This article about poker and luck was a runner up in the Febuary 2010 NoPayPOKER Free Poker Article contest. Member WRIG88 got $100 FreeD. See the poker article writing details page. All accepted articles get $50 FreeD plus bonus chips and the best may win $1000 FreeD or get a runner up prize of $100 FreeD.

In this article, I would like to try and give some insight into the age old battle of is poker a game of skill or luck. I have personally been a money and free online poker player for some 7 years. I have made some nice cash at times but I have also busted several bankrolls.

In my opinion a skilled player is one who can recognize betting patterns, understand flop odds, and percentages, and have a solid concept of strategy and theory. I have noticed however, not matter how well skilled one may be, you must account for variance, and sometimes aggressive, even poor play from others.

I believe in conclusion it is best to assume that poker is a combination of both skill and luck where the skill level of the player involved has a definite effect on the “luck” component of the equation in the medium and long term.

The assumption would be based on this conclusion that you have to be both pre flop aggressive, as well as post flop smart. Many times a player might find themselves in a position where they made the proper call, yet they find themselves behind due in part to an opponents luck hitting a one or two outer.

It is very difficult to try and overcome such a situation. This also can be attributed more toward online poker vs. traditional brick and mortar casinos because of the amount of hands dealt online. The action of online poker is much faster, and decisions must come much quicker.

Many individuals feel that they take more bad beats online as opposed to live play. This mathematically can be attributed to the number of hands both seen, and played. As well, there is a tile factor involved when one feels that they are being pushed too hard, or perhaps have suffered a bad beat.

The decision making can become irrational, and typical hands that would be thrown away are now played, or even pushed pre flop out of anger in trying to win back lost funds.

Others, who are skilled can pick up on such trends and play them to their advantage, which in turn leads to an even more increased loss, and in the eyes of the losing player, more bad beats which he feels was based on luck.

The successful poker player knows how to manage both aspects of the game. In effect you become able to manage probability (luck) by application of skill and so apply the old phrase beloved of annoying sales managers/gurus everywhere, “make your own luck”. Basically meaning that your skill flattens out the “bad luck” to the extent that you are up consistently in the medium and longer term.

And how to do this? Learn your skill on free poker sites before moving into micro and low stakes money games and beyond.

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This article about reading players was a runner up in the February 2010 NoPayPOKER Free Poker Article contest. Member Zombified got $100 FreeD. See the poker article writing details page. All accepted articles get $50 FreeD plus bonus chips and the best may win $1000 FreeD or get a runner up prize of $100 FreeD.

It is important to be able to sit down at any money or free texas hold em poker table, whether you’re online playing or at a real game and study your opponents. I believe patience is the number one key ingredient when it comes to reading players and most important when the game first starts.

Why you might ask? This gives you a chance to sit back and take mental notes on the player’s actions. This is very effective during the first half hour of a free roll tournament because a lot of players like to go all in and hope they win the pot. I myself will only call these players with a high pair, or suited low connectors because I’ve played them before, and they will go all in with any two hand cards given.

What Mental Notes You Must Start With

What mental notes you should take during the first 30 minutes or if moved to a new table in any poker game is moderately simple.

1. Determine what players are playing conservative and which ones are playing loose.
2. The ones who are playing loose are going to bet on almost every hand and call just about anything.
3. Those who are playing conservative will continue to fold until they get either the cards in hand they want or any pairs of AA’s, KK’s, QQ’s, JJ’s and any of them in combination.
4. How to read a player if he or she is bluffing can be difficult if you have not been paying attention to the game as can happen a lot on free poker sites or if you are playing multiple online poker games.
5. If you have been paying attention to the game you will have more of an advantage to who might be bluffing, and it will be obvious to you.

For example:

If you have an ace and king of spades…you will be feeling good about your whole cards. You are waiting for the other player to check or bet, to your surprise the player bets 400 chips when the pot is at 120 chips.

So you call the player and on the flop lands Queen of spades, Jack of Spades, and ten of hearts. The other player is either going to go all-in in order to make you think he/she has the winning hand. You know you got this won so you call the player’s bluff and on 4th street lands a 9 of clubs and on the river a king of diamonds. Well, you just won with an ace high straight while the other player had nothing.

