Poker Rooms With 5 Card Poker

May 27, 2010

Many gamblers started off playing 5 Card Poker games with their family. Yet most poker rooms don’t even offer the traditional 5 Card Draw. This has always confused me but luckily there are still very nice rooms to play these games at. This post will provide mini poker reviews for the rooms that offer any of the 5 Card Poker variants.  I will not include the rooms that offer 5 Card Poker but lack the traffic needed to at least have a few real money tables active around the clock.

Mini Poker Stars Review

Five Card Poker players got pretty lucky with Pokerstars. They are the largest online poker room and they offer several 5 Card Poker variants. The first is obviously 5 Card Draw which is available in fixed, pot and no limit. Then comes 2-7 Triple Draw, a popular lowball poker game. Last but not least comes 2-7 single draw. This game is 5 Card Draw lowball with Aces/Straights/Flushes  counting. Pokerstars is open to US players and offers an excellent bonus. You’ll receive a 100% bonus on your first three deposits up to $600.

Mini Carbon Poker Review

Carbon Poker is much much much smaller than Pokerstars but they usually boast 2-3 active real money 5 Card Draw, mostly pot limit, tables around the clock. These tables usually fall in the micro-small range. Some might argue that Carbon Poker isn’t even worth listing but I like to give my readers a choice. They offer a 100% up to $600 bonus and US players are accepted.

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Strategy For 5 Card Draw Poker

April 4, 2010

This is a 5 card poker variant which is interesting to play. Some 5 card draw variants make use of wild cards and these have got an effect on the strategies but in this article we will divide the key point strategies in two segments which are the betting and carding. Be sure to read our five card draw rules guide before you hit the tables.

The first 5 card draw strategy which is of great importance to a player is whether you should make a bet, raise, pass or fold. In order for you to make a perfect decision there are several factors you would have to consider. At first you would have to look at your hand and then try to observe what your opponents are holding. One thing you must note is; a player with a good hand can be able to maintain his hand through out the game. The probability of a player getting a pair of aces or better if the game is being played by a total of 8 people would be 18% and if you did not receive an ace then the odds would be that there is a player with aces. If you are the last person to bet you will be able to notice that a player has got a good hand by looking at how s/he is betting. But if you are the first player to make a bet and you soon realize that there is a player with a higher hand forcing you to fold your hand then this would be a disadvantage for you. Therefore, your position on the table is very important.

A good strategy for the five card draw is not to bet on two pair but if one of them is an ace then you may proceed to bet. Having a two low pair is not a good hand at all and it is very difficult for it to be improved. You would have to adjust your game play depending on the opponents that you are playing with. It’s very easy to notice your tight, loose or aggressive opponents due to the way they are betting, passing making a raise and so on.

Another important factor is your initial bankroll in relation to your opponents. Your opponents can automatically change their game play depending on your bankroll. If you have a very low bankroll, your opponents can start to play aggressively so as to eliminate you but if your bankroll is higher than your opponents they will tend to play more carefully in anticipation that you are an experienced player. Your poker bankroll can change the playing flow but this does not mean you should play poker with a huge bankroll because your opponents will soon notice that you are a weak player and try by all means to take away all your bankroll.

Another key element is the carding technique. You would have to know what kind of cards to draw, keep and also focusing on the loose and aggressive opponents to how they play. For example, if you are holding a pair you would rather draw three cards so as to improve your pair or if you are having a three-of-a-kind you would draw two cards so as to improve it to a full house, four-of-a-kind and so on. If you hold a four-of-a-kind then you would have to draw one card or stand pat - draw none. Therefore, if you are holding a very weak hand such as a high card then the best option for you is to fold.

Another effective strategy is for you not to draw so many cards due to the fact that your opponents will tend to judge your hand easily. The main objective of the game is to mislead your opponents and win the pot. For example, if you are holding a three-of-a- kind you can simply draw one card such that your opponents may think you are holding a two pair or you are going for a straight or flush.

Another effective strategy is to focus on the cards that have been drawn by your opponents. If an opponent stands pat and makes a raise this would mean that you would have to bet only if you are holding a good hand too.

The more you play the game is the more you will learn various strategies that will make you to win effectively.

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Pokerstars In 2010

March 27, 2010

PokerStars in 2010 is the premiere poker playing site on the Net – and with good reason – they have so much to offer and they are have the most members. Poker Stars offers both regular cash games and a huge number of tournament games pretty much around the clock, whenever you take a notion for some poker action! With a huge game variety, great payouts, and excellent software, Poker Stars is the online poker room by which all other poker sites judge themselves. Poker Stars is the planet’s favorite poker website and with new games starting every few seconds on the Poker Stars interface, finding a table to match your skills and bankroll on this site is never a problem. Poker Stars has recently received a big boost to its membership rolls with the addition of the mixed poker game called Eight Game, which is available exclusively on the Poker Stars site. Poker Stars has also recently broken its own record by hosting a tournament with 65,000 players.

