CONCLUSION

CONCLUSION

This book isn’t guaranteed to make you a successful poker player. It’s meant to offer you some tricks and strategies to get you to a new level of play. Poker games change with the dealing of every card. There is no tried and true formula to guarantee a win each and every time.

This author plays online poker on a daily basis. I don’t win all the time, but I don’t lose all the time. I take my share of bad beats and have made more than my share of mistakes. On the other hand, I have found myself to be pretty much consistently staying well ahead of my initial buy-in, which is what I wanted in the first place. It’s a learning process, and I have found that as I continue to play, my knowledge base increases, I play smarter more often, and am able to bet aggressively when I need to.

I, personally, prefer the online site Full Tilt Poker – www.fulltiltpoker.com. They have great avatars, inexpensive sit and go’s, inexpensive tournaments, and excellent cash games. If you’re at Full Tilt, check out the game tables. If you see any game highlighted in red, it means there’s a bonafide pro in that room. Watch for a little while and learn a tremendous amount!

I have also played at Party Poker – www.partypoker.com. While it’s not quite as user-friendly as Full Tilt, it does offer up the chance for some quick play and some quicker payouts. Their tournaments are more

expensive with larger rakes, but they have excellent competition for you to test your skills on.

Poker Stars – www.pokerstars.com – is relatively user-friendly, but their biggest advantage is low cost tables and tournaments. You can play for as little as $.01/$.02 stakes in real money games. Their sit and go’s are similar to Full Tilt as little as $1.20 with 7 places paid – 1st place paying off $14. I’ve had a colleague who tells me that when she loses on Full Tilt, she goes to Poker Stars and wins. This site is definitely a contender for online play.

Poker is a fun pastime that can have huge rewards. It all depends on YOU as the player. Study, pay attention, play aggressive, adjust when you need to. But above all, just play. The more you play, the better you’ll get. They say “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. Poker professionals weren’t born overnight either.

See you on the tables!!!!!

Information for this book was obtained from the following websites:

Wikipedia.com Fulltiltpoker.com Pokertips.org Cardplayer.com About.com Texasholdem-poker.com Pokerstrategy.org

And from the book Doyle Brunson’s Super System: A Course In Power Poker by Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson

A WORD ABOUT ADDICTION

A WORD ABOUT ADDICTION

Just like any of our other vices, online gambling can get very addicting, very quickly. It’s important to make sure that your online gaming doesn’t get out of control. It may be fun for awhile, but when you can’t make your mortgage payment because you’ve dumped too much money into your online poker account; it’s time to think about holding back and seeking some help.

There are a number of resources out there to help with gambling addictions. We don’t have a preference for one over another. The important part is to seek help if your gambling gets out of control. You may want to check out some of the following resources:

The Responsible Gambling Council can be found at http://www.responsiblegambling.org/. Their mission statement is straight forward: The RCG is a non-profit organization that works with individuals and communities to address gambling in a healthy and responsible way. The council undertakes research and public awareness programs designed to prevent gambling-related problems.

Probably the most well-know organization for gambling problems is Gambler’s Anonymous. The operate much on the premise of Alcoholics Anonymous and can be found online at http://www.gamblersanonymous.org/.

The following comes directly from their website. GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from a gambling problem.

The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop gambling. There are no dues or fees for Gamblers

Anonymous membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. Gamblers Anonymous is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any cause. Our primary purpose is to stop gambling and to help other compulsive gamblers do the same.

Most of us have been unwilling to admit we were real problem gamblers. No one likes to think they are different from their fellows. Therefore, it is not surprising that our gambling careers have been characterized by countless vain attempts to prove we could gamble like other people. The idea that somehow, some day, we will control our gambling is the great obsession of every compulsive gambler. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing. Many pursue it into the gates of prison, insanity or death.

We learned we had to concede fully to our innermost selves that we are compulsive gamblers. This is the first step in our recovery. With reference to gambling, the delusion that we are like other people, or presently may be, has to be smashed.

