Poker: Real Play Versus Virtual Play.

Click here to learn how to play poker. understanding winning hand combinations in poker Understanding variations of poker Understanding the importance of play position in poker. Understanding your opponents. Understanding advanced strategies for poker. Understand going All-In. Mastering your game. Understand the approriate kind of poker play for you. Understanding real world poker. Understand chipleading. Dealing with a small stack. Understand the relationship between poker and psychology. Understanding tournaments.

Different environments, Different gaming styles:

Casinos and private clubs:
Traditionally poker is a game played either in casinos or at private member clubs. When you enter into a private members club to play poker, remember that you are walking into an unknown environment. Most of the time you will be entering into games where the other players already know each other and it is possible that you may be seated at a table where some of the players are actually friends, in these circumstances it is possible that they have entered into pacts of non-aggression and that they will tag-team in order to get the most amount of money out of the novice, i.e. you!
The first few sessions in a new members club can therefore be very expensive, you must try and learn some subtle strategies of poker before beginning in such an environment and spend time observing the tables prior to your joining one (see links above for playing techniques). It is an environment with many subtle social conventions and it is best not to appear a novice in such a territory.
Always remember that speaking is a very important feature of poker when playing in a casino environment. What you place on the table as a bet prevails what you announce as your bet, in other words, if you only have a £50 chip but you want to place a £14 bet, you must announce this loud and clearly, ensuring you are heard, otherwise the full £50 will be taken. When the croupier hears you speak they will return the remaining £36 in chips. Also remember to announce clearly when you wish to go all-in!
At all times when sat around a poker table, you should have on display all the chips you have available to play with, and your opponents should do the same. If a fellow player is hiding their pile, ask them, politely, how much they have available to play with and they will be obliged to disclose this information to you. When someone throws a large value chip at you shouting "money" they require it to be broken down by you into smaller chips, they will be able to see that you have enough chips to do this and that is why they are asking you.
Cordiality is of the utmost importance around the poker table and the "floor manager" is required to ensure that players behave appropriately at all times. The "floor manager" will be called over by the croupier at the request of any player who so wishes his services. Be respectful of the order in which you are required to speak, always wait until the person to your right has spoken, and always ensure that you lay your bets when it is your turn, in a cordial and prompt manner. When you fold half way through a game, do not reveal your private cards to other players, so as not to influence the remainder of the game. When you have gone all-in against another player and there are still some central cards to be revealed, it is good form to turn over your hand and allow your cards to be visible to everyone during the flop, turn and river. In the same fashion avoid making a fanfare or making people wait unnecessarily before you reveal your winning hand, this is antagonistic and creates an unfriendly atmosphere at the table.

Online poker:
On the internet the whole game can seem very different, even if the theory of the game is exactly the same. Because of the automatic croupier, when playing online the game goes a lot faster and players play more rounds; there is less of a wait between hands because the dealing is automatic, this means that the game is played faster and there is more action involved.
The fashion in which player's play is also different; there is less emphasis on the psychology of other players. Whereas in a casino you must judge facial expressions in order to understand the type of play your opponents engage in, online this information is largely drawn by the manner in which they bet, raise and fold etc., their ativars, and the psychology of the game play.
Contrary to the casino environment, online you will find it difficult to recognise your competitors; at large sites there can be up to 50,000 players at any given hour, and it is very rare to come across the same player more than once, so you will never get use to particular opponents the way you would in a casino or private club. Online cash games start at a much lower value than they do in a casino (e.g. £0.50 for the blind), but the lower the starting bets, the more erratic the games, therefore the online environment is not always a good training ground for those of you wishing to move onto live games.
Beware- a table with a starting bet of £2.00 online will end up costing you a lot more than the equivalent casino game; this is because the number of rounds played can be up to six times greater online than in a casino given the difference in the pace of the games.
You have to learn about patience when playing online, and also concentration. Accept that you may have to spend several minutes not playing but staring at the screen, studying your table. It is often advised that you should play on average one hand in seven; time can seem to pass really slowly in this situation, especially when it is only you and your computer. It is important not to play at the same time that you are working; you will be much more susceptible to making massive errors, which could cost you greatly.

Freeroll tournaments:
Online poker sites all offer "freerolls", these are free tournaments with a few pounds or dollars for the lucky winner. They are a good method of winning money without having to dispense with any. At the same time, you can also train yourself in poker by playing in play money (practice) mode, but this is likely to lead you to bad habits; players go all-in a lot more and are not very concerned with money which does not really belong to them, you are much more likely to find loose and aggressive players to practice against here.

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