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The number one important thing in poker besides skill boils down to how focused you as a player are at the table
and the level of your concentration. You could have superior psychological skills then anyone else at the table
and yet they are rendered useless if you are not paying attention.

Top reasons you will be distracted at a poker game:

1. Table Chat

2. Attractive dealer/player

3. Too much to drink

4. Something on your mind

We already know from the opening paragraph that concentration is vital to being a winning poker player. After
all, you need to know how each player treats different hands, whether they are tight or loose, passive or agressive.

Now we will deal with the reasons you can be distracted individually. First is table chat… this can easily be
avoided - simply do not talk with others unless it is specifically increasing your knowledge of them for this game.
The second reason, if you are paying attention too much to a good looking player or dealer then stop and go back to concentrating on
your game. If not, then take a break and go introduce yourself!

The third reason is easily avoided, don’t drink too
much as it would mess up your game, know your limits. And the final reason , if you have a family or personal crisis
on your mind, worried about anything, you should not be playing in the poker game at all.

You may use this article as long as you do not change any content including this paragraph linking to BigTourneys.com and provide it free of charge to whomever wants it.

http://www.bigtourneys.com/poker-articles.htm

Playing in a texas hold’em poker ring game, also known as a cash game, has in many ways a different set of strategies than a texas hold’em poker tournament. This is because every hand is played with chips that represent actual money and not chips as in a tournament that do not have any actual monetary value. Because most online poker rooms refer to cash games as ring games for the rest of the article cash games will be referred to as ring games.

Because a great many of the strategies that work in texas hold’em poker tournaments do not work in texas hold’em poker ring games you have to have a different skill set developed. We will try to illustrate some of the differences and some ring game strategies.

First and foremost the focus of texas hold’em poker ring games is not the same as texas hold’em poker tournaments. In texas hold’em poker tournaments your focus or objective is to increase your chip stack, but mainly to outlast other players. In texas hold’em poker ring games every hand individually can potentially make you money. It doesn’t matter if you play for 5 hours or 5 minutes because each hand is played for actual cash. Because of this the usually texas hold’em poker tournament bluff which if called only puts you out of the tournament, which cost a set amount to enter, in a ring game a bad call results in a loss for what ever the amount is that you put in on the hand.

Secondly because of the nature of texas hold’em poker ring games the amounts you can win or lose can quickly get out of hand. For example lets say you sit down at a texas hold’em poker no limit ring game. The level of the table is $0.10-0.10 no limit. You buy in for $10. In a few hand you get some hands you win and your soon up to $25. Now players can make $5 or $10 bets to quickly double up. In addition if you lose your original $10 you can just cash buy in for another $10 or more. You should always sit down with an idea of your limits. By this I mean If you lose all $10 then you get up from the table and when you reach $30 for example you get up from the table. If you still want to play sit down at a new table with $10 and try to do it again. If you do not determine these limits prior to sitting down to play some texas hold’em poker you will often times be getting up feeling like had you only gotten out when you had x number of dollars you would have been so much better off.

I would like to take a minute to talk about texas hold’em poker limit ring games. In a limit ring game there are set amounts that are bet and raised. So for example if the limits of the table where $0.10-0.20 then the bets would be limited to those amounts. I do not recommend players play at low limit tables. What happens at low limit tables is it is impossible for any players to bet any other players out of hands so you have players catching hands late and no real ability to strategically play. Often times they just become “luck of the draw” tables with players staying in with any 2 pocket cards. It won’t take long for you to play a nice pocket pair of kings get beaten by a 3, 5 off suit that makes a straight on the river. Higher limits cure this problem for the most part.

I would like to take a a minute to talk about how much cash to allow for ring game play or what amounts you should expect to play with on what level of tables. I would say at the lower end you can play with a set amount of $3 or $5 that you sit down with at each no limit $0.10-$0.10 table. At a more medium level you could have your set amount be $20 at a no limit $0.25-$0.25 table. At a higher level you can site down with $100 at a no limit $1.00-$1.00 table. So effective amounts for a starting bankroll for these three levels of players would be around $30-$50 for the lower level, around $100-$200 for the middle level player, and around $500-$1000 for the higher level player.

