Poker Tropical

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.

Each year the schedule for the WSOP is announced before it begins, and whilst there are tournaments that will always be a fixture, there are sometimes new tournaments added too. This year, there have been many interesting tournaments scheduled, with each of the best known games having their own ‘World Championship’ event.

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These events have started to feature more heavily in recent years, and I think that they effectively provide a more expensive buy in tournament that attracts a small field peppered with professionals. This is good for the game I feel, as it gives people the chance to see professionals sat around the same tables playing great poker against each other.

In the regular bracelet events, we do of course see some professional players ocassionall. However, with huge starting fields, and buy ins that do not provide enormous prize pools, professional players do not seem to feel this is the best use of their time.

I must say that I do have a slight fear of these $10k buy in World Championship events, becoming something very special. Consequently, the bracelets for regular events could become devalued in terms of prestige. This would take away the magic of a normal everyday poker player being able to turn up at the WSOP with their cash, and walk away having achieved a dream. Despite my slight concerns in this area, I cannot deny the fact that the World Championship events provide great entertainment, and are seeming to capture a lot of peoples imagination.

The fundamental equipment needed to play poker can be purchased freely online these days, with many online stores around, some of which are attached to poker rooms.

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Most of this equipment is reasonably priced, especially so if you are using points from poker play in an online store.
We all need cards to play poker, but chips are more of an essential tournament play item. With both of these items, there are higher quality goods, and there are lower quality goods.

Personally I find that even at the lower end of the market the poker chips and cards serve their function well enough, so it really comes down to how sophisticated you want your equipment to look and how much you want to spend.
It is important you acquire these supplies if you wish to start a home game, and some basic equipment can be bought with relative ease.

I haven’t ever seen a shop on the street which caters solely to poker equipment, but that does not mean that you cannot pick up some basic supplies whilst in town. Just look for any shops related to non computerised gaming and you are likely to find basic cards and chips there. For more high quality goods I really feel you would have to order them online, but that in itself is easy enough. From my experience of buying playing cards, nice quality decks of cards are usually bought as a pair, for around $20. Chip sets vary depending on the type and number of chips in the set, but most accessories can be looked up and purchased at the click of a mouse.

The following hands show how quickly a tournament can change in poker, as my reasonable stack of 16,000 disappeared in the space of three or four hands.

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The first of these hands involved me trying to force my way to a pot on the turn, when I really should have known that I was being slow played when I was flat called on the flop. This led to a hand shortly afterwards when I was probably still a little frustrated by my error. I had 1,200 already invested in the pot from the big blind, and one of the players moved all in for around 4,200. This would mean that around half my remaining stack was on the line, but I felt my opponent could be weak as the raise had come from late position. With (Kc,Qs) I made the call, and was delighted to see the hand I was up aginst, (Q,10). I couldn’t ask for a better position to be in, and was happy enough with the flop and turn that missed both of us. With only three tens left in the deck for my opponent to hit, I was left feeling desperately unlucky as the (10s) landed on the board.

Still hurting somewhat from the previous hand, I decided to take a shot at the blinds with (10h,Jh). For some reason the big blind decided to call with (Ks,3c) and neither of us hit any of the board cards.

Each of these hands played their part in ending my tournament, but I did not really feel at fault for the second two hands. I had to get aggressive with a hand soon when I picked up (Jh,10h) because if you wait too long, you get blinded down so low that several players call you when you do push the rest in.

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We all know about the more populated games to be found online today, with Texas Holdem and Omaha being the most popular of these. Some sites will offer only these better known games, but you can still find some of the lesser known games online, particularly at Pokerstars.

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The other game most regularly offered besides Holdem and Omaha, is probably Seven Card Stud. This involves each player having Seven board cards which only they can use to make their hand. There is a betting round after the first three cards have been dealt, then after each following card. the first two, and final one card is dealt face down, with the rest of the cards being exposed.

Another fairly commonly found game is Five Card Draw. This involves each player being dealt their own five cards, with a betting round to follow. Then each player can swap or ‘draw’ as many cards as they choose, only once. After this is another betting round followed by a showdown. This was where I learned the basics of poker, and it remains one of my favoured games.

Other obscure games you might find online is Razz. This involves players being dealt cards in a similar pattern to Seven Card Stud, although the aim with Razz is to make the lowest possible hand of unpaired cards. The wheel, (A,2,3,4,5) being the best possible hand.

Sometimes you will find variations of games already mentioned, such as Omaha hi/lo, or Five Card Stud. All these games offer an interesting and enjoyable challenge to players, so if you have never tried them, I would recommend taking a look.

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Having just won an online poker SnG at my current game of choice, 5 Card Draw, it struck me that so many players give you a way back into the game when they have you heavily outchipped. If I am in a dominant position, I like to apply pressure whenever I have any sort of hand and try and wear my opponents right down.

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You only need a few hands in a row where your opponent does not pick up a hand to take the blinds and leave them dangerously short, regardless of how strong your own cards are. It is possible your opponent might pick up a hand and play back at you, in which case you can concede the hand and lose some ground if you do not pick up a strong enough hand to take them on with.

Players allowing me to survive until I pick up a strong hand has been the key factor in me turning a probable 2nd place into a win recently, although in my latest game, sheer aggression alone was not going to be enough to turn things around.

My opponent was calling a lot of bets before the draw meaning I had to wait for some sort of hand, but I was lucky enough to pick up a Straight against his Two Pair twice. That allowed a defecit of 2,500 to 6,500 to become victory in those two hands due to his inability to get away from a hand. The preflop calling that had suffocated my desire to play aggressively and pick up blinds, was what I eventually turned to my advantage, giving me the victory.

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