Straight Flush, Full House and Four of a Kind

The Royal Flush is as any flush, that is a combination of five cards of the same colour but this time beginning with one Ace, followed at once by King, then a Queen, a Jack and one Ten. It is the highest ranking standard poker hand because it is constitute by King that’s why its name. Its combination is very difficult to establish. If the flush begins with one Ace and followed by 2, then 3, 4 and 5, this one is called "white flush" or “Quinte Blanche” in french. It is the weakest value in flush where from its name. And if, for example, the flush consists of 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 of club; we call it flush to 9.

A player has in hand a full house when he possesses at the same time a “Three of a kind” and a “Pair”. The Three of a kind is a combination of three cards of the same rank, three 8 form a Three of a Kind of eight for example; the card of stronger value determines the strongest Three of a Kind. A Pair is always formed by two cards of the same rank, two 8 form a Pair of eight for example; the card of stronger value determines the strongest Pair. Generally, a full house hand intervenes after improvement of a “Double Pair”, or a “Simple Pair” if we demand to exchange three cards, or of a Three of a Kind served automatically if we demand two cards. It is the good combination which you should not neglect.

We obtain a “Four of a Kind” or “Quads” when we have in hand four cards of identical rank accompanied by any other card. For example, we have a combination of four Jack accompanied of a 9 of Diamond; in that case we call it a Quad of Jacks. If the poker game player has from the first dealing a Four of a Kind straight draw, it is advised to him to exchange one card in order to ameliorate his hand.

The Four of a Kind or the Quads is an important and a major combination. At the first drawing, it can appear rarely, only at 10% of all cases.

Micro-Limit Sets: How to Begin Well in The Set With small stakes

The micro-limit sets, poker games up to $10 of buy-in, are mostly played by novice players who begin their entrance onto online poker. Some good players can be rarely observed there, in case if they had lost their bankroll. The behaviour of these novices players present in these sets are rather easy to get down: they like seeing flops, they often pay and rarely raises and they maintain the biggest part of their concentration on their cards but not in the rounds. But other players can also play in a very aggressive way and raise with all the hands.

Given that aiming at big pot and by losing only small ones are the main objective in poker, the flop is often decisive in a process of reflection. It is indeed necessary to decide at this precise moment if you will go to pay or not an opponent’s stake with a hand more or less doubtful. If you call, you will often have to pay twice furthermore, making decisions which cost too much in the turn and in the river. So, given that many of other situations can happen to you, it is not recommended to involve you in situations if small gains are concerned. In this way, folding, even though you consider that your opponent maybe bluffs, will be a more profitable decision in the long term during these micro-limit sets.

On the other hand, players in micro-limits also tend to enter the poker game by making "limps" preflop that is by making do with paying big blind to allow them seeing at once three cards. To avoid that many players can arrive with you at the flop, four or five players (called also "multi-way" pot), you always have to raise as soon as you do an action. More and more players will fold with this strategy. Indeed, with 3-4 opponents in the flop, there will be more chances than one of them finds a good game in the flop.

Doyle Brunson: A basketball champion turned into a legend of poker

If it is necessary to choose one of the biggest names of poker players in the world, Doyle Brunson nicknamed “Texas Dolly” is unquestionably a choice which would make unanimity. Born in Texas in 1933, Doyle plays poker for more than 50 years. Twice world champion in 1976 and 1977, 10 World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, he continues to swipe tournaments and to win cash games. His route path which is rather particular made him a real legend and his style of game still continues to impress all biggest poker players.
When he was young, Doyle Brunson already launched into a career of professional basketball player before a wound to his knee definitively puts an end to it. He tried then to move into a "normal” jobs as salesmen of agricultural machines before realizing that poker could bring him much more money. The legend tells that during his working hours by waiting for customers, he played poker and won one month of salary in some hours only. He decided then to leave his job and participated in tournaments through all States of the country to support his family, with other legends of poker as Amarillo Slim who became his fellow traveller. Doyle Brunson also likes betting, the most famous is the one he had done with his friend that he would manage to lose 50 kilos. He won this bet of million dollars.
Doyle Brunson wrote a book entitled “System High-octane gasoline” dedicated to poker published in 1979. The work which unveils some secrets of his style of game is recognized as the Bible of poker. A new version entitled "Great system II" was published in 2004. But in spite of his numerous articles and the craftiness which they give in his book, Doyle’s style of game on table of still continues surprising his opponents.

Omaha: The poker variant the closest to Texas Hold'Em

In general, enthusiasts of poker and those who are keen on gaming tables are fond of playing Texas Hold' Em, the most played variant of poker. The easy reading of his opponent’s game thanks to the existence of a lot of common cards are among its advantages because it reduces so the probability of the availability of cards in the hands of another player. Similar to Hold'Em, Omaha is different, simply because of 5 common cards face-up on the board and the distribution of 4 private or hole cards. On online games portals and in big poker tournaments worldwide, Omaha is also a game well played. But a different strategy is necessary for this game.