One great thing about texas hold’em poker ring games is the time involved. In a texas hold’em poker tournament you can expect to play for at least 3-4 hours if you do well. Often times it can be difficult to clear ones schedule for that long of a stretch of undisturbed time. In a texas hold’em poker ring game you can play as long as you like. You can sit down play one hand then get up and go somewhere else, or sit at the same table all day long it is up to you.

An additional benefit of texas hold’em poker table games rather than texas hold’em poker tournament is that texas hold’em poker table games can be a great deal more profitable for the time spent. Often times you can buy into a tournament for $20 or $30 and play for 2 or 3 hours only to finish with a little more than the buy in or worse. In a texas hold’em poker table game just by playing the pocket cards with high starting hand strength you can pretty easily double or triple your buy in amount in 20 or 30 minutes.

Another huge advantage to playing texas hold’em poker ring games are player points or comp points which almost all online poker rooms use. Player points or comp points can be used to achieve bonus money, free tournament tickets, and many other things. These points are warded to players as they play real money games. The amount of points a player is awarded is based on tournament fees and game rakes. A player playing in ring games can make drastically more player points or comp points than a player playing texas hold’em poker tournaments. this is because the player playing in a texas hold’em poker tournament is awarded an amount only for the tournament fees. So if he buys into a $10+$1 tournament the $1 fee is what is used to determine how many points he gets for that tournament no matter how he places. In a texas hold’em ring game points are awarded to players that contribute to any pots that are raked. A small amount is taken, “raked”, from pots in texas hold’em poker ring games when they reach a minimum amount. Over time these little amounts add up to a nice amount of player points or comp points for players of ring games. This can be a good thing to know if your playing to clear a bonus of some type.

In closing texas hold’em poker ring games are very different in many ways than texas hold’em poker tournaments. Knowing the advantages and disadvantages to each along with some of the other aspects of texas hold’em poker ring games should give you the knowledge needed to move forward, and know how to proceed in the arena of texas hold’em poker ring games.

Examples of pre-game research are to see how the teams play in the first half compared to the second half. Look at their stats and points scored for each half and make charts for when they are behind and in front at halftime. Some coaches play close to the vest during the 1st half and then come out and throw every play at the opposition in the second half. Other coaches look to jump on a team in the first half and then try to take the air out of the ball in the second half. Chart these teams accordingly. Chart how teams play on the road and at home, inside the division and outside the division for each of the scenarios above. This is only some of the basic chart examples. If you make these charts and watch the first half of the game with a purpose you can find opportunities for you to make money. You may have to hold off on the pizza and beer until after the second half starts so your head is clear and you are focused on winning some money. We will be offering as a bonus in our football packages, possible 2nd half plays to all our subscribers, this season. How do we know that the second half plays might be there? In our research we look for possible outcomes in the first half and predict the second half. This could be for a side or a total.

Example:

We liked the over in the in the Houston Bowl last year but thought the total was too high at 72. We waited to see how the 1st half played out. We were hoping for a low scoring first half but with both teams moving the ball, just not converting the movement into points. Both teams combined to lose the ball inside the opponents’ 5-yard line 3 times. This presented a golden opportunity to snatch a total for the over in the second half. When the line was posted we jumped on the over and then watched in misbelieve that it actually went down. So we bet it again, because we did our homework and felt the total would be an easy over in the second half. As the game proceeded the overall total of 72 was never approached but the second half total was an easy winner.

