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Bad poker beat and how to deal with it.
If you have been playing poker online, you know how annoying bad poker beat is, and it is very important for you to know how to deal with it. First of all, you must understand what a poker bad beat is. There is no exact definition but it is said to occur when despite of having a very strong hand, you are beaten and you cannot do anything about it. It makes no sense when you have the upper hand and yet lose. It makes you sick since you thought you had the best hand, but you lost and you have to accept that fact.
Texas Holdem Poker is an online poker game where you get bad beats. These bad beats can be categorized into two types, one where you are helpless and have to resign to your fate and the other which you can certainly hope to avoid.
Let us first analyze the type where a bad beat is inevitable. You have got a pair of aces and the other player left in contention has a pair of fours. Now to have a pair of aces is considered to be the best possible combination but the flop is AQ4 and the other player selects the option to go all-in. You are left with no option but to call. You don’t get a chance to fold your aces and lose to fours. When a four comes on the river, this is bad beat. This really is bad but you could have folded instead of calling, as AQ in not that strong a hand.
Now let us assume a second scenario where you can hope to deal with a bad beat. Imagine that it is again you and another opponent left on the table and you have got AQ. Your opponent is really low on chips and has got a poor J9. You think you have got a good chance and you choose to call his all in. Lady luck is not on your side and the flop comes 10 7 2 and it is your friend who hits 8 on the turn.
Well, you resign to your fate and start wondering what more you could do to win. It’s not your fault and you have to accept the fact that in online poker games, bad beats are a part of the game of poker and they will occur, no matter what. You have to live with them and proceed without getting demoralized. Online poker is not different from playing poker in a casino when it comes to bad beats.
Have a go at Roulette and Blackjack
We all know that poker is a game where you play against other players and sometimes, you just come up against better players which can make it very hard to win. From time to time, you may want to take a step back from poker and have a go at a few casino games where you play against the house rather than other people and two of your best options are roulette and blackjack. Both of them are very easy to understand and play, not to mention the fact that they are good fun as well.
Starting with roulette, it is described by many as the perfect game of chance and that’s because the game consists of a spinning wheel and a small ball. The wheel has 37 or 38 numbered slots (varies depending on the version of the game you’re playing) and the idea of the game is to guess where you think the ball will land. There are several different bets that you can make to accommodate your predictions/guesses, some bets cover a large portion of the wheel, others don’t. They all have different payouts as well so it’s a very interesting game.
Talking about all of the different bets, odds, payouts, strategies and so on would take a long time, so you may want to take a look at a site that is all about the game such as Online Roulette EU which has a lot of detailed and easy to read information on the subject. If however you prefer a game with cards involved, you may be better suited to blackjack.
The aim is simple, you play against a dealer and you need to get card totals as close to 21 as you can without going over which results in a loss. The game starts by the two of you being given two cards each although you can only see one of the dealer’s cards. Then you need to decide whether you want another card (hit) or if you’re happy with your current card total (stand). You also have other options to consider such as splitting pairs, doubling down and surrendering.
The best way to play blackjack is with what’s known as “basic strategy” and this is a simple card which tells you what you should do on each different hand that both you and the dealer can have. By following these cards, the house edge is cut down to less than 1% making blackjack one of most favourable casino games.
As with roulette, there are many different odds to take into consideration with blackjack and you would definitely be best off learning about basic strategy before you start playing for real money, whether it’s online or offline. You can read about strategy and play a strategy trainer game at Blackjack Info which is an easy to use blackjack informational site.
Either of these games makes a nice change from poker regardless of whether you’re an online or offline gamer. As with most games, the more you play them, the better at them you will become although you should keep in mind that as with all games where you play against the house, they have a small advantage over you. Poker is the only game where the house edge is taken out of the equation but it also requires a lot of skill to master as you probably already know.
Carbon Poker bad beat jackpot
Carbon Poker has one of the best Bad Beat Jackpot initiatives around and with it currently being over $900,000, somebody out in the Carbon world will take home a huge payday for being very unlucky.
For those of you who don’t know how the Bad Beat Jackpot works, it really is as simple as saying the whole table gets rewarded for someone’s monster hand getting beat by an even bigger hand. To get involved, players must sit at the selected Bad Beat Jackpot ring game tables in the Carbon Poker lobby and then simply play cards as per usual. Those Bad Beat Jackpot tables take $0.50 from every pot and put it towards the Bad Beat Jackpot that grows and grows until someone hits it.
