POSITION

POSITION

Position is simply where you are sitting in relation to the dealer's button. In hold em and many other poker games, your position at the table is a big factor. The strength of your position comes from the fact that the betting goes in a clockwise fashion. In a favorable position you get to see how many other players react to their hands and whether they fold, bet, or call before you do. The poker phrase, "Position is power" comes from this simple idea.

There are many names associated with position to identify where players are sitting in relation to the dealer's button. Each particular position has its own strengths or weaknesses.

 The player to the left of the dealer is not only the small blind, but must act first after the flop.

 The player to the left of the small blind is the big blind. He or she is already obligated to the game and is in another early position after the flop.

 The player to the left of the big blind is "under the gun". This player is the first to act pre-flop and is considered to be in the worst position, even though they do not act first in any other betting round (the blinds would) because they would have to invest an entire bet to get into the action.

 The player with the dealer's button is the last to act after the flop and has the most advantageous position. They are called "the dealer", "on the button", or just "the button".

 The player to the right of the button is called "the cutoff", which comes from the fact that this position is one of the best for blind-stealing at a full nine-handed or ten-handed table. This player often cuts off the dealer by betting before they have a chance to bet.

 Players in all positions are referred to as being in early, middle, or late position. Players in an early position are the first ones to act in a betting round (like the player under the gun) and late position players (like the cutoff and the button) are some of the last to act.

The importance of your position varies on many factors. For example, in no limit hold ‘em position is much

more important than in limit hold ‘em. It is always better to be in a late position though, so it is important to identify what hands are generally playable in all positions.

Let’s say you're under the gun. You have Queen-Ten, unsuited and decide to limp into the pot. The player who bets after you raises, and everyone but you folds. Now you're in a jam. Chances are good that this player has a better hand than you. If they have any ace, king, or pocket pair, they are statistically better than you. You'd suspect that someone who raised has at least a hand like that. Now you can either call again or go into the flop as an underdog or you can fold and just give up the bet. What's worse is that if you call, you will be acting before this player for the rest of the hand.

On the other hand, let's say you're on the button. You have Queen-Ten, unsuited and everybody folds to you. One option would be to fold and let the blinds fight it out. Another would be the just call and see what happens on the flop. Many players here would raise because you could steal the blinds and even if you didn't, you'd act after them for the remainder of the hand. Raising is only a viable option because of your favorable position.

Another notable factor is that position goes hand in hand with knowing the players directly around you. For example, an aggressive, blind-stealing player to the immediate right of a tight player usually results in the tight player's blinds getting stolen.

Being in late position with a good hand has major strengths over being early with a good hand. Early position raisers are assumed to have a good hand and it tends to scare players away. Early pre-flop raises force opponents to call two bets at once - at least in the case of no limit - with nothing in the pot yet. In late position, there may be players who have already called one bet. Those players only have to call one bet (in limit) with a little something already in the

pot. So players in late position with a good hand have the ability to manipulate the pot.

While position is important, you will also need to calculate the best chances you have to pull out the card you need to win. We call these pot odds and outs.

PLAYING TEXAS HOLD ‘EM

PLAYING TEXAS HOLD ‘EM

Hold 'em is probably the best known and most popular form of poker today. Each player starts with two hole cards. There are three rounds of community cards. These are dealt face up, for every player to use, with betting after each round. Players make the best 5-card hand using any combination of the five community cards and two hole cards. Each new hand begins with a small blind, a big blind, and a round of betting. The betting rules vary depending upon whether the game is Limit, Pot Limit or No Limit.

Once the first round of betting is complete, the dealer then puts out the first three community cards, or "the flop". There is a round of betting. The dealer then puts out the fourth community card or "the turn". There is a round of betting. The dealer then puts out the fifth community card or "the river". There is a final round of betting. After the last round of betting, the pot is awarded to the best hand.

All Hold 'em games include a small blind and big blind. These are forced bets, and are determined by the position of the button. These bets are considered live, and every player in the hand must either call the big blind, raise, or fold. The button moves clockwise around the table, giving each player a turn being the button, small blind, and big blind.