Creating  an Account with Poker Stars

To get started playing on the Poker Stars site, you must first create an account. Establishing an account on Poker Stars is fast and easy and takes just moments of your time. During account creation, you will have the option of establishing a funding source for your cash game play (assuming you wish to play for cash). Poker Stars has a great number of payment options for funding your poker action, including credit cards, wire transfers, and others.

2010 Pokerstars Friend Referral Code

The best Poker Stars friend referral code in 2010 is PSP11820. This code, when used with the bonus code STARS600 will give you three 100% bonuses, for a top bonus of $600. You will enter the referral code when you are creating a new account and the bonus code when you are depositing.

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Bluffing In Poker

March 27, 2010

Bluffing is an important aspect in the game of poker. You have to think good when you bluff and keep your body language natural. Position also plays an important role in the poker game. The players should keep in mind that bluffing is very easy. Read this article on the Bluff vortex in Texas Hold’em. You have to think a lot before bluffing things. It may make you win or lose the game it depends on how well you play and outwit your opponent. The win depends on taking the edge too. It is very difficult to play the edge game. Bluffing depends on each action of the player and how well the player utilizes the chances. It is the learning process too, the player can learn from each and every act of the opponent player.

When you bluff and if you don’t get caught, don’t bluff for so many times because you can never play a good play just by bluffing and winning the game. When you play you must use bluffing as a tactic and not as the game because bluffing is just the part of the game. Many times you may also get caught when you bluff and this is very normal when you play a poker game.

Some of the bluffing cause the bank-roll swings and may lead to loss in the game. A player when playing two hands in which he wins one and loses another then he will be on a lower psychological level than a player who did not play at all. Bluffing is too important in a poker game. When you win so many dollars you are happy and when you lose some dollars you are sad. When a player loses $1000 in 20/40 is sad and when he wins $1000 a day he is happy. A player generally bets in more than two games. They strongly believe they will win the game. Many might even risk betting five times. But it is important to maintain their limit in bets. Bets depend on the limit of an individual but bluffing depends on the game and how well a player is good in bluffing. You have to calculate before betting and think before bluffing. There are many tactics used in bluffing.

Bluffing in most of the games will lead to loses and you will lose your mental courage to play another game. So think and decide before bluffing a game. It is better not to do same thing often. So don’t bluff too often, as simple as that. Bluffing can be defined as getting the money so that your economy value is increased and that will lead you to learn the game in a better way. But it is important to not to bluff often. It may lead to failure.

You have to maintain your revenue in many different ways. It is a positive thing and it will really help you play and bet better. It also stops the problems of that of your revenue streams getting blocked temporarily or permanently. To win a poker game you should have a strong revenue stream and very small considerations of other things. Bluffing also acts as one of your revenue stream. You can make money when you bluff correctly. And you can also play good by bluffing correctly.

Bluffing is one of the ways to increase your financial status in the poker game. Bet at the winning hand and become an expert in the play. Each time think that you will maintain your skills which will help you save money and win a game. This will also make you an expert in the game.

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Online Poker Hand Selection

March 27, 2010

The most common way to make money in Poker is to play with the best hand to win a pot. Focusing on the ins and outs of hand selection, formulating strategies towards winning pots and implementing new hand is what most people do to win a poker game. The winning player must primarily possess a best hand, but showing the winner is not the only thing when it comes to a player’s bottom-line. If the player does not have any best - hand or sometimes even any hand, he can still win out of cunning, fraud or flight. Here are some hand selection links to some hand selection guides:

One of the best online poker rooms in 2010 is UB Poker. They offer a wide range of poker and casino games. Theyare part of an online poker network. Let us discuss about Cunning first. Securing a win in pot is not everything. It’s just the beginning towards achieving even more. Mastering the pot size manipulation may be a complicated task for the beginners and few may find it too difficult to handle. In a certain pot , if the player A wins 8 bets risking three while another player B in the same pot with same number of bets at risk, but wins only 6 out of them, player A has higher efficiency than B and is more likely to perform well.

Cunning also plays its role in selecting the game, selecting the table, selecting the seat, selecting the time of play, projecting the image and implementing new tactics in betting against certain players.   Tournament deal making is considered to be one of the main skills of cunning.

