Turbo SG $20, 10 seats 15000 chips in total. Starting chipcount: 1500.

Not much to log, third hand all-in. Two big raises in front of me from 20/40 blinds, got pocket aces. All-in of cause, three players call. Screenshot says it all… This kind of things doesn’t happed too often.

AA vs KK vs QQ vs 22, and 22 won on river. 6k pot won by the worst hand! And what the …, he calls with 22 against three all-in! Haha.

In the sport of poker, winning is very difficult. I will give the odds and probability in the game of poker, by single played hand, and the use of a fifty two card deck. As knowing them is important. The odds and probability are computed by the calculation of the proportion of hands that are a certain type, amongst all possible hands. The odds are as follows: Hand type: Royal flush, Approximate odds: 649,740 : 1 ; Straight flush, 72,193 : 1 ; Four of a kind, 4,164 : 1 ; Full House, 693 : 1 , Flush 507 : 1 , Straight 253 : 1 , Three of a kind 45 : 1 , Two pair 20: 1 , One pair 2.36 : 1 ; no pair 1.995 : 1

Many people play poker in a social setting, some with chips for denominational representation and monetary exchange, or simply nostalgic reason or decoration. In some locations such as in casino or other playing establishments poker chips and the odds of probability are really put to the test. Playing poker in these setting can be very entertaining as there are often beautiful women and large monetary reward to succeeding on the game table. There are often free alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages distributed at these events and gaming locations. Security guards and security cameras are often highly present, but when there are thousands upon thousands of dollars involved with each flip of a card, that can be expected.

Finding free poker can be rather difficult, as there is no method of collecting prize money payable at the tournament or game hands conclusion. This is usually done and collected from the accumulation of perhaps a collected entry fee from every poker game entry member. Nonetheless, playing free poker between friends can be fun. The cards are the same, and as the joker, wild cards, are not often played in the casino style poker game format free poker can be more entertaining. This is still a competitive game, even without the monetary reward element. Many times beginner begins their tenure into the poker game arena as free poker players. The strategies and hand rankings are the same.
Playing online poker is a convenient way to get one’s gambling fix. It has also become a lot more social with players chatting to each other through Live Chat. Beginning and novice players can learn patience and the art of bluffing in this game format. These are two very important tactics used in the game of poker.

Poker tournament(s) are the most exciting games on the planet. There can be games that last for hours into the night, or ones that last for just a few hours. All is dependant on the players and the emotions and attitude toward one another on the table. Often times these poker tournaments have a crowd of spectators enjoying the event. This is an interesting element since it is an indoor and great concentration for some players during some of these tournament games. It is also very interesting to see the many different players entered into the tournament. These players are all focused for the large final game prize. If the tournament is of large number and participants the game locations can be separated or the tournament can be held over more than one day.

To learn poker and online poker, takes time. Some individuals may pick up a general liking of the game and try very hard at winning at poker in the beginning of their play. But, being hurried in the game, is one of the most common downfalls. Play this game with emotion or impatience and you will be the observer. That is a given probability.

There are number of qualities to look for in a online poker room, especially if you are looking for cash games. Qualities to look for include the number of players on the site, the variety of games and the deposit bonuses offered to players. By knowing these simple stats, you can determine which site fits your needs.

For those that are beginners, consider playing at PartyPoker. Although this site has less fish than it use to when it accepted U.S. players, there are still plenty of players donking off their chips at an alarming rate. With smooth software that enables players to focus on their game, PartyPoker.com provides a fun gaming experience that lets a player get solid value for their hard-earned money.

If you are a more experienced player, the PokerStars might fit your bill. Accepting players from across the globe, Pokerstars typically has over 100,000 players at almost any given time. This means there are plenty of punters willing to push their chips in the middle at the drop of a hat. Since you will be facing players from all over the world, there are plenty of chances to exploit weaker players because the sport is still new in a lot of the places that Pokerstars promotes to.

If you are a shark and you want to play with the big boys, then FullTiltPoker has what you are looking for. Featuring the biggest limits on available on the Internet, Full Tilt attracts many of the game’s elite thanks to high stakes the site offers. Although FullTiltPoker.com is known for its “big games,” there are plenty of smaller games going on a regular basis. Despite having fewer players (on average) than Pokerstars, there is a higher concentration of good cash game players on this site because it offers a large variety of formats.

