Online Poker In The U.S.: Time To Do The Right Thing

Cover of Do the Right Thing [Blu-ray]Online Poker In The U.S.: Time To Do The Right Thing

Given the Full Tilt Poker disaster, I believe it will be more difficult than ever before to get the U.S. Congress to approve legalization. Never the less, I would love to see online poker be legal so millions of U.S. citizens can play poker anywhere and anytime via the internet.

I believe that the online poker companies should be aggressive in putting together a plan of what they will do to make sure that online poker is good for the U.S. economy, good for its citizens, is a fair game, prohibits underage gambling, and addresses problem gamblers.

Here are 11 areas that I would like online poker companies to promise to the U.S. Congress and poker players:

1. All companies must be headquartered in the U.S. to operate a legal online poker site in the U.S.

2. Jobs to operate online poker companies must include U.S. citizens in a similar percentage to the revenue anticipated from the U.S. poker players. If 70% of revenue is from U.S. poker players, then the online site must hire 70% of their total employees from the U.S.

3. No top executives, directors or major shareholders in online poker sites can have a criminal record.

4. Online poker companies must pay a U.S. tax rate that is similar to brick and mortar casinos.

5. Online poker companies must issue 1099's for all players that cash over $5,000.

6. The online poker industry must fund and create an independent agency to monitor their sites. This agency will have the power to penalize or shut down sites that do not adhere to the rules. The funding for the agency will come from an annual fee per online site based on total revenues.

7. The online poker sites must take adequate steps to prevent gambling by U.S. citizens under the age of 21.

8. There must be one universal poker dealing program that all sites use. This poker dealing program must be developed, tested and proven to replicate the randomness of live poker dealing. While each site will have its own design, format, promotions, etc., the dealing of poker hands must be fair and true to the game.

9. Online poker sites must identify the types of cheating that is possible by online players and agree to the best practices to try to prevent and stop these practices. Each poker site must have an internal group to audit the poker tables, investigate player complaints of cheating, and to act promptly.

Money lost by players due to cheating will be returned to players. The players caught cheating will be banned for life at all online poker sites. The names of these cheaters will be made public.

10. Online poker sites will not allow players to use online poker tools that provide data as to the betting habits and trends of individual poker players. This type of information is not available in a live poker game and will not be allowed online. Players caught using these online poker tools will be banned for life at all online poker sites.

11. Online poker sites must provide information to their players about responsible gambling and where to go if there is a problem. An online poker site can prohibit a player from continuing to participate on their site, if they perceive a player as a problem gambler.

I believe it is time for the online poker sites to take the initiative and go above and beyond what has been done in the past in order to get online poker legal in the U.S.

What do you think?

Greg Raymer is No Longer a PokerStar

Greg Raymer is No Longer a PokerStar

I ran across an article that Greg Raymer and PokerStars split company. The speculation is that PokerStars is cutting back its support of World Series of Poker winners as they focus more on non-US pros and online winners.

First, I've never played against Greg Raymer. Second, from watching him play on TV, Greg appears to be an excellent player who enjoys putting pressure on his opponents whether he has the goods or not. Of course, the best evidence of his skill is his winning the 2004 World Series of Poker. Third, he seems like a really nice guy and I am sure he will end up getting his support from another online poker site.

And, that's my problem. Online poker sites should not be paying star players to play at their sites. If they want poker stars to appear in their ads or promotions, that is fine. But, to give them money to play at their site is just cheating the game, and the players at the site.

I don't blame the players for taking the money. Heck, no matter how good a poker player you are, you are going to have long stretches of losing your money. But, giving players an edge like this, especially the "pros," is just wrong IMHO.

Personal Experience Being Sponsored, sort of.

I would like to come up with an analogy that helps illustrate my point, but I don't have one. Poker is gambling. It is skill and luck. And, the combination of these two ingredients weighs heavier on the "luck" factor than any other sporting competition I can think of.

Players who don't care about the money are going to play different than if the money was coming out of their own pocket. At least that is what I have found in my own play.

