Online Poker Labs http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts Professional Online Poker Room Reviews and Comparison Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:18:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 en Post-flop Draw on No Limit Hold`em small buy-in on Short-Handed Tables http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/28 http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/28#comments Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:39:16 +0000 admin http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/28 As a rule, you rarely have a completely strong combination on the flop. Your hand will be weak, thus it will be either without a draw or with a draw. Depending on the possibility of further improvement and the strength of your combinations, you can determine the strength of the draw. When you have a draw-hand you should remember that its strength on flop is more than on the turn. That is why we would recommend aggressive playing poker on flop if you have a draw. Your draw will lose on the turn to any ready combination.

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]]> http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/28/feed Online poker. Myths and reality. http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/all-about-poker/27 http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/all-about-poker/27#comments Mon, 24 Dec 2007 09:14:17 +0000 admin http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/all-about-poker/27 Recently poker has become hugely popular. It has become the most widely played online game. It is not surprising, that there are many rumors connected with poker. This article serves the purpose of dispelling most of these rumors. Hundreds of millions of dollars are invested in online poker and, of course, there many people desire to win. Money is electronic here. During a game it is displayed as chips of different colors. Due to the nature of online poker, it is easy to not take the game seriously or be nervous about its legitimacy. This feeling is intensified when you see poker sites using whimsical characters such as a charming donkey or a battered hockey player. The other difficulty is that there have been online thieves and cheaters. Naturally, rumors arise from mistrust.

So, we shall start exposing these myths. (more…)

]]> http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/all-about-poker/27/feed Tips on How to Play KK and AA Starting Combinations on No Limit Hold’em Tables with Small Buy-ins. http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/26 http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/26#comments Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:36:06 +0000 admin http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/26 AA and KK are the best starting combinations in texas holdem. According to statistics, these are the most profitable combinations. That is why a player with these hands on the preflop looks forward to getting a good win. This is the main problem with these hands, because it is always very difficult to fold hands like these even when a player realizes that he will probably lose. A typical mistake for new players is getting into the game without a raise with AA and KK. The player doesn’t usually fold easily and lose much. Don’t be discouraged if you win just a small amount with this hand. This can occur often, but you should be afraid of losing a lot. This is common when you just take blinds with AA or KK. Also it is important to note that you should try to play against at least one or two opponents on the flop. AA and KK are just a pairs and there are many stronger combinations. The more opponents you have, the higher is the possibility that someone will draw a combination like that.

Here are some examples. (more…)

]]> http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/26/feed Expectation Value (EV) Calculation http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/calculations/24 http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/calculations/24#comments Mon, 10 Dec 2007 19:10:53 +0000 admin http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/calculations/24 Any action you make in poker game should be focused on making a profit. Your efforts are worthwhile if they lead to the maximum profit possible or have the best average profit value. The average value of a possible profit is also named Expectation Value (EV).

Sometimes there are situations when you have several possible ways to play the hand. The profit of each variant = ev1, ev2,…,evN, the possibility of each variant = p1, p2,…, pN accordingly. Then the expectation value of the profit in the given situation is calculated by the formula:

EV = ev1*p1 + ev2*S2 + … + evN*SN (*)

The following is a very complicated example, but it has great practical value and touches on all the basic moments and rules of calculation. Let us assume that you have AK and raised on the preflop. The contender re-raised. Both stacks are 100BB. What is your best move? Should you call his re-raise, fold or re-raise (4bet)? (more…)

]]> http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/calculations/24/feed Starting combinations JJ-QQ on No Limit Hold’em small buy-in on Short-Handed Tables http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/21 http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/21#comments Sun, 02 Dec 2007 15:14:39 +0000 admin http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/21 The combinations AK, JJ and QQ have many similar features. That is why this article follows the previous article about an Ace-King combination. JJ and QQ hands have nearly the same strategy on the preflop. The single difference is that they are a little stronger than AK if there is no all-in on the preflop. Players will see only three cards of the flop but not all five cards. On the flop these pocket pairs are stronger than AK.

