Poker Guides

cartoon animals playing pokerOf all the popular gambling games poker is the only one where you can genuinely use your own skill and knowledge to win in the long run.  Assuming you are playing against other players the edge you have is defined by how good you are at knowing the value of your own hand in relation to others and how good you are at exploiting other players inherent biases, tells and vulnerabilities.

Of course, everyone who plays poker thinks they can win and therefore the players that do win, regularly, are the ones that think more deeply about the game and keep their cognitive biases in check.  On this page we don’t cover the typical ‘how to play poker’ or ‘best poker sites’ articles, instead we are look at why people play poker the way they do and areas within that where players can find their own edge. Enjoy.

Poker Heads Up Displays (HUDs)

poker hud example

Let's face it Poker is all about finding an edge, it is a game of skill and therefore those that can keep track of their position relative to others stand the greatest chances of winning.  Most elite poker players are seriously good at remembering stats and decisions on previous hands for themselves and other players and this is partly what allows them to evaluate risk allowing them to know when to call, raise or fold.

The rise of online poker, however, has lead to some people using artificial means to stay ahead by using heads up displays, or HUDs, to keep track of what other players do in the game.  This gives an obvious advantage to the person using a HUD and this has now lead to many sites banning them.  Here we look at Poker HUDs, what they are, what they can tell you, how players use them, why sites ban them and whether or not it is cheating.

How Often Do Pocket Aces Win or Lose?

pocket aces

When you are dealt your hand in Texas Hold'em it doesn't get much better than having a pair of aces.  Pocket Aces is one of the best possible hands you can hold pre-flop in poker and when people are dealt them they are certainly going to see the flop and will assume they have a very good chance of winning.

Here we look at the actual chances of winning with pocket aces.  While the odds are good, 85% if going up against one other player, they are not bullet proof.  Having aces can also lead to people being overconfident in their chances of winning, so make sure you know the odds before you play them too hard.

Colluding in Online Poker

collusion dictionary definition close up

Poker by its very nature requires players to guess what cards their opponents are holding and make judgements about their own hands in relation to this.  Unfortunately not all players are honest and for as long as poker has existed so has collusion, whereby people team up ensure they they win by sharing details of their hands with each other.

The rise of online poker has increased collusion massively, thanks in large part to the anonymity of player on line vs the real world.  Here we look at collusion in poker, how to spot it, famous examples, common tricks and what happens to people who get caught.

Single Table v Multi Table Tournament Strategy

poker chips in shape of a question mark

Poker tournaments are a great way to get more game play time with Poker with lower overall stakes than playing cash games.  If you can get far in a multi-table poker tournament, for example, then you can get a lot of hours of poker for a relatively small buy in with the potential of winning a large prize relative to your stake.  Single table tournaments are also useful as players can play shorter games but know exactly how much they stand to win or lose.

To get the best out of tournament play, either for experience or to win, then it helps to think about strategy first.  The strategies you should use on single vs multi-table tournaments differ and this is what we are covering here.

Cash vs Tournament Poker Game Strategy

versus

There are two main types of poker game, a cash game and a tournament.  Most people play a mix of the two depending on what is available and how much time they have, but most players have a preference of one over the other.

Here we look at the relative benefits of cash games vs tournament games and how the strategies involved in each differ.  Cash games are more flexible, generally require less time / game and give smaller wins more often. Tournament games are usually longer, often multi-table, give far fewer wins and are less flexible but when you do win you can win big.  Read more about the differences and strategies involved.

Opportunity Cost In Poker: Price Of The Road Not Taken

opportunity cost

Opportunity cost is a general term applied to the cost of the road we choose not to take.  You can see why this is highly applicable in poker as it is often easy to see the opportunity cost of choosing to fold, or indeed not choosing to fold.  Working out opportunity cost can help regular players make better decisions about when they should call or fold based on past decisions.

It is not all about money, though.  Opportunity cost teaches us that other beneficial factors should be considered. For example, a stay at home poker player could earn more than someone who travels to play tournaments.  They may earn more money but they don't get the life experience of traveling.  Therefore opportunity cost is relative and also personal,

Common Poker Odds: Chances Of Making A Hand In Poker

player goes all in in poker

There are those that play poker for a living, or at least as a serious pastime, and to those people calculating the odds of any given hand in poker is almost innate.  You can get to a point where you don't even need to think about it.

For the beginner or occasional player, though, working out the odds of your hand at the pre-flop, flop or board stages can be difficult, especially as the game progresses quickly and the pressure builds.  Read our guide on Poker odds to find the common odds to help you make decisions at any stage.

Implied Odds in Poker

implied word in dictionary

Knowing the common odds of any hand in poker is a great start but ultimately when the game is in process the odds change at each stage and therefore knowing whether you should call, raise or fold as the hand progresses becomes far more important.

This is where implied odds come in.  Using a fairly straight forward calculation you can work out whether a hand is worth pursuing or not based on the amount in the pot, the amount you need to call a bet and the ultimate quality of your hand.  Of course the more you play the better you get at doing this more naturally.  Beginners can start off with pot odds and move up to implied odds.  Find out more.

Best and Most Famous All-Time Poker Players

Poker Aces

There are many people who have made a lot of money from gambling but many of those do so based on luck. When it comes to Poker luck is a secondary factor, to be good at the game you need to have a huge amount of skill.

We think these people should be given special mention so we have looked at the best all-time players in terms of total earnings, best female players and biggest celebrity players.

Is Online Poker Dead?

Boylesports Poker

When the internet became a thing it was online poker that lead the way initially.  By the early 2000's it was the most popular online gambling vertical. Online gambling has only grown since but playing poker online has been dwindling in popularity ever since.

The increase in sharks and artificial intelligence is partly to blame. The loss of the US market in 2006 caused a big blow too but now it is coming back will this reverse the fortunes for the future?

What Is Risk Of Ruin In Poker?

gambler sitting head in hands in front of laptop casino and poker chips on top

Poker is a game of skill for sure but it is also subject to variance, or what normal people call luck. Even the best poker players in the world go on bad runs as well as good runs and a lot of this is down to variance.

In order to play poker successfully and try to win over all effective bankroll management is critical.  A bankroll is effectively a pot of money dedicated to poker that is designed to cover you against runs of bad luck.  The strength of this bankroll relative to your stakes and playing habits ultimately refines the risk of ruin, a term used by professional players as the probability of losing all of your bankroll.

