The blackjack insurance comes into play when the dealer pulls out an Ace (up-card). There is a question from the dealer if the players want to opt for insurance. This is a very tricky situation because you wouldn’t know what the dealer’s hole card is going to be. You may believe that the dealer’s hole card is going to be a 10, and if that is the case, you can place a side bet to score a blackjack. You are allowed to wager 50% of your original amount which you had placed for the hand. You need to at your best when you are going to guess the dealer’s hole card to wager your money. This is called as insurance in blackjack.

To understand it better, let’s put it like this. If your dealer has $15, you could win at a ratio of 2:1. But the original amount you placed for the bet is not going to come back to you unless you can pull it off with a tie with the dealer by drawing another card. Now you would ask where you can place the insurance bet. There is an insurance line right in front of you where you can place the bet. It isn’t much you are applying for, but usually the blackjack insurance doesn’t work to advantage of the player, rather it works in favor of the house. So you need to just think a bit before opting for the blackjack insurance.

Experts say usually it is a waste of money taking insurance in Blackjack. According to them this is more of hype created by the casino when they are in a vulnerable situation. The insurance is an option used by the casinos to create a high-profit for the house in most circumstances. The money you always win on insurance will be lesser than what you wage.

With the best hand, AA it is very important to look for big raise or re-raise if someone raises before you. It is a mistake in strategy with AA to just call a raise because you are missing the opportunity to get more money into the pot with the best hand and more important thing is that you are giving players with weaker hands the opportunity to improve their hands on the flop.

If you can compel your opponents to either fold or believe you’re faking it with 1 or 2 big cards and then call your large raise. With double Aces you must ensure the speed of play is at a reasonable tempo by not allowing little raises. Because if you do the other players will gain the chance to improve on the flop and also the number of opponents will drop.

After the flop you should do big raise not giving anyone chance to call for any straights, flushes or drawing hands for small amount of chips. However, there is always possibility that one of your opponents has made a better flop and so you should be aware of the fact that you may no longer hold the best hand. But in spite of this, you will normally still be ahead and so you should continue to build the pot unless you are quite sure that you are no longer ahead.

When playing hands like KK, QQ and JJ you should raise before the flop. Someone would have maybe A and something lower but it is very rare to come up against a better hand before the flop when holding either of these hands, so raising will reduce the number of players who want to see a flop. Key thing is to limit the number of players who you are up against with either of these hands because the opponents can easily make a better hand than you hitting an Ace on flop to make bigger pair.

There are 2 scenarios which the “flop” creates- you will either turn overcards or you won’t. When there’s no overcards on the flop you should carry on raising. The 2nd scenario when overcards are on the table is a lot harder to play. I recommend to raise a three or four times a large blind and then consider your options after the opposing player responds to the raise. If they call be careful and bide your time as you don’t have the highest chance of taking the money in any more scenarios. If the pot keeps getting larger you must be ready to let the hand go.

Always consider the possibility that your opponent could have a better hand than you if they are also playing aggressively by betting and raising too. Playing with big pairs can be sometimes tricky but if you do right raises before flops, and after it is more likely for you to win pot.

I look forward to seeing you at the free poker tables soon!

Despite divorcing from his wife Luciaetta at the end of 2009, Ivey has continued his impressive form and started 2010 with a bang. Despite losing a heads-up battle at the Aussie Millions $100K Challenge, the second place result saw Ivey leapfrog Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu to become pokers biggest winner of all-time. This was a fantastic achievement for Phil Ivey and he celebrate d it with dinner and then a game of poker – I guess practice really does make perfect because Ivey plays poker everyday!

Daniel Negreanu will be somewhat unhappy about Ivey’s achievement however. The PokerStars Pro made a list of goals for 2010 and remaining number one on the all-time money list was one of them. He is now around $400k behind Ivey on the list and it will be a very tough task to regain the top spot unless he ups his live tournament schedule.

For Phil Ivey it is all about the achievement and honour. He has won many, many millions playing in cash games and some people have rumoured that he is worth over $50 million. Despite so much money he has upped his live tournament schedule in recent years in the hunt of WSOP bracelets and to set the bar for being the greatest poker player of all time, Phil Ivey is a true poker legend – and has many years left!

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Tip #1 – No Need For Fancy Play Syndrome.

Solid ‘ABC’ poker, which emphasizes solid hand values and good position might not be as glamorous as a daring 5-bet bluff – however this is a great way to exploit some of the crazy plays you will find your opponents making at the Rush tables. With hordes of recreational opponents willing to give you their stacks with decidedly medium-strength holdings you really do not need too many ‘fancy moves’ to show a good profit.

Tip #2 – Deep Stacked Poker

While many of your opponents will have bought in for the 40 big-blind minimum, you will find many others who will stick around with 200 or even 300 times the blind. Having big stacks in play increases the potential payoff when you hit a hidden monster holding – such as a hidden set or concealed straight. Stack awareness, together with an understanding that unpaired high cards are dangerous when ‘playing for stacks’ can help you maximize those returns.

