Poker basics: table etiquette
If you want to enjoy the game of poker then you should learn the unwritten rules of this game. This is as important for success as the actual game plan and strategies of poker. If you play this game with the right kind of etiquette then other players will also respect you. Make sure that you follow the poker etiquettes and enjoy the game. Some of the etiquettes are:
• The basic thing you need to follow in this game is politeness. Try to be as polite as possible and think that you are playing with your good friends and not opponents. Don’t swear at other players because bad behavior can harm the quality of poker.
• You should never toss your poker chips because this can help your opponents to count your bet. There are strong chances that you will be forced to put in more chips, so don’t be tempted to spend more money.
• Players should never get involved in cursing the card dealer because if you don’t like a hand or don’t win, it is not the fault of the dealer.
• You should never rely on the card dealer in the game of poker, especially if you lack the skill of reading hands. If you are a novice then avoid it strictly and don’t ask for help from other players.
• One hand for one player-this is another etiquette that needs to be followed by the players. Do not advice your opponents.
• Playing the game of poker very slowly is not considered to be good poker etiquette. Many players feel that a slow game will bring a lot of surety. If they keep on thinking like this then no excitement is left in the game and players will get impatient. So if you want to avoid having a bad reputation among your fellow players then avoid playing slow.
• Pocketing the poker chips is not considered good etiquette. This should be avoided in order to bring down the chances of losing everything that you have.
• A poker player should act only when a situation demands and not before that. If it is not your turn then avoid folding even though no interest is left in the game for you. Early folding will send a sign to your opponents and you can lose a lot.
• If you are playing in a real life casino then avoid eating while playing because your opponents many not enjoy touching greasy cards.
• When you play, do not expose your poker cards because it can lead to loss.
These are some of the etiquettes that need to be followed by every poker player in order to gain respect and enjoy a good game.
Common mistakes made in online poker
There are some common online poker mistakes that novices as well as experienced poker players make. If you want to be successful in this game, you have to practice certain strategies so that more pits can be won. You should learn to avoid these common mistakes and get an advantage over your opponents.
Distraction: Winning a poker game is all about skills, but you also need to have some attention span. You need to concentrate on the details of this game. In case of distraction, players don’t use their skills and leave everything to luck. If you are a novice, then you should learn handling more than 3-4 games at a time. Playing at home can ruin your attention to a great extent due to the phone, radio or TV; so make sure that you avoid all these distracting elements as far as possible.
Use of auto-play functions: The main function of the auto-play button is to speed up the game. When you use this button you must know that it is being used at the cost of your poker chips. In online poker, players are very far from each other and the only tells in this game is the duration taken by a player to act on his hand.
Delay in check: weakness
Instantaneous check: weakness
Instantaneous call: strength
Quick bet: strength
The first tell is all about understanding of the psychology of this game, but other three are based on auto play buttons. Clicking on the automatic check button when you have a weak hand will convey your weakness.
Too much talking: There are many online poker players who talk a lot because according to them this will not serve as tell. They fail to realize that besides the use of the auto-play button, talking can be the biggest online poker ‘tell’. So never waste time in talking to your opponents.
Never make enemies in poker: Try to avoid making enemies in this game because it is not a good idea. Avoid saying anything to your opponents when you win a pot, instead just drag the chips in a gracious manner. Don’t whine when you lose a game because making enemies will mean-they will gun for you.
To show cards: This is another mistake made by players in online poker. It is not a good thing to show your cards because according to some players this puts others on tilt and makes them less confident. So it is better to avoid hurting your opponents because it can hurt and place you out of a good game.
5 Ways To Conquer Poker Tilt
by Henri Junttila
The river card peels off, it is harmless, until your opponent flips over his hand. You’ve just lost the huge pot on the river to a runner runner straight. You feel yourself getting warmer and the frustration builds up until you just don’t care about what happens.
For the next few rounds you lose more and more money. All the while you think about that horrible beat you got. He was practically drawing dead and he won, how can it be?
You know why you’re reading this article. This happens to all of us and you are not an exception. I am glad you’re reading this because that makes you one of the few that have the guts to take a hold of this phenomenon. It is not easy to face yourself and improve in this way.
There are simple steps to eliminate and minimize this kind of behavior. I call this poker tilt or simply tilt.
In simple words, it is when you lose control that bad things happen. It often looks like you have control when you do not.
Here are 5 ways you can start minimizing tilt:
1. Fear - There is fear in everyone of us. Some have more, some have less. It doesn’t make you any better or worse than anyone else. It does sound new-agey, but trust me. After over 3 years of playing poker and battling with my inner demons, I know there is truth to this. I am one of those people who try stuff out before telling others about it. And this time I am telling you that you have to identify why you are tilting. You cannot banish something before you have identified it.
2. Identify Your Goal(s) - What is the reason you are playing poker? Most non-professionals get mad because they lose to bad beats. Why do they play poker? I would assume it is to have fun. My #1 goal is to have fun and making money comes second. I started playing poker because I enjoyed it and I intend to keep it that way. What is your goal when you are playing? What is the need to feel like crap while you’re playing? So what if you lose some money. Play the limits where the money doesn’t hurt and have some fun!
3. Listening To Yourself - Have you ever thought about listening to your mind and observing your body? What are the signs of you going into that zone of “I don’t care about anything”? My signs for example are that I get a feeling in my chest, I get hot and start to sweat. Frustration and anger build up and this is when I know I have to stop playing unless I want to lose money. Sometimes I slip and keep playing, it happens to everyone but everyone has lapses. The more you do this, the better you become. If you even practice these steps a little you are way ahead of most people on this earth.
