NO LIMIT HOLD-EM POKER - LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF - I AM NOT PHil HELLMUTH AND THIS IS NOT MY POKER BLOG

Let me introduce myself , I am so good I can't win a game , I am not a cheat , I am not a card counter , just an amateur a good club chess player . My last win was 700 dollars in Party Poker step for 10 dollar entry . I have won the 20 dollar 180 on Poker Stars winning 1K. I have twice won 1K in Step Tournaments and countless 10 - 20 dollar MTT's winning 200 to 500 across all the major sites.After a horrendous run of bad beats on pokerstars .I am taking a break from low stakes poker less than 50 dollars to write up a style of play that has put me 1000's of dollars up , just for fun .
I play under the name of blackjack7 , occasionally I still try to play on PS , I could play through the pain but I never chase bad luck . Yes i know , probability says that sooner or later if you stand and spin a coin then a run of 10 heads or 10 tails will hit , but this is a 50/50 chance not a 90/10 split . I am not an addictive gambler I play to win and I hate to lose . After a run of bad beats with odds of between 10 to 1 on and 25 to 1 , all in .I stopped , I have played since , months later , for a few days , then I stop , poker for me is like life , it's all about making the best of whatever hands you are dealt , how much money you win is a way of keeping score . I can always stake others to play , which in a roundabout way is what I am doing. This is the attitude you have to have , to win money playing poker online . If you are happy just to pay to play ,then this is not the blog for you .






This has not been Phil Hellmuth , I am not that lucky

HOW TO WIN 1000'S OF DOLLARS PLAYING ONLINE POKER - OVERVIEW

This blog is for those of you who don't want the wife , husband , parole officer [Danny Ocean - Oceans 11 ] or the boss , to see you on TV when you told them you were working from home this week .

Here you can learn the game of No Limit Hold Em Online . How to calculate percentages . How to read a board . How to manage risk . The MTT [Multi Table Tournament ] Strategy & the STT [Single Table Strategy} , when to bluff , how to bluff and how to spot a bluff . Online reads , the best sites the worst sites and the poker engines that power them . How to use the chat , what not to say unless you want to be banned , when to press on and when to cash out because you just can't win a hand .

THE GAME - NO LIMIT HOLDEM

TOURNAMENT POKER

WHY YOU SHOULD PLAY MULTI TABLE TOURNAMENT POKER


No Limit Texas hold 'em (also hold'em, holdem) is the most popular poker variant played in casinos and online . Hold 'em is a community card poker game; meaning that certain cards are available to be used by all players (in contrast to games like stud or draw). Texas hold 'em is generally played with 2 to 10 players at a STT [ singe table tournament ]. MTT [ multi table tournaments ] can involve up to 2000 players at 200 STT as players drop out the number of tables is reduced ending with just one table called a final table . Prize money in MTT is awarded usually to the top 10 % , the standard payout to the winner is 30 % . MTT are low stakes , low risk poker, but with a high reward to risk ratio .

A variety of strategy books about the game provide recommendations for proper play. Because each player only starts with two cards, and the remaining cards are shared, it presents an opportune game for strategic analysis (including mathematical analysis). Hold 'em is regarded as a highly positional game, since the order of betting is fixed throughout all betting rounds.^[2] Because of the shared community cards, kicker are used to determine the winner more often than in other poker variants.

After slow but steady gains in popularity throughout the 20th century, hold 'em's popularity surged in the 2000s due to exposure on television, on the Internet, and in popular literature.^[1] The no-limit betting form is used in the widely televised main event of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and the World Poker Tour.

Objective

Like most variants of poker, the objective of Texas hold 'em is to win pots, where a pot is the sum of the money bet by oneself and other players in a hand. A pot is won either at the showdown (when the remaining players compare their hands) by forming the best five card poker hand out of the seven cards available, or by betting to cause other players to fold and abandon their claim to the pot.

The objective of winning players is not winning individual pots, but rather making mathematically correct decisions. By making such decisions, winning poker players maximize their expected utility and win more money than they lose in the long run.^[2]

Play of the hand

There are only two private cards in hold 'em. They are dealt first.

Play begins with each player being dealt two cards face down. These cards are the player's hole or pocket cards. These are the only cards each player will receive individually, and they will only (possibly) be revealed at the showdown, making Texas hold 'em a closed poker game.