In Limit Hold 'em, each betting round has a fixed bet. In $5/$10, the small blind is $2.50, the big blind is $5, and the first two rounds of betting are in increments of $5. The last two rounds of betting are in increments of $10. There is a maximum of three re-raises per betting round. In Pot Limit, a player can bet any amount from the minimum bet to the size of the pot. In a $5/$10 pot-limit game, the small blind is $5 and the big blind is $10. The first player can call the big blind (in this case, $10), or raise to any amount up to the size of the pot. A raise must either equal or exceed the previous bet or raise. In this case, a pot-sized raise would be $25 ($5 small blind + $10 big blind + $10 call), meaning that, in total, player three can bet up $35. Supposing player three makes a pot-sized raise, the total pot is now $50. If the next player wants into the hand, they must call $35, which is the size of player three's bet. If they want to raise the maximum, they would bet $120, which equals the size of the pot ($50) plus a $70 raise ($35 call + $35 raise). In No Limit, a player can bet any amount from the minimum bet to the maximum number of chips they have in front of them. As in pot limit, a $5/$10 No Limit game means blinds of $5 and $10.

Here are some general guidelines for pocket cards. They are not steadfast, but can give you something to go by. Of course, the (S) means suited.

The Strongest Starting Hands: PAIR of HIGH CARDS - AA, KK, QQ, JJ, 1010 ACE and HIGH CARD SUITED - AK(S), AQ(S), AJ(S), A10(S) FACES SUITED - KQ(S), KJ(S), QJ(S) ACE KING – AK

Medium Strength Starting Hands: FACE TEN SUITED - K10(S), Q10(S), J10(S) MEDIUM PAIRS - 99, 88, 77 TWO HIGH CARDS - AQ, AJ, A10 (ace king ranks higher, above), KQ down to J10 ACE and MEDIUM SUITED - A9(S), A8(S), A7(S) MEDIUM SUITED CONNECTORS (No Gap/One Gap) - J9(S), 109(S), 108(S), 98(S), 97(S) down to 75(S)

Other Conditional Starting Hands: LOW PAIRS - 66, 55, 44, 33, 22 ACE and LOW SUITED - A6(S), A5(S), A4(S), A3(S), A2(S) LOW SUITED CONNECTORS (No Gap/One Gap) - 65(S), 64(S), 54(S,) 53(S) (lowest)

One of the biggest factors in knowing how to play hold ‘em poker effectively is being aware of your position.

POKER 101

POKER 101

Following is the ranking of general poker hands from highest to lowest. 1. Royal Straight Flush - 10-J-Q-K-A, all of the same suit. 2. Straight Flush - five cards, of the same suit, in order, such as 2-3-4-5-6 all of diamonds. 3. Four of a Kind - four of the same card, such as K-A-A-A-A. 4. Full House - a set of three of a kind plus a pair, such as 8-8-Q-Q-Q. 5. Flush - five cards of the same suit 6. Straight - five running cards not necessarily of the same suit, such as 6-7-8-9-10 7. Three of a Kind - three cards of the same value, such as 10-10-10 8. Two Pair – four cards with two of the same value and the other two of the same value, such as 8-8 and A-A 9. One Pair – two cards of the same value, such as 2-2 10. High Card – any one card with the highest value

Slang for specific hands: A-A – American Airlines, bullets, pocket rockets A-K – Big Slick, “Walking back to Houston” A-J -- Ajax K-K – Cowboys K-Q – Marriage K-J – Kojak K-9 -- Canine Q-Q – Dames, divas, ladies, the Hilton sisters Q-J – Maverick, Oedipus Rex Q-7 -- Computer Hand J-J – Jokers, hooks

J-5 – Jackson Five, Motown 10-5 – Five and dime 10-2 –Doyle Brunson 8-8 – Snowmen, Octopuses 7-7 – Hockey Sticks, walking Sticks 7-2 – The Hammer 5-5 – Nickels, presto 5-4 – Jesse James (for his Colt .45) 4-4 - Sailboats 2-2 – Ducks

Poker Vocabulary

Ace-High A five-card hand that has no hand combinations (flush, straight, pair etc), but contains one Ace.

All-in When you bet all your money on a hand, either voluntarily in the belief that you have the strongest hand, or because do not have enough money to cover the full amount bet by someone else. You then contend for the pot in an amount proportional to what you contributed.

Ante The minimum bet that players must place into the pot by each player before betting begins. The ante is placed before any cards are dealt.

Bad Beat When a good hand that would have been expected to win the pot is beaten by a lucky draw.

Backdoor making a hand you weren't playing for, eg. You play for a full house but make a flush

Big Blind The first bet posted by the player to the left of the player who posts the small blind. It is a forced bet. The big blind bet amount is equal to the lower bet. For example, in a $10 - $20 game, the big blind is $10

Big Slick An A-K combination as pocket (hole) cards.

Blind Bet A forced bet that is placed before any cards are dealt. It is considered a live bet for the first round of betting. You have big blind and small blind bets in the first round of betting

Bluff To pretend that you have a better hand than you actually do, by betting aggressively, in the hope that the other players will fold.

