How obsenve opponent Cheating!!

No, not on how to cheat. How to spot cheating. This will focus more on online cheating. If you were hoping for ideas on how to not be cheated in home games, go to our page on home game cheating. Otherwise, read on!...

Online texas holdem poker rooms are probably the safest place to play at right now. Did your mother ever tell you to "never trust a stranger"? Well, playing online limits the number of sneaky people you could potentially be dealing with. The dealer is a program. Programs don't cheat. You don't have to worry about any sort of illegal card handling. There are no "cards" online.

Many poker players refuse to play online becaue of a fear of "hackers". In fact there are websites that claim they can either "see their opponents' pocket cards" or "see the turn and river before they are dealt". You should know that most of these sites are total garbage and I'm only saying "most" for legal reasons. Please visit our online poker safety page for more information. The big instance of an online poker room having security problems opened the eyes of the operators and now top sites are now so excessively secure that it's almost wasteful. Not only is the technical security present but all the measures you'd expect in a brick-and-mortar casino.

The most common form of online cheating is player collusion. That's when two or more players reveal to each other what cards they hold. This form is more difficult to pull off in a live game, but playing online gives players the chance to have a fellow player on the phone with them, or sitting next to them at another computer.
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Fortunately most of these players are the ones who have no idea how to use that advantage. These two must coordinate well together, which takes practice. Online poker rooms not only look for telltale signs of collusion, but check to see if two players always play at the same table together. They would have to use "hit and run" tactics when using this form of cheating. Colluding players would have to hit up a high-limit table, then flee to another online poker room with their winnings and never look back.

To make a long story short, it is barely worth it to try it. But just in case, here are some things to look for...

1. A team of players who try to "steamroll" other players out of the game. This means reraising each other to make non-colluding players call multiple bets at once.

2. Players who never play fast preflop. That's the time to talk about what they hold. Watch whoever is under the gun and be mindful of reaction time.

3. A group of players who hike up bets by reraising with someone in between them. This gets the maximum amount of bets out of a third party. The alarm should really go off if one of those reraising players has a piss poor hand, or if one of them folds with one bet to go despite a massive pot. There's a time to bluff and a time to fold and most people have an idea when that is, so be on the lookout for players who exercise horrible judgement like that. Identify that person as a potential goldmine for yourself or a potential cheater.

Once again, it's VERY rare for someone to even attempt these sort of things. Still, never accuse anyone of cheating. Either contact the poker room's administrators or just get up and leave.

When To Bet in Texas Holdem

A bet is a declaration that either:
a)"I have the best hand and I'll wager money on it" or
b)"You have a poor hand, and you will fold if you are forced to wager on it".

Typically, players are supposed to bet when they have a good hand. Players who don't have good hands are supposed to fold. Of course, if it was this simple, there would be no need for this page. You might as well wager on Tic-Tac-Toe. Most players play contrary to this idea, attempting to be a cunning or deceptive player. Don't fall into this trap when you are just learning to play.

Your betting strategy should be built upon this simple idea, but you must know when to stray and bet in situations when you otherwise wouldn't. Here are some situations you should start looking at to improve your game:
Example one: Blind-stealing

When you are in the dealer's position, and only you and the blinds are remaining in the game, a raise is often called "blind-stealing". This is because the blinds may fold, whereas if you didn't raise but simply called, the blinds would simply check. Its a good way to make a buck or two, but will never make you rich. Its more of a way to end the game fast and have a new hand dealt with more players (and more money).
Example two: The steal-raise

If you are last to act and all players have checked to you, betting to simply limit the number of players or take the pot is called a steal-raise. Don't use this exclusively, as better players will be onto you quickly and begin check-raising against your (most likely) poor hand. It is good to use a steal raise when you have an excellent drawing hand such as a nut flush draw. Players will tend to "check to the raiser". If you draw to your hand, you now have a larger pot to win. If you don't, you can always check, and hope the fifth card makes your hand.
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Example three: The check-raise

Check raising is checking to your opponent, with the intention of luring them to bet, so that you can raise them back. Your intention is to lure them into a false sense of security so that you can raise them and increase the pot (remember, after one bet is committed, its more likely they'll commit to two).
Example four: The opener

This reckless move is often done by people who bluff. It is when the person first to act raises, making all other players call two bets at once. Its inteniton is to limit the number of players. Basically, this move amounts to a backwards steal-raise. The effect will almost certainly cause many players to fold, but the ones remaining will either be equally aggressive or truly have a great hand. This is also known as betting for information. This tactic is best used with few players in on the hand.
Example five: Squeezing

Squeezing is a tactic only used in a short-handed game. It's betting when you have a good hand currently, and you suspect another player or players may be on a draw. For example, you have top pair with the best kicker. Chances are they won't make their draw (be it a straight or a flush draw, etc). Your goal is to limit their pot odds.

The above examples are just really examples of bets. If you are playing no limit or pot limit holdem, the whole thinking behind betting becomes radically different. Check our page on no limit betting for more.

Texas Holdem Odds Chart

This chart shows the chances of making a hand on the turn, on the river, or both in Texas Holdem. Click any of the outs listed to get an example based on that specific number of outs. The chances may be displayed in percentage, probability, 1 in X, or X to 1 format (if that doesn't make sense, go to our odds explained page). Chances may also be displayed with 0 to 9 decimal places. Since these odds are based on outs, it's merely describes your chance for a card or cards to turn up based on the number of desired cards left and the number of cards left in the deck (47 or 46 for the turn and river). Most of the examples describe situations where you are not a lock to win, but explain the reasoning why that many outs is being assumed, based on the number of outs.

For pre-flop odds, go to our pre-flop odds calculator. We also have a wallpaper version of this chart for your convenience.

PreFlop Strategy in Texas Holdem

Before you start betting like a madman when you get two eights in the pocket, you need to carefully consider all factors involved in solid preflop strategy.

The factors to consider are the number of players, how aggressive/passive the players at the table are, your bankroll, your position, and how much risk you are willing to entail.

Number of players: With 10 people in the game, it's much more likely that someone else has a strong hand in the pocket than in a short-handed game. Also, you'll need to be more cautious in larger games, as the chances of someone's preflop hand fitting the flop will be much better. More competition means stiffer competition.

How aggressive the players are: Assuming you've been playing with a few people for several hands, and you noticed some jackass is raising every hand preflop, you'll want to play tighter. Let the guy win the blinds (big deal) and nail him to the wall when you have a solid hand in the pocket preflop.

Your bankroll: If you have $2 left, you'll want to play extremely carefully and select one hand to bet on, hoping to get as many players involved as possible for a larger pot. You'll want to be all-in before the flop is dealt. On the flip-side, if you have $1000 at a $1/$2 table, you can take the high-risk, high-payout bets.

Your position: People in late position have the ability to influence the size of the pot much more than those in early position. This is especially true preflop.

Your tolerance for risk: Depending on your playing style, you may want to play more or less aggressively preflop. Players who shoot for larger pots, but don't mind a greater chance for losing a few hands will want to raise preflop, especially if they are in late position. Some players prefer to be as selective as possible preflop, grinding out a winning hand here or there. It really depends on your own style of play, and how you perceive the players around you.

You might also want to consider what cards you have in your hand. Naturally, AA is the best to start with. It helps if your hand is suited or if the cards are sequential in rank like a Seven and an Eight ("connected"). It's important to understand how your two cards hold up against other combinations of cards though.

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.