For example, I was visiting a friend and he said that he wanted to see me play a poker tournament at a local casino. I guess he gave me grief because I had a book on tournament poker, and he wanted to get a good laugh when some young kid knocked me out. I told him I wasn't interested in playing.

To convince me to play, though, he made me an offer I couldn't refuse. He would give me the buy-in for the event and I could keep whatever I won. I didn't realize it at the time, but that is the kind of deal these poker stars get from the online poker sites.

Of course, I took him up on his offer, and entered the event. I guess it was a psychological thing or something, because I took more chances than I normally would do in a poker tournament. I'd like to say I won the event, but I didn't win. I finished second.

This was not some major poker tournament. It was a local game with maybe 100 players. And, my friend thought some of my all-in moves were too risky. Maybe, probably, actually, yes for sure! Why? I wasn't gambling at all. I had no risk. I wasn't using my money.

Oh yeah, let me share with you how I got knocked out at the end...I am ashamed to say that I tried to bluff out my opponent pre-flop when he was holding pocket Kings. Now you know why I'm not sponsored by a poker site :-)

My point to all of this is that online poker sites should not be influencing the results of any poker event. But, by paying poker pros to play at their sites, they are doing precisely that. Pay these stars to promote your site in all the other traditional marketing ways--from PR to advertising to promotion. Just not in a way that effects the outcome of the actual events where everyone else is risking their hard earned money.

If you agree, please let me know. If you disagree, I am sure I will read your comments.

Why You Should Not Play In Another Poker Tournament

Image via WikipediaWhy You Should Not Play In Another Poker Tournament

I believe that no limit tournament poker has changed for good and if you don't understand what is going on, you shouldn't bother to enter one ever again.

I would describe the key change as Blind Aggression. Players are willing to take on significantly more risk than ever before and make plays without (what appears as) much thought. Some examples...

• Players who will raise and re-raise preflop with inferior holdings.
• Players that will call a pre-flop raise with any two cards.
• Players who make big bets or move all-in on the flop or turn even though they know they are behind.

I describe this aggression as being blind because these players will suck out to win and often declare "I knew I was behind." And, these players will often be the ones with huge chip stacks at start, middle and at the end of an event.

Why the Shift to Take on More Risk

1. More players.

With more players come a bigger disparity in skill levels. Many inexperienced players need to find a way to counter the advantage of more skilled players. The best way to beat a pro is to move all-in pre-flop. It is high risk, but one that eliminates his opponent's advantage on other streets.

2. Online poker.

While online poker allows players to experiment and quickly gain experience, the key is the ability to multi-table. A player who is in 6 events at the same time, has a goal of building a big stack in one event. This allows for blind aggression since more risk leads to more rewards/bigger stacks. With multi-tabling, you can now place your bets on more games, and if you can build that a big stack in one event, you can even afford to slow down. In tournament poker, always remember that it is better to win one event than to take home small wins in all six.

3. Poker on TV.

To make viewers at home more likely to watch poker, the program needs to be exciting. What is more than watching a bad beat (assuming you are not the player taking one)? When a poker player sees the worst hand winning often enough, it leads to thinking that a) any two cards can win b) they are a better player than the ones on TV.

There our other factors in this shift to take on significantly more risk, such as: blind levels increasing too fast, fewer starting chips, "tells" being of less value online, personally experiencing bad beats as the giver and the taker, and the desire to be noticed.

Go Big or Go Home

When it comes to tournament poker you need to realize that you must go for the win. Be bold.

"Risk is good" is the underlying principle in my tournament poker book with 101 winning moves. But, risk in my book is about knowing how to manage it. The game today has taken the level of risk to a higher level.

My advice: Be bolder than you've ever been before. Someone is giving other poker players bad beats. Why shouldn't it be you?

I recommend you try this new approach to poker, since it may open your eyes to the way the game is being played today. You may decide this style is one you want to adopt as your own.
Or, you can try my new approach.

My New Strategic Approach to Tournament Poker

I have been working on a way to counter this blind aggression. To date, I have used my strategy in five events and won one. My strategy is higher risk than before, but it still provides for a way to manage it.