The features of these hands are the same as a hand with AK. See the article about the AK combination.

Here are a few examples of typical situations, which will help you better understand this strategy.

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]]> http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/21/feed Tips on How to Play Various AK Starting Combinations on No Limit Hold’em Short-Handed Tables with Small Buy-ins. http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/20 http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/20#comments Thu, 29 Nov 2007 17:52:10 +0000 admin http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/20 This article discusses how to play when you start out with an Ace-King combination. This combination is very strong whether you are dealt two cards of the same suite or off suite. There are only two starting hands in Hold’em that are stronger than AK - AA and KK. Other hands are at least the same strength as AK. However, though this hand is so powerful, it can cause problems for those who are inexperienced and don’t know how to play it right.

How to play with this hand:
1) It is not wise to play with the whole buy-in on the pre-flop if you are playing against an unknown opponent.
2) You should play your whole stack on the pre-flop if you are playing against an unknown opponent if he has stack no more than 60BB.
3) Raise on the pre-flop or re-raise if there has been a raise.

The following examples are all taken from real games.

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]]> http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/20/feed No Limit Hold’em small buy-ins on short-handed tables. Turn and river. http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/19 http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/19#comments Mon, 26 Nov 2007 16:14:54 +0000 admin http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/19 The turn & river are the most expensive streets in Texas Holdem. Mistakes you make in these stages can lead to big loses, but you could also gain a big profit. First, you should carefully read the articles about pre-flop – flop game to make fewer mistakes on turn – river. This will help you figure out how to play in various situations.

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]]> http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/19/feed No Limit Hold’em small buy-ins. Post-flop. Flop. http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/18 http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/18#comments Thu, 22 Nov 2007 14:01:16 +0000 admin http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/18 Your game on the flop is closely connected with how you play on the pre-flop. Often, if you raise to get into the game, it means you have to continue the attack on the flop. When you raise on the pre-flop, you are letting your opponents know that your cards are rather strong. Try to win the pot on the flop even if you don’t have winning cards. If you stop attacking on the flop because your cards aren’t great, it will be obvious to your opponents. The bet on the flop after the pre-flop raise is called a continuation bet or a cont bet. The size of this bet should not differ from the size of the bet when the flop suits you. If you follow this rule, it is more difficult for your contenders to find out if you are bluffing or not. The size of this bet should be between 2/3 of the pot up to the pot size.

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]]> http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/18/feed Not-Limit Hold’em small buy-ins on short-handed tables. Pre-flop game. http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/17 http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/17#comments Sun, 18 Nov 2007 21:45:08 +0000 admin http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/17 A good pre-flop strategy is the key to your success in Texas Hold’em for low limit games on short-handed tables. With the right pre-flop strategy you will minimize possible problems later in the game. You also will be able to systematize and simplify your play.

Tight-Aggressive Pre-flop Strategy (TAG).

Pre-flop strategies may vary widely depending on the level of contenders playing and their style and. If most opponents at the table play tightly (only with strong hands) you may play more aggressively on the pre-flop. Tight opponents pay less and rarely get in the game. Aggressive play means using half-bluff and winning more pots on the pre-flop without waiting for a good hand. If you want to play aggressively, your pre-flop statistics according to Poker Tracker should be 20/15. When you are at a table where the majority of players have a loose style of play, in other words, when they get into the game with marginal or weak hands, it will be hard for you to play aggressively on the pre-flop and even harder on the post-flop. For instance; a raise with low pocket pairs (22-66) in an early position on a tight table is, of course, a profitable game because you can often take blinds or have only one opponent on the flop and win the pot by continuously betting. If there are many loose players at the table, you are called more often. So, playing low pocket pairs in a bad position against a number of opponents is not profitable. The best advice is to limp low pocket pairs if you are in an early position at such tables. In a situation like this your pre-flop statistics should be 20/10 according to Poker Tracker. How aggressive your opponents are also influences the pre-flop strategy. If the table consists of many aggressive players even if they are loose players, raises on the pre-flop are very common. You shouldn’t limp often when getting into the game.

