Online Poker Tips

Three years ago, online poker players on PokerRoom thought they would have to permanently find a new place to play virtual poker.  While three years may seem like a long time, it turns out it wasn’t as long as it could have been for loyal PokerRoom players.  PokerRoom has officially reopened for business and players are excited to play on this prestigious poker site once again.  However, what should former players do about their old account information? Should they open up a new account? Will their old account still have any bonuses they have earned?

These are important questions for former players on PokerRoom.  Now that PokerRoom has reopened these questions can be answered for players and they can start playing Omaha hi/lo, five card stud and Texas hold’em just like they did before. 

First, if a player remembers his or her old log-in username and password, they can access his or her old account.  This account will include all real cash value that was left in it.  However, if the player transferred their funds to another website or simply transferred their funds out of the account entirely, of course there will not be any monetary value in the account.  If a player forgot their account log-in information, they can create another account.  There is a slight problem with this, however.  PokerRoom does not allow one user to have two accounts.  Therefore, when the user remembers his or her old account information, they need to inform PokerRoom and they will delete the other account. 

Secondly, while former users can restore their old PokerRoom accounts, there is a small catch.  The players cannot retrieve any bonuses, tournament tickets, or player points are not available to players reactivating their previous accounts.  Regardless, the fact that PokerRoom has reopened is enough for the majority of players.  It’s like a birthday and Christmas present rolled into one for players in an online poker room throughout the world.

In life, you should always strive for the best that you can afford or obtain. The current financial situation may mean that people have to consider any buying decisions closely but there is still the chance to find great value in everything that people do. This means that when you are looking to play online, you shouldn’t settle for the first poker site you come across or one that you don’t fully love. There is no reason why you can’t enjoy the best online poker rooms the Internet has to offer and if you are smart, you can get a lot of money to help you play.

The rise in popularity of online poker sites has been fascinating to watch and it has to be said that poker is one of the most popular online activities people can have these days. Poker has always been a game that has had a huge fan base all over the world but the emergence of online poker has really brought the game to a lot of people’s attention. There was not always the chance for people to play poker if they never knew any other poker players but the explosion in popularity of online poker has helped people to start playing.

Do you have a poker niche?

Even though there are hundreds and thousands of poker sites, some are very small, aiming themselves at a niche audience. In the online world, niche is often good and this means that some players can feel very much at home when they play. It may be that some sites are in a certain language, are aimed at certain countries or perhaps even focus on some of the more niche poker games available but whatever the reason, a lot of people like to focus on the smaller sites. However, there are also some poker sites that manage to attract a huge number of players to their site.

Do you want to use a big name poker brand?

An example of this would be the Bwin poker site and when it comes to having a well-known brand; it is hard to argue with this site. Given the fact that the Bwin name can be found emblazoned on the Real Madrid and AC Milan football kits, most sports fans will be aware of this massive online gaming company. The sports betting arm of the firm may be the most well-known but the poker arm of the Bwin empire is also a huge draw for many keen poker players.

This is why getting your hands on the Bwin poker bonus can be of great benefit to players and can help them to enjoy the site even more. Making your money last longer and stretch further has always been a key component of poker success and the right poker bonus can really help a player settle in. As the Bwin poker site is so popular, the competition can be fierce but this can also mean that the rewards are very enticing. If you want to take on the best, make sure you choose the best poker site and the Bwin poker site is a very good for players all over the world.

Most good poker players know that stack size selection is a very important part of the game, whether you’re playing in a live casino or online at Titan Poker (more) or Bet365 Poker (more). In many games even the pros won’t have much of an edge against several players on the table. Almost all of your equity will come from a few select players at a table, and having enough chips to cover them, while not get “into trouble” against the good players tends to be an optimal strategy.

When you are seated at a tournament however you all start with the same number of chips, then the game will determine stack sizes from there. It is easy to find yourself playing a stack size that is not beneficial to your particular table. Most players write this off as a part of the luck involved with poker, some even avoid tournaments because of this “locked in luck” that is in addition to the luck you face beyond catching cards and having them hold up. This article will attempt to show options on to wield a stack with its full force.