This is very obvious but if you have been paying attention to all the players, and you were up against a more conservative player. They might try to buy you in by betting low not over the pot before the flop and after. These Players know what they are doing and most likely will have a full house against your ace high straight.

Here are some practical tips that I use.

Players who take too long and hold back to the last second to check are trying to miss lead you into thinking they have nothing (note: in online poker the player might be taking too long because he/she is playing multiple games.) and wait for you to make a bet worth calling. Filter these players out as this might be a habit for them.

Players who anticipate until the last second and raise you all in are trying to buy the pot with a decent pair hoping you don’t have any aces in your hand!

Everyone Knows a chip bully. Every table has one. The only way to knock a chip bully off his costly chair is not to be distressed of his/her large chip stacks. If you have it, go for it. Most likely, he/she is bluffing cause, they want to pilfer the pot or blinds.

All players have habits. All players will develop a pattern of betting structure out of habits.

What habits might they form?

A player that makes the initial raise and watches others fold and only two other players call his raise. The same player that made the initial raise won’t bet any higher or lower but the same amount. In the end, one of the other two players will fold and the player who made the initial raise will fold.

Another habit I witness now and then is that various players will lose 80% of their chip stack. They get upset because they had a substantial loss and choose to keep going all in until they lose or earn back some chips. These players have given up and gone on “tilt” best thing to do is to call them when the time is right be patient.

Some players are almost impossible to read because they Know they are being read and are always changing up their technique. Subsequently, they will repeat themselves. These players will take up most of your contemplating analyses.

In conclusion, I hope this article will help you fine tune your skills and have given you some strategies you can use of your own at the tables. No player is impossible to read but its the one who can’t read that make the game inexplicable (for themselves!)

My advice if you struggle with reading other players or if this is all new to you is to get in lots of practice in low risk games. Try low or micro stakes games or some online free poker NoPayPOKER games to get a feel for it all before committing any meaningful money.

See this free poker lesson for an advanced lesson on the mental side of the game and player note taking see the NoPayPOKER blog series by  D M Vadnais. Scary stuff!

This article about how to win Freerolls was a runner up in the January 2010 NoPayPOKER Free Poker Article contest. Member luigi1987 got $100 FreeD. See the poker article writing details page. All accepted articles get $50 FreeD plus bonus chips and the best may win $1000 FreeD or get a runner up prize of $100 FreeD.

To consistently win or place well in Freeroll poker tournaments you need to take a certain approach and follow some key rules in order to maximise your probabilities.

Here are 12 tips to help you succeed in free poker tournaments. Practice them at NoPayPOKER today. See the Poker Tournament schedule for your next game.

1. Be Patient
This rule is first because we believe that patience is the most important qualities to have in order to play well in the free Texas hold em poker tournaments. One very important thing to keep in mind is that big online freerolls may have hundreds or even thousands of participants so they generally take several hours to finish. If you want to be at the final table to win have to be very patient.

2. Be Aggressive with good hands
Freerolls are multi-table tournaments where you’ll almost always be seated at a table of ten. This is good in the sense that you do not have to adapt your game to take account of fewer players, but also means that when you have a good hand it is best to play it aggressively. Whenever you have a good hand like AA, KK, AKs or AQs, you must be aggressive.

3. Play fewer hands
Control the aggression and play fewer hands. Do not play hunches, play tight and wait until you get good hands, then play them aggressively. A general rule is to fold without a letter or containing less than eight.

4. Take advantage of your position at the table
If you’re first or second bet K10 is not a good hand. There are nine players after you and if any of them has AA, KK or KQ can see you in serious trouble. However if you’re last to bet and you just have to see the blind or pass your K10 may be a good move. Nobody has raised the ante before so your King can be quite valuable and therefore worth seeing the flop.

5. Change Game
Although you need to be patient and wait for good hands, you do not you become too predictable. If you play only good hands and always go up then your opponents will be thrown back and just let you win the blinds. The problem is that with the blinds do not earn enough to keep his head above water because you’re playing a few hands. You will have to be changing the way you play to be more difficult to predict.

6. Avoid bluffing
You must avoid the bluff except in very few and rare occasions. Since there are always ten people at the table you have a great probability that one has a good hand and wants to go against you, even if you’ve done all-in. Make an all-in in a bluff is like a suicide in the freerolls almost always there is someone willing to see your bet and you have little chance of survive.

