NA2

Holdem Poker has a rich tapestry of character. From old days on the Mississippi to modern day internet whiz kids, poker has been played all types of people in all manners of locations. Subsequently almost every hand in poker has a name and can tell you a story.

The most powerful hand before the flop in Texas Holdem Poker is two Aces. Subsequently they generate the most excitement and colourful names. The most common names for two Aces are Rockets, Pocket Rockets, and Bullets (for obvious reasons). They are named after several famous people and organisations with initials starting with the letter “A” including Alan Alda, Albert Anastasia, and American Airlines. They are also known as numerous pointy and sharp objects including Rocky Mountains, Sticks, Teepees and Two Pips. A few obscure references include Squirrel (the nuts) and Batteries (Double A). Individual names for a single Ace include Bull, Bullet, Death Card (spades), Mastercard, One Spot, Puppy Foot (clubs), Seed, Sharp Top, Spike and Tax Card (spades).

Two kings are the second best hand preflop in holdem and are commonly known as Cowboys. Variations on this include Butchers of Baghdad (so named in reference to Saddam Hussein on the infamous Iraqi most wanted playing cards). Combinations of alliterations of KK include Krispy Kreme and King Kong (and by extension Gorillas, Gorillas in the Mist). They are referred to as Ace Magnets because an Ace always comes on the flop. A single King is also known as K-Boy, Monarch, Sergeant, Alexander (clubs), Charlemagne or Charles (hearts), David (spades), Julius Caesar or One eyed king (diamonds).

Queens often have nasty nicknames, partly because of the number of times they are beaten by Aces and Kings, but also through reference to homosexuality. Some nicer terms include Lovely Ladies, Ladies, Calamity Jane (likely extensive of Cowboys for KK) and Snowshoes (resemblance to the original shape of snowshoes). Crude nicknames include Siegfried and Roy and B***hes.

Other pairs such as Jacks through to Twos all have a nickname or two. Jacks are commonly known as Hooks or Fish-hooks. Less known names include Rent boys, Kid Dyne-o-mite (TV show reference), Brothers, Jay Birds, John Juanda (Poker Player) and finally possible the most vulgar – Colostomy Bag (as Jack is slang for toilet in some countries). Two Tens are referenced as Two Dimes, TNT, Dynamite and Binary (In Binary 1010 is the equivalent of 10). Nines are known as Barbara Feldon (Get Smart- Agent 99), German Virgins (Nein), Phil Helmuth (Won WSOP in 1989), Popeye, Pot hooks and Wayne Gretzky (Hockey Player). Two eights are Snowmen, Dawg Balls, Piano Keys, Little Oldsmobile, Racetracks, Two Fat Ladies, Lacey, Pretzels, and Wurlitzer. Sevens are axes, mullets, hockey sticks or walking sticks. A couple of sixes are known as Cherries, Boots or Kicks (On Route 66). Fives are Presto, Snakes or Speed Limit, while Fours are Canadian Presto, Dark Force, Darth Vader, Magnum and Sail boats. A Pair of threes is either crabs (claw shaped like the number 3) or treys and a pair of Twos is usually Deuces, Ducks, or Quack Quack (in reference to the number two being shaped like a duck).

Other hands with nicknames include the powerful Ace and King combination known as Big Slick. Other names include backronyms such as Korean Airlines and King Arthur, as well as the aptly named Anna Kournikova (looks good but seldom wins). Another common reference is Kalashnikov (who designed the AK47). Ace-Queen is known as Big Chick or Mrs Slick. Other notable hands include Jack-Four (Flat Tire) and J6 (Rail Road). A Ten and a Deuce is a famous hand known as the Doyle Brunson after he successful won two World Series of Poker bracelets.

Obviously the list of starting hand nicknames is more extensive than this. In addition there are alot of names too crude to be discussed here. If you are interested in other poker starting hand nicknames I recommend searching Wikipedia for an extensive list of common names with interesting references.