To win the Bad Beat Jackpot a player actually has to lose; he or she must lose a hand with four of a kind 7’s or better and both players (the winner and loser) must use both hole cards to complete the hand. When this happens, the losing player takes home 35% of the jackpot and the winner takes home of 17.5% of the Bad Beat Jackpot. The remaining players at the table that were dealt into the hand split up another 17.5% while, 20% of the remaining pot goes to reseed the next Bad Beat Jackpot.
Poker players are geniuses when it comes to calculating odds and doing math-related problems, but anyone can figure out that taking home 35% of $900K is a sizable chunk of change ($315,000) for actually losing a poker hand! This is actually attracting a lot of attention in the online poker world and traffic is booming as more and more players do not want to miss on that opportunity.
What are you waiting for, head on over to Carbon’s Bad Beat tables to get in on your chance to make a huge score by actually losing a hand!
Beth Shak
Beth was born in Portland, Oregon on November 8, 1969. At 41 years old, the extremely beautiful and stylish Beth Shak is considered to be one of the most gorgeous women in the poker community.
She started playing cards only in the year 2002 by using ‘play money’ on the Full Tilt Poker website. She started playing live professionally in 2004 and today she already holds a number of accomplishments, which garnered her a top spot in the Women’s All Time Money Winners.
She placed top ten in the second live tournament she ever joined which was the Ladies event of the World Series of Poker way back in 2005. By 2007, she ranked second, beating more than eight hundred other players in the World Series of Poker No Limit Hold ‘em event. She also finished in the top 30 in the fifth season of the European Poker tour, which had more than 500 participants.
With all these amazing accomplishments, you would be amazed that poker is just a small part of Beth’s life. She has a clothing line that she herself developed. This extended out to lingerie to include exclusive up-market shoes for which she has a passion. She owns 1,200 pairs herself as of the last count.
Fashion is obviously one of the key features in her life. Beth Shak says she dresses up appropriately sexy when she plays poker. A closely fitting top with jeans and high heels are her staple outfit on the felt.
She is also a dedicated mother of three; all the more so when she split up with former husband, Daniel Shak. Her commitment is admirable as she makes it a point to put her children’s needs above playing poker. Aside from that, she is also active in philanthropic engagements and joins numerous poker tournaments for charity. She especially raises money for the palliative care program in The Children’s Hospital in Pennsylvania.
With the help of the media’s spotlight, she became much famous for her episode in ‘Millionaire Matchmaker’ where she tried to date guys and to find her soulmate. She also appeared in highly publicized events at the Playboy Mansion, got involved in a fashion spread for YRB Magazine, and also got featured on MTV Cribs. Recently, she appeared as well in the documentary entitled ‘God Save My Shoes’ which is basically about women’s love for shoes.
With her busy schedule, she can not play poker as much as she wants to, but she has set a goal for herself. Her aim is to get a World Series of Poker Bracelet, no matter how long it may take.
UK Seeks to Regulate Offshore Online Gambling
The UK Government has recently put in new regulations concerning online gambling. The main purpose of the bill is to require all gambling operators that offer their services to British clienteles to get a license in the country, regardless of whether or not they are based offshore.
John Penrose a Conservative Member of Parliament who also holds the position for Minister for Tourism and Heritage made the announcement a few days ago. He mentions however, that “white listed” jurisdictions offshore, such as the Isle of Man, will receive a lighter treatment.
Furthermore, the regulations will not be duplicated, which means that the main supervisory body for operators based in the Isle of Man would, or anywhere else for that matter, still be their respective regulatory bodies.
It is expected that once the new legislation is carried out, the white listing classification would then be brought to an end. Furthermore, all gambling operators operating outside of the UK will no longer be able to offer any games to the UK market at all if they do not have the proper licenses.
While the recent issues on money laundering charges against some online gambling companies in the US have been considered while the bill was proposed, it is not the main problem the bill seeks to address. The bill’s goal is to eliminate white listing and instead impose similar regulations on all offshore online casinos that seek to operate within the country. The Isle of Man is perhaps the most affected by the bill considering the previous status of their online casinos which were white listed.
Currently, the Isle of Man yields a profit of more than £4 million to the Man Government, generated by online gambling. After the changes would take place, it has been foreseen that the revenues would decrease significantly.
