Plus, 2 must see poker tips, and your powker questions answered...
PLAYING CONNECTED CARDS Although a lot of players like to play suited connectors from the get-go the odds are not good for making a flush. It’s essentially what I would call a “good luck” play and that goes against the grain. If you reduce poker to luck you miss the point of the game entirely. I will play suited connectors but usually only if they’re high enough to give me the bonus chance of landing a high pair at the flop. For example I would almost always play Ace-King of the same suit and similarly Ace-Queen, Ace-Jack, King-Queen, probably even King-Jack. With these kind of cards you are looking at four or five different possibilities coming along if the flop is kind to you. You might pair one or both of your high cards. You might add cards to your flush and if Christmas has come early a running flush might even look like a real possibility with the help of the turn and the river. The simple point is the connector cards which offer multiple potential are the ones to play.
POKER TIPS OF THE DAY Tip a) You’d be surprised at how many new players overlook the obvious in the heat of their early battles. Never bet more than you can win. Keep a good eye on the likely potential for the pot given the table you’re playing.
Tip b) If you’ve sat in on a lot of live games you’ll notice how once a player has mucked his or her cards usually they’ll give their MP3 or notes their attention. Maybe you even do the same. This is a mistake. You should always watch the other players at your table even when you’re not involved in the hand. In fact you’re far more able to pick up on repeated weaknesses and other patterns of your opponents’ play when all of your focus is available for what they’re doing. Remember, in a lot of cases, poker is about playing people first and the cards second.
FREQUENTLY ASKED POKER QUESTIONS Q: As a new player I’m never quite sure where or when to bluff. Any simple guidelines? A: Bluffing is a tactic you have to learn over time as it involves a developed ability to “read” players. To get you started here’s the advice I was given when I first started playing: Don’t bluff at all in limit games and bluff all you want in no-limit games.
Q: How big is poker now? Just about everyone I know is playing it these days. A: There are several of the big poker online sites with 20,000,000 customers each. The total gaming money through the Las Vegas Strip alone is estimated at $12,000,000,000 (twelve billion) per year and a constantly increasing percentage of that is coming from poker. Global gaming turnover is estimated at one trillion dollars (that’s one million-million) and again poker’s share of that amount is gaining against all other activities within the gaming industry. The Oil Industry should watch out!
