Same goes with playing poker, you get to meet all kinds of interesting people from all over the world.  Especially during online poker games, chat to some people find out where they are from and what life is like in their part of the world.  I have made some great friendships online.

Of course we all like to win, but once you have finished the game shake hands, have the decency to congratulate the winner or be humble if you have won and emptied your competitor’s pockets!!!

Its funny how some of the old video poker players get so adamant about their strategy and defend it, just because it works for them it doesn’t mean that its generally the best video poker strategy to teach beginners.

First of all never get caught in between and play two or three coins because the return only increases on the fifth coin.  So you are putting more money into the machine for a lower return.  Decide whether you are going one coin or five coins and stick with it.

The basic rule is that when you have the edge bet your five coins but when you dont have an advantage then stick to one coin.  Don’t give your money away trying to chase a royal.

And if you cant handle the big money, step down to the smaller denomination video poker machines, that way you’ll get more bang for your buck!

Henry Orenstein, won a bracelet in the 1996 WSOP and has had many finishes in the money.  He is probably one of the oldest poker players around, even into his eighties he is still going strong.  After the Second World War he became a toymaker and managed convince the toy company Hasbro to produce Transformers…

Orenstein is the producer of the High Stakes Poker television show, which is probably what he is better known for in the poker world.  Next time I should maybe be a litlle more careful about running things down, especially in public.  You just never know what people have done with their lives and where they have been before.

Don’t get me wrong I love playing flash games, its just that they dont earn a return. Time is money as they say! They are great for relaxing and entertainment, its just that you can waste a lot of time playing flash games

When the early video poker machines were first introduced, the machines only paid out on 2 pair or greater, the odds were not in favor of the players and many gamblers shunned the game.  With a re-think, they improved the winning odds for players and changed the payouts to be for a pair of jacks or higher… hence the name Jacks or Better… and the game took off.

Jacks or Better has become the standard video poker game that everyone knows.  Look for the best versions that have very low house edges, even as low as 0.5% if you can believe it… I suppose the strategy is that it keeps you coming back for more.  That’s probably one of the lowest house edges you will get in the casino.

What a load of cruck!

We already have machines playing a more active role in war and now many of them are unmaned flying machines and robots etc.  And, I am sure that in the future whole battles will be faught by machines, guided by humans.  But the transforming thing just goes too far for me.

You’ve heard it all before, but how true it is.  So no matter how bad things are going or how bad your cards are, you have to hang in there, because it will turn.  Psychologically it is very tough to hang in there, whilst everyone else is getting the cards or whilst you are trying to play with marginal hands… but you have to do it!

And, it can also go the over way, when you are riding a rich run of luck, use it to your full advantage because it wont last forever.

Patience is one of the toughest things to learn at the poker table.  You cant push your luck, or force your luck too much… wait for it to come!

Ok lets talk about a few tips if you are a video poker player.

First lesson is to forget all that you have learnt from playing real poker!  All you need to know is the hand rankings.

1. In video poker don’t hold the kicker card, get rid of it.  A kicker only decreases your chances of making a winning hand in video poker.

2. The ace is not the best card in the deck when playing some video poker games, because the best card is actually the lowest card that qualifies for a pair – then it can be used in more straights.  Example a jack can be used in any straight from 7,8,9,10,J through to 10,J,Q,K,A.  But the ace can only be used in two straights A,2,3,4,5 and 10,J,Q,K,A.  So sometimes in video poker you will want to get rid of an ace when you have three mixed suited high cards.

The exception is that bonus games can put a higher value to aces.

3. Remember, in video poker, a hand’s worth is determined only by the payment schedule.  A pair of jacks is just as strong as a pair of aces.

4. Always consider the possibility of making a royal flush in video poker, even with two or three cards still to go.  You would never do that in normal poker.

Thats a few video poker tips to keep you going for now.  Satisfied?  More to come…

The other thing is that you should always keep an eye on what is happening out there, lets face it the online gambling and online casino industry is a very competitive place – they will do anything to attract customers, especially during these harder times.

Its worth searching for better bonuses and free games, because they out there, all you have to do is find them.  Good luck.

When watching High Stakes Poker, I really enjoyed these last few episodes that have Tom Dwan and Patrik Antonius playing.  Dwan seems to rattle the others a bit, he does get lucky but he also seems to intimidate them.  He plays aggressive yet controlled poker, but you just never know with him, because some of the time he turns up the cards.  Sometimes you watch his play and think how can he get away with that?  And, yet somehow he does – not always, but most times.

Then there is Antonius who just sits there solid as a rock not giving anything away, actually this is probably the most I have ever seen him smile and talk!  Only he could pull off that huge bluff against Dwan right at the end (whoops sorry giving it away…).  Notice how he decides early on that he is going to bluff his way through and his aggressive style bullies his opponents.

Interesting to hear that Antonius has never read a poker strategy book and has just learnt the game by playing and learning from his mistakes.

Click here to view the embedded video.