Full Tilt Poker Loses License
Following the series of crackdowns against online gambling in the US, another blow hits the industry: A gambling commission in the Channel Islands, UK has recently announced that it has withdrawn its license from Full Tilt.
The Alderney Gambling Control Commission which was responsible for the move said that while Full Tilt’s executives’ indictment in April prompted them to action, the company’s failure to pay back players was the critical factor. The commission had conducted a probe on the matter, the findings of which didn’t go well for Full Tilt.
“The nature of the findings necessitated the taking of immediate action in the public interest.”, said the Alderney commission. Full Tilt was not able to dole out payments to players who still had remaining balances with the company. This, in turn, has caused several suits filed against the company including one by poker superstar Phil Ivey, further compounding to the situation.
Full Tilt Poker was one among three sites – with the Cereus Network and PokerStars – to be the subject of crackdowns conducted during mid April which resulted in several executives from these companies to be indicted with money laundering charges. The Full Tilt Poker domain was reinstated a couple of days later. Full Tilt, however, was not able to pay back what they owed to players. This is apparently due to very bad management of their internal finances. In addition they also broke some gambling rules by their regulator, such as letting their sponsored pros use more than one username to hide their identity.
Before the issue hits full force, Full Tilt Poker was poised to enter into a contract with European investors (rumored to be Paddy Poker) that would have allowed the company a much-needed boost. A hearing regarding the withdrawal of the license is set for Full Tilt Poker on July 26. This could be a make-or-break situation for Full Tilts as investors have little to gain acquiring a company neck-deep in woes. Can this great poker brand be saved? Only the future will tell.
Getting Away With A Bluff
Bluffing is an integral part of any poker game. Unfortunately, a lot of players don’t understand how a bluff should be presented, and more importantly, when a bluff should be used.
If you’re deciding that you’re going to bluff the next pot before the hand even starts, then you’re off to a very bad start. Many players picture such a scenario in their mind. They think that they’re going to play a certain way to clearly indicate that they are strong and steal the next pot. It doesn’t quite work like that. The problem with that approach is that you’re only considering the image you’ll be projecting when in fact you should be considering so much more data.
Everyone knows you can’t bluff every single pot, and you can’t get away with every single bluff attempt you make. The thing you need to understand about pulling off a bluff is that timing is everything. You need to look for cues and indicators that will trigger your mind to the possibility of a bluff, and for cues that tell your brain not to bother attempting a bluff.
In order to bluff successfully, you must read your opponents well. Why is reading your opponents so important? Well, it’s quite simple really.
You don’t want to bluff an opponent who has a strong hand; you want to bluff the ones with the weak hand. Remember, the whole idea of a bluff is to get other players to fold. Bluffing implies that you have no hand, or a very weak one. You do not want to get called. This is why timing is important because you want to bluff when you sense weakness out there, and you can only do that by learning how to read your opponents. If you detect strength, perhaps a bluff attempt is not your best move.
Another factor you need to consider is the number of players involved in the hand. If there’s five opponents who all have some chips invested in the pot already, bluffing everyone is going to be hard. Additionally, from a pure mathematical standpoint, the odds that someone makes a hand and beats you will increase for each player involved in the hand. It’s much easier to bluff one person than it is to bluff three at once.
Finally, you need to pay attention to the exposed cards. If you’re playing Hold’em or Omaha, the board cards are shared with everyone and you need to watch for opportunities, but also be wary of danger flops.
For instance, when the flop presents a straight potential, a flush potential, a pair, and high cards, these are all opportunities to bluff. You can pretend to have made a flush or a straight. However you also risk facing an opponent who actually made the hand you’re pretending to have. This is why it is important to read opponents well.
Also remember that bluffing should be used in moderation. If you get caught bluffing too frequently, not only will you loose a lot of chips, but you will also loose credibility for a future attempt. The more you fail, the harder it gets to bluff successfully.
Mastering your poker bankroll
The major pitfall for most starting players is playing out of their bankroll.
They play games that are too rich for their bankrolls and variance causes them to go busto. It’s real important to play at a level that if your AA losts to that 9-7 (but hey they were suited) it really won’t hurt you too much and you can look forward to the next time he tries that play.
