The youngest WSOP Champion~ Joseph "Joe" Cada

Joseph "Joe" Cada (b. November 18, 1987) is a poker player from Shelby Charter Township, Michigan, best known as the winner of the Main Event at the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP). By winning the Main Event at the age of 21, Cada surpassed Peter Eastgate as the youngest champion ever. Cada had two previous WSOP cashes, both in 2009. He is primarily an online poker player, with more than $500,000 in online tournament winnings at present.As of 2009, his total live tournament winnings exceed $8,550,000.

Career

Cada started playing online poker at about the age of 16. He twice staked accounts, but lost all the money in the accounts that he shared with his brother Jerome. His first online account was with PartyPoker. Although he was not legally able to play in casinos prior to age 21 in the United States, he could in Canada at age 19 and play online. After a brief sabbatical from the game subsequent to losing his money, he began to play at a casino in Windsor, Ontario across the Canadian border. He earned enough to enter contests in the Bahamas and Costa Rica. He is now a regular player who plays approximately 2,000 hands per day online at PokerStars under the User ID jcada99. Cada had been a professional poker player for six years at the time of his world championship. Between 2008 and the November Nine, Cada had earned $551,788 online. Prior to the tournament, he had a $150,000 downswing that necessitated him finding a financial backer for the WSOP. Professional poker financiers Eric Haber and Cliff Josephy paid his online fee in exchange for half of his winnings.

2009 World Series of Poker

At the 2009 World Series of Poker he had three in the money finishes (all in No limit Texas hold 'em): 64th in the 1,088-entrant June 5 — 7 Event 13, $2,500 No Limit Hold'em, which earned him $6,681; 17th in the 2,095-entrant June 16 — 18 Event 35, $1,500 No Limit Hold'em, which earned him $21,533; and 1st in the 6,494-entrant July 3 — 15, November 7 and November 9 Event 57 $10,000 World Championship No Limit Hold'em, which earned him $8,546,435.

In the main event, Cada began the final table with the fifth largest chipstack. In the 122nd final table hand Cada's stack was reduced to 2,275,000 – enough for only four big blinds and about 1.2% of the combined total stack at play – due to calling Jeff Shulman's "all in" pre-flop with A♦ J♣ against A♣ K♥. No community cards hit either player, and Shulman was rewarded by his better high card. However, Cada eventually climbed back to 120.1 million before the last hand of the heads-up with Darvin Moon. His winning hand was 9♣ 9♦, which he got all-in pre-flop against Moon's Q♦ J♦. The board ran 8♣ 2♣ 7♠ K♥ 7♣. This hand was the 88th hand of heads-up play between Cada and Moon.

These three events account for his total cumulative career live event earnings of over $8.5 million. With the November 2009 victory, which occurred just over a week before his 22nd birthday, Cada supplanted Peter Eastgate, who won at age 22, as the youngest World Series of Poker Main Event champion. He was 340 days younger than Eastgate had been at the time of becoming world champion. Prior to his victory, Cada earned a $1 million contract with PokerStars that pays for all his hotels, travels, and some of his buy-ins.

Personal

Anne Cada, Joe's mother, is a blackjack card dealer at the MotorCity Casino. Cada has an older brother, Jerome. Cada's father, Jerry, was affected by the late-2000s recession when his automobile industry job was eliminated in a layoff. During the 2009 World Series of Poker's November Nine, dozens of Cada's fans wore t-shirts with Michigan Wolverines team colors (maize and blue) with the words, "PokerStars Michigan Joe Cada 'The Kid'" emblazoned across the front and Michigan baseball caps with "The Kid" on the back. In an interview in Time, Cada estimates he had about 100 friends in his cheering section. On Sundays, Cada hosts about fifteen friends to play online at his house.

In the Time interview, Cada expressed his thoughts on legislation related to the legality of gambling: "I support the right to play poker online. Poker isn't gambling. It's a hobby, an activity, a game. It's not about luck — it's about logic, decision-making, math. We all should be able to play poker on the Web if we want to, and I believe that making it illegal strips us of our rights. This is an important issue, and hopefully we'll see it resolved soon." Cada also plays indoor soccer. He is considering purchasing a second home in Las Vegas, Nevada and possibly opening a bar.

Famous Female Poker Player~~ Annie Duke

How far would you go if you played at World Poker Tour for the first time? When Annie Duke made her first major public appearance in the poker scene, she showed the world that females can play poker too. Many years of experience with cards and competition made her last until 14th place, and a total of $70,000 richer.

Annie was born in Concord, New Hampshire and educated in the prestigious St. Paul's prep school. Feeling like she never fit in there, she matriculated at Columbia University and tried her luck in the big city. Following her parents steps, she decided to become a teacher, but instead, she ended up at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated in cognitive psychology.

In 1991, she married her old friend Ben Duke and decided to leave everything behind, including the studies. She moved in with Ben and began playing poker at local poker rooms to pay the morgage on their very first home.

This is how her story began. Her first victory at World Poker Tour made the Dukes realize that they had to move to the city of gambling, Las Vegas. Since her big WPT debut in 1994, she has attended numerous events and even finished at 10th place in World Series of Poker 2000. Inspired by her success, online poker room signed a contract with Annie who became a spokesperson for the company (and still is).

In 2004, Annie Duke became a super poker celebrity after winning a $2,000,000 event in the inaugural World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions. A total of 10 players participated, including her own brother Howard Lederer, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey and more. Additionally, she won the 2004 State Poker Championship of California and tutored Ben Affleck, who came to win the State Poker Championship of California the year after that. Annie Duke appeared on the David Letterman show a few times, which boosted her career even further.

Annie Duke plays poker until today and is involved in numerous activities, owns a poker camp and participates in tournaments.

Quotes
Annie Duke: By limiting your losses to 30 big bets, you are effectively minimizing the time you spend playing with a poor table image, playing passively, or steaming at the table and maximizing the amount of time you spend playing your A-game. If you don't go beyond 30 big bets, you won't dump off large sums when you are playing poorly or are in a bad game. Loss limiting acts as an objective stop-gap.

Annie Duke: My two daughters are now engaged in a scribbling rivalry.

Annie Duke: DD Tournament Poker is a great game for introducing people to the world of Texas Hold'em poker. One of the biggest challenges for new players is to learn the game at their own pace without risking any money. DD Tournament Poker solves this problem by allowing novice and intermediate players to play against savvy computer opponents and to develop a solid understanding of the game before venturing into cash games.

Poker Bluffing

What is Poker bluffing?

A Poker bluff is when you act - by betting or raising, or making others do so - according to a hand you want others to think is better than what it really is.

Most people consider Poker bluffing a key moment in the game, perhaps due to several films made in which a Poker table is featured with hotshot players making poker faces at each other and ravaging the pot with a weak hand in the end. It is true that bluffing is important in a Poker match. When a Poker bluff is successful, especially if the pot is high, nothing beats the agitation around a Poker table during the hand showdown. Fortunes have been won and lost with a few good bluffs. Never forget, however, miracles do not take part in this game, and the winning element in a Poker game is playing the right hands and being in the right Poker position.

