Texas Holdem poker is a game of skill. With our Unbeatable Texas Holdem Poker Strategy, learn how to become a successful online player.

Full Tilt Poker

Posted on September 21st, 2007 in General Texas Holdem Poker Strategy by blogger

Play Online Poker
Play Online Poker

Before the US government passed the law to limit transactions to and from gambling related sites, I made a lot of money on Party Poker, Prima Network, Paradise, and other poker sites. Now-a-days, the only site that I play on because it has the combination of beatable games, high traffic, and safe transactions for US players is Full Tilt Poker.

Calculating Rake: Traditional and Contribution method

Posted on January 11th, 2007 in General Texas Holdem Poker Strategy by blogger

If you are playing at a Rake back poker room, make sure you know which method is used.

The traditional method of calculating Rake is simply taking the Rake collected and dividing it by the number of players. 

An example of this would be:

If a player contributes $20 to a $100 pot, and poker room collects $5.00 as Rake from that pot, then the Rake per player for a 10 player table is $0.50. This type of Rake system benifits tight players.

The industry is moving towards the contribution method, a.k.a. t_rake.

An example of this would be:

If a player contributes $20 to a $100 pot, and the poker room collects $5.00 as Rake from that pot, then t_rake = ($5.00 x $20) / $100 = $1.00. This method benifits the aggressive players.

Rake

Posted on December 13th, 2006 in General Texas Holdem Poker Strategy by blogger

What is the Rake?

The Rake is the money, which is removed from each pot to pay the House.

How much is the Rake?

The Rake has a variable structure dependant on the table limits. Most poker rooms take 3 - 5% and cap it at $3.

Is everyone at the table subject to the Rake?

Only players who are active in the hand are subject to the Rake. Active players are players who contribute to the pot in any way i.e. post a blind, bet, raise or re-raise. Players who are sitting out of a hand will not have their Rake allocations credited for that hand.

How can I benifit from this?

Here is a list of Texas Holdem Poker Rooms that offer Rake Back:

Royal Card Club

Funding Texas Holdem Poker Accounts

Posted on December 9th, 2006 in General Texas Holdem Poker Strategy by blogger

Signing up for one of the following online wallets will help you facilitate the process of depositing and withdrawing money to and from your poker accounts. Although this process may take some time to complete, it is a one time process that you will only need to do once.

Neteller The online wallet most widely used by our members. To register an account with NETeller, you will need to:

  1. Register a bank account.
  2. Verify your bank account. NETeller will deposit two small sums into your account for you to verify. (3-5 days)
  3. Deposit funds via EFT (free). (3-5 days)
  • Most Recommended!
  • Most Compatible!
  • Most Secure!
FirePay Recommended - A FirePay Personal Account is a FREE Web-based bank account that works like a debit card - you deposit money into your FirePay Personal Account, and then use your account to purchase goods and services online. No more credit card rejections or waiting for the check to clear. With FirePay, simply register and validate your bank account to gain immediate access to deposited funds. FirePay is a Web-based cash account that can be used by anyone who has a U.S bank account. A FirePay Personal Account is similar to a credit card. When you sign up for your FirePay Personal Account you will be given a 16-digit account number and an expiry date. Fund your FirePay Personal Account directly from your U.S. bank account, and immediately use the funds at any merchant that accepts FirePay.
Citadel Recommended - Citadel is a fast and secure alternative to credit card purchasing. If you don’t have a credit card but you do have a bank account then you can use Citadel to deposit credits at our Casino. Citadel is currently available to US resident users with US Dollar bank accounts in the United States and to Canadian resident users with both US Dollar and Canadian Dollar bank accounts in Canada. This may change so please visit http://www.citadelcommerce.com/ for more information.
Credit Card Recommended - but not available for all countries  
Checks Recommended - but not available for all countries  

Cheating in Texas Holdem Poker

Posted on December 8th, 2006 in General Texas Holdem Poker Strategy by blogger

Cheating in Texas Holdem Poker happens at games of all limits. Learn how to identify cheaters so that you can:

  1. report their unlawful play to the appropriate authorities.
  2. develop a Texas Holdem strategy that minimizes the effects of Cheating.

Fortunately, in online Texas Holdem poker, you do not have to worry about slight of hand, bottom/second deck dealing, marked cards, and other forms of Cheating involving deck manipulation.

What you *do* need to look out for is Collusion - when two or more players play differently against each other than against the rest of the table.

Here are some examples of Collusion:

    1. The Whip Saw - partners at the opposite ends of a table raising and reraising the pot to trap players in between.
    2. Soft Playing - failing to bet or raise in a situation that would normally merit it.
    3. Information Trading - trading information between partners for an increased statistical advantage.
    4. Chip Dumping (Tournaments) - deliberately losing to a partner to keep the partner alive.
    5. *Coffeehousing - chatting among players that could influence the play or outcome of a game. Although this is not precisely a form of collusion, it is generally a violation of play conduct and should be reported.

If you are playing at a poker game where you strongly suspect Cheating, you can file a report to help keep the poker rooms clean. However, since cheaters are rarely banned immediately from play, here are some tactics you can add to your Texas Holdem strategy to protect yourself, and potentially profit from, potential cheaters.