While I have written about it in my previous post, let me give you a brief overview:

1. Early Stage: You play a solid game. Understand implied odds; that is, how you can come in with suited connectors and other drawing hands to win a big pot. Slowplay premium hands. Minimize the A-K losses.
2. Middle and Late Stages: Open up your game and be more aggressive. Look to raise or fold, preflop. You can't win by calling. If you get a top hand, even if you are almost 100% sure your opponent has you beat when he moves all-in, you have to go with it when your stack is declining and this hand may be the best you'll see.
3. Final Table: Play tight until 4 players have been eliminated.

By the way, I know that this blind aggression in tournament poker has been part of the game for the past year or so. However, I really had not figured out a smart way to counter it. I believe my new approach may be the answer. It attempts to counter blind aggression with smart aggression. Give it a try...

Please let me know what you think.

To Win at Poker Take Off Your Handcuffs!

What you can do to win more often at poker.

Image by mskogly via Flickr

I have been playing mostly limit poker cash games and a few no limit poker tournament the past two weeks. The one thing I've learned is that my opponents seem to limit their pre-flop raises and re-raises to big premium starting hands like AA, KK, QQ, AK, AQ. If this is the way you play, my advice is take off your handcuffs!

Let me explain it this way: Raise and Re-raise preflop with a much wider range of starting hands.

1. Limit Poker:
When I am playing online poker at a nine-handed table, I find that players are tighter than at a poker club. When a late position player raises pre-flop, I will re-raise with dicey hands like K-J or J-10. What happens when I make this re-raise is that I tend to have position and the lead. On the flop, I hold my nose and I make that continuation bet. It works a lot more than you'd think.

Example:
A late position player raises with pocket Jacks. I re-raise with K-J. He calls.

The flop comes A-8-4. I bet and he calls or folds.

Let's say he calls. I don't like the call, but if he doesn't have an Ace, he will have to fold to my bet on the turn.

Let me make this clearer. You are on the cutoff and raise with pocket Jacks. I re-raise from the button. You call. The flop is A-8-4. You check. I bet and you call. The turn is a 2. I bet...now what are you going to do? Let's say the turn is a Q. I bet...now what?

Another example is when I do hit the flop; let's say it is J-4-2. My opponent calls me down with those pocket 10's. Now, any opponent paying attention is going to think I'm a poor player to re-raise with K-J or J-10.

And my table image results in my good hands getting paid off with bigger pots. The other advantage is that tend to have control of the hand, so I can even check the turn and see the river for free.

Give it a shot if you play limit cash poker online.

By the way, a lot of players like to make this re-raise with small and middle pairs. Frankly, I am not a fan of this play. I mean if you re-raise with pocket 6's and end up heads-up what are you going to do when your opponent calls your flop bet, and the flop has cards like 10-J-4. If the turn is a 9, now what? Are you really going to keep firing away hoping to hit a two-outer. A lot of players do just that.

2. Poker Tournaments:

In poker tournaments, players are not raising often enough to accumulate chips. You can't just sit there hoping to move all-in with AA against KK.

My suggestion is to widen the hands you raise with pre-flop. First, widen it a little and then keep widening the hands. Learn from these situations. Personally, I like to randomize between a 2 and 3x raise pre-flop. And, I try to find situations to steal with little risk with my raises.

In addition, just like in limit poker, widen the hands you will re-raise with pre-flop. The re-raise pre-flop will get your opponent to fold. If not, make that continuation bet on the flop and it will work more than you'd expect.

Yes, you may end up being trapped. But, that's okay, because you are going to improve your game. You will find that your ability to read your opponents will get better.

When you play aggressively like this, you will find that when you get deep in a tournament you won't worry about the bubble because you will have enough chips to have a shot at winning!

The fact is that Daniel Negreanu's small ball is all about making a lot of those small pre-flop raises. And, if you watch the new breed of poker tournament winner, you will see these guys making a lot of pre-flop re-raises.

Learn from them and try it yourself. It will improve your play and eventually, your results.

10 Reasons To Play Online Poker

10 Reasons To Play Online Poker

Since almost all poker players compete online, I thought I would write one column on 10 Reasons To Play Online Poker and another column on 10 Reasons NOT To Play Online Poker. My bias is that I enjoy playing at a club more, probably because my results are much better.

