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Don't know what rake |
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A rake is a small maintenance fee
that is taken from every pot played
and ranges from as little as 5c to
over $3. Players that contribute to
the pot are therefore paying their
share of the rake to us.
A rakeback refers to a percentage of
the income the poker room gets that
is derived from players rakes and
paid back to them in the form of a
bonus. Regular Poker players can
play up to thousands of hands in a
month and the rakes add up.
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Rakeback Articles: nr1:Online Poker
Accounts: Rakeback Explained
When you decide to give online poker
a try, you might hear something
about rakeback. What is this, and
why should you care? Because
rakeback puts money back into your
pocket, you should take the time to
understand this deal before you
create an online-poker account.
Online poker sites, like brick-and-mortar casinos, charge a rake. When you
buy in to a tournament, part of the
entry fee goes to the house. And
every time you win a pot in a cash
game, part of the money – the rake –
goes to the house.
Typically, the house collects a small percentage of the pot for the rake.
You won’t often pay more than one or
two percent of the pot. This does
not seem like much money, especially
when you consider that many card
rooms cap the rake at a set dollar
amount. (You cannot, in most card
rooms, pay more than a few bucks per
pot even if one of the pots is
huge.)
However, if you win enough pots or enter enough tournaments, you will end up
giving the house quite a bit of
money. That’s how the card rooms
stay in business, so they’re
counting on the rake.
Rakeback simply puts part of the rake back into your hands. Rakeback sites
have worked out deals with
online-poker sites so that everybody
can make some money. Here’s how
rakeback works.
You sign up for an online-poker site through a rakeback affiliate.
Typically, you will either enter a
special code that the rakeback site
gives you or follow the signup link
that’s listed on their site.
Whenever you pay a rake, the poker site keeps part of the money. Another
part of the rake goes to the
rakeback affiliate. The rest –
thirty-five percent or more,
depending on the affiliate – goes
into your account at the rakeback
site.
Poker sites make deals with rakeback affiliates for money. Rakeback attracts
players to that poker site, which
means that more money is going to
the site. “Pro-rakeback” sites make
more by giving you, and the
affiliate, some of the profit.
However, you should not expect to avoid paying anything at all in the way of
a rake. The poker site will still
collect part of your rake – and the
rakeback affiliate gets a cut as
well. Think of rakeback as a
discount on what you owe the house
when you win a pot.
Not all rakeback sites are equal, though, so you should do some research
before you sign up. Find out which
sites offer the best deals and have
the best reputations. You don’t
often get to add rakeback to your
online-poker account after you sign
up, so you need to make the right
decision the first time.
Signing up for rakeback is a free, easy way to get a discount on the rake. A
few minutes of research before you
sign up for a poker account can save
you hundreds, if not thousands, of
dollars on the rake depending on how
much you play.
Texas Hold’em Tips: Reading the Board
If you’re a serious Hold’em player,
you probably want to improve your
game as much as possible. One of the
best ways to sharpen your skills is
to learn how to read the board. When
you’re able to quickly and easily
read the community cards, you’ll
have an edge over the casual
players.
“Reading the board” simply means that you look at the community cards and
figure out the best-possible hand.
If you know which hands could exist,
you know where yours stands. This
helps you decide if you should bet,
raise or fold when it’s your turn to
act.
Example:
If you’re holding A-A before the flop, then you have the best-possible hand
right now. No two hole cards are
better than pocket aces, so you
should bet or raise accordingly.
However, your situation could change on the flop. Let’s say, for example,
that the first three community cards
are:
A-3-9 (rainbow – no matching suits).
If this is the case, then you have a set of aces. Right now, you have the
nuts (poker slang for the best
hand). You know that nobody else’s
hand beats yours right now, so you
can act accordingly.
Let’s say that the turn card is a 7. Now the board looks like:
A-3-9-7.
If two of the cards are the same suit, then an opponent could be drawing to
a flush. This hand would beat yours,
but nobody has made a flush yet. You
still have the nuts, so you can put
in a large bet. This often chases
away anybody who is drawing to a
flush. However, people with two
pairs could call or, better yet,
re-raise.