What Is Fast Fold Poker & How To Play

fast poker neon lights

Fast fold poker, zoom poker, speed poker, blaze poker, snap poker and turbo poker are all the same thing.  Effectively it is normal poker, mostly Texas Hold'em but other versions are available for games such as Omaha, except when you fold your hand you are immediately placed in a new active game with a new hand, rather than having to sit and wait for a hand to complete before being dealt a new one.

It is a fast paced version of the game that many players like, especially those with limited time to play.  It does, however, require a very different strategy to normal poker.  For example, players are more likely to fold hands pre-flop that are not high value and move on, meaning the cards people hold on the flop tend to be better and bluffing is less common (although of course people still bluff).  There is no player history either, which is a good thing and a bad thing as you can't track people but they can't track you.

How Online Poker Sites Try To Appeal to Smaller Players

shark among shoal of fish

You might think that most poker sites care about attracting the big money players, professionals or semi-professionals known as 'sharks'.  In actual fact they care far more about enticing the smaller occasional or low stakes players to play with them, known as 'fish'.  The reason is if you can attract plenty of fish the sharks will ultimately follow, but the sharks won't play if they are mostly playing against other sharks.

Therefore poker sites have tons of strategies to appeal to fish, such as banning heads up displays and setting up anonymous tables.  Games such as fast fold poker, low limits for deposits and withdrawals and attractive promotions are all tools used to get the smaller players onto the site.  By doing this the poker brands know they will then get more bigger players in the end and ultimately make more money.

What is Expected Value, Why Does it Matter?

expected value sign

Expected Value is the probability of winning multiplied by what you win + the probability of losing multiplied by what you lose.  This is what serious poker players use to help make decisions around their gameplay that will hopefully result in taking the the most profitable course in the long term.

EV isn't just applied to individual hands, as each hand is subject to variance, but rather to the overall strategy.  In the long term variance is predictable over a lot of hands and by sticking with the basic principles of expected value players can make better overall decisions in the game as a whole.  EV can also be applied to sports betting and trading.

While EV calculations can be difficult to apply in action the more you understand about the game and the odds the easier it is to apply it and take more profitable actions in the longer term.

How to Build the Pot in Poker

winning the pot hand grabbing chips

Anyone who plays poker knows the feeling when you have a good hand pre-flop or on the flop, you are excited and you think you can win.  The issue is how can you then maximise a potential win from that hand?  Well, it is important to build the pot effectively to get the most out of a strong hand as winning a poker hand is one thing but getting a good return from it is another thing.

If you are going to take a risk you want to get the maximum reward from it.  The best way to do this is to build the pot but this needs you think about your strategy.  Going all in or with a big bet too early can scare other players off, conversely not raising when you should do can reduce potential returns.

Here we look at strategies to build pots in poker games, not just in individual hands but also your overall playing style can help you build a pot when you get the right hand and it matters the most.

Is Check Raising a Good Idea in Poker?

poker strategy

The check-raise strategy in poker is one of the most well known and something that can be used by newbies as much as seasoned players.  The point is to check on the first round of betting following a hand being dealt or at any other stage (flop, turn, river) and then hope that someone else bets and then when it comes back around to you you then raise that stake.

The idea is to undersell a good hand to other players on the table by first checking, making them believe you are not that confident in the cards you have.  Once a bet is made you then raise the pot to show the true value of your hand - or indeed make others think you are bluffing.  This is a good strategy for pot building to maximise returns from a given risk.

The issue is you can't do it all of the time otherwise other players will know what you are doing.  The trick is to know when to check-raise to get the most out of the strategy.  Check-raising is also a common bluffing strategy but of course there is a lot more risk with check-raising when it is a bluff.

Poker Psychology: The Impact Of Biases

stop sign arrogance and humity arrows overconfidence

On this site we have a whole section of articles dedicated to betting and gambling psychology but here we decided to look at how psychological factors can influence poker in particular.  Humans by there nature are predisposed to biases some if which are conscious and some of which are unconscious.  These biases can affect how we gamble and our attitude to it and for a game like poker, which is based around skill and knowing what your opponent is doing, these biases can have a significant impact on our success.

Here we look at how factors such as ego and overconfidence, confirmation bias, the commitment effect, action and outcome biases, social pressure, herd mentality and superstitions can affect our poker play and effect the the results.  Those who can keep on top of their psychological biases and see the game objectively are often more successful.

What Is The Difference Between Fixed Limit, Pot Limit & No Limit Poker

poker no limit

There are three major variations of poker games, fixed limit, pot limit and no limit.  In effect they do what they say in the name; fixed limit has a fixed bet amount, pot limit allows you to bet up to the size of the current pot and no limit allows you to bet what you want, up to going all in.

No limit poker is by far the most popular but it is also the most risky, i.e. you could lose all of your chips in a single hand, conversely you can double your chips in a single hand.  Fixed limit games tend to be more of a long-game where consistent strategy and mindset is often the key.  Pot limit is somewhere in the middle.  Each type of game lends itself to a different style of play, read more about the differences and strategies on this page.

What Is The Straddle Bet in Poker?

poker chips bet

The straddle bet is simply increasing the big blind before anyone is dealt any cards.  This is usually double the big blind but can be higher multiples in certain games.  This is sometimes restricted to the player under the gun (to the left of the big blind) and sometimes open to all players.

The idea of a straddle bet is to increase the overall pot size while also discouraging players who persistently call the big blind to see the flop.  It is a risky strategy in the sense that you have no idea what your hand will be before you place the straddle bet but it can be a useful strategy for pot building and opening up tight tables.

Contributed Rake vs Dealt Rake In Poker

poker chips in shape of a question mark

The rake is effectively the commission taken by the poker platform or game organiser each time a hand is played.  With many poker sites you can earn points depending each time you contribute to the rake but there are two major formats this comes in, contributed and dealt.

The contributed rake gives you status points depending on how much you actually contribute to the pot.  This means the more hands you play and the more your stake the higher rewards you can get, therefore this suits active bigger players the most.  Dealt rake gives you status points for every hand you are dealt into, no matter how far you then go into the game.  This naturally suits more conservative players who fold a lot of hands.

