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Posts Tagged ‘Poker’

Poker is all about hand ranks. If you don’t know what you are holding, you are defeated even before you start playing! And in order to wager wisely, you need to know which hand is the best and which is the worst in terms of payouts. Here is a ready reckoner:

High cards: This hand does not contain any pairs, straights or flushes. For this reason it is referred to as Garbage. If this is the case, your first card is compared to the first card of other players. The hand which contains the highest first card among all hands wins. It is considered the worst hand due to the low payouts attached to it. However, the odds of being dealt such a hand is very high — 50.12% –so just cross your fingers and hope for the highest first card as well!

Pair: Two cards of the same value (e.g. 9-9) along with three kickers (unmatched cards) is known as a pair. Payout wise this hand ranks better than high card but the chances of being dealt a one pair hand is a less, 42.27%.

Two Pair: This hand consists of two separate pairs (e.g. 4- 4 and K-K) with one kicker. The possibility of drawing hands with two pairs is just 4.75% but this hand is still considered good as the payouts are decent.

Three-of-a-Kind: It includes three cards of the same value (e.g. 6, 6, 6) with two kickers. With odds of just 2.11%, the chances of drawing such a hand is less but the payout is good.

Straight: Five cards in a sequence but not of the same suit (e.g. 8-9-10-J-K of different suits) is known as a Straight Poker hand. The probability of getting a straight is 0.39%.

Flush: Any five cards of the same suit but not following any sequence is a Flush (e.g. 4-7-10-J-2 of spades). The probability of being dealt a flush is 0.20%.

Full House: It comprises three of a kind along with a pair (e.g. 8-8-8-A-A). The probability of dealing a full house is 0.144%.

Four of a Kind: It includes all the four cards of the same value with one kicker (e.g. 4-4-4-4-10) and the odds of winning this hand is 0.024%.

Straight Flush: It has five cards in sequence and of the same suit (e.g. 4-5-6-7-8 of clubs) with 0.00154% chances of drawing it.

Royal Flush: And here we finally introduce you to the best Poker hand that is possible and that comprises an Ace, King, Queen, Jack and a 10 of the same suit.

So next time you play online poker, RECOGNISE a good or bad hand when you see one.

If you have been into lottery gaming, then you are definitely familiar with the long queues that you have to stand in, to buy the lottery tickets. Then follows an interminable wait for the announcement of results.

Say goodbye to all the hassle involved in regular lottery games. A cool option is now available in the form of scratch card games. It is rapid, instant and easy to play. Buy a scratch card of your choice and scratch off the silver coating with your nails or a coin to reveal the rewards instantly. Better still, just log on to any reputed online casino and treat yourself to some scratching fun.

To be frank, there has been times when I myself don’t have the patience to scratch my brains on 20 hands of Poker till I finally win something worthwhile. I am basically a speed freak and like to see instant results. Scratch card games on the Net are a perfect answer. Especially these days, when there are versions that come with the “Scratch All” option. It is quick and gives out immediate results, killing the suspense in seconds and flashing my fate on the computer screen within a jiffy.

Among all the online scratch card games, the Five Diamond Blackjack is my personal favorite as it provides the thrill of Blackjack. But at the same time, it saves me from the hassle of card counting and employing strenuous basic strategies. In contrast to all those complex calculations, here, a mere scratch can throw up a natural total of ‘21′ or a total more than the dealer, while I sit back relishing rewards of up to 4000 times my bet! Of course, I have to lucky enough to win…it has not happened so far, but I live on hope!

The other scratch card games, including Hot Dice, Magic 7’s and the Lucky 8’s takes the player for the most thrilling casino ride with some incredible bonuses features. I still remember my first scratch card experience. What a surprise when I discovered a free card beneath one of the scratch cards!  Lucky 8’s gave me a fortunate entry into the world of scratch cards. I went on to win the maximum payout of 4000 times –having bet a measly $1, you can well imagine how I felt with $4000 in my pocket!

So, why don’t you take a break from complicated casino games such as Blackjack and Poker. Put your gambling spree on fast-forward mode by scratching off awesome rewards online.

You must be sick and tired of articles, blogs and other content related to gambling that exhorts you to read and understand the rules of the game, the gaming website and the gambling laws of the land. Indeed you must have even taken the trouble to converse yourself with these before you started playing. But after a while, regular players tend to neglect reading the fine print. Often, it is found that people who think they know it all are the ones who make mistakes.

You may know how to swim, but it is always advisable to judge the waters. Online gambling rules, conditions and offers often contain catches that are much like underwater currents, unseen but powerful enough to drown you. In one telling example of what over-confidence can cost you, a gambler in Alabama decided to try his luck on a progressive slot. Being a habitual slot player, he did not bother to cross-check the rules. When the three winning “7″ symbols came up, with all the right colors in just the right order, he was ecstatic. He thought he had won the jackpot. Unfortunately, the rules made it clear that the bet amount should be 5 coins. Having bet with 20¢, he got just $500, instead of the $ 100,000 he could have made. Despite being a seasoned player, he had behaved like a novice.

