Category: Gambling and Casinos

Let’s learn some different type of poker other than Texas holdem, 7 card stud, 5 card draw and Omaha. Yes, pai gow poker. Now you must be wondering that pai gow sounds little Chinese; yes you are right this game is a mixture of the Chinese game pai gow and our very own American poker. Definitely this is not one of the most popular forms of poker but still widely played. It can be played by up to seven players.

It is played with one deck of 52 cards, plus a joker. Interestingly, joker can be used only as an ace, or to complete a straight, a flush, a straight flush, or a royal flush. The important thing here to remember is other than the usual ranking of hands we have one more winning hand that is “Five Aces” (five aces including the joker). Surprisingly, five aces beat all other hands including royal flush.

Each player is dealt seven cards. The cards are arranged to make two hands; a two card hand and a five card hand. The five card hand must rank higher or be equal to the two card hand. Finally both of your hands must rank higher than both of your opponents hands (both five and two card hands). Further the two card hand can only have two combinations; one pair and high card.

After the cards are arranged in to two hands, they are placed on the table face down. Once you put them down, you can no longer touch them. The dealer will turn over his cards and make his hands. Each players hand is compared to the dealer’s hands. If the player wins one hand and loses the other, this is known as “push” and no money is exchanged. If dealer wins both hands then he/she wins the players stake and vice versa. Now what if there is a tie, the only advantage with the dealer here is he/she wins all ties.

After the hand is played, the next person clock-wise becomes the dealer and the next hand is played. The major disadvantage to this game is that there is no skill involved and you rely too much on luck. Also the odds are poor compared to playing with a pot.

All the games we have looked so far involved betting against other players. But this game is different; here everyone plays against the casino or room which acts as a bank (dealer), paying out all winning bets. To win you have to beat the dealer’s hand, other player’s hands don’t make a difference.

First each player makes an ante (initial blind bet) and is dealt 5 cards face down. The dealer receives 4 cards face down and 1 card face up. Now each player decides whether to fold or play by looking at their cards, if they fold then their ante is lost but if they continue, they have to double their ante-bet.

Now the dealer reveals his hand, but he must have an A-k or higher in order to play his hand, if not the player is paid even money on the ante and also the additional bet is not lost (See the table for odds). If the player’s hand beats the dealer’s, the ante is paid at evens. However, if the dealer’s hand beats the player’s hand then both bets are lost.

Additional Bet Payout odds:

One pair or High card —> 1/1 (Even)
Two pair —> 2/1
Three of a kind —> 3/1
Straight —> 4/1
Flush —> 5/1
Full House —> 7/1
Four of a kind —> 20/1
Straight flush —> 50/1
Royal flush —> 100/1

If the dealer and player play the same poker hand, then remaining cards are taken in to consideration. If all five cards are equal, the hand is void. Neither the ante nor the additional bet is lost. The ranking of suits makes no difference to the hand.

Here the odds are poor; a normal game of poker with seven players will have odds of at least 6/1 which is a great deal better when compared to the minimum odds in this game which is 1/1. Also the odds paid for additional bet are poor. Again there is no skill required and you rely too much on luck. Finally remember you have much better odds of winning money when you are playing for the pot. Good Luck 🙂

Texas Hold ’em poker is the most popular of all poker games and is commonly found in casinos throughout America. It is so popular, in fact, that it is also featured as the main event of the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour competitions. Commonly played among 2 to 10 people, Texas Hold ’em poker can accommodate up to 22 players. The versatility in the number of competitors plays a large role in the game’s championship inclusion. Most televised poker tournaments begin with a larger number of players, which is acceptable in Texas Hold ’em poker.

The objective of Texas Hold ’em poker, much the same as other similar games, is to win the money bet by all of the players. The “pot,” as it is called, is awarded to the player who has the best poker hand or who convinces the other players to fold their game. Players are required to place blind bets, which means they are not able to view the other player’s cards.

Texas Hold ’em poker has been widely shown in a number of major motion pictures and quickly grew to become a popular spectator event. The ultimate competition of suspense, drama and a big winner at the end combine to attract a large audience. Shown on ESPN during various poker championships and on the big screen, many players wanted to learn how to play the game.