Bluffing in Poker is a deceptive move, along with its counterpart, slowplaying. If slowplaying implies you have a weak hand when, in reality, you have a strong one; Poker bluffing suggests the opposite. Poker is all about manoeuvring your hand and your capacity to deceive your opponent into playing according to what he thinks you have. If you succeed in making him take a false move based on what you led him to believe, you are doing things right.

What is the right way of bluffing in Poker?

A player who never bluffs in Poker cannot expect to win quite as much (or have quite as much fun) as one who bluffs just the right amount of times at the right moment. On the other hand, most novice Poker players tend to bluff too much, not considering the stakes and sometimes foolishly wasting real Poker bluffing opportunities (along with all their money). When and how much to bluff is a mastered art that comes only with playing experience and a lot of casino Poker observation. It helps if you adapt your play to your Poker opponents.

Poker bluffing can become a reputation attached to a certain Poker player. Players known to bluff much will get more calls and this can work in their advantage if they play their cards right. It follows that Poker bluffing - or the thought that you might be bluffing on a given Poker match - is a perfect way of keeping your opponent on the edge of his seat, never knowing what to really expect. If you bluff occasionally, not only the other players are led into thinking you have a good hand when you do not, as you may cover your good hands when you indeed have them.

As in everything, the key is to balance the Poker bluffing frequency. Bluffing, in order to be effective, has to be done the right amount of times, at the right moment, in a random way. Otherwise, you lose the opportunity to win much more. The good Poker bluffer keeps his adversaries guessing, forcing them into making difficult decisions based on what they think your hand is - and making false moves, like raises or calls, accordingly.

Some of the best online casinos kept the Poker bluffing element alive. You can practice your Poker bluffing skills in our selected online Poker rooms and try to get the best out of your Poker strategy.

Poker Legend Player ~ Amarillo Slim

Thomas Austin Preston, Jr. (born December 31, 1928 in Johnson, Arkansas), known as Amarillo Slim, is a professional gambler, famous for his poker skills and proposition bets. He won the main event at the 1972 World Series of Poker. He has been a member of the Poker Hall of Fame since 1992.

Poker career
Before becoming a well-known tournament player, Preston was a rounder, touring the United States looking for gambling action along with Doyle Brunson and Sailor Roberts.
Following his WSOP victory he appeared on several talk shows, including The Tonight Show, and had a bit part in the 1974 Robert Altman movie California Split.[2] He appeared on I've Got a Secret, where his secret involved losing $190,000 in one night of poker.
As of 2008[update], Preston has a total of four WSOP bracelets, including two in Omaha, with his most recent WSOP win in 1990. He has won over $590,000 in tournament play.

Super Bowl of Poker
In January/February 1980 Amarillo Slim hosted the Second Annual Poker Classic which became the second most prestigious poker tournament during its time. This series would eventually be called the Super Bowl of Poker and would continue until 1991. Gabe Kaplan became the first winner of this series and Stu Ungar won the title three times.

World Series of Poker bracelets
Year
Tournament
Prize (US$)
1972
$10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship
$60,000
1974
$1,000 No Limit Hold'em
$11,100
1985
$5,000 Pot Limit Omaha
$85,000
1990
$5,000 Pot Limit Omaha
$142,000

Career as author
In 1973, Preston and Bill G. Cox authored Play Poker to Win, published by Grosset and Dunlap. a revised edition was published by HarperCollins in 2005 as Amarillo Slim's Play Poker to Win (ISBN 0060817550),
In May 2003, Preston published his autobiography Amarillo Slim in a World Full of Fat People, where he revealed tales of playing poker with Larry Flynt, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon, among others. In addition to his poker exploits, in the book Preston gives vivid descriptions of his exploits in proposition betting.
In April 2007, Preston opened a website and released an E-Book All In: An E-guide To No Limit Texas Hold'em, by Amarillo Slim Preston with Brent Riley.

Movie starring Nicholas Cage
Preston's autobiography is the basis for a biopic under development by Nicolas Cage since 2004; Cage will reportedly play Preston. Though stalled for several years it was reported on January 3, 2009 by ThePlayr.com that the movie will be released in 2009.

Personal life
Preston is divorced, has three children, and currently resides in Amarillo, Texas. Preston was the best friend of casino owner Benny Binion; when Binion died in 1989, he left his horse to Preston.

Encounters with the law
Since 2003 Preston has had several encounters with the law, both as a convicted misdemeanant and as a robbery victim.

In August 2003, Preston was indicted on three charges of sexual assault with a 12-year-old family member. The charges were reduced to misdemeanor assault in a plea bargain and on February 10, 2004, he pled no contest to the reduced charges, receiving a $4,000 fine and two years deferred adjudication.

Early on the morning of October 4, 2006, Preston was approached on a street by a would-be robber. He sped away, but not before the gunman fired three bullets at his car. Preston was not injured.
On January 28, 2007, Preston was robbed at gunpoint in his own home.
On January 22, 2009, Preston was beaten and robbed in a field near the intersection of Interstate 40 and Soncy Road while attempting to collect a gambling debt.

1988 WSOP Champion Johnny Chan

Johnny Chan (Traditional Chinese: 陳強尼), born in Guangzhou (Canton), China in 1957, now living in Las Vegas, Nevada) is a professional poker player.

Early life
Chan moved with his family in 1962 from Guangzhou to Hong Kong, then in 1968 to Phoenix, Arizona and later in 1973 to Houston, Texas where his family owned restaurants. He was going to continue in the family business, but when he was 16 he went on a junket to Las Vegas, Nevada. When he was 21, Chan dropped out of the University of Houston, where he was majoring in hotel and restaurant management, and moved to Las Vegas to become a professional gambler.

Poker tournaments
World Series of Poker

Chan attributes some of his early success to the fact that many players had not previously played against Asian players. He shot to fame in the late 1980s, winning the championship event of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in two consecutive years (1987 and 1988). A videotape of the 1988 WSOP final heads up match is featured in the movie Rounders, in which Johnny Chan makes a cameo appearance. He almost won a third consecutive title, but finished in 2nd place in 1989 to Phil Hellmuth. He is the last player to win back-to-back WSOP Main Events, a feat many prognosticators think he could hold forever given the increasingly larger fields. Jerry Buss, an avid poker player and owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, promised Chan an NBA championship ring if he could win three in a row.

Chan is known for keeping a "lucky" orange in front of him on the table, and after the second consecutive WSOP title other players began bringing fruit to the table in hopes of increasing their luck. Chan says he only had an orange with him because of the pleasant scent, as smoking, which was allowed in many tournaments then, bothered him. Chan was once a smoker, but now he neither smokes nor drinks alcohol.

