Poker Game Fan

The first point I will make about Pacific Poker is that there is a generous first time deposit bonus of 100% up to an amount of $400. You will also gain entry to a $3,500 freeroll too which could provide a huge boost to your funds.

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Other promotions running include a bounty tournament with a sizeable bonus for eliminating a pro in the tournament. There is a battle due to take place between Australian and UK team members in a ‘battle of the ashes’ poker special too. WSOP packages are becoming a feature with the world series approaching, and the usual guaranteeds, double or nothing games, and other tournaments are also ever present.
There is a refer a friend bonus at Pacific Poker offering $50 for the referring player and $25 for the new player which is always good to see. The fact that Pacific Poker is a branch of the betting company 888.com, means that you can always feel you are in safe hands here, as transactional security and customer care is something the company have had vast experience with.

I am an advocate of 3D interactive play at the tables, but I understand this is a big overhaul that not all poker rooms feel is necessary. Within the confines of what most sites offer visually, Pacific Poker are fairly good.
Overall I like Pacific Poker, and am very pleased to see new and interesting promotions being developed on a regular basis. This shows a willingness to work towards becoming a top poker room as opposed to settling for simply being mediocre.

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There are several plus points which deserve to be spoken about when looking at Celeb Poker, but the most obvious of these has to be the first time deposit bonus. This stands at 200% up to an amount of 500 Euros.

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There have been a number of great promotions running this month, and there is sure to be plenty more lined up for next month too. Some of the recent promotions have included, the ’2k rewards’ promo as well as a loyalty freeroll with a 10,000 Euro prize pool. these are tournaments which reward the continued support of players onsite, and offer the chance of a sizeable win. Bonus freerolls have also been running this month, offering the chance of cash prizes to the lesser bankrolled players onsite.

New Bad Beat Jackpot tables are running at Celeb Poker, with a cash payment on offer to any player unlucky enough to lose with four sixes or better.

I am a fan of guaranteed tournaments as many players are, and it is good to see Celeb poker offering 5 million Euros in guaranteed prizes every month. The player points system in place here is very good too, with an online store available in which players can spend their hard earned points on merchandise.

Support is on offer here 24/7 via telephone, email and fax, offering knowledgable and swift problem solving for players onsite. It is always good to see live support too, but the help options that are available, offer the highest standard of support.

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While playing online at Ladbrokes Poker I had a monster hand. In a Five Card Draw game we are dealt (4,4,4,K,Q). The standard play would be to make a raise, in this case our raise is reraised by the player to our left, and called by a second player. We also call, and draw one to try and disguise our set as a Two Pair, which is a (7). Then the player on our left draws two, followed by the next player, who draws one.

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This is difficult to play after the draw due to the obvious danger signs. Our first opponent very probably had a set before the draw due to his reraise, although there is a small chance it is simply a player getting over excited about a pair of Aces with a High Card and raising, although this isn’t as likely. Our second player drawing one gives us a further problem as they could be drawing one for the same reason we are, to disguise trips. I think it is more likely to be a two pair though. Either way, I think we can say the first opponent to act is our biggest danger as they put out the reraise, and I would probably check, expecting a raise. if our first player follows on with a raise after the draw we have the advantage of seeing what the other player will do before we make our decision. I still might fold even if the other opponent chooses to fold, but let us say in this case that our second player actually reraises. For me, this is a relief because it prevents us from having to make a very difficult decision. Our hand is behind in this scenario almost every time, and I feel you have to fold. If our set was of kings or Aces, I would still not be happy, but might feel compelled to call anyway.

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There are many hands in Omaha that show real potential, and if you trust your play on the flop enough, you can try and see cheap flops with many of these, provided the blinds are not too large. When talking about the strongest starting hands, we should obviously mention the hand (A,A,K,K) double suited.

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This is the most powerful poker hand you can have preflop, and I can only recall having been dealt it once. I won that hand with a Full House, but the opportunity for making different hands with these type of starting cards is huge. The double suited aspect ensures that not only you have the best shot at making a Flush, but it is gauranteed to be the nut Flush. The same applies to if you make a Straight. On top of this, if you make a set, you also know it will be the best possible set out there, and so there is real potential for winning a big pot with this hand.

Other interesting hands include pairs with connected or suited cards supporting them, and well as hand such as (J,Q,K,A). Whilst I would attach a reasonable amount of importance on your starting hand in Omaha, I have to say that I think your decision making on the flop, and following cards, is the most important aspect of the game. As long as you recognise when to put pressure on and when to fold a strong hand in differing situations, you should do well enough at Omaha no matter what your hole cards.

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Poker Tournaments at Ladbrokes Poker contain situations which can often change the shape of your tournament, whether they happen for, or against you.

