Counting your outs in Texas Hold’em: Do you have what it takes?
Like they say, it is better to learn to walk before attempting to run. To win in a Texas poker tournament, luck, patience and an aspect of wit are all employed by the majority of experienced poker players. Right from the time the cards are dealt, reading the board and postulating the best hand from two cards that have been dealt to the player is quite possible. To further elaborate on Texas poker, it is essential to note that it is categorized into two: No Limit Texas Hold’em and Limit Texas Hold’em. In No Limit Texas Hold’em, the amounted betted is restricted by the number of chips a player can hold in a single instance, while in a Limit Texas poker game, restrictions are based on the amount of money a poker player can bet at a time.
Buy-in Amounts for Card Counters
It is important as a card counter to buy-in for limited amounts and keep buying in if you lose. I once read an account of some blackjack players who made a very serious mistake. They walked into a casino and bought into a blackjack game for $1000. That is no bad thing in itself but they then proceeded to play only $5 per hand.
Firstly you need to place yourself into the minds of the dealers and pit bosses. When they see someone buy in for $1000 at blackjack then they immediately think “here comes a big player”. So in this instance betting $5 per hand looks rather strange and is contrary to what they are expecting you to do. But then again this isn’t necessarily bad either but the final mistake that this player made was to escalate his bets when the count went positive to many times what his starting bet had been.
WSOP 2011: An event not to be missed
WSOP that stands for World Series of Poker is a popular series of poker tournaments. It is held in Las Vegas every year, wherein the winner of each event gets a WSOP bracelet along with a monetary award, which is based on buy in amounts and number of the entrants.
Over the years, this tournament has managed to grow in terms of the number of contestants and the different casino games being played. The schedule for WSOP 2011 is now public. This year, the World Series of Poker has 58 events that will be played over 50 days period starting from May 31 and lasting till July 19.
On its schedule, WSOP 2011 has listed the regular $500 Casino Employees event as the initial event. However, the next event for that very day is a tournament that many individuals will likely watch. It is a heads-up contest ($25,000) with player limit of 256. In the history of WSOP, this one is a richest tournament. There are other additions as well to the WSOP events. A mixed game tournament ($2,500) features 10 games in a six-handed match up. Besides, there is one more six-handed match, which is the Pot Limit Omaha of $5,000. The $25,000 (6-handed) event is however not part of WSOP 2011.
Poker Statistics: How really important is the statistics
Of course, it is very useful to know and to take into consideration all these stat indicators but that cannot replace the personal observations of your opponents. Never forget the human factor. That would be a huge mistake. First, you should notice what hands are played by your opponents, the way they play different hands etc. Second, you should know that the style of playing can always be changed. Never forget that a player who changes his playing style and uses some new moves will not match the previous stat indicators. In this case you need to calculate other ones. That is why you need to follow the style of playing of your opponents at the moment and adapt your game accordingly i.e. you should never rely only on your previous calculations.
Besides, you cannot rely on statistics only when there are not enough hands played by your opponent. On the other hand, there is no need to become a stat maniac. When you get some experience, you will know exactly what indicators you need during a certain game.
Poker Statistics: The indicators you need to consider
Of course, there are many additional indicators such as check – raise, Second barrel etc. But there are some important indicators that you need to consider all the time. The recommended minimum is as follows: Number of hands, AF, VPIP, PFR, ATS, FoldBBSteal, FoldCB, WTSD. Of course, when you play, you need to choose the indicators you need the most – everything depends on the game. The most important thing is to remember that you need these indicators and to know that they will help you take the right decisions and win. Take these indicators into consideration not after the game but before that. After the game you can see whether your moves were right or not and analyze your play. Of course, this would be very useful. You should always analyze your play. But you need to learn how to use the statistic indicators during a play as well.
Poker Tips
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