In 2005, Chan became the first player to win ten World Series of Poker titles, defeating Phil Laak in a Texas hold 'em event. He is currently tied with Doyle Brunson for second place with 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, behind Phil Hellmuth (11). He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2002.

In 2008, Chan cashed for the first time in the main event since 1992, earning $32,166 for his 329th place finish.

Poker Superstars

Chan competed in the $400,000 Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament in February 2005. He came back from only having $20,000 chips out of $3,200,000 in play to finish in second place to Gus Hansen. Chan later competed in Poker Superstars II during the summer of 2005. He defeated 22 of the best players to make it to the finals. Then he defeated Todd Brunson in the finals after three matches to win the $400,000 first prize. Chan appeared in Poker Superstars III where he made it as far as the semi finals but was defeated by Todd Brunson after three matches.

Poker After Dark

On NBC's late-night show Poker After Dark, a six-person $20,000 buy-in winner-takes-all tournament, Johnny Chan has the distinction of having the most victories to date with four wins in six appearances. He came in second and fifth when he did not win.

His appearances in which he made it to heads-up were:

  * WSOP Champions - originally aired Jan. 15-20, 2007 - Won heads-up against Chris Moneymaker
  * Golden Men - originally aired June 11-16, 2007 - Lost heads-up against Joe Hachem
  * World Champions - originally aired Feb. 11-16, 2008 - Won heads-up against Phil Hellmuth
  * International - originally aired Feb. 25-Mar. 1, 2008 - Won heads-up against Patrik Antonius
  * Dream Table III - originally aired Mar. 23-27, 2009 - Won heads-up against Jennifer Tilly

Other tournaments

One of Chan's earliest victories in poker was in Bob Stupak's 1981 American Cup poker tournament. Johnny Chan made it to the final table, and defeated all 9 other players in less than an hour. After this feat, Stupak gave Chan the nickname, The Orient Express.

Chan has yet to make a final table on the World Poker Tour (WPT), despite playing in numerous events.

Chan also featured in the 2004 and 2005 World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions events and the National Heads-Up Poker Championship in the same years.

As of 2009, his total live tournament winnings exceed $8,067,792.[1] His 42 WSOP cashes account for $4,241,448 of those winnings.[2]

Personal life

In addition to playing poker, Chan owns a fast-food franchise in the Las Vegas Stratosphere Hotel and is a consultant for various casinos and game makers. He has aspirations of opening his own casino. Chan has also written for Card Player magazine. He appeared in the first season of the GSN series High Stakes Poker.

In 2005, Chan collaborated with Mark Karowe to release Play Poker Like Johnny Chan (ISBN 1-933074-48-5), an instructional book on several different types of poker. On November 28, 2006, the follow-up titled: Million Dollar Hold'em: Winning Big in Limit Cash Games (ISBN 1-58042-200-4), which focuses on limit hold'em strategy, was released.

In 2007, Chan launched an online poker room, ChanPokerOnline.com. It closed in August 2008.

Chan wrote a regular article in the bi-monthly magazine Trader Monthly.
 

In Popular Culture

Johnny Chan was portrayed in 1998 film Rounders as himself. In a flashback, he's shown as having been bluffed by the main character Mike McDermott (Matt Damon).

13 Cards

Chinese poker, also Pusoy (but not Pusoy Dos or Russian Poker), is a card game that has been played in the Asian community for many years. It has begun to gain popularity elsewhere because it has many features of an "exciting" gambling game:

• The rules are simple—only a basic knowledge of poker hand rankings is needed to get started.
• There is a large element of luck involved, therefore a beginner has a good chance of winning in the short term, even against experienced opponents. Poor players may not be so easily deterred by losses as they can more easily attribute bad results to their cards rather than their plays.
• More advanced players can still apply enough strategy to the game to give themselves a significant advantage over poor players.
• The game format results in frequent unexpected wins and high ranking hands.
• Only a few players are required to play the game.

Gameplay

Chinese poker is typically played as a four-person game, though it can also be played with two or three.

Playing a hand

In Chinese Poker, each player receives a 13 card hand from a standard 52 card deck. Each player then has to divide his cards into three poker hands (known as "setting"): two containing five cards each (known as "the middle" and "the back"), and one containing three cards ("the front"); the back must be the highest ranking hand, and the front, the lowest ranking hand (note that straights and flushes do not count in the three card hand). The back hand is placed face down on the table in front of the player, then the middle hand is placed face down in front of the back hand, and the front hand is placed face down in front of the middle hand. After all the players have set their hands, each player will announce in turn (clockwise, starting from the left of the dealer) whether or not he is playing his hand. All players then announce their royalties, before revealing their hands.

Scoring

The stakes played for in Chinese poker are known as units: an amount of money agreed on before the game starts. Basic scoring rules dictate that a player collects one unit from each opponent whose front, middle or back hand is beaten by his own corresponding hand. Thus, unlike most poker games, being second-best at the table is good enough to win money. In some variants players are also paid an additional unit if they win in two or three of the hands. In other variants players only get an additional unit if they win all three hands (known as a scoop). Also, due to the head-to-head nature of the comparisons, it is possible for different players to play for different stakes. For example, A and B could play for $10/unit, while all other pairs play for $1/unit. Many variations of scoring are in common use; refer to the external links for more information.

The two most common scoring systems used in Casinos today are the 2-4 scoring method, and the 1-6 scoring method.

In the 2-4 method you receive 1 unit for each of the three hands you win, and 1 unit called the overall unit is awarded to the player who wins two out of the three hands, or all of the three hands. In the event of a tie in one of the hands, then no money is exchanged for this particular hand and one player either wins both of the other hands, and collects 3 units (1 for each hand, and 1 overall), or they each win one hand and no units are exchanged (each win 1 unit, and there is no overall).

In the 1-6 method you receive 1 unit for each of the three hands you win, and 3 bonus units (on top of the three for the hands) if you win all three hands.

Example

	Ivey	Gus	Winner
Front	6♠ 6♣ 4♥	A♥ K♦ Q♦	Ivey
Middle	10♦ 10♠ 9♣ Q♠ 8♣	9♥ 9♦ 5♥ 5♦ 4♣	Gus
Back	3♥ 3♦ 3♠ 2♥ 2♦	K♠ J♠ 9♠ 8♠ 7♠	Ivey

In the 2-4 method, Gus would pay Ivey two points. In the 1-6 method, Gus would pay Ivey one point.

Royalties

Royalties, or bonuses as they are sometimes called, are extra units that may be awarded to players with particularly strong hands. In some variants all royalties are worth the same amount (e.g. 1 unit per royalty). In other variants each royalty is given a different payout (e.g. 1 unit for a four of a kind in the back, and 2 units for a straight flush in the back). Sometimes only the winner may be awarded a royalty (e.g. four sevens in the back beats four sixes in the back, therefore only the player with sevens is awarded a royalty). In some games players are allowed to break up straight flushes or four of a kinds and still receive royalties (e.g. a player is dealt four sevens; he may use three of them for a three of a kind in the front, and one as part of a straight in the middle). Some rules say that players are only allowed to claim one royalty per hand.