Tip #3 – Steals And Re-Steals

Many opponents will use the fact that you have no reads, combined with their late position at the table, to attempt to steal the blinds. Knowing this is can be profitable to re-steal by re-raising a raiser, particularly from the button. Make sure you do not take the ‘he thinks she thinks he thinks’ too far though – those stealers will wake up with real hands sometimes!

Tip #4 – Getting Reads And Taking Notes

The fast-paced nature of Rush Poker means that taking notes is difficult. What many players do not realize is that they can open the player notes box as soon as they get into a hand with an opponent, if you then have something to record this can be done after the hand. If you sit our during a hand you will also see the showdown – allowing you to get future reads on your opponents.

Tip #5 – Planning For Tilt

Rush Poker and tilt are a very dangerous combination, if you feel yourself getting angry or frustrated at the tables then stop immediately – using the new tables as a reason for wild play will cost you money very quickly. We suggest you make a plan of action for tilting before you sit down and play. You never know – this could end up saving you an entire buy-in.

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Some players love the new game and are proudly boasting out loud that it is the future of poker. Others do not appreciate it as much because they say it reduces the real poker strategies. Choosing to play Rush Poker or not is now becoming a major issue for poker players online.

Pros of Rush Poker on Full Tilt Poker

One of the biggest advantages of playing Rush Poker on Full Tilt Poker is the characteristic “Quick Fold”. In short, you have the right to throw your hand away at any time during the hand. Even if it is not your turn to speak, you can click on the Quick Fold and go to the next hand. Of course, several players on Full Tilt were already making the decision to fold or to check before their turn.

However, with Rush Poker, you do not need to wait until the hand was ended to start a new one. When you click on Quick Fold, you’re sent to another table on the spot where a new hand begins. This new feature significantly reduces the time spent waiting between two hands or even during the actual hand.

Another advantage is that the small blinds and seat positions are assigned randomly. Moreover, the big blind is the player who has not paid a blind for the longest period of time. Consequently, the tight aggressive players will discover that their strategy is much more efficient since they do not pay the blinds as often. This is indeed favourable for players who play tight, and gives a tight aggressive strategy better chance of success.

Cons of Rush Poker on Full Tilt Poker

A major disadvantage that several players mentioned concerning the new game is that its speed strips the game from the classic poker strategy that made the game what it is. For some, it kills the strategy so often used by poker professionals. Other players feel that it is not the case. In fact, you still have the same amount of time to take a decision in each hand and all strategies are still applicable.

Of course, it can also be hard on the bankroll of players who do not pay attention. With the large number of hands a player can play per hour, especially if he takes advantage of the ability to play on multiple tables, his money can disappear very quickly. Still, if a player pays attention to his bankroll, playing within the limits he can and should play at, it will not be a bigger problem than with other type of poker games.

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The idea is very simple, instead of joining one table you join a pool of players playing at many tables, lets say you start on a table and are dealt a rubbish hand that you intend to fold, well, with rush poker you do not need to wait for the action to reach you, instead you can instantly quick fold the hand and the software will move you instantly to another table where a new hand is beginning again, if you do not like the hand move table straight away till you find a hand you like. Basically, you are just seated randomly at the tables with the other players in the player pool, when you find a hand you like you play it, simple as that.

When you do play a hand, you are in play until your action in the hand is over, therefore, if you fold you do not have to wait for the hand to complete before you start another hand. The general fast nature of this game means you can see far more hands than you would in standard play; it is almost like multi tabling. At one table, you will find that players playing in these sorts of games are playing hundreds and hundreds of hands an hour.

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Rush poker adds an element of speed to single table play of no limit Texas hold’em cash games whereby you are immediately transported to a new table every time you fold your hand. This is done instantly, allowing you to play hundreds of hands per hour. Now this is not turbo speed like you would have seen in tournaments, this is more physically changing the makeup of your table allowing you to engage in as many hands as you’re comfortable with. The faster you fold your hand, the faster you get to see your next hand.

The way the software allows you to do this, is by placing you amongst the pool of players who were also waiting for the next time to start. This means you can be put in any position, and be facing any combination of any players that are active in the pool at that moment. Truly an interesting concept here, and full tilt should be commended for their forward thinking, which has really kept them as the leaders in the online poker market at least as far as features go.

The only time I found that I had to wait in this game was when I was in the big blind, and that basically meant that I had to wait for somebody to raise or just check fold to me. Pretty much any other position you can glance at your hand, click full or quick fold, and you’re off to another table.

Alright so it’s fun, action-packed, and demands your considerable concentration, but what about 3rd party tracking software? I was using Hold’em Indicator on first visit to these tables and used the odds display, but since your table and opponents change every hand, there was no profiling going on whatsoever. In addition, Full Tilt does not allow observers at these tables, so there won’t be any easy way to data mine statistics for programs like Poker Tracker, Hold’em Manager or Poker Edge. You are just going to be playing these straight-up on card strength and the betting patterns of that very hand you are in.