In addition, playing cunningly includes several aspects of the game like “running with out a ball”. It is an art of playing shrewd. Playing on a particular day knowing one or more poor players may join, playing after a deep rest are all part of cunning. Poker decisions can be made cunningly even when we don’t have cards or not even in casinos.

Fraud is the next poor quality of players, which we are going to deal now. Though we do not have a winning hand, we can still achieve a win by implementing a bluffing strategy. Mere fraudulent activities cannot alone bring success. We must possess the skill to misdirect our opponents make them believe what we do or how we act is genuine and pursue them to do something which can favor us in all beneficial way but nothing to them. If the opponent makes nothing when we make the nuts on the river, we may want them to bet on us or re-raise us.

Misdirecting the opponent does not mean to perplex them or lead them in wring ways as they may be smart enough to handle the situation and come out of it.  Misdirection should be done in a way that they act according to our needs or their moves favor us in all possible ways it can. This can ultimately lead us to a convincing win over them.

Of all the four poker actions, fold is the most important of them. The poker actions are   the bet, raise and call. This is because winning a poker game depends on how we play the losing hands. In a nine - handed game, where the players desire to win, the losing hand is dealt eight out of nine times. So what we do in the eight losing hands matters the most and not what we do in the one hand we win.

It is the folding and saving bets that differentiate between good players from a bad one. This also marks the financial difference between the great and the good players. While lots of players feel satisfied to manage them occasionally, it must be put in a perspective. It is a rare thing for big lay down to occur.  At some point in every hand we do not win, this fold happens.

To acquire the skill of knowing when to quit a game, flight is very important. Players always give a deep thought in deciding when to quit. Folding is not quite commonly discussed because good players will have a clear idea of when to fold. They implement a vivid folding strategy. If the situation does not favor us, it is advisable to fold or quit. But judging the best time to fold is often a very difficult task for players.

Poker tips mainly attempts to minimize the losses encountered by players rather than maximizing the profit to them. Also the opportunities for minimizing are more. Also, all players will prefer to do the same. As a result, the overall profits are reduced.

Money saved is money gained. Poker is all about how we make the decisions and act according to them. Winning the bet ultimately matters the most. How effectively and efficiently we earn wagers with betting and how well we mislead the opponent making their actions favorable to us is significant. We must know well when to and when not to fold. Staying healthy after long hours of play, having the right attitude towards everything, thinking smart and acting shrewd is also important. At the end of the game, our pockets must be filled. We must be contended enough to play more and earn more. As previously mentioned, the three qualities cunning, fraud and flight can earn us more money.

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How To Play 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo

March 24, 2010

Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo is one of the classic Stud poker game that have been popular for several years.  The game is easy to learn as the rules are listed below to help you enjoy this great betting game of chance.

At the beginning of every hand in play of FL 7 Card Stud H-Lo, all players must contribute a small bet to the pot, which is called the ante.  The ante is typically used as an incentive for players to play their hand and build up the pot for the round.

Stakes, Ante, and Betting

In the rules of 7 Card Stud Hilo, the “stakes” column will dictate the raise and bet amount for each round of the game.  The lower number is used for the first two rounds of play, while the higher number is used for the last three betting rounds.  For example, a $2/$4 stakes table, the first two rounds max is $2, and the last three rounds of play will have a raise/bet limit of $4.

Once the ante has been thrown into the pot by each player, the dealer will then deal each player two cards that are facing down (the pocket), and one face up card (the door).  Once all players have received their first three cards, the first round of betting (bring-in) can begin.
If two or more players are showing the same door card, the suit ranking will then determine who is first to bet.  The ranks of the suits are from weakest to strongest-Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, and Spades.  The player with the high card shown will begin betting, and then betting by each player will go clockwise around the table.  Any raise after the bring-in must be the lower stake amount.

After the bring-in, each player will then be dealt another card to them facing up:  This is called Third Street.  The highest shown hand will open the betting round.  However, if a pair is shown on Third Street, the player with the pair has an option of doubling their bet for the round.

The Streets

The next round, Fourth Street, another card is dealt to each player facing up.  The high hand will open the betting round.  Keep in mind that the last three rounds of play, the bet amount is now at the higher stake ($4 in the $2/$4 example). At Fifth Street, the last face up card is dealt to the players, and the high hand will open the round of betting.  As in all rounds of play, players have the choice to call, bet or raise their hand as long as the amount does not exceed the stakes amount. The last card that is dealt to each player is called the River card.  This card is dealt facing down.  As before, the highest shown hand will lead the betting, and the limit is the upper stake of the game.  You play 7 Card Stud HL with a standard fifty two card deck, there may be instances when the dealer will run out of cards.  If this is the case, the dealer will deal out one card in the center of the poker table, which is called the Community card that can be used by all players to complete their hand for the round.