Royalties must be declared prior to the revealing of the hands.

Some hands and combinations of hands that are commonly awarded royalties are listed:

• Straight flush
• Four of a kind
• Full house or better in the middle
• Three of a kind in the front

Naturals are special types of royalties where if dealt to a player, the player is rewarded immediately (prior to anyone surrendering), and the player does not set their hand.

• Three straights
• Three flushes
• Six pairs (counting all three hands)
• 13 unique cards (i.e. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A)
• No face cards or called "No People"

Mis-set Hand

If a player mis-sets his hand (e.g. he puts three of a kind in the front, but only two pair in the middle) then he must pay each of his opponents still in the hand (players who have not surrendered) an amount equal to being scooped. In some variations players are still required to play their hands.

Omaha High

Omaha High is a type of community poker. Community poker games feature a number of cards that are dealt face up in front of the dealer. These cards are visible to all players, and all players share the cards. Players then use their own cards and the community cards to form a winning hand.

The variations of Omaha High at Poker.com are defined by their betting limits:

Limit Omaha High (there is a specified betting limit in each game and on each round of betting)
Pot Limit Omaha High (a player can bet what is in the pot)
No Limit Omaha High (a player can bet all of their chips at any time)

Basic Play

1. Blind Bets
2. Deal - each player is dealt 4 cards
3. First betting round
4. The Flop - the first three community cards are dealt
5. Second betting round
6. The Turn - the fourth community card is dealt
7. Third betting round
8. The River - the final community card is dealt
9. Final betting round
10. Showdown

The Dealer Button

Omaha High Poker uses a small disc called the "dealer button" to indicate the dealer of each hand. At a new table, the first player seated will get the dealer button. Once a hand is completed, the dealer button then moves clockwise to the next player. This ensures that each player has the chance of playing early or late and that every player gets a chance to post the "blind bets".

Note: During Single Table Tournaments the first player to get the dealer button is determined through a high card draw (each player is dealt one card; the player with the highest value card goes first. If two or more players have the same value card then they are ranked according to suit - high to low - spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs).

The Blind Bets

The player to the left of the dealer button is required to place the "small blind" (usually equal to half the lower stake) and the next player to the left is required to place the "big blind" (equal to the lower stake limit). Once the blind bets have been made, the cards are dealt and the next player to the left starts the first betting round.

Both the small and the big blinds are considered live bets and therefore the player has the option of checking, calling, raising or folding when the betting action comes back around to their position. After the flop and after each subsequent betting round, the first active player left of the button is first to act.

When a player sits down at an active table, they will be required to post the equivalent of the big blind. Also, to prevent "blinds" abuse, players are required to post the small blind and the big blind upon re-entry (returning from sitting out) to the game if both blinds are missed (only the big blind amount is posted as a live bet and the remainder is added directly to the pot). All players have the option of sitting out and waiting for the button to rotate to their position before starting to play.

The mandatory posting of the blind is in place to ensure fairness to all players; preventing players from constantly switching seats to gain a positional advantage, or from entering games in a late position and then leaving before they are required to post the big blind.

First Betting Round

Starting with the player to the left of the "big blind", they have the option to bet, raise or fold. All remaining players can then call, raise or fold. To "call" is to bet the same as the previous player. If the first player folds, then the next player will have the option to bet while the remaining players can call.

The bets in the first betting round are set at the lower limit of the stakes structure, so in a $10/$20 game the value of a bet is $10 while the raise is $20 (a raise includes a call of the previous bet plus an additional bet).

The Second Betting Round

After the flop (when the first 3 community cards have been dealt), the second betting round begins.

The first player to the left of the dealer button is the first to act (bet, raise, check or fold). Checking is to refrain from betting and is only available if no bet has yet been made in the betting round. Once a bet has been made, remaining players will only have the option to call, raise or fold. Like the first round, the second also limits the bets and raises to the lower limit of the stakes structure.

The Third Betting Round

The third betting round starts after the Turn (when the fourth community card has been dealt).

Once again, the player to the left of the dealer button begins the betting (bet, check or fold). However, this time the bets and raises are limited to the upper limit of the stakes structure. Each subsequent player can then call, check, raise or fold (a player can only check if no bet has been made).

The Final Betting Round

The final betting round happens after the River card (the final community card) has been dealt.

The player to the left of the dealer button can bet, check, raise or fold. Bets and raises are limited to the upper limit of the stakes structure. Remaining players can then call, check, raise or fold (a player can only check if no bet has been made).

The Showdown

Any remaining players must use 2 of their cards and 3 community cards to make their hand.

If two or more players have the same hand then the pot is split equally between them.

Betting Exceptions

In Limit Omaha High a maximum of four bets are allowed per player in a betting round - (1) bet, (2) raise, (3) re-raise and (4) cap. In No Limit and Pot Limit Omaha High the number of times a player can raise is not limited. However, a player can not raise themselves (if a player raises and then all the remaining players call or fold, then the player who raised would not get an option to raise because they were the last to raise).

A player is declared All-In if they do not have enough chips to call. This player is eligible for the portion of the pot to the point of their final bet.

All further bets by other players go to a "side pot" which any All-In players are excluded from

Continuation Betting

The most profitable bluff in poker...

There are many aspects of Texas hold'em that need to be mastered to become a profitable poker player. Starting hand selection, betting, raising, check raising, slow playing, hand reading, and bluffing...just to name a few.

But there is one particular type of bluff that is absolutely necessary to master. It is the most frequently used, lowest risk, most profitable bluff in Hold'em. It is the Continuation bet.

The continuation bet, or "C-bet", allows you to use selective aggression to maintain control of a hand after the flop has hit. So how exactly does one do this?

Well, first you have to establish control, and this is done preflop. It's quite simple... raise your hand preflop rather than just calling the blinds. This generally allows the preflop raiser to establish control. Since you are communicating to the rest of your table that you have a strong hand, most other players will fold, or just call. By being the first to raise the pot preflop, you have established the lead, and are in control.

Now, since a non-paired hand will pair on the flop about 32% of the time, this means that 68% of the time, the flop will miss your hand...but it will also miss your opponents hand 68% of the time as well! So, this presents a great opportunity to bet a decent amount, knowing that your opponent will generally have missed the flop, it will be very hard for him to call and continue on with not even bottom pair.

This is really the magic of the continuation bet. Whether or not you make a hand on the flop, being the first to bet the flop will generally force a fold from your opponent, as long as you established the lead preflop.

So, once the flop hits and you are first to act, betting 1/2 - 2/3 the pot will generally take it down right there. This is small enough bet to preserve your stack, but large enough to give incorrect odds for calling most draws.

If you are last to act, and your opponents check to you, bet 1/2 - 2/3 the pot. It's the same as before, except in this hand you have position on them as well!