What is an optimal stack in MTT? Well there are a few different ranges that play particularly well. They limit the number of mistakes you will make while often maximizing the number of mistakes your opponents will make against you. If you are in a tournament that is not likely to break your table for a long time then you should access “deep stackedness” in relative terms to your table instead of the field.

Usually variance increasing isn’t about getting a 3x average stack or more. It tends to be about avoiding stack sizes that play particularly bad. Fortunately there is a doubling phenomenon that occurs with stack sizes in relation to the number of bets that tend to play the best against certain types of players. Your strategy is to put the last bet in with fold equity when you are weak, and let them put the last bet in with what appears to be fold equity when you are very strong. Frequently this will involve moderately short stacked play, and thus controlling your stack is key to maximizing equity.

For instance if the blinds are 1000-2000 with a 250 antee 8 handed it costs 5000 chips per round

If you had a stack between 10k and 30k you really wouldn’t want to open a pot for less than a shove, still doing so has the potential to win the pot without a showdown. I call this a 1 bet stack when opening a pot, but the upper range of this would have the potential to re-raise a small opening raise and still win the pot without showdown making it fall into the next category under some circumstances.

A two bet stack will depend on what size opening bets your opponents are making. It is called a 2 bet stack because you still have fold equity when someone with more chips enters the pot with a raise. In the example above a 2 bet stack will tend to fall into the ranges between 25k and 60k chips. But these estimates will not only change from table to table, but it will also change depending on the opponent you are up against.

A 3 bet stack will have fold equity when you open raise, they re-raise, and then you push. By varying bet size you can adjust weather or not you have a 3 bet stack, or a deep stack. With smaller stack sizes you don’t have this option, but in the upper levels of 3 bet play, you will usually be making the first raise, their raise will usually be proportional. If you open pots with a small ball raise another round of betting will likely occur, and it will make it that much more difficult for you to be correct to shove (and correspondingly for them to be correct to call a re-shove 3 bet all-in by you).

A 4 bet stack or more is really just deep stacked poker. By the time you get to 4 or more bets position gains substantial value.

1 Bet stacks always play well. If the table is aggressive enough you are likely to double easily, if they are tight then stealing is hugely profitable.

2 Bet stacks are very difficult. Many players, even profitable end up in this stack range and feel helpless. Since opening and folding to a raise tends to be wrong you have to turn the tables to find profitable plays. Many players who open light will have the ability to fold to a re-raise all-in. Mixing this with a Big blind that has the ability to fold to your re-shove, and you have a great spot to re-steal from late position with a very wide range of hands. I recommend in marginal versions of this scenario choose a hand that doesn’t contain an ace, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6. The problem with these hands is that so frequently you get called by hands that either dominate a weak ace, or by pairs that effectively dominate cards below a 6. I also don’t like making these re-steals with baby pairs: 22, 33,and 44. Medium to large kings tend to be particularly good hands for this play because when you get called you are less likely to be in the above situation that with just about any other hand. 2 Bet stacks also include “Stop-And-Go” options where you call a raise from the Big blind, then push most flops. I prefer playing stop and go strategies to re-steals when there are more flops i would consider slow playing on to trap my opponent for a double up. This play tends to only apply to out of position calls with a stack in this range.

Three bet and larger stacks are powerful because they are so flexible. A 3-Bet stack plays well on its own, and can be used with increased variance without risk of going bust. A 3-bet stack’s biggest enemy is a 2 bet stack that knows when to re-steal. If you have one of these on your left i suggest having some what tight standards for opening a pot. 3-bet stacks also include options such as taking flops in position and re-stealing without shoving.

When there is already a deep stack on the table:

Going for a deep stack with another deep stack on the table is not a beginner play. The situations you will end up in with a deep stack vs. deep stack will likely be the toughest tournament decisions you will have to make. If you are good at these decisions (or at least better than your other deep opponents) then having this stack is a huge advantage. However, if you are a player that tends to avoid another deep stack player because you are afraid of giving up that many chips in a marginal situation then you should decrease your variance from a medium stack while there are deep stacks on your table.

