Building Poker

Know When to Hold ‘Em, Know When to Fold ‘Em

There is an old cowboy song that goes something like, “Know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em. I have a sneaky suspicion that the song is more a metaphor about love relationships – but the saying is just as true for playing poker.

Poker is as much about strategy as it is about luck. Any successful player will tell you that you need to know how good of a hand you have. Knowing when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em will determine whether you win big or lose a bundle. In an effort to help out all of my fellow players that are new to the game of poker, I have listed all of the winning hands in the order they win (the first one being the one that can’t be beaten all the way down to the last one being the one that can be beaten by just about anything.)

Straight Flush -This hand is almost impossible to get. A straight flush is a five card sequence of the same suite. (For example: 2, 3,4,5,6 of diamonds; 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, jack of spades, etc) Ante high if you have this hand.

Four of a Kind - This is four cards of the same value. This hand beats everything but a straight flush. (For example: four cards each with the numerical value of two, etc.) You want to bet high with this hand.

Full House – This hand consists of a pair and three other cards of the same value. (For example: two cards with the numerical value of five and three cards with the numerical value of ten.) This is an excellent hand so you can bet with confidence.

Straight - All five cards are in number sequence. The cards do not have to be of the same suite. (An example of this hand would be: 2 of diamonds, 3 of hearts, 4 of diamonds, 5 of spades, and 6 of clubs.) If you have this hand you can bet with confidence but should consider what other players have bet.

Three of a kind -This hand consists of three cards of the same numerical value. (An example would be three cards of the numerical value of five.) This hand is more common so you should take this into consideration when placing your bet.

Two Pair – If you have two pair then you will be holding two cards of one numerical value and two cards of another. (An example would be: two cards with the numerical value of five and two cards with the numerical value of eight). This hand is also common so bet low or fold.

A Pair - To get a pair you only need two cards of the same numerical value. (For example: two cards with the numerical value of five).

In rare occasions there are no winning hands. In this scenario the person holding the highest cards wins. In poker the ace is the highest card followed by the king, queen, jack, ten, etc.

The story begins…

I remember my parents playing poker when I was a kid. On Saturday nights they would have friends come over. They sat around drinking beer, eating, and playing cards. All of us kids were shuffled into another room to watch television or play board games. But we would stick out our heads to watch the adults play. Our eyes grew wide at the sight of the pile of silver change and dollar bills sitting in the middle of the table.

Unfortunately, I never learned how to play. That is, not until last summer. It was a holiday weekend and I was invited to a neighborhood cook out. As the hot dogs and burgers were frying on the grill, my friends all sat down to play poker. I sat in the background, feeling left out. Finally, everyone agreed that I could sit in with my friend and learn how to play.

I watched attentively as she shuffled the cards. Then she gave them to the person sitting on her left and they cut them and gave them back. My friend then passed out five cards to each player, starting with the player on her left. My friend yelled, “Ante up”, everyone threw dollar bills to the middle of the table. The person sitting across from us raised his bet to $2.50. None of the other players wanted to bet that high and each said, “fold,” and threw their cards down. I was told that fold means they quit that round of the game. The person across from us laughed mischievously before reaching in and raking up all the money. “Doesn’t he have to show us his cards,” I asked. “No,” said my friend “not if everyone else folded. He was probably bluffing.” (Bluffing means that a player is pretending that he/she has a better hand then they really do in hopes of fooling the other players out of their money.)
Everyone agreed that I could play a hand with my friend helping me out. I knew the basics of what types of hands you can have-four of a kind, full house, straight, etc. But, I didn’t know which hands were best. I felt discouraged looking at my cards. I thought I had nothing, there were no cards with the same number value. I did have a straight but I wasn’t sure if any of the other players could beat that. I showed my cards to my friend and her eyes popped out of her head. “All of your cards are of the same suite,” she exclaimed, “No one can beat that hand.” None of the other players believed it and they all sat around shaking their heads when I revealed my cards. I won $10.00 on the first round I ever played.

I felt a rush of excitement and a great sense of accomplishment. Now I understood what all the fuss is about. But I still had to learn all the different ways to play. I had to practice and improve my skills. My friend told me about www.buildingpoker.com. This website is great. It tells you everything you need to know including how to play, tutorials and poker rooms.

How to beat an aggressive player

There are not enough words to describe how I felt the first time I came up against an aggressive player. I was shocked, annoyed, frustrated, ashamed, mad, and in denial. Needless to say I lost big. Unfortunately for me, this bully became a regular where I played. Over time, I stopped being so afraid of the bully and I started to pay attention. I soon learned how to beat down the bully.

First of all, just as with any bully, don’t be afraid. If you are, don’t show it. The aggressive player is counting on your frustration and fear. They use it against you. It is part of their strategy but you don’t have to play into it. Just as you can’t fear the bully, you also cannot let him suck you in. It is human nature to want to beat him at his own game but that may only make things worse for you. The bully is counting on you raising the stakes in an effort to beat him. The more you bet, the more you can lose and he can win. Don’t raise or stay in the game unless you know you have a good hand.

Determine if the bully is an intelligent player or just an idiot. Some players will use the bully as part of their game plan. These are the ones you really have to watch out for. They will steal you blind. The idiot bully is just an annoyance. Know his game and you will be fine.

