Best Online Poker Sites
| Site | Bonus | Review | Visit | |
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Titan Poker | $525 |  |  |
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Luckyace Poker | $400 | | |
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Bwin Poker | $1000 | | |
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Lucky Ace Poker Rakeback Bonus
All casinos and online poker rooms collect a “rake” from the players using their facilities in the form of a small commission deducted from the amount of the pot, or the amount you pay to enter a game. “Rakeback” is a loyalty bonus offered by many of the larger online poker web sites to encourage players to play on their sites. It is a percentage of the amount deducted as “rake”, which is paid back to each player registering a rakeback account.
The percentage paid to players varies from site to site and effectively means that the more you play, the more you get paid. Clients who have signed up for a rakeback account can monitor the funds being paid to them and the poker sites providing this incentive normally add the funds to your account at the end of each month. It is possible to have rakeback accounts with more than one poker web site – although some may not allow you to convert an existing account with them, nor pay you if you open up a secondary account just to receive rakeback.
Rakeback is an excellent concept which is becoming increasingly popular amongst the online poker web sites. Irrespective of whether you play a lot of poker or not, if you are not involved in a rakeback scheme where available, you are not getting the full value you should be. Below is an example showing just how much money you could be leaving at the tables. .
An average rake from a low limit game of poker is 4%, usually capped at around $3 and a standard percentage of rake that an online poker site will offer to return is 25%. Therefore if you were playing on a $0.25/$0.50 table, with an average pot value of $10, the rake deducted would be $0.40 per game. If you played 80 games an hour, and won 10 of them, you have had a total of $4 deducted from your winnings in rake, of which you will get $1 back.
If you only play poker at this low level for five or six hours a week, the value of your rakeback will be about $25 at the end of the month, which is well worth having as a bonus for something you are already doing anyway!
Some online poker rooms (ie Ladbrokes and Pokerstars) currently only offer rakeback to their VIP clients, so you will need to study your sites´ requirements, to see if you qualify. We have identified a good rakeback scheme available through Lucky Ace Poker. It offers 27% cashback on rake, plus a means to fast-track to VIP status and the benefits of having a VIP Account.
If you are interested in finding out more about rakeback and the bonuses available through Lucky Ace Poker, please click here
How To Control The Aggressive Bulldog Type Poker Players
A bulldog is a non-technical poker term used to describe somebody who wants to dominate a table through aggressive play and (sometimes) intimidation. The term stems from 16th century English, when bulldogs were used in bull baiting and would have been ferocious, savage and insensitive to pain. Fortunately, for dogs anyway, the aggressive trait in bulldogs has been bred out, and nowadays they are docile and friendly pets. Another, more relevant, fact about bulldogs, is that they rank 77th out of 79 in dog intelligence – and that is why, when you meet a bulldog at the poker table, he can be a (poker playing) man´s best friend.
The way to distinguish a bulldog from a naturally aggressive player is by the way he arrives at the table. The bulldog will only play in ring games where he can introduce the maximum funds allowable and use that mighty stack of chips as an intimidatory tool against his opponents. He raises pre-flop on every hand irrespective of the quality of his hole cards, and will also use the chat facility for insults and comments on other peoples play. It is worth noting that bulldogs tend to bet large amounts quickly when they hold little, and bet smaller amounts, with more deliberation, when they are trying to draw more players into the pot rather than scare them away. If you are conscious of this characteristic, you can react to his betting accordingly.
Once the bulldog has seen the flop, one of two things will happen. He will continue to bet outrageously when he has nothing or, if he has caught a hand on the flop, will take his time and reduce the size of his bet. The reverse is true if he had good hole cards and blew out on the flop.
Winding up a bulldog poker player is easy and if done to maximum effect will put him on tilt. Whenever possible, match his pre-flop blinds when he is at his most macho, and fold to his bets aimed at entrapment. This will frustrate him and lead to more outrageous bets for you take advantage of. Eventually he will get the picture that you are onto him, but by then, the power of the mighty chip stack will have gone, and your bulldog is now a whimpering mutt.
We do not advocate that you go out looking for bulldogs to tame, because some may get lucky and give you a nasty bite in your wallet. We also mentioned above that bulldogs are not the smartest of animals, so you can assume that once they have licked their battered pride, they will be doing it all over again. However, if you do find yourself up against one, don´t be alarmed – he could just be your best friend.
Double or Nothing Sit n Go Strategy
There are an increasing volume of Sit ´n´ Go games which are designated as “Double or Nothing”. This is a ten player SnG where the final five players double their entry stake, and an excellent option for players who regularly play well in other SnGs, but lack the short game knowledge to frequently win them.
“Double or Nothing” games are invariably played ultra-tight at the start. Players are very cautious about committing too much too early, and often you find that it is a very slow game to begin with, until the higher blind levels are reached. You may even find a number of players sitting out during the early stages of a game, but this can be counterproductive and is not recommended as you may miss some very good hands and opportunities. It also allows other players in good position to steal your blinds, and when you do join the game, you are handicapped by a lower chip stack.
The most successful way approach these games, is to play even tighter than you feel is necessary and get into a good position by stealing a few blinds, winning a few small hands and knowing when to fold – particularly if players close to elimination start to risk all when they have nothing to lose. As tempting as it may be to speed up the conclusion to the game, you should not match their bets without a very good hand, as losing at this time will weaken your position and strengthen theirs. Your focus does not need to be on winning, just remaining in the top half of players, and if you are a fair poker player, you should be able to do that provided you apply a little discipline. If you have worked your way into a good position early on in the game, you should not find yourself needing to take chances late on, and assure yourself of one of the top five places.