By establishing the lead preflop, you are saying you have a strong hand. Once the flop hits and you continuation bet, you are really telling your opponents, "I have a strong hand, and I will make you pay to see the next card, and possible pay all the way to the river".

Unless your opponent has a real hand (which they usually won't), you will take down the pot.

As usual in poker, it doesn't matter so much what hand you have...it matters more what hand your opponent has. The C-bet will force them to fold their frequently weak hand, even though yours is just as frequently weak. Remember, selective aggression forces players to give up pots...and to make a profit in poker, you need to win more than your fair share of pots!

And, as usual in poker, this strategy is an effective, but not perfect strategy. There are three situations when it loses effectiveness:

1. Many people see the flop. C-betting works best against 1 opponent, maybe 2. If 3 or more see the flop, you can be fairly sure someone hit something they like, and a 1/2 a pot bet won't force a fold.


2. The flop is very coordinated. Continuation betting works well when a flop is Ace, 8, 2 rainbow. It looks like you hit your Ace. But, if the flop is 9 of clubs, Ten of clubs, Jack of clubs, it is very likely that someone will stick around to see if the next card makes their straight or flush.


3. You have been C-betting, or bluffing a lot in general. If the rest of the table starts to see you as a bluffer, they will call you down with little more than Ace or King high sometimes.

I generally aim to C-bet about 75% - 80% of the time...which is just enough to bet most of my real hands, some of my small pocket pairs, some of my draws, and a few stone cold bluffs. this keeps opponents guessing, 100% c-betting is just asking someone to go to show down with you.

Like all things in poker, practice makes perfect. However, once you master the continuation bet, your will have a new tool to build up your chipstack with!

Table Statistics

Regarding the statistics in the tables list, I think it's most important to remember to use the numbers for comparisons; i.e. once you've decided the game and limits at which you wish to play, the next step is to use the numbers to help decide which particular table is likely to be the most satisfactory / most profitable (not always the same thing).

Technically, of course, the three stats fairly simple to decipher:

Average pot size - total $ in all pots for the last "n" games / "n"

Players per flop - average for the last "n" games of number of players seeing the flop / number of players at the table

Hands per hour - total number of hands completed in a previous 60 minutes period

Note that some additional information is needed to help you optimize your play:

First, the "n" in the calculations would be helpful, although this is not generally available (although some poker sites publish this information on well-hidden web pages). The reason this can be important is that the "flavor" of a table can change rapidly online, and a fishpond can become a sharkpool before the averages change enough to warn you what you're getting into. However, we work with what we have.

The second factor that can really skew the averages is number of players AT the table. A 10-table with 3 players will naturally have a much higher H/hr rate than a full table, and will most likely have a higher PPF number as well (as most players will loosen their starting hand requirements with fewer competitors).

Finally, on the "techie" side, one would use the Average Pot Size (APS) figure together with the blind or limit size for that particular table to help decide how much bankroll will be "at risk". It's fairly typical, I think, to sit down at a limit table with 50x the big bet, and most sites seem to limit the buy-in for a NL table to 100x the big blind, so much of the decision here will be based on the table limits. However, once you know the total amount of money at the table, the APS number will give you a fair idea of how much is being committed to pots, and therefore a good feel for the post-flop aggressiveness of the players at the table.

Now, with all the math out of the way, I said earlier that "most satisfactory" and "most profitable" were not always the same thing. There will be times (many) when I sit down only to improve the bankroll balance. In these cases, I'll look for a game with a large number of players (8-9), a fairly high PPF number (depending on the site and the limits, this can be anywhere from 45% on up) and an APS of about 15x big blind (NL). This tells me, in general, that there are several players calling preflop, but who do not have the hands to support aggressive post-flop action. In these cases, playing premium hands, and with a little help on the flop, I can usually catch all the fish I can eat.

On the other hand, there are times when I really want to play against premium opponents, just for the enjoyment of the poker. While one usually has to go into the higher limits for this kind of action, some quality games can be found in the lower limits if you know how to look. Lower PPF is a great indicator that a table is tight early, and a lower APS on this kind of table lets you know that the players are also tight late, leaving the way clear for some delightful one-on-one action for late play.

As far as actually using the H/hr number, this is really only useful to me in the way that knowing the alcohol content of my drink is: the higher the number, the more I can feed the "action junkie" monkey. Again, this mainly depends on my mood for the evening.

So how do the table statistics make your poker game better? Like any other information in our sport of "using limited data to best effect" they are tools to assist in selecting the best game to achieve your objectives for the session. If by "better" you mean "more profitable", use them in one way; but if you mean "higher quality poker by playing higher quality opponents while minimizing your risk", then use them another.

Poker Chips

The terms "Casino Grade Chips" and "Poker Chips" have different meanings in the Gaming Industry. Essentially, there are two classes of chips to be considered. The premier chip is the true casino grade chip and the other alternative is the low cost 'home game' chip.

Casino Grade chips are further divided into 2 categories; clay and clay composite. Both generally weigh between 9 and 10.5 grams.

The discerning or professional player considers clay chips the most desirous chips. These compression-molded chips are the standard for the vast majority of casinos worldwide. Both the composition of clay chips and their manufacturing process are highly guarded industry secrets. In addition, they are a very labor-intensive product. Both of these factors contribute to their higher cost. Clay chips are generally priced in excess of $1 per chip.

Home Poker Chips - From Left to Right - Full Clay Poker Chip, A Clay Composite Chip, 13 Gram 'Casino' Chip, 11.5 Gram 'Dice' Chip

The second casino grade chip is the clay composite chip. These chips are injection molded. Chipco and Kardwell are the two primary manufactures of this style chip and both firms manufacture their chips in the USA. NJ utilizes a 'natural' feeling substance, giving their chip a clay sound and feel while Chipco's chip is a more 'cold' ceramic material. The major advantage these chips have over their clay counterpart is their ability to accept full-face graphics.

Although the clay chip has been the industry standard for decades, the composite chip's popularity and use has grown significantly in the past few years. While there is no tangible difference in the quality of a clay chip versus a casino grade composite chip, the lower cost and graphic capability of the composite chip has seen its popularity grow within the casinos worldwide. NJ offers a "production line" chip to the public for the purpose of creating an affordable quality chip for the home user and is releasing a second more traditional "casino line" soon.

There is a third type of chip available for the home user. This is a composite chip manufactured in China. These low cost, multi-colored chips are made of PVC injected plastic over a metal slug and are produced specifically for the inexperienced and novice market. Cleverly marketed as "the heaviest (11.5 - 13 gram) casino chips on the market", these chips are not casino grade.

It is their metal core that makes them heavier than a casino grade product. Their mass production makes them widely available throughout the world at sometimes extremely low prices. This doesn't make them better. just heavier and cheaper and therefore not casino grade. This type of chip, although never recommended over a casino grade product, may be appropriate for the occasional player.

