THE BEST TIPS FOR PLAYING AND WINNING!

Table of Contents:

3...Introduction
5...History of Poker
7...History of Online Poker
9...Poker 101
18...Playing Texas Hold ‘Em
20...Position
23...Pot Odds & Outs
26...Playing the Flop
31...Playing the River
32...Betting
35...Strategies
38...Tells
42...Bluffing
45...Multi-Table Tournaments
49...Sit and Go’s
53...Limit Poker
57...Some Things To Keep In Mind
60...When Things Get Out of Hand
62...Conclusion


INTRODUCTION
It’s becoming almost as big as baseball, football,
hockey, and other sporting events. Television has increased
its popularity. With the Internet, it’s coming into our homes
at a lightning fast rate. The rage that’s sweeping the nation
– poker! Although the game has been around for years
played in family recreation rooms, smoky bars, casinos, and
even retirement homes, these days, poker has become the
game of choice for hundreds of thousands of people.
Family game night used to mean getting out the
Monopoly board and battling over Park Place and Broadway.
Now, family game night is more likely to be characterized by
breaking out the poker chips and battling each other for the
best hands.
More and more people are talking about their bad
beats, their great hands, and their prowess for play. Popular
on college campuses, fraternal clubs, and even retirement
homes, poker has become our new game of chance, and our
new game of choice.
What has led to the rise of this game? Most likely, it
has been television and the media. On any given evening,
the average person can flip on the TV set and find a poker
game being aired. The World Series of Poker, Celebrity
Poker Showdown, and Ultimate Poker Showdown are rising
in the ratings as we tune in to see professionals battle it out
and compare our play to theirs.
Nearly every home these days has at least one
computer. The Internet has become our lifeline, in ways, for
information, contact with the outside world, and – yes – our
portal to the world of poker beyond our kitchen table. Now
ordinary people can log on and play poker with people other
than our parents, kids, and friends. Many professional
players sponsor online website where they are required to
play allowing Average Joe to match his poker skills with the
likes of Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson.
Perhaps the biggest rise in poker popularity –
specifically online poker – stems from one man’s $40 online
buy-in leading to the Cinderella story of the industry. Chris
Moneymaker qualified for The World Series of Poker main
event through a small buy-in satellite event at Poker Stars.
At the Series, he outlasted a field of 839 entrants – the
largest in World Series of Poker history at the time. He
pitted heads against some of the most well-known poker
professionals in the world – and won! Moneymaker’s firstplace
finish netted him $2.5 million dollars, which wasn’t bad
considering it was his first live tournament.
Many people looked at Moneymaker’s win as
monumental. After all, he was just an average guy. He
could be anyone’s next door neighbor or co-worker, and he
went up against the pros and won. Chris Moneymaker
opened the door for everyday people to dream about being
the next professional poker player.
In fact, the 2004 World Series featured triple the
number of players over the 2003 turnout. At least four
players in the WSOP final table won their entry through an
online card room. Like Moneymaker, 2004 winner Greg
“Fossil man” Raymer also won his entry at the Poker Stars
online card room.
There are a myriad of tips and tricks for playing the
game of poker. Everyone seems to have an opinion on the
best way to play the game. True, poker is a game of
chance, and many would argue that there really is no secret
to winning the game. However, there is a best way to play.
As Kenny Rogers sang in “The Gambler”, you’ve got to know
when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em. Know when
to walk away, and know when to run.
There are many variations on the game of poker, but
the one most popular today has got to be Texas Hold ‘Em.
It’s a relatively simple game, but like all poker, it can
change with the deal of every card. In this book, we’ll
explore different ways to play the game online to maximize
on your buy-in. We’ll touch on tournaments as well.
Online poker can be fun and even profitable when you
play smart and follow the advice of those in the know.
Whether you’re playing for fun...