The journey towards choosing the ideal starting poker hands guide has to begin with the (potential) player working out what type of poker they are really keen on playing – as there are different types of poker, from the popular Texas Holdem rules poker to the lesser known forms of the game like ‘carbon poker.’ As it turns out then, the ideal starting poker hands guide for someone who is keen on Texas Holdem rules poker might not be the ideal starting poker hands guide for someone who is keen on say, carbon poker.

Indeed, the more specific a potential poker player can be about the type of poker they are considering playing, the better their chances of getting the ideal guide for their purposes. Someone who is really keen on Texas Holdem rules poker, for instance, will tend to discover that there is still a variety of Texas Holdem rules varieties they can specialize in, an example of which is for instance the preflop strategy; which is considered by many authorities to be the best way to get introduced to Texas Holdem poker.

Should one start out looking for a starting poker hands guide, then narrow down their search to a particular variety of poker (say poker starting hands guide for Texas Holdem), and then further narrow down their search to a particular strategy in Texas Holdem – say to a guide on the preflop poker strategy, then they have chances of getting a highly specialized poker starting hands guide that can provide them with highly specialized information, which if well practiced, can turn them into poker specialists on that particular type of poker they happen to have so gotten inducted into.

The fact that there exists highly specialized poker guides (like the preflop poker strategy guide mentioned earlier, which deals with one particular strategy in one particular form of poker) means that the starting poker hands guides are not a preserve of novices looking to learn and try their very first hands in poker, but also experienced poker players seeking to enhance their knowledge of poker – since poker is a very extensive and ‘quite brainy’ game; of which no one can honestly say they know everything about.

So the next time you see someone searching online for, or reading through a poker starting hands guide, don’t assume that they are absolute novices at the game, as they could be world champions on the game – just seeking to learn one more form of poker.

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Elite Strategy: No-Limit Hold’em with Vinny Pahuja
Poker is a game of information so it is in this vein that PokerNews brings viewers a strategy section devoted specifically to helping to develop ones game. Titled Elite Strategy, these articles feature the wisdom of some of pokers top players.

The journey towards choosing the ideal starting poker hands guide has to begin with the (potential) player working out what type of poker they are really keen on playing – as there are different types of poker, from the popular Texas Holdem rules poker to the lesser known forms of the game like ‘carbon poker.’ As it turns out then, the ideal starting poker hands guide for someone who is keen on Texas Holdem rules poker might not be the ideal starting poker hands guide for someone who is keen on say, carbon poker.

Indeed, the more specific a potential poker player can be about the type of poker they are considering playing, the better their chances of getting the ideal guide for their purposes. Someone who is really keen on Texas Holdem rules poker, for instance, will tend to discover that there is still a variety of Texas Holdem rules varieties they can specialize in, an example of which is for instance the preflop strategy; which is considered by many authorities to be the best way to get introduced to Texas Holdem poker.

Should one start out looking for a starting poker hands guide, then narrow down their search to a particular variety of poker (say poker starting hands guide for Texas Holdem), and then further narrow down their search to a particular strategy in Texas Holdem – say to a guide on the preflop poker strategy, then they have chances of getting a highly specialized poker starting hands guide that can provide them with highly specialized information, which if well practiced, can turn them into poker specialists on that particular type of poker they happen to have so gotten inducted into.

The fact that there exists highly specialized poker guides (like the preflop poker strategy guide mentioned earlier, which deals with one particular strategy in one particular form of poker) means that the starting poker hands guides are not a preserve of novices looking to learn and try their very first hands in poker, but also experienced poker players seeking to enhance their knowledge of poker – since poker is a very extensive and ‘quite brainy’ game; of which no one can honestly say they know everything about.

So the next time you see someone searching online for, or reading through a poker starting hands guide, don’t assume that they are absolute novices at the game, as they could be world champions on the game – just seeking to learn one more form of poker.

