April 15, 2011 has been marked as one of those most pivotal dates in the history of online poker. Also known as Black Friday, this marks the day that the FBI, in collaboration with the Southern District of New York, had made announcements that it would be arresting the executives of the top three online poker sites. These sites include PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker. In addition, the FBI has seized their websites and placed freezes on any associated accounts. The CEOs of these companies have been charged with bank fraud, money laundering, and other illegal acts under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

Bradley Franzen, one of the 11 executives that has been charged, turned himself into a Manhattan FBI office and has pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the charges. Franzen has posted a bail of $200,000 on the same day he was arrested and has used his parents’ house as collateral. Franzen’s defense rests on the idea that poker is a game of skill not of luck and should is not subject to the laws concerning gambling. However, the charges that are being brought against him have to do with creating fake businesses and wiring the money to the poker companies.

Immediately after the announcement was made that these companies were under charges by the FBI, ESPN and ESPN.com has severed all ties with PokerStars and has even terminated coverage of the North American Poker Tour. The Big Game, a show on Fox, has been canceled in the mean time. Wynn Casinos and many other casinos, based in the United States, have also decided to distance themselves from these online sites. The CEOs of these companies can also possibly be extradited based on which country they live in. Furthermore, funds that are associated with these sites have been frozen for US players and there is a possibility of being completely lost.

One of the biggest changes is going to be the reduction of poker coverage on mainstream television in the United States. One of the biggest sufferers will be the World Series of Poker main event that is held using online qualifiers. Attendance is also expected to drop down to precisely 2,500 attendees from 8,000. This shutdown of the US online sites has drastically reduced the market share that is involved in online poker.

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When you get an Ace King in a round of poker, what you have is a very strong hand to start with especially when they are suited in a no limit hold ‘em. Though you have excellent cards you need the right strategy to play them well and win some chips. It used to be called “Walking Back to Houston” – because as the story goes a lot of Texans would run into AA back in the days when they came to Las Vegas.

Basic Strategy

Ace-King can be a great hand but it will be the worst you can have if you miss the flop or caught on in a wrong position. It is a very difficult hand to play versus multiple opponents but remember that an Ace-King has a strong probability to be the best hand. Either of the card can give you the best pair or a very good kicker.

When you have an Ace-King you need to play strong and take control of the table before the flop. It will be best while there is no resistance. Make use of continuation bets after the flop and take advantage of your position to take away the pot.

Stack size

It is critical to know the stack size of your opponents when playing an Ace-King. The key is to do all in when playing against small stack opponents. This will allow you to take a shot of pot maybe against any other pre-flop raiser or caller.

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All the poker players especially beginners should know that each and every mistake committed by them on the poker table would cost them dearly. Beginners find themselves trapped with difficult situations while playing poker with professional on the poker table. A small mistake may cost them the entire stack of money.

Poker is a game which requires an easy blend of skill and luck. Instead of acting spontaneously poker players should think and plan their game play strategy which would help them sail difficult situations and opponents.

Players forget that their contribution of money in the last pot was only a miniscule of your bankroll. Beginners forget to analyse the situation in a holistic pattern. They tend to forget importance of their mistakes and move ahead on the poker table with their game.

Beginners should be aware about their blunders so that they can shape their game plan in a better and wiser manner the next time they play or else they would continue making the same blunders. Mistakes made on the poker table are very expensive in nature. If you spend the entire time in protecting yourself from the harsh attacks of the opponents you fail to examine the moves and playing style of the opponents on the poker table.

Beginners should spend quality time examining and studying articles and books written on poker. Just relying on video tutorials or watching tournaments online would not help. If beginners want to master the ancient but effective poker strategies reading is a must.

One of the most simple ways to prolong the participation in a game is coin flipping and this has been projected in a glamorous way. While you are playing a cash poker game it is not right to find a pre-flop coin-flip. Where some players are specialized in being hyper-aggressive, picking up a lot of pots and making a profit because of those and breaking even in the coinflips (Dario Minieri is a great example!) – the real cash game players like Barry Greenstein know better!

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When you are first starting playing poker, it is really hard for you to break into the game and learn all about the rules.  Well – in this blog, right now I am going to outline some of the most common mistakes that beginner players make so that you can avoid them.

To be honest, when I first started playing poker, I know that I made a heck of a lot of these mistakes and I wish that someone would have told me about them before hand!

Firstly, you need to understand the game.  You’d be surprised just how many people do not know the rules of poker when they first start in the game.  However, you want to make sure that you learn the rules before you even start playing the game.  That is the first mistake.  More in the next blog!