Determining the Winner

Once all of the bets have been called, it is time to determine the winner.  The last player to raise or bet their hand in the River are first to show their hand.  Once that player has revealed his hand, in a clockwise manner, each player will reveal their hand during play.  Any player can use any combination of five cards in their hand to make the best possible hand to win the pot, and the standard poker rankings come into play.

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The Truth About Online Poker Networks

March 24, 2010

The  “poker network” concept was initially developed in the early days of online poker. Rooms thought that if they rented their software out to other companies and shared players it would cause the network to grow very quickly. For a time this seemed to work well but as with everything, money is the bringer of corruption. This is why I stick to the independent poker rooms that accept U.S. players.

The Cake Poker network is a good example of what happens when a online poker network goes wrong. Cake Poker started off as an independent poker room that was struggling with traffic issues. They decided create a network and open it upo to a wide variety of well known casinos and sportsbooks, so far so good!

With the influx of inexperienced, but well bankrolled, sports bettors at the Hold’em tables…. things got pretty crazy. Many players migrated to the Cake Poker network to take advantage of the easy money.  So far it looks like their strategy worked out well.

The  problems started a few years back when the people who owned the network got greedy. Greed has ruined many businesses, which is pretty apparent these days  (the bailouts..ect).

Their standards on who they leased their software to dwindled away to nothingness. This lead to skins like Cardspike popping up. They basically took off with everyone’s money. Everyone thought that the Cake Network would step in and compensate players/affiliates/partners….which did not happen.

My rules of thumb with online poker networks is always stick to the flagship room. Cake Poker is obviously the flagship room on the Cake network.

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2-7 Triple Draw Rules - How To Play

March 22, 2010

2-7 Triple Draw — or Deuce to 7 Triple Draw — is a five card draw poker game with an interesting twist.  The objective is not to end up with the highest hand.  This is a “lowball” game where it is the lowest hand that wins the game. The worst possible hand in this game is 2,3,4,5,7, hence the name of the game –27 or 2 to 7 draw.  You will find fixed limit 27 triple draw in all of the most popular online gaming sites and poker sites - it’s quite popular and once you’ve played it for a few hands, you’ll see why.  As far as  2-7 Triple Draw strategy goes, it is best to use the TAG poker style.

27 Triple Draw Game Play

Initial bets are placed to build up the pot and then there are three draw rounds, each followed by betting according to fixed limits.  Five cards are dealt to each player.  At each draw round players can keep all their cards or discard them all and receive all new cards.

Betting In 2-7 Triple Draw

When you play 27 Triple Draw the betting limits are predetermined, either by the players or the house.  You won’t hear the phrase “ante-up” in this game as there is no ante.  Instead small blind and big blind bets are used to seed the pot.  Here’s how it works.  The player immediately to the left of the dealer is in the “small blind” position and must place a bet in the same amount of the fixed lower limit.  The player to the left of him or her is in the “big blind” position and must place a bet at the fixed upper limit.  So in a $5/$10 game the small blind bet would be $5 and the big blind bet would be 10.  In online poker the dealer position is marked by a button, since there are no physical players present. Once the blinds have been placed each player is dealt five cards which they can keep — stand pat — or discard and draw new cards.  There are a total of three draw rounds in this game, hence the name “triple draw”.  Players can discard as many cards as they like in each of the draw rounds.  A betting round follows each of the draw rounds for a total of four betting rounds.  After the initial seeding round, the next round of betting are fixed at the upper limit, or big blind.  So every player bets $10 in a five and ten game.  The final round of betting raises the bet to twice the size of the upper limit or big blind — $20 in this case.

Scoring In 2-7 Triple Draw

Fixed Limit 27 Triple Draw offers some interesting variations from other lowball style poker games.  For one, ace is always high, not high or low.  In addition you can use straights and flushes but they count against you so unless some other player lays one down that is worse than yours, straights and flushes are not likely to produce winning hands.  At showdown, players organize their hands by descending rank from left to right, 9,8,7,6,5 as an example.  The winner is determined by whoever is holding the lowest high card — the worst hand.  If two players have a 9 high, the next card in the descending order is used to declare the winner.  In the example above, if another player had a 6 next in the sequence that player would have the lowest hand.