The hand begins with a "pre-flop" betting round, beginning with the player to the left of the big blind (or the player to the left of the dealer, if no blinds are used) and continuing clockwise. A round of betting continues until every player has either folded, put in all of their chips, or matched the amount put in by all other active players. See betting for a detailed account. Note that the blinds are considered "live" in the pre-flop betting round, meaning that they contribute to the amount that the blind player must contribute.

After the pre-flop betting round, assuming there remain at least two players taking part in the hand, the dealer deals a flop, three face-up community cards. The flop is followed by a second betting round. This and all subsequent betting rounds begin with the player to the dealer's left and continue clockwise. [BEHIND THE BUTTON]

After the flop betting round ends a single community card (called the turn or fourth street) is dealt, followed by a third betting round. A final single community card (called the river or fifth street) is then dealt, followed by a fourth betting round and the showdown, if necessary.^[3]

REFERENCE- wikipedia [FULL ARTICLE ]

THE ODDS OF POKER - NO LIMIT

THE TOP 20 HANDS

AA - The first thing you will notice is that AA wins only 30% of the time .Why ? AA is the biggest hand pre flop , this hand is more likely than any other to be slow played . and the more players in a pot the better the chance of someone hitting two pair or hidden trips a flush draw or double ended straight draw . Very few have the discipline to throw aces if asked the all in question . This is why AA is the most dangerous hand in NO Limit . What is the best strategy , controversial but raise enough to get heads up or 3 handed , by raising you find out where you are , you drive the rubbish out , the 6 4 off suit which would otherwise turn into two pair all in . The worse thing that can happen is you fold the table and you take the pot and live to fight another day .
The best result you induce a re raise , re raisers will probably not fold if you go over the top with everything , heads up all in pre flop AA wins 80% of the time . On a double up this is a risk worth taking .

THE OVERRATED SMALL PAIRS

10/10 : is one of the most overrated hands in poker rated 10 th , most NL Hold em players
will expect to win this hand , this hand is a nightmare , 4 over pairs means 4 over cards any A any K Q or J beats you , 3 or 4 handed , two pairs , straights , flushes enter the equation .Very hard to know where you are , unless the flop is less than 10 . If you want to play this hand aggressively raise enough to get heads up , gamble on your caller having an ace. and if an ace does not come take the pot . IF you want to play defensively play for the trips on the flop , and do not chase the boat and the river .


Calculating the odds

Calculating the odds is something you should be able to do in your sleep . Lets say you flat call KQ suited [ spades ] one of the best hands to slow play in the game . the flop is 6 S Q H JS.
This is as good as it gets .

You have matched the high pair Queens . The chance of hitting any King or Queen on the flop 36 % . [3 K 3 Q in the deck ] 6 outs for each card on every cards fall . 18 outs . 1 out roughly 2% .]

ALL IN

Your opponent has AA he plays aggressively and puts all his chips in .
A flush to any spade will make a five cards flush . 13 spades in the deck 4 dealt out that leaves 9 potential outs on the boat plus nine on the river . However the 18 potential outs needs to be adjusted down . Say you are sitting at a table of 10 , then heads up 16 cards have been mucked , some of those mucked cards will be spades . 36 % maximum chance of the flush . Probably closer to 30 % . However you also have 5 outs to either a King or a Queen on boat and river to make two pair . Another 10 outs / 20 % . Your chance of beating the aces roughly 50 % before the boat .

IT'S NEVER OVER TILL THE FAT RIVER SINGS

The boat comes it's a spade , you celebrate a king high spades flush the river comes another spades . You opponent turns over his ace of hearts and ace of spades you lose to a better flush .






NEXT

HOW TO READ A BOARD

READING A BOARD

THE BOARD

The board are the community cards . the flop , the boat the forth cards and river .


READING THE BOARD AFTER THE FLOP

3 cards all suited . Potential flush in the hole .
The more players in the hand the greater the chance of the nuts .
Consecutive cards , 678 , potential straight .
The Low straight 45 (678)
The High straight - a straight on the roof (6 7 8) 9 10 .

READING THE BOAT AND THE RIVER

The temptation when you flop the straight is to slow play .

Betting strategy aggressive - check or flat call
A 9 flops and even your straight on the roof is no
longer a certainty , a split pot or 10 J takes the hand .
Unlikely ? [probability 9 - 3 in the deck - 6% per card ] ,
but the likelyhood of calling the J 10 to a small raise
almost a certainty .