We have lost the ability to control our gambling. We know that no real compulsive gambler ever regains control. All of us felt at times we were regaining control, but such intervals - usually brief -were inevitably followed by still less control, which led in time to pitiful and incomprehensible demoralization.

We are convinced that gamblers of our type are in the grip of a progressive illness. Over any considerable period of time we get worse, never better. Therefore, in order to lead normal happy lives, we try to practice to the best of our ability, certain principles in our daily affairs.

Finally, don’t hesitate to contact your family physician or call a local therapist if you think you might have a

gambling problem. The main thing is to know that you have a problem and that you need to seek out resources to control that problem. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. The main thing to keep in mind is that it needs to be brought under control before serious damage is done.

SOME THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

SOME THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

Poker is a godless game, full of random pain.

— Andy Bloch

Texas Hold ‘em is such a complex game that there are literally hundreds of different methods and strategies that can be successful. Good advice to any reader would be to invest a few dollars into at least one good Texas Hold ‘em book, written by such masters as Doyle Brunson or Phil Helmuth.

But keep in mind that this game is full of chances and changes. There is no one consistent way to play cards. There’s a reason they call it gambling. When you should win on pocket Aces, often you don’t. You have to be able to determine when it’s time to fold out and cut your losses when it looks like you won’t win.

It's not a matter of being brilliant. It's just a matter of character. That's all it is. You have the discipline to draw back when you see that your strategy is incorrect. That's the kernel of the idea in gambling: it's the discipline to keep your losses down and not to let your losses affect you.

It's the same in business. It's a percentage game. You don't win 100% of the time. You do something adequate, you stay in the game, and you keep playing. You win a little bit more than you lose, and when you lose, you lose less. You're going to win eventually. You may not win the whole world; you may not even be an extremely high producer. But you're going to be a winner.

It sounds simple. It is just so hard to execute. Execute extremely well and you'll win. That's why Vince Lombardi, the famous football coach, used to spend eight hours on one sweep, just one play. Do the simple blocking and tackling

and the other stuff will take care of itself. It's the same in gambling and in business. You get the basics and you'll win. You don't have to be some super-visionary.

Keep in mind that online play is different than live play. While it may seem obvious, it still needs to be stressed. Many players play two tables, read e-mail, watch television, or talk on the telephone while playing. Since there are so many distractions, some of your opponents may not be aware of all the action that is taking place. This is yet another reason to use less deception in your game, since some of your opponents will not even see some of your plays so that you can gain some future value out of them.

Here is one final point about play on the Internet. Since players move in and out of games a lot, can’t see your face, and are distracted by many other things, they tend to notice less that you are playing a tight game.

In a live game, if you sit there a couple of hours without playing a hand, don’t expect a lot of action when you decide to bet or raise. On the Internet, you can play a straightforward tight game for a long time and still get good action when you bet since opponents either do not notice or have not had enough time to realize that you are such a tight player.

On the other hand, if you don’t play many hands in a live game, your chances for pulling off a successful bluff are high, while on the Internet I doubt this gives you much of an advantage. A bluff on the Internet is usually only profitable by the merits of the play of the particular hand, not by table image.

So remember, table image is not as important online as in a live game. Play a more straightforward game with fewer bluffs and protect your hands against those opponents who try to win every pot by bluffing too much.

Poker is a game of infinite complexity. Players like Chris Ferguson can calculate the odds of almost any situation, but there are no hard, fast rules for how to play a specific hand. The math matters, but if you want to take your game to the next level, you need to start working on three things: Creativity, imagination, and flexibility.

There are many successful styles that work in poker. From the seemingly reckless manner of Gus Hanson (there is a method to his apparent madness), to the tightly disciplined systems of David Skalansky, your goal should be to experiment with different ways of playing. Once you've started doing that, you need to figure out which style will work best for you and the situation at hand.

