Tim Pim Blog

poker is a stressful enough game as it is; so many players try to limit the amount of pressure the feel at the table. While your lucky rabbit’s foot and comfortable shoes will help a bit, the main way to avoid unnecessary poker stress is to avoid physical casinos. On the whole, physical casinos have a much higher stress level at the poker table than their online counterparts.

The reasons for this discrepancy are twofold. First, you actually have to deal with flesh and blood players staring you down across the table. Every single one of your actions is under review as the hardened poker players around you scrutinize you for a tell that will give away your cards. Living under this microscope can be stressful for newbies who haven’t learned how to control their facial features.

The second big drawback of physical pokercasinos that adds to the poker stress is the casino itself. There are constant people around, tourists watching the game, and more money on the table. The casino environment gives an added level of stress to poker players that can be easily avoided by staying at home and logging in to an online casino. Who knows, playing under less stress may make you win more.

Have you ever enquired what the easiest way to play Euromillions is?

How could you win as much as possible? Or even to scoop a European Lottery Jackpot?

Numerous individuals simply walk across the high street and then buy their so called lotto tickets. In the hope of winning. But the odds of winning the lottery are 1 in a few of millions…not really liable, right?

Hence what could you truthfully do to advance your chances?

By good fortune, according to the Euro Lottery statistics, 2/3 of Lottery Jackpot winners are lottery syndicates!

Thus, we all possess the solution. Evidently you will receive a stronger opportunity to win the Jackpot if you subscribe to a lottery syndicate.

How lottery syndicates function?

A Euromillions Syndicate is a group of individuals who combine their money and then buy as many tickets as feasible. Every lotto ticket has unique numbers; so that chances are better than taking part on your own.

If the syndicate wins, each player obtains a share from the profits. So then the more lottery players that are in your syndicate the larger your individual opportunities are but; likewise your particular portion is lower.

You could just do a short survey on the internet, use - Google, Yahoo and Bing or perhaps Several other search engines that are available to you. Or possibly you can see some in your localized newspapers in classified advertisements section.

Or maybe you may decide to sign up to an elottery syndicate

There are lots of reasons

- You will obtain a pro service - You will not miss a lotto draw - You will obtain detailed statistics in your players back office - Your lotto winnings are compiled and then you will pick up a Cheque payment with your share!

- All this and much more from the comfort of your individual home

For me it means that the lotto syndicate employs an established mathematical system and that guarantees that you will match at least one lotto number in each and every prize draw.

And, that means that even your individual percentage from European Lottery syndicate wins is greater than you would gain playing same numbers on your own!

Plus in the end, that means you can become an affiliate partner and then after meeting some acquirable, achievable requirements you can be taking part in your favorite Euro Lottery syndicate in effect for free…or possibly you can be effectively building up your own new income while playing lottery.

The decision is yours:

The option is yours - Play on your own. Or possibly play the smarter way:

Play in a Euro Millions syndicate and win more often.

Or become even smarter and:

Enter in a Euromillions syndicate and win much more often + cover your ticket cost and then play for free and bring in an extra income.

I have previously written about the National Heads-Up poker Championship (NHPC) and how much fun it is to watch. It’s a unique poker online tournament that pits some of the best players in the world against one another in a no holds barred, heads up format. The 2009 tournament will take place once again at the Caesars Palace Las Vegas on March 5-8, and the field of players has just been announced. In all, a total of sixteen players will make their debut in this year’s championship, including two Caesars Palace qualifiers and four others who qualified online. There will also be five celebrities. Among the poker pros, the list includes: The previous four NHPC champions: Chris Ferguson (2008), Paul Wasicka (2007), Ted Forrest (2006), Phil Hellmuth (2005). The previous two NHPC runners-up: Andy Bloch (2008), Chad Brown (2007). Defending NHPC semifinalists: Huck Seed, Phil Ivey. Those with four consecutive years of cashing in the NHPC: Scott Fischman, Huck Seed (2). The previous three World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champions: Peter Eastgate (2008), Jerry Yang (2007), Jamie Gold (2006). Defending WSOP Championship runner-up: Ivan Demidov. Multiple WSOP bracelet winners in 2008: John Phan. Defending WSOP Player of the Year: Erick Lindgren. Defending WSOP Heads-Up champion: Kenny Tran. Defending World Series of Poker Europe champion: John Juanda. Reigning World Poker Tour Player of the Year: Jonathan Little. Reigning European Poker Tour Grand Final Monte Carlo champion: Glen Chorny. Reigning Card Player magazine Player of the Year: John Phan Each will battle for their share of the $1.5 million prize pool. It should be a good tournament. Enjoy!

Though some online poker players will tell you they hate pocket aces, there’s no denying the fact that little feels better in a ring game than looking down and seeing the pocket rockets. For many players, seeing those two paired cards together is often interpreted as a ‘this pot’s mine’ expressionmeaning that often they are already counting the poker online chips they will win when raking in the pot that the aces should bring them. But aces don’t always hold up, and losing with what is supposed to be the best starting hand in poker can be a tough pill to swallow. No matter how many times it happens, losing money with aces hurts.

One of the signs of a great poker online player is he who can minimize his losses in this area by knowing when to get away from the biggest of all pairs.