So what should you do? Chart teams the first 3 weeks and see how the coaching staff and the team plays in the 1st half and 2nd half. You should have a good feel for what they are doing and what they are capable of doing after a few weeks. When you are ready to bet, have a couple of games picked out and scenarios written down. Watch the game with a purpose. Leave the brews in the fridge and scout the preview of the 1st half. At halftime if you have a chance to cash in on one of the scenarios then do so. Keep charting the teams and expand to home and away, behind or in front for all your tables.

Leo Mendelsohn

Thehooks

http://www.thehooksfootballpicks.com

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Poker is becoming more and more popular these days, it seems that television stations are full of live poker tournaments. Just about every sports game you get to watch on the old tube has banners of online casinos and casino resorts in the background. All of these expenses on advertising seem to be paying off, especially to the online casino industry. According to some reports this industry is at 9 billion a year and is expected to grow up to 15 billion within the next year or so.

Many new players are joining the ranks of older, mature, and more experienced poker players. Poker players that have earned their battle scars, sort of speak. These newbie’s, or rookies seem to think that just by watching a few games on the television set they know it all, well………..you do not. It takes long hours at the poker table to learn all the tricks of the trade. If you are one of these rookies, here are some tips for you to remember and follow. Basically, a list, of the do’s and don’t do’s, because remember one thing, these “old foxes” at the table can read you right of the bat.

1. One of the biggest mistake beginners make is playing in tough games. Beginners will often place themselves in games against competition they just can’t handle. Rather than playing in smaller limit games, against opponents of comparable skill, they prefer to go head to head with the big boys. Try not to get to over confident right at the beginning, these “big boy” games are not like the games with your friends at home.

2. Playing too many hands is another common mistake. Rookie’s play more hands than they should, not understanding the importance of starting with premium hands in premium situations because faking hands does not work all the time. Pick up a book or two before sitting down to play, and you’ll understand why 9-3 is a bad hand to start with, whether it’s suited or not, there is no excuse for lacking fundamental poker knowledge.

3. Patience, patience and than, some more patience. The lack of patience will always get you. Playing poker means you will go through long periods of sheer boredom waiting for good cards. Rookies often don’t have the patience to wait for quality cards out of boredom; they will start playing hands they know they should not be playing.

4. Drinking alcohol while playing is something that you might do at home while playing with the boys. But playing in a tournament or any casino environment you will need to have all of your concentration, and the little talent that you might have acquired until now with you in order to make quality decisions at the table. Remember that the casinos serve free alcohol at the table for a good reason. It will cloud s your judgment and will have you making plays you should not have considered making in the first place.

5. Playing too many hours will affect your brain. At some point it will just cease to function well especially after 12 hours of sitting at the table playing poker. It is always best to get some rest, and come back sharp and fresh the next day, most beginners will end up playing too many hours trying to chase their money back or trying to be a “pig” about it and win some more. In the process, they end up throwing away all their winnings (if they gained some) and even more. Your mind will play tricks on you after playing for to many hours, and you will often convince yourself that you are playing well. Chances are, you might not.

6. Bluffing to much and to often is an extremely common mistake rookies make. Most new players that have watched too many movies seem to have convinced themselves that poker is all about bluffing. Somehow, they think that if they just keep betting, everyone will fall into their bluff and get out of their way. The opposite is true. Experienced poker players catch on to the habitual bluffer very fast, and they use it against him.

7. Trying to look as the tough guy, or the big shot at the table by playing limits you can not afford is another common mistake. Nothing is more harmful to your confidence, and your bankroll, than gambling with your rent or bill money, basically with money you can not afford to gamble away. Due to the pressure this will create on you, You can not make smart decisions when you are worrying about how you are going to pay the rent if you will lose. It is always best for you to play within a budget you can afford.

8. When ahead at the game, you should not be in a hurry to take your winnings and run. There is no system for figuring out when you should keep on playing and when it is time to pack up and leave. The best is not to make a plan as far as when to leave. Many rookies seem to hit and run after very small wins, yet they continue to play when they are behind. When you are on a winning role, you have a powerful table presence and you should exploit that presence to the max. On the other hand when you are losing, that image at the table is tarnished and can have a negative effect on the way you play the game.