Here are my 10 reasons why you should play online poker:

1. Online Poker is the Most Convenient Way to Play Poker

You can play poker 24/7 right from your desktop. And you can even watch TV, read a book, or multitask while playing.

2. Online Poker is Fun

It's fun to play poker, and online poker is fun since it's poker with some interesting additions like avatars, faster action, the ability to play multiple tables, and chatting with players, and being anonymous at the same time.

3. It Provides the Widest Choice of Poker Games

Online poker lets you play the widest range of poker games possible. And most of these games aren't even available in a casino or card room. Only at online poker can you can be almost guaranteed to find Razz poker, Omaha or a mixed game.

4. There are at Least 100 Online Poker Sites To Choose From

If you don't like one poker site, there are plenty to test out. While you may run into the top players at Full Tilt and Poker Stars, you may find that smaller sites like Bodog and Doyle's Room have less skilled players.

5. You Can Learn How to Play Better, Much Faster

You can play for free online or for money. The more you play poker, the more your game can improve. The non-stop action at online poker allows you to get better. You can even play multiple tables at the same time.

6. It's Less Intimidating than Going to Play at a Casino.

Going to a card room can be risky. There is the trip to and from the card room. The location of the card room and the unknown characters you may run across. And, then, there is the intimidation of playing in person with a lot of strangers. With online poker, you don't have to worry about any of these things.

7. There are Advantages to Online Poker to Help Your Bank Roll.

Online poker has deposit bonuses, jackpots and rakeback. You don't have to tip the dealer. And you will find a lot more people playing poorly.

8. You Can Win Big Money Playing Online Poker.

Since there are more players entering events, the prize pools are bigger. The dream of a big win at the biggest sites is very alluring. In addition, many poker sites now have bad beat jackpots that can be worth $100,000+.

9. Online Poker Eliminates Your Poker Tells

Most players have poker tells that give away the strength of their hand. No one is going to pick up on your tells online.

10. You Can Play Online Poker Naked.

Or you can imagine that the women at your poker table are naked and beautiful.

I am not recommending you play online poker. In fact, I rarely play online poker for the reasons on my next post 10 Reasons Not To Play Online Poker. I know a lot of players will not agree with me, but that's poker.

9 Online Poker Tips for Your Next Tournament

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9 Online Poker Tips for Your Next Tournament

Here are some tips when you play in your next online event. Some of these may make you uncomfortable--so try them out! Even if you lose the pot, you will learn something.

Here are some tips--there pertain to situations where you are heads-up on the flop:

1. Look for a reason to play a hand.

One of the things players do way too much is fold. I know you are suppose to be patient, so how many tournaments have you won being patient. Time to open up the range of your starting hands.

Example: Let's say you are on the button early in the event. A player raises pre-flop 3x's the big blind. What should you do with these hand 3-4 suited, 7-5 suited, and Q-8 suited? Call.

2. Defend your big blind when getting the right odds.

This is an extension of the first tip. If you are getting 2-1 or better, just call.

Example: Blinds are $100-$200. Your opponent raises to $500. There is $800 in the pot and it will cost you $300--better than 2-1. You don't care about your cards, call the bet.

3. Play the players to determine your action--it's okay to make crying calls to try to win big.

If your opponent checks on the flop, always bet. If he bets, how much is it. A pot sized bet is a fold. If a player bets less than the pot, and you have even a backdoor flush draw, call. You want to see what he does on the turn.

4. Play the players and not your cards.

If you flop a pair, bet out. If you flop a straight or flush draw, bet out. Seize the action.

5. Steal from late position with almost any hand.--just don't always do it.

Hands like J-9 or 7-5 suited are good enough hands to raise pre-flop in late position (from the button, cutoff, hijack). Early in the event, make these steals only from the button and cutoff.

6. Early positions are where you want to keep your downside low, and upside high.

If you have a good hand, raise coming in first. If you have a medium or small pair, just call--you are looking to keep the pot small and hit a set on the flop.

