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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If you desire to take your poker game to the next level then visit texas holdem poker 101 where you will find an extensive resource of high quality poker tips made by a professional gambler.
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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Author Steve Young is a professional poker player, who now provides advice on online poker. Click to visit his play poker web site.
The 7 Texas Holdem Strategy Commandments
First one card, then another slides your way. The first is an Ace, the second a Nine and they’re both spades. How do you play a hand like this?
Are you confused? Don’t worry, most players are! The player first to act raises and your hand is pretty so you call in the big blind after everyone has folded. You manage to flop an Ace but you get trapped and lose 50% of your stack to the early position raiser because he had Ace King and had you dominated the whole way. You’re a bit confused but shrug it off as bad luck. Did you play bad or was it just unfortunate? What if I said that usually it is bad play, a bad pre-flop decision? Texas holdem strategy mistakes like these are easy to make when you’re beginning, the more you learn the better you become so keep reading!
Texas Holdem strategy doesn’t have to be hard. The hands that evade the TV cameras are usually the more important ones (strategically). These hands aren’t shown on TV because it is too boring to watch for the average joe.
Here Are The Golden 7:
1. Starting Hands - I know you’ve heard this by everyone on the planet, but it is crucial that you play good starting hands. Especially in any position that isn’t the button or the cut-off. You have to play very tight out of position. This is especially true out of the blinds. Play tight and you will have a good chance of winning. I promise you that!
2. Plan Ahead - A good texas holdem strategy tip is to plan ahead. Think about how the hand will play out. Will it be easy for you to play or hard?
For example a hand like Ace Ten of hearts in the small blind after 2 limpers and a big raise from the button. This hand will most likely be very hard to play after the flop, because if you hit your ace you aren’t sure if you have the best hand and the same goes for a ten high flop. This is why planning ahead is crucial in a game like No-Limit Hold’em
3. Stay Cool - Learn to identify signs of poker tilt. Do you get frustrated after you lose a pot? Do you get angry? Whatever your sign is you have to be aware of it. You have to learn to take a break or just quit because if you do not, you will inevitably end up losing more money than you should. Poker tilt will usually impair your judgment and get you into sticky spots because you think you can do something you cannot.
4. Finding the Fish - If you only play with poker players that you have an edge against then the natural outcome will be you winning a lot of money. Learn how to select good poker games and don’t overestimate yourself. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Choose games where you have an easy time winning, and work with people to improve your weaknesses!
5. Money Management - You should keep at least 20 buy-ins for the level you are playing. So if you’re playing $200 NLHE then you should have $4,000 MINIMUM. And if you drop below say $3,000 you should move down to $100 NLHE until you have $4,000 again. I know it doesn’t sound fun but if you do not want to go broke then you have to learn proper money management.
6. Keep An Open-Mind - Learn from everything you can. Discuss texas holdem strategy with friends, at forums and hire a coach to help you! I read all the books on texas holdem strategy I could find when I started out, after that I joined the 2+2 forums and after that I started discussing hands with poker players I met at the forums. The last step was to take coaching and I have been taking coaching for over 3 years now, all the time. Remember, even Tiger Woods has a coach 
7. Pleasure - You should always feel immense pleasure while playing poker. Or almost always for those of you who are professional poker players. Sometimes it just isn’t as fun as you want it to be, but you have to get those hands in because it is how you make your living. I myself try to keep it as pleasurable as possible, it’s no fun playing a game you hate, right? Henri has been a professional online poker player since 2004 and made over $300,000 to this day.
Is Your Poker Game Missing These Nuggets Of Gold?
Good poker players are made, not born. They put in tons of hours analyzing, discussing and playing poker. You might believe that poker is about outplaying the other players and not playing tight aggressive poker, because you’ve seen the crazy people play on T.V!
This couldn’t be further from the truth. Poker is something you have to learn and put time into to become good. Anyone can do it, but it takes time.
For example if you’re good at anything, you know it took time. It takes around 1,000 hours to get proficient at something and many times that to master it.
This can sound disheartening, but let me reframe it. How fast does time go when you have fun? Pretty fast, doesn’t it? So who cares if it takes time to get good at poker if you’re having a blast doing it? When you become too serious about anything you will not have a good time. Set a primary goal of having fun, everything else comes second.
Here’s a small list with the most important poker concepts, enjoy!
1 - Poker Strategy - It is important but not as important as you think. Poker strategy is of course essential, but it needs a companion, just like a car needs four wheels to function. The same is true for poker, poker strategy cannot stand on its own.
2. Tilt Control - Poker discipline is one of the most important aspects in poker. If you’re awesome when you feel good, but play like a donkey when you’ve endured a few bad beats then you will never become a winning poker player.
3. Money Management - Strict poker money management rules are needed for success. If you’re consistently playing something like $1,000 NL with a $2,000 bankroll then you are destined to go broke. You need at least 20-30 buy-ins to survive and that is if you are prepared to move down in limits if things go really bad. Also remember that these rules are for winning poker players. If you’re just starting out you want A LOT more so you can afford to learn!
4. Table Selection - If you consistently play with players who are worse than you, then you will make money. It is as simple as that!
That is my simple list. If you’d like more elaborate articles you can visit my website. I hope this helps you improve your poker game. Poker doesn’t have to be hard, you just need proper guidance.
May your pots be monsters and your cards suited!
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Best casino locations
Every year, over 100 million people visit casinos all around the world, which means a lot of people, gambling and money. As far as the top casinos in the world are concerned, it is more than gambling. There is no doubt that the increasing gaming activities in many casinos is the major source of income for the owners, but not many casinos realize the fact that attracting more visitors also means offering more. Casinos in today’s modern world act as the source of entertainment for local people and tourists. There are many casinos that claim to be a place where the whole family can enjoy. They have various options available for entertaining young and old members of the family. Listed below are some of the best casino locations in the world and if you are thinking of going for a casino holiday this year, then these locations would be worth your time and money:
Las Vegas: This is one location that is considered to be a very popular world casino district. Las Vegas is located in Nevada Desert and is full of tourists, veritable light oasis and money and entertainment options. Caesar’s Palace, of the many renowned Las Vegas casinos, is very famous. It has a huge area for gaming with two wings-one for Joe Average and other for high rollers. This casino has more than 2000 video poker machines, slots, roulette wheels, card tables and almost everything that can be expected in a world-class casino. The setting of Caesar’s Palace is impressive and opulent with beautiful marble columns, vaulted ceilings and archways that add a lot of grandeur to the casino.
If you head towards South from US: Iguazu Grand Hotel Resort & Casino is considered to be a world class premium casino resort in South America. It is located in the Puerto Iguazu area of Argentina. You can reach the casino in few minutes from the Iguazu falls. The resort is designed in European style and a number of gaming attractions are offered to visitors. It has 27 gaming tables, 130 modern slot machines and many casino staples.
African casinos: South Africa, which is the largest economy in Africa, has fabulous casino hotels. As far as the best is concerned, there are many contenders but one location that is extremely beautiful and outstanding is the Gold Reef City. You can reach here within a few minutes from Johannesburg. The casino of this hotel flaunts a wide range of gaming options and restaurants along with a 300-seat theater.
