Online Poker1

How to Read an Online Poker Review: Part 2 of 2

In part 1 of this 2 part series, we began to lay out for you exactly what online poker reviewers look for when evaluating an online poker room, using the poker review template from our own poker portal at Poker-Ranking.com.

In part 1, we explained in depth the following sections: Software and Graphics, Game Variation and Limits, and Traffic. In this concluding article, we will delve into what information is contained in the rest of the sections of a typical online poker review.

Competition
Here in an online poker review, youll find a gauge of the level of skill predominant at the various games (Texas Holdem, etc.), types (Ring Games, etc.), betting structures (Limit, etc.), and stakes (100200, etc.).

The term fish refers to players that arent very good. The call a lot of bad bets and can be intimidated easily. A good player can beat fish consistently with little difficulty.

The term shark refers to expert players that devour the fish. (For another appropriate animal reference, consider a fox in the henhouse.)

Bonuses
This part of an online poker review will tell you the signup bonus youll get (usually a percentage match against your first deposit), as well as any other bonuses available at the online poker room.

Some common bonuses are as follows:

Bad Beat Bonus: If you lose a hand holding higher than a certain amount (usually 4 Queens), you win the largest portion of a bonus that is shared amongst all the players that posted blinds in that round

Magic Hand Bonus: Every round (or hand) in an online poker room is given a number (which is how you can later refer back to earlier games); in a Magic Hand Bonus, the online poker room chooses a number (say, every one millionth hand) and gives every player who posted blinds in that hand a share of the bonus, the largest portion going to the winner of the hand

High Hand Bonus: Given to any player that gets the highest hand (above a minimum high hand, eg. 4 Kings) in a set period of time, without folding

Progressive bonuses (or Progressive Jackpots): These start at a certain amount (eg. 500) and each day that goes by without a winner claiming the bonus, a certain amount (eg. 50) is added, until someone wins the accumulated amount and the jackpot is then reset to its starting level.

Rake
Here is where the online poker review will tell you what the commission is that the online poker room takes for each hand. The average rake is 5% of the pot, up to but not exceeding 3. Many online poker rooms take smaller cuts from smaller pots or lower stakes games.

Some have a wonderful No FlopNo Drop policy, stating that if nobody stays in to see the flop, no rake is taken.

Customer Service
This section of the online poker review tells you the ways to reach customer support (toll-free phone, email, live chat), the hours (preferably 247), and most importantly, the quality, courteousness, and responsiveness.

Promotions
Similar to bonuses, but meriting their own section of the online poker review, promotions are special, time-sensitive events, generally with extraordinary prizes that include hefty jackpots, vacations, automobiles, and free seats in World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker events.

Deposits and Cashouts
Youll find two things in this section of an online poker review: first, the payment methods accepted for deposits (purchases) and cashouts (withdrawals), such as PayPal, credit cards, NETeller, etc., and second, the promptness, reliability, and security with which they process these transactions.

Ease of Use
This section of an online poker review usually discusses the usability and intuitiveness (or lack thereof) of the interface. In addition, youll learn here about the layout of the lobby and the information given, including lobby stats like the following:

Hands per hour: Tells you how quickly the game moves and could be a gauge of the experience level of the players;

Average pot: Tells you how aggressive the players are and how much you can expect to win or lose each hand; and

Flop percentages: How many players at the table on average are staying in to see the flop; tells you how loose theyre playing.

With this handy, two-part guide to online poker reviews at your side, you should be sitting in at the perfect online poker table for you, any moment now!

Following are ten online poker winning tips. While they do not guarantee that you will win every single poker game they serve as a kind of checklist you may rely on.

- Playing too many hands
Nearly all beginners play way too many starting hands, most top players typically play between 20-30% of their starting hands. It is a lot better to concentrate on higher value starting hands and help remove the luck element of the game.

