All about Online Classified

It never surprises me how underestimated pocket pairs are in the world of poker. Ok, before I get carried away, I should also say on the contrary they’re also a hell of a lot worse than you may think! Again a lot of this has to be put into comparison on how much you’re betting. To be honest for me this makes no difference as I always believe you should play the free poker games with the same mentality as if you were betting your house.

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.

Weighing up and calculating the percentages will give you an idea on the chances of earning some cash. For instance I’m taking part in a free poker game with twenty nine other opponents and ten of us getting waged. The percentages are quite easy to work out: one in three, and for this I would play quite mild for the majority of the game. Don’t be fooled into thinking I’m not going to be the front runner come the end of the night- but most of the time the cards dealt in the first forty five minutes will determine this.

I’m going to share and explain some of my better card play strategies. Remember this is not a beginning spot and is a long way off the real game. 77 I flat call and receive two times back and call. Flop comes 6D, 3H, 4H- 1st person to make a play all in on a one hundred and sixty five dollar, with a pot of three grand. I fold as they probably had better pockets or a nut flush draw/straight. Even though I had a fair chance of holding the best hand its way too soon to go for such a crazy move.

99 I flat call and the same opponent as previously shoved all in on flop 8D, 8S, 8H; I’m now wondering if I was incorrect on the previous play but I still fold regardless. He shows a Jtwo so I’m deciding I was right before. KJ off I flat call only due to the fact the pot is higher due to another player calling prior to me. We’re around fifteen mins in and I hold two thousand nine hundred of my initial three thousand dollars.

AJ I slow play A,6,9 flop and a player bets $350 the pot at this point was only $115 and the blinds $20/$40 so I fold. This player gave to much away with the size of his bet, if it were only me and him I would have reconsidered but I would like to think he wouldn’t try that with more players in the hand. I put him on a higher kicker, A6 suited or A9. Just in case I mention that he “should start showing a few to make it more believable.”

This way if he is doing something fishy hopefully my comment will make him think I am on to him. Even if this isn’t the case now I have him thinking that I do in fact think he is bluffing and that I may call him if he keeps it up. When in fact as you all know I am just saying it to keep him in line.

About 20 minutes later I catch him pushing with K8 on a K66 flop while I had A6. Needless to say I double up and get some valuable information. He does have hands when he does these silly bets but the hands he is doing it with are easily beatable. He is relying to much on his odds because the table is short handed at the moment.

I will now employ a method of waiting for this player to make his next error. A different opponent to my right gambles before the flop- who seems to be on the same wave length as me, however playing it completely off the mark. The problem is he’s forceful with his cards and not stupid. I continue with the six grand double up here at first break 1hr into the game. At this point there’s still twenty two players at the table.

One hr and forty odd mins gone and I grasp the same opponent again slow playing a AK for an even 9 grand making my full sum twelve grand with seven opponents left and sitting in a modest third. Although this opponent had managed to pull together around eighteen grand in chips with an attacking style his final place is eighth while the low stack at the prior table is now playing for first spot. Looking for a mark and staying with it will work out in the lengthy game however you need to ensure you have another plan to bring in money to ensure you’re at the table long enough for the big dollars.

AA I bet the minimum and have no action. Hour two is now in the books and I am in last. 4th place with 6k left so I’m all in on my next blind no matter what. The next closest player has 16k and blinds are 600/1200. 55 and flop comes Q510… a little luck never hurt anyone! I lay down AQ off to a bet that would put me all in. I didn’t feel like losing my newly found chips so fast. Went out in 3rd place with A4 suited vs K10 off. Not bad for a free poker tournament where I won some money too, shame it wasn’t an WSOP top table!

I look forward to playing you in a free poker tournament soon!

It’s very surprising that over recent years the level of boasting a win against an opponent has took an upwards turn. Even more surprising is that this tendency not only occurs on the free online poker sites but also on the money tables. Scaring a smaller “fish” away is not a very shrewd tactic; as keeping this player involved should result in winning their money. On the contrary this type of player may not realise their own lack of ability, and consequently the longer you can keep them in the “water” the more of their money you can win. Hence the saying: “don’t tap the aquarium”.

To help keep fish in the water you may conceder playing a few bad hands to ensure they’re having a good time; as the better time the opposing player is having will result in the length of time they stay in the water and continue to gamble.

