Still Practicing Texas Holdem Online

Hi all

Still practicing online at the poker room. Lot of ups and downs. Not quite getting into the feel of it yet although I am learning more often when to fold and conserve my cash. If anyone knows of a good poker coach in Orlando let me know.

Sincerely,
Caterina
http://www.stillagirl.com

Texas Holdem Poker Book

I found a Texas Holdem Book online that I will be reading today and putting into action this week. The author claims:

“In less than one week, you'll be playing heads-up
and taking 1st or 2nd place. I GUARANTEE IT!”

I will let you know if this claim is actually valid. Check it out for yourself and tell me what you think.

Sincerely,
Caterina
http://www.lasvegashotelandcasinoreview.com

Texas Holdem Percentages

Hi all

I just found this free program that computes Texas Holdem Percentages. You can find it at: http://pubcrawler.org/2004/08/25/texas-holdem-percentages/

I hope this helps.

Sincerely,
Caterina
http://www.stillagirl.com

P.S. I did not create this program. Please use your antivirus program before you download any type of exe file.

More Texas Holdem Practice

I am finally up at the Poker Room but I am not ready to celebrate. At this point I think it is sheer dumb luck. Ok not completely. I am learning but my betting is still not consistant.

I am also realizing that I want a bigger bank roll before trying this real time. It feels bad enough just losing play money.

I will continue practicing and saving and let you all know how it goes.

Caterina
http://www.stillagirl.com

Online Texas Holdem Practice

Hi everyone

Practiced Texas Holdem for three hours lasts night at the Poker Room.

Still no consistancy. I win and I lose. Last night I was down about $600 ( play money). Having an easier time folding so I am losing less. Still not completely sure on why hands that I believe are higher are losing. Will have to study more on it.

I will let you all know how I do tonight.

Caterina - http://www.stillagirl.com

Day Two Playing Texas Holdem Online

For those of you just tuning in, this blog is chronicalling my progress learning how to play Texas Holdem. This is my second day playing online in a free casino.

Notes for today:
Find betting strategy and check out some of the online Texas Holdem Books.

Caterina
http://www.lasvegashotelandcasinoreview.com

How to Win Big in Vegas Before You Even Get There

Hi all

For those of you just joining us, this is a blog dedicated to learning how to play Texas Holdem. I am brand new at this game and will be showing you step by step my progress. I will be listing books that help me, online and offline poker schools that I find and the best places to play both online and offline.

So far I have begun practicing at the Poker Room.

I had a little bit of difficulty signing up for it in the beginning. The activation code kept getting snagged by my spam filters. Grrr.

But once I started playing, it was really enjoyable. You don't have to download anything to your computer if you don't want to. The screen pops up with your choices of fold, call and bet, so you always know what your options are. Being new to this game I really like that.

I will be adding more information on my progress, the online and offline casinos that I practice and play in and more each day.

In the meantime though, here are some tips to help you have more money at the Poker tables when you go to Vegas:

How to Win Big in Vegas B4 You Even Get There - by Caterina Christakos

Most of us worry about trying not to lose our shirts once we get to Vegas, but what about before we even depart? There are dozens of ways to save money on your next Vegas vacation before you even leave home. Here are just a few. 1) Always order vacation packages. If you order the air, hotel and car separately, you almost always pay more. Many of these companies have partnerships and will lower the airfare if you plan to stay in one of their hotels for a specific period of time. 2) If possible, get your tickets in advance. If time is very short you may be able to get a better deal on www.priceline.com . Most other online travel services require at least six days notice. 3) Check with the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. Try to go when there isn’t a major convention or event in town. You will get better deals if you go at off season or when a special event is not planned. 4) Sign up with the Casino’s Slot Clubs and other clubs. They will often give you vouchers for free meals and even cash back. If you are a big winner, you could wind up with the room for free. Many hotels, like the Bellagio, allow you to register online, before you even get there. 5) Plan on going for the buffets. There is always a ton of incredible food, at really reasonable prices. There are even all you can eat seafood bars for about $20! So remember, save before you go and you will have more money to spend on incredible shows and possibly your big break at the casinos. Above all have fun and gamble responsibly. Caterina Christakos is a freelance travel writer. To learn more money saving tips and get the scoop on Las Vegas hotels and casinos go to: www.lasvegashotelandcasinoreview.com/las_vegas_air_and_hotel.html

Online vs Offline Casinos

How to Beat the Casinos at their own Game, by Caterina Christakos

Many of us fly to Vegas or Atlantic City when we get the urge to gamble. Some times we win, most times we lose. Ever wonder why?

