Poker Tropical

It is difficult in poker to say that one move is completely wrong or that another is completely right when you look at a given situation. There will always be lots of variables to take into account when judging which move might yield more success.

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One of these variables that should always be present in your mind, is your opponents tendancies to respond in different ways. Some players can be described as ‘calling stations’. This type of player never wants to be bluffed and is willing to pay, sometimes heavily, to see if their hand is good enough to win. In this scenario, you would not want to attempt to bluff your opponent out with what you correctly read to be a marginal hand. In many scenarios this would be the right move, but in this case, the opponents general poker playing style means it would not be.

You can also apply this logic to decision making when faced with a very aggressive poker player. Where in some cases it would be right to bet your hand when you have something strong, against an aggressive player this would not necessarily be the best move. It is still a reasonable enough move on the face of it, but you have to consider the fact that setting a trap could be a more profitable decision. When you decide which move to make in a particular scenario, it is always imporant to remember that your opponents playing style and view of you as a player will often have a significant effect on how the hand works out for you.

Poker: Many players enjoy the MTT format when they play poker, and many tournaments both online and live are conducted in this manner. Despite this fact, MTT tournaments are one of the least stable ways to earn a living as a poker player.

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The main issue with MTT’s is that you can pay a buy in fee many times without making a big cash or final table if you are playing events with hundreds of players. Of course the flip side is that when you do make it to the last few players, you get a large payday.  This is great for your bankroll, but the intermittent nature of these returns on your investment can lead to big swings in your bankroll, which simply isn’t conducive to a stable income.

Most players that begin earning regular money from poker, do so online, and in the form of cash tables or STT’s. Some players can multi table many of these poker tables at once, although you can still earn an income from playing only one to three tables at once, which importantly, should not distract you enough to erode an edge you have on a particular table.

The key to making money at poker is in stability and consistency. The size of the figures is not immediately important, as all players should start by consistently beating the weaker games before moving up. If you can confortably play a few tables at once and notice a distinct profit over a sample of 500 STT’s for example, then move up to the next level of buy in. This gradual advancement constitutes the best way to develop a stable income from playing poker, but if you do go on a terrible run, be prepared to move back down for a while until you are running a little better.

Poker Tracking Sites: One of the more recent phenomenons to arrive in the poker world, follow on from the expansion of the online game. Poker tracking sites and spreadsheets which apply mathematics to certain scenarios you will face to generate a best option for you, can now be found online.

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Some sites such as Pokerstars have banned the use of such tools whilst their players are at the tables, and can detect breaches of these regulations. These new sites raise some interesting questions, and some might argue that there is an issue with the morality of taking a quick look at someones entire Sit and Go results without their knowledge. Sites such as Sharkscope allow you to do this, although they do also allow players to block access by other players to their results, if they choose.

One point to consider in relation to this, is that Sharkscope is not used entirely to see how weak the competition is at any given table, but to actually map your own progress. There is a certain satisfaction to be had from seeing a graph depicting all your hard work, and the gradually emerging fruits of it. Now for the issue mentioned earlier in relation to morality, or basically, an individuals right to privacy. Perhaps the blocking of viewing for your own results should be offered onsite at the poker room you play as opposed to simply on the tracking site itself. After all, not every poker player knows of the existence of such sites, and it would seem proper that they are informed of tracking sites, and also their right to be excluded from searches on them.

Since the dawn of poker, there have always been games which are enjoyed and played predominantly over others. Over the past decade, what was already a very popular game in Texas Holdem, became the undisputed favourite game across the world.

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The WSOP is evidence of this still being the case, all you have to do is look at a Holdem game compared to a Seven Card Stud poker game of the same buy in amount for example, and see the difference in participant numbers.

Having said that, there has been a recent trend of Omaha increasing in popularity. Partly this is because to amateur Omaha players, almost every hand looks playable. This means that there are plenty of poker players, many who were previously Holdem players, sitting down to Omaha and making mistakes as they try to get to grips with the game.

Serious poker players know that capitalising on these mistakes is always a profitable endeavour.
The fact is that many of the players who used to be weak at Holdem, have now grown skilled at the game over the years, and so pros can no longer find a significant edge to the same extent that they can with Omaha.

The very fact that Omaha can generate much more action is alluring to those who become tired of patient Holdem play, which means that Holdem players will be tempted to experiment with Omaha as it is an exciting game to play. Where there are new players trying to learn a game at cash tables, there will always be those waiting to profit fom their inexperience.

Guaranteed tournaments are seen in ever increasing numbers with online poker rooms, and it isn’t just the numbers of such tournaments that are growing, it’s the prize pools too. The popularity of these guaranteed tournaments was evident earlier this month as Pokerstars set about breaking the record for the most participants in an online poker tournament ever.

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65,000 players took part in a $100,000 guaranteed tournament, breaking the world record in the process.
The biggest online poker guaranteed tournaments will be found on the biggest name sites, with Pokerstars and Full Tilt being at the forefront in this regard. Each of these poker rooms offer guaranteeds all day, every day, within their schedule, such is the popularity of big guaranteeds.

The biggest guaranteeds in recent times have exceeded the $1 million dollar mark with ease, and whilst this may be the chance of a lifetime in many respects, it still costs a lot if you register directly into these tournaments. This does not however mean that lower bankrolled players cannot enter at all, as there is a way you can play satellite tournaments to win your seat there.

Big guaranteed tournaments are always a positive for both the players and poker rooms, becaus the online poker rooms can advertise these very eye catching prize pools, and the players have their chance to win them.
Even the biggest guaranteeds will be balanced out so that enough players pay a high enough buy in to cover the guaranteed money, this ensures the poker rooms make a profit from such events.