You may even congratulate them on their bad play to make them think that they’re playing correctly. This, of course, would be a form of hustling that some people wouldn’t be comfortable with engaging in.

If you don’t feel like hustling the fish, then you should at least try keeping it jovial at the table. By creating a fun atmosphere at the free online poker tables, people will care less about the money that they’re throwing around and start playing loose and wild. This is what you want if you’re a good player. You’ll be playing solid poker, while they’ll be throwing their money away.

No one likes being disrespected and the chances are if you’re obnoxious or impolite, your fish will find another bowl to swim in (table to play at) and inevitably take their purse with them. By pushing this opponent away you will have potentially pushed away money you could have won from their blunders.

Can you imagine if everybody played well? The game of poker would be very tough to beat.

To think simplistic poker is about making good judgment choices, and leading your opposing players to make poor choices. As you would expect it’s much easier to help fish make bad choices and for this reason you should keep them nibbling and not push them away. Because the bottom line is you want their money and the worse the fish the more you will gain.

Another reason why you shouldn’t berate fishy player at the table or in your online chat box is because you don’t want them to improve. If they feel embarrassed with how bad they play, they may actually take the time and effort to improve their play. In other words, you’re encouraging bad players to become good players. Once they’re good, they’ll be tougher to beat. You won’t be getting their money quite as easily anymore. Why would you want to make it any harder to earn a buck in poker?

The modern game is fast becoming harder to win; this is partly due to the masses of knowledge that’s available to learn from. The difference in standard today compared to when I first started playing many years ago is massive.

That’s why I try not to “tap the fish tank and why I still play at free online poker freerolls were there’s real money up for grabs!

I love playing both pay poker and free poker online and very much hope my following tips are of use to you in your own games.

Lady Luck

The first thing to remember about playing poker, like any other card game, there is always an element of luck involved. Many people say that you can make your own luck, which when playing poker is achieved by picking your cards and games cautiously. If you have any card above 10 it really helps, having an ace though is the best option. This is because most people bet only when they have a card with a high face value. The best time to go all-in is when you are holding a face card or even better, two of them. Although as I said that there are no guarantees and still a lot depends on luck.

Observe the Players you are Playing With

You are always going to come across some aggressive players who, no matter what type of cards they have, like to play a risky game and go all-in. My advice would be to avoid betting against these players until they have lost their chips and are out or they calm down their betting.

The other type of player is the one who is very tight with their betting and even if they have a decent hand is still likely to bet a low amount. These types of players are of no significant danger of knocking you out.

Next come the so called bluffers and these can be quite dangerous. It’s really hard to figure out when they are bluffing and when they really have good cards. They confuse you a lot so be careful while dealing with such players. The best thing though is to play with only when you are confident about your cards.

Betting Strategy

Next comes the question of how much to bet and the best tactic seems to be the one where you wait till the last, that is if you get a chance to do that. If not, just play according to the cards you have been dealt and go all out if you really have a good hand. If you are holding a good hand then bet low to keep your opponents interested and then slowly increase your betting. In this way the other players are forced to keep betting and you can increase the number of chips you earn.

I look forward to seeing you at the free poker tables soon!

I want to emphasize the importance of watching the cards that make up the flop – especially when you first start playing holdem free poker games or pay poker. There are some good reasons for this.

As the shared cards on the table are played by all of the players in a game, there is always a chance that another player is holding the same cards as you do, and hold a higher kicker. Take this situation, for instance: Two pair is a very common hold in hold’em. Let’s suppose that player A has two sixes in the hole. That’s a turning hand, because there’s a damn good chance he’ll get one more to make trips, and he’s going to get three cards in the flop instead of one at a time to see if he can get that other six.

The turn comes an eight, eight, and deuce. Now Player A has sixes and eights. Player A is now looking good to win the game over Player B, who is holding an ace, king as there are still 2 more cards on their way and this player will need to catch one of these in order to beat Player A.

Along comes a ten. Player A is still favorite to win with the best handHe now has a three pair, which are useless now. If the final community card hadn’t been a ten, then Player A would have won, but Player B has now won the pot because of his ‘ace kicker’.

If you are new to hold’em, have a go at playing free poker games and see how you get on before betting any real money on the cash tables.

The following free poker tips do include some poker terminology, if you’re new to poker get familiar with these terms first by finding a good free poker glossary online.