7. Vary your pre-flop raise sizes based on your opponents and your position.

In early position, you want to raise 3 times or less the big blind. In late position, raise 3x's the big blind. In the small blind, raise 4x's the big blind.

8. Chip stacks sizes versus the big blind--when to move all-in.

Online poker requires you to make bigger than normal all-in moves. Ideally, if you decline to about 8x's the big blind, it's time to push with a range of hands. You can also do the all-in sooner with a bigger stack--just realize that you are taking a big risk.

9. If you are a chip leader, don't push all in with hands like A-K or J-J.

You don't want to risk all your chips in a lucki, heads-up drawing hand situation. Don't risk it all--unless you feel it's the only way to get chips into your next online tournament.

Online Poker: Here Are 5 Losing Plays

5 Losing Plays in Online Poker Tournaments

1. Pushing all-in with pocket Queens, Kings, and Aces pre-flop in the fi

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rst round.

In the first round, pushing all-in pre-flop with pocket Aces, Kings and Queens is a losing play. You don't get these hands often, and you want to get the most value out of premium pairs. Not just win the blinds, right?

I don't get it.

2. Never defending on the big blind

Players in the big blind play way too tight to pre-flop raises. If the blinds are $50-$100 and a player raises to $250, there is $400 in the pot. It is going to cost $150 to win $400--more than 2-1. Hands like A-10 unsuited, A-5 suited, 10-8 suited or 2-2 should be calling these raises. Insta-folding on the big blind will also invite other players to attack, but it happens all the time.

I don't get it.

3. Playing poker like it's bingo.

If a player doesn't improve on the flop, he just insta-folds to the pre-flop raiser. It's like all he see's is a bingo card in front of him. No hit on the flop, no further play. This makes no sense to me since an opponent's c-bets often indicates a player's strength or weakness. Attack weakness, don't fold to it.

I don't get it.

4. Never firing a second bullet when an opponent has done nothing but call.

A player will raise pre-flop and get one caller. The flop is dealt and the pre-flop raiser makes a c-bet. His lone opponent calls. The turn card hits and the pre-flop raiser checks. Oh my! This player is either trying to keep the pot small or telling his opponent that neither the flop or turn helped his hand. But not firing that second bullet is an invitation to a bet which forces a fold. It's not good online poker.

I don't get it.

5. Not eliminating opponents at the final table.

At the final table, there will often be one or two players who have a lot of chips and a few players who are desperate to survive. When one of these desperate players moves all-in, a chip leader who is risking less than 10% of his chips on the big blind should be calling with a wide range of cards--perhaps any two cards. For example, the chip leader on the big blind has $100,000, the blinds are $1,000-$2,000, and a player under the gun moves in for $10,000. It's an insta-call not an insta-fold.

I don't get it.

I believe these are 5 losing plays in online poker MTT's. Agree or disagree?

The Simple Secret to Winning at Online Poker

Here is something that you probably already know, but you haven't acted on:

The simple secret to winning at online poker is to play where the players are the weakest!

Fact #1: The Top Tier Poker Sites Attract the Toughest Players.

My guess is that you play at Full Tilt and/or Poker Stars because you are lured by the constant action, variety of games, and big prize pools. Guess what? So are the best poker players in the world!

I believe you should play at one or both of these sites and take a shot at a big payday. That is fun.

But do you really need to spend all those hours trying to beat the best?

Fact #2: A Second Tier Poker Site Increases Your Chance to Win. Try Bodog!

I know that Bodog doesn't see itself as second tier. But it is when it comes to the number of players and the size of the prize pool. Less action, smaller prizes and few top players at Bodog.

You won't run into Cunnigham, Ivey, or Negreanu at Bodog. But you will run into Donk, Fish and Tuccus.

I play at Bodog and it's the only site where I have won thousands of dollars. It's sad to say, but it's true, I haven't been able to win consistently on the top two poker sites.

Think of Bodog as a friendlier place to play not because you won't experience bad beats (heck Bodog can stand up to Poker Stars and Full Tilt any day of the week on freaking bad beats), but because the games are softer. That's a good thing for you...and me.

Fact #3: My Secret to Winning at Online Poker is Bodog.