Boat Slang for a full house.

Board

The cards seen by all the players, the community cards in the center of the table or in a players hand in a game like stud poker

Bullets A pair of Aces. If these are your pocket cards, they are also known as “Pocket Rockets”.

Burning a Card

Discarding the top card from the deck.

Buy-in Amount the amount you must bring into a game.

Call When you place a bet equal to the previous bet.

Cash Out To finish playing and exchange your chips for cash.

Catch When a player makes the hand s/he was drawing to.

Check When you want to stay in the game but not place a bet. You can only check if no other bets have been placed in the betting round.

Check-Raise To check at the beginning of a betting round and then raise when a player to your left bets.

Community Cards Cards that are dealt to the table. All players can use these cards to complete a five-card hand.

Dead Man's Hand Two pair hand consisting of Aces & Eights. This is reputed to be the hand that Wild Bill Hickock was holding when he was shot dead.

Dealer-button A flat disk that is used to signify the Dealer's position on the table in online poker. The disk is usually marked with a D.

Deuces

A pair of Twos.

Drawing Remaining in the round and accepting more cards.

Drawing to a hand

Remaining in the round with the hope of making one’s potential hand as more cards are dealt.

Drawing Dead When a player is drawing to a hand that is not the best hand offered by the flop and will therefore be beaten even if the hand is made.

Early Position

In an early betting position for a hand weakest position

Family Pot

When everyone at the table is still involved in the pot

Fast Play

Betting and raising aggressively

Flop The first three community cards dealt to the table

Fold When players throw in their cards. They give up any claim on the pot in exchange for not having to contribute more money to the pot.

Forced Bet

A bet that a player has no choice but to make, a blind bet

Flush Draw When a player holds four cards of the same suit and is hoping to draw a fifth card of that suit to complete a flush.

Go on tilt When a player loses emotional balance during a game and plays irrationally.

Gut Shot To draw to an inside straight.

Heads Up A game with only two players in it.

Hole Cards These are the Down Cards in front of the players. (Also known as “Pocket Cards”)

House The host of the game (e.g. the casino).

Inside straight draw Drawing to a straight where the cards needed to complete the straight are those in the middle of the straight. For example, you have 6-7-9-10 and need the middle card (8) to make the straight.

Kicker The highest unpaired card of a player’s pocket cards.

Limping In Calling the big blind rather than raising.

Monster A very strong hand.

Muck When you do not want to show your hand to the table. The hand is discarded without being displayed to the table. You can muck a losing hand in a show down, or the winning hand if everyone else has folded before you.

Nuts The best possible hand that cannot be beaten, at a particular point of the game.

Nut Flush A flush containing the Ace.

Off suit Cards of different suits.

Outs Cards that will make the hand that the player is drawing to.

Over card

A card on the board higher than your pair

Paint Cards The picture cards (King, Queen, Jack).

Pocket Cards The cards dealt face down to each player. (Also known as “Hole Cards”)

Pocket Rockets A pair of Aces as your pocket cards (hole cards).

Pot The pot is the pile of chips that accumulates as each player ante, bet and raise. All winnings are paid from the pot. The value of the pot varies. It is dependant on the stakes involved and the amount the Players bet. The pot goes to the winner of each round.

Note: The House takes a small percentage of the pot. This is known as the “rake”.

If two or more Players have the same winning hand, they split the pot equally.

Pot –Limit

A game where a player's maximum bet is the size of the pot Pot Odds

The calculated odds the money in the pot represents in relation to how much it will cost to play and hand and the players chances of winning the hand

Quads Four of a kind (four cards of the same denomination).

Rake Percentage of the pot taken by the house.

Rags Useless cards – cards that don’t improve a hand.

Rainbow When the board contains 3 or 4 cards of different suits.

Raise When you increase the bet made by a preceding player. This increases the stakes for remaining Players, who now have to match the total amount including the raise.

Ring Game A normal real money table game, as opposed to a tournament game.

River Card The final community card dealt.

Scare Cards High board cards (e.g. an Ace that appears on the flop).

See To see someone is to call their bet.

Semi-bluff To bluff with a hand that still has drawing potential and could improve to be the winning hand.

Seven Deuce The acknowledged weakest starting card combination in Texas Hold-em (7-2)

Show down After the last betting round when the remaining players compare hands to determine the winner. The player with the highest value hand wins the pot.

Sitting Out When you choose to leave a table for a few hands.

