Texas No Limit Hold-em

NL Hold-em is the main poker game played in online casino's and poker rooms. Why is it called No Limit ? Because at any time a player can bet all of his chips ! Don't worry there are various limit games available for beginner players.

The Blinds
At the start of a new hand, two "Blind" bets are Posted. The player immediately to the left of the dealer button posts the small blind (half the minimum bet). The player to the left of the small blind posts the big blind which is equal to the minimum bet. The rest of the players do not put up any money to start the hand. Because the deal er button rotates around the table, each player will eventually act as the big blind, small blind.

The Opening Round of Betting
Each player is dealt two cards face down with the player on the small blind receiving the first card and the player with the dealer button getting the last card. The first round of betting begins with the player to the left of the big blind either Calling the blind bet, or putting raising the big blind or folding his hand. The betting goes around the table in order until it reaches the player who posted the small blind. The last person to act is the big blindwho has the option to raise or just Check. By checking the player does not put in any more money into the pot.

The Flop
After the opening betting round is completed, three cards are dealt face up onto the middle of the table. This is known called the "Flop". These community cards are used by all the players. Another betting round occurs.

The Turn
This is when a fourth card is dealt face up onto the table, followed by another round of betting.

The River
This is when a fourth card is dealt face up onto the table, followed by another round of betting.

The Showdown
The player who shows the best hand wins ! There are cases where players with equal hands share the winnings.

Poker Tournaments
Poker tournaments have gained increasing popularity over the last number of years. Much of it can be attributed to an increase in television coverage, the growth of online poker. Poker tournaments appeal to so many people due to the fact that any player can get lucky and will have a shot at winning a large amount of money from a fairly small investment.

All players enter a tournament for the same amount of money, called the buy-in. In addition, the poker room takes out an entry fee from all players entering the tournament. If the buy-in is $10 the house might take an extra $1, which means that the actual amount paid by the player is $11. If there are 1000 players, the total prize pool will be 1000 x $10 = $10,000. The pay out structure depends on the tournament, but usually there is a prize for approximately every ten players. In this case, it might be 30% for first place followed by 20%, 13%, 10%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, and 2% respectively, thus making it ten prizes in total.

All players start out with an equal amount of chips and, as the tournament progresses, the stakes are typically raised every 15 minutes. The amount of chips players begin with, the stakes and the time periods determine whether it is a fast or slow tournament. Good players generally prefer slow tournaments where you start out with a lot of chips (as compared to the stakes) and where the time periods are long. This structure gives the better player a greater opportunity of outplaying their opponents before the stakes become so high that they are forced to "gamble" more.

As players go broke they are eliminated. Once players are eliminated, other players are relocated as tables are broken-up and re-configured. For example, if there are ten players on one table and seven players on two other tables, two players from the ten-handed table may move to the seven-handed tables, thus making all three tables eight-handed. The tournament ends when one player has all the chips.

Online Poker Tips
Get a feel of how other players and playing, i.e. who is playing tight (only calling good hands), who's aggressive, and who is playing badly. Make a note of who check raised, slow played, bluffed or semi-bluffed.

Your position on the table relative to the type of player is important, basically you want a a tight player to the right of you and a loose player (who bets on anything) to the left.

Why ?
1. With the loose player on your right, you can evalute their hand AFTER they make their call.
2. You can steal blinds much more easily from the tight player to your left.
3. With very loose or crazy players to your right, you can re-raise their bets so as to get poor hands to fold.

Pick Tables with players that you can beat !
You want to play against people who aren't as good as you. These type of players tend to play the lower limit tables i.e. 5/10 cent games. So newer poker rooms that are populated by newer players are a good start such as 32red.com

Play Tight - Wait for good hands
When it comes to poker, only losing players hang in there hoping with weak hands. Hope springs eternal, and the hope of poor players is the bread of every poker pro's livelihood. So wait for good hands pre-flop and play tight aggressive.

Ranking of Poker Hands

1. Royal Flush

2. Straight Flush

Five cards of the same suit in sequence - such as J-10-9-8-7. Between two straight flushes, the one containing the higher top card is higher. An ace can be counted as low, so 5-4-3-2-A is a straight flush, but its top card is the five, not the ace, so it is the lowest type of straight flush. The cards cannot "turn the corner": 4-3-2-A-K is not valid.

3. Four of a kind

Four cards of the same rank - such as four queens. The fifth card can be anything. This combination is sometimes known as "quads", and in some parts of Europe it is called a "poker", though this term for it is unknown in English. Between two fours of a kind, the one with the higher set of four cards is higher - so 3-3-3-3-A is beaten by 4-4-4-4-2. It can't happen in standard poker, but if in some other game you need to compare two fours of a kind where the sets of four cards are of the same rank, then the one with the higher fifth card is better.

4. Full House

This consists of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank - for example three sevens and two tens (colloquially known as "sevens full" or more specifically "sevens on tens"). When comparing full houses, the rank of the three cards determines which is higher. For example 9-9-9-4-4 beats 8-8-8-A-A. If the threes of a kind were equal, the rank of the pairs would decide.

5. Flush

Five cards of the same suit. When comparing two flushes, the highest card determines which is higher. If the highest cards are equal then the second highest card is compared; if those are equal too, then the third highest card, and so on. For example K-J-9-3-2 beats K-J-7-6-5 because the nine beats the seven.