Yes, everyone knows that the house has slightly better percentages than the players but that is not the main reason why they come out ahead.

Here are the real reasons that people lose at land based casinos:

1. Free alcohol - your reasoning is dulled and you start making stupid mistakes
2. Scantily clad women - the casino uses these women to distract you.
3. The ringing of the slots and the cheering of the crowds - This gives you a false sense of hope. If all of those bells are ringing, somebody must be winning. Why not you?
4. The lighting - the casino deliberately creates an atmosphere where time is meaningless. Have you ever noticed that there are no clocks? This keeps you playing longer than you would have if you could see day turn to night.
5. Oxygen - many casinos pump in oxygen to give you a bit of a buzz so you can play longer

The advantages of an online casino:

1. No alcohol. You can choose not to go to the fridge and get that beer. You also don't have anyone pushing it on you.
2. You can shut off the sound on your computer. Without the sounds, you are less likely to allow your emotions to run wild. You will also think a lot clearer when betting.
3. No scantilly clad women. You can shut off the tv, and radio and tell your girlfriend or boyfried to put some clothes on.
4. Most of us have windows so we can watch time pass. More importantly, you should wear a watch and preplan how long you will spend gambling on each round. You can also keep an eye on your funds. No need to count chips. The screen tells you how much you have won or lost.

For all of these reasons and more, gambling online makes more sense and gives you a better chance of adding to your billfold. Just remember, once you have reached your predetermined win - log off and get out of the house! That way you will actually keep your winnings and watch them deposited straight into your bank account.

Try The Poker Room

First Time Playing Texas Holdem Online

Ok I finally got an account at the Poker Room Online and started playing for free. I got super lucky my first couple of rounds and went from $200 (play money) to $1800 ( play money ).

I felt on top of the world. I loved it.

Then I continued playing. Let's just say that I ended up with $1200, which is still fantastic as far as profit but it didn't feel quite so good.

"Why didn't I stop while I was ahead?" flashed through my mind.

Hindsight can be vicious.

Oh well I had fun this first time out and I look forward to playing and learning again.

My next research assignment will be to find some good money management strategies.

Let me know if you all know of any.

Sincerely,
Caterina
http://www.stillagirl.com/journal

What are Blinds in Texas Holdem ?

For those of you just joining in: I have never played poker or Texas Holdem Before for money. This journal is chronicalling my daily learning curve. Right now I am in the research and practice stage.

Today I learned what a blind is in Texas Holdem:


Blinds
Based on the limit of the game, the player to the left of the dealer's button (the small blind) and the player two to the left of the button (the big blind) are required to put up mandatory bets before the cards are dealt. The big blind puts up a bet equal to the small limit. The small blind puts up half that amount. So if the limit is $5/$10, the big blind is $5 and the small blind is $2.50.

These blinds do count toward your total investment toward the first round of betting. So if the pot isn't raised pre-flop, the small blind will only have to put in another half a bet to call. Likewise, the big blind won't have to put anything more in the pot, although the big will have the ability to raise his own blind. In an unraised pre-flop pot, this is referred to as the “option”.

This definition was found on: http://www.texasholdem-poker.com/blinds_antes.php

Sincerely,
Caterina
http://www.stillagirl.com

How to play texas holdem

For those of you just joining in: I have never played poker or Texas Holdem Before for money. This journal is chronicalling my daily learning curve. Right now I am in the research and practice stage.


Here is what I found out about how to play Texas Holdem:


1) The first card of a deck is usually discarded to make sure that no one has seen it. This card is said to be "burned."

2) Everyone antes up at least a minimum of half the lowest bet possible before the first two cards are dealt to each player.

3)Each player is then given two cards and gets to bet again.

4) Three cards are then dealt to the dealer

5) These three cards are used by all the players as part of their hand.

6) Then we bet again.

7) Another card is dealt in the center.

8) We bet again.

9) A final card is dealt in the center.

10) We bet again.

11) Then we compare cards and see who wins.

12) At each bet you can call, raise or fold.

A Royal Flush is made up of of 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace, all of the same suit.

A Straight Flush is made up of five cards, all of the same suit, in numerical order.

Four of a Kind - Ex. four kings, or four fours, along with whatever your fifth card happens to be.

Full House - Three of your cards are the same, and the two remaining card are similar in value. Ex. 3 Kings and 2 Fours

Flush - A Flush is made up of five cards of the same suit. They do not have to be in order. Ex. King of Hearts, 2 of hearts, 7 of hearts, Jack of Hearts, 4 of hearts

( In a tie the player with the highest ranking card wins )

Straight 5 cards in numerical order. They do not have to be the same suit.
Ex. 2 of clubs, 3 of hearts, 4 of spades, 5 of clubs, 6 of diamonds

Three of a Kind - pretty explanatory - Three cards have the same value plus you have two extra cards.