Poker has a lot of different trends going about right now, but honestly, I think the biggest trend that is coming about is people relying on the strict guidelines of the game.  That is something that is not going to help you in the long run – after all if you are always following the guidelines, how are you supposed to think for yourself?

That is the question that a lot of poker players do not think about and it is something that they should think about!  Poker is all about using your tactics and also using your brain and if you follow some guidelines, you are not really doing either one.

Poker is a fantastic game when played right and you can play it right – just use your head about it!

Blackjack is another game that can — if you are lucky and if you are skilled — offer up a big payout. However, in this case, the payout depends on several variations of the general rule. You have to think about how many decks are being used in the game. You also have to see whether or not the dealer peeks for the black jack before all the players do so. As well, you need to ask whether or not the player is allowed to still surrender if the card the dealer is showing is an ace.

Sadly, in most cases the odds on even online blackjack favor the house. Still, sometimes that is not the case, which may or may not be a marketing strategy designer to make the players think that they really can win big.

Generally speaking, if you are a professional gambler, then the games which provide the most fun for you are the ones that offer not just a higher chance for payouts, but the biggest payouts altogether. Now, of course, this is not true for everyone, no one is saying that. However, if it is true, then you may well be interested in knowing just which games can fit that criteria for you.

Losing money is never fun, so even those who just gamble for enjoyment typically want to play a game where they can win money.

One of the best of those is video poker. Or, rather, some video poker games give out high payouts. Before you start playing, though, you need to take a look at the pay tables which are located in front of the video poker game. You do not want to choose a machine that is paired with a poor pay table.

Remember last week, when we talked about how many Hold ‘Em games we’d be discussing? Texas Hold ‘Em, Longhand Limit Hold ‘Em, Shorthand Limit Hold ‘em … well, we definitely are not done quite yet. This week, the spotlight falls on No Limit Hold ‘Em.

As we talked about with Shorthand Limit Hold ‘Em, you need both technical know how and people skills when you plan to play a game of No Limit Hold ‘Em. The technical know how is necessary so that you will understand aspects of betting, raising, calling. You need know exactly how much you need to bet; you need to know not only how much you should call, but also whether or not you can actually afford to do it. The people skills are necessary to put your opponents right on their cards and so that you can come up with the perfect strategy.

Fundamentally speaking, No Limit Hold ‘Em basically revolves around how the players are able to use aggressive betting to their advantage. If you have meek opponents, steal the pot as often as you can. However, if the other players resist your attempts to bluff, fold right away so you can live to play another day. Patience pays off when opponents are playing loose because they can be trapped.

There is really no denying the fact that Texas Hold ‘Em really is one of the most popular variations of poker out there being played right now. As you will see throughout the course of this particular series of posts, a lot of the most popular sub variations are some kind of Hold ‘Em type poker. Last week, we talked about Longhand Limit Hold ‘Em. This week, conversely, we will be focusing on the game known as Shorthand Limit Hold ‘Em.

Not only do you need a mix of players to get a good game of Shorthand Limit Hold ‘Em going strong, but technical skills are also a strong requirement. You need people skills as well, because it definitely pays — often literally — to be able to analyze both a game of shorthand and the people playing it.

One of the reasons you need these skills is because, typically, there will be a lot of bluffing going on in a shorthand game. So, it is imperative that you know when to be aggressive and when to be cool. You can also play a whole lot fancier in Shorthand than you can in Longhand. Still, since this is a limit game, technical skills are a must.

No one can tell you which game of poker will be best at you.  No one can tell you which variation you will play better.  That is entirely up to you.  Some people prefer Five Card Stud to the point that they will not even consider Seven Card Stud — and the reverse is also true.  Some people excel at Texas Hold ‘Em.  Some people are convinced that they cannot possibly win unless they are playing Full Tilt Poker.  It is all matter of personal preference.  What I can do, though, is help you learn the fundamentals associated with some of the most popular variations of poker.

No matter what game you choose to play, there are some necessary pieces of knowledge that every game has in common. For instance, you need to be good at “poker math.” That is, you need to either know or learn how to master the odds of the pot and tight playing. You need to learn how to change up the way you play and how to bluff.

In Longhand Limit Hold ‘Em, technical skills are almost always rewarded. Having an understanding of the value of the hand and patience are particularly rewarding. A lot of hands are going to go to the showdown, so it pays to be able to read your opponent. However, that is not all that will help you.