The simple secret to winning at online poker is to play against the weaker players at Bodog. Therefore, I recommend that you:

1. Sign up at Poker Stars and/or Full Tilt (click banners on left for new player deposit bonus). Play the satellites to win a seat at a bigger game, and give yourself a chance for a big score.

2. Sign up at Bodog (click banner on left for new player deposit bonus). Go for those decent sized, easier cash wins.

You know in your heart and mind that this is all true. Don't let your ego stand in the way of playing at this site (as it does mine.)

Try Bodog. You lost against the best. Now win against the rest.

Good luck!

Oh yeah, if you play against me on Bodog and I raise, please fold:-)

You can join any or all three of these online poker sites and get the deposit bonuses by clicking on the banner on the left column. All three accept US players.

Full Disclosure: I just signed up as an affiliate for all three poker sites. I have played and won money at various times on all three sites over the years. However, the only online poker site where I won and cashed out for thousands of dollars is Bodog.

If You Play Online Poker You Need To Know This!

Here is an example that illustrates the difference between online and live play. It effects your play and your attitude.

No limit tournament
$55 buy-in
400 players

Hand 1:
Blinds: $5-$10
Position: SB
Hand: Ad-10d
Chips: $2,000

A late position player limps for $10. You raise to $60. The BB and limper call.
There is $180 in the pot.

The flop is As-7c-5h.

You bet $120. The BB moves all-in! The limper folds.

What should you do?

You call. The BB shows 5-4. The turn is a 5 and you get knocked out.

You can go on tilt or just realize that it is online poker.

In Online poker, unlike in live play, you need to know that players:

Will make crazy plays since another game will start in seconds.
There is no humiliation factor to making stupid plays like this one by the BB.
There is no long drive home if the play doesn't work for the BB.
Since there are more of these bizarre head-to-head face-offs online, there are more
bad beats online.

Conclusion
Overall, I believe that online poker must be regulated, licensed and taxed. While these type of bad beats will still happen online (and more often than in live play), I would feel a lot better if an independent source reviewed the RNG and outcomes. While the sites claim that they have independent firms do this work, they are NOT independent...they are paid by the poker sites.

I know many players disagree with me, but the fact is that the concept of "Trust, but verify" works. The ones who do the verifying should not have their financial compensation come from those they are auditing, IMO.

Online poker--it's truly a joke!

I just deleted everything I wrote about why I think online poker sites like PokerStars and FullTilt are set up to make players lose their money. Overall, I think they suck in players via intermittent rewards and setting up too many premium hand confrontations.

Instead, I have decided to try to set up a way to try to counteract this nonsense.

I am going to rotate between sites...

I will rotate from UltimateBet, Bodog, PokerStars, and any other US permitted sites.

I believe I will be rewarded by the sites for my inactivity. In fact, my theory is that I will win by doing the following:

Play at poker site #1: Enter 3 or 4 events. If I have not won money after these events, I will go to poker site #2. If I am ahead, I will continue to play. If I am not ahead after 3 more events, I will go to poker site #2. Rinse and repeat.

It will either prove me right or wrong...

How would you play this poker hand?

All this talk about online poker, I decided to play this am.

I hadn't played for a while, so I figured the software might help me--you know, to keep me hooked. (Yeah, I know, you think I'm crazy/stupid about online poker.)

Since I didn't have time for a tournament--I have my Sunday event in about an hour--and there is no collusion with a heads-up game, I played in a $1-$2 cash HU game. I bought in for $150.

Situation: Heads-Up cash. I have $150. My opponent has $200. (Also, my opponent is sitting and waiting for opponents at other HU tables so he probably has a lot of experience.)

Hand one: I'm in the big blind for $2.

My opponent raises to $6.

I have K-2 offsuit. I call. (Note: No, it's not a bad play on my part.)

The flop comes down A-K-2 with two spades.

My opponent bets $10.

What to do?

a) Call
b) Raise to $20-$40.
c) Move all-in.

Since this was the first hand, and it's online poker, my opponent has no clue about me as a player. I am hoping he has A-Q and not A-K...but flopping two pair ain't easy.