1. Your play in the early stages of any paid or free poker tournament should be very tight: there are lots of people eager to get into the action and each “player out” greatly improves your chances of making the bubble (money places). Even with good cards, all-in show downs are marginal.

2. You should reduce your starting hand requirements slightly from late position in case of no raises: in no limit poker the expected value of say, a small pocket pair, can be very high.

3. Hands that you can play (in case of no raises and lots of limpers in the pot) in late position include two suited face cards, and suited aces down to an eight. In this phase you are looking for a nuts or near nuts hand (nut flush, full house or straight) that you can afford to slow play and make a huge gain for a small initial stake.

4. A pocket pair can become really strong hand, especially against multiple callers, because of the disguise value if you hit a set on the flop.

5. Post flop you should be mega-tight and never jeopardize either your chips or your table image chasing the river|One big difference between a STT and an MTT is where one player amasses a huge chip lead in the early stages. In an MTT, you hate having them on your table. They steal the pots while people on other tables are playing hands. But in a STT a clear chip leader can be a positive factor. The bluffers are in big trouble, because whatever they throw in, big stack can afford to call. It is possible to play nice and tight and still keep up.

Summary
Play tight, do not bluff and remember your position at all times. Let the fish die off, without losing too many chips, but look for simple opportunities to gain. Create the impression you are a rock and you’ll do great over the long term. If poker is a whole new world to you then I would recommend playing some free poker sites to build up some confidence and skill in the game.

NoPayPOKER.com is a free online poker which has been running for a few years now and I have been a member from when they began. They are the perfect site when starting off in the world of poker. When you first join, you will be given $10 to start playing with. Don’t spend it.

NoPayPoker has plenty of ways to try to earn money without any risk. The only thing that this option will cost you is time. Free roll poker tournaments take a while, but once you get a hang of poker they are a great way to get some extra cash. Just beat out everyone in them and you can see the money start rolling in.

Poker Leagues are a pretty good way to get your bank roll fatter too. Just go to the http://www.nopaypoker.com and sign up for one. There are three free leagues the Monday weekly, Friday weekly, and the $2500 FreeD Wednesday weekly.

Once you sign up for a league, go back to the NoPayPoker software and sign up for game. Your goal is to get the highest position you can. You have to play a minimum of five games and after you have done so you can be eligible for the prize.

Scoring is done by averaging your scores together. Scores are as follow: 100 points for first, 90 for second, 80 for third, and so on.

The free poker tournaments have to be completed right then and there and usually take a while because there is more than one table. Poker leagues are much quicker as you are only playing against ten other players in the league and there is only one table. However, the over all time is probably longer because you have to play five games.

Either one you choose is free and worth getting into. Once you get some money, go to the real money tables. Take it easy. Real money tables are the fastest way to make money, but they are very risky and you could end up losing everything.

If you are sitting here thinking it is more hassle than its worth, trust me, its not. NoPayPOKER is a completely free online poker site. Their money comes from advertising, not from the players so there is no financial risk from playing at all. Best of all, when you have enough FreeD (3000 = $30) then you can withdraw this and spend it on anything you like!

In live poker, expert poker players rely on poker tells. Traditionally, poker tells are the body language of an opposing player to get a read on what cards they are holding or what actions they take. Poker tells are normally where a player has the same type of reaction patterns when holding certain cards. Some poker tells include, but are not limited to: fidgeting in the seat, placing of chips, breathing, tone of voice, facial expressions, and the directions of one’s gaze. Following the huge success of online poker and free online poker, tells are moulding into other factors other than the ones that can be seen.

A popular tell when playing free online poker is how fast an opponent is playing. Providing there is not a bad internet connection the speed that a player is placing bets is a tell tale sign of what kind of hand they are holding, whether it is good or bad. Although, it is widely believed that quickness in betting is a sign of weakness and slower time to bet is a sign of strength, this needs to be analyzed more carefully.

A more precise way of working out an opponents strategy is to watch each one as an individual and see how fast they play certain hands and look out for the pattern. If possible keep track of each players speed and watch the results of their betting. For example, if a player is involved in a large pot and bets quickly after seeing the flop and eventually loses the hand, then this person’s betting quickness is a sign of weakness if it is fast. A person who bets slowly in a big pot might be building the pot and indicate a strong hand when they exercise a slow rate of betting. Since each individual has his/her own style of betting speed, it is important to analyze each style before making assumptions.