9. Over-blown egos will always get players, especially rookies. Remember that even if you were top tog player at home. The casino and especially the tournament scene is completely different and you are not as good as you might think you are. Once you realize that you do not know everything about poker is the day that you might start learning a thing or two and have a better chance at winning. It is always important to be objective about your poker abilities or disabilities as the case might be.

10. Playing after you have lost a few hands to the point that it damaged your faith or self confidence in your game, is not a good idea. Keep in mind that every poker player losses a few hands. The best thing to do is to just walk away ,clear your mind and come back when your confidence came back. A player that losses his confidence in his game yet continues to play will dig himself further in the hole, since he is not playing with a cool mind, and therefore with bad judgment.

Now that you have read these 10 key points for rookies to remember Let them soak in, memorize the do’s and don’t do’s and abide by them.

Good luck on your next poker game

US based Marketing expert on B2C business, now is the developer at http://www.online-casinos-usa.com.

Leroy’s will double the stakes for its “Money Talks” football contest in the fall, prompted in part by the demise of the Stardust Invitational.

Last year, the Money Talks competition was held at the Riviera Hotel and Casino, just a short walk across Las Vegas Boulevard South from the Stardust; the two contests played back-to-back on Friday nights on the city’s largest AM radio station.

While the Stardust Invitational offered a $10,000 winner-take-all prize, paid by the house, Money Talks players had to buy their way in.

The two contests had similar formats, with players in each picking seven weekend football selections against current lines.

The difference was Money Talks participants had to grade plays from $110 to $770, just as if they were placing bets.

Ex-Las Vegas bookmaker Nick Bogdanivich, who has a long and impressive resume, defeated ProCapprs.com’s Brian Leonard in the Money Talks contest while ProCappers.com handicapper Marc Lawrence captured the Stardust event.

All indications are the Stardust may be targeted for a pre-holiday implosion and consequently won’t bring its popular contest back for a 12th and final season.

Money Talks’ 16 players last year anted $2,500 each to participate, with Leroy’s kicking another $10,000.

This year, players will have to put up $5,000 apiece, Leroy’s will add $20,000 and the prize pot will grow to $100,000.

Lawrence is rumored to have accepted a bid, along with 2005 Las Vegas Hilton SuperContest winner Tony Ricci, a Canadian.

John Kelly, who co-hosted all 11 seasons of the Stardust Invitational, will handle microphone duties with Jimmy Vaccaro, a former Las Vegas bookmaker who currently is marketing director for Leroy’s.

Leroy’s operates more than 60 Nevada sports books and has taken over bet shops at many individual casinos that have closed their own.

Lynda Collins is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers
League.
Read all of her articles at http://www.procappers.com/Lynda_Collins.htm

21-year old Holden, then editor of the Oxford student magazine, Isis, first met Al Alvarez (see Part One of the Poet Laureates of Poker), the editor of The New Poetry in 1968. He found him to be a “warm, wise-cracking enthusiast . . . short and worried about his weight.”

He has since joined Al at over a thousand poker tables. That is, when he has time away from his day jobs: once a speechwriter for Prince Charles, music and opera critic for the London Observor, and biographer of the Royals. He is a thorn in the side of Charles, with whom he has since fallen out, writing biographies to coincide with the Prince’s 30th, 40th, and 50th birthdays.

Of the Prince, Holden says, “He is a puerile, bawdy, hot-blooded adulterer.” Also a confidante of Diana, Holden writes, “She has a husband who no longer understands her, nor even, it seems, much likes her.”

Like Alvarez, among his 29 books is one – just one – on poker. Yet he says, “When people say they have read ‘my book,’ I know which one they are talking about.” They are, of course, talking about Big Deal, his account of a year as a poker pro from 1988-1989.