- Know when to hold’em, and know when to fold’em
This is the biggest tip you will get, learn how to fold a hand, and do not be a fisherman, i.e. making a call, thinking you are going to get what you want. Many beginners keep betting regardless of the board or what their opponent’s actions are suggesting. Pros frequently say it is the hands you can lay down that are often the key to profitable play.

- Choose less skillful opponents
Sounds fairly obvious, but you should play at betting limits where you can beat the majority of players. Move down the limits if you are having difficulties winning cash. It is best to leave the ego at the door when playing poker.

- Keep an eye on your opponent’s habits
Especially, when you are not in the hand. The best time to try and read other players, is when you are not emotionally invested in a hand, you can make more prudent observations this way. Watch your opponents bet, how much they bet and in what position are they betting. Learning how your opponents play is one of the keys to success.

- Betting to gain knowledge
To bet should not mean you always have the best hand. Pro players use various betting techniques to try to gain information. For example, a defensive bet is one that you can use early on to avoid calling a bigger future bet. A re-raise may be used to probe the credibility of your opponent’s hand.

- Learn to put your opponents on a hand
Once you have mastered Tips 4 & 5, try and put your knowledge to work. Try being in your opponent’s shoes, and learn to put them on a hand. Ask questions like “Why did he re-raise me that amount?”, and “Why did he only call in the previous betting round?”.

- Learn how to bluff and semi-bluff
..at the right times against the right players, and at the right frequency. Bluffing is often a misunderstood concept, and many beginners dismay most pros use bluffs quite sparingly. A bluff can be very effective when used rarely, and where there is a seemingly low risk of being called by your opponent.

- Changing Gears
Unpredictability is a strength in poker. Most pros can figure out a really loose player by waiting for the nuts (top hand) and being patient. However, an even easier opponent is a tight player or “rock”, who plays only the Group 1 type hands. You need to change your game up, and let them see that you can run bluffs, and can play some lower value starting hands. These changes should be subtle and should not dramatically affect the flop rate we mentioned in Tip #1.

- Understand player position
..and how it is critical. Not only is it important to play strong hands, it is even more important in what position you play them. For example, the ideal position is the Button (the Dealer), as you are last to act, and have the advantage of watching all of the betting action before you need to make a decision. eg. If the action before you consists of a bet, a raise, and a re-raise, and you hold a pair of Tens, you might think that folding is the right decision.

- Read books and take notes
Players can always learn more if they want to be a better poker player. Keep notes on what works and does not work for you, and eventually you will come up with a style of play that works uniquely for you and improves your game.

Have you ever heard the name Full Tilt Poker? Well, if not yet then here are some facts about the Full Tilt Poker.

Actually, this is also the first time that I ever encounter the Full Tilt Poker and this is my first time to know some facts about this thing. Well for your knowledge, the Full Tilt Poker is actually an online abode for some of the most respected poker stars in the whole world. At the Full Tilt Poker, you can find rich information about poker including some tricks and tips of the poker game that is definitely sweeping the entire cosmos.

The Full Tilt Poker is really a great place for poker addicts since the Full Tilt Poker team offer a vast variety of poker games which involved the No Limit, Pot Limit, and Fixed Limit Holdem as well as classes of Omaha, Stud, and Razz. The Full Tilt Poker also has ring games, Sit and Go tournaments, and multi-table poker tournaments.

As far as I know, the Full Tilt Poker which is of course designed by the poker stars, try to incorporate all the great and cool highlights that make the playing of the poker more pleasurable and for giving the learning experience enjoyable. Aside from that, the Full Tilt Poker also brings a wealth of wisdom about the online poker arena. So it is no doubt that with the Full Tilt Poker you can be as knowledgeable as the pros.

For further information, the Full Tilt Poker being a respected online poker site holds a poker gaming license and abides by all the rules and regulations imposed therein. The Full Tilt Poker then has random number generator that meets all the needed information for getting the license to make sure that the players can experience in Full Tilt Poker an authentic and exciting gaming experience. Aside from that, the poker players need not to worry in Full Tilt Poker, since the Full Tilt Poker has a 128-bit encryption to ensure the excellent level of security for the players data. As such, the Full Tilt Poker keeps all the players information confidentially and privately. In fact, the Full Tilt Poker assured that they will neither share nor sell any information to any third party entities.