What Does No Flop No Drop Mean In Poker?

folding hand poker flying aces

No flop no drop is simply another way of saying if all players fold, or only one player calls, then the hand ends pre-flop but here no rake, or commission, is taken.  This means the player that wins at this stage (either the big blind or player that raised and wasn't called) wins more money because the poker platform takes no rake.

You cannot get no drop no flop games on all sites but they are now quite common simply because poker sites need to compete for your business and no drop no flop offers more value to players in the longer term.

Are Multi Network Poker Rooms Still Available?

many hands on top of each other network

Poker isn't a game you can play on your own and it isn't much fun if there are very few players on the table when you want to play.  This is why multi-network poker rooms started, effectively rooms that would be available to multiple sites on different networks allowing for more people at tables and more tables to play at.

This was quite important in the early days of online poker because the player base back then was a lot smaller, in order to get enough players onto tables you had to team up with other networks.  In more recent times poker online has boomed to huge levels and this means most sites no longer need to run multi-network rooms but there are still some available.

What Are Bounty Tournaments?

world poker tournament

In a bounty tournament you get additional rewards each time you knock another player out.  These tournaments require a higher buy in as you need to purchase your bounty, if you are knocked out the player that wins gets to keep the pot and also gets to keep your bounty.  The more players you knock out the more bounty you receive.

Many bounty tournaments are invite only, some give a fixed bounty for each player you defeat and others increase the bounty as you progress.  In some events certain high profile players can carry higher bounties.  This is an entertaining format for poker and for those that can stay late into the tournament the bounty can be highly rewarding.

Can You Play Online Poker with Americans?

welcome to the united states sign and flag

Back in the early days of online poker it was very easy to play against people based in the US, however, in 2006 the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act put pay to that for over a decade.  Only more recently has online gambling begun to open up in the United States but it is still far from completely legal, with individual states deciding on their own online gambling laws.

As thing stand the different regulations between US states that allow online poker and the rest of the world makes it very difficult to now play games against US players, although it may be possible with a handful of global sites in the near future.

Short Stack Poker Strategy

short stack of gaming chips multi coloured

A short-stack isn't necessarily the person with the least chips, it ultimately depends how big the blinds are in the game.  Usually a short stack in poker is defined as a stack that consists of less than 40 big blinds.  When you find yourself in a short stack position all is not lost at this point but you may need to change your style of play to ensure you get the most out of that scenario.

Indeed, some players enjoy being short-stacked as it allows them to play a different way.  There are even games that have high blinds that are designed for players that like short stacks.  The key is to tighten up your play, take more notice of the pot odds for your hand and avoid going all-in until you are in a position where you think you are very likely to win.  Playing sensibly on a short stack can mean you can get out of that position without being out of the game immediately.

What Is Rake in Poker and How to Calculate It?

poker rake being taken from pile of chips

Rake in poker is in effect a commission charged by the operator providing the game.  It can be levied in many different ways depending on the type of game you are playing, whether it is cash or tournament and whether it is online of offline.  Typically the rake is between 1-10% with most cash players seeing rake values in the region of 3-5%.

The rake varies depending on the platform, game and stake size and is worth being aware of as it can erode significant winnings, especially in low stakes games.  Some platforms operate rackback, which allows you to earn cashback on your rake contributions and those who factor in rake when they strategise their play will often find they do better than those that don't.

What is a Sit and Go Poker Tournament?

Slot Tournaments

Sit and go tournaments are effectively unscheduled tournaments that begin once a table has filled up.  Unlike scheduled tournaments they tend to take less time and offer a faster way to play tournaments at your convenience.

These types of tournaments tend to be favoured by beginners and cash-table players who like to play the odd tournament game when it suits them.  Still, while these tournaments are more ad-hoc there are still those who take it seriously and there are different strategies to employ depending on whether you are in the early, middle or late phase of a game.

Deep Stack Poker Strategy

calculator with casino chips

Having a big pile of chips in a poker game is always a good thing surely?  Well, you would certainly take a deep-stack over a short-stack but for those unfamiliar with having a deep-stack it is worth considering your strategy should change when you find yourself in that position.

Firstly having a lot of chips doesn't mean you have a deep-stack, the definition of a deep-stack is relative to the big blind and would typically be 150+ times the big blind.  There can be several deep-stacked players on a table, it is not just the person with the most chips.

When you are deep-stacked you need to adjust how you play, especially against short-stacked players who will see their hand values differently to yours based on their pile of chips.  Getting to a position where you are deep-stacked is one thing but winning from that position is entirely different.

What Is The Best Time to Play Poker Online?

clock on top of scattered playing cards

The best time to play poker online is relative to what you want to get out of it, busy periods and quieter periods have different pros and cons.  Some people are forced to play at certain times due to their schedules but others can pick and choose when they play.  It is worth playing at different times if you can as your own strategy may be more suited to busier or quieter times.

During quieter times there are less players and tables and pot building is harder but at the same time the game can be slower and can be a good time to learn the ropes.  Busier times naturally mean more players and tables and pots to win but at the same time games may be quicker and your potential to lose quicker can be high not just your chances of winning.

How Does Table Position Affect Strategy in Poker?

poker player adding chips to the pot

Table position can never be underestimated, it is for some players the most important factor in how they will play a hand.  Being in an early position (immediately after the blinds), middle (between 4-6) and late (7+) should significantly influence your playing style and what you should or shouldn't call.

Of course, other players will also have an idea of how you should play given your position and this can also give you an edge.  If you call or raise in an early position people will assume you have a strong hand, if you call or raise in a late position and most people have folded people will assume you are trying your luck.  You can therefore use that to your advantage to vary your play style and keep people guessing as to your intentions and hand value.

Poker Abbreviations Glossary

Poker Aces

One of the things can can get confusing when you start playing poker online is all of the abbreviations used in chat.  We have, therefore, created a glossary covering the major abbreviations used in poker and what they mean.

Using abbreviations can also make other players respect you more giving the impression you know the game perhaps better than you do.

What are Overcallers and Limpers?

world poker tournament

As you get more involved in poker you become aware of terminologies such as overcallers and limpers.  An overcaller is pretty straight forward, it is someone that calls or raises often after other players on the table have done the same.  This can be a good strategy to get involved with more pots of a decent size and increase your pot odds, you can also win a lot of hands pre-flop.  Naturally this is also very risky, especially if someone raises after you.

