When first taking a look at this concept I was astonished just how much math and strategy roulette fans are prepared to try in order to win a casino game which is fundamentally not winnable on mathematic basis!

Then I thought that as poker is a game where math and profit can function why not try to apply some roulette investment basics to poker and see if it works.

Initially I looked at trying incremental bet size progression, in roulette this ensures you profit even after losing several bets in a row…as long as your bankroll can survive the sequence until the win! For example: You bet 1 piece on red and lose. Next you bet 2 pieces on black and lose. Next you bet 4 pieces on red and win. The result is that you have bet 7 chip for a return of 8 pieces from your last bet and made a profit from a small 33% win rate.

How to include this in poker strategy
For instance, lets use it in SnG tournaments. Starting with a short buy in, advancing to higher buy-ins, if you lose. Since you can not only play heads up, but 6-max, full-ring or even multi-table SNGs, you would not need to raise buy in after each loss.

For instance: You play a 6 player SnG for $1 and lose. You play again and if you place 1st get $3.90 or 2nd $2.10 and so have gained win or at least broke even and can go back and play again at £1. If you lose, play again for $2 and so forth.

This approach works best where you have a poker site with a range of simple stepped buy in level games that are played by players at a skill level you can play against with no great problems and win or place as long as you get decent cards. Once you reach the profit level then depending on level of profit you can start over at the low level again or start at a higher buy in and return step.

I think this is a simple and profitable concept. If you are excited about playing this system be sure to look at the payout you will get at your favourite poker site and take into account the effect of rake back. Then map out which tables and games will fit the program and where you can break even or win by placing 1st, 2nd, 3rd and so forth. Remember, you don’t have to play games end on end, there is no time rule here, and games can be hours or perhaps days apart to suit your schedule and that of suitable games.

One key point is to try it out low risk first, play poker online free with play money on one of the good free online poker first. Do this to get familiar with table and game selection and to prove it to yourself in order to get trust in the method.

Within each type there are gradations, for instance, probably the most extreme loose-aggressive is termed the “maniac”, this is the player who plays most hands and raises constantly, almost regardless of the cards he has.

All poker players have a natural tendency to play a certain way. In most cases our natural playing tendency results in lost money as we will either play too few or too many hands and act too passive or aggressive at certain times. All styles have a time and place and good poker players are the ones who can switch styles in order to maximize their chances.

As a first step to improvement you need to identify your natural playing tendency. You also need to learn how to identify other players styles so you can counter their strengths and exploit their weaknesses with maximum effect.

Loose-passive
The loose-passive player calls many hands pre and post flop. He really wants to lay in as many hands as possible, and will try to hold on to the bitter end without having the least chance of winning. Loose-passive players are also referred to as “calling stations”.

Loose-aggressive
The loose-aggressive player will play many hands aggressively with lots of betting and re-raises. Although these players lose long term they are dangerous at times as if their luck in no-limit Hold’em tournaments is good they might get a lot of chips quickly and become the chip leader.

Tight-passive
Also called rocks, they play a few hands and play passively. They only bet if they are sure to have the best hand, making their earnings small when they do win. One of the disadvantages the rock has is that if you identify them as a rock and they play a hand you know to fold. For that reason on any table with players who have some skill the tight-passive player is basically sidelined.

Tight-aggressive
His game is selective, will bet hard whenever they have the upper hand. Most players who follow this style will be more skilled and have learned to play well and considers things like pot odds and implied odds. Not all players using this style are good but many are and overall it is the best singular style to adopt while adding loose and passive elements as game demands and situations change.

The best way to find your style and learn to vary it is in quality but low risk free games. In poker you learn by and from your mistakes so, especially when learning basics, it’s a good idea to keep them cheap! Small stakes and free poker games are the ideal way to get experience in the early stages, plus be sure to play free poker games and take as many free poker lessons as you can and learn about things such as pot odds, playable pockets and table position tactics.

I was not in this hand at the time yet I was as duped by the winner as the player who lost it was. There is a simple lesson that comes out which is, firstly, you must learn when to fold and second, as related to folding, learn to recognize all the outs available in the hand – or else!

Here’s why and how:

BLINDS 30/60

A has As-Jd, calls 60
B has ??-??, calls 60
Big blind and small blind joins (Pot 210)

FLOP: 8c-4c-As

A thinks his Ace is strongest and so stays aggressive:

Big blind and small blind check-fold
A bets 300
B calls 300

Because A fired out more than the pot, B is now getting less than 2-to-1 on a call, (1.7-1) which is the right price to call for a Straight or a Flush draw with two cards to come. The bet from A is enough to force an incomplete hand out. However, since B seems to be a weak player who chases draws, he decided to call.

