Shopping and Poker Blog: Views Of A Woman Poker Player

Omaha Poker

Omaha Poker is a variation of Hold’em that is played using four hole cards instead of only two.  The best five cards are used to determine the winner, but you must use two cards from your hand and three cards from the board.  Unlike Hold’em, you may not use any more than three of the cards off the board.  The betting system and the blinds are the same as Hold’em.

Each hand begins with each player being dealt four cards.  There is a big blind, a small blind, and a round of betting.  If the game is Omaha Pot Limit, each player can bet up to the size of the pot.  A raise must be the same as or more than the previous raise.  Once this round is completed, the dealer will lay out a three card flop.  This is done exactly like Hold’em.  Following the flop, another round of betting ensues.

The turn card is laid out by the dealer, followed by the third round of betting.  The fifth and final card is laid out by the dealer and the final round of betting is completed.

The player with the best hand made of five cards is the winner. However, in Omaha poker, you are only allowed to make a five card hand using two cards from your hand and three cards off of the board.

Omaha Hi-Lo Poker

This could be one of the most challenging variations of poker that is played today.  In order to be successful, you’ll need to have a good sense of what hands are likely to take the pot.  You need to play for both sides of the pot to come out ahead in this game.  This game’s popularity is growing very quickly due to the challenge it offers, and there are many events each year that are dedicated specifically to this game.
Most of the pots are smaller in this game than in Hold’em.  However, players typically get their money back more often during this game.  In other words, you can generally play stakes that are a little higher than you’re used to during this game.

Omaha Hi-Lo is similar to Hold’em.  There are two blinds and the table rotates clockwise.  However, at the beginning, there are four cards dealt to each player.  You will use two to make your final hand, but the high and the low hands will split the pot.  There must be at least three low cards dealt to the board by the dealer for a low hand to be possible.

Some hands can scoop both the high and the low pots.  Suited cards can win by making a flush.  You’ll also have a chance to make the wheel (A-2-3-4-5).  If you have both high and low cards, you might have a shot at a straight on the high end or two pair high and a low pair.

Don’t try for half the pot, unless it is very high.  You can have a good hand to begin with, but if the flop misses your suits and doesn’t pair, you need to fold.  Playing for half the pot is not worth betting the rounds to lose your money.

You can also end up only winning half of either pot.  This is called getting quartered.  It’s not that uncommon for more than one player to have the A-2.  Never raise on the last turn or river card, if you only have the low hand.  Obviuosly – given all these possibilities – Omaha Hi-low is not a game in which bluffing frequently is recommended!

Filed under: Uncategorized | Comments Off

Five Card Draw poker is pretty simple to learn, but – as with any card game – your skill level will become better with experience and lots of practice.  Five Card Draw is a classic form of poker and was once the norm for most card games.  During the Wild West days, this was just about the only game you’d find in a saloon.  However, the advent of Texas Hold’em Poker has now overshadowed this once immensely popular game.

The poker rules for Five Card Draw – as with any poker game – is to get the best hand and win the pot.  Before the dealing begins, all players must ante up.  This is an amount of money placed in the center of the table by all of the players.  The first ante is usually small.  The dealer will deal clockwise and lay the cards face down.  The dealer will deal out five cards to each player, and should deal to himself last.

Now the betting begins. The player on the dealer’s left will start.  If the player checks, the next player has the opportunity to place a bet.  If no one places a bet, the cards are gathered up and the hand is over.  If a player bets, the other players now have the option to call (match it), raise the bet, or fold their hand.  Once the round is finished, the players will have the opportunity to draw additional cards.

Once the players have drawn all the cards they want, the process will start again with the player to the dealer’s left.  The player can keep his hand or discard up to three cards.  To discard, the player will lay his discards face down on the table and the dealer will give the same amount of cards – face down – back to the player.

Now another round of betting ensues.  Once completed, there are different hand rankings with which to win the game.  A royal flush is the best hand you can get and it is the combination of an ace, king, queen, jack, and ten all of the same suit.  A straight flush is any other five cards, in order, of the same suit.  Four and three of a kind are four and three of the same cards, respectively.  A full house is three of a kind, plus another pair.  A straight is five cards in consecutive order, but not of the same suit.  Two pairs are another ranked hand, as well as one pair.  The lowest ranking goes to the hand with only a high card.

Whoever has the highest ranking hand wins the pot.  It should be noted that because of the difficulty in getting a top-ranked hand, three of a kind and high pairs are considered good hands.

This game was once the only game allowed in Nevada because it was considered a game of skill.  However, in the 1930s, Nevada passed legislation to allow gambling of all types throughout the state.  Nowadays, you can find almost every variation of poker played in one casino or another.  Texas Hold’em poker is still one of the most popular, but the second most popular is Five Card Draw.