Of course, there are two cards to a flush draw.

My thinking:

If I call, there are few if any cards on the turn that are going to build the pot for me...or add to my comfort level.

If I raise, I might just slow down his betting, and again, what will I do on the turn since I have bottom two pair and not top two pair?

if a push all-in here, he may think a)I'm some crazy online poker player and 2)I'm on a flush draw. I want a call since I'm willing to gamble...it is poker, and not a science.

I move all-in. He insta-calls.

The turn is a 2...and I win $150.

Since I hate people who win a big hand and leave right away, I played for 15 more minutes. Nothing exciting happened. I ended up +$142.

Why I Almost Never Play Online Poker

Clearly, online poker should be regulated to make sure kids don't play, the software is legit, and the tax money.

I believe that online poker Random Number Generators have been altered to allow for more interesting hand confrontations and bigger pots. The bigger pots generate a bigger rake for the online companies. Yes, they have an incentive to jiggle the software--it means a lot more money.

There are simply too many bad beats online--and big hand versus big hand confrontation--compared to B&M.

The excuse has been that you see more hands online. That is nonsense. Play online poker for 15 minutes, and you can't doubt the bs in the game.

The one thing people point out is that the sites have no incentive to do that for tournament play. Yes, these people are right that the sites take the same buy-in fee from everyone. But, they miss something very important.

If the RNG is adjusted for cash play, they are not about to re-adjust them for tournament play. There is no incentive needed. The program is already rigged for bigger showdowns and more bad beats. There is no reason to make it more accurate for tournament play.

I admit that sometimes I do play online poker. And I admit that I tend to play heads-up games rather than any other forms of poker. The reason is that while the software is still rigged, it eliminates collusion and I feel I have an edge against many players who plays heads-up like they do at a full table.

Only 4% of the people prefer to play online. My guess is that these people probably like the convenience and/or muulti-tabling.

Frankly, if they actually regulated online poker it would be a boost for everyone in the poker business. More players would participate in poker overall, and more players mean more games and bigger prize pools.

Poll Results: 62% prefer Bellagio

Poll: You have AA. Opponent has KK. Both all-in preflop to win $1 million. Would you prefer to see the outcome dealt by:

An online poker site like PokerStars: 4%
A dealer at Bellagio that uses an automatic shuffler: 62%
No preference: 34%

Total replies: 134.

Tonight I Played Heads Up No Limit Poker: Thoughts and Advice

I've been playing no limit heads-up poker cash on Full Tilt poker the past few nights.

It is certainly interesting since I've never done it before. That is, I've only played no limit heads-up with tournament chips never cash.

The tournament chips heads-up game is different in that the players are more aggressive with making big bets. I play $100 NL buy-in heads-up tournament chip games, so my guess is my opponents feel that they can push since they will either win or lose the buy-in.

The cash NL heads-up is different. At these games I've played the $1/$2 with my $200 buy-in. Since it's cash it is rare to see all-in bets. (Unfortunately, the only time I experienced an all-in move it was my first game, second hand and I had top pair and my opponent had a flush draw. Boom--I lost $200 when he hit the flush draw.)

In these games the first thing I noticed is that there may be 20+ tables where one player sits and sits. Clearly these players are specialists at heads-up play. So please be warned that you better be ready for some strong players.

As a rule, I look for a player that is not seated and waiting at multiple tables--although that can be hard to find. I also want an opponent who has the same amount as me--in this case $200 in play.

I believe I have a pretty good heads-up game. My approach to these games is to see how my opponent plays and adjust my style accordingly. In most cases, if my opponent checks I take him at his word and bet--even a min bet will get him to fold.

Therefore, I play straight forward for about four hands. I may even make a bad call on the river to see what my opponent raised with pre-flop. It gives me an idea on his playing style.

Tonight I had a tough opponent. I went ahead about $25 after about 5 minutes because I hit two pair on the river and called down my opponent. I was surprised to see he had nothing.

Ok, that changes things. Most of these guys love to raise when they act first pre-flop. They figure you won't have a hand so they can take down the $2, and even if you have a hand they know you'll miss two-thirds of the time on the flop and fold to any bet. Therefore, you need to raise them back some of the times to keep them honest. It tends to work.