4. Knowing When To Quit - Let us face it. We will not be able to control ourselves, we are not robots. That is why you have to learn when to quit a game. Learn what your signs of poker tilt are and quit before you start making those bad moves! If you are an aspiring poker player and would some day want to make money playing poker then this single poker tip will be HUGE for your poker game, I promise!
5. Fun - Keeping it fun is what has kept me from going insane. It is all to easy for me to fall into a rut of making money, making money and making more money. Money is not where happiness lies, it is the things that it can give us. Freedom is one of those things and of the most important for me. And if I cannot keep poker fun then why would I want to play? Ask yourself these questions and see what comes up 
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Texas Holdem Overview
by Steve Young
When it comes to playing online poker, or for that matter live poker, it is not all about the cards that are in your hand, but what the other people playing against you think you may have in your hand. A good bluff is often worth more than a handful of good cards. This game of chance is becoming extremely popular in eastern parts of Europe. Visit http://www.pokerroom.com/ for more information.
The skill to bluffing is essential to becoming a good poker player. If you have not learned this skill, then you will not be able to win as big of pots and have the edge that players who can bluff have over you. When some people learn to bluff for the first time, they become addicted to it. They keep doing it over and over, and it starts to catch up with them because others will realize they are most likely bluffing and call them on it. The bottom line is you need to be careful about bluffing and use self-control when it comes to deciding when to bluff.
For those first starting out, the variety of poker games can be a bit daunting. Luckily, there is one game (Texas Holdem) which is essentially the standard. So if you learn this, then you will be able to play with most people you meet. Better then this, it can be learnt in just a few minutes, although it takes years to master fully. So you can learn the rules, start playing, and be reasonably good in only a few hours practice. The most important thing to remember is that there are only two cards of yours that your opponent cannot see. You have to decide if you stay in right off, which is a pretty big decision to make with only two cards in hand. You can check out some advice and probabilities at http://www.pokerroom.com/texas-holdem, which may help you out. And of course, if you need to practice, you can play free poker online at several different sites including pokerroom.com.
Texas Holdem Overview:
1. You need at least four players, one of whom is the dealer. This position changes each round, and the current dealer has a marker–the dealer marker–in front of them.
2. Use a normal deck of 52 cards.
3. To start the game, the dealer gives each player two cards face down- these are the hole cards.
4. When it’s your turn you can choose to call, raise or fold.
5. The amount you can bet will be different depending on the type of game being played.
6. Once betting is done, the dealer burns a card and flips over three cards, called the flop.
7. There is another round of betting.
8. The dealer burns another card, and flips the turn card onto the table.
9. Everyone bets again, beginning with the player to the dealers left.
10. The dealer then burns one last card, and flips one over. This card is the river.
11. Each player has to make the best 5-card hand they can with the two cards in hand, and the five on the table. You can see a list of the possible hands at http://www.pokerroom.com/
12. There is one more round of betting.
13. Anyone still in the game reveals their hand.
14. The player with the best hand wins. If two players have winning hands, they split the pot.
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Texas Holdem Poker
by Steve Young
When you want to learn everything about poker, come on over to pokerroom.com/texas-holdem. We pride ourselves on being the place with everything you need to know about Texas Holdem and other poker games. What you’ll learn from us can used online or at regular live games. Are you new to Poker? You’ll find more information that you ever thought was available with us. And old dogs can learn new tricks too; we have lots of great tips and strategy guides available for our more knowledgeable players
ABOUT TEXAS HOLDEM POKER
Strategy is the key to Texas hold em poker. In order to win, you need to have a good strategy.
Like the song says, know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em. That’s where your ability to bluff, and a good memory, come in handy. You need to keep in mind whatever odds and
This is not just something to recall when you first look at your cards, but also something that you need to keep thinking about as you play. Your strategy needs to include a way to deal with whatever cards you may be dealt, as well as reacting to your opponents. In fact, sometimes the best strategy can be to react to what your opponents are doing, rather then just thinking about your own cards.
Pokerroom.com contains information on practically ever aspect of poker, including not just game based information such as rules and hand ranking, but also less well known details, such as the history of the game or the probabilities of hands. It is well worth skimming through the site, as there is a host of useful, and interesting, information there. On other sites you’ll find some parts of it, but nowhere has gathered the same volume of good information.
PLAYING TEXAS HOLDEM POKER ONLINE
If you’ve seen Texas Holdem recently, whether you saw it on TV, in a magazine, or wherever, you’ll know that it is getting pretty big. In fact, thanks to the constantly growing online poker community, it has become one of the most popular games. Although it can seem difficult when you are watching it, it’s really not that hard to learn.
It’s so easy to take part. All you have to do is create an account and log on, and you’re ready to go. If you don’t want to bet big bucks, you can play for fun, with no fees. Learn more at www.pokerroom.com/poker.
You can play poker with various Poker games from Omaha to Stud, from Draw to Texas Holdem plus many more Casino games any time you want and with our mobile technologies anywhere you want, our Poker Rooms are open 24-7.
WOMEN PLAYING & EUROPEAN POKER
It’s not just a bunch of cigar smoking men who are playing poker, but women are also into the game. Many of these female players limit their playing to online. Some of these women are housewives that are using online poker playing as a way to make some cash on the side.
A number of women in Europe are becoming more involved with playing poker. In Europe playing poker is not just a game, but also has become a part of the fashion and is a very popular trend.
In the end, the one thing you need to keep in mind above all when playing poker, is to have fun. Poker is just a game, so enjoy it. And of course, if you need any additional help, then drop by. www.pokerroom.com is here for you, and we want you to enjoy your playing experience. So play as much as you want today, and drop in again the next time you feel the need for poker.
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