With such characteristics of the Full Tilt Poker, it is no doubt that the Full Tilt Poker is the most chosen and favorite sites of many poker enthusiasts. So if you want to know more about the Full Tilt Poker, then you try to visit their site at FullTiltPoker.com for much information about the Full Tilt Poker site.

Dream Job – Earning Your Daily Bread from Online Poker

If you spend most of your work day daydreaming behind a desk of getting home to play a few rounds of online poker, how would you feel to know it is possible to cut out that boring day job interference and play poker full time, while paying your bills? It is possible; many people support themselves and their families by heading to off to a hard days work at the online poker table. Going from poker amateur to full time poker player who brings home the bacon through their card playing is not for everyone, though. Making a living from poker requires skill, commitment, and patience.

Before you consider making a living at online poker, be realistic with yourself about your abilities. How well do you really know the game? Can you play all varieties of poker? Can you play well enough to play multiple games at once? Many full time poker players are playing up to four hands at any given moment. Do you have the ability to know when to walk away from a hand? Poker professionals only play an average of 50% of the hands that they are dealt; do you have the self control to make responsible and calculated decisions about the financial risks involved in poker and not get caught up in the excitement/emotion of the moment and blow the bank?

If you think you have the knowledge and the self-control needed to play effectively, then it is time to be realistic with yourself about the realities of life as a full time online poker player. Most poker pros will tell you this is not a get rich quick scheme. Your commitment to poker will have to take up more of your time than a normal, 9 to 5 kind of job to make the kind of money needed to support yourself, and even with a lengthy time commitment, the rewards of playing poker for a living are more about personal satisfaction than personal wealth. The financial rewards of playing poker are also up and down. Sometimes, youll be riding high and cashing in left and right. Other times, you wont be able to catch a break. Youll need to be careful during the good times to put aside some money to see you through the bad. You should also be sure you are emotionally prepared to go to work every day and lose over and over and over again without giving up.

If youre ready to deal with all of this, then the only thing you need to get started is a bank roll and a computer. The size of your initial investment doesnt have to be huge, but remember that the more money you have to play with, the more money you can win. If you start out with a small bank roll, make sure to reinvest some of the winnings into your career until you have a comfortable balance to work with. When youre just getting started, playing lots of small stakes games, instead of a few high stakes one, is the best way to go to protect your investment and keep the cash flow manageable. When your career is more stable, you can wade into the higher stakes games.

One important thing to keep in mind when you start your online poker career: like any self-employment opportunity, playing poker for a living can become all-consuming. Make an effort to keep a balance in your life with plenty of time away from the poker table. Keeping that balance in your life will keep your stress in check and make your game better.

Let’s start with differences of online poker from off line poker game and the pros and cons of the online poker version. The main principal difference is obvious – poker players, the opponents cannot see each other. Hence, on one hand online poker player does not have to maintain his “poker image” and on the other hand the poker player cannot “read” the opponent hand by focusing on the Body Language. So, in online poker room the psychological moment of the game is rather weak, for somebody it is good and for someone it is not so good. In other respects online poker presents only advantages and it will take a long time to name all of them. Here are the main ones.

Any online poker room the same as any online casinos work 24 hours a day 365 days a year and any poker player may play all around the clock hole year.

Online poker room player does not have to tog up and go somewhere. Playing poker online at the computer is more comfortable that at the casino table.

Online poker room player can choose from a wide variety of games including the rarest ones. Online poker room player may play during a fifteen minute break; or leave the table any time. Poker player may participate in a number of tournaments and cash-games. Online poker room player can play short handed tables or face-to-face. Online poker room player may play at several online poker room tables at a time, play many games in an hour with simultaneous shuffling and dealing. Time limit for decision taking makes the game more dynamic. Online poker room player does not have to control and count the jackpot and his own chips.