Filed under: Uncategorized | Comments Off

Apparently, one Wal Mart worker was killed today during a stampede when people rushed the store at its opening to find deals.

Stampedes are just sad….it just shows how humans can be inconsiderate animals and trample over others due to their own self-interest. It’s one thing if people are escaping a terrorist threat or a fire, but BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING? My God, anyone who was at that store should be ashamed. Many of those people should be arrested for involuntary manslaughter.

Filed under: Uncategorized | Comments Off

Hehe :0)

Filed under: Uncategorized | Comments Off

Playing poker online is a great way to improve your skills before entering tournament play – plus, it’s a fun way to earn a little extra cash on the side.  However, the worst thing you can do when you play online poker is to sign into the first room you find.  It’s important to put a little time and effort into finding the poker room that best meets your needs.  If you’re just getting started, you’ll find that being choosy about the poker rooms you play in will – in the end – help you advance in the game much more quickly.

Software and Usability

Everyone has a different opinion about the best online poker room out there, but if you aren’t yet sure which one’s best for you, start by looking at how easy the program is to use.  As a beginner, you’ll be frustrated enough trying to get the hang of the game – don’t contribute to your anxiety level by hanging out in poker room that’s difficult to use.  Take advantage of any free trials you can find and use them to determine how easy each poker room is to use.  Is the navigation easily understandable?  Do you run into any errors, or any freezes in the program?  If so, move on to the next option.

Poker Room Popularity

When you’re exploring a poker room, try to get a feel for how many players are active at any given time.  Signing up for a program that few people use will only lead to frustration when you sit down to play.  After all, you want to jump in and play – not spend fifteen minutes hanging around and waiting for more players to show up.  Of course, keep in mind that most online poker rooms have peak times and lull times.  If you’re logging on to play at 3:00 am, you’ll probably find fewer players available than if you drop by during the evening hours.

Beginners Welcome

In some poker rooms, it’s a free-for-all – beginners sit down with advanced pokers and learn to play the game in a trial-by-fire way.  While some poker students might prefer this method of learning, other beginners will quickly feel overwhelmed.  If you’d prefer a little hand-holding throughout the learning process, look for poker rooms that offer separate beginner tables or rank players according to their skill.  In these cases, you’ll be able to identify other beginners to test your skills against while you’re all learning together.  Some online poker rooms that cater to beginners might even offer educational resources and tips and tricks to help you learn more quickly.

Bonuses, Bonuses, Bonuses!

Let’s face it – as much as we may profess to love poker for the game itself, we can’t deny the appeal of a big fat bonus.  If you’re just getting started, you may even be able to earn a special bonus just for signing up.  Shop around to see what you can get – if the sites are offering free money, why not take advantage of it?  You should also check to see if the poker room hosts tournaments for players, and what type of financial incentives they offer for these games.  Winning at a poker game is great, but earning a little something extra when you play poker is even better.

Filed under: Uncategorized | Comments Off

Sure, you’ve studied the rules of the specific type of poker you’ll be playing, and you’ve memorized which hands beat other card combinations.  But in poker, it isn’t always the best hand that wins.  Poker combines mathematical skill with deception, with a handful of luck thrown in.  To really succeed in the poker world, you need to learn how to bluff.

Put simply, bluffing means tricking the other players into believing that your hand is better than it really is.  To really be successful, you’ll need to control your physical mannerisms in order to prevent betraying your bluff to others.  People who are lying tend to blink more rapidly, shift their eyes around more frequently and fidget more in their seats.  If you’re going to learn to bluff, you’ll need to learn to control these physical effects.  Practice by watching yourself in the mirror as you play a mock hand – you’ll quickly learn to correct your most noticeable cues.

In addition, becoming successful at bluffing means learning when to bluff and when to simply fold your hand.  There are several factors you should take into consideration:

First, consider your opponents.  If you’re playing against an inexperienced player who’s calling and raising every hand that goes around.  This type of poker player will make it difficult for you to successfully carry off a bluff.  However, if you’re able to identify a player who only plays through on top hands, you may be able target him or her successfully with a bluff.

You should also consider your order in the game play when deciding whether or not to bluff.  If you’re one of the last players to act on a hand, you have a much better shot at successfully bluffing, since you’ll be able to watch their actions and gauge how they might respond to your bluff.  If you’re earlier on in the lineup, you may find yourself in over your head if a later player pulls through with a hot hand.  It’s also best to wait so that you’re bluffing only one player – attempting to bluff two or more increases the odds that one of them is holding a hand that will beat yours.