–

Online Poker Weekend: ‘sistabossen’, ‘METZMAGNY’ Capture Majors (source: pokernews.com)
Another Sunday night full of online poker action saw ‘sistabossen’ and ‘METZMAGNY’ capture the night’s biggest prizes at Full Tilt and PokerStars, respectively. Overall, attendance in the biggest online events ticked upward… (source: pokernews.com) – RSS widgets and RSS feeds on Feedzilla.com

How to Play Texas Holdem – a Beginners guide (source: poker-skool.com)
Learn to play Texas holdem, Omaha hi/lo, rules of the games free download, then find the best online poker sites to practice what you’ve learnt (source: poker-skool.com) – RSS widgets and RSS feeds on Feedzilla.com

Online sportsbooks were the first to be introduced in the internet and they were followed by many, one among them being online poker. Online casinos were also introduced in the mid 90s, the same time when sportsbooks reached the internet. Microgaming, that came up in the early 90s is a good example and has now become a casino software developer.

In 1998, Planet poker entered the scene and was the first to create an online poker gambling rooms. It was the first and the last of its kind for quite long. With passage of time, many new and big poker sites reached the net carrying a maximum rate of about 3 dollars with an initial rake of five percent. The industry was recognized only in 1998 but it noteworthy that the rates have been almost the same.

In 1999, Paradise Poker was created and this has now become the leader in industry. It was around this time that Dutch Boyd created Poker Spot.

Though Poker spot is the pioneer in running poker tournaments online, they faced whole lot of problems. The group did not collect the deposits of the players from its credit card partners. The company did not remit the winnings of the players as all deposits it held, were not returned. This resulted in their fall.

The introduction of the Netellers e-cash system has reduced the repetitions of the problems encountered by the Poker spot group in other poker players. The online poker groups are provided with funds from the Neteller system. The Netellers e-cash system frees the players from the trouble of using the wire transfer or credit card to deposit money in order to enter the poker group. This has helped in the minimization of frauds and improved the credibility of the company.

In the year 2001, online poker industry welcomed the entry of the two giant firms, Party Poker and Poker Stars. Paradise was on the lead until 2003, when they were overtaken by Party Poker due to the latter?s strategic advertising. The launch of World Poker Tour along with the Party Poker Million strategies attracted a lot of people and drove the group to success.

Chris MoneyMaker also contributed a lot to the popularity and growth of online poker. He was charged with 40 dollars to enter the poker room. He won the satellite tournament conducted by the Poker stars and was qualified for the final and the main event. He won the topmost prize of 2.5 Million dollars in a game considered to be one of the biggest of the World’s Series of Poker tournaments and in which about 839 participants had contested.

The creation of the site http://www.pokertips.org made online poker more accessible to all people especially to those who were new to the field of online poker. In 2004, that is one year after the launch of the site, the game became very popular with the fascinating story of Mr. Moneymaker adding another feather to its cap. The companies pocketed huge amounts and there were other entrants like Noble Poker and the Full Tilt Poker to the industry as well.

Sportingbet, a listed sportsbook acquired Paradise Poker and this contributed to the growth of gambling industry. A lot of companies considered listing in the stock market as it helped them get funds to aid expansion of their business.

The United Kingdom has passed a legislation which states that gambling is legal.

Today we have a lot of sites that educate people who are new to the industry on the game. They aid in developing the skills of the beginners and making them professionals. Here are a few books on online poker: the Super System which is by Doyle Brunson, the Hold ‘em Poker for the Advanced Players and this is by Sklansky,Malmuth, the Killer Poker which is by John Vorhaus and Texas Holdem which is by Ken Warren. You are advised to learn the basic skills and the poker theory from experts.

