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We all want to be professional poker players, right?  Just say yes.  Well now is your chance (as long as you know I am using the term “professional” loosely).  Anyway…If you play poker online, then chances are you play at Full Tilt or PokerStars, or both.  If you play at either then you too can play on the Twitter Poker Tour.  Why the Twitter Poker Tour?  Because Twitter is where the tour was born, and where a great group of players keep the action going all week, not just on game day.  The TPT is played every Thursday night and alternates between Full Tilt and PokerStars.  You don’t have to use Twitter to play in the TPT, but it certainly adds to the experience- check out the banter for yourself.  Our next event is tomorrow night, December 4th at 9:00 PM ET.  Want to know more?  Just answer yes.  Then click the image for more info and we hope to see you at the TPT.

December 3rd, 2008 | Tags: holdem, tpt | Category: poker | Leave a comment

If you’ve already been shopping around for a new provider for your TV, telephone and internet services- then you need to seriously consider Charter’s black friday Ultimate Bundle deal.  What is included in the Ultimate Bundle? 10 Mbps High Speed Internet, Digital Home, Charter HD, Sports View, Digital View, HBO/Cinemax, Starz/Encore, Showtime/The Movie Channel, and Unlimited Calling!  That is a lot for just $165.97 per month, you’ll be hard pressed to find all that for cheaper.  As if that wasn’t enough, you’ll get a $250 gift card in return for signing up with Charter.  You’re not limited to some worthless gift card either, you can get your gift card for Best Buy, Champs Sports, Kohl’s, Outback and many more places.  That is just what is guaranteed to you.  You’ll also be entered to win 1 of 45 Xbox 360’s.  If you’re not interested in the Ultimate Bundle package, that is alright, they have three other packages to pick from, all of which include you getting a gift card in return.  If you’re interested in this offer, you’ll have to hurry because it ends in just a few days- December 5th.  Go to Charter’s website now before it’s too late.  I wish I could get Charter in my area, I would seriously be considering this offer!

December 2nd, 2008 | Category: other | Leave a comment

I need to read my blog more often and take my own advice.  I did everything wrong yesterday.  I got impatient after a while and even went on tilt.  I remember grinding my teeth and punishing the left mouse button as I did a few WAY over the top raises or bets.  You know, a “call that” bet.  It’s too bad, because I had worked the bankroll up to $278 on Friday, only to lose $20 on Sunday.  Things were seeming a bit easy this week, so maybe this is just what I needed.  A reminder that people will play Ace Rag, they will call you down with Ace Rag, and they will hit their 3 outer on the river for two pair and still just call your river bet (instead of raise) because they don’t really understand how to play.  I mean if your hand was good enough to call down, and it just got much better on the river, how do you not think to raise?  I shouldn’t complain, they save me money, it’s just stupid.  I’ve had players hit trips on the river and still not raise (thanks by the way).  I’m not bitter though.  When it was all said and done I took it pretty well though, I ejected gracefully and didn’t let it bother me for long.  Bad beats and luck are part of the game, I’ll get ‘em next time, after I take a little break I think.

I haven't been getting many good hands.

I also played in a home game Wednesday night, losing $13 which felt like a win as crazy as the game got.  Went to the casino on Saturday and won $47.75 at $0.50/$1.00 NL hold ‘em.  Aside from the speed bump at PokerStars, it was a great Thanksgiving weekend in so many ways.

December 1st, 2008 | Tags: holdem | Category: poker | Comments (3)

After making my bankroll goal of $250, I moved up to $10NL as planned.  I made steady progress to $270, and then quickly dropped to $247.  Quickly being the key word- all in one session.  Tilt was partly to blame, but really what did it was I wasn’t thinking about why I was making plays.  I became robotic, making snap plays all the time, and not just snap calls and raises cost me money, some snap folds cost me money too.  I usually don’t play like that, I’m usually patient and deliberate.

At the start of my next session, I took the time to monitor each table, making mental notes (and sometimes notes in the software) on hands, whether I was involved in them or not.  I made it a point to take time on every play, regardless of how easy the decision seemed.  This increased my focus and ultimately my ability to make better reads.  I haven’t had a losing session since.  Most are small wins, but a win is a win and the bankroll is at $265.  Sure this is pretty standard stuff, but online poker can be very repetitious and before you know it you’re making the same bad play over and over.  A little focus and patience gives you just one advantage over many of the players at micro-stakes that just don’t seem to care that much.

