skill and luck in pocker
Often for those who are not entirely knowledgable about pocker, the idea of there being a large element of skill involved is often met with surprise. People have said to me in the past ‘whatever cards come out is determined by luck, and so clearly the winner must be too’. www.pacificpocker.com
Firstly I must point out that a player can be forced out of a hand before they have a chance to make what would have been the best hand in a pot, and sometimes can even be bluffed out after they make it. There are many other skill based factors that make a great difference in terms of winning and losing and despite these, I cannot argue against the fact that sometimes in the game of pocker, a player can make a wrong move and end up with twice the amount of chips they had previously, or that a hand can be played pefectly and still result in the loss of many chips because someone with the worst hand called, then got very lucky.
What I can point to, in support of the notion that skill plays a huge part in the game is that, if fortune has decided that the cards will fall in such a way as to make me the best hand at the table, my skill will then dictate how much money or chips I will win by the end of the hand. Similarly if I am dealt a strong hand but one which will ultimately be second best, if I am reasonably skilled I will lose far less chips, and that is the variable that skill in pocker dictates.
So although if pocker luck causes me to lose enough hands and consequently forces me to run out of chips, then there is nothing I can do to change this of course, but what I can do is use my skill to ensure I need to be unlucky far more times than most unskilled players players before I am out of a tournament. Rest assured that luck, favours no one in the long run, and will always average out over a long enough period of time, and as such, those who display the greatest skill at the pocker tables may not win every tournament, but you will find they have a good success rate over the course of a year.
Where pocker luck is something that cannot be manipulated or changed, making the correct decisions and playing with clarity of thought, and skill, will always see you through to success as the constant fortune or misfortune you encounter as player, eventually evens itself out. www.pacificpocker.com
advantages of poker sites running freerolls
As much as Poker sites, and indeed gaming sites of any type would like to see it?s players playing for cash games all the time, giving the option for people to sit down in multi table tournaments for free with a small prize pool, is always going to be a beneficial addition to the tournament schedule when considering it?s long term implications.
There must I would think, be a reasonable proportion of new players joining a site who are either amateur players, or new to the game altogether. These types of players generally wont be depositing or playing with large amounts of money, and so gifting them the opportunity to get their bankroll started is a good way to get them interested in depositing, and playing with more money later on. Once they have more experience of the game and the site itself, they are of course far more likely to come back, especially if they have made a few friends whilst playing. As a gaming company, making people feel welcome and giving them an opportunity to get started for little or no money, is always going to be good business sense in the long run, as most players will become depositing members of the site at a later date.
The advantages to the poker player are of course obvious, the ability to begin a bankroll from nothing, and with a little care increase it to a more substantial balance primarily. Also this gives new players the chance to really see what the gameplay is like onsite, which, if the player finds it to be of a high standard they will inevitably be more than happy to return to play their poker on that particular poker site.
how to enter the WSOP online
In recent years the number of people entering the world series through online tournaments has seen considerable growth, and with the 2003 main event champion Chris ‘Moneymaker’ having won his buy in through an online satellite costing just $39, it?s easy to see why. Online satellites are of course the perfect way for players of more modest means who cannot afford or do not wish to pay the full buy in to gain entry to the world series of pocker, and perhaps go on to win life changing sums of money. To actually win this seat in the main event a player must overcome hundreds or even thousands of other players, so you might think that paying a small buy in for a satellite tournament is not worth going for. To be honest, I have never entered one myself as even the optimistic dreamer in me cannot overcome the glaring fact that I would have to be very successful in two, or three concurrent multi table tournaments to even make it to the World Series, without even considering the task of surviving long enough to make the money once I get there.
Even though I have faith in my skill as a poker player the odds are just too slim for me to persuade myself that satellites are an economically viable use of my bankroll. Despite this, the evidence is there that it can, and has been done by others, so if you feel you have the time, patience, and skill necessary to succeed then by all means try. These satellites can be found on almost any online poker site in the months preceding the World Series, and so, if you wish to try and win yourself a path into the poker history books, then best of luck, for now is the time to get started.
keeping your chipstack secure once you have accumulated it
There is always going to be a stage during the latter part of a pocker tournament where, if you have had a successful tournament thus far and accrued a relatively healthy chip stack, you will need to work at keeping yourself up there with the leaders. Two nights ago I faced a similar situation in an Omaha $500 gauranteed re-buy tournament, having built myself up to over double the average in chips at that point, and with 15 players left out of 32. This can sometimes be a difficult position to be in, you can play super tight and probably make the final table with a shorter stack, but I wouldnt advise this, especially in the case of a tournament like mine, which only payed 5 places.