Limpers are in some ways the opposite.  These are often seen as 'weak' players who will call the big blind amount but will rarely raise.  This means they never win hands pre-flop and can be easily bullied on the flop, river and turn cards.  However, some people may want to give the appearance they are a limper to begin with to fool people later on in the game.

Most Common Poker Mistakes

a mistake repeated more than once is a decision

Poker is a game that you can understand from playing a few hands but to master it takes years.  Everyone makes mistakes, even the pros, and making mistakes is how we learn.  There are, however, some common mistakes poker players make, especially when starting off, that if you know about you can potentially avoid.

It is important, for example, to not play too many hands and conversely not play too few hands either.  Strategies are important but it is also critical to vary your strategy and playing style to prevent others exploiting you, and indeed to exploit others yourself.

Where Does Poker Get Its Name From?

word poker written in gold

Poker like many games of cards has disputed origins.  In reality the modern game is made up of numerous different influences from Persia, the wild west in the US and Europe.  Even the origins of the name is not clear with French and German theories making claims as to the first usage.

Whether you think Poker derives from the Persian game As-Nas or the old west the history behind the game and the name is certainly interesting.

How Are Cards Dealt In Online Poker?

snap fast fold version of poker

In the real world we can see dealers shuffling cards and dealing them and as long as we trust in the dealer and the integrity of the poker room we can be confident cards are dealt fairly.  Online, though, things are a lot less transparent so how are cards dealt online and how do we know things are fair then they are?

Effectively all regulated and licensed sites used algorithms and random number generators to deal cards in a random or pseudo random way, these are independently monitored and checked to ensure fairness.  This means that neither the player or the operator can know what cards are dealt to any given player.  It is actually more robust than the real world version given the in live poker there are only a limited number of packs and in theory players can cards more easily.

What Is 3 and 4 Betting?

raising the stakes

In the old day we didn't talk about 3 and 4 betting, instead it was re-raising.  The term has become more popular in line with the online poker boom where re-raising has become a more popular strategy.

If a player raises and then another player re-raises this is known as a 3 bet, if a further re-raise is made it is known as a 4 bet.  It is possible to have 5 bets, etc., but these are far less common.  The technique has become popular as a means to force players out of hands and try to extract maximum value, it does of course carry risk, especially if the cards you hold are weak.

How Long Does A Poker Tournament Take?

live poker tour game

There is no simple answer to how long a poker tournament takes as it depends on whether it is a cash tournament, single or multi table and ultimately on your playing strategy and how far you go into it.  Generally, though, a tournament can last between an hour to 5+ days depending on the format.  You can also find turbo tournaments that can last less than half an hour in some cases.

With so many tournaments available with different player limits you can pretty much find a game to suit how much time you have.  It is worth thinking about how long a tournament will last before you play, however, in case you can't complete it should you make it a long way through.

What Is Pre Flop Range?

poker chips in shape of a question mark

In Texas Hold'em there are 169 possible hands you can be dealt with 1,326 unique combinations.  The pre-flop range is the number of possible combinations you can make from your cards before you see the flop.  Naturally, different hands have different card combinations and this makes some more valuable than others.

You can of course work out your own pre-flop range but the nature of poker means it is impossible to know what hand someone else has, however, you can get an idea of their pre-flop range by how the bet in the opening round.  Someone who raises or re-raises likely has a good range, especially if they are a tight player.  These clues can then be followed through the flop, turn and river to try to narrow down the card combinations other players may have.

Is It Better To Play Loose Or Tight In Poker?

man at poker table head in hands

There is no firm answer as to whether playing loose or tight in poker is better.  Generally the default style of how someone plays reflects their personality and attitude to risk.  Generally players start off tighter while they learn the game and become looser as time goes on - although some go hell for leather and play every hand and have to learn to tighten up over time.

Ultimately the best strategy is to do neither, that is to say play both loose and tight to suit the table you are playing at and the hands you have.  If you are known as either loose or tight then it means your game play is predictable and that is one of the worst things in poker.

Small Pocket Pair Poker Strategy

pair of twos poker

A small pocket pair is usually defined as a pair of 2's, 3's, 4's, 5's or 6's, above that we move into medium and high pocket pairs.  These hands are often undervalued by many players but pre-flop they can often beat most hands on the table pre-flop.  Of course, if the hand goes to the flop, turn or river the potential value of the hand changes a lot so the difficulty is knowing how to play a small pocket pair as the game progresses.

Knowing when a small pocket pair is still a strong had on the flop is what makes or breaks these hands.  These hands can prove dangerous, and costly, however, if you wait for the turn and the river.  Pre-flop it is generally best to play these hands in a late position and avoid them more in early positions.

When To Fold In Poker?

folding hand poker flying aces

When to fold in poker is not a question with a black and white answer.  It depends a lot on your attitude to risk, your table position and the size of the bet and pot when you make a decision.  Deciding when to fold pre-flop can be easier, especially if you don't have a premium and hand and you are out of position.

Knowing when to fold post-flop requires an appreciation of the potential of your hand and the post-flop range on the table.   Ultimately while everyone will have a different strategy when it comes to folding so called 'professionals' will often only play the top 15% of hands, folding around 85% of the time.

Odds Of Hitting A Bad Beat Jackpot

straight flush poker

The bad beat jackpot was invented as a means to reward players who are badly beaten with quads or better.  It also acts as an incentive for players to see more showdowns to try and hit the jackpot.  The rules vary between operators but generally we are taking about four 5's or better being beaten by another hand.  Everyone on the table gets rewarded if a bad beat happens.

The largest bad beat jackpots can hit millions but exactly what are the chances of hitting a bad beat jackpot?  As you can imagine it is a very rare event and the odds are vanishingly small.  It is impossible to come up with one figure for the odds of it happening as each hand have different probabilities based on the number of opponents playing at the table.  Here we use examples and calculations to at least give you an idea of the odds of a bad beat jackpot in poker.

Odds Of Two Players Being Dealt The Same Pair In Hold’em

pair of aces texas holdem

The chances that any player at a table will be dealt a pair is 5.88%, just over a 1/20 chance.  The chances that two players will be dealt a pair at a full table isn't that improbable either.  What is unlikely, however, is for two players to be dealt the same pair.