Betting strategy - defensive - Raise the pot . Take the hand or
make them pay to see another card . Paradoxically Defensive
betting can result in pot committal . Pot committed is when
you are in so deep you don't feel you can fold . Bad Players
will fish and catch on desperate all ins . Bad players deliver
bad beats more often than they should . Raise too much habitually
and you will need to choose a screen name that has bad beat
in it somewhere .



ESCALATING ALL INS

Escalating All ins with rags on board J , 7 , 9 . Usually
suggest overpairs [QQ , KK , AA] , two pair 7 9 , hidden trips 999 .

BLUFFING

The golden Question : What are they raising with ?
Outright bluffing online is far rarer that you imagine .
The most common bluffs are to multiple outs : flush draws and
double ended straight draws . Small stack and part of the flop
will induce over the top all in play .

TO CALL OR NOT TO CALL

1 : Consider the point of no return and can you can afford the risk .
Do you have you opponent covered or will playing the hand out cripple you .
2 : Where are the blinds , how much are they , when will they be coming through .
3 : The next hand may be a double up to a certainty [3000 doubles to 6000 ] , 750 only doubles up to a 1500 and no guarantees .
4 : Poker is about risk - No risk No Reward

MANAGING RISK

MTT

The best way to manage risk is to play in MTT . The cost of entry is low , the potential reward is high . The Poker stars 20 dollar tournament 180 seats , first prize 1000 dollars . It is usual in these MTT to pay the top 10% in this case 18 .

PLAYING THE PERFECT GAME

No such thing poker is game of risk . Taking chances and pot committing with everything is the best way to maximize your good hands . The best hands to risk AK , AQ . Going over the top of a medium raise may seem reckless but to get value for your AK AQ you must see five cards .The Best case scenario you are against another ace but a weaker kicker about 70 % favorite . Otherwise you are in a race against a pair . AA is unlikely as you a have one of the aces , KK is the worst case scenario , Hand odds 30 % . You may be able to pick up a read by the size of the bet the speed of the call to existing raises , the players previous hands . Otherwise you are in a race , a coin toss , against a pair of jacks or less , by going over the top you may fold your opponent who will not know where there are . Once you have doubled up you have the insurance of a large stack .

A BAD RISK THE OVER RATED PAIRS

JJ may look great but 3 over card A K Q . 3 to 4 handed , it is likely that all these cards are in play . 3 Over Pairs . Then you have the straights the flushes , two pair . If you are short stacked , expect to die .

MULTI TABLE STRATEGY [MTT]

Multi Table Tournaments

If you are going to win consistently at poker then MTT's are your best bet . For this simple reason
poker is a game of skill , but it is also a game of luck , your bad luck , your bad beat is somebody's good luck . In the context of an MTT's the price of entry means you can afford to lose more than you win , you can afford , more than your share of bad luck and still come out ahead and believe me bad players get lucky far more than they deserve .


MTT Strategy

MTT Strategy is aggressive , if you are in a field of 200 starting with 1500 , then to reach the money tables , the last 18 or 20 . Then you will need to play for between 90M & 2 hours amassing over 10000 chips . If offered the chance of a race to double up with AK .3/4 of the time it is the smart choice to take it on , the 25 % you decline , depends on you ability to read the raising player if they are tight and hardly play , then all in could signify AA or KK the two hands where you expect to lose . If they are loose and they are short stacked all in could be A9 KQ or KJ usually a pair of 77 88 or 99 .

Playing A Large Stack

There is an old saying in poker never feed the bears . It means players with large stacks often make charity calls , calls they would never make if they could not afford to call . Protect your chips until you are at least sure of getting to the money tables . Play smart , quite often as you near the bubble , the point of the game where a handful of players are fighting for a place in the money, blinds can be anything up to 900 a time going through every 5 hands [ only 3 tables are left , only 7 players at each table ]

Playing a Short Stack

Playing a short stack early on is straight forward . Play defensively only play premium hands and look to double up or die preflop at every opportunity .Playing a short stack late on is about taking blinds , fold you opponent and you live another day .If you are going to bluff , commit to any two cards and take your chances with a lucky dip , try to maintain enough chips to at least ask the question . If you get down to an automatic call against the big blind , then you need to be very very lucky . The question is are you feeling lucky punk ! .

