WSOP news
With the World Series of Poker 2008 only weeks away, online poker rooms are running their many satellite tournaments to win seats, and Las Vegas prepares itself for the many poker players who make the pilgrimage there each year. There are 44 bracelets up for grabs and enthusiasts for the game everywhere who cant be there, will be watching the latest bulletins coming in online with great interest. Last year Jerry Yang won the main event, and the imperious Phil Hellmuth jr, won yet another bracelet, putting his career haul on 11 and moving just single bracelet ahead of Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan, both being tied on 10.
These three titans of poker vying for supremacy and more glory will be a great spectacle this year, with of course many opportunities for the up and coming players to make their mark too. The World Series has an illustrious history dating back as far as 1949, when one Nick Dandolos sought out ‘The Horseshoe’ Casino owner Benny Binion with the request of setting up a game with the best player he could find. Johnny Moss who was an exceptional poker player of his day accepted. The men did nothing but eat sleep and play poker against one another until finally, 5 months later Nick Dandalos stood up from the table an estimated $2 million down, and spoke the infamous words, Mr Moss, I have to let you go?.
It was not however until 1970 that the World Series of Poker truly began with Johnny Moss again proving victorious. The freezeout format was introduced a year later and the World Series has never looked back. What began in the first few years as less than 10 players is now in terms of the main event, heading ever nearer to 10,000 entrants with each passing year. Whatever the outcome happens to be this year, the same faces will doubtlessly be seen the next, chasing their dreams and testing their skills against the finest players the poker world has to offer.
pocker freerolls and how they work
The aim of the pocker freeroll is simply to get something for nothing – and it’s one of the only times in modern society that you can get just that! pockerstars.com
A pocker freeroll is a tournament hosted by an online pocker site, where the buy-in and entry free is €0, but there is still a cash prize. The rooms hosting these freerolls put forward cash and prizes to pay out the winner/s in any pay-structure they chose, with no money from participation adding to the overall prize.
Although it may seem that pocker rooms are throwing away money, it’s actually the intangible benefits they seek. Although freerolls do not offer much income, they definitely get people online! The more people playing at a pocker room, the better – even if they’re mainly there for a free ride. The idea is that the more players love their freerolls, the more they will play online, and the more they will seek the excitement of tougher competitions like buy-in tournaments and high-stake tables.
Many online pocker rooms hold frequent medium-prize freerolls with capped player limits. This means that there might only be 300 spots per tournaments, which in effect creates an imperative for players to be the first to register. This results in many players logging on to register at once, with unsuccessful players hanging around – playing at other tables in anticipation for registering at the next. Freerolls are free games and prizes for players, and free patronage for the sites. There are also many freerolls which do not result in much loss for the company at all. Some of the most popular freerolls have coupon entry prizes – which win the first placer a spot at an even bigger buy-in tournament at a later date.
Freerolls are great for new player to get use to competitive tournaments, great for a relaxing no-stake game and a good way to up your money if it’s running low. Although they might not be the fastest and most effective earners about, they’re a lot of fun and they do promise some rewards, making them a great game to play for anyone who wants something, for doing not much at all. pockerstars.com
The basics of pocker
Knowing how to play the game of pocker is something that can be told and learnt to an extent, a player could even become a competent player by reading enough literature dedicated to the subject. Despite this a player can never truly play skilled pocker ( I have texas holdem in mind predominantly here) on this alone, the same applies to most variations though.
Firstly an excellent starting point must be knowing which pocker hand beats which. I shall list the following pocker hands for you ((H)= Hearts (C ) = Clubs (D) = Diamonds (S) Spades)
High Card: This means no pairs, or anything whatsoever, the highest card counts.
Pair: One pair of any value 2 through to Ace and all other cards being non paired.
Two Pairs: Self explanatory in respect of the above, two pairs of any value in a five carded hand
Three of a kind: Three cards of numerically the same value in a five card hand, face cards inclusive of course.
Straight: All five cards in the players hands must be in precise numerical order, 3,4,5,6,7 for instance, suits of these cards are irrelevant
Flush: All five cards of exactly the same suit, numerical order is irrelevant.
Full House: This means one pair and three of a kind combined to make a five card hand for instance, Jack,Jack,7,7,7, suits again, are of no consequence.