November 26th, 2008 | Tags: holdem, strategy | Category: poker | Comments (1)

Poker Stars Perfect Storm

Say that three times fast- “Poker Stars Perfect Storm punches me in the Package”.  Come on, I know you want to.  Anyway, that’s a phrase I coined.  Well not really the whole phrase, more specifically the “Poker Stars Perfect Storm” (PSPS).  What is the PSPS?  It’s when a hand plays out so perfectly for 2 players that neither one of them can fold, both tend to get all-in, and the player that was ahead all the way has now lost to the villain’s 3 outer.  Or something like that, and generally the hands are just sick.  I might play 10 hours live and never see a hand like this, but in an hour online I could see it 2 or 3 times.  I had it happen to me last night after the Twitter Poker Tour event, which I went out in 8th place out of 24.  So I lost $5.50 in the TPT and another $15 at $10NL knocking my bankroll back down to $250.  I was hoping to build a nice cushion for $10NL so I could easily absorb nights like this, but it looks like I’m going to have to do some serious grinding for a while.  It’s standard operating procedure though, so it’s all good, except I still sound like a soprano.

November 21st, 2008 | Tags: holdem, tpt | Category: poker | Comments (4)

I started my second stint at $10NL this weekend, this time with $50 more ($250) in my bankroll.  I played just 3 sessions, one on Saturday and two on Sunday, but it went OK and the bankroll is at $270 right now (was as high as $277 at one point).  Honestly, I didn’t play any different than when I was playing at $5NL.  Last time when I moved up to $10NL I think I gave everyone too much credit.  Plus the pots get bigger much faster, but the stacks are the same, the max buy-in for both $5 and $10NL is $10.  Meaning you need to be aware that you’ll be playing for stacks more often.  I wasn’t really prepared for that last time and I let the money somewhat dictate my play.  Not this time.  I know it’s early, but I’m happy with the start.  We’ll see how it goes tonight.

November 17th, 2008 | Tags: holdem | Category: poker | Leave a comment

The good news is I haven’t lost any money at $10NL.  The bad news is I haven’t had time to play at $10NL yet.  I’ve just been too busy.  It looks like the next chance I’ll have to play is this weekend, Saturday most likely.  I’ve been looking forward to playing ever since I met my $250 bankroll goal last week, so I’ll have to remember to throttle back the aggression a bit when I finally do play.  For now, here is a two photo collage I created in Picnik, a slick free online photo editor.

Small collage created in Picnik.

November 13th, 2008 | Tags: holdem | Category: poker | Comments (4)

Many players have difficulty resisting the temptation of moving to higher stakes. If you’re a winning Online Texas Hold´em player, higher stakes means more money and more excitement. Most people feel like the best players play at the highest stakes. The questions become, should you move up, and do you know how to play poker against stronger opponents?

Should You Move up to Higher Stakes?

There are two reasons you should consider moving up in stakes. If the stakes are so small relative to your bankroll that the money has no meaning to you, it’s unlikely that you will be playing your best game. If you have $1,000 in your bankroll, 25/50 cent limit poker is unlikely to hold many challenges for you.

You should generally be playing at stakes in which you are financially comfortable, but where the money is still meaningful. The other time you should consider moving up in stakes is if you are consistently beating your game of choice and think you can maintain this winning rate at a higher level, against better poker players.

When Should You Move up to Higher Stakes?

If you’re moving up because you feel that you are ready for bigger challenges, you should wait until you have clear evidence that you are beating your current game. You should have a bankroll large enough to sustain a few big losses at the new level. If you don’t, you are probably not winning as consistently at your current level as you think.

Try to track your results over several months and calculate your actual win rate per hour. If it is significantly positive, give a higher game a shot.

When Shouldn’t You Move up to Higher Stakes?

You should not move up to higher stakes just because you have had one big win. It’s tempting to try to turn a nice win at your level into a huge win at the next level. However, it’s more likely that you will simply erase your nice win and possibly even turn it into a loss.

Hold onto that big win to protect your bankroll and keep trying to generate winning sessions at your current level. Move up when the time is right.

November 12th, 2008 | Tags: articles, holdem | Category: poker | Comments (2)

I just found out about Ford’s “I’m Driving One!” sweepstakes.  Of course today is the last day to enter the contest, but the more people I get to sign up to Drive One! (click the text link at the bottom of left sidebar), the more chances I have to win.  So give yourself a chance to win while increasing my chances of winning. There are three grand-prizes to win: an all-expense paid trip to Ford Championship Weekend in Homestead, Fla., for the NASCAR season finale; an all-expense paid trip to the NHRA drag racing finale in Pomona, Calif.; or a full-day Mustang driving school at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah.

The fact is I do drive one, a Ford that is.  My baby is a 1993 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra.  I’ve had her about 12 years now, still very clean, with a little spunk to boot (best time of 12.1 @ 113.96 mph in the 1/4 mile).  Fun to drive, until gas prices put her in her place (the garage too often!).  Anyway, more about her later.  The Mustang could be considered Fords flagship vehicle, but don’t forget about the perennial award winning F-150 or the new stylish but still useful Flex.  I’m getting sidetracked, back to the contest- obviously time is an issue, so enter for a chance to win now.

November 11th, 2008 | Category: cars | Leave a comment