Looking to find a great deal on Poker Rakeback and Bonuses, then visit www.rakebackpower.com to find the best advice on the best rakeback deals for you.

Poker tells are one of the most important aspects of poker and they help to separate poker from other games of luck. When playing poker, it is crucial to observe your opponents in order to pick up on any clues they make inadvertently give away. Poker tells can include any piece of information gathered including voluntary and involuntary movements, verbal cues and behavioural patterns. The best part about tells is that every single poker player has them, and if you observe enough hands closely enough, you will eventually find them. Be careful though, some players try to give off reverse tells to trap you.

Eyes The eyes are the windows to a person’s soul. The length of stare at hole cards is a key timing tell, each person is different but some people can help but stare longer at their hole cards when they have a big hand. Others quickly snap the cards back down as soon as they see a monster. Another glaringly obvious tell is the glancing to the left consider a steal if in position. Quickly glancing at their chips when the flop comes down usually means they hit a piece of the flop. If a player glances at their chips when they hit it hard, then they will often stare at the flop when they miss.

Hole Cards Double checking their hole cards is a useful tell, if someone saw two Aces the first time, they don’t need to look a second. Looking away and uninterested when checking your hole cards is always strong. Players usually stare longer at cards that are bad than cards that are good. They look away to deceive you instinctively. When player’s glance back at their hand when the flop comes out monotone, you can almost be certain that they did not flop a flush. Instead, what it probably means is that they have one of that suit. If you notice someone that looks at one card before they look at their second e.g. if they look at their first card then immediately look at their second; you can probably assume that the first card wasn’t very good. However, if they look at their first card, then take a moment to squeeze out the next card, this is probably because the first card was an ace.

Patterns in Betting In poker, one thing that is often true is that strong means weak and weak means strong. Any player that forcefully shove chips into the middle looking aggressive is on a bluff. The reverse is also true.

Chip Stacks Studying how the chips are put out, the amount of bet, whether it is large chips or small chips can give clues to betting tells. Loose aggressive players usually have unorganised stacks while tight conservative players keep neat stacks. Some players keep two stacks in cash games, these type of players will stack their winnings off to the side or in front so they can easily tell how much they are up on the game. If you can determine this, they will be less likely to call a bet which would put them in the red for the game, unless they have a very strong hand. If you ever notice a player winning a large pot, and perhaps may still be stacking their chips from it, they will not play the hand unless they have good cards.

Voice Changes If a player is talking smoothly while in a hand, it means he is not overly concerned about the hand he is playing. This is because he feels comfortable and usually means a big hand. Any speech means strength. Any question directly at your or the dealer means strength e.g. Is it my turn to bet?. An opponent that is acting rude is trying to induce a spite call.

Every player gives off tells, try to remain patient and always watch the table even when you aren’t in a hand.

Looking to find the best deal on Poker Rakeback and Deposit Bonuses, then visit www.rakebackpower.com to find the best advice on poker strategies.

The popularity of Poker is increasing and the internet offers poker players the chance to win real money playing poker for free. Free Real Money Poker is a fantastic way to start playing online poker, because You cant loose own cash, but will still be rewarded with real money prizes if You make it in the money. Continue reading to find out how poker players can play free poker real money.

The huge number of people playing online poker has brought forth free online poker games to enable people to play free poker and to reach a broader market. These sites allow a player to play free poker for real money by offering free poker tournaments with Cash Prizes. These poker sites do not involve any deposits at all. Everyone plays for free , making these card rooms perfectly legal almost anywhere. The Downside to this method of playing real money poker free is that You will play against many people for rather small prizes.

Famous for their free poker real money games are NLOP and No-Pay-Poker. These 2 are legit places for playing free poker for cash without a Deposit and both sites have already given away millions of dollars via their free poker games. NLOP pays out $100.000 each and every month in their poker games. No own money is needed to start to win real money playing poker for free.