Note: If a player sits out for more than fifteen minutes, or has missed two rounds of blinds, they are usually removed from the table.

Slow Playing Playing non-aggressively with a powerful hand; calling and betting instead of raising. This is done in the hope of not driving players out of the hand and thus sucking more money into the pot. This is also called “sandbagging”.

Small Blind The first bet posted by the player to the Dealer's left. It is a forced bet. The small blind bet amount is equal to half of the lower bet. For example, in a $10 - $20 game, the small blind is $5.

Stack A player’s chips.

Steal To try and win the pot by betting when everyone else has checked, or by making a large raise when everyone else has called.

Tells

Gestures or words by a player that give away the value of his/her hand

Tight

A tight player is a player who never bets unless they hold a good hand

Turn The fourth community card dealt

Under the Gun The player who must act first in the betting round.

Visible Cards Cards dealt face up to each Player. Players use these cards to complete a five-card combination.

WSOP World Series of Poker

Now that you have the terminology at hand, let’s look at playing the game of Texas Hold ‘Em.

HISTORY OF ONLINE POKER

HISTORY OF ONLINE POKER

Other types of online gambling sites were launched before the first online poker room. Online sports books were introduced in the mid 1990’s which was also the time of online casinos sprouting up around the web. It wasn’t until 1998 that the first online poker forum was launched. Planet Poker, which has since become a relatively small poker room, enjoyed the status as the sole online poker forum for a short period of time. Other online sites entered the fray soon after. Paradise Poker was

launched in 1999 and would soon become the industry leader. Today, there are many, many sites to choose from. A search for the most popular sites for online poker show over 1,000 matches, and a Google search gives over 50 million matches for references to online poker sites. The major sites include Poker Stars, Party Poker, Full Tilt Poker, Pacific Poker, and Bodog Poker. Many offer the chance to play with “fake money” or real money. You can accumulate points at some sites that can be redeemed for merchandise bearing the site’s name. Another feature with most sites includes the offer of bonus cash with a real money deposit. Often, you can receive a code that matches the amount of your deposit up to a certain amount. For example, make a $50 real money deposit into your Party Poker account and you will receive $50 free making your total bankroll $100. It’s a matter of personal preference as to which site is best. We will remain objective in this book and will not be able to tell you which site to go to. Each one has its distinct features that appeal to the everyday player. Online venues may be more vulnerable to certain types of fraud, especially collusion between players. However, they also have collusion detection abilities that do not exist in brick and mortar casinos. For example, online poker room security employees can look at the "hand history" of the cards previously played by any player on the site, making patterns of behavior easier to detect than in a casino where colluding players can simply fold their hands without anyone ever knowing the strength of their holding. Online poker rooms also sometimes check player's IP addresses in order to prevent players at the same household or at known open proxy servers from playing on the same tables

The biggest challenge with online poker is you don’t have the advantage of trying to “read” your fellow players. A basic knowledge of the game, of course, is the first step to good play. While we would like to assume you already know the basics, you might not, so our next section looks at general terms used in poker as well as hand rankings. It’s always good to have this information at hand!

HISTORY OF POKER

HISTORY OF POKER

The history of poker is a matter of some debate. The name of the game likely descended from the French word poque, which descended from the German word pochen ('to knock'), but it is not clear whether the origins of poker itself lie with the games bearing those names. It closely resembles the Persian game of as nas, and may have been taught to French settlers in New Orleans by Persian sailors. Poker is commonly regarded as sharing ancestry with the Renaissance game of primero and the French brelan. The English game brag (earlier bragg) clearly descended from brelan and incorporated bluffing (though the concept was known in other games by that time). It is quite possible

that all of these earlier games influenced the development of poker as it exists now. English actor Joseph Crowell reported that the game was played in New Orleans in 1829, with a deck of 20 cards, four players betting on which player's hand was the most valuable. Jonathan H. Green's book, An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling published in 1843 described the spread of the game from there to the rest of the country by Mississippi riverboats, on which gambling was a common pastime. As it spread up the Mississippi and West during the gold rush it is thought to have become a part of the frontier, pioneering ethos. Poker initially was played with one round of betting. Players were dealt five cards face down and there was no draw of cards. Professional gamblers later modified the rules to increase the profitability of the game to them. After 1850, wild cards and bluffing became common practices and drawing cards was introduced as well. The addition of the draw was especially helpful to professionals because it included another round of betting and thus another chance to cheat their opponents. It also introduced the necessity for more skill in playing the game. Soon after this spread the full 52-card English deck was used, and the flush was introduced. During the American Civil War, many additions were made, including draw poker, stud poker (the five-card variant), and the straight. Further American developments followed, such as the wild card (around 1875), lowball and split-pot poker (around 1900), and community card poker games (around 1925). Spread of the game to other countries, particularly in Asia, is often attributed to the U.S. military. As we’ve already pointed out, the game and jargon of poker have become important parts of American culture and English culture. Such phrases as ace in the hole, ace up one's sleeve, beats me, blue chip, call one's bluff, cash in,