Another key factor is the size of the bet you place during your bluff.  If your bet is too large, your opponents are likely to take notice and call your strong hand.  On the other hand, if your bet is too small, you’ve made it easier for competitors to call.  The real key to bluffing is to save it for occasional hands, when the situation’s right.  If you attempt to bluff at every opportunity, your opponents will take notice.

A final, more advanced option is to bluff your opponents into thinking your hand is much worse than it really is – a tactic often known as “slow play”.  Using this method, your goal is to entice the other players to put more into the pot than they would if you led out with a big bet.  The key is to hold off on your bigger bets until the turn or river card so that other players are more drawn into the game.  And of course, it should go without saying, that you should only attempt this tactic if you really do have a solid hand, like a full house or a high flush or straight.

Filed under: Uncategorized | Comments Off

Even though your electric bill may take priority each month, chances are it never goes down.  In addition, as the cost of fuel continues to increase, you’re likely to find your bill going even higher.  Therefore, if you want to save money on electricity, you’ll simply have to reduce the amount you use in your day-to-day life.  While this may seem difficult, it’s well within the grasp of every consumer.

Learn Where Your Electricity is Being Used

Before you can begin to save money on electricity, you need to know where it’s being used.  Begin by turning off everything in your home that draws electricity – if the meter is still spinning, there’s something still drawing current in your home.  It could be something as simple as an unused adapter or extension cord – these devices still use power even if they aren’t actually charging anything.  Once you find the culprit, you’ll be amazed at how much electricity it’s actually using.

Hidden Electrical Usage of Appliances

If you have a stove or a coffee maker with a clock, you may not realize that it’s always drawing current, even when it isn’t in use.  In a similar way, you may not think of your answering machine, computer printer, and other appliances as being energy wasters.  That said, if you pull the plug on all of your appliances when they aren’t in use, you could save yourself a good bit of money on your next electrical bill.

Televisions and Entertainment Devices

Without question, televisions, Playstations, Wii’s, and many other devices consume an enormous amount of current.  While these items cost you an enormous amount of money to purchase, they’ll cost even more to run regularly.  Therefore, if you want to save money on your electric bill, cutting back on entertainment-related appliances will be of enormous benefit.  You may even find healthier, more productive ways to spend your free time.

Saving Energy

In addition to unplugging your appliances and turning off the TV, there are a number of other steps you can take to help reduce your electricity usage.  First, be sure all lights are turned off when you aren’t in the room.  If you have children, get them involved in saving electricity by making it a game – for example, children earn points for turning off lights and lose them when they forget.  You can also save electricity by reducing the length of your shower or washing your clothes on a cooler setting.  You might not realize it, but it takes a tremendous amount of energy to heat up the water used in these activities.

Unlike many other types of energy expenditure, it is possible to cut back a great deal on your electric bill.  That said, it’s important to understand what your current usages are, as well as each category of usage.  Among other things, you’ll want to see if you can reduce the amount of electrical usage by appliances that aren’t in immediate use.  There are a number of ways you can change your lifestyle that will reduce your electrical bill, including turning off the TV more often and showering for shorter periods of time.

Filed under: Uncategorized | Comments Off

So many women have become interested in the normally male-centered sport of poker that women’s poker merchandise has become a growing trend among shops that produce poker products and apparel. This isn’t surprising, given that recent studies and polls of the online gambling world have found that women players make up almost half of all of the registered online gamers, and about 30% identify themselves as dedicated poker players.

Some experts have suggested that this surge in interest from women is due to the fact that they can play a few hands of poker without ever leaving the house or taking too much time out of their already hectic days. Online poker can be the perfect outlet for women who can engage in this internet community without having to worry about neglecting their children or husbands. And although men’s poker nights are well established, “girls’ night out” poker games aren’t as common, leaving women poker players to seek other communities in which to test their skills.

While some of the women’s poker merchandise is geared more at making the women seem cutesy – with slogans like “Stacked”, spelled out in front of a large bundle of chips – others actually tout the proficiency that many women have shown in the world of online poker. There are even some special poker chips that cater to women who like to play in local women’s poker clubs. This recent growth of merchandise geared specifically at women players means that people have begun to realize how much of the market these players comprise. After all, poker merchants wouldn’t produce these items unless there was a large enough target audience that they were sure they’d make a return on their investment.

If the number of women players continues to increase, this merchandise will become even more common, until it’s eventually carried in large clothing chains. Consequently, as more items become available that are aimed at women’s poker, more women will become aware of the game. It’s a cycle that could lead to many women getting actively involved in the sport – both online and on the casino floor. This is good news for many women who have longed for a competitive atmosphere in which they could compete with many of the male players. In poker, success doesn’t come from speed or agility, but rather with intelligence, intuition, luck, and the ability to bluff. In other words, it’s anyone’s game – regardless of their gender.