Four of a Kind: Any numerically matching 4 cards, Q(H)Q(S)Q(C )Q(D)
Straight Flush: Numerically ordered five cards also all the same suit, 3,4,5,6,7 each card being exactly the same suit for instance.
Royal Flush: Effectivley the highest possible straight flush and thus the most powerful hand in pocker, 10,J,Q,K,A, All exactly the same suit.
These pocker hands must be learnt and you must know which hand is stronger than the other. In most pocker games a hand’s rank is only a comparable advantage.
Take the following example: In a game of texas holdem the board shows the following, 2(H) 7(H) K(S) Q(H) 9(H). If your hole cards are: Q(S) and 4(H) firstly you may see that you have 1 pair of Queens, but more importantly you can make 5 Hearts which puts your hand in a strong positon with a flush, Q(H), 9(H),7(H),4(H),2(H). This of course on our hand list is a strong hand, however if an opposing player has any Heart card above your 4 they will make a bigger flush and win. The strength of your pocker hand must always be tempered with the possiblities of which cards can provide hands to beat your own.
In this case there are several higher hearts, so always be aware of the relative strength of your pocker hand.
Furthermore when we consider betting patterns the action moves around the table clockwise, and if you are one of the last players to make a decision then you have already seen what players around you have chosen to do, use this information well.
So to summarise, firstly, gain as much information as your reads of players allows, secondly always be aware of how strong your hand is and your pocker betting position, finally, be aware of your pocker hands comparitive strength, and hands that theoretically can be made by others. You can give our pocker advice a try at www.888pocker.com
How popular is online pocker becoming?
Every day the competition stiffens, the games multiply and the bonuses soar. Is it any wonder that online pocker is becoming one of the most popular pastimes of this modern era? www.pockerstars.com
From the inception of the first real money online pocker room in 1998, interest in the game has increased by over 2000% world-wide! In a matter of years this industry has exploded, sparking a resurgence of the game in the physical form as well! Online pocker has become increasingly popular with new and professional players alike, catering seamlessly to the needs of both, in one neat and convenient little package.
The benefits of online pocker are apparent to anyone who has played a hand. With 24 hour access from the comfort of your living room, unbelievable bonuses and the widest variety of games you’ll see, it’s no wonder this game is sparking interest in people from all walks of life.
Not only has this increasing popularity resulted in an emergence of the best pocker rooms around, it has spawned a TV culture of competitive pocker – with events such as the World Series Of pocker being shifted from its traditional 2am slot, and placed proudly into our prime time viewing schedule!
The secret of online pockers popularity is its variety and reach – with its numerous offerings (in both ‘real’ and ‘play’ money) appealing to all kinds of people, from all over the world. If you’re looking to sharpen your skills, a relaxing way to spend your evening or a competitive game of tactics and skill, log online and get involved – it’s time to find out what the rest of the worlds been talking about. www.pockerstars.com
Loyalty programs at poker sites – 888pocker
As the popularity of online pocker continues to grow, more and more loyalty programs are being rolled out to catch the eye of eager players. 888pocker.com
With such a variety of pocker rooms, pocker games and pocker bonuses on offer, it’s no surprise the range of loyalty programs are so diverse. The aim of online pocker loyalty programs is to reward players for the amounts they deposit and number of hands they play – encouraging the dedicated to play for major prizes and the newcomers to start depositing.
Most online pocker rooms introduce players to the loyalty world on their initial deposit, with 100% deposit bonuses almost a standard in this industry! From here the loyalty offers are wide-ranging, with sites presenting programs structured on rakeback, random player raffles, reload rewards, seasonal offers, bad-beat jackpots, refer a friend promotions and more.
This diversity not only gives players choice, but encourages them to play a variety games, tournaments and sit n goes as they earn their points – and their lucrative bonuses. Before loyalty program appeared in the online pocker world, couch-potato players were never given the opportunities they are today – playing for cash prizes, and even seats in pocker tours like the World Series of pocker! Playing online pocker is one of the most gratifying experiences you can have, promising you fun from the comfort of your lounge room, and then rewarding you for enjoying yourself! 888pocker.com
Online pocker communities
Pocker communities are built through a shared enjoyment for a wonderful game which has brought itself to the fore in recent years. A good example of a pocker community is at pocker stars www.pockerstars.com
Players from all over the world meet each other in chat rooms and play many different variants of pocker at many different times of the day or night. The friendships that such social interactions bring, are a positive thing for both the players themselves, who can learn from each other how to better play their games of choice, and of course such things are beneficial to pocker sites which in turn will find a group of people feeling happy, and welcomed to be on their site.