Turbo SG $20, 10 seats 15000 chips in total. Starting chipcount: 1500.

Going for a Turbo SG. First hand AK. A raise before me to 100, and two call after. 73Q flop, try to bluff the pot, did not work. Two went all-in with flush draw and three of a kind (QQ)… Second time now in a short period I’m up against trip Queens on flop. Down to 1k in first hand.

Going to need some patient now. Looking for a pocket pair or AK to go all-in with.

Hmm, ok 98 suited go for a call… someone raise to 260 after me. I fold, he had A8 suited. So bad…

The same guy (prajanek) above goes all-in against to two other players already commited their chips with JK vs 99 and JJ. Of course he wins, now he has 5k. So bad.

Maybe we can exploit his bad calls with a well played all-in. Should either slow play him or go all-in preflop. Never the less, I need the cards to play with and some luck.

Raise with QK suited in late position, two players comes along. Flop: AK2. A raise, I fold… Damn A.

Prajanek hits a straight on river.

All-in as SB with A8. Blinds at 50/100, one caller before me. Both folds. Chip count 900

AK, raise to 300. Everyone folds.

Hand after, AA. Slow play, 100 only bb check. flop 66Q. Pot size bet 250. BB folds… Maybe pushed to hard there, only a BB player. Chip count 1200.

All-in won against Prajanek! Played him exactly as I should, letting him do the betting. Called a raise with 7Q.  Flop 372. Perfect! Now I have him, I check, and a raise from him. I go all-in with not much left. And won, he had something like JK. Chip count  2500.

Another all-in won! Chip count 4k. Going great now.

Fast paced game. Hard to log at the same time.

Prajanek going broke now. All-in A6 vs 1010 preflop.

Blinds at 200/400, five players left. Chip count 3,3K

Prajanek again, all-in with 710 vs JJ vs A2 (small stack). JJ won and I earned the money!

Pretty even field.

Ok, two left. 2,5K vs 12,5K…

Lol I won! That was a great one. First busted him with a pair of Aces I think on the flop, I check and he bluffed with 800. I went all-in with like only 1,5K left. He called and we where nearly even. After that I got KK, and slow played him. Well, he hit two pair on the flop QJ but I got a pair on the board (river). Lucky one, but as usual you need that to win a tournament.

Summary: Very happy with this one. Really liked my play against Prajanek, saw from the beginning his lose play. Taking the chance against him really paid of, and that made my tournament. A very fast one with much action.

Played two SGs yesterday and I was really trapped hard in both those games. First SG out in 10th place, had QKs preflop and hit the flop with 78Q. One raise before me, I re-raise. Without a blink the players goes all-in… I had 1k to go all-in with, and I really felt that this is not good. High pair and quick all-in on re-raise is always a warning signal… But of course I could not fold and called… He QQ lol. Not the best time to catch a Queen… But this really shows that no one is going all-in in the first place with high pair, maybe in the second place when the other players has already done it. Lesson learned!

The second SG, had a pretty good run and I think we where 6 players left with equal stacks and blinds at 400 = open game. Got KK in good position and just makes a call, as I raise would only produce fold from everyone as the blinds are to big. SB and BB calls and check. 347 shows up, so I bet 800, SB folds. Most of our stacks is now in the pot so there is no turning back, he goes all-in and I call. He has 65… Flopping the straight.

Brutal night.

Haven’t been blogging for a while, but I have been playing for sure . And it have been going great, don’t know how many SG:s I’ve won but it has been alot. Since the “vacation disaster week” I think am up like $1000. Quite alot with only SG at $20 buyin!

The thing is that I switched over to Turbo SG, which definitely suited me better. The more you play the less patient you get, and that was exactly the problem before. A Turbo SG takes about 20-30min when a normal SG takes about 60min, so it’s a big difference.  I always throught turbo means more luck, but that wasn’t the case. Or atleast the difference is not that brutal…

SG $20, 10 seats 15000 chips in total. Starting chipcount: 1500.

