Martin

A Return to Reverse Implied Odds

Okay, if you already got through our guide on implied odds, then it’s time to go through reverse implied odds. If you’ve mastered pot odds and implied odds, then it’s time to go through reverse implied odds.

Poker theory might be dense in some places, but it’s very important to take the time to learn this stuff anyway. Far too often, people think that they can gloss over these topics, only to find that they really can’t afford to do that. It’s going to be up to you to make sure that you really are doing everything that you possibly can to learn this stuff and apply to all of your poker games.

People often write to us and ask how they can actually win serious money in poker. The reality is that everyone has the chance to win good money in poker, but they’re too busy cashing chance and emotion. Real poker players that make this as their living realized that it’s more about logic and theory than anything else. So while it’s not sexy to talk about things like reverse implied odds, it’s incredibly important.

So, let’s get into explaining what reverse implied odds right now, shall we? In a nutshell, this is the amount of money that you can lose even after you make your hand.

This is something that trips up new players. They see a flush and then they bet heavy, thinking that they’re going to scare players out. Some players may leave the hand, but you have to think about the chance that you could get beaten. It actually happens a lot more often than you think.

For example, if you have a flush, a player could have a higher flush than you. They may even have a full house, which could make you lose money. So even if you catch the right cards, you can still get beaten. As long as you’re willing to allow for this possibility, you can still profit in poker.

Reverse implied odds matter because you can avoid making a costly mistake on the next drawing hand. How many times have you played poker and wished that you could honestly take back something that otherwise ruined your bankroll? Exactly. Preserving chips is the name of the game, especially in tournament circles.

Hands that have reverse implied odds would definitely have to be low flushes, medium flushes, and low ends of straights. You have to make sure that you have all of your options covered to avoid being beaten. There are no direct calculations that need to be made.

Again, it has to be said — never be afraid to fold. There’s always another hand that you can play. If you honestly have no confidence in your hand, folding is better than charging forward like a bull in a china shop. Keep that in mind, and you’ll be good to go!

A Return to Implied Odds

By Martin

We like to cover some basic poker fundamentals just to keep you on your toes and refreshed. A lot of advanced poker players think that they are above this type of stuff, but it affects every single hand that they play. For the beginner, these topics represent even more information that is useful for growing even better in poker. You don’t have to feel like you need to be a poker rockstar overnight. You can always study theses and feel them out on your own time. Many super players like Phil Hellmuth and Phil Ivey have been playing for years and years and years. If it’s taken them to become downright masterful with poker, then it’s obvious that you need to make sure that you give yourself enough time to learn poker.

So let’s dig in and talk about implied odds. A lot of people start with implied odds but they need to actually understand pot odds.

Where do pot odds come into play? With every hand, of course. Let’s say that you are on the flop with a great flush draw. You’ve got two spades in hand, and lucky you, there’s another two on the table now. Yet somebody else has spotted the same bit of good luck, and they’ve decided to bet. Now, they could be betting for the sake of sake, or they could have a real monster on their hands — and that kills your dream of putting more money in your bankroll at the end of the day.

So if you’re going to figure it out, you need to turn to pot odds, which can help you decide if you want to call, fold, or even raise.

It’s all about profitability based on the cards that you have as well as what’s on the table and even what other people are doing.

Pot odds can be used to make you money, because you will start looking at your options. In all honesty, this is the difference between a newbie who just plays by chance, and a skilled pro. You can bet that any of the WSOP darlings that are making headlines have a firm understanding of pot odds. Make sure that you do the same. It doesn’t really take very long to figure things out anyway.

To work out pot odds with a flush or straight draw, you basically want to look at how likely it is that you will make the flush or straight — or anything else you want to score. From there, you have to compare the size of the bet that you are facing with the size of the pot. It’s simple math from then on out.

OK, so it’s back to math time, right? Right. You need to look at how many cards you haven’t seen, and then figure out how many of those mysterious cards could make the draw (or straight) and which ones can’t do it at all. You put those numbers together and get a good and useful ratio.

Example time? Absolutely.

Say that your hand is actually As 4s, and the flop comes down Ks 9s 5d. You’re probably getting rather excited, since this gives you two chances to get what you want.

As everyone knows, there’s 52 cards in a pack, with 13 spades total. There’s 2 in the hand, and 2 on the flop. Don’t try to assume who has the other spades for hole cards. Simple math tells us that there are 9s’s remaining in the deck.

So there are 47 cards that we absolutely don’t know about. You take the total # of cards and subtract out the cards that you know about (your 2 cards and the 3 on the flop). [Read more…] about A Return to Implied Odds

What Poker Reference Really Brings to the Table

By Martin

Hand rankings. Expected value. Low stakes. High stakes. These are all terms that you’ll hear in the world of poker. For the old pro, this is child’s play, Poker 101 for lack of a better term. However, the newcomer is suddenly in a state of shock and confusion. Can they really get through this new world without getting eaten alive by the sharks? Sure they can. It just takes a good poker reference, determination and yes, a bit of luck too.

There’s nothing wrong with being a newbie in the poker world. Even if some people talk endlessly about fish, the reality is that they were once newcomers as well. They didn’t have all of the answers, because nobody has all of the answers within the world of poker at the very beginning. Even the legendary players that do high stakes poker on the TV don’t have all of the answers. They had to learn along the way and make plenty of mistakes. There isn’t a single poker player that hasn’t lost money. If they tell you that they have a perfect record, it’s time to run in the other direction. There’s no way on earth that they have a perfect record, because everyone has a bad beat from time to time.