If the game is too loose, it's often right to play fewer cards. If the table is a rock garden, you can sometimes get away with bluffing more. The key is not to be stuck to some plan that is "always right," but to redefine yourself in each given situation.

Learning how to adjust your play takes practice. Shorthanded play is a great opportunity to test your creativity because you have more decisions to make. You can also invest time playing single table sit & gos, where the increasing blinds force you to play more hands against your opponents.

Imagination is at the heart of the game. Just as there is no right way to write a song or paint a picture, there is no right way to play poker. The best players are experimenting and adjusting all the time. The beauty of the game lies in this ever-shifting landscape, and it keeps us interested each time we sit down.

LIMIT GAMES

LIMIT GAMES

There are many differences between limit and no-limit poker. Many no-limit players have difficulty gearing down

for limit play, and limit players lack the courage and feel needed for no-limit games.

Many of the high-powered strategies that are available to the aggressive no-limit player can’t be used to great advantage in limit. Specifically bluffing and getting small pots are much more difficult when the game limits you to a maximum bet.

However, one thing remains constant between the two games. That is the need for an aggressive style. The nature of limit hold ‘em makes it necessary to keep a tighter rein on your aggressive play, but when you play a pot, play it strongly.

In limit poker, you should play big cards most of the time. The straight forward nature of limit play means that most of the time you have to show down a hand. You’ll make the best hands more often with big cards rather than with smaller ones like 2-4 suited. This is mainly because there isn’t much money at stake in limit hands. If a player doesn’t have to jeopardize many chips, he is most likely going to call anything you put out there. If you don’t have a big hand, you risk losing even on suited connectors.

Poker great Doyle Brunson suggests that patience and self-discipline are essential to playing limit hold ‘em. You need to know which hands to get into and which hands not to bother with. He suggests you need to pay attention to what the other players are doing – even if you’re not in a hand.

Don’t get overly stressed about deciding what cards to play and what cards not to play. You’re not going to lose your shirt in limit games by calling a raise with pocket 2’s and getting an A-K-K flop. Just fold out gracefully and wait for the next hand.

Professional Chris Ferguson offers up the following advice:

In Limit Hold 'em, it is not uncommon to see pots that are contested by four, five, or even six players. This happens with some frequency at lower limits, especially when playing with those who haven’t learned the virtues of a tight-aggressive style of play.

In multi-way pots, draws become especially powerful, and playing big draws aggressively against multiple opponents can create very profitable situations. For example, say that you’re dealt As-8s on the button. Three players limp before the action gets to you, and you decide to limp as well. Both blinds call, so a total of six players see the flop of 4s-7s-Jc. You have no hand at the moment, but you do have the nut flush draw.

On the flop, the small blind bets and three players call. What’s your best action? Clearly, folding would be wrong. With two cards to come and nine outs, you’ll make the nut flush roughly 35 percent of the time, making you only a 2:1 dog. With six small bets going in the pot pre-flop and four going in on the flop, you’re getting pot odds of 10:1.

You might be tempted to just call and see what the turn brings but, in fact, raising in this situation gives you better value. The pot is getting large and it’s likely that all your opponents are going to call. Even those who have nothing more than second pair or a gut shot straight draw may feel that their pot odds are favorable enough to justify calling the second bet. If your raise gets called by four people, you’ll be getting great value. You’d be getting 4:1 on your money when you’re only a 2:1 underdog – a clear win for you.

The raise might also work well for you on the turn and river. By acting after the flop, there’s a chance that the other players will check to you on the turn. This gives you

the option of checking and taking a free card if you don’t make your flush.

The level of aggression that you show with a draw will largely depend on your position. To show how your play might change with position, imagine you’re in a hand with the same hole cards (As-8s), the same number of players (six), and the same flop (4s-7s-Jc). This time, however, you’re not on the button but are in the big blind instead when the small blind bets out. Here, you want to encourage the other players in the hand to put as much money in the pot as possible. If you raise, you’re probably going to force players with second pair or a gut shot to fold, so your best option is to call. Give your opponents every opportunity to throw money in the pot.