Online poker communities and forums add to the social aspect of what is already a very social game. Forums are often used to advertise events where friends and forum users meet up, as well as offering strategy advice and help for new players.

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This friendly community spirit can be found on most poker forums, and it is always nicer to organise an online game with friends rather than strangers. This is easier if your friends play on the same site as you. In recent times, poker rooms have brought in refer a friend bonuses, which as well as adding some cash to the accounts of those bringing new players in, also helps to build friendly communities onsite.

You do not have to actively go searching for new friends onsite usually, as you will often find the same groups of players play on the same type of tables. If you turn up at these tables every night, you’re bound to get to know other players. In terms of profitable poker play, it would seem good sense to play with the same group of players each night, and so you can use forums to get to know players and where they usually play.

The development of online poker communities is both good for the game in general, and good for players who take the game seriously too. You won’t find a forum at every online poker room, but most have community based sections that can be reached via a poker rooms homepage.

The story of Chris Moneymaker is what most serious poker players would consider the dream scenario. After playing an online satellite for $40 to win a seat in the WSOP main event 2003, Chris Moneymaker somehow went on to win the event.

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Chris Moneymaker has since written a book about his life and the 2003 WSOP main event, and has truly shown to online poker players the world over that anything is possible. Since his victory, Moneymaker has plyed a lot of offline tournaments worldwide, but has not managed to pick up any more major titles or bracelets since. He is sponsored by Pokerstars, and continues to play the WSOP most years.

Online poker players do not always take advantage of the opportunities to qualify for major events via online satellites, as perhaps the dream of going on to win it all seems too distant and difficult to hope for. I can certainly agree with the sentiment that it is extremely difficult to find a way to emulate Chris Moneymakers achivement in 2003, but this online player turned offline pro is living proof that it can be done. Another interesting point to remember is that in that final table of 2003, Moneymaker beat pro player Sam Farha heads up to win the event, which again, goes to show that nothing is impossible when it comes to poker.

Every poker room that I have seen online in recent months has had an online deposit bonus of some sort. Once you have one site offering such a generous bonus for new players, you find the rest will follow suit in order to offer a poker deposit bonus as attractive to possible new players as anywhere else.

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Online poker deposit bonuses are essential to catching the interest of players browsing through online poker rooms. They can also turn a player who doesn’t usually play for cash, into one that decides to make that first deposit and dip their toes into cash play.

Online poker deposit bonuses will usually offer a basic percentage rate which will make up the bonus amount, on top of the amount you deposit. These usually apply up to a set amount, as well as having a lower limit to what you can deposit and still qualify for the bonus.

For most sites the online poker deposit bonus will be around the 100% mark, which effectively doubles your money, but some can be a little more or less than this figure. There are other aspects to consider when looking for a good online poker deposit bonus however, and you can find these in the terms and conditions of each offer. You will usually have to accumulate a set amount of points for cash play to free up payments of your bonus.

These points can be earned through tournament buy ins, as well as cash table play, although playing at cash tables often helps release the bonus quicker. Some online poker deposit bonuses will give you a certain amount of your bonus cash immediately however, and most will have a set number of days to clear the required points for your bonus. Always pay attention to these details, but generally, you will find all online poker deposit bonuses offer a nice cash boost, and sometimes tournament tickets to help get you started.

Playing cards are of course the architects of any poker players evening. We can work with what we are dealt and what we are not, but essentially, our evening will be defined as much by what cards we are dealt as how we play them.

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It is astonishing really how such an exciting and enjoyable game can be created by 52 numbered and patterned cards, but despite their apparent simplicity, modern card decks have evolved greatly over time. The first recorded instances that I know of where a similar game was played, is during the Persian empire a few thousand years ago. Coloured tiles were used by players to create simplistic hands which were ranked in strength.

Throughout Europe much later cards developed in a more modern form with different suits, all the while, forms of card games were developing too, including one in France known as ‘Poche’. This game laid the foundations for what later became poker, and as card decks were becoming universal in their design, these gams spread to America. In modern times we have many companies that produce playing cards, many with interesting pictures on the backs. Some are bought as souvenirs and are not designed for any particular game, others are made specifically as poker playing cards. All decks of playing cards can be used to play poker of course, but some decks are of a much higher quality to others, being wear resistant, wider, and generally looking more professional.

The best known brand are perhaps ‘Kem’ who produce great quality cards as well as other poker playing equipment.
Other well known brands include ‘Bee’ and ‘Bicycle’ amongst others, and many online poker rooms will offer good quality cards from their online stores too. These can vary in price, but ‘Bicycle’ would probably be the ones that got my value for money vote in terms of the quality you get.

There are many types of game you can find in a home poker game, but I would say the tournament style of play has become more popular. The only negative aspect of playing tournaments at a home game would be that once someone is eliminated, they have to sit out. There are of course ways around this, such as playing a rebuy tournament, or simply setting up a side game if you have enough chips spare.

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The most original games of poker are generally recorded as being cash games, I suppose this is because it is much easier to set up a game when all you need is a deck of cards and a pocket full of money. Despite the game having its roots in cash games, I feel that the tournament is more synonomous with the game of poker. There is something about trying to prosper and survive by outwitting those around you, which is extremely enjoyable. The knowledge that one mistake could be your last in a no limit tournament, makes it all the more thrilling.

There are many different tournament types evolving online these days, with bounty tournaments, double or nothing tournaments, and all manner of new twists on the original poker tournament. Call me old fashioned, but none of the newer tournaments really appeal to me as much as the regular freezeout variety.

Tournaments are great to play in for many reasons, and it says a lot, that it is tournament play that decides world champions, and major events across the world. Of course deciding them with cash play would be impractical, but the whole feel of getting far into a freezeout tournament, is unlike any other type of poker game I feel.