Win more free money by playing in poker freerolls on the real money poker rooms online. Most poker providers run freerolls to their players. Compete for a sponsored prize-pool with no Buy-In and build your free poker bankroll on a real money site with freeroll winnings. For tournaments lovers free MTTs are a great opportunity to win real money playing poker for free.

This next opportunity to win real money playing free poker is more lucrative than the above ones. You will face fewer players with this method, while usually You will play for a bigger amount of real money to be won in the freeroll. I am talking about private freerolls. Forums, Communities and other Poker related websites are hosting tourneys for their members only. The Forum or Community is paying for the the prizepool. The limited field of participants leads to a bigger value of these tournaments compared to the public ones. Discover high paying restricted tournaments by looking into the “private” or the “freeroll” tab of your poker software.

The final method of playing free poker for real money that I am going to present to You is to apply no deposit poker bonus codes. These special promotions grant You a free first deposit into Your account without making a deposit if You apply them when joining a poker site for the first time. You can then use this no deposit bonus to play real money poker free. There is no need to pay back the no deposit poker bonus and You can keep all Your winnings. The only requirement is to wager a minimum amount of money before You will be able to cash-out. This is the only catch. No Deposit Bonuses enable players to start winning real money playing poker for free.

Free Poker Real Money Prizes
• Play Free Poker Tournaments for Cash Prizes on Free Poker Sites or the public Freerolls on internet poker rooms.
• Try to spot private free poker tournaments for the most profitable free poker real money games
• Free Real Money Cash Games can be accessed by utilizing no deposit poker bonus codes to receive a starting bankroll without making a deposit.

You see that no own money is necessary to play free poker for real money online. You can even win real money prizes on websites that do not involve any deposit at all. Almost any poker provider gives You the chance to win real money playing poker for free in their poker freerolls. By using a no deposit poker bonus You can get a starting capital on many card rooms and play real money poker free.

This articles’ author operates a website about playing no deposit poker for real money. Visit the site to find no deposit poker bonuses for multiple poker rooms and other great resources You will need to win cash prizes playing poker for free. You can also follow his blog to receive the latest news about free poker money online.

Squeezing a profit out of marginal situations is what winning poker comes down to. The object is not to win every hand played, but to win every hand you play. The best way to do this is to out bet your opponents. Every bet made should have a purpose: Either it is made to induce a weaker hand to fold, or it is made to maximize the winnings on the hand.

Because there are many opportunities to outplay your opponents, you have to know which opponents you can outplay. Remember, it is difficult to finesse weak players, and the slow play often backfires because one of the loose limpers will hit a hand. The bluff won’t work, because these players call with any two cards. The following sections demonstrate many of the advanced aspects of the game and how best to play them.

Representing Your Hand

A strong bet represent a strong hand, especially when betting after the flop. If an Ace or King shows on the flop, you can represent an Ace or King in your hand by betting. Often, it is what you represent that is more important than what you actually have, especially if you have put your opponent on a medium or weak hand.

Shuffle Up and Steal

The most common place to steal the blinds is from the button. If no players have made a raise in front of you, and only the blinds are remaining in the game, a raise often accomplishes the steal. Statistically the blinds should fold unless they have a strong hand. Do not simply limp in, because the blinds will then normally check to see a half-price or free hand. It is a good place to pick up extra chips, but it is not going make you rich. It is often a way to end the hand quickly and have a new hand dealt with more players and more money available.

One thing to remember here is that some players, known in poker terms as defenders, are maniacal in their defense of their blinds. These players protect their blinds in situations that do not make statistical sense, solely to keep someone from stealing their blinds. Save your blind steals for other players who do not defend them as strongly, unless you have an extremely strong hand. With this strong hand, taking on the defender is often the correct move. A strong bet may entice the defender to free up a large quantity of chips. Though trying to take advantage of a maniacal defender is not always successful, it can be highly profitable in the end.