Some of the best Online Poker Sites

Texas Holdem Poker
StudStrategy
Low Limit Omaha
Poker School Online at pokerschoolonline.com
Ichiban Poker
Poker Performance Psychology
PlayWinningPoker.com and playwinningpoker.com
The Gamblers Edge at thegamblersedge.com
Poker Pro Association
Low Limit Holdem at lowlimitholdem.com
PokerStrategy
Poker Pages at pokerpages.com

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Adrien ‘zlatan35′ Allain signs with PKR Poker
APT (Asian Poker Tour) Macau Main Event winner drien ‘zlatan35′ Allain is the latest up and coming star to join poker’s coolest collective Team PKR Pro. Read the full story at http://www.classicasinos.com/PokerNews/ns_08102009_329.html

Free Poker – If you are looking to play online poker for pure recreation, and not for money, ensure that the site you are interested in accommodates “free” players. Most online poker sites do cater to free players.

Software Download vs. Web-based – Most, if not all, online poker sites require you to download their poker client software onto your computer system to run. If you are adverse to downloading such software onto your system, then you might want to check to see if the poker site alternatively has a web-based poker interface, which allows you to play poker on the site from within your browser. Software installs run the potential risk of viruses and/or adware being loaded onto your system (although most of the reputable firms would never do that), but software installs on your computer generally run a lot faster than web-based sessions. Software installations harness the power of your local PC’s CPU, whereas web-based interfaces rely on downloading any screen real estate updates over the Internet during play. This can be slow, particularly, if you are running over a slow internet connection (e.g., a dialup line). Hence, if you are after speed, select local software installations; if you are concerned about your computer’s safety or cannot afford the disk space used by a software installation, select a web-based poker site.

Methods of Deposit/Withdrawal – If you are planning to play poker for money over the Internet, it is very important to consider the methods of deposit and withdrawal that a poker site supports. Many of these sites permit major credit cards to be used, which seem to be the universal deposit mechanism of choice. Others permit the use of bank transfer, ACH transfer, checks, and wire transfer from banks. Most poker sites also support some form of 3rd party eWallets, which provide an intermediary between banking institutions and the poker site itself. The main criteria to look at are: 1) What methods of deposit/withdrawal are supported by the poker site, and how many of these methods are supported by the locale that you live in ?; 2) Is it legal to fund/withdraw to/from a poker site, from the jurisdiction that you are playing in ?; 3) What are the fees associated with the 3rd party eWallet companies that you are able to use, and how reliable are they (this latter question can be researched on some of the poker message forum boards) ?

Locale Restrictions – Some poker sites restrict the playing for money (and even free play sometimes), based on your locale, and the laws governing gambling in your locale. You should check with the laws of your local jurisdiction and check with the poker site, to see if there are any imposed restrictions on play, based on your locale.

Support – You should definitely look at the methods of support that a poker site offers. Poker sites generally provide one (or more) methods of support that include: telephone support, fax support, Email support, and live chat support. The more of these that a poker site offers, the better. For telephone support, check and see if the poker site offers toll-free support from your playing jurisdiction or not.

Game Variety – Depending on your level of poker playing expertise and your interest in variety, it is important to determine which game types the poker site supports. Almost all of the sites offer Texas Holdem, but depending on your level of interest, you should check to see if they offer games like Five and Seven Card Stud, Omaha Poker (and all of its variations), Blackjack (not poker, but often included as a game option), Stud (and its variations), Draw poker, Tournament support, and limit and pot limit games. Tournaments in particular are very popular with online poker sites, and some site tournaments offer very large prize pools.

Bonuses – Most, but not all, of the poker sites offer some form of bonus to the player, when you initially sign up with the site. Each site’s bonus is somewhat different, but of the one’s that offer first time bonus, it is usually predicated on a minimum initial deposit. Many bonuses are also calculated based on the amount of money deposited and spent on the site. Additionally, many sites offer reload bonuses, which are bonuses that are offered to existing customers, beyond their initial deposit bonus, and as an incentive to keep you as a customer.

Graphics and Useability – This is a very important consideration. Every poker site has a different look and feel to it. If you are going to be playing poker for money, it is important that you feel comfortable with the screen graphics and your ability to navigate (via mouse or keyboard clicks) through the poker program. If you feel uncomfortable at all with the poker site, you should definitely not consider playing at it for money. You should always test a poker site out in “free” mode first, before actually considering it for real-money wagering.