People may know about “the Holden book” because of this single quote, which has earned him a place in poker literature: “Poker may be only a game, but it is not a matter of life and death. It’s a lot more serious than that.”

He traveled the globe on the poker circuit, coming close to being busted out of his original $20,000 stake many times. He writes about playing against Stu Ungar, World Series of Poker champion and perhaps the greatest poker player in the world, during his decline from cocaine. He looked like a “stick insect,” writes Holden, who won a big pot from him in a tournament. He played in the personal guest house of the King of Morocco and recounts the hilarious story of Amarillo Slim Preston (self-styled as the “World’s Greatest Gambler”) riding a camel through the magnificent palace to win a bet.

The end result of his year on the road: a profit of $12,300.
Big Deal is scheduled for release as a production of Celadon Films in 2007. His son, Joe, is doing the screenplay and Hugh Grant has been mentioned as the lead.

Bigger Deal is in the works. In Bigger, Holden does it again – a year as a touring pro – between 2005 and 2006. “This time,” he says, “I’m keeping my day job.” His first stint in poker tournaments around the world was motivated by a public falling out with his boss, Rupert Murdoch, in front of the Queen of England.

There are a lot of differences in the culture of poker between Big and Bigger. In 1988 there were about 200 participants in the championship event of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and the top prize was $700,000. In 2005 there were more than 5600 players and the top prize was $7.5 million. Poker now seems to be on TV, 24/7. $60 billion per year is wagered on internet play.

“I realize with a sinking heart,” Holden told Victoria Coren of the Observor, “that the game I have loved for nearly 40 years as a romantic, seedy, maverick outpost of la vie boheme has now become just another branch of corporate-logo American capitalism.”

Holden’s latest book (2005) is The Remarkable Life of Leigh Hunt: Poet, Revolutionary, and the Last of the Romantics. Among Hunt’s poems:

Jenny Kissed Me

Jenny kissed me when we met,

Jumping from the chair she sat in;

Time, you thief, who love to get

Sweets into your list, put that in!

Say I’m weary, say I’m sad,

Say that health and wealth have missed me,

Say I’m growing old, but add,

Jenny kissed me.

See Part One (Al Alvarez) and Part Three (James McManus) of the series, Poet Laureates of Poker.

(c) 2006 Murphy James

Murphy James is the pen name of Harry Murphy. He is a frequent contributor to Poker News and Strip Las Vegas Magazine. His website is http://www.murphyjames.com His email address is murphyjames@murphyjames.com

Most all top online casinos voluntarily subject themselves to regular audits (usually monthly) by a qualified and reputable third party firm, such as Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC). These audits generally focus on two aspects of the online casino’s operations: their random number generator and their payout rates. The latter — payout rates — is the subject of this article.

An online casino’s payout rates are displayed as a percentage — that being the percentage of incoming wagers that are paid out in winnings. As you can imagine, the higher the payout rates, the better. The top online casinos are often considered so, in part, precisely because they offer the highest payout rates.

A top online casino with the highest payout rate in video poker may not have the best payout rate for slots. Payout rates vary within top online casinos for each individual game. If you’re planning on joining a top online casino for a specific game — be it poker, craps, baccarat, video poker, roulette, blackjack, slots, keno, or any other top online casino game — check the top online casino’s payout percentages for that specific game.

Top Online Casino Payout Rates Overall: Grand Online Casino (98.42%), Golden Palace Online Casino (98.15%), Sands of the Caribbean (98.11%), USA Casino (98.09%), 32Red Casino (97.97%), Ladbrokes Casino (97.68%), Casino-on-Net (97.63%), InterCasino (97.13%).

Top Online Casino Payouts for Slots: Slotland (98.00%), Casino Las Vegas (97.50%), Golden Palace Online Casino (97.18%), Royal Vegas Online Casino (96.59%), Aztec Riches Casino (96.51%), Yukon Gold Casino (96.31%), Shark Casino (96.49%), Casino Kingdom (96.15%), Ladbrokes Casino (96.03%).