When looking out for tells its always worth considering what else may be happening with the other player behind the scenes rather that just assuming they are fast or slow playing due to the hands they hold. For example, they may well be playing a few tables at once, or surfing the net while waiting for their turn. Consistent slower betting from these players shouldn’t be considered a tell to their cards but is simply a sign they are distracted. Consistency is critical to eliminating bet speed as a tell with this type of player. In addition, the quality of the player’s internet connection can interfere with their bet speed.

Online poker tells are always changing, especially with the way the internet and the speed of the internet works. My best advice would be to watch each player as an individual and avoid that every free online poker player plays the same tells.

Whether you are new to playing in free poker tournaments or not, you may wonder how to play your chip stacks. If so, then read this guide which will help you decide how to play the stacks from short to big.

First here are a few pointers on playing a short stack. If you are a short stack play as tight as possible but play aggressive. The best way to do this is to steal the blind where possible, rather than just pushing your opponents into a decision. There is no advantage to trying to trap as a short stack seeing you are risking a lot more than your opponents.

Now we look at the average stack. Here you should play your normal game and do not change your style as you are good enough on chips to not need to be aggressive in order to survive. This is the best time to try and steal blinds and antes though. You have enough to scare the bigger stacks and enough to cover smaller stacks.

Finally the big stack. There are two ways to approach this. You can sit back and play as tight as you can until the weaker players are out of the game, or the other approach is to be aggressive and force others into tournament life or death decisions. You can get away by moving with marginal hands in this case.

However, remember that playing aggressive can cause you to let others back into the tournament by doubling them up with marginal hands. So play wisely if you go this route.

By knowing how to play each type of chip stack should enable you to stay in the game longer and hopefully start winning some tournaments and increase your winnings.

I hope these pointers help you out, start by practicing and perfecting your method and skill in free poker tournaments and games and then move onto the money tables.

This approach is just as applicable to free poker games as it is to paid, practice it with the free money and chips and you’ll be doing it naturally when the time comes to play with real green.

Before you even hit the tables, set yourself a couple of ground rules on spending money and time. You DO NOT want to spend an hour losing money over and over again. I try to stick to 3 conditions when playing poker, if I come across one of them at any point, then I know its time to have a break from playing.

While it may seem like they will restrict your winnings, and cause you to make slow progress in the poker world, you limit your losses, and so stop yourself progressing backwards. A penny saved is a penny earned, and those pennies will build up over time if you restrict your losses and have PATIENCE!

The purpose of this is to prevent a huge blowout of all your money and thus causing you to miss out on a huge win after lots of bad calls. Here are my three rules that I stick to:

1. Quit playing and have a break if I have used up half of the cash flow I started with.

2. If I have doubled the money I have bought in with, and start losing it, quit and come back later. On a side note never risk losing a big hard earned stack by going all in. I made this rule and adhere strictly to it so that I never make a loss on what I have earned.

3. If you’re going nowhere (played for 20-30 mins in my case) and haven’t made significant gain or loss then quit and come back later, chances are your luck will be better.

If you have joined a game to win big, then remember, its not the cards you are playing against, it’s the other players. It’s no use going all in with a royal flush knowing you’re bound to win, and watching everyone at the table fold.

A rather general guideline (no more rules!) is that players tend to bet big when bluffing, and small when they have a great hand to try and squeeze as much cash out of everyone as possible.

However, this is not always true. First look at the players at the table, try to guess their playing styles, notice patterns in their behaviour and then apply this guideline to them. It works for me I would say around 80-90% if the time.

A good poker player will try and do this to you, so always vary how you play after you hit the table! If you make yourself seem predictable and easy to read. E.g. start off by folding weak hands and only playing the good ones. When people see that you raise whenever you get a good hand, and fold on weak cards they will write you off as unable to bluff, and you can bluff your way through the next couple of weak hands, with most being too scared to call your bluff.

If you have a rubbish hand and have no chance of winning, make it clear that you are bluffing. Then as soon as a good hand does come along (it will eventually, it’s all just about PATIENCE) then you can bet big, people will probably call your bluff, and you can just rake in their cash.

When starting out playing poker, its best to stick with playing free poker games before taking a risk with your own money. You’ll find that many free players don’t do rules very well and play silly but you will get a lot of experience in general game aspects on free poker sites so that you won’t waste too much money when you play for the real thing.