To attract players to open an account and deposit money at an online casino, a first deposit bonus is normally offered. The range of bonuses offered, varies to a great extent. For example, one casino site may offer a 20% match bonus and its competitors may offer a 200% match bonus. The catch is the maximum bonus limit; the site that offers a meager 20% bonus could have the maximum bonus amount set to $1000, while the site that offers a huge 200% match bonus could set the maximum bonus amount at a meager $100.

So do not be carried away by what the banner ads say. Always try to understand what it means.

One of my blog post readers, Cynthia warned me not to be reckless while playing at the free online casino. Aggression gets into the blood, and it can prove lethal at Texas Holdem Poker, Cynthia said. But I reckon playing at free online casinos gives me that extra courage to dare and do and learn to win, instead of playing defensively all the time.The game I just played at one of the free online casinos, makes it clear that being aggressive pays, but do it discerningly.

I noticed one reckless player at a free online casino who did not hesitate to raise and re-raise. I thought he was aggressive and would definitely win. But then, he did it once too often. With a non-hand like a 3-8 offsuit, he bluffed without winking an eyelid. Well, it may work sometimes at these free online casinos. Trying it often is plain foolish.They have a term for free online casino players who bet mindlessly like him: loose aggressive.

In contrast, a tight aggressive player is one who forces others to leave the pot, by taking the occasional risk with confidence. I count myself as one, after my experience at the free online casino yesterday.
I held an A-6 offsuit. Normally, players muck this hand. But I was at the dealer’s position –that is, on the button. The others folded, leaving me and the two blinds after me. Aware that it was a free online casino, I was hit by a streak of daring. I decided to play. Instead of merely calling the big blind as you may have expected me to do, I went a step further and raised. There was a strategy behind my decision. Had I called, the small blind would have had to place only half a bet. The big blind who had already put in a bet, would then get to see the flop for free. A call on my part would have at best given me a big blind with no guarantee that I held the better cards.
In contrast, a raise was just one bet after which the decision would rest squarely on the two blinds. It so happened that they chose to fold!  I had effectively managed to bluff my way through. See my point, Cynthia? Free online casinos can help you master a game

I invariably choose my table with care while playing online casino games like poker. It has helped me win. So let me share with you the secrets of table selection in the online casino game of poker.

Lobby Clues: Online casino games post statistics about the average pot size and the average number of players per flop in the main lobby. Check them out and learn to interpret them.

Pot Size: The larger the pot size, the more chances at winning the online casino game.

Average number of players per flops: The more the average number of poker players per flop, the weaker are your opponents at that particular table in the online casino game. Strong poker players tend to see fewer flops. However, it also depends on whether you are a loose or tight poker player at the online casino games. A loose online casino games player has more opportunities at a table with tight players, whereas a tight player of online casino games may see better prospects at a table with loose players. Remember, shorthanded poker tables will always have less number of players per flop, compared to full poker tables in online casino games.

Stack Sizes: Stack sizes of poker players are a good indication of how your game would unfold at the online casino games. If there are more than two short stacks (between 10 and 20 big blinds) it means the larger stacks would play tight post-flop. If you cannot go after them, there is no point in playing online casino games.

Track Bad Players: When you spot weak poker opponents, mark them as buddies. Look for them each time you select you play online casino games and head for their table. The weaker your opponents, the stronger are your chances of winning online casino games.

Keep Notes: Make notes on starting hands of other poker players at the online casino games…on how they play drawing hands and small pairs. This can help you choose your seat when you next play online casino games. If a player is loose pre-flop, make sure you are to his left next time.

The above tips help to increase your chances of winning poker at online casino games, but you should be adept at the game and its strategies. Choosing the right table means a lot in online poker.

It is all very well to play online casino games for pleasure. In recent years however, statistics reveal that it is the number of people who play online casino games for money which is on the rise. It is really surprising that there are professional online pokers, who play casino games to make a living. It would be interesting to investigate poker as a cyber-world phenomenon and arrive at the factors that help people win online poker.

First, online poker players definitely need to know the game in and out. Unless you know different strategies and have picked up the dos and don’ts, you will not be able to negotiate odds and capitalize on a strong hand in online casino games.

Secondly, even if you know the game like the back of your hand, the choice of the online casino games site is crucial. Some casinos cheat, some do not pay well and some delay payouts.
Let us say, a player not only knows his or her online poker well, but has also zeroed in on the best online casino games site. Then does success sit squarely in the hands of luck? Not at all. Fortunately, most online casino games offer free roll tournaments, bonus codes and incentives which can increase a poker player’s winnings manifold.

Bonus codes are alpha-numeric codes that fresh players are asked to enter into their online casino games account. An attractive cash incentive is paid to the new registrant as a sign-up bonus which may range between 20% and 600%. This money opens doors to online poker tournaments without requiring you to pay anything as entry fee to the online casino games management. It is safe in your online casino games account, whether or not you win the poker game.
Some online casino games site, give poker players who wager money, invitations to the free roll tournaments. These carry huge cash prizes or a ‘satellite’ entry (pass) for bigger tournaments with better cash prizes, typically, the World Series of Poker or Poker World Tour. Normally, the entry fee to such events of online casino games is between $ 10,000 and $25,000.
Understanding the offers made by online casino games and taking advantage of them, is a risk-free way of winning.