Whilst the clay chips and clay composite chips are generally more expensive (often 3 to 4 times more) I would suggest any regular poker player invest in a quality set as acquiring poker chips should be a once in a lifetime purchase. The cheaper Chinese chips are quite slippery, making them difficult to create high stacks and perform some chip tricks. From our experience casino grade quality (clay or clay composite) is the way to go! The usual set makeup is from 300-500 chips and are available from the following retailers.

Buying Poker Chips

There are literally thousands of poker chip retailers online, but it is important to understand what you are buying. Our poker chips article explains the two main types and origins of the gaming chips that are for sale to home game players. If you are still uncertain whether to purchase the "cheap" Chinese chips or go all out and spend upwards of 5 - 10 times as much for a high quality clay poker chip set, then this poker chips guide should help.

Most respectable poker chip retailers will sell you a "sample" set of their chips before you commit to purchasing an entire set. If you do happen to get hold of some sample chips, use the following tests before making up your mind on what to buy.

Inlay Labels
Some chips (mostly custom chips) have a printed inlay or stick on label. Try to peel it off with your fingernail and then try a knife. Is it set into the chip or stuck on top of the chip, would a nervous fingernail pull it off during a game.

Does the print scratch off easily? Is there a clear layer that will come away with extended use? Dip one in water and then leave it out overnight, will it be ruined if someone's wet beer hand touches them? Are the labels in the center of the chip? If you have a full face label, does the design line up with the edge spots? Grab the knife and have a stab at the label, does it mark or scratch?

Hot Stamped Chips
Hot-stamped chips usually have gold text stamped on them, representing values or branding. Check to see if this rubs off or gets dirty when you rubs two chips together. Also try to scratch it off using your fingernail and a knife.

Edges
Some makes of poker chips have quite sharp, square edges, others have softer edges, and some chips, such as the Modern Clay, come with intentionally pre-rounded edges to give the chips that 'worn in' feeling. If you smash the chips edges against each other a few times to see if the edges mark or get dents. If they do mark and dent, it is probably the sign of a better quality clay chip however they should not mark so badly that the chip is mutilated. The "All In" clay chip is quite soft, if you push these together you can actually make a deep mark in the chip.

Stacking / Face Texture
It is hard to guage the stacking ability of a certain chip with only one or two of a specific style. Generally, clay chips stack a lot better than the cheaper plastic or composite chips. I was lucky enough to have tested certain types of chips before I bought mine. The cheaper Chinese plastic composite chips are stackable slip over very easily, where as the Nevada Jacks type clay composite you can stack 100 chips high or finger to finger horizontally with no problems.

Try that with even 15 of the plastic type and enjoy picking them up off the floor. If you are lucky enough to have a few of each chip, put them on top of each other and see how easily they slide off each other. If you cant tell by pushing them flat, hold on to the bottom chip, place another on top and slowly tip your chips on an angle till one slides off. This will also be influenced by the weight of the chip, so please be mindful of all elements when performing tests.

Scratch the chip
With another chip, your fingernail, and then a key or knife, try to scratch and then gouge the surface. The surface of the chip is made of clay, clay composite, ABS plastic, or a ceramic material. Note what instrument leaves a mark, note how easy or hard it was to scratch? Consider the look of chips that now have a contrasting color underneath. How will your chip set look after 100 hours of play? Would the scratch marks soften, fill with dirt or blend in over time?

Calculating Pot Odds

The concept of pot odds is easy to learn and in my opinion is one of the most important concepts of playing winning poker, especially no limit hold'em.

It's simply, the relationship, expressed as a ratio, between the size of the bet you are making or calling, and the number of bets those bets in the pot. For example, if there is 12$ in the pot and you need to call a 3$ bet, you are getting 4:1 pot odds, expressed as 4:1.

To have good enough pot odds, generally you need to have better pot odds than your chance of winning the hand. So if you think you only have a 20% chance to win the hand, you should only play that hand if there is 5 times your bet or more in the pot. This is a risk/reward ratio - if you risk losing the bet, you need to have a big enough reward to make it affordable.

Pot odds can be used during different situations, including calling bets or drawing to a straight or flush. For example, if you need to call 5$ with a 25% chance to win a hand, there needs to be 4 or more times the size of your bet in the pot, or 20$.

BEFORE THE FLOP: especially when you are playing weaker hands trying to hit a flop, ex. suited connectors and small pairs, be aware if the pot is big enough for you to take a flop and try to hit your hand. To have good enough odds, generally you need to have better pot odds than your chance of winning the hand. So if you think you only have a 20% chance to win the hand, you should only play that hand if there is 5 times your bet or more in the pot. This is a risk/reward ratio - if you risk losing the bet, you need to have a big enough reward to make it affordable.

AFTER THE FLOP: This will mainly be applied when you are drawing to a hand, but the same rule applies, you must have better pot odds then your chance of winning, so it will be profitable in the long run if you hit. To apply this, you need to know how many outs you have, and what percentage this gives you to win the hand. Below is a chart drawing odds from a deck of 47 unseen cards.

Good players will also use these when defending the best hand. When you are playing with the best hand, especially against loose players, you can put in a bet that gives the player bad odds to call if you think he will play anyway, or if you want to just win the pot right away you can put an oversized bet in that is clearly not an affordable price to draw. This is just one of the ways that you can tilt pot odds in your favor.

Drawing odds from a deck of 47 unseen cards

Outs	2 Cards to Come	1 Card to come
20	67.5%	43.5%
19	65.0%	41.3%
18	62.4%	39.1%
17	59.8%	37.0%
16	57.0%	34.8%
15	54.1%	32.6%
14	51.2%	30.4%
14	51.2%	30.4%
14	51.2%	30.4%
13	48.1%	28.3%
12	45.0%	26.1%
11	41.7%	23.9%
10	38.4%	21.7%
9	35.0%	19.6%
8	31.5%	17.4%
7	27.8%	15.2%
6	24.1%	13.0%
5	20.4%	10.9%
4	16.5%	8.7%
3	12.5%	6.5%
2	8.4%	4.3%
1	4.3%	2.2%

BLUFFING: Pot odds must also be considered when bluffing. Over and Over again I have seen people bluff all in to attempt to steal the smaller blinds: an incredibly high risk for a very small reward. The mathematical rule for bluffing is that THE POT ODDS MUST BE GREATER THAN THE ODDS OF SUCCESSFULLY PULLING OFF THE BLUFF.

For example, if you estimate the odds of bluffing and winning at 1 in 5, then there must be more than 5 bets in the pot when you attempt the bluff. This means that you can bluff 1 10th the size of the pot and lose 9 times, and you win in the long run if you win the 10th time. HOWEVER, be careful when playing against bad players, who are often "un-bluffable". Make sure you consider that your chance of bluffing bad players is very small, and use this move scarcely.

As you can see, pot odds can make you a winning player in many aspects of the game, and it is essential to always be thinking about pot odds in the risk/reward game that is poker.