THE BEST SITES AND THE WORST SITES

• WWW.PARTYPOKER.COM
• WWW.POKERSTARS.COM
• PACIFICPOKER /WWW.888.COM

The best sites are the sites where you win , the worst sites at the sites where you lose , it's subjective, a common belief however is that pacific offers the most balanced game .The best tip is to vote with your feet , remember you are a customer a prolonged run of bad luck should be your cue to change sites . I can not win a game on one of the big sites at the moment , nice site , easy interface , good range of tournaments and qualifiers , but a prolonged irrational run and you have to change sites or hire a lawyer and sue , it's up to you , if you can't win then there is no point in playing . I am well ahead on PS but A rest and a change of sites is called for , it almost always seems to bring a change in fortune, for some inexplicable reason , so change , bloody minded poker players are destined to lose forever on the big sites . If the change does not bring a change of luck then stop playing. If you are always getting beaten by players , who do not know what they are doing stop playing !.Do not raise the stakes ,do not chase bad luck and bad cards , a combination of these two factors leads to bad decision making , you will either become too aggressive [TILTING] or to defensive , either way you will lose a ton of money in a very short period of time .

THE TOURNAMENTS

THE STEP AND THE SHOOTOUT

You will find the step and the shootout on Party Poker .
Both tournaments are progression based single table competitions .
Finish in the top 2 or 3 to progress . The main difference between step and shootout is that in a shootout you win money at each stage for finishing in the top 3 , in a step you have to qualify in the top 2 or 3 through 5 steps to reach a money table step 6 .

THE STEP :

Entry begins at 3 dollars - Step 1 .Step 6 pays 5 places 4 - 5 500 dollars , 3 - 700 dollars 2 -1000 dollars 1st 2000 dollars .Steps provide excellent value finish 3 or 4th and get another go 5 - 7 and step down and you can win money playing steps . My last win 2 weeks ago was 700 dollars from a 11 dollar direct buy into step 2 . Played just 5 steps .A good strike rate of 20% 4 - 11 dollar direct buys in to step 2 and one direct buy in to step 3 - 30 dollars . In this example 70 dollars earned 700 .The one draw back with steps is you can get trapped in the machine if you don't get through first time , if you want to play for fun or practice then great value if you value your time then they can get frustrating .

THE SHOOTOUT

The Shootout is usually 4 stages . After each stage a kull occurs and the top 3 qualifiers advance to the next stage . I play these very infrequently , the payouts seem a little disappointing
but the money does accumulate, in the one and only shootout I played made all four stages finishing 3 , 2 , 1 and 3 earning about 135 dollars for an 11 dollar entry . The drawback is you may be faced with a long wait , if you are at a loose table , especially in the early rounds .
Pay more for entry and the shootout becomes more attractive as the ultimate return is more closely related to the buy in than in a Step .

THE CONSPIRACY THEORIES

THE CONSPIRACY THEORIES

No poker blog is complete without a walk through
the various conspiracy theories .

CHEATING GAMBLER - 60 MINUTES /WASHINGTON POST INVESTIGATION

We knew for sure , cheating was going on , we just did'nt know how .
Read the whole story . learn what what to look for ,what the warning signs are and how the cheats were tracked down and named in November last year.

HACKING THE SERVER OR AN INSIDE JOB

CBS CHEATING GAMBLER - VIDEO ARTICLE

If you gain access to the administration or security account , then you can see all the cards at the table .

THE MATRIX

The matrix nothing you see is real your inside a gigantic AI .
games are scripted . ALL THE WORLD IS STAGE AND
all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances.
Just like the Poker machines in Vegas

ROBOTS

The bots are real . Poker played by software agents .
Statistical programs pre programmed with
passive or aggressive traits . They never get tired they never make mistakes
, they may even have access to your
playing stats , access to all the games you have ever played .
There are sites on the net that track this information .
Pay a fee and you to , can have access to who you are playing ,
the playing style , if they are a winner or loser . The real question
do the large poker sites use bots to fill up tournaments .

PRE COGNITION

A company in the US actually cracked the random shuffling algorithm
in the US for one of the major sites . There starting point , no
random number generated by computer is truly random .

MONITORING

Almost everyone is familiar with remote computer assistance .
The future of computer support .
Where a remote party logs into your computer takes control of your cursor and
accesses your files or simply views what you are viewing , sees what you are seeing .

THE RING

The ring workable with less than 45 players .Usually
single table .
2 - 7 players sitting together
perhaps in a internet cafe , working
together to share information and the wealth .

THE INVERTED PYRAMID

The pyramid is a financial model
new players are favored over loyal customers
The logic the addictive gambler once hooked will
play forever .

THE EULA

Poker site agreement
the sites are not for PROFESSIONAL USE .
They are just for fun .