TURN: 8c-4c-As-5c

The Five of Clubs came, and A, at this point, still has a strong hand, but has weakened. His Pair of Aces is good against what he believes should be a stray Flush draw. If he makes B continue, however, he might not be able to play his Pair. So A continues battering:

A bets 500
B calls 500

RIVER: 8c-4c-As-5c-7d

A Diamond came! Not a four-Flush. Of course A believes his Aces are good already, except if his opponent had A-K. So A tries a check-trap

A checks
B bets 1250
A calls all-in 1250

B reveals 8d-6d, wins the pot

How on earth did B get the Straight? When A saw 3 Clubs, he figured B had, maybe , 1 Pair and 1 Club that could make a made Flush later on. It didn’t, so A thought B’s all-in was because of the value of the small Pair B already had. He believed it will be only 8-x or less, so A called with what he thought was the best hand. Not the case!

True the board was risky, but A did not realize just how much danger there was. By putting too much focus on the Flush, he missed the fact that the Board was only 1 card away from a Straight (only a 6 was needed to beat him), then when 3 Clubs came, he was relieved by at the Flush being gone and didn’t consider other potential hands which in hindsight was reckless. His check was correct, but if he had been aware of the danger then a fold would have been best at this point.

And I, too, was duped. I thought B had a busted Flush, too. When B pushed A all-in, I, too, thought he was doing it with a pair and a busted Flush draw. It was with a Straight.

So what sort of free poker lesson does this tale show?

To know when to fold clearly! When a board is just 1 card away from something like a Straight, Flush or some other main made hand, and another player has a big bet on which you figure is not a bluff then you should fold.

Two is to know which cards can crush you. All of them, not just some.

For A, during the Flop and the Turn, he realized that only Clubs can crush him. On the river, because there are only three Clubs (if B had the flush made, he would have moved all-in on the Turn, and A could have folded), A thinks he?s safe. He focused on the Clubs too much; he forgot the 6.

Of course it’s easy with hindsight and analysis, being aware of factors like all the available outs is a tough one if you’re new to poker (hell even if you’ve got some time tucked away) so for that reason it’s best to practice and play poker online for free a lot at http://www.NoPayPOKER.com before you go off to places like Feltstars and PartyPoker or live games and start throwing real money about. Even when you do progress I advise you to come back and play free poker online regularly in order to de-stress, make errors without loss and practice new ideas.

Using psychology in poker gives you an edge that can make the difference between winning and losing. In fact, I play the players more than I play the cards.

If you’re going to win the money, psychology is as important as position at the table, the odds and percentages involved in making a hand, knowing how to price the pot, or running a trap.

Good poker psychology is based on two things: intelligent observation, and common sense. Psychology also calls for old-fashioned ham-acting and some high pressure salesmanship. If you put it all together right, you’ll win at poker, whether it is the weekend family game or high-stake poker.

I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that a massive part of playing poker and using psychological tactics is to know your opponents. If you’re playing with strangers it’s key to start observing them to notice their patterns and how they play. Once you have a grasp into the mindset of your opponents you can make decisions on your hand even before the second turn of the cards. By understanding your opponent’s strategy forms the foundations of an astute poker player.

Here appearances count for everything, neighbour, what they say is true: a man’s eyes mirror his soul.

There are many signs and bodily giveaways or as the pros call it- tells. An opponent could start becoming a ‘chatter box’ if they hold good cards. Another example could be if a player seems restless to get into the action or a different opponent could become silent if they’re holding decent cards.

If you were playing against me however you wouldn’t know the cards I was holding as I maintain a consistent level of conversation. I also enjoy playing the fool- as the tells of most novice or standard players have is remarkable. For instance I wouldn’t give you a dime to look at these players cards and call them out. As they would have inevitably by now told me by their body language what they’re holding.

Some of these psychology pointers you will have realised only apply in real world games where you can see eye to eye but others, such as the chat (or lack of chat from a normally chatty player) speed of action and so on are very applicable to paid and free online poker games. So if you don’t already do it start to observe, think and observe more and think you way to more winnings.