Finally, let’s look at how you might play the same cards when you’re the first to act. If you have a nut flush draw in the small blind and there are six players in the pot, go ahead and bet. It’s a favorable situation for you, so you want to make sure that some money goes in the pot. When out of position, I’ll usually follow-up my flop bet with another bet on the turn no matter what card hits. Then, if I miss again on the river, I can decide whether or not I want to bluff at the pot. If I’m against only one or two players on the river, I’ll usually bluff. If there are five players left in the hand, I won’t bother. It’s too likely that someone will call.

You can make a lot of money playing draws in low-limit Hold 'em. Just remember that you want as many people contributing to the pot as is possible, which means that in different positions, you’ll need to do different things to get the most out of your draws.

When playing limit tables, abide by the general rules of no-limit hold ‘em. Just remember to play tighter and possibly more aggressive than you would in a no-limit game. The stakes aren’t as huge as they are in no-limit, so relax, play your cards, and rake in your chips!

PLAYING SIT AND GO’S

PLAYING SIT AND GO’S

Sit and go tables are a wonderful place to hone your game and make a little money. You can learn many, many things at the sit and go. These tournaments are usually low-cost, fun, and convenient. There are always sit and go’s going on in the major online poker rooms. You can play them quickly (usually less than an hour), and there’s no scheduling involved as in multi-table tournaments.

The major difference in a sit and go versus a multi-table tournament is that there is no one waiting to take a

busted player’s place. When a player goes broke in a sit and go, they’re out. This is advantageous because as the table gets smaller as players are eliminated, your stack is still good. In a multi-table, you may have a good stack on your own table, but when moved to another one or as players are added to your table, your stack may not compare to the others.

That’s the reason your stack size should always play a major role in you hand selection. You should probably start out with pretty conservative starting hand requirements. The blinds dictate that you should play fairly tight early. The blinds are small and you are nine-handed, so they don't come around as often. This also helps you establish a tight image, which you hope will pay off later when the blinds are high and you might really need a timely ante steal.

As the players dwindle, you will want to loosen up your play more and do some gambling. The payout structure dictates this move. The payouts reward tight play early and loose play later on. Most sit and go’s pay the top 3 places. You should play for third place and then loosen up to try for the win.

Pro Howard Lederer recommends this strategy and says, “I see many players employ a nearly opposite strategy. They figure they have nothing to lose, so they go for the quick double-up early. They take chances too soon when, in their view, there's "nothing on the line". Then, once they're in the money, they tighten up, thinking about that extra payout for moving up a spot.

“If you start to rethink your SNG approach and adopt a "slow early, fast late" strategy, you will see an almost immediate improvement in your results.”

As far as strategy for play, we like Chris Moneymaker’s suggestions.

1. Early in the tournament, don't gamble. You'll see other people around you gambling, but you shouldn't get involved unless you have a big hand. Big hands are AA, KK, QQ, AK. For the first 3-4 blind levels, you shouldn't be playing any other hands except these (with one exception, listed next). If you have AA, KK, or QQ, try to get all-in before the flop. Your preferred plan with AK is to re-raise a raiser all-in and have him fold. If you see a flop with AK and you didn't hit a pair, you probably need to get out.

2. You can call with a pocket pair (e.g., 88) if what it costs you to call is less than about 1/15th of your chips. For instance, if you have 1000 chips, if you can call for less than 60-70 chips, do so. Your plan is to flop a set or an over pair. If you don't flop a set or an over pair, you get out. If you flop a set, try to get all your chips in the middle. If you flop an over pair, you may be willing to get all-in - you may not. Tread carefully.