If you are dealt a pair the chances that any given opponent would have the same pair is less than one in a thousand.  The chances that any two players at a table having a pair is less than one in two thousand.  This assumes a full table too. The odds decrease the less players there are at a table.

The Odds Of Two Players Hitting Quads

poker game four of a kind aces

For two players to hit quads, or four of a kind, in Texas Hold'em Poker the board needs to have certain configurations.  Still, the number of possible configurations that allow two players to hit quads, just under a quarter of games played.

While there are obviously a lot of games where two players could hit quads it does not make it a common occurrence.  Here we explore the odds of two players making quads by the river in various scenarios, board configurations and different numbers of players at the table.  We also assess what your chances of winning would be if you hit 4 of a kind and an opponent did too.

What Are Blockers In Poker And How To Use Them

ace and king

Blockers in Poker are cards that you hold that reduce the chances of an opponent potentially making a winning hand.  The real name for it is the card removal effect but, of course, with this being poker we have to have specific terminology and the main term used is 'blockers'.

The idea is simple, if you are holding an Ace and a King, for example, you know that the chances of an opponent having a pair of aces or kings is reduced as a result.  This allows you to play hands differently and bluff with more confidence.

What Are Turbo Games In Poker?

fast poker neon lights

Turbo games are poker games played at a much faster pace, meaning blinds rise quickly and players do not often have the time to wait for prefect hands.  Instead most of the game relies on aggression and many players like these games because players are more likely to call and raise and more of the hands are exciting.

These games can be more convenient for players who have less time to play and want high action hands and a quick end result. You need to rely a little more on luck with turbo games on the basis that you don't have as much time to make decent hands.

What Are Poker Draw Odds?

player goes all in in poker

People talk a lot about poker odds but what exactly are they referring to?  Afterall this isn't like a game of roulette where we have fixed outcomes and defined odds.  Every poker hand is different and not just based on the cards dealt and shown, the odds are influenced by the amount of players in the hand and the amount of money in the pot.

In order to make objective decisions in Texas Hold'em poker we need to be able to appreciate the odds of our hand in relation to the pot, at least roughly.  This way we can be more informed about when it is good to raise, call or fold a hand relative to what we have, what we see on the board, how much money is at stake and what the bet is.

What Are The Odds Of Hitting A Flush In Poker?

straight flush poker

Despite a flush not being the highest ranked hand there is a tendency for players to chase a flush more than would a full house or similar.  This is partly down to psychological reasons because we are attracted to suited cards and partly because we all dream of hitting a straight flush or royal flush.

Here we look at the actual odds of hitting a flush at various stages of the game, from the flop to the turn to the river and also the chances of an opponent hitting a higher flush than you.

How To Exploit The Four Types Of Poker Players

poker player sunglasses hoodie with chips

Poker is a game of skill and a huge part of that requires you knowing the value of your hand, your position and the range available.  While that is true many poker players, especially when starting out, fail to give enough weighting to evaluating the players around them and not just what hands they might have but how they might play them.

There are four major types of poker player: loose and aggressive, loose and passive, tight and aggressive and tight and passive.  Identifying what type of player you are up against and modifying your strategy accordingly to exploit the situation is a critical difference between professionals and the rest.

How Important Is Memory In Poker?

psychedelic brain icon illusion of knowledge

There is no need to remember things in games like roulette, in fact, you are better off if you don't because each game is totally unique and is not affected by previous outcomes.  Poker, on the other hand, being a game of skill is entirely different.

Having a good memory or even training your memory is an important factor for professional players.  There is a lot to remember after all, the odds, the cards (your cards, community cards, cards you think your opponent has) and the tells of the players you are playing against.  It is important not to over rely on memory, though, as memories are often inaccurate and influenced by mood and emotion.

What Is All In Cash Out

winning the pot hand grabbing chips

All-in-cash-out is a feature available now with many online poker rooms and is effectively an insurance option that you can take if you and your opponent have both gone all-in before the river.  It gives you the option to cash out before the final outcome is known with the cash out amount being a percentage of the pot equivalent to the percentage chance your hand has of winning.

Sounds great, yeah?  Well, of course, there is always a catch if you use all in cash out the provider is taking a further cut for the privilege.  In the longer term it may reflect worse value. If only one player chooses to cash out the hand will still complete but if you then lose it is the poker room that keeps that money as your opponent has cashed out for a lower amount.

Do Poker Players Gamble A Lot On Other Casino Games?

Blackjack

Poker is a game of skill not a game of chance, a phrase that many poker players like to push when they are confronted with the question of whether they gamble a lot.  It is often made out the poker is not really gambling at all.  You would think, therefore, that with that mindset professional poker players would avoid other games of chance in casinos as a result.

The things is poker players in general actually gamble quite a bit more than the average on other casino games, especially table games like Blackjack, Baccarat and other fixed odds poker games.  Therefore, while poker may be a game of skill poker players like anyone else are drawn in to playing games of chance too, which is natural when you consider they are often playing poker inside casinos.

What Are Rebuys In Poker And How To Play Them?

casino poker chips and bundle of cash

A rebuy is a way to get back into a tournament if you lose all of your chips.  In tournaments where rebuys are allowed you can buy yourself back into the game retaining the same position and on the same table.  Multiple rebuys are often possible as long as it is withing the rebuy period.

This is different to re-entry, which is similar in the sense you pay to re-enter a game but different in the sense that you may not keep the same seat or indeed table.  There are pros and cons to rebuying that depend on the type of player you are and your bankroll.

Playing A Top Pair With AK Or AQ

ace and king

Being dealt an ace and a king or ace queen, especially suited, is one of the best pre-flop hands you can get other than high pairs.  The issue is many of us see that hand as actually being more valuable than it is in reality and this can lead to players chasing hands and losing more often than not.

An Ace with a queen or king is a very good hand, even against a top pair and if you are in a good position should definitely be played.  How you play and how you deal with the flop especially is critical in whether you can come away from the hand with something or not.

How To Play Medium Pocket Pairs In Poker

middle pocket pairs

When we say middle pocket pairs we are talking about pairs of eights, nines, tens or jacks.  These hands are often underplayed in poker because while they are better than small pocket pairs people are often fearful of being beaten by an over card on the draw.