Modifying my strategy slightly, going to play more hands out of position at the beginning. 1-3 places from small blinds and no one has raised, I will call with any hand. Only playing two pairs and better on flop.

Slow start. Not much action. Sticking to my strategy, but no good flops. Someone is rasing all the time, apparently with nothing as he just got called all-in with 85. Ofcourse he won that with a pair of 8s against A10.

8 players left. Blinds at 50/100, chipcount 1500 exactly. All-in same person as above again, against the same opponent. But this time he didnt win with his KQ against 77. All in again from him with QJ against K10, he won. His chipcount is now 4300.

Yes! All-in won against that guy. Knew I had him with a quite weak A9. Raised to  400 in with only him and SB and BB left. He raised to 1200 so I went all-in, taking the chance. He had KQ, I hit the A and won. Chipcount 2400.

The same guy, derrenfr, is going all-in or raising all the time.

Ok, 6 players left. Blinds at 150/300. Chipcount 2750. People are playing rather aggresive now, with their small stacks. Not a good time for playing weak hands.

5 left, pretty even between 4 of them at around 2300. Big stack at 5780. Catching some really bad hands…

AJ, raised to 600. Big stack calls, low flop so I betted 50% of the stack and he folds.

4 players left. One of us have only 560 left now.

Lol, the all-in guy derrenfr wins with A9 against AQ. Now he has 7500. Chipcount 2600.

Yeah! Knocked the fourth guy out from big blind with my J6s vs K4.

Ok, now the pace goes up. The game ends in 5min, so my logging lags behind some. This was what happend:

Pushed all-in with AJ after raise pre-flop and a 1200 bet on flop from derrenfr. As I’ve hit the A I went all-in and he folded. His aggresive play is very easy to read, slow play this guy will not be hard. Chipcount 5k.

Slow played JJ, he calls all-in on flop after a big bet from him. Think he had I inside straight draw or something. Chipcount 10k!

Raised with A6, won hitting the A on turn. Chipcount 12k

Won heads-up! First hand he goes all-in with 9J, I call with 99.

Tournament poker can be a great deal of fun, I play it all the time. As a tournament progresses and blinds grow, luck plays more of a role.  Even skilled players cannot win every time, but there are some fundamental approaches I take to the game to improve chances of winning. This is a in-depth poker article, learn poker at a more basic level under this link.

Early on, Tight Is Right

It’s a fundamental truth in tournament poker that you can lose a tournament in the first round, but you can’t win it. Keep this in mind. There’s no good reason to commit a lot of chips in the first round or two of a tournament without a monster hand. The blinds are so small that they are not worth risking a lot of chips to win. Play conservatively, observe your opponents and try to gather information for use in later rounds when the blinds are big and the pots are more valuable.

Bubble Play

As you approach the money bubble, you will have to make a decision. Are you going to try to sneak into the money or go for a big chip grab?  If you have a lot of chips, the bubble is the perfect opportunity to pick up more. Many poker tournament players with medium stacks won’t want to tangle with you because they don’t want to get knocked out right before the money. If a small stack calls you, it won’t hurt you that much. But here player information is very important, don’t call with a weak hand if your opponent have folded a large amount of hands recently.

Final Table Play

At the final table, you may find that everyone’s stack is small, relative to the blinds. If this is the case, it is a good time to make a deal and chop up the prize pool.
The fairest way to do this is according to chip count. If deal making is not allowed or if someone doesn’t want to, play on and don’t be afraid to get those chips in the middle. You’ve gone as far as your skill can take you and now it’s in the hands of the poker gods. Either way, making the final table is quite an accomplishment.

SG $20, 10 seats 15000 chips in total. Starting chipcount: 1500.

Another try at my new strategy. Only played like three hands on the two lower levels last time, but lost two of them, maybe I was on the right track after all.

Lol, a guy with 44 raises to 100 from big blind 20 preflop. And hits his 4… I did not play but he won that all-in after flop.

Won all-in! Weired hand. Raised to 100 with A10, as small blind when noone else raised.  QQ3 shows up so I bet 150, a small stack calls with like 300 left after that. If he had something he must have been going all-in before so I raised 400 on river hoping my A was strong enough. It was, he had A4. Some luck returns at last… Chipcount 2100.