As you sit in anticipation for your turn you take a quick look over your opponents trying not to give any signs away of the fabulous hand you hold- there sits a fish. They have all played their part and helped water the stack as you sit watching it flourish. The bad calls and awful bets are all helping line your back pocket. They continue to outstack you after their latest hail-mary & you sit hoping they continue to push.

Your heart stops as fishy gets his go and as if it was Christmas he throws more money at the pot. This is it, its time to take the pot home; it’s the moment you dreamed of while learning your trade on the free poker games, and you want to take this opportunity. Inevitably it’s time to push your stack and show them all the Kings.

The fish slowly shows his cards and there it is pocket sevens! A huge gasp as everyone must be questioning what the hell they were doing. You stay calm in the comfort that his only possibility of saviour is to pull 2 more 7’s out the hat. Now off of the turn; and as if by magic the first of those 7’s appears. You can’t believe it- and as if things couldn’t get any worse, without hesitation the dealer reveals the 4th dreaded 7! Shock horror!

Your heart sinks and you drop to you knees. You have been forsaken. You swear never to play again as the gods can’t exist and let that happen. You want to scream as fishy. But you don’t. You congratulate and leave.

Later you realise telling the story is a waste of time. This is an internal badge of honour. What more could you have done. You begin to relax again when a larger thought enters you mind.

I guess the moral of this article is just to remember all players have different strategies and all come with the belief there strategy will take them to the end. You must not discard the bad beats or reprimand the opponents who give you them, as these are money making people. Keep them in your mind but don’t divulge this to others- smile and believe their cash will soon be yours.

And remember, there are always free poker games to practice on before you have to take a serious bad beat for real!

For example, if the player on my left opens, the next two men call, and the following player raises it, then I can’t come in with that possible straight, for these three reasons: First, if I call that raise, those other players behind me may have limped their good hands. So if I put my checks in to draw at this straight, the next man calls it, and the third man moves in and raise the re-raiser, my straight probably wouldn’t be any good if I make it. (When you put checks in the pot, you’ve got to think you’ll be able to go with your hand).

Additionally I’m not in place- and it comes down to being in a bad position as under the gun- 1st to tattletale your hand. The original raiser could go again with a common amount- I could call them- as at this time I don’t believe my str8 has the potential to win. I will also get some action from 4 other opponents. When this occurs it will leave the pot at five to one I cant make my str8 although the card draw chances are not five to one that I wont. So in this play I could gamble all my checks and this is where the concealed percentages appear. I know that my str8 will take an opponent down.

Besides, by not being able to open, I don’t have a quarter in the pot at this point. There’s no reason for me to risk my check to come in and draw at this “possible.” Even if I do come in and make it, I may go broke. So rather than do all this guessing, I know there’ll be another deal in about forty seconds and I’ll just wait for a new hand.

However, I would play this hand altogether differently in a limit game. I’d go ahead and call this raise and re-raise, knowing there is a limit on what I could lose. And if I did make it, I’d sure as hell bet that I could, because I don’t draw to any hand that I won’t bet. If you draw at something, make it, and check it, then you’re defeating yourself.

These are specific tactics for both Hold ‘em poker tournaments and Sit and Go poker games. As with so many things you need to practice your approach as much as possible, the ideal place to do so is a free poker tournament site where you can lose without losing real money.

1. Once prefrontal lobe pressure has built up due too an excess of wishing on the river, nip to the kitchen and grab the nearest tea cosy and place it on your head. This will disperse the pressure around your skull, as well as keep you warm.

2. When playing Online Poker on a laptop. If you become worried that your unmentionables are beginning to cook, ask your partner if they would kneel in front of you and gently blow between your thighs. They will also make a handy footrest.

Alternately wrap yourself up in Tin Foil to reflect the heat. This will also stop any evil aliens sending you messages.

3. In the unfortunate even of finger pain, you may wish to give this little piggy a rest. To kill two birds with one stone it would be an idea to rest your finger in an ice cream, which you can then eat afterwards.

4. A late night game or after a good few hours you may start to drift off and hear the land of nod calling. The best method of staying awake is to smash a six inch heavy duty nail into the wall directly behind you. You then need to wedge a few stacks of cards below the front of your front two chair legs to make the chair unsteady. You can now rest assured that if you do nod off you will fall back straight into the nail and probably never wake up again- now there’s an incentive!

5. If after a couple of days playing non stop you begin to experience back pains, repeatedly pinch both your cheeks, this will take the focus off you back, as well as give you a rosy glow.

These methods have been invented by myself and I can assure you no women, child or animal has been harmed in making these!