Two Pair - You have 2 cards with the same value and another 2 cards of similar value leaving one extra card. Ex. 2 Queens and 2 Sevens plus an 8.

One Pair - Two cards have the same value plus three other cards.

High Card - If none of the players have anything of value then the player with the highest card wins. In case of a tie you move to the next highest card.


This is where I will begin practicing: Texas Holdem Online

Free Online Poker

Here is a site that allow you to practice poker online for free:

Poker Room - no download required

The Rules of Poker

1. First, each player places an ante or "token bet" into the pot before the cards are even dealt. The ante can be anything from a nickel (if you're a poor college student) to thousands of dollars (if you're a Vegas high roller). You need an ante because it guarantees that someone will always win something on each hand. You also need an ante because without one, your uncle would be lonely. We'll wait . . .
   
   
2. Once everyone has coughed up his or her ante, the dealer deals the cards face down around the table, starting at the player to his left and continuing clockwise. The dealer (if he's playing) always deals to himself last. The dealer deals everyone their first card, then goes back around the circle to deal the second, and so on. As soon as everyone has five cards, the remainder of the deck is placed in the middle of the table, and play begins.
   
   
3. Each player looks at his or her cards, and then the first player places a bet. While there are several ways of deciding who bets first, poker novices are best off letting the player directly to the left of the dealer make the first bet. Then on the next hand, the person to his left will bet first, and so on around the table for each new hand.
   
   
4. Players have several options as far as the first round of betting goes. If no one has made a bet yet, you have two choices:
   

   Open: If no betting has begun when your turn comes, you may "open" the pot (an attractive option for you Grateful Dead fans out there). This simply means that you make the first bet (any amount up to the betting limit).
   
   Check: The opportunity to "check" only occurs if no one has yet opened the betting when it comes time for you to decide what to do. When a player checks, it means that he or she doesn't want to open the betting, but doesn't want to quit either. It basically means "I'm not going to open the betting, but I'll stick around and see what happens."

   Now let's say that someone opens the betting (at some point, it will occur). You now have three choices:
   

   See: When you "see" another player, it means that you match their bet. So if someone bets $1 and you want to stay in the game, you have to "see" their $1 by putting $1 of your own into the pot.
   
   Raise: When you "raise," it requires you to first "see" the previous bet, and then increase the bet. For example, if the previous person bet a nickel and you want to bet more than that, you would say "I see (match) your nickel, and raise you (increase the bet) another nickel."
   
   Fold: When someone else opens, you can always jump ship and cut your losses. In other words, you "fold." The act of folding is to "give up," place your cards face down on the table, lose whatever you've bet so far, and grab a beer. In other words, you give up early and lose your dough. This option is used when you think your hand is too weak to compete.
   

5. At this point, all the players who haven't folded are allowed to get rid of the cards they don't want and take some new cards. A player is permitted to get rid of up to 3 unwanted cards and receive up to 3 new ones from the deck (as long as the player always has 5 cards total). No one sees what anyone else discarded (threw away) or drew (got as a new card). It's all done face down.
   
   
6. After every player draws 0 to 3 new cards, the betting begins again. You have the option of opening or checking, and once someone opens, you can see, raise, or fold. The game ends when there are no more raises (everyone saw everyone else's bet), or everybody folds (except for the winner, of course).
   
   
7. Now it's time for everyone to turn their cards over and see how they fared. The player with the highest hand wins the pot. Some people in this position have been known to laugh maniacally as they scoop up everyone else's dough. If you do that, you're friends will hate you. Thus, we highly recommend it. They'll get over it.

The only way to stay in the game is to not fold. If you have a bad hand and want out quick, then you'd seriously consider folding. If you have what you think could be a good hand (if you could take a few new cards and get good ones), then you would seriously consider staying in. If you have an outstanding hand, then you'll definitely want to stay in. BUT you don't want everyone to know you have a great hand, or else they'll all fold, letting you win the tiny ante pot. The trick is to make everyone else bet a lot, and win even more money.

I found the above rules on : http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/poker/poker2.html

I like his writing style. It is simple and easy to understand.
Sincerely,
Caterina
http://www.stillagirl.com/journal

How to Play Poker

Newest info:

Ok so there are many forms of poker. The easiest is five card draw or regular poker.