Poker Hands

Winning Poker Hands, Texas Hold'em Poker Hand Ranks

When playing poker, sometimes the most frustrating part of the game is figuring out which hand outranks another at the poker table. Poker.com has placed the ranking of poker hands in a easy to read layout that is suitable for printing so that you are never wondering who is the winner of any poker hand at the table. We have included an illustrated example of each hand. The list is in order from strongest to weakest.

Royal Flush:
Five card sequence from 10 to the Ace in the same suit (10,J,Q,K,A).

Straight Flush:
Any five card sequence in the same suit. (eg. 8,9,10,J,Q and A, 2,3,4,5 of same suit). All the cards are of the same suit, and all are consecutive. Ranking between straights is determined by the value of the high end of the straight.

Four of a Kind: All four cards of the same index (eg. J,J,J,J).

Full House:
Three of a kind combined with a pair (eg. A,A,A,5,5). Ties on a full house are broken by the three of a kind, as you cannot have two equal sets of three of a kind in any single deck.

Flush:
Any five cards of the same suit, but not in sequence. Don't be tricked into thinking that all five cards are the same color. The high card determines the winner if two or more people have a flush.

---

Straight:
Five cards in sequence, but not in the same suit. A straight cannot wrap, meaning it is not a straight if you have a Queen, King, Ace, Two, Three. The higher straight wins if two or more people have a straight. In case of straights that tie, the pot is split.

Three of a Kind:
Three cards of the same value. The highest set of three cards wins.

Two Pair:
Two seperate pairs (eg. 4,4,Q,Q). As usual the pair with the higher value is used to determine the winner of a tie.

Pair:
One pair of two equal value cards constitutes a pair.

High Card:
If no one has any of the above winning hands, the tie is determined by the highest value card in the hand. If the highest cards are a tie then the tie is broken by the second highest card. Suits are not used to break ties.

The history of Poker

The history of Poker is thought to have evolved over more than ten centuries from various games, all involving the basic principals of ranked card or domino combinations and the use of ‘bluffing’ to deceive opponents.

One popular belief is that a game similar to poker was first invented by the Chinese sometime before 969 A.D, when The Emperor Mu-tsung is reported to have played "domino cards" with his wife on new years eve.

Egyptians in the 12th & 13th centuries are known to have used a form of playing cards, and in 16th century Persia “Ganjifa” or “Treasure Cards” were used for a variety of betting games. A Ganjifa deck consisted of 96 elaborate cards, often made of paper thin slices of ivory or precious wood. The Persians played “As Nas” which utilized 25 cards, rounds of betting and hierarchical hand rankings.

A French game named “Poque” and a German game named “Pochen” became very popular in the 17 & 18th centuries, both developed from the 16th century Spanish game called “Primero” which involved three cards being dealt to each player. Bluffing, or betting high stakes whilst holding poor cards to deceive opponents, was an integral part of the game. Primero dates back to 1526 and is often referred to as “poker’s mother” as it is the first confirmed version of a game directly related to modern day poker.

French colonials imported the game to the new world when they arrived in Canada. Their beloved poque was the national card game of France and from the beginning of the 18th century, when a hardy group of French-Canadian settlers founded New Orleans, it spread from the state of Louisiana up the Mississippi river and then throughout the whole country.

In 1834, Jonathan H. Green made one of the earliest written references to poker when in his writing he mentions rules to the "cheating game," being played on Mississippi riverboats. The Cheating Game" quickly began to supplant the popular cardsharp game of 3-card monte on the gambling circuit. Gamers embraced the new game as it was perceived as a more challenging and 'honest' gamble than the notoriously rigged 3-card game. Green took more than a passing interest in the new game and took it upon himself to formally name and document the 'Cheating Game' in his book 'An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling': Poker was born.

During the Wild West period of United States history, a saloon with a Poker table could be found in just about every town from coast to coast. It was extremely popular during the Civil War when the soldiers of both armies played. European influence of poker ended when the joker was introduced as a wild card in 1875.

In just over two centuries, poker has never looked back. Since its humble beginning on the banks of the Mississippi, the popularity of this widely played game has grown in leaps and bounds to evolve numerous variations and sub-variations.

There have been three games that have, in turn, dominated the modern poker scene:

• 5 Card Draw rose from relative obscurity during the American Civil War to the most popular game for almost a century.

  Nevada made it a felony to run a betting game. However the Attorney General of California declared that draw poker was based upon skill and therefore the anti-gambling laws could not stop it. But stud poker was still deemed illegal as it was based solely on chance. With this decision, draw poker games developed and grew. This caused Nevada to reverse itself in 1931 and legalize casino gambling.

• 7 Card Stud then took over the throne shortly before WWII and maintained its position for about 40 years with the help of the new and thriving Las Vegas casino industry.

• Texas Hold’em, christened the ‘cadillac of poker’ rose to promienence in the 1970's when it was featured as the title game in the World Series of Poker. Today, Texas Hold’em is indisputably the most frequently played and most popular poker game in the world, played in casinos and on home game tables the world over.

Other variations such as Omaha, Stud Poker, Manila, Draw Poker and Razz are also popular, but nothing can compete with the thrill of No Limit Texas Hold’em.

No Limit Texas Hold’em played at The World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour have been captivating American television audiences to the point that there are now made for TV events such as the National Heads Up Poker Championship and the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions being filmed especially for TV and shown in prime time.

Poker looks like it is here to stay and it’s popularity has never been as widespread nor growing as quickly as it is right now. With the wealth of poker information available online, and the relative ease of logging on and playing with other poker players from around the world, there is no time like the present to join the poker craze.

Poker Tournament--Texas Holdem

• First, the goal is to win everyone's chips and the tournament does not stop until someone does so.
• You can win a LOT of money for a small initial buy-in. How much you ask? Well that depends on the tournament. It can be in the tens of thousands though. Once all players are registered, the pay off amounts are usually listed somewhere within the games.
• You don't win any money unless you "place" in the top prize positions. Each tournament will list out what positions get paid. This varies depending on the type of tournament and the number of players.
• Everyone starts with the same amount of chips. This is usually $1,000 to $1,500 in chips.
• The blinds in a tournament change. When playing at a normal poker game, the blinds are constant. No matter how long you play, the blinds stay the same. In tournaments, the blinds increase to force action which eliminates players until there is one lef.
• Tournaments have a buy-in and an entry fee. In a normal poker game, there are usually a minimum and maximum buy in amount.
  The buy-in is the tournament prize pool, and the entryfee is the "casino" or "host" fee. For example, if you see a tournment with a $5.00 + $.50 buy in, $5.00 will go to the tournament prize pool and $.50 will go to the "casino" or online host hosting the tournament. The average fee the host takes is usually 10% of the prize pool fee.
• A tournament can be played on a single table or multiple tables at one time. You will only play on one table at a time, but if there are more than 10 players in the tournament they will be playing at the same time on other tables. You may even be moved at random to another table as more players lose all their chips.
• The great thing about tournaments? For a small buy-in, you can win a LOT of money, but you can only lose your initial buy-in. Try doing that in a normal poker game! Also, if you lose a big hand, you still have a chance to win your chips back. In a real poker game, when you lose chips, you lose real money immediately.