My immediate strategy was an obvious one, considering the two players to my left had considerably less chips and were playing rather tight. I started putting pressure on them pre-flop when I was on the button or in the small blind. This isnt something you can do every time the blinds are in that position, another player may have already raised the pot for example, which would greatly increase the risk of attempting such a play and no longer make it viable. If however all others have folded, which is often the case when the blinds are big, then it is certainly worth a try. I managed to make this play successfully more than once, and was careful not to get involved in large pots with the bigger chip stacks unless absolutely necessary. Because if you are involved in a hand and the worst should happen against a smaller chip stack, then you are still in the tournament, this is not always going to be the case if you lose to one of the chip leaders.
In addition to these things I feel it is important to maintain concentration by way of observing each hand even if you have folded pre flop. This helps you to gain a feel of whether a player is waiting for stronger hands or playing a more loose game, and although this may seem trivial, these observations can be crucial when you find yourself needing to make a big decision. I managed to get 3rd place in my Omaha tournament in the end, turning a buy-in, and add-on total of $4.40 into $116. Im not saying this can be done in every tournament by any means, but providing you are picking up chips without getting yourself involved in too many large pots, and you are making careful and calculated decisions, you should make it to the money paying places fairly often from a strong position, in the middle phase of the tournament.
rakeback – what is it and how to get it
Rakeback is an excellent opportunity for players to be able receive a percentage back of the rake that they provide their poker site with whenever they sit down to play pocker. Many sites these days have an ongoing agreement going with Rakeback sites, this means that any player who joins up through a rakeback site will earn money back in the following way. The Poker sites are always keen to keep a steady flow of new players onto their site, the rakeback site provides this, and with each player they direct to their associated poker site they receive a financial bonus based on the rake received from this player by the poker site. The rakeback site then offers a percentage of this money back to the player on a monthly basis.
From the view of the poker site they only have to pay money out once they have received extra profit from new players, the rakeback sites of course are more than content to gain money for pointing people towards the front door of a poker site, and the players will always be happy to be given a monthly sum of money simply from playing poker. This provides a beneficial system for all parties involved and so is well worth considering if you are thinking of joining a new poker site. The only downside is that if you have rakeback bonuses in place then you can often forfeit some of the bonuses offered by the sites themselves, if you play poker often though I wold think the advantages gained from rakeback bonuses would far exceed offers like initial deposit bonuses, and so should be considered a great investment by the regular poker player.
reload bonuses and how they work
Reload bonuses are offered by many pocker sites in addition to the usual welcome bonuses, they are very similar in the way that they work too, basically any money deposited into your poker account will have a percentage matched by the site itself, the bonus percentages sometimes being very generous too. This of course is designed to offer more temptation in terms of depositing further money if you happen to lose. As a player, reload bonuses are always a welcome addition to deposited money, they are not usually in constant effect however. Often a poker site will choose to put these bonuses into effect randomly, and you will often find that qualifying for the bonus is subject to certain requirements. These are in place as protection from the sites point of view, stopping players from withdrawing all their balance and simply depositing the same back in, thereby receiving the bonus as free money, if everyone did this when a reload bonus was advertised, it wouldn?t be a profitable investment for the site by any means. Regardless of the restrictions that have to be put into place to prevent the previously mentioned situation from occuring, for the most part, reload bonuses are very helpful to a player who has run out of money and decides to deposit again, and can be found on many gaming sites, to the benefit of both the poker sites and the players themselves.
playing and winning online pocker
The playing of online pocker has always been rather easy, usually consisting of downloading a particular site, logging in and then choosing your game. pockerstars.com
It’s the winning part that can prove somewhat more difficult. I think it important firstly that I make something clear when dealing with this problem, the progress of your pocker bankroll is never confined to it’s growth when you actually win a pot. You must also consider it a similar triumph when the minimum amount of chips are lost when you find yourself in a seriously unlucky position.
Of course when you play a strong pocker hand well and have the best hand at the end, your skill as a pocker player has been maximising the chip count in the pot. However when you have a very good hand but an opposing player has slightly better, I would say even more skill is required, as a player to minimise your losses. Remember to treat those two good plays as equals, it’s easy to be frustrated at the fact that your good hand lost you money, but fortune is such that these things will always happen in pocker. Concentrate on the positives.
Another very important ingredient to winning pocker is being patient and calm at all costs, I myself don’t claim to be immune to ’tilting’ I had to lose chunks of my bankroll a few times before I learned to walk away when I knew I was getting very frustrated. If ever I’m in the middle of a pocker tournament online and suffered a bad beat or two I just click ’sit out’ then go and read the newspaper for five minutes. It sounds strange I know, but concentrating my mind fully on something completely different seems to calm me down quickest, but each to their own of course. The important thing is that you don’t play pocker whilst you are angry or upset about a previous hand going badly wrong because believe me, you’ll only do more harm than good on the next hands.