Playing poker in online poker room is a good practice for the beginners playing micro limits which cannot be found in off line casino.

Before playing the game.
If you are ready to play poker in an online poker room, you should install online poker room client programs. Basically the poker software comprises two parts – server part – here the cards are generated and information about all the players is collected. Client’s part – here the player sees the cards, opponents and makes poker decisions. Both parts of the software are connected via the Internet and constantly exchange information.

Client programs.
Online poker room client programs can be of two types: downloaded (executable programs ) and non-downloaded ( flash or java, played in the browser ). Non-downloaded programs are less convenient though their number is increasing. To play non-downloaded poker room version a poker player should, as a rule, press some button like “Instant Play”, then a small browser window will be opened and the poker room software will be downloaded there. If this is java poker room program, the player should have java scripts enabled in his browser, flash plug-in should be installed to view flash. The poker players are likely to have Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher with 128-byte encryption.

If you prefer downloaded version ( and it is more convenient and functional), please find the section “Download” at the poker room site and download the program (usually 4-8 Mb, though sometimes occur small ones less than 1MB; they download the software after the launch and then will install the client). When the download is complete, start the program and it will install the poker client. As a rule the client will automatically add the icon of poker room at your desktop or to folder “Programs”.

Rules for the registration at online poker rooms, money depositing and withdrawal of the winning money are the same as in online casinos. When registering, fill out the application, indicate your full name, address, phone number, email, select login and password, and also your screen name that will be used during the poker room playing sessions. Almost all online poker rooms accept cards. There are a few e-wallets such as Moneybookes, Neteller, Firepay and so on to ease online poker room players funding options.

Cashing In On The Online Poker Room Boom As A Poker Affiliate

Website owners all around the world have been uncovering the potential goldmine that is the poker affiliate program. It may sound like a speculative venture, but with a multi-billion pound industry such as that of online poker as a partner affiliates have a head start on most. The online poker industry is a thriving, even booming online industry, with hundreds of thousands of people having already signed up, it seems to have generated a ceaseless momentum. It is through the potential increase in revenues and clientele that the online poker industry is such a thriving market for the associated affiliate program. As with all affiliate programs, the affiliate members earn money as a result of the success of the industry that they represent. Therefore the poker affiliate program is becoming one of the largest and most popular schemes online, which in turn is aiding the progression of the poker rooms and increasing competition in both industries.

Unlike many of the commercial programs, poker sites and affiliate programs offer their affiliates a percentage of a players money generated, rather than a simple small one off payment. From the affiliates point of view this is potentially a hugely lucrative revenue, spread over the entire life span of a player. The average life of a player on an individual poker site is estimated to be as short as 3 or 6 months. Many people will join for a short period to take advantage of the enormous offers, whilst others who enjoy the site are more liable to remain for many months even years. These longer serving players can provide the affiliates with a good regular income for a n extended period, which makes them liable to be far more profitable customers. With percentages ranging from 15 to 35%, these customers can soon add up to a significant revenue even for the smallest of online affiliates.

So through lucrative rewards and an industry of almost unparalleled growth potential and popularity, the poker affiliate marketing program is a competitive and desirable online business opportunity. Whether it is for inexperienced Internet users looking to earn a little bit of cash or for large established sites looking to earn increased revenue to subsidise the site, the affiliate program is open to everybody and remains equally successful throughout. The major success of the poker affiliate scheme can be found through its sheer breadth of representatives and the diverse lucrative nature of the bonuses they offer. With sites encouraged to advertise the poker industry in order to earn an income, the poker industry is profiting from huge capital gains. But as the poker industry grows so does that of it’s affiliate marketing branch of advertising. Both industries feed each other with new custom and clientele, leading to increased revenue and popularity making it one of the most successful dual industries.

