Online poker has gives a new frontier to the game of poker and has taken the game to homes across the world. It’s been long since internet was opened to public and since then it has gained mass acceptance and popularity owing to the various uses it is put to. The history of online poker started in 1998 when the first online poker site was successfully established. In the present scenario there are unlimited sites dedicated to poker and cater to millions of players around the world who play the beautiful game of poker on a common table irrespective of their regional boundaries. The game of online poker can be played by a single player against the computer or against other co players. There had been always a query in the mind of poker players whether it is safe to furnish their personal details on these virtual casinos especially there bank account and credit card details. Owing to so many sites it is practically impossible for the government or regulating committees to monitor them and thus it comes to the shoulders of the user to be responsible for his own loss. It is always advisable to get yourself familiarize with the virtual casino before filing into it. There are many sites which provide for 24 bit SSL security and promises to keep your personal details secret from others but it is always advisable to go through the reviews and standing of this site which can easily be found online. Online poker is surely no different than the real face to face poker and with virtual casinos improving day by day, now people can play poker sitting back at their homes and earn fortune but having a proper research is always a wise step so that you do not end up regretting later. If you’ve been convinced it’s perfectly safe to play poker online, consider the following tips to improve your play. When you play poker you need to get the best of it by focusing on the long term, being realistic, and acting deceptively to get an edge over your opponents. You also act decisively and that distinguishes winners from losers. You need to think and feel and making sure you make a perfect blend of the two for your game. You need to feel but not be overconfident that you become very impulsive. You need to think but cannot over analyze and not act accordingly. Here are some characteristics how you can become a winner:

Selective aggression

You need to play aggressive but you need to time it right. You need to wait when you have the advantage, when things feel right, and then pounce hard on your opponents. Indecisiveness is the characteristic of losers who check when in fact they need to bet or they raise when they really need to fold. You need to understand the situation and apply the right poker techniques to make most of the situation.

Push some more when winning

When you are winning, try to push some more. This is pushing in the right manner as opposed to losers who do not have the grounds and foundation to be aggressive. Pushing when you are winning is a form of selective aggression. Winning players can push because they have that edge against the other players where they think you are luckier or a stronger player, and as a result you will meet less opposition on your way to claim the pot.

Adaptability and hardwork

Learning poker is a continuous process. Even the poker greats learn something every time they play. You need to be pliant as a bamboo and learn to adapt to the changes. Your pursuit for self improvement should be there as you try to strengthen your game and hone your poker skills.

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Let us say you are on Full Tilt, playing a $4 plus $0.50 sit and go, nine handed poker game where players have 1,500 on their stack of chips. There will be 32 levels of blind that last six minutes each. With about 13,500 in play, the blind would go from 50 to 100 for the early stages and up to 200-400 on the middle stages, and between 250 and 500 or more at the end stages of the poker tournament. Here are some effective strategies to apply during these different stages:

Beginning

Play the gates tight at the start of a sit and go poker. Play in position and make sure you play it cheap for the flop so you can build your stack of chips gradually while the blinds are still small. Do not attempt for big races during this stage.

Middle

As the blinds go more expensive, widen your range a bit and go for some squeeze plays to win some more chips. Limping should be no where on your game plan at this point. With the blinds getting bigger, you can raise up to around 2.5x the BB. No need to risk a ton just to steal the blinds.

End

The blinds are enormous during the end stages. If you can steal the blinds, go for it. Make the best of your cards and think of your own table only. Play it aggressively like the way you will play a final table of a tournament. This way you build your stack before you get to the final table. And in case the button is playing passive and you are the small blind, be really aggressive. At this stage put your opponents to the test and make them commit mistakes.

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Omaha is a lot like Texas Holdem in using a three-card flop on the board, a fourth  and fifth board card. Each player is dealt 4 hole cards (instead of 2) at the start. In order to make a hand a player must use exactly  two hole cards with three board cards. The betting is the same as in Texas Holdem. At the showdown, the entire four-card hand must be shown to receive the pot. Omaha rules are exactly like Texas Holdem except the rule on playing the board, it is not permitted in Omaha (you must use two cards from your hand and three cards from the board). Gameplay

The play of the game is simple and misleading at the same time. Each player is dealt four cards face down. There is then a round of betting. The dealer then deals three cards face up to the center of the table. These cards are common to each players hand. There is then another round of betting. These three cards are referred to as the Flop. The dealer then deals one card to the center face up.

This card is referred to as the Turn card. There is another round of betting. The four cards in the center are common to each players hand. A final card is dealt face up to the center of the table and makes up the five common cards for each player. This card is referred to as the River card. At this point in the hand there is a final round of betting. The player with the best five card poker hand made up of two cards from the four dealt to each player and three from the common cards is the winner of the pot. The rule that you must use two from your hand and three from the Flop to make the hand confuses some new players and they learn the hard way about this absolute Omaha rule. The fact that each player has nine cards from which to make the winning poker hand accounts for the fact that in Omaha there are many of the higher poker hands dealt. This means there will be a great many trip hands, many straights, flushes or full houses and some four of kind hands.

Single pairs and two pairs are not very strong hands in Omaha. Basic Strategy There are some basic strategies in Omaha that a new player should be aware of before betting a lot of money. If you are dealt a straight or a flush in the first seven cards, do not go crazy with your betting as another player could still make a higher hand like a full house. If a pair shows up on the board, there is a very good chance that someone will have a full house. If three suited cards show up on the board there is a very good chance that someone will have a flush. If there are no pairs or three suited cards, there is still the chance that someone will have trips as the highest hand possible. The point of this is that experienced players know this and new players learn this the hard way. When you have a very good hand thru the Turn card, they next round of betting should always be raised so that the other players have to pay a price to see the next card.

Never let a round go by without a bet or a raise if you have a very good hand. Aggressive play is the key to winning in Omaha just like it is in Holdem. Always remind yourself that you have to play two cards out of your hand. It is not unusual to see experienced players make this mistake when they are tired or have played a long time. Good starting hands in Omaha are two ace suited cards connected or not. Aces are always good, but not as valuable as you would think. Pot limit Omaha or NL Omaha reward aggressive play as making the other players pay to see cards is the way to win if your hands are holding up. Be careful of early flushes if the board pairs as the only reason a player would be calling are if they have trips already. If the board has three suited cards, unless you have the ace in the suit, do not go crazy with your bets.

Omaha High Low Omaha is often played high-low split, 8-or-better. The player has to use a combination of two holecards and three boardcards for the high hand and another (or the same) combination of two holecards and three boardcards for the low hand. In Omaha High Low,  a qualifier of 8-or-better for low applies to all high-low split games, unless a posting to the contrary is displayed. If there is no qualifying hand for low, the best high hand wins the whole pot.

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