Poker rules directory

Have you had a chance to take a break over the holidays?  And now you are well rested and ready to take on the New Year… I hope that 2009 is a good year for you, that you are able to stick to your New Year’s resolutions and that all your wishes come true!

We get asked, “What is Rakeback?” quite a lot, so I thought it was time for an explanation:

In order to understand what rakeback is, first you need to nail down the notion of rake. Every online poker room makes its money off the rake players pay on every real money hand they play. The rake is a small percentage that comes off a pot, before it is awarded to the winner.

It is very important to note that the rake comes off the pot BEFORE it is awarded. Many beginners consider that the rake is only paid by the winner. This assertion is erroneous and overly optimistic too. The rake is in fact paid by all those who put money into the pot, and here’s why:

The pot is considered a stand-alone entity at the poker table until it is awarded to the winner. Before that, it belongs to all those who have equity in it. Because the rake comes off it before it is awarded, it is safe to say that the rake is in fact paid by all contributing players, in a directly proportional manner with the amount of money they put into the pot.

In order to stimulate player traffic and sign-up rates, some poker rooms run special promotions called rakeback deals. A rakeback deal will give a certain percentage of the rake, generated by the player, back to the player. This way increasing the profitability of the game. The usual rakeback percentage is around 30% (Full Tilt offers 27%) but it can be much higher too.

How does a rakeback deal stack up against a good sign-up bonus? While the bonus expires, rakeback never does, it just keeps on making you money for as long as you play.

If you run a closer analysis you’ll realize that rakeback works in fact exactly like a sign-up bonus, with the exception that it never expires. Some people will rightfully argue that as long as you play micro and low stakes, bonus redemption will provide you with a bigger revenue stream than rakeback. Most poker rooms which offer rakeback, do not deduct bonuses from rake rebate, which means there’s not much point in arguing whether the bonus is better or the rakeback, since you can get them both without any restrictions.

Signing up for a poker rakeback deal is as easy as 1-2-3. All you have to do is sign up through the rakeback providing site and create an account at the poker room of your choice. Once you’re done with it, you will have to confirm your user name to your rakeback provider and you can forget all about the whole deal. This is the beauty of rakeback: it keeps on making money without you having to pay any sort of attention to it.

To all our loyal followers out there:

A very Merry Christmas to you and happy new year.

More good stuff to follow in the new year!

Today, I want to pick up where we left off on Tuesday, and focus on pride.

How often do we let our pride get in the way.  Throughout our lives, pride can often affect our relationships, our judgment,  our decision making capability and can generally get in the way of good common sense!

Experienced players know when to walk away, don’t let your pride overtake your good sense and make you stay in the game, when in fact, if you thought about it rationally afterwards you would never have kept throwing money at the pot.

Sometimes its easier said than done.  But you have to keep a check on your emotions all the time and ask yourself, “why am I doing this?…..” or “Am I being manipulated and tricked into this one?….”

What do you all think?

Heh thanks for the comments and feedback, at least I know someone is reading my literary award winning stuff.  All comments and feedback are welcome, debate is healthy!

Let me take-up on Poker Blogger Dan’s last point, “…some folks just can’t be told”.

Need I say, but here goes anyway…. all good poker players will look for patterns of play.   And, although this is harder to do whilst playing online poker, it is still necessary.  Sometimes our greatest strength can also be a weakness.

So, next time a player comes at you really aggressively, look for the chink in their armor and strike back.  Just as self-defense tactics or the martial arts would teach us, use your opponents attack and turn it into your advantage.

But of course, don’t fall into the trap of always doing the same thing and reacting in the same way.  Don’t be afraid to fold at times, if you cant bluff your way out or if you don’t have the cards.  Mix it up and confuse them.

I have made loads of mistakes and lost packets of money in my time, but it was what I learnt from each situation that is what made me today.  I have had to pick myself off the ground, dust myself off, patch my pride together and carry on, from many a situation!

I can’t believe people choose to play those flash versions of casino games. The graphics are no way near the standards in downloaded software. I play at casinoplex.com, it is a safe site and it doesn’t even offer a no-download version.

I guess People are afraid of downloading viruses on their computer, but c’mon – a casino that spreads viruses wouldn’t last very long. It’s in the casino’s best interest to provide secure downloads.

Or what do you guys think?

I found the perfect Christmas gift for my poker passionate friend. A deck of personalized playing cards will surely push his buttons. He can really use a new deck, and one with his name really expresses his love of the game. I can’t think of a better gift for a real poker fan.

Oh, man! Check this out! I need to kick up my sock size a couple of numbers this year. It’s a dealer button with a built-in timer. It will tell you when it’s time to raise the blinds. That’s just brilliant! And wait, there is more! A WPT-mouse-pad made of genuine felt. Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten - watch out! I’m writing Santa right away.

Check the site out for more details : www.dbdealer.com

Here are some of the most frequently encountered mistakes made by beginners in No Limit Texas Hold ‘em and how to avoid them. Avoiding these mistakes will not only buffer your bankroll, but will also prevent you from exposing yourself as a beginner to more experienced poker players.