Now, let’s say that the river card is a jack. The board reads:
A-3-9-7-J.
You still have a set of aces, as your hand has not improved. However,
somebody else could have a straight.
If another player is holding 10-8,
then your set loses. And if three of
the cards on the board are the same
suit, your hand loses to the flush.
You can, however, try to get a read on anybody else who’s still in the pot.
Trying to put an opponent on a hand
(figure out what he or she is
holding) can help you make the right
decision about your own cards.
If you practice reading the board, you’ll soon be able to figure out the
best-possible hands in just a couple
of seconds. Having this skill in
your poker arsenal will help you
make better decisions at the table,
which will lead to better sessions
and more fun.
The Beginner's Guide to Texas Hold'em
With so many people all over the world taking up poker, you’re bound to be
curious about some of the games.
Texas Hold’em is the most popular
poker game right now. This is the
Main Event in the World Series of
Poker; the game of choice on the
World Poker Tour, and the game that
you’re most likely to see on other
televised tournaments.
You’re also very likely to see Hold’em in home games, which is a very good
incentive to learn the basic rules
of the game. Knowing how to play the
current king of the poker games will
give you something new and
interesting to do with friends and
family members. And if you work on
your skills, you just might earn a
solid reputation at the table.
Typically, you’ll play Hold’em with blinds instead of antes. Before any
cards are dealt, the two players to
the immediate left of the dealer
button will put in blinds. The small
blind is half the amount of the big
blind, incidentally.
So, unless you’re in the big or small blind, you’ll see your first two cards
for free. These two cards, dealt
face down, are commonly known as
your hole cards. Only you can use
your hole cards to make a hand.
Your first betting round takes place after you see these two cards. There
are three different Hold’em games:
Fixed, Pot- and No-limit. If you’re
playing fixed limit, you can bet or
raise a set amount. In pot-limit
games, you can bet or raise the size
of the pot. And in no-limit
situations, you can throw in every
chip you have any time it’s your
turn to act.
After your first betting round, the dealer will put out three community
cards. These are, collectively,
known as the flop. Every player at
the table will use the community
cards to make the best five-card
hand. After the flop, you have a
total of five cards that you can use
to make your hand. You’ll see
another betting round.
The next community card is called the turn. Everybody who’s still involved
with the hand will go through
another betting round.
The last card is called the river. You now have a total of seven cards that
you can use to make a five-card
hand. You do not have to use either
of your hole cards, either.
After the river, you’ll see your last betting round. The best five-card hand
wins – and the usual poker hand
ranks apply. (A flush beats a
straight, for example, just as three
of a kind beats two pairs.)
You should also know that there are two ways to play poker: cash/ring games
and tournaments. In cash games, you
can get up and leave whenever you
want. If you lose your chip stack,
you can buy more.
In some tournaments, you can rebuy after you lose all of your poker chips,
but only until a certain level of
play. In freezeout tourneys,
however, you go home when your last
chip is gone.
Cash games and tourneys can both be lots of fun. You might be better at one
than the other, so give both a try.
Most casinos and other card rooms
offer both cash games and tourneys.
Online poker rooms have the same
deal. One advantage to the online
poker world is the fact that most
sites offer play money. You pay
nothing for these chips, so you can
learn the basics of Hold’em for
free.
Now you know enough to start playing Hold’em. There are, however, a few
other simple things that you should
learn while you’re getting
comfortable with the cards.
• Handling your chips. Familiarize yourself with each chip’s denomination so
that you don’t have to fumble
around, or waste time, when it’s
your turn to act. The dealer or the
game’s host is usually happy to tell
you what each chip is worth.
• Hand rankings. You can easily find hand rankings online. Many decks of
playing cards also include a card
that tells you which hands beat the
others. Take a few moments to
memorize this list. This doesn’t
take long, but it’s important to
know what beats your full house,
straight, et cetera.
• Hide your hole cards. Some players aren’t very careful when they look at
these cards. Be sure that you can
get a clear look at yours – without
showing the players on either side
of you.