As with all hands in poker it is not so much about the cards you hold but how you play them in relation to your table position and other bets.  It is common for people to make mistakes with medium pocket pairs at all stages of the game from pre-flop to river.

How To Play High Pocket Pairs In Poker

pair of king cards

Naturally being dealt a high pocket pair of aces, kings or queens pre-flop puts you in an incredibly strong starting postion.  Even JJ and a pair of tens is worth seeing the flop in almost all cases.

The problem is, for new players especially, is that the hand can lead players into making common mistakes.

The value of a high poker pair is obvious but of course, as with all things in poker, it is how you play them that matters.

Can You Talk About A Poker Hand While Playing?

live poker tour game

You can't have a real poker game without talking, indeed, even online the chat window is often full with people making various comments.  Therefore, you can very much talk at the poker table but within that there are rules about what you are and what your are not allowed to talk about.

The general rule is you never talk about the hand in progress, whether you are in the hand or not - for example, revealing you folded certain cards gives information to those still in the hand.  That doesn't mean you can't ask for clarifications (what was the bet you just made, what is the minimum raise, etc.), often the dealer will answer those questions but if they are busy other players can chip in.  General or non-poker chat is fine as long as it is not offensive or abusive.

What Does Pot Control Mean In Poker?

poker player adding chips to the pot

If you have heard the adage 'big hand, big pot, small hand, small pot' then this is what pot control is.  Effectively you build the pot to reflect the hand you have.  If you have a high chance of winning you build the pot big if you are playing a smaller hand you try to keep it small.

It is not a steadfast rule as each hand has many different factors in play and you cannot always control the pot but if you follow the strategy in general it can help you manage your game better.  Pot control is also useful in making you less easy to read because you are not always calling or always just waiting for a monster hand and going big.

What Is Gut Shot In Poker?

ten six queen on board holding seven eight gut shot example

A gut shot is a hand where you have an inside straight draw with the standard definition being you have four possible cards that could be drawn to give you a straight draw.  This is half the number of an open-ended straight draw.

You can also have a nut gut shot.  This is an inside straight draw that if you hit it will give you the best possible straight, hence the nut element.  Gut shots can also be one card or two card, i.e. are you holding one card or two cards that form part of the hand?

Common Poker Phrases And What They Mean

poker chips in shape of a question mark

Ever wonderded what hero folding is?  No it isn't when James Bond plays poker and folds, it is actually when you deliberately fold a very strong hand because you beleive your opponent has a better hand.  There are lots of phrases like this in poker that can be confusing to the uninitiated.

Here we cover some of the common terms you may hear when playing and what they mean.

The Importance Of Body Language In Poker And Tells To Look Out For

poker player sunglasses hoodie with chips

Even the most experienced poker players cannot control all of their body language.  There are plenty of things we do subconsciously that can form patterns related to our hands and spotting and exploiting these 'tells' is one of the most valuable abilities in poker.

Here we look at some of the most common things we do that people look for as a tell.  We also look at the converse, when someone consciously tries to use body language to bluff an opponent.

How To Bluff And Call A Bluff In Poker

winning the pot hand grabbing chips

There is no set strategy of when to bluff and when not to bluff.  If there were then bluffing would be predictable and that would defeat the object, the point of bluffing is ultimately to create doubt in your opponent and you can do that at any stage of a match.

Still, there are times when it makes more sense to bluff and there are times when bluffing should generally be avoided.  Calling a potential bluff is also a skill that can only be honed with experience, when should you call what you think is a bluff?

What Is Board Texture In Poker?

player goes all in in poker

Board texture in poker refers to how the cards shown relate to each other.  There are nearly 20,000 possible flops in poker and in any game 50 of the cards are unknown to you.  Understanding how the cards shown relate to each other helps you understand the likelihood of things like straight draws, flush draws and other hands.

A dry board is when the cards shown are not easy to connect into higher value hands.  Conversely a wet board means there are more possible combinations for a flush, straight, etc.

The Art Of Bluffing In Poker

poker player sunglasses hoodie with chips

Bluffing is as much a part of poker as the cards and chips are.  If you can't bluff you won't get very far in the game.  The point of the game is to win hands and unlike with most other casino games it isn't the player with the best cards that always wins, it is the player who convinces their opponents that they have the best cards.

It is true to say bluffing is very much an art.  It is arguably more important than being good at calculating probabilities, expected value and other aspects of the game.

What Is A Scary Board With Scare Cards In Poker?

scary woman holding playing cards

If you play a bit of poker you may hear people refer to scary boards and scare cards.  These are not specific cards or combinations of cards rather it is any board or card drawn that can be described as 'scary'.

It is effectively a board or card that gives a lot of potentially good hands and this makes player weary.  A single scare card can turn a normal board into a scary one if it increases the number of possible good hands now available.  Here we look at when to be weary of scary boards and how to master them.

What Are The Worst Hands You Can Be Dealt?

seven two off suit various combinations worst poker hand

Poker is mostly about skill and partly about luck.  There are 1326 possible combinations for your starting hand in Texas Hold'em poker and while we all love to get pocket aces, which win about one third of the time they are dealt, in most cases we are not going to have a good hand.

While there are many hands that are considered not good there are some combinations that are seen as the worst, such as seven two off-suit.  Sometimes we are forced to play these hands if we have the big blind and like all poker hands if you play them well you can still win.

How to Play 3 Card Poker

three threes three card poker

Three card poker was invented in the late 1990's as a simple version of poker that could be played quickly in casinos without the knowledge or experience required to play other longer forms of poker like Hold'em.

Having only three cards the number of winning hands is limited making the game easy to understand.  This ranges from straight flush to high card.  It is effectively like a merger of traditional poker and blackjack and despite being a modern game it has really caught on, helped significantly by the online gambling boom.

Ten important things to know about playing Pot Limit Omaha poker

two aces two kings two suits strong plo hand

Pot Limit Omaha, or PLO, is not quite as popular as Texas Hold'em but nonetheless it is played by millions of people around the world and is easily the second most popular poker table game. People often say that once you go Omaha you never go back.

It is naturally similar to Hold'em but it requires re-learning your hands before you play thanks to the fact you have four hole cards and you have to use two of them.  The game can change much quicker with PLO, which can make things like bluffing far more dangeous.

