Poker’s frequently asked questions on Google
Remember that time you four-bet pre-flop with aces, flopped your set, and got your opponent to get it all in? Remember when he shoved his chips in and then asked, “Do you have the ace?” You probably thought, “What is this guy doing playing poker?” We sometimes think the same thing about the search referrals we get here on the Up For Poker Blog. Here are just a few recent questions that Google has thrown our way. Q. Who is the High Stakes Poker guy who looks like Jabba the Hutt? A. We here at Up For Poker are huge fans of both the Star Wars series and High Stakes Play Online Poker. So, when we saw this question come in, we wondered if we had missed a few episodes of HSP. After looking at the cast list from the past several seasons, we narrowed it down to two possibilities. The first is David Benyamine, for obvious reasons. The second is Doyle Brunson. Either way, that’s just mean, and we’d dare whoever asked the question to call either of the above players Jabba to his face. And either way, if you’re hoping to play poker and you don’t know Brunson or Benyamine, you’d best stick to watching Return of the Jedi and pleasuring yourself to your Princess Leia action figure. Q. Is an UTG limp raise always the nuts? Yes. We polled every poker player in three countries. The results were staggering. No player in our millions of respondents has ever limp re-raised under the gun with anything other than the nuts. Every player indicated it would be irresponsible to play a hand in such a way that it led others to believe he might have aces instead when he actually held kings, queens, or 9c-7c. We suggest that if you are ever limp re-raised by a player under the gun, fold your kings immediately. You are behind and will never catch up. Q. (From Sweden) How does WSOP poker works? A. This is a tricky question and one not taken lightly. It assumes that WSOP poker (translated World Series of Poker poker) actually works. We are not ready to make that assumption. If we did, we might answer that the World Series of Poker poker takes a decades old tradition of poker mastery and devalues it by creating dozens of events that award dozens of bracelets and charges millions of dollars in juice to play tournaments with dubious structures. Of course, we wouldn’t ever actually say that. We’re just saying, if we made an assumption, we might think about saying something like that. In the meantime, if you’re reading from Sweden, we like your women. How much for them? Q. Suppose that you have played F five times but you don’t yet know your wins and losses. Would you play the gamble a sixth time? A. You just blew our mind, sir. We love you as a reader. We’d love for you to stay. However, we think you’d be better suited reading the “Handbook of the economics of finance” by George M. Constantinides, Milton Harris, Ren M. Stulz. But to answer your question, we’ve played F several times. We’ve got a lot of experience in the world of F. We may not yet know our wins and losses, but you give us a sixth shot at F and we’ll take it every day of the week. Twice on Sunday, in fact. Would we gamble a sixth time? Silly question. Q. Are cops allowed to bust poker games? A. That all depends on where you live. If you live where we do, cops are allowed to bust poker games, take all the money, take all the cards, take all the chips, rummage through your house, make eyes at your girlfriend, and use your bathroom without flushing. You probably won’t ever be officially prosecuted, but you’ll sort of wish you had been. A real prosecution makes it feel less like a shakedown. Just sayin’. Q. Why is poker bad? A. Poker is not inherently bad. It’s naughty sometimes. Sometimes it’s downright dirty, nasty, naughty little poker. It’s not bad, though. Look at it this way: if poker was good all the time, you’d sit around wondering if you should’ve taken your shot at the game with the tattoos, nipple rings, and questionable grasp on hygiene. Trust us on this one.

Learn to become a online poker champion using our free poker rules and poker strategy guides, written by the poker online professionals themsleves!

HPT Giveaway #35 – 2 decks of plastic playing cards!
It's time to give away some poker swag! Two decks of plastic playing cards delivered to you almost anywhere in the world!Please go here to register for this giveaway.Go…

But of course, you already know that, being the wily and cunning poker player that you are.

However, there is much to say about online poker gaming and how it is strikingly identical and at the same time different from a real poker game. Below are some information about online poker that should serve as a guide for beginners:

First, online poker is played the same way as, for the lack of a better term, offline poker. The rules are pretty much the same, save some regulations imposed by individual poker site owners, which are not very often. Most of the time, the rules on Texas Holdem, Stud, or Draw poker are essentially the same online.

Second, since it is online, it transcends national boundaries and you can play against anyone who has an Internet connection anywhere in the world. Online poker also has the attributes of a normal chat room, were people can interact the way they do on most chat sites. While you can play against some of the worlds best poker players, the downside is that you are also exposed to playing with the worst. Don’t you just hate it when you see amateurs hitting in the flop?

Third, you can play for real money or just play money. Most poker sites have their own system of how players can play for real money. Some use credit cards, money orders, bank transfers and the like. If you are going to play for real money, just make sure you play in a credible poker site. Joining one can sometimes be complicated. So be sure to visit the FAQs section of the site and read their terms and conditions carefully. But if you don’t plan on playing for real money, then you can still enjoy online poker.

Fourth, one of the main differences of online and offline poker is that you cannot see your opponents in the game. You cannot see their “tells,” which means you cannot estimate if a player is bluffing or if he really has a good hand. You cannot see your opponent flinch at your bet, or at the flop. However, you can still observe their betting patterns, and that is where you unleash your poker skills.