Frankly, I got drek all night, which is quite frustrating. So I had to re-raise with some lousy starting hands, and raise pre-flop with zip. Also, I bet when he checked in almost every case.

After a while I was down $50, and wondering when I was going to get a hand. I knew I had to be more aggressive than him to win or finally get a hand.

I finally got a hand...it was pocket Kings. I just limped. You don't get a big hand like that often so I want my opponent to be the one who is aggressive. Sure enough, he raised me to $8. I just called--same reason.

I got a lousy flop. A-J-4 with 2 clubs...and I did not have the King of clubs. He bet out $12. I was not folding. I called.

The turn was a King--another club. He bet $30. I called with the set.

The river was a rag. He checked. I bet half the pot and he called.

I ended up winning a big pot, and ahead $50 for the 15 minutes of action.

Don't Play Online Poker Again Until You Read This!

I am one of those poker players who is skeptical about online poker sites. I almost never play online poker anymore because...well, I don't think it's a totally level playing field.

While there have been newsworthy cheating scandals by players (I have also run into collusion between players), I believe that something more insidious is going on.

On top of my list is that there are far too many big hands dealt and far too many bad beats as a result. I don't buy the nonsense that you see more hands dealt online. That argument is so bogus. You don't need to see many hands online to see that it's just not real.

It's one thing to complain about it and it's another thing to do something about it.

I discovered a company that may have actually identified why the poker sites have an incentive to cheat, how their RNG's can be manipulated and most importantly, they are going to come out with a solution.

You must check out this company before you play online poker again!

http://www.gioiasystems.com/

Note: I do not have anything to do with this firm, and no incentive to promote their business.

The Online Bad Beat Phenomena

An editorial from Gene Gioia, Founder of Gioia Systems, and architect of the Cut N’ Shuffle™ and Game Check™ systems

Many online poker players have observed noticeably more bad beats online then in live poker room games. The common explanation for this is that online players see more hands online then in live games.

Many online poker players believe that the starting hands online are noticeably better then their experiences in live games.

When taking these two factors into account, along with the fact that all online poker rooms generate their revenue from the size of the pots at games (the larger the pot, the more the rake), I can come up with an alternate theory for the seemingly larger number of “bad beats” and “draws” experienced by online poker players.

I am told that the Nevada Gaming approved that standard Random Number Generators (RNGs) have 12 lines of code. Online poker operators claim to be spending millions on the development of random number generators. Why?

Considering the recent news that Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet had software installed that gave certain players the ability to see other players’ hole cards, why should I think that programming random number generators to appear random while creating significantly more “draw” hands is out of the realm of possibility?

A random number generator is, after all, a computer program, that will do whatever it is programmed to do. Poker is such a unique game because it creates a virtually unlimited number of possible outcomes. This opens the door for any number of possibilities for anyone wanting to exploit this fact to their advantage.

What is preventing online operators from developing or using RNGs that are programmed to create, whenever desired, a series of hands that encourage a greater number of players participating in any given game, to stay in because of the possibility of achieving a really “monster” hand? If you have played online for any length of time, you probably can relate to what I am saying and why I am saying this.

By using computer programming to create desirable starting hands, it stands to reason that you would also be creating a significantly higher number of finishing hands. In the process, the pots for those games would be significantly higher; therefore the amount of rack per game increases.

Three years ago, Sports Illustrated published, in their May issue, an article about online poker. That article pointed to an April study by an online tracking company. This study concluded that there was approximately $200 million dollars per day being bet in online poker pots. It also estimated that online sites were generating about $5 million per day in rake revenue. At these levels of pots, an imperceptible change could result in a huge increase in annual revenue. If the average rake is 2.5% of the pot size (as the April study suggested), the effect of one quarter of 1% (very possible and easily done with programming) results in an increase of $500,000 per day or $182.5 million dollars annually in rake revenue. And who pays for this, the players of course. The rake is a necessary part of the game, but should not result from manipulation of any kind.

So, you’re thinking that random number generators are safe. Think again.