Tournament Omaha Poker Vs Cash Game Omaha Poker

versus

Many people play Texas Hold'em and think this gives them a good grounding to play Omaha given the winning hand combinations are the same and you have four hole cards instead of just two.  Surely it is an easier game?  Well, most think it is quite the opposite with Omaha requiring a much steadier head to play compared to its cousin.

Here we look at Omaha tournaments compared to cash games.  If you are getting in to Omaha it makes sense to choose the format that is best for you.  There are more differences than you might think.

How to Play Jacks or Better Video Poker

pair of jacks

Jacks or better is the most played form of video poker, it is simple to understand as the name tells you all you need to know.  Get a pair of jacks or better in the game and you can win.

You are dealt five cards after you place your bet and you can choose what cards you want to discard to try to get a better hand.  Jacks or better pays 1x your stake, two pair pays 2x, up to a royal flush can that will payout 250x the initial stake in this game.

While it is a simply game you can still employ strategies in relation to the cards you hold and discard.  We discuss all of that here.

How to Play Deuces Wild Video Poker

Number Two Neon

Deuces wild is a popular form of video poker and very easy to understand.  Deuces, or twos, are wild and therefore can be substituted for any other card in the pack to make a winning hand.

The game is based on a standard 52 deck, meaning there are up to four deuces that could be dealt. In fact if you get four twos you can win 200x your stake.

You can win for three of a kind or better.  Three of a kind pays 1x stake, straight 2x, flush 3x, up to 800x for a natural royal flush.  If your royal flush includes a wild card this is 25x.

 

How to play Pineapple Poker

pineapple shown whole and cut up white background

Pineapple Poker is to all intents and purposes Texam Hold'em but you are dealt three hole cards and you can choose one to discard - unless you are playing Lazy Pineapple Poker where you don't need to discard until the river.  You can even play it with friends where you can discard at any point.

The version you play in most poker rooms online will require you to discard pre-flop.  Once you then hit the flop, turn and river the game plays out the same way.

What is interesting with Pineapple Poker is the card you discard can define your strategy.  For example, if you have three cards of the same suit and discard one a flush is naturally less likely.  If you had three of a kind you would have to discard one making a set less likely, etc.

How To Play 8 Game Mix Poker

number eight modern design

8 Game Mix Poker describes itself.  It is a mix of eight different poker variants played one after another.  Namely: 2-7 Triple Draw, Limit Hold’em, Omaha Hi Lo, Razz, Seven Card Stud, Stud Hi Lo, No-Limit Texas Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha. It is the same idea as H.O.R.S.E but here you don't have to play entirely fixed limit.

The game is generally played in poker rooms or informally between friends.  It is not commonly available online due to the demands of switching between games but can be found in some places.  It is important to have a grasp of all eight game versions before you start playing.

 

How to Play Caribbean Stud Poker

caribbean stud poker table

Caribbean Stud Poker became popular in, yes you guessed it, the Caribbean.  It later made its way onto gaming boats before becoming a mainstay game in the likes of Las Vegas and Reno.  It is a table game played against the house, not other players, with a house edge of 5.22%.  It is very popular online with multiple video poker variants.

In this game you place an initial bet and are dealt five cards face down, the dealer also receives five cards, four face down and one face up.  A second round of additional betting can then occur before all cards are revealed.  The dealer must have at least ace king high to qualify.  If the dealer does not qualify you win even money and additional bet stakes are returned.

If the dealer does qualify and you have a worse hand you lose, if you have a better hand you win even money on your first bet and if you made an additional bet you are paid out according to the odds of that hand.

How To Play Ultimate Texas Hold'em Video Poker

pair of aces texas holdem

Ultimate Texas Hold'em Poker has really taken off as online poker and live casino games have grown and grown.  It is a game played against the dealer.  You begin by making a blind and ante bet before players and the dealer are dealt two cards face down.  Players can check or raise up to four times the ante.

The community cards, turn and river are dealt as normal with a round of checking or betting.  Once the showdown happens the dealer must have a pair or better to qualify.  If not antes are returned but players can win on their blind and play bets.  If the dealer does qualify and wins all bets lose but if you have a better hand you will win on your blind, ante and play bets.  Find out more.

 

How To Play Open Face Chinese Poker

Chinese Flag

The first interesting point about Open Face Chinese Poker is that it doesn't actually come from China, it came from Finland or Russia.  Secondly it isn't actually a poker game, there are no rounds of betting, but it uses poker hand structure to determine the winner.

The point of the game is to make three poker hands out of 13 cards, two 5 card hands and one three card hand (the best you can make with your cards).  These are known as the front, middle and back hands.  Players then play for points, earning points if their hands are better than their opponents.  The game can be played for money by equating points to a monetary value (e.g. 1 point equals £1).

How To Play All American Video Poker

all american video poker

All American video poker has enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance since online gambling became a thing.  It was popular for a while in land-based casinos but died away in the 1990's as new versions of video poker came to the fore - despite the fact that the All American version offered better pay rates compared to a lot of the newer video poker varients.

These days you can easily find the All American version online and the pay tables have been revamped to make them a bit less scary to new players.

How To Play H.O.R.S.E. Poker

horse poker

If someone says do you want to play a game of H.O.R.S.E in poker they don't want you to climb on their back, rather this is a mixed poker game that tests numerous different skills and why it is often played for fun (or for money) between friends.

The idea is you play games sequentially; Hold'em (H), Omaha (O), Razz (R), Seven Card Stud (S) and Seven Card Stud Eight or Better (E).  Each game requires different knowledge and gameplay and it can be difficult to switch between them easily, which is exactly why it can be fun.

How To Play Razz Poker

razz written in black on white brick wall

Razz is effectively 7 card stud but here the lowest not the highest hand wins.  The game play is identical it is just that you need the worst hand to win (which in this game is the best hand).  It can be quite difficult to get used to to begin with given we spend years trying to get 'good hands' but that is in itself what can make it very fun to play.

Aces in Razz are low meaning the highest card you can hold is a king.  Straights and flushes have no value here so the best possible hand is Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5.

How To Play Let It Ride Poker

let it ride poker

Let it ride plays in a very similar way to Carribean Stud Poker except here you do not need to beat the dealer.  What you need to do is get a pair of tens or better from your three pocket and two community cards.

