Posts Tagged ‘Ace’

How To Play Poker KISS Method

This article is all about the KISS concept and how you use it in poker games. Traditionally KISS means “Keep It Simple Stupid” meaning don’t overcomplicate things as that is when stupid errors occur but in poker I say there can be 2 more specific interpretations.

First, how about Keeping It Simple (Against) Stupid Players? Secondly, Keep It Simple and Straightforward if you’re up against not so stupid players!

At all poker sites you will find the good, bad and stupid, though maybe a few more of the latter 2 than at say a $1000 buy in table in Monaco!

With A-10, for example, would you dare to go up against a strong player in a flop A-8-3? Yes sure if it’s free poker but what if there?s a lot of cash on the table?

You can just call-call-call, or bet and hope he does not play strongly. Why? Since he is a good player, you might put him on A-K, or an Ace with a better kicker. Then should he go all-in, you will know what to do. Scamper, and hold on until you have the A-K, or possibly the Set.

Here you will have to consider the following. Has he really got A-K? Or is is only J-J that he’s daring enough to take to the showdown but won’t call a large raise with? Or maybe 8-7, because he believes my bet on the Flop is just a continuation bet and he calls?

But against five or six weak players, you may have to ask the same questions five to six times. Has he really got ?-? (for Player one). Has he really got ?-? (for Player two) ? Or just ?-? (for Player three)? and on and on until your brain is fried and you get nailed by someone holding A-8.

Let us look at another situation now, with a Board of 5-6-J-Q-8.
You have K-Q. A strong player probably has A-Q or K-K, or J-10, or something special, like 7-4 (usually suited). You might as well fold your K-Q at the end, or just call a small bet at the river. But at least you can put your strong opponent into a hand or into a few hands.

But with 5 or 6 poorer players you must be careful. They might hold the hands above, but since they are weaker players, there are going to be more add-ons such as 8-5, J-5, Q-8, even Q-5, and they all add to the chances of your nice K-Q being beaten.

In a situation like this why not call a small bet on the river (since with many callers you will get good pot odds for the call). But when one moves all-in, it’s a signal. Fold your K-Q. What hand might they be moving all-in with? If the player’s strong, you may have a clue. But with weaker or stupid players you just can’t tell at all.

Why go to war if you don’t know what you are trying to beat?

A strong player is willing to play more stronger hands than weaker ones. He is willing to play A-K more often than A-8 in his life, although frequency of play is no clue to how he plays specific hands. He remains unpredictable. But you will expect him to fold A-8 more often than A-K.

But weak players don’t know what hands they are playing. They will play J-5 as readily as A-K. So, when playing with them, because you can’t put them into a hand because they don’t even know theirs, just show them a good enough hand. A Two-Pair or higher, more desirably. In the A-10 example above, you’ll be happy with 3-3. In the second, I wish you have the 7-4 or the 10-9 before you act rashly.

And, unless you are just messing about in a free online poker don’t attempt any fancy manoeuvres like all-in bluffs.

In the 5-6-J-Q-8 Board, don’t move all-in with A-K. Even with just two weak opponents, they will just readily call you with K-Q as much as with 6-4, J-9, or even 3-3. They don’t know the difference between them.

If they have something, they will be willing to take it along to death. So make your something stronger than their something, and take it to their death instead. No bluffs. No calling of suspected bluffs.

So remember to KISS! Keep it Simple or Straightforward against good players and Keep it Simple against Stupid Players!

Raking it in at Video Poker

Fact, of all the hands dealt only 21% are winning hands. The rest, which is 79%, are losers. The difference between a winner and a loser is what he does with 79% of the hands dealt so that it becomes a winner.
To increase the chance of making money at video poker is to understand, embrace and promise loyalty to these video poker tips.

Find a machine that pays 9 for a full house win and six for a flush win.

If you want to play on a progressive machine that pays 8 for a full house win and 5 for a flush win, be sure that the nickel machine pays a jackpot of $250 or better, the quarter machine pays $2,500 or better or $10,000 on a dollar video poker machine
To collect on the royal flush bonus for a progressive machine, be sure to bet the maximum number of coins

Play on the machine with the lowest denomination if you are a new player. Wait until you get better before playing on the higher domination video poker.

Use slot card to get credit for playing, if the casino offers one. First ask the point equivalent for each dollar played. Then learn what those earned points are worth.