#1 Marrying Hole Cards

If you get dealt a big pair or high suited connectors pre-flop, don’t assume that winning the subsequent hand is a given. You need to pay attention to what comes up on the board and how other players respond to community cards.

There are any number of hands that can beat high pairs, and many beginners are routinely beaten by these. Thinking you have some sort of divine right to win a hand because you have pocket aces is the surest way to run into a bad beat. Learn to fold.

#2 Failure to Fold

Winning hands is only one half of a winning poker strategy. The other half is minimising losses and leads on from mistake #1.

If you think you’re beaten despite the fact that you’re holding good hole cards you should fold them.

The only thing worse than losing with a strong starting hand is paying someone your entire stack to prove to you that you’ve been soundly beaten.

#3 Missing the Nuts

Many beginners get so excited when they get dealt a strong hand pre-flop that they cease paying adequate attention to what is transpiring on the board. Two hands to always keep an eye out for are flushes and straights, either of which will win a hand 9 times out of 10.

To avoid failing to detect flushes go to your poker provider’s options menu and select a multi-colour deck - you’ll never miss another flush again.

#4 Showing Cards

The primary aim of any good poker strategy is to render your opponents incapable of reading your plays. Showing your cards after winning a hand amounts to giving your opponents free information on your personality and play. Keep your cards close to your chest and force your opponents to work hard to figure out your style of play.

#5 High Stakes

While the idea of raking in the cash in high stakes online tournaments or cash games is attractive, its also totally unrealistic for a beginner. Stakes levels tend to correlate with experience levels, and unless you want to find yourself being eaten alive by experienced players without learning much in the process, you’ll want to confine your play to low stakes tournaments and cash games where you’ll have far more opportunities to develop your poker skills at less expense.

Head over to UK Poker Betting to learn more about playing poker online and how to improve your poker play.

You can find the Progressive Jackpot on the Internet at any online casino quality. It is characterized by the gradual growth of the progressive jackpot as new players enter the game. There are, for example casinos that have progressive slot games: playing, some of the money wagered is in addition to a progressive jackpot that will lead to some lucky home.

Generally there is a network of machines linked together through the progressive jackpot. Since each player contributes, with the slot machine on which is playing, to provide the money that will form the jackpot is like saying that every slot machine is in addition to a huge jackpot. The award becomes cos’ incredibly high. Usually, to qualify for the progressive jackpot you must bet the highest post on a slot machine. Read always good rules before you play, to make sure we can qualify for the jackpot.

Premiums can easily reach the threshold of the millions. The list of premiums earned in games progressive and a growing number of prizes you can win are presented on the front page of many online casinos, if they have this type of casino game. Sometimes you find that you are lucky players captured a record that has reached two million dollars. Well, that lucky player might be you. And why settle for two million when you can aspire to win prizes of 3, 4 or even 5 million dollars?

Gaming Tips - How to Be A Success Casino Player
For some people, gambling online success means simply having a good time, for others that should also include some cash payouts worth of time. In any case, it helps to think through some simple questions before you start the Casino on-line. There are really many alternatives that a player can easily miss the opportunity of what is best suited to its needs, if he does not choose the casino with care and knowledge.
Choosing the best Casino:
So how does a player choose the best casino possible? After all, the most serious on-line casinos are very good and the differences may be very small. The beginner should try a free game where you can practice before he begins to deposit money. This is usually available for any game, whether the slots or something that includes the ability as well.

Another important factor is whether a player wants to download the software Casino ‘or not. There is usually an option to play casino games through a software download or through an instant on-line ‘Flash’ version. Often the Flash version comes with fewer games than the downloadable version, so that a player should be aware of what kind of range he’s looking for. When it is the American player is also good to choose a casino that is open to players of the United States. U.S. players have various options at casinos that meet their needs.
Finding the right games and tables:
Once a player has decided to join a casino particular, should look more closely at its option game. The slot dedicated fan already knows just where to click in the casino lobby. In games of skill like poker is essential to choose a table with an appropriate level of play. The trader wants some competition, and the beginner does not want to be swallowed a live fish as a shark. To avoid ending up at the wrong table you should read about how to judge the level of information in the lobby of the casino. The best casinos will come with detailed instructions and additional readings to make sure that the reader is able to orient himself to the right table. If this is not enough, there is always the customer service that should be able to explain exactly where to click in the lobby to get the right game and table.

On top of my Xmas list.

Enough of the soft-wrapped gifts already. This is what I truly want for Christmas. The offset cupholders poker table! No more sticky stuff on the felt from now on. My poker table today already has cupholders, but they are always getting in the way when we play. This is the first table designed for poker players, by poker players. (Who can enjoy a cold beverage every now and then.)

Another cool thing is the custom designed felt. You can get any print that you want and use it on your old poker table. It will be perfect for our home games.