The Gambling Weblog

In poker, check-raising is considered as one way of playing a strong hand weakly in order to trap your opponents and eventually win more money from them. What is check-raising? It is when you check your hand with the intention of raising on the same round right after an opponent bets. There are amateur poker players who think that there is something unethical with check-raising. They find that this practice is deceitful and devious and that people who use this tactic are not honorable. There is no denying that check-raising is a deceitful and devious tactic, but then, isn’t these traits what make up the logic and objective of poker? Check-raising is just like the opposite of bluffing and yet both are devious tactics that make poker such an interesting game. So when do you check-raise? Two conditions must be met first in order to check-raise for value, that is, when you expect that you might be called by a worse hand. First, you must consider if you have the best hand, but not such a good one that a slowplay would be a proper one. Secondly, you must be very sure that someone behind you is going to bet when you check. When you do plan to check-raise and there are several players still involved in the pot, then you must always consider the position of the player you expect is going to bet because that position will determine the kind of hand you check-raise with.

In my last blog post I discussed some of the reasons and situations where you can effectively use a raise in poker. These reasons are universal and can be applied whether you are playing poker online or playing poker in a casino. In my previous blog post I discussed three reasons. Below are three more reasons: To gain information. Raising in order to gain information is another tricky play and should not be done too often. You should consider any form of information that you have gained as an extra benefit of a raise that you are making for various other reasons. Some of the things that you learn when you are raising is that when your opponent calls a raise he more than likely has a good hand. If, on the other hand, he folds, then that means that he has a weak hand. An added benefit of raising in order to get information is that there are times when your opponent will fold marginal hands that he would not have folded otherwise. To drive out worse hands when your own hand may be second best. Depending on the pot size as well as how you assess your hand and the hands of your opponents. You can opt to raise with what you think is the second best hand if you can get the third, fourth, and fifth best hands out. To drive out better hands when a come hand bets. You could enjoy a position where you can raise if you think the better hands will fold rather than issue a double bet. When this happens, you become the favorite against the come hand. If the player misses, your raise has won you the pot.

One of the basic moves in playing a game of poker is making a raise. Most new poker players think that you only make a raise if you want to win a bigger pot with a hand that you think is the best. But in actuality you can use a raise for a variety of tactical reasons that may not be so apparent or obvious. To drive out opponents when you have the best hand. When you raise to drive your opponents out of that hand, what you are in fact doing is to cut down their odds. Actually, there are even times when you may sometimes cut their odds so drastically that your hope is that they will call instead of fold after you raise. To bluff or semi-bluff. Raising as a pure bluff with a hand that does not have a chance of winning is a very tricky play and should not be attempted very often. You should only perform a raise to bluff or semi-bluff when there are no more cards to come (for the pure bluff), you failed to make the hand you wanted but want your opponent to think that you did, or you want to win the pot that is on the table (for the semi-bluff). To get a free card. If you are the last to act in the round, you can raise in order to get a free card (a free look at the card). You should also realize though that a free card is not free. The card’s cost is your raise, so before you do this determine if the amount of the raise would warrant the move.

Bluffing is one of the more useful tactics a poker player can use in a game. With a good bluff, you can encourage the raising of the pot and make a mediocre to bad hand seem like a great hand. But it is a high risk tactic and should not be used often. There is also another type of tactic called a semi-bluff. A semi-bluff is a bet, raise or check-raise with a hand that you believe is not the best at present. But this hand could win not only when your opponent folds but also in a showdown when the subsequent cards improve your hand to the best hand. It can also win when the opponent folds on a later round after you catch a scare card that makes your hand look like the best hand. A semi-bluff can be used in any game but in order to make it effective you have to use it at a time when there are more cards to come. If you bluff with no more cards to be given then you will not be able to get the chance to improve your hand. An effective use of semi-bluffs allow you to become a bettor instead of a caller. Any poker player can tell you that the bettor position is the most advantageous position because you get to dictate the betting aspect of the game. Remember, that a semi-bluff is a good way to give a varied mix to your game, whether it is in an online gambling site or in a casino. The added advantage here is that you can still have a possibility to win if your bluff is called.

Reading one of the many poker-related books I have recently acquired. I stumbled on a chapter that talked about poker logic. The chapter really opened my eyes about what really makes a poker player a GOOD poker player – whether he plays in a casino or in online gambling sites. In the said chapter, the author explains that poker is not about tricks and ploys. These low-handed tactics – like acting that you will fold your hand only to raise after the third man in the pot has called — may sometimes work. But against tough competition it will not do any good. There are so-called poker experts who insist that these tricks and ploys are the true essence of poker. But this is not true. There is no substitution to sound play and sound game concepts. Players who only resort to these kinds of acts will never be able to rise to the level of competition needed to become a really successful poker player. Poker is also not purely about mathematics. Yes, knowing the mathematics of poker can definitely help you play a better game. But it is still not all about mathematics. The most important thing that you should do is to understand that poker is intricate and that it is a much more difficult game than you realize. By understanding the depth of the game, you will eventually become a better player and your playing strategies will also improve. So whether you are playing poker online or in a casino, you will be confident that you can face any level of opponents.