Take time to read every hand you get. Remember you?re not playing against another person, it will not intimidate you for playing too slowly.

Players don’t recognize that the jack is the most important card in the deck, not the Ace. A Jack gives you a lot more lucrative hands than an ace.

The variety of video poker you can play is almost endless, but all have their own payables that need specific strategies. The best way to start learning is to limit your choices to two.

Improve your game by playing on a computer or a portable video poker game. If you train this way, you get to test your skills with zero risk.

Here are playing tips:

1. Don?t ever hold a kicker with your pair. This reduces your payoff by 5%

2. Don?t draw four cards, if you can get a royal flush drawing three.

3. Always stay on a winning five-card hand except when drawing a royal flush with one card.

4. Never break a flush to draw a straight flush even with one draw.

5. Always break your flush to draw a royal flush.

6. Don?t break your straight to draw for a straight flush.

7. Don?t draw five, if you?re holding Jacks or better.

8. Never leave a ten on a four card draw.

Guide To Playing Intermediate Connectors Like 8-7 And 7-5

In Texas Holdem poker you should consider playing intermediate connectors like 8-7 or 7-5 because they are the best hands with which you can hit a Straight with. With an 8,7 for example, you can make 4 Straights (3 of them nuts), and with 7,5 you can look for 3 Straights (2 of them nuts). In this free poker tips article we’ll look at ways to play these hands.

Intermediate connectors aren’t played as strongly when they Pair. For instance, when you have 8-7 and the Flop comes K-7-2, you will be justifiably concerned with the King and you can fold.

It’s also likely you can flop Two-Pair. With 8-7 and a Flop of 8-7-A, you can get a player with A-K in trouble.

If you both keep going until the end, and your opponent’s hand does not get better then he will most likely slow it down in order to show it down. If he improves, you will know if he bets, and you can just pay him off. He can pair his kicker or not, but either way you’ve still got a decent showdown hand.

The best play (in your interest) is for your opponent to call all-in or move all-in on the Flop (during tournaments). However, this is only the case if the difference in chips between you and the all-in’er is large. If you have almost the same amount of chips, your 8-7 may not be good enough because your opponent may be willing only to call you with something like A-8 or, worse, 7-7.

Or he might call you with A-K and suckout when he pairs his Ace, his kicker, or when, say, a 10 hits the Turn, and another 10 hits the river then his Two-Pair is superior. If one stack is small and the other large, and you have the small stack then you have a good hand someone holding an A-K may be prepared to call. If you’ve got the large stack, your all-in opponent may be desperate for a call with his A-x (without Two-Pair) until he knows you’ve got him steamrollered.

Usually you continue playing Two-Pair until you hit a Full House. With this hand, play it just like you would play a made 5-card hand – value betting, pretending to bluff, slow-playing (pick your choice). However, should the Board comes 8-7-5, you might be willing to play it more slowly because if the Board comes Four, 6 or Nine, your Two-Pair may be almost unplayable.

In the Flop, bet substantially to push a Straight draw out. Should your opponent calls, it might signify a Straight draw. In case your opponent moves all-in or pushes you all-in, then call – or not call.

Still you are the favorite over a Straight draw. You might also be able to hit a Full House later on. But also you can choose not to call because your opponent may have a made Straight. In an 8,7,5 board, the probability of a Flopped Straight is fairly small as players don’t play 9,6 or 6,4 very much.

But you ought to be careful in a Board of 8-7-J or 8-7-4, as their connectors are consecutive numbers, i.e. 10-9 and 6-5, and players, especially experienced ones, play these more often.

However, even if the Board comes something like 8-7-4-5-Q, as long as you are sure, or even half-sure, that the opponent does not have the 6, bet a small bet on the river. Should your opponent has 9-8 or Q-x, you may be paid off.

Should your opponent had the 6, you may be pushed, but you can fold without losing much. The thing is that, you need to maintain your aggression most of the time as part of your image, and you can do this by value-betting. If your opponent didn’t have the 6, he may believe that you had the 6, and he may fold, too.

And finally, here is an addendum to our earlier example. If you have 8-7 and the Flop comes K-7-2, you may fold. But you can also call a bet – you hope that your opponent had A-K – and if an 8 comes and you bet big, how will your opponent know you had another 8 in the hole? So long as you feel your opponent does not have K-8 or K-7 (not likely) the two of you can get it all-in on the Turn – and you’ll emerge almost a victor.

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