If you want to play online Caribbean poker but are not really sure what it is then youve come to the right spot. Online Caribbean Poker is a game played one on one with the dealer instead of with a table full of people. This not only makes the game go by fast but you do not have to wait on everyone else at the table to decide whether they want to bet on their hand or not.

Playing poker online is just as much fun as playing at the casino as long as you are winning. If your not, at least you do not have to walk away from the table in front of everyone. There are many online casinos that let you play for fun with no fee, if you are playing in a tournament there will, more than likely be fees to enter. Playing online is one way you can actually earn experience before your big game.

Playing online Caribbean poker is not that hard as long as you have patience. Not because the game is long, it is not, but because if you are losing you must get back in the game. Many online casinos allow you to download the software for free, making it possible for anyone with an internet connection to practice their skills. Remember the whole object of the game is to have a better hand than the dealer. The player must enter the betting amount, which is also known as the Ante. The dealer deals out the cards so that both the player and the dealer will have five cards, one of which will be placed face up.

The player is allowed to look at their own cards before placing a bet or folding. The dealer will then show you his cards. If the dealers hand shows an Ace or King, the dealer wins. A winning hand is known as a qualifying hand. If the dealers hand does not show these cards, the player wins back his wager, which is doubled. If the player still has a better hand than the dealers qualifying hand, the player will get double his wager. If you do not have an ace or a king, your best bet is to fold.

Do you think you have enough experience and are ready to play online Caribbean poker against others for money? If you are, you may want to try your hand at an online Caribbean poker tournament, these are actually done by satellite and the prices are big. Imagine playing poker and winning a 10,000 package, trips, cruises or even 1000 in cash.

Playing poker online, like everything else that you do online, affects the security of your computer, and by extension, you yourself. Every time a person connects to the Internet, they are sharing information with hackers who know how to connect into their information that is flying all over the Internet. For things such as email and MySpace, that doesnt constitute so much of a security problem. Sure, someone might steal your password and proceed to send out spam from your email account or hijack your MySpace account and send out multiple bulletins to all of your friends about ringtones, but, all things said and done, this type of hijacking is quite minimal compared to what can happen when playing poker online. Playing poker online involves transferring money, so security for online poker is a slightly different ballgame than simply securing your email and MySpace passwords.

When it comes to securing your online poker experience, you have to be extra careful. One of the most important things that you can do is make sure that your virus protection and general security service are current and updated. Every computer that is connected to the Internet should have a subscription to Norton or McAfee, or some other type of security service if youre certain of the validity of this other service. If you know little about computers and software, you should stick with Norton or McAfee; if you really know what youre doing when it comes to computers, you can venture beyond these, but for the rest of us, theres the mainstream. Norton and McAfee will help you to secure your computer, not just when it comes to online poker, but in everything that you do online. The services are not free, but its a small price to pay for the safety of your files and your money.

In addition, you should make sure that in the security settings of your computer that you have the Firewall enabled. A lot of people disable this because it can be a bit of a pain, but again, for those of us who know little about the inner workings of computers, this move is more than slightly dangerous. A Firewall will help protect the security of your computer by keeping hackers out of your files. Though a Firewall can be somewhat annoying, it is always better to keep your computer protected than to let others potentially access your information. If youre playing poker online, or doing something else that involves the transfer of money, you should absolutely have your Firewall always on.

The other extremely important thing that you can do to minimize troubles that you have with hijackers is to ALWAYS type a web address into the address bar of your Internet page. Clicking links in your email (or other links) is a dangerous practice; this is how hijackers get your passwords and then use them to their advantage and your disadvantage. When you click on a link in an email that says PayPal, you may be connecting to PayPal, as you think you are. You may also be connecting to a fake Paypal site, designed by hackers so that they can steal your password when you sign in—even though youre not signing in to anything. If you get an email from Paypal that says Click here to go to your account simply go to the address bar and type in the address for Paypal. This is always the safest way to go to a website. Pay special care when youre going to sites on which money is exchanged. For everyone from poker players to eBay sellers, this is an important piece of information to remember.