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]]> http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/17/feed An Introduction to Low-limit, Shorthanded Games http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/16 http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/16#comments Thu, 15 Nov 2007 19:28:25 +0000 admin http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/16 This will be the first in a series of articles about low-limit, shorthanded games, meaning limits from NL10 to NL50. In these articles, we will discuss the basic strategy of the game. Preflop and postflop will be described in detail. We will also consider the most difficult pocket hands and the best way of playing them. To gain a better understanding of these games, we suggest reading these articles carefully before you start.

Have you already won your first bankroll on a micro-limit, full-handed table? Maybe you already have $200-300 in your account and want to go further. The best idea is to switch to shorthanded tables (six players max) to play low-limits NL10. The strategy of playing preflop-postflop will be given later. An NL10 game differs greatly from an NL50 game, but the basic concepts are the same. The difference is in the number of weak contenders who could potentially provide you with a lot of money. Now your job is to keep moving from NL10 to NL50, following the rules of bankroll management.

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]]> http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/shorthanded/16/feed Cheating in online poker http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/all-about-poker/14 http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/all-about-poker/14#comments Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:52:11 +0000 admin http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/all-about-poker/14 This article goes over the most common ways people cheat in poker rooms, the policies most poker rooms have concerning cheating and gives advice on how to protect yourself from cheaters.

Unfortunately this is quite a common problem in online poker rooms. Poker rooms spend a lot of time and money fighting this problem, along with constantly improving their security systems. Obviously this is not just a concern of the poker room, but also the players who could potentially be swindled out of a great deal of money.

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]]> http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/all-about-poker/14/feed Calculating Pot Odds and Pot Percentages http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/13 http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/13#comments Mon, 05 Nov 2007 14:41:31 +0000 admin http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/13 Calculating pot odds is one of the most helpful tools to becoming a better poker player. All good players in a high limit game know how to calculate pot odds. Though it’s not the only key to success, it is an integral skill to have and of utmost importance in keeping you from making simple mistakes.

It’s nearly impossible to calculate the pot odds during a particularly complicated hand, which is why it’s important for a player to continuously analyze his hand before making the next move. Doing this helps you retain that information for future hands/games. You will soon feel more comfortable making quick decisions and often notice that you will begin to act without much analysis. This is certainly an important topic to pay close attention to.

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]]> http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/13/feed Micro Limit Games - Turn and River http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/12 http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/12#comments Tue, 30 Oct 2007 14:17:31 +0000 admin http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/12 A turn is the most important stage in taking control of the bank. It is when you must make the important decision as to whether you will increase the size of the bank based on a strong poker hand or call the bet on a weaker hand. If you are hoping to draw a combination, you will want to make seeing the river as inexpensive as possible. Mind that if there are many players in the pot you may increase it having even not complete combination. Though, that is quite difficult for newer players to do.

In most cases, a player on the turn should clearly plan what he will do on the river. That is why, when playing the turn, it is best to think about all the possible plays your opponent could make in various situations from the beginning of the game to the end.

This guide will go over different situations and explain what a suggested play would be.

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]]> http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/12/feed Online poker opportunities. Making a right choice. http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/11 http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/11#comments Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:03:04 +0000 admin http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/11 As time goes by, poker enjoys more and more popularity around the world. Millions of people are getting involved into poker and it actually becomes more then a game, gaining a status of a social event. Poker Tournaments with multi-million prize pools become regular, and poker experts make nuts on them, increasing their bankroll to the size of a fortune…

In the Internet there are a lot of online poker rooms, where one can learn and start playing poker for real money or just practice while playing different poker variations like Texas Hold’em, Omaha and 7 Card Stud. (more…)

]]> http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/11/feed Micro Limit Games - Flop Strategy http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/8 http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/8#comments Wed, 03 Oct 2007 12:25:18 +0000 admin http://blog.pokerlogic.org/for-the-beginners/8 A flop is the most important part of a game as very serious decisions are made at this time. Five cards are already known and now you may decide either to stay in the game or check-fold. Bets are still not very high at the flop. Playing correctly will help you judge your position correctly. You will also be able to get a great deal of information about your contenders’ hands and make an approximate plan for playing on a turn and a river. Playing incorrectly at this stage can cause many problems later on. If you want a big win, follow this advice.