So, just what does it take to be a successful Texas Hold ’em poker player? Everyone has heard of a ‘poker face,’ which is a large part in preventing the other players from reading your physical reactions to the drawn cards. Because the cards drawn are done at random, this the best advantage over the competition. By not showing either disappointment or enthusiasm, the player will gain an instant advantage in that no other players are able to assess their ability to win. Some gamblers refer to ‘bluffing’ when they believe that someone is betting boldly in an effort to scare the other players into folding. In this scenario, it can be difficult to know whether a player is extremely confident or courageous and it is this mystery that surrounds the ‘bluffing’ term.

The information in this article is to be used for informational purposes only. Gambling, if participated in, should be done with responsibility. Anyone who suspects that they, or someone they know, may have a gambling problem should seek help from a local support group or gambler’s program.

Poker is not entirely a game of luck, but rather a game of skill and how you can take the cards you are dealt and make them win. This requires knowledge of odds, bluffing, and the general rules of the game not to mention the other cards opponents have showing. So, if you are interested in playing poker online you can really learn how to play well and win money. It’s not just about what you are dealt, it’s how you play the cards you are dealt so focus on learning rules and strategy before you begin playing poker online for money.

Learning how to play poker in a real casino or with other people can frequently be intimidating and your nervousness and anxiety will take over making it more difficult to think and play your hands efficiently. Of course, in time, this wears off as your confidence builds, however there is a way to avoid this situation altogether and that is with online poker. You can easily enter an online poker room and start practicing and learn how to play. Also, most of the top poker sites have poker rooms where you can practice and play for free, so take advantage of this situation and log some hours in the practice poker rooms. You will build your knowledge of the game as well as your confidence and once you have become good enough you can give a paying room a try. You wouldn’t enter a marathon without training and you should not enter an online poker site without practicing if you do not want to lose your money.

Strategy
Strategy is important and this is the key factor that will help you win many games even if the cards did not fall just as you were hoping. Also, many players lack strategy and are too cocky to think they need it, so simply do some research on the strategy for your preferred poker game and implement these as you are practicing. The more your practice the easier strategy will become and before you know it your brain will simply be thinking in a strategic way. This is important and it will train you to become a really great poker player.

Of course, the online free poker games seem silly to many and just a way to pass the time like Solitaire or any other computer game. However, if you are truly interested in becoming a better player all you have to do is really focus on the practice games as if they were real games and the money was real as well, implement the strategies you are learning, focus on mistakes and why certain moves did not work, and you will really become a better poker player. When you are a better poker player you may begin playing for money online and will be prepared to play against the many talented card players that are in the online poker rooms.

Keep in mind, however, that the play tables are not as well laid out as the money tables, so after a few hands you should be able to learn and start winning a few hands. However, if you are not winning with the play hands after a couple hours of playing then you either play poorly or are not implementing the strategies you have learned, and likely a combination of both. Remember, if you are losing on a regular basis in the play tables then there is no reason to enter the money tables because you will lose again and this time real money. So stay focused when you are learning how to play and understand that if you can’t win at the free tables you will never win at the pay tables. Once you have played the free games for a while and start winning some, then you should move on to some of the cheap real games. There are games for one cent and two cents online, so you should consider playing those as your second step in the quest to become a good poker player. While the free games will help you learn how to play the game and the basics, you must take a step up every once in a while to challenge yourself and to learn more in order to become a better player. As long as you continue practicing and moving up a step at a time you will become a great poker player and win a lot of money. However, if you try and join the professional players when you still are learning the rules of the game you will simply lose money and your self esteem. Don’t let this happen and take it one step at a time.

Becoming a Player
Now that you know how to become a player you need to start practicing. Check out some of the top 10 poker room sites on the Internet and then start playing the practice hands. By doing this you will be able to learn a lot faster and save your embarrassment for a bad move because you are in front of your computer screen and nobody can see you. In the past, learning to play poker took a lot of time and guts because individuals had to endure playing with those better than themselves and individuals who would surely beat them for some time. However, you can avoid this situation altogether by simply playing the free games online and taking advantage of all that is made available to you. Then, when you finally do make it to the money games you will be able to hold your own and will likely win which is a ego booster and will only help you to continue playing well. Don’t think the free online poker games are a waste of time, but rather utilize them and make them teach you the ins and outs of poker so you become a truly great player.