When I speak of pocker patience, I don’t just mean the aforementioned type of patience, also choosing your hands well is important, if you only take flops or (extra cards in stud) with strong starting hands your winning percentages will undoubtedly increase over time. Finally I must say knowing your position in relation to the button and the blinds is always important, others who are forced to act before you immediately give you extra pocker knowledge to work with, and give you a clearer picture of how to play, or indeed not play your hand. pockerstars.com
full tilt poker freerolls
Firstly let me point out what immediately struck me as a good offer, earning just 1 Full Tilt poker point per day, which would equate to a very small amount of play indeed, gives the player access to a $2,000 monthly freeroll. This of course is based on that 1 point being earned every day without fail, and so is a reward for the dedication of the poker player and a great idea in my opinion.
Another excellent opportunity to capture a large cash prize through a freeroll alone, comes with Full Tilts ‘Iron Man’ loyalty bonus scheme. The player is granted access to a monthly freeroll of either $10,000 for a ‘Bronze’ level player, $15,000 for ‘Silver’ players, $20,000 for ‘Gold’ and a freeroll worth an outstanding $30,000 for those of ‘Iron Man’ status. These freerolls are of a considerable size of course, but the offer itself goes much further. The four winners of their respective categories will then play off against each other for an additional $5,000 with the winner of this prize, having the following reward. Three heads up games to be played against pro players, with cash prizes for each professional beaten, with a potential jackpot of $100,000 for an ‘Iron Man’ player or $50,000 for the other players upon victory over all three pros. This is of course a very tall order, but with all this possible as bonus prizes from a singular freeroll, its certainly an impressive offer.
There are also freerolls available which can find the best players going on to win a seat in some of the big live tournaments, such as the ‘World Series’ and the ‘Aussie millions’ too. All this as well as regular smaller freerolls, combine to make the freerolls on offer at Full Tilt extremely tempting indeed, and of a highly competitive standard in the world of online poker.
poker chat rooms
pocker chat rooms for me have always been beneficial and enjoyable to customers and I would feel they certainly could not have a negative impact upon online pocker sites. Most sites I have come across have their own chat rooms and these for me serve a few important functions for an online gaming site. www.fulltiltpocker.com
Firstly, a customer always wishes to feel welcome when they log onto a pocker site or go anywhere to spend their money. Chat rooms invariably result in players socially interacting which in turn, means that a player can often log in and have a game of pocker with some friendly faces instead of complete strangers. Above all they feel welcome and happy to be on a particular pocker site. Secondly it offers a place where the site can advertise latest bonuses, promotions and deals for the customer. Having a member of staff on hand to be a helpful and welcoming influence on all new comers to the site can only be a good thing for such a business also.
I myself have made many friends in pocker chat rooms and have found them a perfect place to unwind after a long multi tournament. Having been a customer on a site which closed the ‘lobby’ chat room section down following some big changes made to the site, I have to say I felt very disappointed and consequently lost touch with several pocker players I had become friends with. Perhaps from the sites point of view they feel that players like us were busy chatting when we should be at their tables playing. The point I must make in regards to that is that only the customer will decide exactly when we wish to put some of our hard won bankroll on the line. This time spent taking breaks from the strain of concentrating for long periods of time is essential.
Although I can’t claim to know the details of running an online pocker site, if I were to be running one, I can certainly say I would rather have my players unwinding amongst friends and one click away from joining one of my tables, than being on a different site between games or away from their computer altogether. For me chat rooms on pocker sites are simply essential and I’m sure many other online pocker players would be quick to agree. www.fulltiltpocker.com
superstars and winners in pocker
In terms of pocker’s brightest and finest players on the circuit today, that can largely be a matter of opinion, but personally I have always been impressed by the way Phil Ivey plays, one particular hand in the 2005 ‘Monte Carlo Millions’ (it’s easily found online) against Paul Jackson has always inspired me as a player and still does. www.pacificpocker.com
The same applies for Daniel Negreanu, who remains one of the best known and well liked players for most pocker fans and players. Although these two players stand out for me, everyone has their own opinions of what embodies a pocker superstar, when it comes to winners though one thing that cannot be denied, that Phil Hellmuth jr fits the mould perfectly.
As of last year, he is the holder of more World Series of pocker bracelets than anyone else alive with 11. When it comes to talking about winners however, I don’t discount any other pro players from this category because anyone who makes a living from playing pocker has to be extremely talented to do so. Despite the continuing challenges from Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan (both on 10 bracelets) in terms of the most successful man at the World Series, Phil Hellmuthjr remains the man to beat.
Another man who immediately springs to mind when I think of a ‘star’ of the game is Scotty Nguyen, as well as his great personality, he always seems to be relaxed and smiling at the tables. In 1998 won the world series main event in true Scotty style, on the last hand, raising all in then standing up to take a sip of beer he declared to his opponent, ‘you call it’s gonna be all over baby’ his opponent felt he was lying, called, and it was indeed all over.
Such phrases and moments are now legendary in pocker’s history and there are many players out there, who are winners, and who bring this star quality to pocker’s biggest events each year. But for me, these few previously mentioned names shine just a little brighter than their counterparts, and are an integral part of the major events across the globe, bringing the magic moments and inspirations to players such as myself, and many other players like me. www.pacificpocker.com