Top Online Casino Payouts for Video Poker: Jackpots in a Flash Casino (99.53%), Lucky Nugget Online Casino (99.11%), Crazy Vegas Casino (99.07%), Lucky Emperor Casino (99.03%), 7 Sultan Casino (99.00%), Royal Vegas Online Casino (98.77%), Swiss Casino (98.70%), Spin Palace (98.60%), RiverBelle Casino (98.59%), Roxy Palace Online Casino (98.58%).

Top Online Casino Payout at Table Games: Casino Kingdom (99.62%), Mummys Gold Casino (99.52%), Aztec Riches Casino (99.22%), 3 Diamond Casino (99.19%), 49er Casino (99.10%), Casino Domain (99.01%), Challenge Casino (98.98%), Crazy Vegas Casino (98.91%), Cherry Casino (98.69%), Captain Cooks (98.57%).

Top online casinos that get their payout rates audited will almost always publish the results of each audit on their website for anyone — member or non-member — to view. They’ll even keep archives of all their past audits, also open to public viewing.

CasinoBrain.com is the premier resource for online casino reviews. Visit www.casinobrain.com for informative articles, game rules, and comprehensive reviews of over 150 online casinos.

There are many ways to play Lotto, but which game plays will
make you a winner. Below is only a few Lotto game play
strategies you could use to find that elusive winning sequence.
In this article we will be looking at a 6/49 Lotto game, but it
could be used in other types of Lotteries as well. A 6/49 Lotto
game basically means you choose 6 numbers between 1 - 49.

Even / Odd
The best Even/Odd ratio is 3/3 followed by
2/4 or 4/2. If you could play all possible combinations of 3/3
(not saying you should) then no matter what winning Lotto
numbers are drawn, then you can be sure that there will be
winning sequences in your hand starting with 3 Numbers and going
up.

Previous Occurrences
First you could play random
Lotto numbers/sequences that have already come up. If you are
lucky you could win something in the Lotto. But this will not
give the winning combination for the next draw as the highest
occurrence will probably stop at 4 Numbers, 4 + Bonus if you are
lucky. So onto the next step.

What if you could use your own database to see how it can be
minimized to hold a possible winning combination for a future
draw using this previous occurrence game play. Using you own
selected Lotto numbers try and eliminate sequences with a
winning type above 4 Numbers or even above 3 + Bonus, depending
on your preferences. Doing this will hopefully increase you
chances of having that winning Lotto sequence.

Sum Total
If you take a Lotto sequence and add up all
the numbers, then the answer will be the sum value. An example
would be if you take the Lotto sequence 03-12-21-29-38-48, then
the sum will be 151. Basically the sum value is useful as you
can look at past Lotto sequences and get and idea as to the
minimum and maximum sum limits you Lotto numbers should add up
to.

Using number limits
If you look at previous winning
Lotto sequences and focus your attention on the first number in
the sequence. Now you will see that the “Highest value” will
probably be around the number 30 or so. This numbers tells you
that with past winning sequences, the highest value for the
first number was the number 30 or so.

This basically means that with all your selected sequences, the
first number should not be higher than the “Highest value” for
“Ball 1″. Doing this cuts down on a couple of sequences that
will probable never come up in the future.

You can look at the other Lotto balls as well to find its
minimum and maximum limits. This will give you an indication as
to the limits your selected numbers should fall into.

Playing the slots has been, and continues to be one of the most popular forms of gambling in casinos. This is surprising considering the fact that around 99 percent of those who play end up emptying their wallets in very short periods. It’s true, with a house advantage around ten percent, it’s easy to loose your money to the “one-armed bandits.” Although there are no surefire techniques to winning consistently, there are many things you can do to ensure you’ll hear that sweet sound of sirens and falling coins. Here are five hot tips.