6. Straight

Five cards of mixed suits in sequence - for example Q-J-10-9-8. When comparing two sequences, the one with the higher ranking top card is better. Ace can count high or low in a straight, but not both at once, so A-K-Q-J-10 and 5-4-3-2-A are valid straights, but 2-A-K-Q-J is not. 5-4-3-2-A is the lowest kind of straight, the top card being the five.

7. Three of a Kind

Three cards of the same rank plus two other cards. This combination is also known as Triplets or Trips. When comparing two threes of a kind the hand in which the three equal cards are of higher rank is better. So for example 5-5-5-3-2 beats 4-4-4-K-Q. If you have to compare two threes of a kind where the sets of three are of equal rank, then the higher of the two remaining cards in each hand are compared, and if those are equal, the lower odd card is compared.

8. Two Pairs

A pair is two cards of equal rank. In a hand with two pairs, the two pairs are of different ranks (otherwise you would have four of a kind), and there is an odd card to make the hand up to five cards. When comparing hands with two pairs, the hand with the highest pair wins, irrespective of the rank of the other cards - so J-J-2-2-4 beats 10-10-9-9-8 because the jacks beat the tens. If the higher pairs are equal, the lower pairs are compared, so that for example 8-8-6-6-3 beats 8-8-5-5-K. Finally, if both pairs are the same, the odd cards are compared, so Q-Q-5-5-8 beats Q-Q-5-5-4.

9. Pair

A hand with two cards of equal rank and three other cards which do not match these or each other. When comparing two such hands, the hand with the higher pair is better - so for example 6-6-4-3-2 beats 5-5-A-K-Q. If the pairs are equal, compare the highest ranking odd cards from each hand; if these are equal compare the second highest odd card, and if these are equal too compare the lowest odd cards. So J-J-A-9-3 beats J-J-A-8-7 because the 9 beats the 8.

10. High Card

Five cards which do not form any of the combinations listed above. When comparing two such hands, the one with the better highest card wins. If the highest cards are equal the second cards are compared; if they are equal too the third cards are compared, and so on. So A-J-9-5-3 beats A-10-9-6-4 because the jack beats the ten.

Black Jack

Online Blackjack is the online casino game that is considered to be most popular everywhere around the world. Online Blackjack is a very attractive, dynamic and interesting game that is favoured by many players because it involves good chances and complicated strategies. where results are dependant upong the player's skill, here at money forums we explain the basics of playing the game as well as illustrate a strategy for potentially winning at black jack.

Black Jack Basic Strategy

Mathematicians and blackjack experts have used computer simulations and statistical analysis to try to find a way to beat the casino at blackjack. Through their studies, they have determined a basic strategy that gives the player the best odds against the casino.

This basic strategy helps the player make decisions about when to hit and when to stand. By playing this basic strategy, the player can play on nearly even terms with the house. This basic strategy is the starting point for more-advanced card-counting strategies professional blackjack players use to gain an advantage on the house.

Basic strategy
Below is the basic blackjack strategy for playing online casinos, you will find that this will reduce the casino's advantage considerably.

Your Hand          Dealer's Up Card
             2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10 A
5,6,7,8      H  H  H  H  H  H  H  H  H  H
9            H  D  D  D  D  H  H  H  H  H
10           D  D  D  D  D  D  D  D  H  H
11           D  D  D  D  D  D  D  D  D  H
12           H  H  S  S  S  H  H  H  H  H
13,14        S  S  S  S  S  H  H  H  H  H
15,16        S  S  S  S  S  H  H  H  H  H
17,18,19,20  S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S

Soft 13,14   H  H  H  D  D  H  H  H  H  H
Soft 15,16   H  H  D  D  D  H  H  H  H  H
Soft 17      H  D  D  D  D  H  H  H  H  H
Soft 18      S  D  D  D  D  S  S  H  H  H
Soft 19,20   S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S

A-A          SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP
2-2,3-3      SP SP SP SP SP SP H  H  H  H
4-4          H  H  H  SP SP H  H  H  H  H
5-5          D  D  D  D  D  D  D  D  H  H
6-6          SP SP SP SP SP H  H  H  H  H
7-7          SP SP SP SP SP SP H  H  H  H
8-8          SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP
9-9          SP SP SP SP SP S  SP SP S  S
10-10        S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S

H=Hit, S=Stand, D=Double down, SP=Split

Card counting systems
A number of blackjack players have enjoyed success at beating the real casino's by using card-counting systems. Card-counting systems are based on the principle that the make-up of a deck of cards changes as cards are played. Analysis has shown that a deck is in the player's favor when it has more ten-count cards in it. The reason the deck favors the player is because the player has a better chance of getting blackjack which pays 3 to 2, more money than an average win.

By assigning a simple value such as +1 for high cards and -1 for low cards, a card counter can roughly determine the ratio of high cards to low cards remaining in the deck at anytime during play. When the deck contains more high cards and the odds are in his favor, he increases the amount he bets so he can win more. When the deck isn't favorable, he bets the minimum so he loses less. The count also affects his decisions on when to hit, stand, double and split.

If you want to learn more about card counting, I recommend The World's Greatest Blackjack Book by Lance Humble and Million Dollar Blackjack by Ken Uston.

Note that virtually all online casinos shuffle the cards after each round. This prevents players from using their computer to keep a count, and get an edge on the casino. At online casinos, your best bet is to stick with basic strategy.