Texas Hold’em does not take long to learn. You will know what’s going on
after just a few hands. But, as many
poker players will tell you, this
poker game takes a lifetime to
master. You’ll learn the basics
fairly quickly, but there are
strategy tips and other information
that you’ll gradually pick up as you
continue playing and studying the
game.
The Beginner's Guide to Omaha
If you’re an experienced Texas
Hold’em player, you won’t need long
to learn one of its variations:
Omaha Hi. These two games are very
similar so, once you master the
differences, you’ll be well on your
way to becoming a good, if not
great, Omaha player.
Even if you’re new to poker in general, learning Omaha is fairly easy. Keep
reading this guide to learn how to
play one of the poker room’s most
popular card games.
In Omaha, your goal is to create the best five-card hand from a total of
nine cards: four in your hand and
five community cards. The catch is
that, unlike Hold’em, Omaha requires
you to use exactly two of your hole
cards. This means that you will take
three of the five community cards to
make your hand – and hope that what
you end up holding is good enough to
take the pot.
If you’re playing online or in a card room, there will be a dealer button
that rotates clockwise after each
hand. The two players to the left of
the “dealer” must post the small
blind and big blind (respectively)
before the hand is dealt. Typically,
the small blind is half the size of
the big blind.
After these two players post the blinds, you’re dealt your hole cards. These
are facedown, so only you know what
you’re holding. Remember that you
must use two of these cards to make
your hand, so don’t get too excited
if you’re dealt four Jacks.
Betting depends on which Omaha game you’re playing. Omaha can be fixed-,
pot- or no-limit. Fixed-limit games
have specific amounts for betting
and raising. In pot-limit games, you
can bet or raise up to the size of
the pot. In no-limit Omaha, you can
bet or raise every chip you have.
Omaha has four betting rounds. They come:
After your hole cards are dealt.
After the flop (first three community cards) are dealt.
After the turn (fourth community card) is dealt.
After the river (fifth community card) is dealt.
The standard hand rankings apply in Omaha. A set (three of a kind) beats two
pairs, for example, and a full house
(a set and a pair) beats a straight.
If you’re still in the hand after the final betting round, you’ll show down
your hand to win the pot. You do,
however, need to be careful when
you’re reading your hand. Because
you’re dealt four hole cards, but
must use two, it’s easy to make
mistakes. Here are some examples of
common mistakes in Omaha.
Your hole cards:
A-A-3-4
The board cards:
K-Q-8-3-3
You might think that you have a full house – two Aces and a set of threes –
but you don’t. Because you can use
only two of your hole cards, you
would take an Ace and the three from
your hand to make a set of threes
with the best-possible kicker, the
Ace.
Your hole cards:
A-K-Q-J
The board cards:
Q-T-9-4-2
This might appear to be an Ace-high straight, but that is incorrect. To make
an Ace-to-ten straight, you would
have to use the Ace, King and Jack
in your hand. This is not possible
in Omaha.
However, you do have a King-high straight. Use the King and Jack from your
hand and the Queen, ten and nine
from the board to make this hand.
Because the extra two hole cards create more possible hands, you have to be
careful with smaller hands. Two
pairs might be a great hand in
Hold’em, but they’re not quite as
good in Omaha. You’re more likely to
see sets and full houses, along with
flushes, in Omaha because of the
added combinations that the four
hole cards make.
Your basic Hold’em skills will help you in Omaha, but keep the big
difference – those extra cards – in
mind. This is easy to remember once
you’ve played the game for a while,
though, so don’t let yourself become
frustrated if you can’t keep things
straight at first.
Once you’ve mastered the basics of Omaha, you can start working on some
advanced skills. These will help you
collect more chips over the long
term, which is always a plus as far
as serious poker players are
concerned. Learning how to read the
board, put other players on specific
hands and read their tells all make
you a better player – regardless of
which poker game you’re playing.
What Should I Look For in an Online Casino
Type in the words online casino and
you will be dumbfounded by the
amount of online casinos available.