Now that you have learned some of the basics of online poker, then you are good to go. The key to online poker is the same as it is in offline games: you should not overdo it. Take everything in moderation and be sure to choose the right poker site to trust your money with. Who knows, the next time you go all in online, you might just win the big pot.

Earn more cash with Multi-tabling
A good poker strategy makes multi-tabling a breeze and will allow sufficient time to make decisions in any number of tournaments.^Playing at more than one table seems difficult but a well thought out poker strategy can make multi-tabling fun and rewarding.^Beth Malloy^^Multi-tabling Poker Strategy for Beginners^Multi-tabling in a nutshell

Mass poker playing to combat UIGEA
Online Poker players to protest against enforcement of UIGEA ^From June 1st the UIGEA is due to be enforced across America, as the date nears the online poker community are planning a protest to try and make their voices heard ^Mary Ashton^^Protest planned for June 1st to coincide with the enforcement date of the UIGEA^Online Community Protests

With all the online poker rooms available, how do we choose one? With the hundreds of sites, which one do we go to? The main answer to this is to choose one that meets the player’s qualifications. Here, we will be going over the different online poker room qualities to the advantage or disadvantage of the player, whether a newbie or an expert player.

Most online poker rooms easily get a player’s attention with bright flashing lights and big bonuses. Although you may consider them, you must also look farther than the bright lights and big flashing $$$. Some poker players choose a simpler presentation but more stable software and support poker room. If having the right software enables you to play better and faster, then choosing that online poker room would be your best bet.

It is also important to know if you want the flashy atmosphere over the simple graphics yet comfortable playing environment. In some rooms, the flashier it is, the slower the loading. So if you want to focus on speed and does not want to pay much for the room’s hourly fees, it is always safer to choose the simpler one.

Another come-on for most poker rooms is the bonus that they offer. The bonus range is usually from 10-100% of the initial deposit the player gives. There are some poker rooms which offer huge bonuses like 100% but additional caution must be given because the high-bonus rooms usually have steep requirements which are hard to reach. For starter poker players, the low to medium bonus rooms are usually more advisable.

Another consideration in choosing online poker rooms is the amount of money you are willing to stake. Some poker players do not actually play with real money but even online poker games are more exciting using real money. Before playing, it is best to know how much you are willing to wager. If you want to win more, you usually tend to deposit more. But if you are after enjoying the actual game and not really for the amount, then money is not a major factor. With or without big money, playing poker is fun and stimulating.

Online poker room ratings are also a good way of evaluating and choosing them. Read and research and look for player’s forum where you can get the pros and cons of a particular room. In the end, the ultimate decisive factor is the player’s priorities. The money, the bonus, the ratings, the room atmosphere will just be secondary once you finally find r room that is suitable to your needs and preferences. Ultimately, the goal is to win, learn and to have fun!

Winning

The most obvious way to make money at online poker is to simply become a winning poker player. That might sound simple, but the actual carrying out of this plan is anything but simple. If you want to become a winning poker player, you need to teach yourself to not only play with selective hand selection before the flop, but you also need to teach yourself to play aggressively and have no respect whatsoever for money. If you respect the money you are betting then you will not press all of your opportunities and advantages and ultimately that could mean the difference between winning and losing in an activity as volatile as online poker.

If you are willing to train yourself to be selective and aggressive in your online poker play, then you can start reading poker books to get the different strategies that people have found to be successful. You can then choose the ones that appeal to you the most and start utilizing those and learning from your mistakes until you become a winning poker player. This will not be an easy path to follow and it is one that requires constant study of your own play to make improvements, but it is definitely a way for you to make money at online poker if that is what you choose to do.

Bonus Collection

For people that do not feel particularly inclined to put in the large hours required to become a winning poker player online, another way that you can make money at online poker is bonus collection. While the potential for money making is a lot less with this method, it is also a method that is a lot easier to learn. You only need to know how to play break even poker when you are collecting bonuses, because the bonuses themselves will make your money for you.

Bonus collection is simply the art of going around to the different poker websites and collecting the bonuses they offer. Poker sites all have deposit bonuses and depending on the site also have reload bonuses, weekly bonuses and monthly bonuses as well. All of these bonuses can be collected if you play enough poker and that is exactly why bonus collection can make you money. Just keep in mind that the potential for money making is lower with this strategy, even if the overall implementation is easier.

Durrrr signed by Full Tilt Poker
Tom Dwan There is an official press release from Full Tilt Poker, that Tom Dwan has been signed as a team member. Tom Dwan goes by the screen name of Durrrr, and has been one of the top money making online poker players in the world. Tom is not just a Red Pro, but a full [...]

Online Poker Player Pops $430,000 Jackpot at Absolute Poker
If the first two weeks of 2008 are any indication of things to come, online poker players have a lot to look forward to this year. Popular poker room Absolute Poker has already doled out hundreds of thousands of dollars after seeing its Bad Beat Jackpot surpass the $400,000 mark and edge closer and closer to $500,000.