1. Find the loosest slots: the first tip is the most obvious; always play the slots with the best payout. In general, slots in Vegas are the loosest. Some casinos will boast a 98 percent payback rate, but his can sometimes be misleading. Upon closer inspection, you may realize that a casino has slots that have “up to” a 98 percent payback. Its then up to you to figure out which machine in the casino actually has that payback rate. Your best bet is to talk with the locals; they always seem to know which slots are the loosest.

2. Play progressive jackpots: progressive jackpots don’t have a set amount of winnings. Rather, the jackpot increases a certain percentage as more money is played on a given machine. Most progressive machines will show you the jackpot as it increases, and this adds to the excitement of playing. When selecting a progressive machine, always seek out the one with the highest payoff. One machine may offer a $3,500 jackpot while a few machines down, the jackpot may be $5,500. Always play for the higher amount.

3. Go where it’s hot: you should only stick to a single machine if it hits at least every three or four spins. Don’t play a cold machine in the hopes that it will eventually heat up. Remember, the longer you stick to a single game, the lower your odds for winning become and the house advantage takes over.

4. Take what’s yours: I know this seems a bit obvious, but don’t forget to collect all of your winnings out of a machine, and make sure you receive full payment by pressing the cash-out button. You’d be amazed at how much money is lost because players who have had a few too many cocktails neglect to cash in all of their stored credits.

5. Win in other ways: there’s more than one way to skin a cat. Even if you don’t cash-in huge while sitting before a machine, remember that there are other ways to walk away a winner. Casinos give away millions of dollars in comps in the form of hotel rooms, valet parking, meals, show tickets, and even cash. Be sure to join a slot comp program, and shop around for the best deals. Although comps are another way to feel like a winner, you should never play slots just for the comps. Although it may feel like a good deal, your losses at the slots will usually outweigh any comps that you are given.

Like any table game in a casino, poker demands etiquette from the players so that the game itself will be successful in providing both challenges and fun. This means that the poker players have to avoid doing certain things that will make poker a less enjoyable game. Here are some of the taboos that a casino player should never commit when playing poker.

· Cheating – A cheater is never welcome in any casino game, or in any serious game of poker. Cheating takes away the challenge of beating the game. And if a poker player has resolved to cheating, he will never reached that level of mastery of skills that would have propel him to win in tournaments, such as the World Series of Poker.

· Using the mobile phones – Communication technology has reached the point in which long distances no longer matter as much as they did about half a century ago. One major reason is the invention of the mobile phones. But such impressive gadgets become distractions to a poker game. This is why using the mobile phones has been considered a poker taboo.

· Placing food and drinks on the poker table – In online games, it wouldn’t matter if the casino player is filling his mouth while moving his mouse. But in land-based casinos, such a practice is frowned upon. The poker table is intended only for the cards and the chips. The food and drinks, although most are free and provided by the casino as comps, should not be placed on the poker table.

· Damaging the cards – Aside from the fact that the cards are not the personal property of one player, damaging the cards is tantamount to cheating. This is because one of the cheating techniques of some poker players is to place scratches or marks on the edges of the cards. When a poker is found to damage the cards, the dealer may ban him from joining the poker table.

· Discussing one’s hand during the game – Talking about one’s hand while the game is not yet over is simply a sign of arrogance. Some poker player may find it a strategy to mislead his opponents but such is not an acceptable strategy. Poker is far more sophisticated than childish games.

· Splashing the chips into the pot – The action of carelessly splashing and spilling one’s chips into the pot is a sign of bad manners. A person who does this act is not deserving to be called a poker player at all.

· Giving negative opinions or comments against one’s opponents – Criticizing one’s opponents is not a great way to distract them, especially if they are strangers. Often, in a casino table, one will never know the background and motivations of one’s opponents. This is why no player has the right to give negative opinions against any of the other poker players.

A good poker player should not just master skills and strategies but also good etiquette.

Sherlyn Schneider, Editor in chief of bethedealer.ws,
Be The Dealer - A unique and educational online casino dealer’s portal.