With all of the different choices it
can be difficult to make up your
mind. The difficult part is figuring
out what to look for in an online
casino. Once you know what to look
for than you will have an easier
time deciding what online casino you
want to play at.
Not all online casinos allow customers from all states or countries. In
fact, there are some U.S. states
that can not gamble on the net and
some online casinos have stopped
accepting U.S. residents altogether.
For this reason, one of the first
things you must look into is the
regional restrictions. Make sure
that the casino will allow you to
play. In addition, you may also want
to make sure that online gambling is
legal in your state.
In order to participate in an online casino you will need to have a
compatible computer. Most online
casinos have some sort of software
they use in order to allow you to
access their games. However, if you
do not have the right computer and
software you may not have access or
the games might not work right on
your computer. It is also important
to find out if the online casino has
technical support and how long their
technical support is available.
Another important aspect of gambling is the deposit method. You have to add
money to the casino before you can
play. There are many methods of
depositing money including, instant
transfer, credit card, and online
banks such as Netteller. However,
not all casinos accept all methods.
In addition, some credit card
processors use different security
measures which may prevent you from
using your credit card even though
it is valid and your information was
correct. In order to deposit money
you have to choose the online casino
with the right deposit method.
Many online casinos offer incentives to get people to try their online
casinos. This is usually in the form
of bonuses given at the time of your
first deposit and gifts given on
birthdays and such. When looking for
an online casino you may want to
find one that offers such an
incentive. However, you must also
look at the fine print. Many bonuses
have restrictions. For instance,
some bonuses are only allowed for
certain deposit methods. Other
bonuses are only given when you
deposit a certain amount.
Great Gifts for Poker Lovers
If your gift-giving list includes
poker players, you might have a
tough time picking the perfect
presents. There is a massive
selection of these types of items on
the market, which can be confusing.
Your favorite poker players are sure
to love some, if not all, of the
gifts on this list.
• Online players love to build their bankrolls. You can give your players
just about any amount of money for
their online accounts. Some sites
let you buy gift certificates;
others let you make deposits with
credit cards or money orders. If
those options fail, you always have
cash.
• Padding the bankrolls for live games or tournaments is also a great gift.
Even if players are doing very well
– and, therefore, have plenty of
money to continue playing – they
appreciate bankroll contributions.
• Players who take their games seriously are studying and learning as much
as they can – often from the pros. A
gift card to an online bookstore
like Amazon will let your players
pick out poker-related books or
DVDs. Better yet: see if your
recipients have wish lists at this,
or similar, sites. That way, you can
give them exactly what they want –
instead of inadvertently giving them
duplicates.
• You really can’t have too many good decks of playing cards. Find out which
brands and types the players prefer
and add to their collections. You
can find all sorts of playing cards
online or at game shops.
• Similarly: A good set of chips is always appreciated. There are a few
different types of chips on the
market, and many designs. Talk to
the players to see what sets are on
their lists and buy accordingly.
• Some players like poker-related clothing; others don’t. Many Web sites and
retail stores sell everything from
caps to shirts. You’re sure to find
clothing that fits the players’
personalities if you spend some time
browsing.
• If you’re looking to spend big money on your favorite players, consider
sending them to the World Series of
Poker. This is the biggest event in
all of poker: just about every
player on the planet dreams of
coming home with one of the
bracelets that first-place finishers
earn. Sending poker lovers to Las
Vegas for the Series is one of the
biggest, best gifts imaginable.
• Sending players to other poker events is also a nice idea. The World
Series of Poker has circuit events
in various places. The same is true
of the World Poker Tour. And if you
can’t afford those types of trips,
you can fund trips to smaller
events. Depending on where you live,
there might even be a decent poker
tourney right in your own city or
town.
Ultimately, the best way to discover the perfect poker-related gift is to
know the people on your gift list.
Being familiar with their “poker
personalities” will help you figure
out exactly what they’ll love the
most. Listening to them talk,
checking out their wish lists, and
starting casual conversations about
poker will all help you narrow down
the choices and find out exactly
what they want. .
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