The Epic Poker League was intended to be a way to bring the best poker players in the world together to play in a series of tournaments. Unlike other events entry was not available to anybody who wanted to play in the events. Rather you had to earn a membership in the league by having high enough career earnings. All players had to have career earnings of more than a million dollars in tournaments as well as a certain number of finals tables appearances at major events. League membership was for two to five years depending on how much players had won during their careers.

Once players had their membership they would be able to play at all of the league events that were to be held. All of the events were going to be played at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas. There were a couple of reasons for this, the main one being that the best poker players all live in Las Vegas so it allowed them to play without travelling. It was also because the owners of the Palms were involved financially in the Epic Poker League. Since the tournaments were primarily made for television events and only league members were allowed to play anyway there was little need for events to be held in different locations.

While the intention of the Epic Poker League was to bring the top poker players in the world together and limit membership to those players it was possible for other players to get into events. Smaller satellite tournaments were held at the Palms that allowed players to win their way into events. The league said that this was so that participation could be expanded and more people could play in the league the real reason was that it was hoped that it would increase the number of people playing poker at the Palms.

While the Epic Poker League may sound like a good idea it never got off the ground. The company that started it filed for bankruptcy before any events were actually held. They maintain that they are reorganizing their finances and that events will be held this remains to be seen. For now all that can be said is that at some point in the future we may see the Epic Poker League start to hold events or we may not. As it stands right now things do not look good.

When you are short stacked it might be a reasonable move to go all in when an opponent raises in front of you. Of course you need to consider that you have a decent hand.

If you are really short stacked and all your chips will not be enough to for another full size bet in case your opponent raises, then most likely they will have the odds to call and see the cards so they can make the best hand. In this scenario what you can employ is the stop and go play cause most probably you do not have enough chips to convince them to fold their hand when you re-raise.

It will always be more difficult for your opponent to calling what you do on the flop rather than what you do before the flop. This reduces the odds for your opponent and so they will need to think hard if they want to more cards to give them a better hand. Most likely they will not.

Always initiate the stop and go play if you are first to act. Push your opponent to the wall and make him think harder by pushing in your chips to the middle. Betting out gives you a better position than just checking which decreases your fold equity, a concept very new to Jonathan Abdellatif and even Kenny Louagie.

Only use the stop and go play when going heads up. The picture is different if you have another player battling it out for the pot. They may end up with the better hand after seeing the flop.

When you are really short stacked and you get a hand that you are ready to go all in with, go for it. This will be less risky than waiting for an opportunity for a stop and go play.

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One should always have pre-planned strategies in his head so that the results do not turn out to be shocking. After every deal one must be quick enough to formulate 5 to 6 plans for the game thus enhancing flexibility. As a player if you are able to read the expressions of your opponents then you can easily win over them. A good player always has the capability to exhibit minimum emotions during the game and at the same time he can always find what is going through the opponents mind to modify his game play accordingly.

One should always be pleasant and comfortable when playing. It is seen that almost every time it is the aggressive players who end up losing big. Always keep a track of other players and the deal. A good observation of the surroundings can also let you know if it is a good time to bluff or not. Whether or not you make serious poker money is based on making the correct discussion.

Lastly to sum up all poker is a skill based game and requires dedication if one wants to make a fortune out of it. The above given tips can prove to be very effective.

I’ll keep you posted, obviously!

All poker variants have the same underlying rule: the best five-card hand wins. Texas hold’em is no different, except that there are seven cards total from which to choose your final hand. At the beginning of the hand, each player is dealt two cards, known as the ‘hole cards.’ Usually, the two players to the left of the dealer must make a forced bet known as a blind; the player next to the dealer posts a ‘small blind’ of approximately half a bet while the player to his left posts a full bet known as the ‘big blind.’ Other players who wish to enter the hand after the deal must match (or call) the big blind, but they may also increase the amount of the bet by at least double (raise).

Once players have either thrown away their two-card hands (folded), or called or raised the big blind, the next betting round begins. The dealer will deal one card facedown (the burn) and then deal three ‘community cards’, known as the ‘flop’, face up. These are called community cards because they are shared by all active players at the table. Another round of betting takes place on the flop, with the minimum bet usually being equal to the big blind. When the betting on the flop is over, the dealer burns another card and then deals ‘the turn’, a fourth community card. Now there are four cards on the table and two in your hand, for a total of six; your poker hand consists of the best five of these. For example, if there is a 5-6-7-8 on the ‘board’ and you are holding an ace and a 9, you have a straight from the 5 to the 9 and your ace is disregarded. You may also use both of your cards if it makes for a better hand.

The turn brings a third round of betting, where the minimum bet is either equal to or double the big blind, followed by another burn and the final card, or ‘river’ card, being dealt. Yet another round of bets takes place, but this is the last one. Once all bets have been completed, players who are still in the hand show their cards, and whoever has the best five-card hand wins (I’ll assume that you know the ranking of poker hands).

While there are many subtleties to each individual hand, this is basic way that each one will play out. To be honest, many of the paying customers in the casino have barely passed this level of understanding (at least those at the lower limits). Try the game out with some family and friends, and if you find that you enjoy it, don’t be intimidated to put a couple of bucks into an online poker account or take a trip down to the casino. Even if you don’t win, you’ll have only paid for some entertainment!

Texas Hold’em is the game that made some of the biggest poker heroes become celebs. Get cracking, and become someone!

Make sure to read it if you regularly play limit texas hold’em poker and don’t manage to win…

… in 2003, amateur Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker Main Event on national TV in front of millions of people, beating out Sam Farha, a seasoned professional. Texas hold’em became the new game of choice, and poker exploded worldwide, both in casinos and on the Internet …
Source: Why Poker is So Popular

What I’m really remembering is: “Making your two-card hand relatively strong is more important than constructing a powerhouse hand behind.”.

Meh.

Texas Hold’em Poker: +$4,800
Punto Banco / Baccarat: +$5,900
Blackjack: -$1,100
Pot Limit Omaha Poker: +4,900
Roulette: -$2,100
Craps: +$300
Stud Poker (against the house): -$600
Slots: -$100
Casino Hold’em: +$2000 (got extremely lucky and quit ahead hehe)

I’m happy.

I was playing the $5/$10 game at the local casino and was sitting on the button with AJ of diamonds. The flop was a well-deserved T-Q-K of diamonds. I was in for a treat as the other guy had KQ and was stupid enough to take my bet as a defensive one. He shoved in hoping I was on the diamond draw — too bad I flopped THE STONE COLD ULTIMATE NUTS BABY!

I’m still smiling.