Poker is played with a standard deck of 52 playing cards that range from Ace to two.

The highest card in the deck is an Ace. There are also four suits.

Clubs
Spades
Hearts
Diamonds

Each player is handed 5 cards. The highest valued hand wins.

Here are the possible winning hands in order from highest to lowest:

A Royal Flush is made up of of 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace, all of the same suit.

A Straight Flush is made up of five cards, all of the same suit, in numerical order.

Four of a Kind - Ex. four kings, or four fours, along with whatever your fifth card happens to be.

Full House - Three of your cards are the same, and the two remaining card are similar in value. Ex. 3 Kings and 2 Fours

Flush - A Flush is made up of five cards of the same suit. They do not have to be in order. Ex. King of Hearts, 2 of hearts, 7 of hearts, Jack of Hearts, 4 of hearts

( In a tie the player with the highest ranking card wins )

Straight 5 cards in numerical order. They do not have to be the same suit.
Ex. 2 of clubs, 3 of hearts, 4 of spades, 5 of clubs, 6 of diamonds

Three of a Kind - pretty explanatory - Three cards have the same value plus you have two extra cards.

Two Pair - You have 2 cards with the same value and another 2 cards of similar value leaving one extra card. Ex. 2 Queens and 2 Sevens plus an 8.

One Pair - Two cards have the same value plus three other cards.

High Card - If none of the players have anything of value then the player with the highest card wins. In case of a tie you move to the next highest card.

You may want to print this out and have it next to you the first few times you play.

Sincerely,
Caterina

For Las Vegas Show Reviews go to: http://www.lasvegashotelandcasinoreview.com

Day #2 Poker Lessons Continued

So I checked on that free online poker school and they had a few good tips:

1) Fold bad or not so great hands immediately. - This makes sense so that you preserve your cash for the good hands and don't go bust too early in the game.

2) Start out with limit Texas Holdem ( this is where there is a cap on how much each person can bet). This also made sense. As a beginner I wouldn't know how to bluff to save my life at this point.

3) Practice and play online but realize that it is a different experience than at the casinos.

Ok none of this seems like rocket science but they are good reminders.

I will keep searching for more information, courses, etc and start playing a bit on a free online account tonight.

I will keep you all posted, as to my progress.
Sincerely,
Caterina

Texas Holdem Poker School

Day #2 Hi all,

This is day number two in my quest to learn how to play Texas Holdem. I have found a site that claims to have free online poker lessons. Here it is for anyone else who wants to learn:
Free Texas Holdem School

This is the description of the school from their site:

A Beginner's Guide to Texas Hold'em

A Beginner's Guide to Texas Hold'em is not an introduction to the basic rules of Texas Hold'em. To find detailed information on how Texas Hold'em is played, please visit our rules page. Instead, this guide is focused on helping you understand the game better and give you some tips on how to become a better Texas Hold'em player. We hope you'll find it intriguing.

I will let you know if I find it "intriguing" or not.

Sincerely,
Caterina
http://www.stillagirl.com/journal/

p.s. I am also starting to write reviews of Vegas shows. If you want to read them go to:
http://www.lasvegashotelandcasinoreview.com

Texas Holdem Poker Day 1 Lessons Continued

Hi again

Ok here is what I learned so far. Texas Hold Em is a form of poker. Hey it may be a silly thing to learn but I was never quite sure of it.

I bought a poker set and began reading the rules and practiced a few hands with a friend.

Here are some simple things I learned:

The first card of a deck is usually discarded to make sure that no one has seen it. This card is said to be "burned."

Everyone antes up at least a minimum of half the lowest bet possible before the first two cards are dealt to each player.

Each player is then given two cards and gets to bet again.

Three cards are then dealt to the dealer

These three cards are used by all the players as part of their hand.

Then we bet again.

Another card is dealt in the center.

We bet again.

A final card is dealt in the center.

We bet again.

Then we compare cards and see who wins.

At each bet you can call, raise or fold.

And that was the end of day one of my first experience with Texas Hold em.

Caterina Christakos
http://www.stillagirl.com/journal/

Pokern Virgin Day 1

Hi all



This is my first day learning poker. I have only seen the tables at a distance or on world poker tour and am really excited to learn how to play this fascinating game myself.

Right now I am studying the game online and in books and will begin with some of the online simulated games. I am also saving up my bankroll to get me to vegas and have enough to actually have a chance at the tables.

Each day I will update my progres and eventually I will have a live webcam so you can watch as I practice, and play.

Tips both monetary and instructional are welcome.

Sincerely,
Caterina Christakos
http://www.stillagirl.com