, see the dealer spin the wheel, then let the ivory ball decide your wager’s fate. Roulette is also famed for its very fast pace and its near fifty-fifty chances of winning. Thus, many gamblers have flocked to it, admiring its streamlined design and enjoying the very exciting feel there is in every spin.

That said, one can conclude that roulette is a very successful casino game. It’s now so popular in casinos that almost nobody remembered how it started from a derivative of a perpetual motion machine created by the French inventor Blaise Pascal. Who can blame this majority of roulette players? After all, roulette has evolved far beyond its origins and has given way to countless variations.

Roulette Normally, people will always think of American and European roulette once roulette variations come to mind. American roulette is a version known for its two zero slots and for having a high house edge, while European roulette is a more internationally popular variant for having a single zero roulette wheel, and therefore, higher winning odds. However, these aren’t the only forms of roulette. There are countless others, some of which have been popularized by online roulette casinos.

One of these variations is the double bonus free spins roulette, which as we can agree, has a rather mouthful name. This version of the casino game is distinct for having a yellow “B” slot, which is considered a single bet but with a higher payout. This is 50% larger than the usual pocket, giving the ball better chances of landing on it. Once the ball lands on this slot, you’ll be awarded with two free spins, whether you have placed chips on it or in a different number. As you have probably guessed, this feature is where the double bonus spins roulette got its name.

As previously mentioned, you can also place a bet on the lone yellow slot. You can actually make three kinds of wagers on this particular betting space. The first is the straight yellow bet that wins 12:1, or twelve times your bet. However, if the yellow comes up again in the resulting bonus spin, you’ll win 120:1, and if the same occurs in the third spin, you’ll get a whopping 1200:1 win!

The other two bets are the Split and Trio yellow bets. The first is a bet placed on the yellow B plus another placed on green 0 or 00, paying out 6:1. The second is played in a similar manner, this time covering both green slots and pays 4:1.

As you can notice, double free spins bonus roulette is played on an American live roulette online wheel and that perhaps is its biggest disadvantage. Fortunately, what extra house edge created by the zeros and the yellow slot is negated by the rare bonus spins, should yellow B ever come up at all.

Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean that you won’t find enjoyment in this version of live roulette online. The free bonus certainly is an interesting spin to the game, and the progressive win on yellow is something you’ll really hope for.

 

Does Skill Trump Luck at Poker?

“Poker is a game of tactics,” said Fatima Moreira de Melo, from PokerStars Live. “Why do you think I wear low-cut shirts when I play? You’ve got to use every advantage.”

Try telling a professional poker player that their passion is more a game of luck than strategy, and they’ll probably snort in derision. And this week research gave them scientfic ammunication to throw back at the claims too; after years of study into the matter, academics have laid their cards out and said definitively that poker…

Amaya announces largest Sunday Million tournament since 2011 and Asian poker initiatives

MONTREAL, March 17, 2015 /CNW/ – Amaya Inc. (TSX: AYA) (“Amaya” or the “Corporation”) today provided an update on multiple recent initiatives undertaken by its B2C business Rational Group to grow the game of poker across the globe, including in the emerging poker market of Asia.

US$10 MILLION PRIZE POOL IN SUNDAY MILLION ANNIVERSARY More than… [Read more…]

Skill-based BBall Tournament is Game-changer for Gambling Industry

NCAA MD Nick Faust 690x488ATLANTIC CITY — An Atlantic City, New Jersey tournament next month will reward a winner based on skill, and not luck. It might point toward a future in the gambling industry where the house does not always win, experts say.
The Borgata is hosting a $10,000 basketball free-throw tournament – a contest that is the first of its kind… [Read more…]

No-Limit Hold’em Poker Skill

Poker skill gameKnowing how much to bet is an important skill for those who specialize in no-limit hold’em. In this form of poker a player can bet from nothing to everything and all points in between during all four betting intervals.
So there are numerous opportunities to get things wrong. Bet too much and a player with a… [Read more…]

How to avoid your arm falling off? Go to the races!

 Handicapper Art ParkerBy ART PARKER

At one time you either went to the track or to Las Vegas to gamble. Now, Americans can gamble in almost every state and the greatest opportunity to do so comes in the form of a slot machine, or video poker or electronic bingo. No matter what name is given to it, the activity features man against machine. The machine is often called by its popular nickname, a one-armed bandit.

I do not know why people like to play against the bandit. These machines are programmed to pay back a certain percentage of the amount deposited over the long haul. That’s how the casino makes money and stays in business. This method of gambling is known as “playing against the house,” which legally fixes odds in its favor. Thoroughbred racing involves pari-mutuel wagering, which simply means the participants play against each other with the winners of a race sharing a common pool of wagers.

One reason I was drawn to thoroughbred racing was because of my educational background.

A large part of America that gambles knows no other method than a slot machine or similar device. The growth of casino gaming came at the perfect time in America because it fit well with the video generation. That generation has generally ignored thoroughbred racing because wagering on racing requires more than pushing a few buttons or pulling a handle. Mechanical gaming appeals to current lifestyle and is accepted by a couple of generations with “easy to do” mentalities. That is the nicest way I can say “lazy.”

Thoroughbred racing has faced challenges in maintaining its share of the gambling market and capturing America’s entertainment dollar. A big problem for thoroughbred racing is that it requires the use of brain power to have any level of success. It is not for those that are lazy and refuse to accept a challenge.  

One reason I was drawn to thoroughbred racing was because of my educational background. A corporate finance major, I was required to read all kinds of financial statements including the stock sheets found in the Wall Street Journal and other financial publications. When you view the past performances you find a similarity to the stock sheets. Bid, ask, PE ratios, fractions, etc. and racing times, finishes and racing records provide statistical evidence for one to consume. All of this is information one can use to evaluate a corporation or an individual horse, depending on which publication is being held at the moment.

While the casino patron sits in front of a machine and must only decide to pull the handle again or quit, the horse player is using brain power, logic and deep thought to make a good bet, which doesn’t necessarily mean a winning bet. A good bet is one where you have an advantage based upon odds. When I bet a horse to win, I try to do the same thing as if I am buying stock in a corporation. I am looking for a bargain. I want a horse that is going off at 10-1 while I am convinced the horse should be 4-1. When I by a stock I want a corporation that is selling for $20 per share when my evaluation tells me it should be $32 per share.

I want a bargain. A slot machine never gives you a bargain because you do not get to make a decision on the individual wager. You only decide whether or not to pull the handle…again.

If people like to gamble, large or small, thoroughbred racing offers the perfect deal. You can go to the actual track, or a simulcast parlor, or you can play via Advanced Deposit Wagering (ADW) on the internet. You can have all of the recreation you want and you can decide if you want company or not. And while you are enjoying your recreational time you can do something mentally challenging and stimulating. I promise you, a slot machine provides no mental challenge or stimulation.

To top things off you can fall in love with the greatest sport of all. It is a sport that involves interesting people and athletes, plus all of the action centers around one of God’s greatest and truly magnificent creations, a horse.

If you have not tried to be a horse player give it a shot. If you occasionally play the horses but also sit on a stool in front of a slot machine, well, come on back to the track. Play the horses where you get to make decisions about investing your dollar. If you keep playing those machines you will either eventually lose all your money or your arm will fall off trying to lose all of your money.

— Art Parker is the author of the recently released handicapping guide “KEENELAND WINNING TRAINER PATTERNS” available now for the upcoming 2011 fall meet. It can be purchased here for less than $10, or for Kindle readers at Amazon.com.