Try to always sit to the left of the bully. I found this out by accident. When I sit left of the bully I can play my hand first. That way I don’t get sucked into his game. I know it is hard, but try to concentrate on making your hand and not on what the bully is doing. Don’t get trapped in his mind game. He is counting on you losing your concentration and making bad calls.

Remember that even an idiot aggressive player may occasionally have a good hand. In other words, he may not always be bluffing. Study the bully to learn his body language. Try your best to determine when he is bluffing and when he really does have a good hand.

Don’t lose track of the other players. You are not just playing against the aggressive player. There are other players in the game that want to win just as badly as you do. Don’t go down to his level. It is understandable that you are angry but if you resort to name calling things can only go from bad to worse. I have seen fights break out because a player called out a bully. Just be aware of him and watch your back. Remember that you can always fold.

I soon learned how to beat my bully at his own game. It wasn’t long before he was choosing to not sit at the same table as me.

Cake Poker Room Review

As a beginner at playing poker, I need all of the practice I can get. The problem is that I do not want to have to bet big money only to lose because I’m new at the game. I’m sure that I am not the only one feeling this way. I looked for weeks trying to find just the right poker room to suit my skill level and needs. I was lucky to find Cake Poker. This is absolutely one of the best poker rooms for beginners.
Why is it one of the best? For starters, Cake Poker sponsors free tournaments for beginners. They call them “play money” tournaments. I signed up for free without needing to make a real money deposit. After I signed up I was given 1000 play money chips. I was given more when I ran out. I was able to play for hours and improve my skills and confidence.

After winning a few games I felt confident that I was ready to play for real. I still didn’t want to risk betting a large amount of money and at Cake Poker I didn’t have to. They have games with entrance fees as low as $2/$4. I could afford to play against more seasoned players without much risk.
Beginner players are not the only ones that like this poker room. There are plenty of advanced players and pros playing. So, as I gained skills and confidence, I was able to move up to bigger games with more advanced players. I’m not there yet, but I am looking forward to entering my first satellite. Cake Poker has satellites leading to live televised events including the Aussie Millions and the Irish Open.

Cake Poker has an excellent rewards program. I have already won enough rewards to shop in their store. I am now working on earning points for cash rewards. I know that they appreciate my business and they show it by giving me loyalty reward points for every game I play.They have awesome promotions that keep me excited about playing. I especially enjoy the Texas Hold ‘Ems and ring games.

Don’t think that only beginners are playing this room. There are games and tournaments for all level of players. Seasoned players and pros are frequent on Sundays for the $250,000 Sunday Guarantees.
Cake Poker has great community features geared towards those most serious about the game. I can get my poker news fix through their excellent blog, on facebook and twitter.

The graphics are of good quality and the speed is excellent. I found it easy to navigate around the site. I feel confident knowing that 24 hour support is available seven days a week.

Cake Poker may sound like fun and games but they are serious about the sport of poker. They have an awesome awards program for loyal players. I appreciate the play money tournaments and low entrance fees. I highly recommend Cake Poker to those players wishing to gain new skills and increase their confidence.

Party Poker Room Review

I had beginners luck the first time I played poker. But I soon realized that beginners luck is not enough. I knew that if I were to become a serious player I would need to practice. I needed to play against seasoned players. I wanted advice on how to improve my skills. I wanted to feel that my private information was secure. I wanted to be confident that my poker room is professional. Most of all, I wanted all of this without having to risk losing a bundle of money. I tried several poker rooms before I found Party Poker. I absolutely love this site! The folks at Party Poker are very beginner friendly and offer many services for new players.

The most important aspect is the game play. Why else would we be there? Party Poker has the best of the new players mixed in with some seasoned players. I was able to build up my skills and my confidence quickly. I was learning from the best–two of their players finished first and second place in the televised Aussie Millions tournament. This gave me confidence that I was among serious players, players going places in the poker world.

One of the reasons that new players are drawn to Party Poker is their excellent poker school. Called Poker Academy, there is something for everyone here, from the beginner to the more seasoned player. Here you can get expert advice from the pros on everything from a strong basic hand to in depth strategies. I wasn’t sure what made a strong hand–I learned at Poker Academy. I even picked up some tips on reading my opponents faces and body gestures. The pages are easy to navigate and the videos are fun to watch.

I feel confident with Party Poker because they are fully licensed and regulated. I know I don’t have to worry about giving them my credit card information. I feel confident that no one can steal my identity. They are part of the GamCare system and they support responsible gambling.
Party Poker is an award winning site. They won eGamings “Operator of the Year” award in 2009. An independent poll results show that Party Poker is a favorite among players and one of the easiest to use if you are a new player.

Probably the best aspect of Party Poker is that they sponsor free online poker tournaments for beginners. I played here and gained knowledge, skills and confidence, without risking a dime.
It is easy to see why Party Poker is a favorite poker room. They take the game of poker seriously. They are regulated and certified. I feel confident that my private information is secure with them. If I ever have any problems I know that I can contact their 24/7 support team. Party Poker supports and encourages new players. Their online poker school is easy to use and contains tons of information including everything from the basics to professional level skills.