So this is how it works…

This freeroll will be open to all players who have completed at least 1 stage of the race between the beginning of the promotion period (Saturday 3rd July 00:00) and the end of the promotion period (Sunday 25th July 23:59).

You will be allocated 500 chips towards your starting stack for every stage of the race you complete in the promotion period.

End of month $20,000 Freeroll:
Saturday 31 July at 15:00.
To Enter: Earn at least 1000 VIP points between Saturday 3rd July 00:00 and Sunday 25th July 23:59.

Extra information:
You will be allocated 500 chips for each stage of the race you complete. Each stage is equivalent to 1000 VIP points.
By the start of the day on Friday 29th July you will be issued an entry coupon for this freeroll if you have qualified for entry.

Once again good luck and may the best player win
See you at the OddsMaker Poker Tables.

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With football season just around the corner, it seems like a good time to talk about kickers.

And no we’re not talking about Adam Vinatieri and Stephen Gostkowski.

Instead, we’re talking about that other card you should be paying attention to, when you’re playing Texas Holdem.

You only have to sit down with a few amateur poker players for an hour to see how often they don’t even bother taking their kicker into account.

Hands like King-Deuce, Queen-6, Ace-3, instead of going into the muck where they belong, they end up being played out to the river.

This usually ends up costing whoever was daft enough to play them at least a few chips.

Stretch those few chips over a full game or a full tournament and you’ll see how amateurs go broke and never seem to last until the money without some major luck.

The amateur poker players biggest weakness when it come to scenarios in which they ignore their kicker is an Ace.

For some reason, so many players see that big capital “A” and the other card almost magically disapperars, unless it’s another big “A” or a face card.

The thinking goes something like this:

“The other card in my hand doesn’t matter, I’ve got an Ace! The best card in the deck!”

If you’re thinking like this you may as well hand your chips to the guy sitting next to you before you even sit down.

Here’s where it all falls apart.

Let’s say you’ve just bean dealt Ace-3.

You’ve got your magic “A”, but the 3 isn’t worth much.

You’ve got a shot at a possible straight, but you’ll need a little luck for that to pan out.

Even though someone else raised pre-flop you go ahead and play you Ace, not taking into account the 3 or your position (which we’ll say is early), and the flop hits Ace-5-King…

You made a pair with you Ace, but the 3 leaves you vulnerable to anyone else at the table that might also have an Ace.

If you’re playing at a table of 10 players, another player will have an Ace 62% of the time.

If someone else does have an Ace, the only way you’re beating them right now is if they have Ace-2.

Basically, by playing the Ace-3 you’ve just given away some chips unless you think you can bluff out your opponent.

It could be worse though.

Let’s say you play your Ace-3 again, but this time the flop hits Ace-3-King.

This time you’ve made two pair despite your lame kicker!

Don’t get too carried away, though, because you called a pre-flop raise again and you’re facing an opponent who has Ace-King.

You go ahead and bet your two pair aggressively, only to lose even more chips to the higher two pair.

Unless you get a read on the better hand, you’re toast.

It’s situations like this that make your kicker an essential part of deciding whether or not to play a hand.

You should also look at your chip count, position, and skill level of your fellow players and tendencies too, but for true beginners start by considering your kicker.

By avoiding hands like Ace-3, King-2, etc, you’ll keep yourself from giving away small amounts of money with regularity, and more importantly keep yourself from falling into traps that can cost you a huge chunk of your stack.

by Dave Harrison

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Most true poker rookies seem to end up in the same place in most poker tournaments – as the short stack.
If you’re constantly ending up with fewer chips you’ve got to learn to dig yourself out of that hole or you’ll never make the big money.

The first thing to remember when your chip stack is running low is to be patient.
If you’ve just had a big hand nearly bankrupt you, don’t simply go all-in on the next hand because you think your chances of winning are gone.
To truly have a shot at getting back among the chip leaders you need some patience, and a little luck.