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Fixed Limit Seven Card Stud Rules

March 22, 2010

Since the days of the Old West, seven stud poker has been a favorite among poker players all over the world.  In online poker rooms, seven card stud remains one of the most-played games on the lineup - and nearly every poker room “worth its salt” will have a few versions of seven card stud, including fixed limit seven card stud. To become a decent player of fixed limit seven card stud, players certainly need to understand and learn the Stud rules governing play in this exciting old standby poker game.   Using the TAG poker strategy is best for 7 card stud.  I tend to play at UB Poker mostly because they offer 70+ casino games.

The Bring In

Fixed limit seven card stud is an ante game, which means that there is mandatory bidding before the action starts. Before the first card is dealt to the players, everyone must ante.  After the ante, the dealer will deal two cards face up and one card faced down to each player on the table.  The player with the lowest card of the two facing up must make the first bet; this first bet is referred to as the “bring in.”  If two or more players have the same value card face up on the table, then the suit rank will take precedence.  The rank in order is:  Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, and Spades.  Spades is the highest value, and Clubs is the lowest.

Once the “bring in” bet is placed, each player to the left of the player who made the “bring in” bet can call, fold, or raise.  The “bring in” amount is typically one half of the lower stakes in the game.  For example, if you are playing at a $2/$4 table, and you are the one that must place the “bring in” bet, the “bring in” will be $1.  This round is also known as Third Street.

During the next round (Fourth Street), each player at the table will be dealt one card face up.  Betting will then commence.  The person that has the highest hand made out of the cards that are facing up (also called the porch cards) will bet first.  As in the previous round, the player to the left of the player who began the betting process will commence with folding, raising, or calling their hand.

The Increased Stakes

When Fifth Street rolls around, all players will be dealt another card face up, and will then make bets that are at the higher stake.  In the example above of $2/$4 stakes, $4 will be the bet.  Betting will stay at these limits during Sixth Street and Seventh Street play.  On Sixth Street, players will be dealt another card face up, and finally on Seventh Street the remaining players will be each dealt a card face down.

When betting on Seventh Street is finished, the last player who either raised the pot or bet, must show their cards first.  Once that player has shown his hand, the player to the left shows their hand and continues in a clockwise direction.   Once all cards have been shown, the winner will be determined as being the player with the best five out of seven cards using traditional poker hand rank values.  If during play the deck should become exhausted, the dealer may place one card in the center of the table as a community card that can be used by all players around the table to make their best fixed limit seven card stud hand.

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UB Poker Review - UB.com Bonus

January 28, 2010

Your search for an online poker room is over! You need to check out UB Poker and start playing poker like a pro. Right now you can sign up to play at one of the best poker rooms around and receive a free 111% on up to $1,100 first time deposit bonus. You must use the UB.com  Poker referral code BONUSHP. On top of this great bonus you will get some extra cash with the 30% UB rakeback deal that you will also receive. One of the best UB poker bonuses on the industry and a great rakeback deal isn’t the only reason to sign up for UltimateBet. This UB.com poker review will cover the promotions, bonuses and other aspects of UB poker.

UB.com Poker Traffic Review

UB Poker might not be the largest poker room online, but they are one of the largest medium sized rooms. This means that there are always plenty of tables available with plenty of players seated at them. A lot of poker room reviews will say that a poker room sees great traffic when it truly doesn’t. This isn’t true for UB.com

If you are looking for a high stakes game then UB Pokwer might not be the best poker room for you. If you are looking for any games in the micro to medium stakes then UB.com Poker has what you are looking for. Most of the traffic is at the micro stakes no limit hold’em cash tables and SNGs, but you still see plenty of traffic at the other games as well, just not as much as the most popular game in the world.

U-B Poker Software Review

You will love the simplicity of the software at U-B Poker. The lobby is laid out perfect and easy to navigate and the tables aren’t littered with all sorts of extra unnecessary stuff that distracts the player. The lobby allows for players to set search parameters so that they don’t have to scroll through tons of tables that they don’t want to play at.

The graphics are pretty nice at Ultimate Bet. There are a few issues with graphic links in the lobby that seem like they would be tournament links when they actually take you to the UB.com website. Other than this the graphics are great. They do just enough for the player making for a comfortable feel at the room.

UB Poker Promotions Review

Right now when you sign up for an account at UB.com you will receive a 111% on up to $1,100 first time deposit bonus. On top of this free cash you will also receive 30% UltimateBet Poker rakeback. In the long run this is a ton of free cash.

When you play real money cash tables or tournaments at UB you will receive frequent player points. These points can then be used to enter into special points only tournaments and other special guaranteed tournaments.

There are special tables at UB Poker right now where each player also puts up a side bet while playing. If at any time a player takes a hand down with the hole cards 7-2 they win the side bet! This is just like they do on late night poker!

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