So if you eliminate profiling from this game, there will be other rules of engagement in order to stay profitable. Of course Full Tilt Poker is just going to rake in much more well, rake. But if you can focus for a couple of hours you could be seeing as many as 1000 hands. I could see playing tight solid aggressive could be working under the circumstances, but I also noticed a lot of blind stealing going on here. Players already sort of trying to take advantage of the fact that players and the blinds might not even be there and they can tell because they’re on auto fold and they’re already sitting at another table looking at another hand.

It’s going to be interesting to see what games and buy-in levels Full Tilt expands this to and how popular it’s going to be with players. Nonetheless, another industry-leading innovation from full tilt poker.

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So far the game is available only as small stakes (up to $0.50/$1.00) no limit holdem. You can choose to play either 9 seated or 6 seated, and the game plays as normal except for a very important change. Once you’re out of a hand (either at showdown, or if you fold) you’re “rushed” off to another table and immediately dealt a fresh hand. You don’t even have to wait for the action to come to you, you can simply hit the quick fold button, and even if it isn’t your turn to cat you’ll be reseated and dealt new cards.

This makes for an incredibly fast paced game. No longer will you have to wait 20 minutes for a good hand, if you don’t like what you’re dealt then fold and see a new hand right away. In fact, most players see an average of 300 hands per hour playing this game, and some players see over500 per hour!

Rush poker strategy differs quite a bit from normal ring games. Because it’s so easy to fold you know that most players will be playing only premium hands, so after the flop you’ll have a reasonable idea that they hold either 2 high cards, a pocket pair, or Ax. Be careful of the player in the big blind though, if you allow them to enter the hand by limping in you’ll have no idea what they hold. Always raise pre-flop if you’re going to play a hand, that will stop the big blind seeing the flop for free.

You should also be re-raising a lot. Players in rush poker love to fold with anything other than a premium hand, since they know they’ll be dealt another good hand soon, so take advantage of that. Raise, and re-raise often and you’ll find you can steal the pot more often than not.

Finally, you’ll find that low cards can be your friend. Since most players will only be playing big cards, if you come in with low cards and hit trips on the flop you’ll trap them and earn a big pot!

Rush poker strategy will certainly be refined over time as more and more top players study the game and figure out the best tactics, but by following the basic strategy outlined here you should be profitable in most games.

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In order to win this fantastic prize all you have to do, is be a better player than David Coulthard!

Every week David Coulthard will place a multiple betting ticket with three different selections for a stake of 5 EUR which he will post on the site. All you have to do is to place a similar betting ticket and beat David’s return. Every betting ticket that beats David’s will qualify as one entry into the draw for this sensational prize.

So start playing now and you could soon be walking the Formula 1 paddock with David Coulthard!

If you’re playing online hold’em without a rakeback deal you are throwing money away, potentially thousands of dollars every month! Pro players know that the only surefire way to increase their win-rate with no risk involved is through a poker rakeback deal.

Poker sites have to make money, and they do so by snatching a small piece of each pot, known as the rake. Since it’s such an insignificant amount most players don’t even pay it any attention, but savvy online poker players know that these small amounts add up to a fortune -The biggest online poker sites make millions from these so-called small amounts.

However, with all the competition afoot in the online poker industry many sites have started offering players rakeback: Which is a percentage of that small percentage they collect. In effect, they simply make a little bit less from a player who is using a poker rakeback deal than they do from everyone else.

But just like the sites that are making millions of dollars through rake, serious online poker players can make thousands of dollars in rakeback!

For example, if you are a typical solid player; you still work a day job but make a decent amount of spending money playing online poker. Suppose you play 100,000 hands of $100 NLHE in a year -a fairly conservative amount for a winning player-and you earn 3BB/100 (in this case $6 every 100 hands). Well, if the average rake in these games is $1 -again a very conservative number-and you have a 33% rakeback deal you would be pulling in an extra $3.30 per 100 hands! By playing with a poker rakeback deal you have instantly increased your win-rate by over 50%!

In the course of a year that adds up to $3,300, which would be a very nice vacation, or even a solid down payment on a new car.

Think of what happens when you triple or quintuple your output? Or up the stakes you play -thereby upping the amount of rakeback you will receive?

Pro players, who put in 50,000 hands in a month playing short-handed poker games, can pull in an extra $10,000 every month just in poker rakeback! Yes you read that right: $10,000 in a month from poker rakeback!

There is absolutely no reason you should be playing online poker without a rakeback deal: It’s free to sign-up through a poker affiliate and receive a rakeback deal, there literally are no negatives to poker rakeback. Rakeback is simply free money, money that any online hold’em player can take advantage of.