Friday, March 30, 2007

What prevents a gambler from winning a lot?

What prevents a strong gambler who plays the game for at least 12 hours a day, from winning a lot? It is his unwillingness to stop. The adrenalin knocks out his brains completely. He rushes to win back having lost some money even if he is rather tired. Having won a thousand pounds he thinks is not enough and tries more. He wants to snatch a large sum forgetting how much money he has already lost in casinos all over the world. But previously they were drinks and shows which disturbed him. Now it is tiredness. If you try to see your favorite movies for 10-12 hours you will not be able to reason properly. He has to fight on several tables at a time and look up in the notes and make up decisions. The sums are often times as much as my some monthly salaries. Of course it is not hard for me to log a program in his computer which disconnects him in 8 hours. But this corruption will deprive of one of my friends.
So having experience of watching an addicted gambler for years I can give you some advice. If you start the game not for getting some adrenaline but to enjoy and win or loose a little first estimate your abilities. You should define your money and time limits for more productive work. Never exceed whatever you would see in the perspective. The game is not the prize but hard work. If you think differently – Viva Las Vegas!

Monday, March 19, 2007

Want To Win In The Net Casino Playing Omaha Poker, Get Ready To Get Up At 8 O’Clock.

You can’t speak about the advantages of the Net casino without mentioning its serious drawbacks. The major advantage for a really good gambler, while playing at the table, is a possibility of watching the others: their mimics and emotions. Every successful pro card gambler knows that Poker is a game of general strategy, basic tactical skills useful in all forms of poker, and a game of intense psychology. And those who blindfold rely on good luck then only cry at their empty bank account.
A good player first must figure out of getting a win combination and must not forget to predict the competitor’s reaction. You have to be a great physiognomist. A strong player can tell about his opponents a lot at first sight. Unfortunately, this rule has the rare side. A weak player, who has not enough experience in playing Poker, Black Jack and others, can identify a pro at once, too. So if you want to be a success in the Net Casino, it is worth examining your opponents closely. And then classify your knowledge. Let's first go over the general strategy. There are 2 things you should quickly figure out when you enter a no-limit poker game:
1. What types of players are my opponents?
2. How many hands go to a showdown?
Generally, people speak of four types of players: tight-passive, tight-aggressive, loose-passive, loose-aggressive. The first modifier (tight or loose) characterizes the number of hands the person plays while the second (passive or aggressive) describes the player's betting style. Most players agree that the group loose-aggressive should be divided into two parts: maniacs and solid players. Let's go over each of these types of players.
Tight-passives: These people do fine in a fixed-limit game, but they won't win much money in a no-limit game. This is because they do not get full value out of their winning hands. When playing against these players:
1. Bluff at the flop a lot.
Put in a raise preflop and try to take down the pot at the flop.
2. Fold when they represent a hand.
If they bet a little, they're probably on a draw or have a weak possession. In this case, you should still stick with your hand if you hold something decent. If they bet a lot, they probably possess a solid hand.
3. Take advantage of your control. Don't go wild with your bluffs though. You should still fold preflop when you have nothing. If you make a flop bluff, you should think twice before making another bluff on the turn. Also, you can still win a fair amount of money off of these types of players when you hold a good hand.
Essentially, you can quickly tame these players into being calling stations or folding stations. If one of these players is making a lot of money against you while being a calling or folding station, you are doing something seriously wrong. These players are common, and you will certainly play against quite a few.
Loose-passives: They have to hope that people continually bluff into them because these people will call frequently with the second best hand. Calling with the second best hand is a recipe for disaster at no-limit games. You often will not see many loose-passives playing no-limit hold'em because they lose money too quickly playing the game. If you are fortunate enough to have a loose-passive player at your table, just win money off of him by making mid-sized bets when you hold a good hand.
Maniac loose-aggressive: These guys will buy a fair share of pots. However, they will often get themselves trapped and will lose their stacks in one or two hands. What separates these from good loose-aggressive opponents is that they lack discipline. They love the action of no-limit so much that they get themselves trapped too easily. These types of players are rare.
Strong loose-aggressive: These guys seem like they are horrible maniacs, but in reality, they are a very dangerous form of player. These guys will certainly lose a lot of money in pots, but they also will buy a lot of pots and will win huge ones. The way these types of players win is mainly by getting a good read on the opponent and then making a well-timed bet.
One trick you can use to beat these guys is to take them down in one big pot. Since these guys will play a lot of hands, especially shorthanded, they'll often play hands that lend themselves to being the second best hand. Once you catch them in this situation, you just have to make sure
You don't let them go too easily. Another tip is to make sure you are playing in a game where the money is not too meaningful to you. You should not let these players scare you financially when they make a large bet or raise. You need to be able to play back at these guys (re-raise) or call them down.
These types of players also only do well when players have large stacks. If you or the loose-aggressive player has a small stack, you are at an advantage because their ability to bluff is limited.
Tight-aggressive: (This is Alex’s style) the tight-aggressive opponents’ main problems are that they may get bluffed out too easily and that they may be too easily read.

A friend of mine, who is the best Omaha Hi-Low Poker player I know, joins the game only in a few Net Casinos. But he is not a good computer user and cannot set up an electronic index. His desk is covered with notes about manners of his usual partners. He always knows who can play aggressively and who is very careful. Studying the nicknames he realizes the real people with their merits and drawbacks. Unfortunately his knowledge has not let him go in with the Forbs list, though the family’s budget is not poor because of his addiction to the game. Anyway he is not going to become a secret player in the nearest future.