Consequentially, they shall often become players who are happy to regularly spend money at sties with a great pocker community. On many sites pocker communities are further embellished by the presence of employees of the company who function in both the friendly manner of welcoming new players and trouble shooting but also maintain order within chat and ensure their players form a friendly community with a warm and calm atmosphere for all.
I have always found pocker communtities a great thing to be a part of, and I make the greatest efforts to try and work together with my fellow pocker community members to help along any players with questions, and create a good atmosphere, which I would hope to find were I to be a new player having just discovered the site.
These carefully built communities provide the foundations for any good pocker site and an excellent social draw to players wishing to perhaps spend more time and money onsite. www.pockerstars.com
Pocker Stars Bonus Offers
The bonus offers on Pocker Stars for new and existing players struck me immediately as being of a good standard. www.pokerstars.com
For new players joining the site there is a 200% deposit bonus for example, comparatively in the online pocker world this offer is a very competitive one indeed. The player first must build up 100 FPP’s, which are a type of points gained with experience in real money play onsite and can be used in Pocker Stars online shop amongst other things.
Upon doing this they are credited with a free pocker stars $25, by my calculations a player such as myself and im sure many others who play regularly, but not with bank breaking amounts of money will find this target easy enough to meet. The same applies for a follow up $25 once 500 FPP’s have been accumulated.
These bonus extras should really help to build a starting bankroll and being staggered in this way after a preliminary 200% I feel really works well and amounts to a great starting pocker stars bonus package. On the topic of monthly bonus offers there were two that really caught my eye, if a player earns 1000 FPP’s in the month of march entry is gained to a satellite tournament with a first prize of a seat in the European Pocker Tour Final in Monte Carlo.
This is is a great offer in itself however if you find attaining this many points difficult, then just 500 FPP’s will gain entry into a freeroll with a first place prize of a seat in the main event of the World Series Of Pocker.
Although I would consider myself a skilled pocker player I know my odds of winning such a multi table event are slim, but this doesn’t really matter. Simply knowing there is a possibility, however small of gaining this seat and going on to win such an event is what captures the dreams within us all of fulfilling lifelong pocker ambitions, and as such these bonus prizes along with the other good bonuses on offer at Pocker Stars are certainly worth taking note of. www.pokerstars.com
888Pocker
I remember once three years ago playing small stakes poker with some friends on grass verge under a street light near where I live. We used to sit down in a circle and play Texas Holdem almost anywhere for whatever small change we might have on our persons. 888Pocker.com
My own love of poker had started a little earlier after watching such programmes as, ’late night poker’ and of course ‘The World Series of Pocker’ too.
The added allure of these programmes to the aspiring poker player, was of course the under table cameras being used to show the veiwer the player’s hole cards. It was certainly fascinating to watch a professional player at work tactically, this probably helped improve my own fledgling gameplay to develop too. I love 888Pocker
Inevitably a favourite pastime amongst myself and my friends quickly became these small Texas Holdem cash games, however I was aware that poker was rising to prominence on a larger scale. The ever increasing number of entrants to the World Series main event each year, bears testimony to the fact that poker has become far more popular in recent years.
Despite the growth of poker in recent times, I have an underlying feeling that in the eyes of certain people, poker shall always remain a little tarnished due to its very nature as a game in which gambling takes place. 888Pocker
It is for this reason that when someone passed us playing poker on that grass verge in times gone past, their first glances of curiosity when they saw us seated in a circle often turned to frowns and shakes of the head when they saw the deck of cards and realised we were playing poker.
What these people, I feel do not understand is that on the occassions that we finished playing and I walked home having played well and won, I was not filled with joy due to satisfying an urge to gamble.
The smile I wore was due to the knowledge that I had pitted my mind and my skills against fellow players of this beautiful game, and walked away victorious. www.888Pocker.com
