UK Firms Support Online Gambling in the USA

The battle of legalizing online gambling in the United States has been happening since 2006 when the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act or the UIGEA was passed.  The bill states that transferring money through a financial institution to fund an online gambling account is prohibited and against the law.  But it cannot be denied that many problems arose from this bill because what it encompassed was not clear-cut.

Effects of the UIGEA

This bill has not only affected US-owned online casinos, but it has also affected online casinos owned by other nationalities as well, wherein some casinos were even forced to prohibit players from the United States from playing at their games.  Of course, this has infuriated many online gamblers, saying that the bill is stepping on their rights to choose how to spend their money.  On the other hand, online gambling sites owned by other countries are experiencing decreased profit because of the problems arising from American players playing at their sites. [Read][more...]

Calling Stations and Automatic Raisers

When you are in a poker game online or in a live poker room, you will run in to these two types of players.  The Calling Station is a player who has to see every winning hand that he plays against.  This player is just not able to fold any hand although he knows he can only beat a bluff or a very poor hand.  The automatic raiser is the player who just likes to raise no matter what cards he or she is holding.  This type of a player is great to have in the game, as they will constantly make the pots bigger with their raises.

A good player can use both of these players to advantage, and let them help you get more for a good hand.  Just remember, they may really have a hand from time to time.  But let them do their thing when you have a good hand.  Slow play or bet heavy and let them call or raise as they please.  This kind of player, with this serious defect in their game, can be of terrific financial help to a good player. [Read][more...]

Holdem tournaments vs Ring Holdem

What is the major difference between a ring or cash game and a tournament in the game of Holdem?  The games are technically played the same and the card values are the same, so what is different in the games.  The one difference is the player can rebuy as long as they want and never be forced out of the game even if all the chips in the present stack are lost.  When the stack is lost in a tournament, the player is knocked out of the game permanently.  The fear of being knocked out of the game can be a determining factor on whether a player will call or raise or not.

Online you see a great many all in bets as the game is played with a great deal of pressure.  In live tournaments the online players play the same and the old timers took a while to get use to the pressure these young online players brought to the game.  They still do not fold if they think they have the winner, no matter what is bet.  However the fear of getting knocked from the tournament is an ally in the betting sequence.  [Read][more...]

Distinctive Names for Poker Hands

Poker is a game of many variables and climatic situations.  Players have developed a group of distinctive names for many starting hands in Holdem that are obvious or in some cases need a certain explanation.

A pair of Aces has for a long time been known as Pocket Rockets or Bullets.  But the hand 10-2 is not as well known unless you are a follower of the great poker player, Doyle Brunson.  Doyle won two WSOP tournaments in a row holding the same starting hand.  His two hands are now known as a Brunson, the 10-2.

Some starting hands have taken a name from the movies, TV shows or real people.  A pair of Kings is known as King Kong or Cowboys.  A pair of eights is known as Snowmen.  King Queen is known as a Marriage.  A pair of sixes is known as Route 66 after the TV show.  A pair of sevens is known as Sunset Strip.  A pair of Jacks is known as Fishhooks or Hooks.  Two tens are known as Dimes.  A pair of fives is known as Speed Limit.  A pair of twos is known as Ducks. [Read][more...]

Ace Queen Holdem Mystery

Ace Queen is a mystery starting hand for some players and a starting hand that other player seem to love.  When this author plays this hand the flop seems to come with a king in it and miss both of these cards.  Other players seem to make it work.  The question is why and or how come.  There is no logical reason for this disparity of results that seems to prevail when different players play this hand. Doyle Brunson said this was not one of his favorite starting hands.   Other players on TV like this hand.  They have had very good luck with it in live play or online play.   If you watch enough TV tournaments, you will see players draw to this hand all the time, with some missing it and some making it.  Doyle seems to have had my luck with this starting hand, or he would not nave stated that this hand was not a favorite of his.

From a math standpoint it is a good starting hand, however Ace-King, Kings or Aces is far better. This hand is one of those that a player grits their teeth and plays hoping the Flop will be generous.  Truthfully I would rather draw to a pair of tens than this hand.  However I have seen other players catch both an Ace and a Queen on the flop. [Read][more...]