So, if the promotion of women’s poker as a sport continues and the numbers of women who are logging on each day to play in women’s poker clubs and leagues keeps rising, you can be sure that there will be a correlating rise in the marketing of merchandise and gear to this demographic. While some of the women who buy this merchandise may not actively participate in the sport of poker, all of them are helping to make people more aware of those women that do, which can only help the growing community of women players.

Filed under: Uncategorized | Comments Off

There are many different magazines, television programs, and even books out there on poker, but few of them focus specifically on female poker players. However, Woman Poker Player Magazine is one of the few publications or shows aimed specifically at female card sharks. The magazine includes interviews, poker news, tips, and more – all geared towards ladies who enjoy the sport of poker. In fact, Woman Poker Player is the only magazine specifically for women poker players on the market today.

Why publish a magazine for women poker players? According to the research done by editor-in-chief Barbara Enright, thirty-five percent of all poker players are women, and women are the fastest growing demographic in poker playing today. And when you factor in that there are over 75 million poker players in the United States – this comes out to a pretty large number of female players.

Ms. Enright is no stranger to poker, of course, but she does much more than just write about the subject. She has the distinction of being the only woman in the World Series of Poker to ever finish at the final table. Further boosting her poker credentials, she also holds three World Series of Poker championship titles – so it’s safe to say that she’s an expert on the field. In addition to providing her own insight, Ms. Enright has also gathered advice and articles from many of the top women poker players and authors on the circuit.

While it’s still a fairly new publication, Woman Poker Player offers a lot to its readers. Its editorials includes strategies, tips from the pros – women and men, so readers get the best of both worlds – and much more. The magazine often includes interviews and profiles with popular players, giving its readers insight into how these women have made it to the top in a game dominated by men. It’s a great place for potential female poker champions to get started in the sport.

Woman Poker Player Magazine also includes a few sections no men’s poker magazine would touch that the staff feels are important for women poker players. These range from things like how to form your own women’s poker circle and what foods to serve while playing to the latest in poker playing fashion, and even some health and wellness tips. It might sound like an odd combination of topics, but they blend together quite well and provide information that men may never think about or overlook.

Woman Poker Player Magazine comes out six times a year, and each issue is packed with tips, facts, photos, and more. You can check out some of its content at www.womanpokerplayer.com and purchase a subscription if you like the look of it. Their website also features some extras and tips not in the magazine, such as a list of the top ten female poker players in the world and forums where you can discuss poker with other women. As a female poker player, you won’t find any other publication with so much bang for the buck.

Filed under: Uncategorized | Comments Off

It was kind of a shock to the system when so many people started to become interested in the world of poker as a professional sport. Television shows and magazines dedicated to the game sprung up everywhere, and before anyone knew it, they were even hosting celebrity poker tournaments. However, one trend that came out of this growing excitement was the rise of women poker players – few people expected that women would take such an interest in a game that’s traditionally considered such a male-orientated sport.

Surveys and research conducted both with online gamers and with the poker playing community at large shows that there’s a larger number of women’s poker players than anyone ever expected, and that the field is continuing to grow at a surprising rate. Once, women players only comprised about ten percent of all online poker players, but recent surveys and studies have shown that this number has increased to close to thirty percent. In fact, men who are playing in online poker rooms may never even realize that there’s a women playing against them – and this slight edge usually works out in the women’s favor.

When the idea of online gaming was first introduced, most people believed it would be predominately centered on men who could play a quick pick-up game here and there without having to worry about getting out of the house. However, it appears that the tables have turned – predictions are that women actually make up close to fifty percent of the online gaming community, including participants who enjoy a variety of casino-style games, not just poker. More and more women are turning to online gaming as an easy way to relieve the stress brought on by running a household and a career at the same time.

One of the largest draws for women interested in the game – especially those playing online – is that many housewives who might not have the extra time necessary to join a real life poker tournament can now do so in the comfort of their home. Many of these women are also finding that they can supplement their income with a little extra money from poker, which is a big draw for budget-minded women. In addition, many female poker players also find that they prefer the anonymity offered online, as only about fifteen percent of the women who were polled said that they preferred playing in a casino-hosted poker game.

It’s hard to know for sure what has drawn so many women into the world of online poker, but if all of the speculators are right, it’s easy to see that this is a trend that doesn’t have any intention of dying down. As long as online gaming is still available and women poker players are able to relax while playing a few hands of poker, there’s little doubt that the rising popularity of poker among women players will continue to grow and grow. In fact – although it’s hard to believe – we may see a time when the number of women players online outnumbers the men in the sport!

Filed under: Uncategorized | Comments Off