Cheating Type How It Benefits The Cheaters Suggested Remedy
The Whip Saw The partners will milk more money out of trapped players. Especially hurts people who utilize implied odds calculations in Texas Holdem to determine their betting strategy on a given hand, forcing them to commit more chips earlier than would be otherwise appropriate. Fold if you do not have the nut.
Soft Playing At a full Texas Holdem poker table, you have 9 opponents. Soft players are friends with each other and therefore will attempt to maximize their profits on stronger hands.. None - will not affect your play at a low limit table to a notable degree.
Information Trading Sharing information can give players a statistical advantage over other players, especially for calculating their Texas Holdem outs & odds. Very difficult to detect. None - will not affect your play at a low limit table to a notable degree.
Chip Dumping (Tournaments) In Texas Holdem tournament play, chips equal power. Bluffs are more effective because players facing elimination cannot simply reload. One player with 2000 chips can take a lot more small pots than two players with 1000 chips. None - will not affect your play at the smaller tournaments.
Coffeehousing This is just annoying. Report the player(s) involved.

Texas Holdem Poker Tilt

Posted on December 8th, 2006 in General Texas Holdem Poker Strategy by blogger

Emotional Considerations:
Tilt - For example, you just lost a big pot with your trip AAA because someone paid a pot size bet and caught his inside straight draw. On the next hand you go all in with QJ in early position, a play that is usually not a part of your Texas Holdem strategy. Naturally you should quit if you go on tilt.

Money Management Considerations:
You should also quit when you have more money at the table than you should risk. For example, a beginner has just doubled his $10 into $20. Her Bankroll is $100. She might consider leaving because it is not a good idea to put 20% of your Bankroll at risk.
Ideally, you should only have 1/30 of your Bankroll at risk on any given table.

Texas Holdem Poker Tells

Posted on December 8th, 2006 in General Texas Holdem Poker Strategy by blogger

Tells - when your opponent’s behavior gives you information about the strength or weakness of his or her hand.
Online tells are less accurate than real life tells. So it is probably a better idea to just play your cards. However, when used appropriated, they can be an important aspect of your Texas Holdem strategy.

Online Texas Holdem tells:

  • Repetitive Betting Pattern -
    • players using auto-button that break from the pattern is a clear tell.
    • a very fast check can indicate wekness proflop
    • quick bets on the turn or river often indicate strength
  • Weak is Strong/Strong is Weak -
    • a pause followed by a check suggests weakness
    • a delay followed by a raise often indicates strength
  • Name
    • BluffALot - probably never bluffs
    • Rock - probably bluffs

Texas Holdem Poker Opponent Types

Posted on December 8th, 2006 in General Texas Holdem Poker Strategy by blogger
  1. Loose $$$$
  2. Calling Station $$$
  3. Tight (Rock) $$
  4. Skilled (Shark) $

1. $$$$ Loose players are where most of your poker winnings will come from. There is no need to be tricky against these players. Fold your weak hands and bet aggressively with your strong hands.
2. $$$ Calling Stations are the players that will call with second, third, or even fourth best hands. They don’t really care about kickers and play second pairs. These players will pay you off when you have top pair with high kicker.
3.$$ Rocks - Beginners should avoid these players. You will make little money from them. When you become more experienced, you will learn when and how to bluff these guys out of a pot.
4.$ Skilled - These players are tight at times and loose at times, depending on the situation. You see these players day after day. Avoid these players initially until you pick up on their tendencies, such as when they semi-bluff. Generally, you will make little money from these guys.

Texas Holdem Poker Hand Value

Posted on December 8th, 2006 in General Texas Holdem Poker Strategy by blogger

Pocket Cards that can flop into very strong Texas Holdem hands:

  • Pocket Pairs into Three of a Kinds
  • Ace-Suited into Nut Flush Draw
  • Suited Connectors into Flush or Straight Draws

Frequent second best Texas Holdem hands:

  • AQ, AJ, AT, KQ, KJ to sets, straight, flush
  • Lower Flush to Higher Flush
  • Flush and Straights to Boats (Full House)
  1. When players hit top pair with high kicker in Texas Holdem, they often attribute too much value to their hand and commit their entire stacks. However, the only players willing to give you a big stack is either a loose player or someone with an even better poker hand (i.e. Trips, Straight). Top pairs are good at winning little stacks in Texas Holdem. Be careful not to lose big stacks with them.
  2. When there is a possible flush danger and you bet strong, a caller or raiser probably also has a flush. (Top Pairs and sometimes even Sets will likely fold). So unless you have the ace, do not commit your entire stack just because you have a flush.
  3. Whenever the board pairs, the value of flush and straights in Texas Holdem goes down because of the potential of someone else’s set turning into a Full House.

These hands are good Texas Holdem Poker Hands and will win you money. Just don’t overvalue them and lose big stacks with them. With this in mind, it is very important that you have proper Money Management skills so that you stay within your emotional boundaries.

Managing Your Online Poker Accounts

Posted on December 8th, 2006 in General Texas Holdem Poker Strategy, Membership Strategy by blogger

If your texas holdem poker Bankroll increases, you can try to move up to a higher no limit table. But if chipstack drops, makes sure you step down so you don’t risk going bankrupt.

Level Bankroll Sit In Amount No Limit Table Size Strategy/Skill Level
1 $0 - $50 $2 $0.05/$0.10 Beginner
2 $51 - $150 $4 $0.10/$0.20 Beginner
3 $151 - $500 $10 $0.25/$0.50 Intermediate - Short Stack
4 $501 - $1000 $20 $0.25/$0.50 Intermediate - Mid Stack
5 $1001 - $2000 $40 $0.50/$1.00 Intermediate - Mid Stack
6 $2000 - $4000 $100 $0.50/$1.00 Professional - Max Sit In
7 $4001 - $8000 $200 $1.00/$2.00 Professional
8 $8001 - $10,000 $400 $2.00/$4.00 Professional
9 $10,001 - $50,000 $500 $2.50/$5.00 Professional
10 $50,001 - $100,000 $1000 $5.00/$10.00 Professional
11 $100,001 - $200,000 $5000 $25.00/$50.00 Professional

Hidden Free Poker Strategy Membership Content

Next Page »