3. If you're the second person to put in a raise, it's usually not correct to raise the minimum amount. A good rule of thumb is to raise about the size of the pot. For instance, suppose everybody has 1000 chips, and it's 20 to go. One person calls, the next makes it 40. If you have KK, you should not raise to 60. There are a few options here:

Raise the pot. That would be a raise of about 130 chips (including the 10 and 20 chips blinds that are already in).

Raise a large amount that will really commit your opponent to the pot after the flop: for instance a raise to 400-500. When the flop comes down, if there's no dreaded ace, then move the rest of your chips in.

Raise all-in right there. If somebody wants to call you with AJ or QQ, fine.

4. When betting after the flop, your bet must be some reasonable fraction (perhaps not less than 1/3 or 1/2) of the pot. Otherwise, you are giving drawing hands the correct pot odds to call. If they hit their draw, they can now put you all-in unless you have an unbeatable monster (for instance, you flopped a full house). In this case, it's rarely correct to "suck people in." You want them out.

5. When you make a bet with what you believe to be the best hand, bet enough so that an opponent with the most obvious draw would be making a mistake to call. For instance, suppose you have QQ, and the flop is J-7-3 with two spades. You are concerned about the possibility of a spade flush draw being out against you. The probability of that person hitting a flush is about 20% (one in five times) on the turn card. Make sure you bet more than 1/5th of what somebody could win from you if he hits his flush on the turn.

6. Conversely, don't call with a draw unless you can get the right pot odds. Suppose there are 100 chips in the pot on the flop. You and your opponent each have 800 chips. If he bets 400 chips on the flop and all you have is a flush draw, you can't call - you're not getting the right price.

7. It is almost always better to be the bettor or raiser than the caller. Particularly in all-in situations, you would much prefer to have "fold equity" - that is, your opponent folds and you don't have to have a showdown. So in general, you need a much stronger hand to call all-in than you do to bet (or raise) all-in.

8. If you're going to make a bet or raise, and you will be "committed" to the pot after that bet or raise, then go ahead and put all of your chips in. That is, suppose you and your opponent have 1000 chips each. If you bet 900 before the flop and he calls, there will be (at least) 1800 chips in the pot after he calls. There is virtually no flop that would make it correct to fold for your last 100 chips. So go ahead and bet all 1000 right now. The only time this might be correct is if your opponent will make the analogous mistake. That is, he won't call all 1000 chips right now. But he will call 800 chips now, and then feel obliged to call his last 200 after the flop. If he's that kind of player, it might be a correct play with a huge hand like AA.

9. As you get near the cash, and particularly on the bubble (one more player to bust out before everybody is in the money), many players will become extremely tight and play very conservatively, unwilling to be the last one to bust out before the money. Take advantage of this - you should be able to steal blinds frequently. This will set you up with a good stack once you've gotten into the money.

Most of the advice given in this book applies to no-limit hold ‘em games. Many might say there’s no difference in betting when it comes to limit and no-limit. We beg to differ.

PLAYING MULTI-TABLE TOURNAMENTS

PLAYING MULTI-TABLE TOURNAMENTS

Online multi-table tournament play is not only fun and educational, but they’re a great way to maximize on your bankroll if you play them right. Many sites offer low entry fee tournaments that pay out the top places at a mostly decent increase on your investment.

For example, Full Tilt Poker has $1.25 tournaments with 45 people going on all the time. They pay the top 6 places: 1st = $17.10, 2nd = $11.25, 3rd = $7.20, 4th = $4.50, 5th = $2.70, 6th = $2.25. So if you win, you get a pretty good pay-off. Even if you place 6th, you’ll get your money back with a buck to spare.

The key here is to make it to the final table and, hopefully, the top spot. You need to play very straight forward, solid poker - especially early on.

Many novice players in multi-table tournaments will bet crazily in the first few rounds hoping to get someone out or get a caller on their pocket 2’s. Be selective in what you call, and, in general, don’t play into the “all-in” mentality that can lose you in the long run. You may find yourself very inactive for the first few rounds, and that’s OK.