Always remember free poker is always a laugh but when you get online exhaustion you need to take some serious action.

When playing heads up and short handed be sure to bet pretty much anything that hits on the flop and sometimes even if nothing hits.

A high is usually the top cards on the flop. Continue making the opposition guess whilst you keep a sight on their normal gambling range. When they change their habits its okay to put 1 or 2 down every so often.

If your opponent decides to try and switch roles with you by betting back even bigger or frequent my best advice is to let him/her. Switch roles and see if he/she is as good at catching the awkwardly high/low bets as you were. You may find you need to switch roles with the opposing player a few times before you get the result your looking for but eventually they will break down.

Heads up is also a place where you will see a lot of bad beats. Most often this is because both players are seeing a wide range of hands and neither can really put one another on any set hand pre-flop. Just don’t put all your eggs in one basket unless that basket has steel re-enforcement. Although hands like AX or K9 are very good at this stage of the tournament they are nothing to be going wild over. They are still a good 30% with just about any hand.

Good luck in all of your poker and free poker.

Too many new poker players have seen the telly and get caught up with the eyes as a focal point of telling a players hand. Unfortunately from my experiences apart from the very novices who may raise an eye brow here or there I don’t find the eyes as giving the best tell tale signs. Additionally when I’m playing at a typical 10 person table, the chances are over half of them will be wearing tinted glasses of some form.

So, forgetting the eyes, a massive thing to look out for is body language. How are they sitting? What’s there posture saying? Are they moving around erratically? A big body language tells I see a lot is a player who has folded a good number of hands consecutively and has slumped in their chair. The dealer deals and they suddenly sit up quite sharply not realising they have just announced they have a possible monster.

Only good and experienced free poker players can remain motionless and you may be surprised at the amount of body language signs you give away without even realising it. You may notice an experienced / decent player readjust themselves, this is done vigilantly due to the fact their self conscious has remind them to remain neutral.

Quite often body language is accompanied by table chat. Chat at the table and the signs you give away as a result are easier to hide as you can simply remain silent throughout- which is not a bad idea during the big games. You would be shocked at the level of skill some players have at recognising distinctive changes in tone and rhythm and knowing what this means to your play. There are other fundamental parts which can also explain loosing at the cost of general chit chat. You could genuinely become distracted taking your concentration away from the game. This is the difference between the regulars and the pros. The pros are masters at using all their ability to fish for signs: by playing while talking to you they’re actually finding your weaknesses while only showing you strength. Most of the time you don’t realise what’s going on till you inevitably remind yourself at the end of the game of the friendly chatty guy who ‘lucked in’ and took home the pot.

Other well known tells include sweaty palms, looking at your cards then directly looking at your stack, licking your lips, and even a bulging vein in the neck. Along with body language and table talk another big tell is betting patterns, and this is where I come onto the internet. Everything I have mentioned so far is useless online. Betting patterns are the only pieces of information you can get from players in an online environment. A lot of newish players tend to play free poker by the manual, pocket aces bring a bet of 4x the big blind, KJ is 2x the big blind, and suited connectors bring a flat call. By watching players at your table for a short time you will be amazed at how they stick to these principles. Once you have established players betting to a pattern, clearly you are at a big advantage.

When playing a hand as a result of reading what you believe to be a tell, always be careful as you may have misread the signals, and you may be playing a shark feeding you false information.

First off if you have pot odds of at least 4 to 1 you can be safe to call, it is a slight disadvantage but nothing that will break the bank. 4 to 1 may sound like you would be calling every pocket pair but its actually quite hard and impossible in early position.

By folding a couple more times now could potentially saving you a lot of money in the long run. If the blinds are quite small compared to the money on the table, and you have gigantic unspoken odds it’s a good time to see these low odd hands.

When the blinds are few and far between then there’s not too much to fear monetary wise. As if you call every pocket pair you will see fewer blinds over a 3/4 of an hour spell.

Pocket pairs are mostly just something to see a flop with and get away from easy but in rare cases you may even consider going/calling all-in with them. I wouldn’t recommend pushing with anything less then 66 as A2-A5 are popular hands these days. I remember when I first started playing poker and I found out that missing the flop with AK your still usually over 30% to hit by the river so I would just push all in regardless.

Some people including myself at one time thought 30% was not bad at all but really the only time you should with such low percents is when you’re forced into a situation that calls for it. Practice your card skills like this in free poker games first before moving on and up into the green.