Types of Tournaments

Okay, now that we have a good idea of what tournaments are, lets look at the various types of tournaments and what might be the best for you to play in. We'll start with the least complicated types of tournaments and work our way up.

SIT-N-GO Tournaments

A sit-n-go tournament is the type of tournament where you sit down at the table with a small number of players and play until one person has all the chips.

1. These are ONE table tournaments.
2. Usually the top 2 positions pay for 6 player tournaments and top 3 for 10 player.
3. These are usually quick games lasting no longer than 30-45 minutes.
4. They are a great way to test your skills and win decent money for as little as $1.00 + $1.0 buy in.

FREEROLL Tournaments

These are a bit more complicated, but they're FREE*, so it's worth trying them out and reading the different nuances about them.

1. Freerolls are almost always multi table tournaments.
2. Freerolls that do not require a coupon to play usually have between 500-2000 players.
3. Of course they are free to enter, if you are lucky enough to register in time.
4. Some freerolls require a coupon to play. Usually if the freeroll prize pool is about $500 or more. You win coupons by playing "raked" hands.
5. These can be long games lasting 2-4 hours.
6. Freerolls aren't the best place to test your skills as much as they test your luck. When people play in a FREE tournament, they tend to play recklessly, but it's free, so go out there and have some fun!
7. Some freerolls pay out entries to bigger tournaments! More on that later.
8. Freerolls are usually free to enter, meaning you do not have to pay any actual money to enter them
9. Freerolls can require some type of coupon to enter.

GUARANTEED Tournaments

These tournaments are usually multi table tournaments with a GUARANTEED prize pool.

1. Prize pool is guaranteed to be a set MINIMUM amount. Ex. $500 Guaranteed Tourney means the prize pool will be a minumum of $500.
2. These tournaments vary in their buy-in structure, but can be as low as $1.00 + $10
3. They usually have a minimum of 50 players in order for the tournament to start and a maximum of 1000 players
4. The number of players depends on the number of entries
5. These tournaments vary in amount of time due to the random number of entries
6. Rebuys are usually not allowed
7. These are usually the best tournaments to buy into. Why? Well the prize pool is guaranteed for one. If 50 people buy into a $2.00 + $.20 $500 guaranteed tournament, the prize pool entries will only add up to $100. The host will be responsible for the other $400 in the prize pool.
8. With fewer players in the game, your chances are much better to win a bigger pay-off! Great for players of all levels for the lower buy-in amounts. Ex. a $500 guaranteed tournament pays $150 for first place which is a great pay-off for a $2.00 + $.20 entry fee.

FREEZEOUT Tournaments

These are tournaments which do not allow re-buys or add-ons. Basically, you can only play with the chips you started with and are out of the tournament when you lose them all.

$$$ Tournaments (Unguaranteed)

If you see a tournament with a buy in amount only, this means the tournament prize pool is determined exclusively based on the number of entrants.

RE-BUY / ADD-ON Tournaments

A re-buy is an opportunity to buy additional chips. You are only allowed to buy the initial amount of chips you started the tournament with, which is around $1,000 - $1,500. This is only allowed when you've lost all your chips. Instead of being out of the tournament permanantly, you can "re-buy" and start again with your initial amount of chips.

A Add-on is the same as a rebuy, occurs while you still have chips. Add-ons will only bring you up to the maximum chip amount you started with. For example, if you started with $1,000 in chips, and were down to $200, and re-buys were allowed, you could pay the tournament entry fee again and be brought up to $1,000 in chips, but nothing more.

1. The cost of the rebuy is the same amount you paid to start the tournament.
2. Some tournaments allow you a single rebuy or multiple rebuys.
3. The ability to rebuy during a tournament is usually limited by how long the tournament has been running. Usually re-buys are not allowed after an hour.
4. Expect to see players playing recklessly though since they know they can buy additional chips later.
5. Re-buy tournaments can have big pay offs as many players will take advantage of this option which adds more to the prize pool

SATELLITE Tournaments

These types of tournaments don't pay any actual money. When you play in a satellite tournament, you are playing for an entry into a larger tournament.

1. Satellites can be single or multi table tournaments
2. Entry fees can be free, as small as $1.00 + $.10 or in the hundreds of dollars
3. The top positions that win are given entries into a larger more expensive tournament.
4. Satellites are a great way to spend a small amount of money to enter a tournament with a much larger prize pool and entry fee.
   

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训练有素的www.acg123.com 亚洲牌馆客户支援团队，对任何疑问、建议与/或关心的问题都全力以赴，及时反应。我们的经理和游戏专家训练有素，我们的客户支援人员是最专业化和最具有实 力的客户服务队伍，他们一周7天, 一天24小时，无时不在监督所有活动，及时发觉制止不正规和其他胡作非为的情况。

www.acg123.com values our clients and appreciates their patronage as we strive to establish a trustful relationship with each and every member. We always guarantee a prompt human reply to every question or concern and most importantly our members always come first.

www.acg123.com 亚洲牌馆以客为尊，对他们的关照感恩不尽，将竭尽所能，与每一位会员个别建立亲密的互信关系。我们保证对每一个问题迅速作出人性化的回应和关心，而最重要的是，我们以客为尊。

www.acg123.com knows you will enjoy your Online Gaming experience with us but nonetheless we would always like to hear from you. Whether it's a complaint or praise, a question or a suggestion, PLEASE email us at Support@acg123.com any time and share your experience with us!

www.acg123.com 亚洲牌馆充分理解您对我们在连线游戏上的共同经验十分赞赏，不过我们还是希望聆听您的意见。不管是褒是贬，是问题还是建议，无论何时何刻，敬请电邮Support@acg123.com 亚洲牌馆，让我们分享您的经验。

ACG- Asian Card Games 亚洲牌馆

Butan Pacific Internet Solutions, SA and Chemvie Asia Pacific Pty. Ltd. pursuant to a joint venture (“ACG”) operate a fully licensed business and a government regulated online gaming website. ACG is an entertainment company in compliance with all relevant laws and regulations of the Republic of Costa Rica. ACG is fully licensed for the purpose of operating and running interactive online gaming. ACG is the owner and operator of the Asian Card Room which consists of Multi-player Interactive Games played on the Internet.

Butan Pacific Internet Solutions, SA与Chemvie Asia Pacific Pty. Ltd.是间拥有合法经营权与相关政府部门批准的网络游戏网站合资企业（“ACG” ）。ACG是一家遵守哥斯达黎加政府相关的法律与规则的娱乐公司。ACG 获得了经营互动式网络游戏的完全许可证与执照。ACG 完全拥有“亚洲牌馆”与其经营权。