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]]> http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/8/feed Micro Limit Games - Pre-flop Strategy http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/strategy-of-micro-limit-games/7 http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/strategy-of-micro-limit-games/7#comments Wed, 26 Sep 2007 16:12:30 +0000 admin http://blog.pokerlogic.org/for-the-beginners/strategy-of-micro-limit-games/7 We will describe the pre-flop game strategy on full-hand tables (10max) here.

Micro limit games (~0.02/0.04) have some peculiarities in comparison to a game with higher limits. You will find the highest ratio of an average bank size to a big blind size here. This means that the highest percent of drawn combinations are paid-out. Contenders play very freely and lose their stacks easily. The best strategy for this game will be a reliable tight play if you are a new player. Of course, that strategy is not very profitable, but a new player would fare better playing this way. You shouldn’t play weak hands which may cause difficulties when you play the post-flop.

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]]> http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/strategy-of-micro-limit-games/7/feed Strategy in Freerolls http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/freerolls/6 http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/freerolls/6#comments Fri, 21 Sep 2007 17:46:16 +0000 admin http://blog.pokerlogic.org/uncategorized/6 The strategy described below can be used only in freerolls. It can’t be applied to usual MTTs (Multi Table Tournaments).

We shall consider the strategy of a freeroll game with the standard structure: the initial stack is 60-100ВВs (Big Blinds) and the level-up (an interval of time in which blinds grow) is 8-12 minutes.

Some rooms have turbo freerolls with level-up of 2-3 minutes. But most freerolls still have a standard structure, which is the reason why we will be discussing them in this article. In reading the article, you will notice that it is not chalk full of specialized poker terms in order to make it easier for a beginner to understand.

Contents:

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]]> http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/freerolls/6/feed Micro Limit Poker - Introduction http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/strategy-of-micro-limit-games/5 http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/strategy-of-micro-limit-games/5#comments Sun, 16 Sep 2007 13:04:33 +0000 admin http://blog.pokerlogic.org/for-the-beginners/strategy-of-micro-limit-games/5 The articles about micro limit poker are published on this site to teach new players how to play for cash. The second goal of these articles is to help a player save some starting capital after winning a freeroll, a small deposit or a no deposit bonus.

After your first win in a freeroll, try to increase this amount by playing for cash at the cheapest tables a poker room can offer. The most important thing in playing on these tables, is not the amount you win, but how easy it can be to win. Saving your bank-roll (all the money you have in a poker room) allows you to constantly conquer more expensive cash games. Having a strong desire to win and self-discipline aids you in becoming a successful player at these limits. This also helps to build confidence in your strength. Don’t try to play higher limits at this stage of the game. Also don’t pay too much attention to the fact that many contenders play poorly, and you can win more money there. There is a very strict regularity in poker when average level of contenders’ skills grows with limits. It’s rare that you come across a player who managed to win a great deal, even at NL $20.
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]]> http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/strategy-of-micro-limit-games/5/feed How to start from scratch in online poker. http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/4 http://www.onlinepokerlabs.com/posts/for-the-beginners/4#comments Mon, 27 Aug 2007 15:19:48 +0000 admin http://blog.pokerlogic.org/uncategorized/4 When we speak about starting “from scratch” it means that you start your poker career without any financial investments. It is possible because practically all poker rooms organize freerolls regularly. Freerolls are advertised tournaments without any buy-ins, which instead offer real money prizes. As a rule, there are many participants in these tournaments. They also have a rather small prize-winning fund. Many people think they just waste their time playing freerolls and would rather start playing with a small sum of money. Some would partially agree with this point of view as it is based on logic, but there is an important reason to start playing with no money down. It is easy for a player to become too entrenched in the game. A player may come to realize that poker is not his game, if he has a tremendous losing streak. It can extremely negatively affect his future life.
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