By the way, a bad beat is just one term that you’ll find in a poker reference. If you want to get the inside angle on poker, you need to have a reference guide that shows you not only the vocabulary, but it also shows you basic strategy that you can alter to meet your needs. That part is actually very important. You don’t just want to rush in with a strategy that isn’t customized to what’s going on at the actual table. That’s going to hurt you more than anything else. However, if you step back and look at the action on the table you’ll have a better idea of how to proceed. If someone has a bigger stack than you and they’re acting aggressive, shoving back might not be the wisest move to make. Even when you feel like you have the right cards, it’s all about how you time your actions.

A good poker reference is just the beginning, however. The right community will extend what you’re learning from the poker reference and then some. Make sure that you keep playing practice games to get more comfortable. Theory is one thing, but things change when you have to go head to head against live players!

Three Reel and Five Reel Online Slots

By Martin

Online casinos such as http://www.luckynuggetcasino.com/au/ offer different categories of online slots. These can be broken down into groups depending upon the number of reels found within the game. These are either the classic three reel slot machine of the video five reel slot machine.

The original slot machine games featured 3 reels. Many people of the older generation prefer to play this kind of online slot. On the other hand, five reel slots are a bit newer as they feature video technology. This type is the preferred choice of the younger generation.

By adding two additional reels to the traditional three reel slot it created a significantly larger number of possible combinations, which also created a need for increased symbols to cover them. The three reels slot simply didn’t have as much variety as the newer five reel slots have. Given the number of symbols included on a reel this can create situations where symbols are unlikely to appear. Given this low percentage when the symbol occurs the payout associated with it can be rather lucrative. Therefore, 5 reeled slots are far more popular, and many online casinos are slowly phasing out the three reel slots.

This evolution of slot machines from three reels to five is evidence that slots have evolved more than any other casino game. Slots are also experiencing an evolution in other aspects beside just the number of reels. Many slot machines are finding better ways of providing graphics to their customers with many animations being added to the machines which make them much more exciting. Also, developments have occurred in regards to the music used with the slot. The manner in which wild symbols is also changing in online slots so players can be awarded new and varying kinds of wilds.

Only One in Four Americans are OK With Online Gambling at the State Level

By Martin

For most reading this, the ongoing saga of online gambling being basically shut out to US players is one that’s very familiar. However, a new poll shows that only one in four Americans are truly OK with online gambling at the state level. The federal government has been relaxing the rules slowly to allow states to pursue activity, but Americans just aren’t convinced.

The main issue is where poker fits into the mix. Many view poker as a skill game rather than something that’s really by chance, which means that there’s plenty of room to see online poker being legalized to the fullest. However, it’s the other games that are out there. Most are worried about gambling addiction becoming a nationwide epidemic, with people being able to get their “fix” right from the privacy of their own homes.

We take a liberty stance on most things. Gambling is something that many people turn to as a form of entertainment, and we don’t see anything wrong with that. We think that if you want to gamble, you should be able to do so anywhere you go. If you have a problem with gambling, then online gambling isn’t going to change anything. You will still have a gambling problem even if online gambling is outlawed. Most people don’t consider scratch cards gambling, yet it is. You’re betting that you’re going to win some money. Some people don’t consider it anything worth worrying about, but you might be surprised.

It just ultimately makes a lot more sense to think with your head on this one. You have to be able to see that there are really so many different outlets in the world to engage in addictions. Allowing people the freedom to decide their own lives is truly an American principle.

What’s interesting is that the poll asked people whether they had been to a brick and mortar casino within the past year — the people who had indicated that they were opposed to the games existing on the Internet. This is a contradiction that we find fascinating.

No two states have the same idea of Internet gambling. Some want to band together to offer a network, which could provide pockets of legalization. It just depends — the future is still very vague on this.

The numbers are getting better, but the poll is still very small — 814 voters surveyed by telephone. It will be interesting to see how things go into 2013 and beyond.

Online Poker May Be a Reality in California Eventually

By Martin

The New Year might bring a lot of changes to the online poker world. The legal issues that online poker has had in the United States is definitely not new whatsoever. You’ll find that there are definitely some who feel that online poker isn’t what the USA needs, but we humbly disagree. If anything, US poker players would only add to the country’s economy, not take away from it.

California State Senator Roderick Wright has introduced another bill to allow online poker in the state of California. It’s Senate Bill 51, which was introduced in late December.

This isn’t the first time Senator Wright has tried to push the issue. The previous effort, SB 1463, was pulled before the first major hearing.

That effort was introduced in February by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, and Wright, D-Inglewood.

Tribal gaming in California currently holds the exclusive right to offer gaming on video devices — which raises interesting questions. However, technology today has progressed to the point where you have a desktop computer and even a smartphone. The opportunities and possibilities truly are endless.

Online poker has a lot of chances to take off in the United States. If you’re interested in serious gambling, you definitely want to make sure that you’re thinking about investing some time into learning the ins and outs of poker itself. Some people don’t really think about this, but you’ll actually find that there is plenty of opportunity for people that really want to learn poker on a different level. Just because real money online poker isn’t here yet doesn’t mean that you can’t polish your game.

Read up on what it really takes to go into poker, and then practice plenty before you think about playing any high stakes poker offline or anywhere else (like on vacation out of the country). Good luck!

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