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I decided to talk a little about this aspect of the game after seeing a terrible bad beat in my online tournament earlier. The flop came down (3,Q,K) and one player made a big raise. His opponent then reraised all in, and after some thought, was called. The original raiser turned over (K,8) with no Flush options, and the other player (K,Q) for two pair. There really don’t appear to be any options for (K,8) to win that aren’t completely miraculous, and this one certainly was that, as the Turn and River fell (8)…then (8). You might feel losing to a one outer is bad, but an opponent needing only running eights with only three of them left in the deck and hitting them, is truly horrifying for our (K,Q) player.

I have had poker players hit running cards for a Straight against my flopped set of Aces before, and one two outer springs to mind also, but there is nothing we can do to prevent this as players. If we live in fear of every outdraw in poker we will end up getting blinded out, so it is best to accept that for every time it happens against you, one day it will happen for you.

If you can maintain composure and continue playing good poker after it happens, you have done as much as you can as far as playing poker is concerned. So just keep getting those chips in when you are ahead, and sooner or later, the odds should work themselves out.

Having picked up 3rd place in a small stakes 45 player Holdem event earlier at CelebPocker, I put my funds to use by sitting down at a 5 Card Draw SnG.

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I had to withstand a rocky start in this game of online poker as I didn’t get dealt much to play with, and the few times I did, I was beaten by slightly bigger hands. Then came the following hand. I had 1,300 chips and my opponent had 2,300. I was dealt (6,6,7,K,6) and my opponent called my 150 raise preflop. He then drew 3 cards and I felt he probably had a strong pair. With this in mind I drew 1 card, keeping hold of my King to make him feel I had a two pair he could perhaps beat if he made a strong two pair with his held pair. After the draw he checked to me, and I thought he had probably not improved his pair and was conceding this one to my perceived two pair. I put out a 150 bet to see if I ould get paid off, and to my surprise, I saw my opponent put in a pot sized reraise. This was around 650 in chips, potentially doing serious damage to my stack if I called and got it wrong.

I clicked the button to request extra time and sat back, thinking. I had seen my opponent trap with a check after the draw earlier in the game, so I had to feel concerned. I felt he had a strong pair preflop, and I really wasn’t sure if he would make this play with a hand such as two pair of Aces and Kings. I typed "trip 6′s" into the chat, and waited to see if there was any reply while I was thinking, but as I expected, there wasn’t.

So many players I see at the Five Card Draw tables would have instantly called in this position, but I eventually folded. I was subsequently smiling away to myself when my opponent chose to show his (A,A,A,8,9). This fold was crucial, as it provided a platform of confidence for me to build a stack, eventually go on to take that same player on heads up, and then win the SnG. This just goes to show the potential rewards for making a good fold when it counts.

At Pacific Pocker, we all know that having good position on a player means being second to act, as this gives you a chance to respond to your opponents actions with the added information that brings.

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Whilst I would not dispute this fact, there are aspects of being out of position that you can turn to your advantage. First of all, if you are against an aggressive poker player or someone who likes to make tester bets, you have the opportunity to check to your opponent, then come over the top with a reraise when they ask the question. This is slightly risky as you might lose a few more chips than when you can put out the first bet yourself, but your raise shows more strength due to the fact it is a check raise.

Also, if you were to pick up a drawing hand such as a Flush draw or open ended Straight you have the chance to put out the first bet. This can often disguise your hand if it hits, much more so than if your opponent makes the first bet and then you flat call and reraise when a third suit or Straight card hits.

These aspects apply foremost to Holdem, but I cannot say the same for a game such as Five Card Draw, where position is important in knowing which cards to draw. If you can see how many cards your opponent draws first in this game, you have an easier decision as to whether to hold on to high cards with your pair to make a strong two pair, or to draw to a stronger hand if you feel your opponent might have a set in the case of them drawing three cards.

Just recently, Poker.co.uk has began offering Omaha hi/lo games, and I found several players on their forum looking for information about how to play the game. If you are one of those players who would like to try their hand at this game but are unsure of the rules, here are a few pointers.

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In hi/lo, four hole cards are dealt in the same way is regular Omaha poker. The aim is to hopefully win both the high half, and the low half of a pot. The low half can be won by any five card upaired hand consisting of cards 8 or lower. The best possible low hand being (A,2,3,4,5). Sometimes the board cards will be such that there is no possible low hand, in this case the high hand will take the entire pot. If you make the same low hand as another player, it is possible to get ‘quartered’ meaning the low half of the pot is split.

High hands made include the same standard hand rankings as usual, and so there really aren’t that many differences between Omaha and the hi/lo version. the only new aspect to learn is the pot splitting and low hands.

Personally I prefer to pick up low drawing cards as it is easier to make the nuts low with a hand containing (A,2,x,x) than it is to make the nut high hand. In this game it is generally accepted that the best starting hand is (A,A,2,3) double suited. This gives strong chances to win the low half of the pot, as well as options for the high half too, If you catch the right suits or make trips, or ideally, a wheel.