Won two fast hands, Chipcount 2545. Blinds at 20/40. Got a couple of good hands, pocket pairs and AJ and A10 so I’ve played them out.

A10 again… Raise to 80, two players calls. I win a small stack, since noone betted on flop.

A10 again… Folding that hand after a players raised to 180 from 30/60 blinds. To much.

AJ. Really catching some cards here.Folded this one to after a 240 bet. Was hard to fold, but as I see it when a so unsual bet comes up it’s always high pocket paris (over 10) or AK/AQ at least.  As am in a good position right now with a big stack, why gamble. This hands often goes to a all-in too.

A9, third ace in a row now! But this one I won after an ace shows up after flop. Raised preflop. Chipcount 3070. Great position.

Blinds at 50/100 now. 9 players left. Some will soon be leaving us…

Now people are starting to bet hard, lots of all-in and raises. Only 6 left now, people are going out pretty quick.

The pocket pair 44 guy I just wrote about is out also, dispite his 3k stack earlier.

5 players left, 100/200 blinds. Not playing much.

Puh, got AQ and raised to 400. One small stack called. KK3 shows up… He checks I bet 500, he folds. Luck for me there he didnt have a pocket pair or something. Chipcount 3322.

4 players left. My stack is third in the row. Two around 5k, mine at 3k and the last at 1k. This is the hard time, getting someone out without risking to much.

Dammit, folded QK against one raise to 500 and another all-in before me at 800. They had AJ and 44, my king showed up. Now the small stack doubled up too. My hand was pretty weak, so it was a ok fold. Chipcount 3122.

Pocket 10 big blind, everyone folds without a bet from me.

No one wants to go out… 150/300. The small stack just folds all the time.

Raised to 600 with JQ… The other big stack goes all-in. Hate that… Folds.

Folds JK suited. Against one raise (900) and one all-in from the small stack… Big stack got JK too and the other one AJ. The small stack wins… Now we level, and the other two has 4k. Not good.

Blinds at 200/400. Need good cards not or am out…

Betting hard on all good cards now.

All-in with AJ, against the same cards. No luck for both of us.

Yes! Won an all-in with AJ against Q3, the small stack from the beginning didnt have the patenice.

Heads up now. The other guy just went out right after.

Finished second, he had 12k and I only 3 after some blinds he took. So I went all-in with J10 suited. Got an ok flop with 46% to win with flush on the board. But did not succced with that… Anyway, great session.

Summary: Did almost everything right this time. Got very good cards too, folded alot of these but is was nearly always good folds.

Played some horrible Poker under the vacation, didn’t log the sessions and that was good. Lost like 30% of my small bankroll. Since I started to play again several months ago am still 100% up, so it’s not that bad.

Anyway, new season with new sessions. I’ve learned alot what you shouldnt do at least. Played a good one yestoday so I think am on the right track again now.

SG $20, 10 seats 15000 chips in total. Starting chipcount: 1500.

Okay. The “new” strategy is to not play much in the beginning, no bluffing at all there. Only good cards. It’s too easy to come up  again strong hands when so many players are involved. Also, the pots also is much smaller then. When the blinds hits 100, then it’s time to play.

Raised with 66 to 80 (blinds at 20/40). One dude calls with 103, AA8 shows up. Not good for with A on the board, he checks so I place a high bet at 150. He calls… Okay am out I think. 10 7 shows up on turn and river. We both checks until the end and he wins…

Calls 40 with J3 small blinds. Three players are in. Got an open straight on the flop bets with a 542 flop. Fires away 200, one calls. We both check on the turn, a J shows up on the river. Lucky for me I thought. He goes all-in in and I call, his J9 against my J3. Down to 500. Never play with a bad hand?

Win an all-in, my AQ against Q10. Chipcount 1070.

Blinds at 50/100. 10 players left.

Raise from me with KQ to 200 and am out calling players all-in with KK.

Summary: Quite bad session. The all-in in the end without a A is just useless. Other then that I just had some bad luck in the beginning.