Author: horse-racing-free-tips

If you’ve ever watched any of the number of Poker Tournaments on TV you’re probably aware of the excitement these tournaments can generate. There’s really nothing like going “all in” when you’re playing heads up, knowing that the entire prize pool is at stake. Well Tournament Poker is not just for the pros anymore. Your favorite Online Poker Room probably has a tournament going on right now. If you’ve never played in an online tournament here’s some things you ought to know.

Anatomy of an Online Poker Tournament

Most online poker rooms offer tournament play. A quick visit to their website will tell you everything you’ll need to know about their upcoming tournament schedule. Information like the buy-in, type of tournament, starting time is clearly displayed; you simply read the schedule and then make your decision. Here’s what a typical tournament entry looks like:

6:00 PM ET (10:00 PM GMT) 30+3 NL Texas Hold’em

This simply means that the tournament starts at 6PM Eastern Standard Time, it’s a No Limit (NL) Texas Hold’em Game. The 30+3 is the buy-in. These numbers tell you that it will cost you $33 to play in this tournament; it’s listed this way to let you know that you will be paying $30 toward the prize pool and $3 to the pokerroom. To play in this tournament you’ll need to register sometime prior to 6PM. Registration essentially means paying the entry fee ($33).

A few minutes before 6PM you should launch the pokerroom and login. Further details are specific to the pokerroom you’re playing at, but most likely you’ll automatically be taken to the tournament at the appropriate time.

At the start of the tournament, everyone will have the same number of chips (1,500 is a typical number). Play will commence as usual, blinds, the dealer button and betting order will be handled just like in non-tournament play. As hands won and lost and chips are moved around the table, some players will lose all of the chips and be eliminated. The tournament will continue until one player has won all of the chips. That person will be declared the winner and will take home the largest share of the prize pool.

Most tournaments will have more then one winner, some larger tournaments can have five or more. The final player will win the biggest prize; the second, third, forth… place finishers will each win lesser prizes. Any player that wins a prize is said to have finished “in the money”

We cover the 10 best starting hands, or pairs of pocket cards, to be holding in your game of Texas Holdem so it is only fitting t cover the 5 worst starting hands you could be holding. The general rule of thumb if you are holding any of these 5 losing combinations? Fold and walk away!

1) 2-7 (offsuit)
By Far the worst start you could have for your game. You have no chance at a straight draw or flush draw and chances are you would be beaten with a pair of 7s. There is the remote chance at a full house with this hand but it is clearly not taking the risk waiting for this to occur. FOLD!

2) 2-8 (offsuit)
Only slightly better than the 2-7 draw, this combination cried out for you to fold from the start. Why is it slightly better? A pair of 8s will beat the poor soul with a pair of 7s! The straight draw or flush is once again out of the question with this combination and the cards are screaming at you to fold!

3) 3-8 (offsuit)
Once again you are left without the chance of a straight draw or flush draw and left with hoping for a pair of 8s. At this point you may be hoping for the chance at a full house, don’t do it! It is time to fold and wait on a better hand, like one of the 10 best outlined in another article.

4) 2-9 (offsuit)
A pair of 9s may beat out the 8s above but this is still a combination crying out to be folded.

5) 2-6 (offsuit)
You are left with a chance at the low straight draw and not much else with this combination. You are best served folding from the offset and waiting for a hand that will give you a fighting chance.

There are the five pairs of pocket cards that should have you folding as soon as you can. For those brave enough to continue on with your play after drawing any of these killer combinations, may luck be on your side! Being aware of the best and worst combinations will help strengthen your overall game and help make your stay at the table more successful. Long shots do come in on occasion but the disciplined player usually walks away from the table happy.

For those serious about their online poker experience, the following tips are designed to help the novice avoid the traps used by more experienced online poker players.

1. Online Poker Chat

The online poker chat can be a valuable tool to shake the novice player. Experienced players use the chat feature to take the novice player off their game by providing a distraction. If you feel the need to trash talk or make friends you are better off finding a sports chat room or playing free online poker.

The online chat feature is a psychological tool used by the experienced player and can be effective in many ways. They may try to anger you, or “trash talk” you in order to get you into making bets out of spite, they can attempt to befriend you in order to make your betting more passive or they may even use it to gain extra information concerning your last bet. When asked about your last hand you should always lie! Do not give your fellow players any sort of edge and always keep them guessing. You are here to make money, not friends, keep that in mind when you are playing online poker.

Your best bet is to turn the chat off and focus on your winning strategy until you feel you can use the chat feature to take other players off their game.

2. Betting Help Software

All online poker rooms use random number generators to choose the cards presented to you. Right there you should see that any software that may be offered to you does not help.

There are sites all over the internet offering you their “winning software” or their mathematical formula to beat the odds, none of which work! In most cases they are selling you a random number generator of their own, making their odds and plays less reliable than your own. There is no such thing as an online card counter, the best way to win a game is to follow your strategy and play the hands you feel you have a chance at winning. There are no shortcuts that will make you a better player, spend your time building your understanding of the game through practice and reading.

Making yourself familiar with winning combinations and what are the best first draw cards will take you further than any software offered ever could. Play smart and play to win!