The basis of success in any ultra-tight game is to play only the very best hands, and this means that you should not be involved very much in a “DoN” game, allowing you to play several tables at once, win small amounts frequently and generate a larger amount of rakeback.
Double or Nothing Sit ´n´ Gos are still relatively new and therefore there are many players trying them out who are unfamiliar with an ultra-tight table. If you find these players within your game, you should take advantage of their inexperience to guide yourself into a “safe” position at their expense. Players who perform consistently well in DoNs also succeed in Multi-Table Tournaments and, if you relish further challenges of this nature, you may want to consider the latest 6 handed variant of the game – Triple or Nothing!
Am I Addicted To Poker?
Is it possible to become addicted to poker? Not to gambling per se but poker in particular.
If all the things you hear from friends and colleagues who play, then there could be some strong evidence to suggest that you can.
Do you dream about cards? do you dream about that elusive tournament winning hand?
Here is a slightly comic view of an online poker playing.
When you first start playing online poker you approach it with apprehension, what do I do? what does this mean or what does that mean? even in the safe and comfortable environment of your living room.
It can be so perplexing and some of the sites have you playing at breakneck speed and you just cannot keep up at times. That leads to sleepless nights for a very different reason than an addiction, it is bewilderment.
As you get better at the game, not necessarily better but a little more at ease, you can keep up with the play, but you can still take it or leave it.
In a relatively short space of time you find yourself thinking “right my goal is to try and make it to the first break this time” disappointment when you don’t, but pure determination to do it! This is the start of what may become an addiction, because you cannot wait to get back in there and crack that first hurdle you have promised yourself to overcome.
When you finally make it to that first break you let out first, a big cheer, then a big sigh of relief, but you have now got to do this every time and even better, so, again the next night you rush home and switch on the computer, oh boy is it getting a hold on you!
Next goal, second break, it doesn’t matter how long the tournament lasts you intend to get just that bit further this time, then suddenly, Good grief its midnight, chuffed to bits to still be in, but knowing you have to go to bed, mistakes start happening and you are knocked out, so its off to bed with a heavy heart so near yet so far. Promising yourself you will not play the following night.
That evening you look at the computer with ill disguised hatred, then you turn it on, just to see if there are any mates online, that’s all.
“Oh well maybe just a turbo game then, they don’t last too long” but before you know it you are on your favourite site and looking at you favourite tournament, first break, no problem at all, try for second break now. and yes at last done it!! What now? only one goal to aim for now, the dreaded final table.
Night after night passing the second break with a few more chips each time. Top 30 finish, then a top 20 finish. “oh boy it cant be long now can it”? Then after a few false hopes, getting so near but not quite there, it happens, “Congratulations you have reached the final table”
Wow! there you are, short stacked yes, but there all the same, What do I do now, in a state of euphoria you press that button “all in” with a 9,5 off suit, what the hell was I doing? a very ordinary finish to a wonderful journey, still you made some money, pack it in now, no more poker ever again.
Until the next night of course.
It does get to you this game but as you play it more often you realise that although you still find it exciting, you can live without it and get a proper nights sleep, so it should be looked upon as a habit rather than an addiction.
This has been a whimsical look at the game of poker, however gambling addiction is real and can be a harmful thing and nothing should distract people from that.
Is Online Poker Software Rigged?
Why do people think online poker software is rigged?
I have my own views on this subject and I am sure some will take the same point of view.
If you contact a poker website administrator about the software they will assure you that it is as close to being a random deal as possible and emulates the live shuffle and deal of a pack of cards. I cannot and would not dispute that as I don’t know enough about software development to argue.
I am not saying these sites are rigged, I am sure they are not, but when a player can predict which hand will win a showdown and what cards will win it, it does make you think twice.
The comments made by some players who are knocked out this way sometimes hits home, at first I thought it was just sour grapes from a sore loser, but after speaking to people who play online, and from my own experience, I sometimes wonder, then lo and behold I win a hand in the same manner, again I have to rethink my attitude.
Here is an instance that I have seen happen a lot of times, not always with the same cards but similar, and it is one that has happened to me a few times too.
A player with a big pocket pair K K goes all in, most fold except for one who also goes all in, he is not a blind position nor trying to steal blinds, he wouldn’t when faced with an all in, when the cards are turned he has 7, 4 off suit!! You have to ask yourself what is this guy doing? then the flop 7, 4, J turn 3 river 7 Didn’t need the river card but it always fits in the hand somewhere, time and again I have seen this, and yes I agree it can and does happen in live play, now and again but not with the regularity that occurs online.
One thing that really does gall me has nothing to do with software, it is the attitude of some of the losers, fair enough we all feel aggrieved at being knocked out of a tournament, but to berate the person who beat you, to the extent of threatening you with physical violence, which once happened to me in a $1 pay in fee tourney, these are nothing short of the rantings of a madman. Lets hope he never loses a lot of money he would go berserk.
I have yet to report anyone for abuse and I don’t think I ever will, but some people are more sensitive than I, and may become genuinely upset, to those people I would say report it straight away and let the administrators deal with it. All I do now is press the mute button and let them rant away to themselves.
On a lighter note, in an online tournament I was playing I was dealt Q, 10 Hearts on my big blind, so I just checked (wrong move) the flop was, you guessed it, A, K, J Hearts the only time I have ever had a royal flush, so I thought slow play this get some chips off them all, I put in a modest raise after the small blind checked, the blinds were only 30 and 60 so I raised to 90 and every other player folded they all had nothing!! I was confident someone would have at the least a pair, but nothing at all, damn it. So my royal flush gained me the small blind of 30. I really did feel as though I had been robbed! Sometimes I hate poker, but most of the time I love it
But whatever you think of the sites, there has to be winners and losers, so we keep playing because we all l enjoy a good game, and win or lose, we always go back and try again.