Since you have so few chips the hands you can play before and after the flop are limited.
You’ll want to get into a mindset of either all-in or fold.
You’re going to need to think like this to have a chance at rebuilding your stack.
If you still have enough chips to survive a few rounds of blinds, wait for real premium hands and go all-in.
This is your best chance of doubling up, or if you’re playing at the right table, possibly tripling up or more.

If the blinds haven’t reached monumental heights yet and you still have enough chips to see a couple flops, do it with medium to premium hands.
If you hit anything on the flop be aggrevisse and come out betting.
Even if you only end up with what’s already in the pot at least your stack is going growing again. If you’ve got a read on any of your opponents now is the time to use it.
If you come up against a tight player, try to steal the pot when you think they might be weak even if you’ve got nothing yourself.
If you’re up against a loose player, try to wait for a big hand and bet big since you can almost be assured they will call.

If you’re down to your last chip and will be forced all-in the next time the blinds come your way, your next play should be determined by position.
In an early position you should go all-in with any medium hand or higher.
You’re basically hoping to get lucky here with the blinds coming right behind you.
If you get a junk hand fold it and hope for something better in the blinds position.

In a middle position tighten up a bit and play any ace, any pocket pair or any two face cards.
If you end up hitting on the flop with one of these hands, you should have a good chance at winning or even doubling up.

In late position you’ve got more time before the blinds get you so don’t bet anything unless it’s a great starting hand.
Don’t be affraid to let go of mediocre cards if a player ahead of you goes all-in, especially if this player generally plays tight.
by David Harrison

I hope you found this poker article useful and interesting, also I would like to recomend OddsMaker Poker as one of the best places online to play online poker…
Well since I got nothing else to say today… I will leave you to your poker playing…. See ya at the poker table… who knows… peace…

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Checkout out these wise poker words

Beware The Bluster

When you first start playing poker it’s usually in a home-game setting where you can make mistakes with only your friends around to see.
Or you play online and never see the players that you’re playing against.

It doesn’t matter so much that you’re inexperienced because you don’t have to sit there embarrassed when you make a mistake or played a hand terribly.
But in live poker tournaments things are diferent. You can see your opponents, and often those opponents display habits that can be intimidating.
If you’re familiar with these behaviors before you play your first tournament, you’ll feel more at ease and everyone else won’t seem more experienced than you.

For some reason many players like to hone their chip-trick skills. They practive shuffling and flipping chips so it looks like they’re professional player that’s been playing for decades.
Most of these players don’t have anything special about their game, they just thought that chip tricks were cool and they dedicated some time to getting good at them.

Another common factor that many new players find intimidating at their first live poker tournament is the dealers.
Many dealers will use poker lingo that you may not have heard before.
To question what they said would make you look like a real rookie, and it’s not something you want to do in front of the entire table.
If you don’t know what the dealer means, just discreetly ask one of the players sitting next to you as if you didn’t hear the dealer. At worst, only they will know that your’re a rookie.

The most common intimidation factor you’ll encounter at the table is an opponent who is playing very aggressively.
This player seems like they raise everyone almost every time it’s their turn to act.
These players are willing to put the pressure on you, and you’ll have to eventually stand up to them.
Just wait until the river to raise them back, and you’ll get as much as possible from them.

When you enter a live poker tournament you need to be thinking about intimidating you opponents, not being intimidated by them.
You need to concentrate on not giving away any tells as you play.
Play without emotions and don’t be afraid to make a bet or raise when it looks like you opponents may be weak.
If you’re scared you’ll neve play well, you’ll only get pushed around until you make a mistake that knocks you out of the tournament.

You have to belive that even if you’re a novice, luck can play a big enough role in the poker tournament to provide you with some success.
Winning players belive that they can win, even if they’re new to poker and have a lot to learn.

by Dean Stone

Find out more about poker tournaments and online poker at Oddsmaker Online Casino.

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