Four hole cards are distributed at first to every poker layer before the Flop, the first three community cards. After that, the first betting round can begin immediately. Then, the player who distributes (or the donor) opens the flop. The second betting round can then continue if players are still in the round. Then, the turn or fourth street is turned over before the 3rd betting round starts. The person who distributes card shows the River before the fourth and the last betting round closes the set and before the final showdown. The series of card showed by every player should be formed by 2 cards of his hand and by 3 cards of the board.

In spite of its similitude with Hold' Em, the strategy to play Omaha is a little bit different. In Omaha High, it is necessary to form more powerful high hand than in Texas Hold'Em. At all time, it is a question of forming the strongest hand possible, a double pair or a weak flush having a value rather average. The intermediate combinations will be beaten thus easily. In Omaha, it is then necessary to select scrupulously the hand at the beginning, to make a color (2 cards of the same color with one Ace or King), a full (a pair), a suite (strong cards which follow each other). 3 identical cards are to be avoid or 4 different colors. In Omaha High/Low, the strongest hands and the weakest hands can be simultaneously played.

Playing in multi-tables: A strategy to be done step by step

One of the advantages of online poker, and which differentiates it of poker live is the possibility of being able to play on several tables simultaneously. Thanks to this option, adepts in online poker find sometimes tables a little boring. By playing in multi-tables, the possibility of increasing your gains with the same duration of attendance in front of your PC, because multiplied by the number of tables, is also a reality. Depending to the level of every player in online poker, playing up to 6 tables or more at the same time can be done without problem. However, to choose to play on a large number of tables at the same time requires a good self-control because you are hurt with regard to your opponents. Indeed, you won’t have enough time to analyze each hand and you will be less concentrated on the game than your opponents. Thus, it might be more profitable to play fewer tables, but you can control each hand. In this way you can improve your play at poker and you can win easily.

A well arranged environment, which may not be perturbed all the day long, is needed. Instantaneous messages like Skype or MSN must be deactivated in order to have a total concentration. Then, your computer has to have a rather wide screen (19 inch at least) with a high resolution of image to perceive well every table. The perfect control of the various features of the software of game on which you play is also essential to collect all the information on your opponents and their styles of game. Then, it is necessary to re-size tables on your screen, according to their number for you to be indeed able to discern cards, amounts of the stakes and stacks. Other options must be deactivated.

As regards the strategy of game, it is necessary to increase step by step the number of opened tables. It is also necessary to play on every table your best poker. A break after two or three hours of set is advised for you to be able to strengthen yourself and get back your concentration.

The origin of video poker

Video poker is a game of casino which is played on a mechanism similar to that of slot machine. The first Video poker was introduced on the market in 1970, when the ancestors of desktop computers having closer forms to those of the current models of the year 90s also made their apparition in the world of electronic. Video poker became more known when "Si Redd’s Coin Machines" which developed in International Game Technology, introduced Draw Poker in 1979. Throughout 1980s, video poker became more and more popular in casinos. Absence of direct opponents around a table encouraged more and more players to play with this machine. Today, video poker occupies a special place in casinos of the whole world, particularly in Las Vegas because a similar fun than playing in a poker table can be get.

Generally speaking, video poker is a mixture of poker and a gambling machine, the game is accessible to everybody. The game begins by placing a bet or money in the machine, and then by pressing on a button "Deal" to read cards. The player has then the opportunity to keep or discard one or some of his cards in exchange of a new card drawn from the same virtual deck machine. After the edition, the machine estimates the hand and offers a payment if the hand corresponds to one of the shown winning hands. On a usual machine of video poker, payments begin with a hand minimum of a pair of J. The machine calculates payments by basing itself partially on the frequency of hands and on the rate of payment which the operator chooses to offer. Some machines offer jackpot by which the amount can increase for the royal flush. It is the technique which incites the player to bet more.

Texas Hold’Em : Two private cards, flop, turn and river make its particular

Texas Hold' Em (either Hold' Em or Vegas) is the variant of poker the most played and the most famous. Whether it is in gaming rooms, in big tournaments as World Series of poker (WSOP), in World Poker Tour (WPT), online sit&go… it’s this variant which is played at most of time. As basic rule, two to ten players can play around a table. Texas Hold' Em is characterized by the distribution of cards: each player has 2 private cards (hidden up to the showdown) and 5 cards are revealed on the board. So, it is necessary to form the best possible game, to go further at each turn financing which is made in clockwise rotation to try to win the pot.

In Texas Hold' em, the dealer distributes at first private cards before "burning" a card, that is removing a card of the poker game, before displaying the flop. The flop is defined as the simultaneous reversal of the first three common cards, after the first betting round. Another betting round can continue after that. Then the dealer burns again another card before the “turn” or the “fourth street” which is the fourth card turned back after the flop. The third betting round continues if players are still in the game and have not abandoned the set yet. Then, the third card is burned by the dealer before showing the “river”, the fifth card of the board. Then, the last betting round is played.

All players who are still in the poker game will have to pass to the showdown after this last bid. Every player has to present his 5 best cards formed among his two private cards and three cards from the board. It is the player having the highest hand who wins the pot.