7. Look at your opponents and their style of play
You can collect a lot of collect valuable information simply by observing the behavior of your opponents at the table. Want to bet on almost every hand?, Is sitting around waiting for them between a good hand? (Like you!), They withdraw when he ups the ante? Only go when they have “free card”?, Is a maniac who goes on every hand?.

8. Concentrate on the game
If you want to know how to play your opponents need to focus on what they do. Do not get to write emails or surf on Internet while playing, and of course turn off the TV!.

9. Without doubts
If doubts before making a move can be interpreted by your opponents as a sign of weakness. In online poker tournaments you can not see the reaction of your opponent and see if you’re nervous so one of the few tracks you have is the speed at which your opponent makes his moves. The worst sin you can commit is hesitating for a while and then go with that you told the table that you have no free play but you want to see the next card. More likely is that someone makes a bet to get you out of hand.

10. Do not pursue projects
It can be tempting when you see that you have a straight (for example if you have a 6 and 7 and rolls 5 and 8 on the flop) but the reality is rarely that hand is a winner. If you can see the turn and river for free or for a few chips then you might be interested if you pursue it but remember that at this point you have nothing and your opponents have at least a couple.

11. Remember that your opponents are playing different cards
Whether you’re doing the right thing does not mean that others are doing well. People play all kinds of hands, especially in online poker freerolls, so you can expect all sorts of bad beats. Give special attention to the possibility of stairs, if for example 5-6-8 on the table there is a strong possibility that someone has a 7 to 4.

12. Take freerolls seriously
Although you are not spending money to participate in free online poker freerolls them, you’re dedicating the tournament much of your time so take them seriously. At NoPayPOKER they are a good way to practice and learn how to play poker and win one is a great achievement that raises the moral enough, except that you will earn some money!.

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This article about poker hand strategy in relation to table size was a runner up in the January 2010 NoPayPOKER Free Poker Article contest. Member wolfsbite got $100 FreeD

In this article you’ll learn how and why it’s so important to vary your hand play approach when playing buy in or free Texas hold em poker online or in a live room.

Numbers of players at the table and how this relates to your hand strategy is another part of Texas holdem where the math aspect of the game is important, sorry to say that but that’s a fact, but don’t get scared if math and you are nor friends, it is not that hard once you get the hang of it.

I have 4 different size tables that I put into categories.

1. Heads up
2. 3 and 4 people
3. 5-7 people
4. 8-10 people

Essentially what we are looking to do here is avoid coin flip situations e.g., all-in’s Preflop. A key part of being consistently Texas holdem player is risk reduction in every aspect of your game. Here now is how I advise you apply risk reduction to hands play based on table size.

#1 – Heads up

Basically any 2 cards are live in heads up games and I generally like to see a flop. However if I have 2 cards that I don’t like coupled with a raise I’ll fold . I love it when they make a big raise because it’s easy for me to fold.

If I have to decent cards unless it’s a very big raise I’ll call and see the flop after that it all depends on the feel of the player and what they do. If I suspect it’s a tight player and I’m on the button I’ll raise just to see where I’m at. Most times if they don’t have anything they fold but if they are drawing or have a pair they might call so I would be careful from here on out.

#2 – 3 and 4 players

With so few people at the table any cards with “letters” on them get played to see a flop. Most times when you are at a table like this the players are mostly tight players. So if you are on the button call most of the time and aim to steal pots by betting on into the pot.

#3 – 5-7 players

Now this is really where it gets tricky. Only pocket pairs and very high cards should be played. Small pocket pairs should be limped into the pot hoping to hit a set.

With medium pocket pairs aim to limp into the pot. If you can call a small raise you can hope to hit a set.

Now with high pockets you should be raising same deal with any 2 cards that have letters on them (J-A).

#4 – 8-10 players

Here you have to play real tight. I only try to play the top 10 hands which are pockets thru 10s and then the letter cards. Anything less than a 9 in my hand is almost non playable. I will limp into a pot with any pockets however.

Now knowing the “position” and the “math” is important because of the amount of people on the pot and the people left to act after you.

The reason why you play a shorter table different is the amount of cards left in the deck.