Game Features – You should always consider the game features that are available with a given poker site. Game features such as hand history, multiple simultaneous playing windows, player notes, audible and visual indicators, player statistics, connection status indicator, player chat, turbo games, and screen options should always be considered.

Rake – Rake is the amount of the pot that the poker site takes (as part of its fee for doing business), from each hand. You should always be aware of how much rake a poker site takes (compared to another site). Poker sites usually use a Weighted Contribution rake method or an Average Contribution method, when calculating rake. Obviously, the lower the rake, the more money you will take home on hand wins, but this criteria by itself should not dictate which poker site you use, since all of the above factors need to be taken into consideration as well. In summary, the aforementioned criteria should always be used, when deciding which Poker site is best for you. Depending on your preferences, some of these criteria should be given more weight than others. Happy Poker site hunting !!

–

Poker Hall of Fame Adds Two Players (source: about.com)
This year, the Poker Hall of Fame inducted two new members to it’s exclusive club: Harry Orenstein, who invented the hole cam that’s made poker on TV exciting, and Dewey… (source: about.com) – RSS news feeds and Widgets on Feedzilla.com

Beginners guide to poker where to play for free till you master the game (source: poker-skool.com)
Poker Skool – Beginners guide the first thing YOU need to learn is where to get $100 for free we show this and other tips and tricks, (source: poker-skool.com) – RSS widgets and RSS feeds on Feedzilla.com

Poker in Las Vegas (source: about.com)
In just a few hours, I’m heading out to Las Vegas and I can’t wait. While there’s closer poker in Atlantic City to me — there’s no place better than… (source: about.com) – RSS and News widget on Feedzilla.com

Free Poker – If you are looking to play online poker for pure recreation, and not for money, ensure that the site you are interested in accommodates “free” players. Most online poker sites do cater to free players.

Software Download vs. Web-based – Most, if not all, online poker sites require you to download their poker client software onto your computer system to run. If you are adverse to downloading such software onto your system, then you might want to check to see if the poker site alternatively has a web-based poker interface, which allows you to play poker on the site from within your browser. Software installs run the potential risk of viruses and/or adware being loaded onto your system (although most of the reputable firms would never do that), but software installs on your computer generally run a lot faster than web-based sessions. Software installations harness the power of your local PC’s CPU, whereas web-based interfaces rely on downloading any screen real estate updates over the Internet during play. This can be slow, particularly, if you are running over a slow internet connection (e.g., a dialup line). Hence, if you are after speed, select local software installations; if you are concerned about your computer’s safety or cannot afford the disk space used by a software installation, select a web-based poker site.

Methods of Deposit/Withdrawal – If you are planning to play poker for money over the Internet, it is very important to consider the methods of deposit and withdrawal that a poker site supports. Many of these sites permit major credit cards to be used, which seem to be the universal deposit mechanism of choice. Others permit the use of bank transfer, ACH transfer, checks, and wire transfer from banks. Most poker sites also support some form of 3rd party eWallets, which provide an intermediary between banking institutions and the poker site itself. The main criteria to look at are: 1) What methods of deposit/withdrawal are supported by the poker site, and how many of these methods are supported by the locale that you live in ?; 2) Is it legal to fund/withdraw to/from a poker site, from the jurisdiction that you are playing in ?; 3) What are the fees associated with the 3rd party eWallet companies that you are able to use, and how reliable are they (this latter question can be researched on some of the poker message forum boards) ?

Locale Restrictions – Some poker sites restrict the playing for money (and even free play sometimes), based on your locale, and the laws governing gambling in your locale. You should check with the laws of your local jurisdiction and check with the poker site, to see if there are any imposed restrictions on play, based on your locale.