high roller, pass the buck, poker face, stack up, up the ante, when the chips are down, wild card, and others are used in everyday conversation even by those unaware of their origins at the poker table. Modern tournament play became popular in American casinos after the World Series of Poker began in 1970. It was also during that decade that the first serious strategy books appeared, notably The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky, Super System by Doyle Brunson, and The Book of Tells by Mike Caro. Poker’s popularity has experienced an unprecedented spike in recent years, largely due to the introduction of online poker and the invention of the hole-card camera which finally turned the game into a spectator sport. Viewers can now follow the action and drama of the game, and broadcasts of poker tournaments such as the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour have brought in huge audiences for cable and satellite TV distributors. Of course, we’re exploring the phenomenon of online poker, so let’s look at the history of that.

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

It’s becoming almost as big as baseball, football, hockey, and other sporting events. Television has increased its popularity. With the Internet, it’s coming into our homes at a lightning fast rate. The rage that’s sweeping the nation – poker! Although the game has been around for years played in family recreation rooms, smoky bars, casinos, and even retirement homes, these days, poker has become the game of choice for hundreds of thousands of people.

Family game night used to mean getting out the Monopoly board and battling over Park Place and Broadway. Now, family game night is more likely to be characterized by breaking out the poker chips and battling each other for the best hands.

More and more people are talking about their bad beats, their great hands, and their prowess for play. Popular on college campuses, fraternal clubs, and even retirement homes, poker has become our new game of chance, and our new game of choice.

What has led to the rise of this game? Most likely, it has been television and the media. On any given evening, the average person can flip on the TV set and find a poker game being aired. The World Series of Poker, Celebrity Poker Showdown, and Ultimate Poker Showdown are rising in the ratings as we tune in to see professionals battle it out and compare our play to theirs.

Nearly every home these days has at least one computer. The Internet has become our lifeline, in ways, for information, contact with the outside world, and – yes – our portal to the world of poker beyond our kitchen table. Now ordinary people can log on and play poker with people other

than our parents, kids, and friends. Many professional players sponsor online website where they are required to play allowing Average Joe to match his poker skills with the likes of Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson.

Perhaps the biggest rise in poker popularity – specifically online poker – stems from one man’s $40 online buy-in leading to the Cinderella story of the industry. Chris Moneymaker qualified for The World Series of Poker main event through a small buy-in satellite event at Poker Stars. At the Series, he outlasted a field of 839 entrants – the largest in World Series of Poker history at the time. He pitted heads against some of the most well-known poker professionals in the world – and won! Moneymaker’s first-place finish netted him $2.5 million dollars, which wasn’t bad considering it was his first live tournament.

Many people looked at Moneymaker’s win as monumental. After all, he was just an average guy. He could be anyone’s next door neighbor or co-worker, and he went up against the pros and won. Chris Moneymaker opened the door for everyday people to dream about being the next professional poker player.

In fact, the 2004 World Series featured triple the number of players over the 2003 turnout. At least four players in the WSOP final table won their entry through an online card room. Like Moneymaker, 2004 winner Greg “Fossil man” Raymer also won his entry at the Poker Stars online card room.

There are a myriad of tips and tricks for playing the game of poker. Everyone seems to have an opinion on the best way to play the game. True, poker is a game of chance, and many would argue that there really is no secret to winning the game. However, there is a best way to play. As Kenny Rogers sang in “The Gambler”, you’ve got to know

when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em. Know when to walk away, and know when to run.

There are many variations on the game of poker, but the one most popular today has got to be Texas Hold ‘Em. It’s a relatively simple game, but like all poker, it can change with the deal of every card. In this book, we’ll explore different ways to play the game online to maximize on your buy-in. We’ll touch on tournaments as well.

Online poker can be fun and even profitable when you play smart and follow the advice of those in the know. Whether you’re playing for fun or for money, the game can easily become an obsession, so we’ve also given you information about getting help with a gambling problem.

We won’t make you a professional – that’s up to you! But we will try to give you some food for thought when the cards are dealt and it’s time to bet.

So, let’s talk poker!