Payouts range from 1:1 for a pair of tens or better up to 1000:1 for a Royal Flush.  It is a fun variation on poker that is often played in land-based casinos but can certainly be found online now too.  It is very easy to learn with fixed payouts and so good for beginners.

How To Play Pai Gow Poker

pai gow poker table

Pai Gow Poker is based on the Chinese domino game Pai Gow but despite its Asian sounding name the poker version was invented in the USA.  It is a game in which you are dealt seven cards but you have to make two hands, one with five cards and one with two cards.  The five card hand has to be stronger than the two card hand.

You win if both of your hands beat the dealer, if only one hand wins it is a push and if both lose then you lose.  Jokers are wild and you can bet against the dealer as well as other players.

What Does Stud Mean In Poker?

men playing stud poker drawing circa 1938

Stud poker actually pre-dates Hold'em, Omaha and other popular poker games by a fair way.  If you were in the real wild west the likelihood is you would be playing stud poker rather than the modern versions we are familiar with today.

The game involves being dealt one face up and two face down cards.  There is no dealer button rather the player with the weakest face up card starts.  Each person has a personal hand, there are no community cards.  Rounds of betting continue in what are known as 'streets'.  There will be up to four face up and one face down card dealt (seven cards total) and the best hand then wins.

How To Estimate Hold'em Poker Odds When Playing

pair of twos poker

Those who are successful at poker over time will have a propensity to be able to calculate odds and probabilities on the fly.  Much of this is instinctive, in the same way a professional snooker player doesn't need to think about the actual angles of a shot, they just do it.

Still, the game of poker is about finding an edge over your opponents so many professionals study the maths of the game and try to give themselves an edge when it comes to calculating probabilities.  The issue is in live games many of the techniques used for computing probabilities in complex combinatorial games like Hold'em cannot be used at a live table.

While it is almost impossible to work out exact odds in-play there are techniques that are available to allow you to make quick approximations.  Doing this can give you an edge and as we've said poker is all about finding that edge.

How To Play 2–To -7 Triple Draw Poker

2 of spades 7 of hearts

Deuce to Seven, or 2-7 Triple Draw Poker is a lowball game so the idea is to get the what would be to get the worst hand in a game such as Texas Hold'em or Omaha.  You bet and then draw 5 cards, bet again and then decide if you want to discard and draw another card, stand with the cards you have, fold, etc.  A further two rounds of this can then take place.  There are blinds and the game can be fixed limit or no limit.

Aces are high so the ideal hand at the end would be 7-5-4-3-2, because 6-5-4-3-2 would make a straight.  The highest card is what matters, for example 9-8-6-5-4 is better than 10-5-4-3-2.  If players are tied on the highest card then the second card will come into play, etc.  Here straights, flushes, pairs, etc., are all bad, you want the lowest possible run of cards without creating a straight, flush or pairs.

Variants Are What Make Poker Successful

poker rake being taken from pile of chips

Is Poker the biggest gambling card game in the world?  I guess there are probably more hands of blackjack played in total but I think few would argue that poker has the widest appeal and that, I argue, is mostly down to its variants.

Poker is a game that is easy to learn but hard to win and that creates an appeal.  You can then play tons of different variations of it, even customise it yourself and define all the rules on betting, rounds and limits.

It can be fast or slow, played as one-off games, ongoing games or tournaments.  It can be fixed limit or no limit, formal or informal, for cash or for matchsticks. It keeps evolving and changing too with more versions than ever popping up since the online boom.

What Is Angle Shooting In Poker And Is It Ethical?

unfair advantage written with wooden blocks

Angle Shooting is a term in poker that refers to people that gain an unfair advantage without breaking official rules.  There are plenty of things you can do to get yourself thrown out of a poker room but there are also a lot of unwritten rules that are important to the integrity of the game.  Those that break those rules are often annoying at best and can ruin the game at worst.

We are talking about things like deliberately taking a long time to reveal cards, miscounting chips, trying to see another players cards and chip dumping (moving chips to another player).  These techniques are used not only to give an actual advantage in the game but also a psychological advantage over an opponent.  Many rooms these days allow you to flag spurious behaviour so at the very least someone can have a word with the angle shooter.

The Vital Role Sleep Plays In Your Poker Performance

man sleeping on laptop with dream bubble showing chips and money

Poker when played at the higher levels requires a lot of focus and quick reactions, often for many hours at a time. It also requires you to maintain control of yourself to avoid showing tells to your opponents.  Naturally being well rested is an important part of making good decisions and making it to the end.

The problem is real world poker is played all over the world, which requires travelling, sleeping in hotels, different time zones, late nights, etc.  Even people who play online will often play late into the night when they would usually be asleep.

No wonder then that for the top players sleep is high up on the list of goals when they play any tournament. Some even bring trailers with them to take naps or have apps that monitor their mental performance.  Sleep is big when it comes to winning big poker games.

Why Food Matters To Poker Players And Their Game

poker chips burger

These days poker at the top level is very much like sport at the top level and every aspect is scrutinised to help people find an edge.  Food and nutrition has become big in poker and players are now trying to maximise their potential by eating the right foods at the right times.

To many it will seem gimmicky and lots will say winning poker games is about pure skill.  However, there is a growing following who realise skill is critical but implementing those skills by maintaining focus and sharpness is equally important.

The Importance Of Calculating Your Poker Winrate

winning hand king quads poker

Poker is mostly played for enjoyment but of course many people play it to try to make money, even as an income.  However you play it is important to keep track of your win rate if only to know whether you are getting better or not.

In terms of money you simply need to divide your overall winnings by number of hours played to give you a winrate.  If playing for fun you can divide hands won by hours played to give you a similar metric.

Mental Skills for a Winning Game of Poker

Brain Money

Poker is a mental battle and understanding and harnessing poker psychology is one of the biggest edges you can find in the game.  Even if you have been dealt the best hand it doesn't matter if you don't play it right and everyone folds leaving you with the blinds.  This is why it is important to take as much time to understand the cognitive side of the game as the rules.

The game of poker is often akin to a drama, it is exactly why it is portrayed so much in film and why people like to watch tournaments on TV.  The key is making it your drama not somebody else's, that means you need to be in control of the script and the only way to do that is by refining your mental skills.