You should also avoid increasing variance to get a deep stack if the other deep stacks are sitting on your left, or are more skilled than you are. Even if the bad player doesn’t understand position, it tends to not be worth increasing your variance to play deep against an opponent who you will be out of position against on 80% or more of hands.

PokerStars is, without a question, the most popular real-money online poker room in the world.  Their growth has been fueled by a combination of savvy marketing, stable software and excellent customer service.  In addition to those core factors, the willingness of PokerStars to provide players with high-value promotions has helped to breed a very loyal player base.

While the value of the PokerStars VIP program is well-known, there’s another significant value at PokerStars that doesn’t get nearly as much ink.  It’s the first deposit bonus offered by Stars, and it may be the case that people have been playing on Stars for so long that they’ve forgotten such a bonus even exists.

For players who are new to poker or haven’t given PokerStars a try, we’ll break down the value offered by the PokerStars first deposit bonus.  Doing so will involve a bit of lingo, but don’t worry –  it’s all quite simple to grasp regardless.

The Basics
The PokerStars first deposit bonus is available to players making their first-real money deposit on PokerStars.  You do not need to use a PokerStars marketing code to qualify for the bonus, but you will need to use the bonus code Stars600 when making your first deposit.  PokerStars will award you a bonus equal to 100% of the amount you deposit, with a maximum bonus of $600.

The Details / Value
Let’s work with the maximum bonus amount for an illustration.  You deposit $600 and PokerStars places $600 in your bonus account.  As you play real money poker, you will see money move from your bonus account to your player account where it can be used to play poker or be cashed out.  PokerStars gives you $10 of your bonus at a time for every 17 VPPs you earn.  VPPs are awarded at the rate of 5.5 for every dollar you pay in rake, meaning you need to earn 170 VPPs to release $10 of your bonus and need to pay $31 in rake to earn the 170 VPPs.  That’s a rebate rate of 33% –  one of the top rates in online poker.

If you have witnessed the online poker phenomenon yet felt it wasn’t right for you, there is no need to feel as though you should have to miss out. There are plenty of poker sites to choose from and they cater for all manner of players. You don’t need to feel as though you are a poker expert to have fun and success online, in fact, starting afresh can sometimes be a blessing. There are a great number of poker sites to choose from and Merge Poker can give you the rundown in what you need to know to make sure you have a great time when playing online poker.

Learn the rules of poker

If you are playing online poker for the first time, knowing the rules of the game is a great place to start. A number of the Merge Poker sites take the time to run through the many different poker games and show you how to play them. If you don’t know your Omaha Hi Lo from your 7 Card Stud, don’t despair because help is most definitely at hand. You will quickly learn that the word hand is pretty important when it comes to playing poker but it is the helping hand you receive to pick up skills that will impress you most.

It is also important to not just be bowled over by flashy graphics and interesting animation on a website. Yes, the presentation should count for something when looking for a great website but there has to be a lot more to it than that. A great looking website with terrible game play will be of no use to a serious online poker player and this is where Merge Poker will not let you down. The variety of Merge Poker sites has a varying reliance on graphics to wow players but there is always a focus on the game play element.

Poker bonuses are always a boost

Another major factor for players when looking for the right poker site to join has to be the welcome bonuses and the poker bonus codes. You will find that your pot can often disappear quickly when you are honing your skills so having as much money as possible is always going to be of benefit to an online poker player. This is where a regular visitor at the Merge poker site will find all the poker referral codes and welcome bonuses they could ever need. You will hopefully soon learn the importance of managing your bankroll but until you develop these skills, boost your chances of winning by picking up a poker bonus or two.

There is no doubt that online poker is an exciting way to play and it should be open for everyone. If you are new to the world of poker and it seems as though it is all too much for you, visit the Merge Poker site and find out everything you need to know. Developing good habits is an important part of poker success and visiting this site can help you get a heads up on what online poker is all about.