Stealing the Pot

Stealing the pot is easiest if you are the last player to act and the action was checked to you. At this point, a bet will reduce the number of remaining players or allow you to collect the pot without opposition. Do not use this ploy exclusively, as better players catch on quickly and begin check raising against your (most likely) poor hand. It is good to use this ploy to steal the pot when you have an excellent drawing hand, such as a nut flush draw. Players more often tend to “check to the raiser.” If you draw to your hand, you now have a larger pot to win. If you do not hit, you can always check, hoping the final card makes your hand.

Check-Raise

A check-raise is declining to bet when you first have the opportunity with the intention of letting another bet, so that you can then re-raise. Your intention is to lure them into a false sense of security, allowing your raise to increase the pot. After they commit to a first bet, they are more likely to call a second bet. If your re-raise is strong enough, they may decide to fold.

Check-Call

The check-call is often useful when you have a mediocre hand and you are unsure of its strength against the other hands. It is also very effective early in a session to set up opponents for a winning check-raise later. When playing a moderate hand, especially in limit games, it is not a bad move to check first, and then call an opponent’s raise, rather than raising on your own. After a few times, this pattern establishes a passive table image of a calling station. Opponents become confident betting into you and you can later make them pay when you aggressively play a solid hand.

The check-call, as well as the check-raise, is a great weapon with an extremely loose player to your left, allowing them to do all of your raising, thus masking the true strength of your hand. Unfortunately, the check-call can be dangerous for a mediocre hand when up against an opponent with premium cards. Another drawback is that, if no one else raises, the other players receive a free card.

Value Bet

A value bet may be your best move when you are positive you have the best hand. This bet is one that is small enough to entice a call on the river. In a limit game, it is easy to add that final bet. It is only a single bet and does not cost much, and the second best hand nearly always calls. For many players in a no-limit game it can be much harder to call. You want to make the bet small enough to call, but large enough to punish your opponent for making it. Do not give your opponent a free showdown at the river. You do not want your opponents to think you actually want them to make a call.

By making it appear you did not want a call, you might get an opponent to pay off your bet on the river. Most players only bet on the river if they have a strong hand, or, less frequently, as a bluff attempt. If you do not get the call, that is fine. Do not show your winning cards, collect the pot and leave your opponent wondering if it was really a bluff.

The Continuation Bet

A continuation bet is one where you start out betting strong pre-flop and keep pressing the bet all the way to the river. This is most effective with premium hands that improve on the flop, but you can also use it successfully if the flop did not improve your hand. By showing strength when you have a premium hand, other players assume you are doing so when you are on a draw or making a bluff.

The Squeeze Play

The squeeze play is a tactic best made in a no-limit game. When a player re-raises after a raise, it makes the players between the raisers afraid of being squeezed “Between a Rock and a Hard Place.” This is also known as “Stealing with Equity.” Do a squeeze play when you have a good hand and you suspect another player is on a draw. For example, you have top pair with the best kicker. Making a large raise or re-raise could force others off their hands, since the odds are against them making the straight or flush draw. Your aim is to change their pot odds to make it inadvisable for them to call.

Raising Under the Gun

In a limit game, this is when the person under the gun (or the first player to bet) raises rather than checks the bet, forcing the other players to call two bets at once. In a no-limit game, it is a large over bet or an All In bet. Your intention is to limit the number of players left in the hand. This move amounts to a reverse steal, since normally only a player with an exceptionally strong hand would raise so far out of position. Players who are notorious bluffers often do this. The effect almost certainly causes players to fold, but the ones remaining are equally as aggressive or have a premium starting hand. Often, players raise under the gun as a means of betting to gain information. It is best to use this tactic when only a few players are left in the hand.

About the author: Daniel L. Cox is the editor of Poker Insider Magazine, an e-zine dedicated to poker. He is also the award-winning author of “Winning Blue-Collar Hold’em: How to Play Low-limit Ring Games and Small Buy-in Tournaments” and three upcoming books on poker. He can be found on Facebook and Twitter at PokerInsiderMag, where he gives you a daily poker quote or pokerism.