Survival is the key here. Try to make it to the first break with enough chips to make you a player.

However, if you have a premium hand, don’t be afraid to push in your chips. If you want to be a contender for first place, you’re going to need a lot of chips. If you play your premium hands aggressively and double up, you have a better chance of this happening.

Extract as much value from your premium hands as possible - Too many people overplay their premium hands because they're afraid their opponent will hit a bigger monster on them. They'll bet too much post-flop and push their opponent out of the pot - even with a monster. Use probabilities to your advantage to determine the odds of your opponent beating your hand. You need to trap with those big hands. Too often, people will raise too much with huge pockets causing everyone to fold. If you do this, you won’t get the full value out of your great cards. Bet sparingly and keep as many people in the pot as you can.

Well-times aggressiveness goes a LONG way. "Well-timed" means ALWAYS consider your position when you make a move. "Aggressiveness" means don't be afraid to push your good hands. If your hand is good enough to see a flop at this stage, it is then good enough to raise with. Hence, only play (raise) with premium hands from early position. The selection of hands to play (raise) does increase in late position. There's nothing worse later in the tourney than raising pre-flop in early position when the blinds are big with a hand like AT only to have someone slam over the top of you in late position.

Be sure to protect your chips in tournament play. This means don't raise marginal hands out of position. Putting your chips out there in early position with a hand like ATs is not protecting your chips. You're gambling that no one else has a better hand, or at least is afraid to attack back, with

the entire table to act behind you. What do you do if they slam over the top of you? Fold and give up a large amount of chips? Or call and risk your tournament life on a hand that is more than likely dominated? Not a decision I'd like to make, so avoid putting yourself in this position.

You should never "just call" a large pre-flop raise. If your hand is good enough to call, then it is good enough to re-raise and put the pressure on the original raiser. If you don't feel comfortable re-raising with the hand, you should probably fold it. The only exception to this is if you want to slow play a big hand like AA or KK.

It may be correct to fold what seem to be good hands with a pre-flop raiser in front of you for the purpose of protecting your chips. For example, if player 1 in early position pre-flop raises a fairly large sum and player 2 in mid-position calls, do you really think your pocket tens or even pocket jacks will be good after the flop?

Since you have an early position raiser and a mid-position caller, the best case scenario for you is that your opponents only hold over cards to your tens. And even then, you'd have to hope for a board without any face cards to survive. So in this scenario, it may be best to fold your pocket tens for the sake of chip conservation.

Poker professional Chris Ferguson suggests the best way to play tournaments is to play consistent and tough. He says, “Stop trying to force things to happen. Just concentrate on playing solid poker, and let the chips fall where they may.

Before you worry about adjusting for tournaments, concentrate on adjusting for the other players. The most important skill in poker is the ability to react to a wide range of opponents playing a wide range of styles. Players who can do this will thrive in both ring games and tournaments alike. Many of the most costly tournament mistakes are the result of players over-adjusting for tournament play.

Your play shouldn't change much as the tournament progresses. Gear your play to take maximum advantage of your opponents, irrespective of how far along the tournament is.

Most players are too loose in the early stages of a tournament. Rather than become one of these players, adjust for their play instead: Attempt to steal the blinds less often, call more raises, and re-raise more frequently.

Likewise, when opponents typically tighten up later on, you should steal more often and be less inclined to get involved in opened pots. Again, this should be a reaction to the way your opponents are playing, not an action based on any particular stage of the tournament.”

Ferguson, however, does outline two times when adjustments may be warranted.

1. When you are just out of the money.

If you are short stacked, you need to be very careful when committing your chips, especially with a call.

If you have a large stack, look for opportunities to push the short and medium stacks around - especially the medium stacks. These players will be a lot less likely to want a confrontation with you, and it should be open season on their blinds and antes.