Support – You should definitely look at the methods of support that a poker site offers. Poker sites generally provide one (or more) methods of support that include: telephone support, fax support, Email support, and live chat support. The more of these that a poker site offers, the better. For telephone support, check and see if the poker site offers toll-free support from your playing jurisdiction or not.

Game Variety – Depending on your level of poker playing expertise and your interest in variety, it is important to determine which game types the poker site supports. Almost all of the sites offer Texas Holdem, but depending on your level of interest, you should check to see if they offer games like Five and Seven Card Stud, Omaha Poker (and all of its variations), Blackjack (not poker, but often included as a game option), Stud (and its variations), Draw poker, Tournament support, and limit and pot limit games. Tournaments in particular are very popular with online poker sites, and some site tournaments offer very large prize pools.

Bonuses – Most, but not all, of the poker sites offer some form of bonus to the player, when you initially sign up with the site. Each site’s bonus is somewhat different, but of the one’s that offer first time bonus, it is usually predicated on a minimum initial deposit. Many bonuses are also calculated based on the amount of money deposited and spent on the site. Additionally, many sites offer reload bonuses, which are bonuses that are offered to existing customers, beyond their initial deposit bonus, and as an incentive to keep you as a customer.

Graphics and Useability – This is a very important consideration. Every poker site has a different look and feel to it. If you are going to be playing poker for money, it is important that you feel comfortable with the screen graphics and your ability to navigate (via mouse or keyboard clicks) through the poker program. If you feel uncomfortable at all with the poker site, you should definitely not consider playing at it for money. You should always test a poker site out in “free” mode first, before actually considering it for real-money wagering.

Game Features – You should always consider the game features that are available with a given poker site. Game features such as hand history, multiple simultaneous playing windows, player notes, audible and visual indicators, player statistics, connection status indicator, player chat, turbo games, and screen options should always be considered.

Rake – Rake is the amount of the pot that the poker site takes (as part of its fee for doing business), from each hand. You should always be aware of how much rake a poker site takes (compared to another site). Poker sites usually use a Weighted Contribution rake method or an Average Contribution method, when calculating rake. Obviously, the lower the rake, the more money you will take home on hand wins, but this criteria by itself should not dictate which poker site you use, since all of the above factors need to be taken into consideration as well. In summary, the aforementioned criteria should always be used, when deciding which Poker site is best for you. Depending on your preferences, some of these criteria should be given more weight than others. Happy Poker site hunting !!

–

How to Play Texas Holdem – a Beginners guide (source: poker-skool.com)
Learn to play Texas holdem, Omaha hi/lo, rules of the games free download, then find the best online poker sites to practice what you’ve learnt (source: poker-skool.com) – RSS news feeds and Widgets on Feedzilla.com

Poker in Las Vegas (source: about.com)
In just a few hours, I’m heading out to Las Vegas and I can’t wait. While there’s closer poker in Atlantic City to me — there’s no place better than… (source: about.com) – RSS news feeds and Widgets on Feedzilla.com

WSOP-C Hammond, Final Table: Steve Billirakis Caps Wire-to-Wire Run (source: pokernews.com)
In an impressive display, Steve ‘MrSmokey1′ Billirakis took the chip lead on Day 1 of the World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event at the Horseshoe Hammond and never let go, going wire to wire to take down the $208,885 first prize… (source: pokernews.com) – RSS feeds and Feed widget on Feedzilla.com

Omaha Rules – A Guide to Omaha
Omaha Poker rules are surprisingly similar to the the rules of Texas Holdem. A player who is already familiar with Texas Holdem rules and strategies should find learning how to play Omaha (sometimes even called Omaha Holdem) relatively simple. For new players, this is a comprehensive quick guide on how the game is played. From start to finish the game is a fun variation of everyone's favorite card game.   read more

Professional Poker Players Stay in Control
A positive trait of professional poker players is the ability not to get upset at what happens. In Texas Holdem, the professional poker player does not get upset when someone draws out on him or how unlucky he got in the hand. The professional player takes this as part of the game and moves on. The bad player lets it affect his entire game.