But if you have a $500 bankroll and your playing at $200NL ($1-$2 blinds) then you just dumped most of your bankroll to a suckout and that can not only hurt, but it can keep hurting when people go on tilt or attempt to “win back” what they lost. It’s just bad bad bad bad.
So here is my master plan to take over the poker world:
$10NL – 20 Buy-Ins ($200)
$25NL – 20 Buy-Ins ($500)
$50NL – 20 Buy-Ins ($1000)
$100NL – 25 Buy-Ins ($2500)
$200NL – 30 Buy-Ins ($6000)
The amount in the parenthesis is the minimum amount I need in my bankroll to move up to that level. If upon moving up I drop 5 buy-ins below the min, I will move myself back down and rebuild.
It’s simple. It’s straightforward. It’s something I am going to work very hard to stay disciplined too.
Of course it is easier said than done. They to be a profitable online poker player is do know when to move down in limit. Often players’ ego will stop you from doing that, maybe because you do not want the players at the lower limit to recognize you and berate you for coming back at their level. Or for any sort of reason. This is a leak. Leave you ego in the closet when playing online poker, this is the number one rule.
Understanding Casino Bonuses
Online casinos are in a lot of competition with one another.
They each want to capture the attention of new online casino players and keep the players they already have happy and coming back. This is why the online casinos make it a point to offer exciting bonuses to their players. And they use attractive bonuses to entice and lure the players. Online casino players can do themselves a favor by understanding casino bonuses and exactly how they work. This way, they will know how to spot the really good ones and how to go about getting them.
When it comes to understanding casino bonuses, the first thing players should know is they come in many different types. One popular casino bonus players will see a lot is the initial deposit bonus. This bonus matches a players deposit by a predetermined percentage and for a certain maximum amount of money.
Many online casinos also offer no deposit bonuses. Each online casino will have its own way of offering this bonus. Some will offer players a bonus for registering and they can keep the bonus once they clear it. Others will offer players a bit of free money and a specific amount of time to spend it. They will be able to keep any of the cash they have won at the end of the time allotted.
Online casinos will often offer other types of bonuses as well. They may offer their players a referral bonus. This is a bonus the players will be given in exchange for bringing their friends to the online casino for enjoying the casino games as well. Some of the online casinos that offer this bonus will also give the referred player a bonus as well. Some other bonuses include loyalty bonuses, redeposit bonuses, and others.
Understanding casino bonuses is a very important part of playing at an online casino because it offers the players the chance to have even more fun and win more money. Anyone looking forward to a casino bonus needs to do some reading up on the requirements of the bonus so they know they are eligible and so they know just what they have to do to clear the bonus. For example such bonuses usually apply to specific games, not all games.
Understanding casino bonuses is a little of homework, but it will you get the most of what is on offer in the Internet. Simply put, by making use of these bonuses, you the player will be able to get a lot of extra cash into your account.
The Best Online Casino
Have you already tried to play games at an online casino? This can be a very exhilarating experience if you like gambling. But why playing online and not simply going to a real casino?
Of course you can do both and each venue has its specific advantages. If you go gambling in the Sin City for example, than you will also have access to plenty of other attractions, like world-class cuisine, all kinds of shows, playing live poker, golfing, dancing and much more. You will also be in a social playing atmosphere with other visitors, gamblers and the casino and hotel staff, who is there to have fun or to serve you. You can make new friends or come with your friends. This is also an opportunity to travel abroad such as playing blackjack in Macau or Monte Carlo.
On the other hand online casinos have comparatively nice advantages too. You will be able to play from your computer without living your house. You will not need to prepare for a trip to play roulette as you can play at any time you wish once you have opened your account, even in the middle of the night. You will be able to choose from a much wider range of games just by the click of your mouse. In a brick and mortar there are fewer games and you need to locate them before you play.
Also online casinos have better odds than Las Vegas because they are much cheaper to run without the need for a lot of real estate and staff, free drinks, free food and flashy lights and decors. You can also switch from one online casino to another if you wish, just by a few clicks of your mouse. And online casinos offer plenty of attractive incentives such as sign up bonuses and VIP programs, perks that match land-based casinos incentive programs.
The game selection often exceeds 100 games at most online casinos, with every imaginable game from craps, roulette to slot machines or video poker, all under one single program. Online casinos regularly offer new games not yet available at live casinos. And you can play more and faster at an online casino thanks to their advanced software technology. So if you have not yet done so, give it a try and have fun.