If you have a medium or small stack, you need to be a bit more careful. Remember, though, that the other players - even the larger stacks - don't want to tangle with you. They just want to steal from you without a fight. Be prepared to push them around a little, and even to push back occasionally when they try to bully you. This often turns into a game of Chicken between the bigger stacks to determine which large stack will let the other steal most of the blinds.

2. At the final table

Very little adjustment is necessary until you are one player away from the final table. Here, again, you should tighten up slightly because this is the next point where the payout structure handsomely rewards outlasting other players.

Look for opportunities to push around the other players, and the smaller stacks in particular. This is good advice throughout the final table.

Many people might ask, what about heads up?

There are no more tournament adjustments necessary. You are essentially playing a winner take all freeze-out for the difference between first and second place.

He says, “Tournament adjustments should be subtle. It is rare that your play would be dramatically different in a tournament. When in doubt, just play your best game. And if you never adjust from that, you've got a great shot of winning, no matter what game you're playing. “

Another excellent way to hone your skills and make a little cash is at the sit and go’s.

BLUFFING

BLUFFING

Sometimes nothing can be a pretty cool hand.

— Paul Newman as Cool Hand Luke, showing his stone-cold bluff after winning a 7-card stud pot

The do's and don't of bluffing could fill a small book on their own, but here are a few of the most important things to keep in mind:

 Avoid bluffing heavy winners: they can afford to Call and usually do.

 Beginners are often desperate to know what you've got and will call just for the sake of knowing.

 Experienced players play a cagey game, are studying your actions more closely, and are often easier to bluff.

 Ask yourself how good your cards might look to the other players. Don't bluff without at least a little something in your hand to make it look threatening.

 As a general rule, bluffs have a better chance to work well at tight tables, and are pretty much doomed to failure at loose tables, unless all the "loose players" have already folded.

 In low limit games, there’s really no point in bluffing. For a buck or 2, you can bet that most of the time someone will call your bluff. With high limits, and especially no limit games, bluffing is at its most effective.

 Don't bluff at big chip stacks. They have the chips to absorb a loss, and are more likely to call. On the flip side, bluff at the short stackers. They're protecting their chips like a hen on her eggs and faced with any real challenge they may “chicken” out.

 Common sense tells you that the more people you are trying to bluff, the less chance you have of it working. Remember, your goal is for everyone to fold.

 Bluff from late position whenever possible. If everyone is checking, calling or folding in front of you, it’s a perfect time to try and buy the pot. It’s not wise to bluff from early position, because you have no clue as to who has hit their hand or been dealt killer cards.

 Many would argue that to bluff with "outs" isn't a true bluff. But logic dictates that you're better served bluffing when there is at least an outside chance of you forming a decent hand. This is also referred to as a “semi-bluff,” and is made when there are still cards to come.

For example, you are dealt AK in a Texas Hold 'em game and the flop completely misses you with a board showing J, T, 3. This might represent a good time to go ahead and bluff at the pot. You are representing a big pair or that you caught a piece of the flop, and your show of strength might prompt the rest of the table to fold, giving you the pot right there. However, even if someone does call your bluff, you have outs. An ace or king on the turn or river gives you top pair, and if a queen hits, you have the nut straight. Bluffing with "outs" simply means that even if the bluff does not work, you're not completely dead in the water

 So many people think that if they bluff a lot and play loose and crazy poker, it makes their bluffs stronger because no one can ever be sure what they have. It actually works the exact opposite. As anyone who’s played long knows, great cards don't come often, so the chance that the wild player is holding trash is generally higher than the chance that he’s got good cards. Therefore, strong players almost always call crazy bluffers. On the other hand, it’s very hard to call a person’s bluff when they always play good cards. When you have the image of a strong player who throws away the trash cards, the other people at the table know that odds are you have good cards, and to

call the bluff is taking a big risk. Play a good number of hands at any one table and build your table image before trying to bluff.

You’ll have the opportunity to practice all your new found skills online in many venues. Now we’ll look at the “special” games that are found in almost every online poker site.