Chip Tells

The amount of force a player uses in moving their chips to the pot can be an obvious tell (subconscious action). If the player spikes their chips (slamming down a stack past the bet line), they are more likely to have a weak hand.

Be aware that fumbling of the chips may betray inexperience at a brick and mortar casino, and not betray the fact that the player has considerable experience online. Televised poker tournaments that draw their players from online qualifiers, such as Fox Sports Net tournaments sponsored by major online poker sites, can make this very apparent with some players.

When a player makes a call or raise and they place their chips closer to themselves, they often have a strong hand. They are often subconsciously keeping their chips within easy reach to rake them back when they win. A player who uses a lot of force in tossing in the chips toward the pot, or flings them away, often has a marginal hand, because this tossing away of the chips can be because they feel they have already lost the hand and the chips as well.

Players with several denominations of chips in front of them can often give away their hand by which chips they use when betting. If they place their smaller denomination chips in the pot, subconsciously giving away their small chips and keeping their big chips for themselves, they are unsure they have the best hand. If they bet with the high denomination chips, they are not expecting to lose them. A player making a move for their chips out of turn is normally indicating that the most recent community card is an improvement.

How players maintain their chip stacks may give an insight into their style of play. Neat, organized chip stacks are often the earmark of a tight-aggressive player. Loose-aggressive players often have sloppy, irregular chip stacks. How a player cuts out the chips can also give insight into the strength of the hand. Cutting out chips is when a player separates the chips from the stack before placing them in the pot to see how many chips will remain after the bet. It is similar to the way a cowboy would cut out a calf from the herd for branding.

This is the key place to look for chip tells. A player who is unsure of the amount of chips needed for a call, or who is having trouble counting out the correct number of chips, is often unsure of the strength of his/her hand. A player counting and recounting chips may also be unsure of his/her hand’s strength. Unfortunately, playing with chip stacks is where most players go Hollywood (acting at the table, normally with a reverse tell.), so realize that the player may be using a reverse tell to fool you and the other players.

Card Tells

When a player looks at their hole cards can be a tell on their experience level. Instead of watching the other players look at their cards, many inexperienced players look at their own cards as soon as they receive them By not waiting until it is their turn to play they miss viewing possible tells other players may exhibit.

While the dealer places the community cards on the table, you should watch how other players still in the hand react. Their eyes may look to their chips, a look of pleasure may pass fleetingly over their face, or a look of disgust may show they did not hit the card they needed.

Watch for the player who rechecks their hole cards if the flop falls with several cards of the same suit. They may remember the rank of the cards, but be unsure of the suits, and be checking to see if they are on a flush draw. The same tell is possible if the flop cards are connected, since they are verifying their straight draw. Be wary of any strong bets after these tells.

Betting Tells

How quickly a player bets is often indicative of the hand they have. A fast call or raise normally signifies strength, while taking too much time can be a sign of indecision. Make sure you observe the player’s actions for a while to determine the normal speed they play their hands. Be prepared for the false tell, though, as this is an excellent place for an opponent to think long and act weak while holding a premium starting hand.

By noticing a player who always raises with large pocket pairs, you can avoid a confrontation when you hold a marginal hand. If you notice a player with a tendency to continue to bet after a pre-flop raise, then you can safely check to them when you have a big hand, knowing you can get a check raise out of them.

It is important to follow the betting patterns of your opponents through each street. Follow all hands to the river to see what they have bet and how strong their hand actually was. This information becomes invaluable the longer you play with a particular opponent, as you will be able to correlate their betting with their hole cards.

About the author: Daniel L. Cox is the editor of Poker Insider Magazine, an e-zine dedicated to poker. He is also the award-winning author of “Winning Blue-Collar Hold’em: How to Play Low-limit Ring Games and Small Buy-in Tournaments” and four upcoming books on poker. He can be found on Twitter at PokerInsiderMag, where he gives you a daily poker quote.