Against certain players, on certain boards, sometimes the signals that you’ve gotten your aces cracked become terrifyingly clear, and yet many players in these positions don’t take the obvious clues. If your solid as a rock opponent who never bets without the nuts suddenly goes all in on the river, you are likely beat. Watching for the completion of straight draws, flush draws, and the board pairing followed by big bets from usually moderate players are also obvious signs that it might be time to lay down the big ones.

Everyone wants to win in poker. The goal is to get more casino chips, and make more money. Fear of losing is natural, but it also can undermine a good poker player’s potential.

When playing poker, there are bound to be some trouble cards that show up - a third card to the suit, a card that makes four to the straight or pairs the board. When these trouble cards appear, it can demolish a hand that looked fated to win, like the high pair, two pair or even trips. Anyone holding those cards is in troubled waters, and naturally nervous about betting any more into the pot.

This is a fear that must be overcome to win at the game consistently. When a trouble card appears, it may be that your opponent is made uncomfortable by it too. If you’re holding a set, and board appears to be flushing, you can still bet out - after all, you could hit a full house, and your opponent might put you on the flush and possibly fold.

Reality is that sometimes your are going to lose in these situations. You just have to pick your spots where you knowingly undertake that risk. If you are never willing to risk a loss, you can’t play poker profitably. Be selective and only bet the trouble card when there seems a chance that your hand could still be the winner. Acknowledge that you are opting for a possible loss. Sometimes you will emerge victorious over the trouble card, and rake in the chips.

Live poker games offer the opportunity to observe your opponent’s body language and behavior, which can often give clues about their hands. Seasoned poker players know to adapt a still demeanor or habitual postures at the table to mask their feelings. Some resort to wearing sunglasses and hats to obscure their faces.

Still, many professional poker players rely on “tells” to read their opponents. Here are a few classic tells to look for: * When a player who was daydreaming or distracted during most of the play suddenly comes to attention, it’s likely this player has a good hand. * Players, who glance at their cards, then quickly assess their chips and bet, are probably holding powerful cards. * Feigning a resigned attitude, such as when a player shrugs their shoulders and says, “What the heck, I’ll play” as if their hand is mediocre. This is often an attempt to mislead others into thinking they are up against a weak hand, when if fact, the hand is strong. Be wary. * When an irritating player who has been talking a lot or otherwise engaging in distracting behavior, like whistling, suddenly becomes attentive, then you are probably up against a good hand. * If your opponent intently watches your reaction to a bet, that player is probably nervous about the strength of their hand. * When a loose player, who bets and bluffs often, places out a “value” bet, that player is trying to lure more chips into the pot instead of just stealing it. Be cautious in this situation and fold all but made hands. * Consistently tight players who finally enter a pot usually do so because of the strength of their hand.

These are just a few of the classic tells you can spot at a live table that can help you make decisions about betting your hand.

Let’s talk for a minute on one of the most philosophical but important questions in the online poker world. ‘Can a game be too loose?”

One poker pundit in Switzerland gives the answer of a resounding “NO!”

The reasoning is simple. The mathematics behind sound poker should still hold up over time.

Let’s say you have the BigSlick under the Gun. 1-2 blind game. You bet out 30. But you still get four callers. Surely they don’t all have high pairs. And, let’s face it, it is a loose game.

You still have the odds in your favor. Now there’s a lot of theory about subprime fish bets colluding against the strong hand (i.e. you flopping a high pair, top kicker vs. a junk hand catching two pair), but the odds are still ridiculously small. About 4 percent.

The problem comes with the multiplier, the four percent by four players. Now we’re looking at about a 20 percent chance that at least one of the junk hands will flop above your top pair.

So here’s a few tips for these games. Expect to buy in quite a few times. The swings in these types of games are very much a roller coaster ride. And you’ll probably find yourself buying in once, getting sucked out on, and buying in again. But all it takes is one of those big hands, to put you back in the black.

And, if you’re really that uncomfortable with the big swings, try playing these games short stacked. One, it’ll make your play more conservative. Two, it will offset the concern you have and the fear you may feel when you’re playing deep stacked.

These loose games can be a challenge when one is used to playing with good, sound players. But just as anything else in poker, online or brick and mortar, they can be beat, it just takes some evolution and take some adaptation.

I’ll semi-quote Darwin. To survive these fish school games, we have to become the fittest. And who better to survive than the fisherman when dealing with fish?

Poker hand ranks can make a player play more cautious than normal. If a certain hand rank is left showing on the flop for a possibility, a player may play with a small bet, not being sure of the outcome. Texas Holdem, is a poker game that hand ranks really play an important part of the experience.

In Texas Holdem like other poker games, hand ranks become who wins or who looses. Since there are two cards dealt to a player, three cards on the table that become what is called the flop, and two other cards, the turn and the river, that players have to make a hand out of can become a difference between risk taking or not. The flop could show a simple flush starting, but the turn and river could change that.

In betting, the player may have been a risk taker before. Playing Texas Holdem poker, they suddenly realize that they don’t have five cards right away, there is still more to be shown. They could bet a little at a time or even check to see a flop shown before making a big bet.

Since TexasHoldem is a game of skill and luck of the cards, people find a thrill in playing the game. Some maybe scared at first of betting when not seeing the flop yet, but in time the cautious player that started out may become the risk taker that wins the game.