I love reading books. I feel enriched with the information and knowledge that I gain from the books that I read. My love for books also extends to my gambling hobby. I love reading books on gambling. The books that I read on gambling enrich the way I understand the various games that I play as well as gives me a more thorough understanding of the various strategies and systems that each game offers. One of the games that I love to read up on is poker. This game offers various levels of complexity that makes it well worth the effort to read about them and pore over various written materials. I usually go to my favorite bookstore when I want to sate my fix on gambling related reading materials. But, because of my growing love for surfing (brought about by my heavier use of the internet because of my online gambling itch), I discovering the wealth of materials that are available to the diligent surfer. There are so many freely available e-books that you can download on the internet. The e-books you can find on the internet deal with so many different gambling topics that one would be hard-pressed to read all of them. The best thing about it is that it is also absolutely free – and who wouldn’t want that, right? Just make a diligent search on your favorite search engine for online gambling and casino gambling related e-books and you will surely find many sites that offer it for free. Happy reading!!

They’re famous, they’re rich, and they really don’t need the money. But nevertheless, some of Hollywood’s biggest names are participating in the hit show, Celebrity Poker, because 1) they love the game, and 2) it’s for a good cause. All their winnings go straight to the charity of their choice. Not a bad way to spend an hour. Celebrity Poker is part of a growing trend where gambling is used to raise funds for charity. Kind of ironic, really, considering the kind of reputation that gambling has with moralists. “Gambling’s bad,” they say, “it’s the work of the Devil.” (Same thing, by the way, they said about rock and roll.) But then somebody donates about 2 million dollars to cancer research, and they’re forced to see it as a legitimate game, and not some excuse for men to gather in the basement and smoke pot. Note that many professional gamblers donate part of their earnings to charity, albeit silently and secretly, and it shouldn’t take an actress to tell people that it’s not gambling that’s wrong, it’s irresponsible gamblers who cast a bad light on everyone else. Many gamblers are — deep down inside, behind those stoic masks—regular people, with families and dreams and a real desire to make a difference in the world (and not just their individual bank accounts).They’d be glad to give something if they knew how, and Celebrity Poker is that “how.” And if you’re not a celebrity, don’t worry. You can also sign up for websites that allow you to automatically transfer 10% of your earnings. Don’t worry about it. Chalk it up to karma, and head back to the table with a lighter heart.

It seems like the subject of devising a personal gambling strategy is quite a sensitive topic. My gambler friends have their own take about the subject and their feelings have ranged from mild interest to very emotional opinions (well, as emotional as an experience poker player can get).

I think that devising a personal gambling strategy is not just purely mathematical or exist purely in the world of numbers. Just like devising any worthy strategy other factors would should also be vital ingredients. It should involve your senses, how you perceive your opponents (that would be psychology), as well experience. With the rise of online casinos, even strategies have to contend with this fact. Because of slight variations or differences in the rules between online casinos and “brick and mortar” casinos, strategy must be able to compensate for these differences or else it will become ineffective in the actual implementation.

Also, as I have said previously in my blog post, a devising a strategy also means understanding that there are factors that you cannot hope to control or calculate – like luck. You should also understand probabilities as well as things like RNG dispersion. There are also gamblers who take it a step further, brushing off their statistics or mathematics degrees, and apply a variety of obscure theorems and ideologies to their gambling strategies.

In fact developing a gaming strategy can be as much fun as trying it in a real-world application. One tip I can give strategy makers is that a good place to try your strategies are in online casinos because of the free games that they offer.

My recent blog posts basically revolved around established strategies and tips on online gambling games like poker, roulette and blackjack. These strategies are universally known and used by most gamblers, be they casino gamblers or online gamblers. But even if these strategies and tips are useful they are far from being definitive or universal.

But what if you would like to formulate your own strategy?

There is nothing wrong with you formulating a strategy in your gambling games. In fact it is quite natural that at some point you formulate a plan that you think works best for you. One online gambler friend of mine even said that the best gambling strategy is not to believe other people’s gambling strategies. Of course it is a bit of an exaggeration but what he meant was that there are no hard and fast rules that would ensure that one strategy is better than the other, you use what works for you and discard what does not. You are also free to combine strategies that work and form your own combinations that may even be considered convoluted by other gamblers. But if it works and you understand it, then by all means use it and take advantage of it. You should also remember that even armed with the most scientific strategies and systems, gambling still entails a level of luck – and you cannot calculate or incorporate luck in any strategy. The moment a person is able to incorporate luck in his strategy then he may have stumbled on to the holy grail of gambling.

Yesterday I discussed the concept of Expected Value and how it is an important factor in making poker strategies, especially those that are non-psychological in nature. A friend of mine who read yesterday’s post was quite grateful. He said that he would frequently hear various terms and concepts when he talks with other seasoned casino gamblers but he never really paid attention, thinking that it was not really as important as pure skill. He now realizes that he really should learn these terms.

Today I am going to continue my discussions about poker concepts, terms and basic strategies with a discussion of Pot Odds. Whenever a casino or online gambler bets his main aim is to win all of the money in the pot. But how often must one win in order to make this profitable or even be able to break even. This is what pot odds are all about. Basically you are paying a fraction in order to win a larger amount of money. If the odds are strong that you are more likely to win than you have to pay, then the bet or call that you have made is a winning move in the long term.

Exerting the effort to understand the concept of pot odds is an important knowledge to have because it is quite vital in playing winning poker. The game of poker, most especially limit poker, is all about taking a more or less small edge and then repeating it over and over again without relenting and then earning money. Making these plays that do not pay off in the long run will instead turn that profit into a loss.