• In Heads up money or free Texas Holdem poker games there are 48 cards left in deck so anything can come out on the flop.
• In 3 and 4 player scenarios there are at most 44 cards left in deck thus a better % of your cards hitting.
• With 5-7 players there are at the least 38 cards left in deck and therefore more chance that someone else has some of the cards you need or folded them.
• At 8-10 now you are down to 22 cards left in deck and it is most likely that some or most the people folded cards you need or have the cards thus the reason for mostly playing pockets.

This all being said when the river is dealt if there is a four card straight or flush on board you don’t need to be in the hand if someone bets.

If it’s folded to you then you can sometimes bet to try and steal pot. If they check raise you just fold and live to play another hand.

I know this sounds more complex that it really is. When you think about it, it is logic that the more players there are means the more cards there are in play and so you need to be tighter and play progressively better cards only as player numbers rise.

So good luck at the tables and try to remember that no matter whether you are playing high stakes or simply fun free Texas Hold em the principles remain the same with only the financial risk varies – and that is a totally different type of risk to that of hand probabilities.

This article about poker tells was a runner up in the January 2010 NoPayPOKER Free Poker Article contest. Member Rockboa240 got $100 FreeD

When playing poker be it money or free poker, to win, you need as much information as possible.

Since everyone’s cards are dealt face down, the only two things you know for sure are your own cards and the community cards. This is where poker ‘tells’ come into play as good players are constantly analyzing every single part of your play and demeanour to try and figure what you might have.

Playing poker online is obviously completely different to live play; however there are a few things to watch out for online which I will come back to, but for now I am going to concentrate on live play. I have been playing poker in my local club and various casinos for a number of years now, and have picked up a few tells and ways of reading players.

Do the eyes have it? well they do in the picture but in your games…?

I guess the only place to start is with the eyes. Nearly all beginners believe, mainly due to the explosion of poker on the TV, that they should be looking at everyone’s eyes. If I sit down at a ten man table I am expecting six or seven of them to be wearing sunglasses. Personally even without sunglasses, I find it difficult to read tells from player’s eyes, apart from the obvious where a player will raise their eyebrows directly after looking at their cards. My point here is that you should probably forget the eyes as they are likely to be hidden anyway.

How About Body Posture?

So, forgetting the eyes, a massive thing to look out for is body language. How are they sitting? What’s there posture saying? Are they moving around erratically? A common body language tell I see a lot is a player who has folded a good number of hands consecutively and has slumped in their chair. The dealer deals and they suddenly sit up quite sharply not realising they have just announced they have a possible monster.

Beware of Body Bluffing

Body language is difficult to control as quite often we are unaware of doing it ourselves. Good players are aware of body language. As good players are aware of body language, this also means they are aware of their own body language. If a good player readjusts himself this has to be looked upon cautiously because they are aware of what they have just done and may be bluffing the tell.

Table Talk

Body language comes hand in hand with table talk. If I’m in a big game I always keep quiet. Good players are able to sense strength and weakness from your voice and tone. I’ve been sat at a table chatting to the person next to me and consequently lost a pot, because I was not paying complete attention on the action.

Really good players are able to chat away whilst being 100% aware of what’s going on. They will sometimes be playing a hand whilst casually chatting away to the person next to them. Before you know it they check raise you, then carry on chatting!! I am always wary of a good player playing a pot who doesn’t seem interested in it. I often read this a show of strength.

Other well known tells include sweaty palms, looking at your cards then directly looking at your stack, licking your lips, and even a bulging vein in the neck.

Online Tells

Along with body language and table talk another big tell is betting patterns, and this is where I come onto the internet. Everything I have mentioned so far is useless online.

Betting patterns are the only pieces of information you can get from players in an online poker environment.

A lot of newish players on free online poker sites or low stakes money sites tend to play poker by the manual, pocket aces bring a bet of 4x the big blind, KJ is 2x the big blind, and suited connectors bring a flat call.

By watching players at your table for a short time you will be amazed at how they stick to these principles. Once you have established players betting to a pattern, clearly you are at a big advantage.

When playing a hand as a result of reading what you believe to be a pattern tell, always be careful as you may have misread the signals, and you may be playing a shark feeding you false information in preparation for a big hit!

If you’re a new player spend some time getting a feel for this on low stakes and free poker sites, this will help you learn without paying to much for the experience!