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In live poker play, it is necessary to learn the meaning of an opponent’s physical tells. The tell might be a facial expression, or a hand or body movement. Or, any of several body language or vocal clues. Often enough, the clues add up to a good read of your opponent’s poker hand. In on-line play, physical tells do not exist. But, there are still plenty of clues. As with all tells, these clues can mean something important, or mean absolutely nothing. Or, be a big fat fake.

Tricky players, both live and on-line, will attempt to manipulate tells to mislead and confuse. They will often act in a manner that suggests one holding, while actually holding an entirely different hand. Spotting fakery, usually a bluff, is a vital part of reading tells. The benefit of understanding tells is two-fold. First of course, is the obvious. Getting a read on your opponent. The second, is getting a read on yourself. If other players are unwittingly sending tells, just as likely so are you.

For our on-line purposes, we will broaden the scope of tells to include any information provided by your opponent. Even their playing style is a very important tell. However, analysis of playing styles is a separate poker strategy.

Offered below are twelve on-line Sit n Go poker tells. Most are common. But, a few are lesser known gems.

1) Pre-select button.

Use of the pre-select button results in an instant-action. An instant-action call can be a strong signal of a good hand requiring little thought. While an instant check might mean a weak hand. An instant-action can also be a deceptive move, especially when occurring on the river.

2) Time required to act.

Players are inclined to bet fast when they have a good hand, and more slowly with a weaker hand. This is a pattern that betrays the player. Smarter players are aware of this tendency. A smart player who takes a little longer than normal to act, probably holds a monster. Be careful.

3) Avatar selection.

This really is a tell. And, it can provide some good information about your opponents. You will learn that, as a class, there are some avatars that rarely make it into the money. While there are a few others that show up in the money frequently. Then there are the cross-dressers, guys that select female avatars, and vice versa. Just remember that the buxom, young, virtual lady across the table may play a heck of a lot better than you give her credit.

4) Screen-name selection.

I have found only one class of screen-name that appears to have a meaning. The in-your-face type of name seems to correlate with the more aggressive player. Watch for maniacs in this category, as well.

5) Runs out timer.

You will see this often when a limper or the big blind has been raised. Before acting, the player near runs out the timer. If the player then folds, consider this to be a tough one who does not like being pushed around. Be prepared for a future re-raise. If the player calls, consider the delay merely an act of toughness. They usually fold to the next bet. Meaning that they were acting opposite of their weak holding, hoping for a free card. If the player is tricky, the delay could be a strong hand feigning weakness. So, know your opponent.

6) Odd size bet.

A player who bets an odd amount, e.g., 999 chips rather than 1000, is only fooling himself. While he does create a much larger appearing stack, this attempt at confusion actually attracts so much attention that the action brings clarity. I attribute these ploys to novices.

7) Specific bet size.

Although similar to the odd size bet explained above, this one packs a mean psychological message. This bet is targeted at a smaller stack, and matches the stack’s chip count. Outside of chat, this is about as personal as one can get in on-line poker. The bet is clearly a challenge, dripping with intimidation. My advice is to watch the aggressor closely, and be prepared for further nasty tricks. The aggressor is clearly a bully. Wait for opportunities to beat the bully at his own game.

Chat.

The chat box contains tons of good information: someone is up past their bedtime, someone else is drunk, two someones are locked in a feud, and on and on. Chat is a double-edged sword. Not only does the player reveal information about themselves, but while they chat, they are distracted from the game. Stay on the look-out for frequent chatters, they are vulnerable.

9) Shows their hand.

This is such an important tell, that whenever a player voluntarily shows their cards, I utter a ‘thank you’. There is not a good enough reason to give away free, vital information to the whole table.

10) Multi-table player.

Whenever you learn that a player is multi-tabling, you have gained three tells. First, he is distracted. Second, he is likely a solid player. And third, he will likely be playing tight, straightforward poker. Overall, he will be somewhat vulnerable, because his play will be rather fixed and predictable. You can identify multi-tabling players by previewing sign-ups for a while before you register. They are often the first to register. And, you can browse other games while you play. If a player chats about his multi-tabling, usually he is a novice.

11) Wishes good luck.

This one may be the most consistently accurate tell of all. I have observed that any player who wishes good luck to everyone at the beginning of a Sit n Go rarely makes it into the money. Perhaps their social good graces neutralize the aggressive spirit demanded by a No-Limit Hold’em tournament.

12) Betting patterns.

Players have an inclination to bet smallish with a weak holding, and stronger with better cards. It is as if they were betting according to a sliding scale. Some players like to frequently attempt blind steals from the button. These, and other such betting patterns, are easy to observe. And, to exploit.

Whenever you discover a tell, be sure to record your finding in the player’s notes. Deposits into this archive are as good as money in the bank. As to your own tells, you can scrub most away simply by following certain routines. For example, always wait three seconds before clicking your mouse regardless of the strength or weakness of your hand. A standard routine like this provides no tells.

When the situation is right, you might try a little trickery by acting more quickly, or more slowly. Most players will notice this change in the pace of your play. Then, the drama begins as they try to determine their response. By the way, hesitating before you act provides another important benefit: an extra moment to analyze the situation before committing your chips.

Understanding on-line poker tells will help you to identify your opponent’s weaknesses, avoid their traps, and deprive them of information about yourself.

R. Steve McCollum is a long time Holdem player. You may read many more tips on his poker blog at http://www.SitnGoHoldemPoker.com

A continuation bet is a bet made after the flop by the player who took the lead in betting before the flop.

According to Harrington, three conditions must hold true for it to be a continuation bet.

1. The player making the bet was the betting leader before the flop.
2. After the flop, no other bets have yet been made.
3. The player making the bet missed the flop.

In other words, you’re hoping that your opponent might miss the flop hit you and you’ll be able to pick up the pot right there. It’s a very powerful move and I’ve been using it very successfully in my play now for awhile. It’s also a dangerous move, which could make you donk off huge amounts of your chip stack. There are a lot of conditions to when it should be tried.

First, consider what your opponent might think you have by raising preflop. He could think you have something like AQ (see my last post about an AQ story). It reasonable to raise preflop with that or better. Holding something like that, a flop of K 9 5 rainbow is a good candidate for a continuation bet. He could have hit, mostly like he missed too though. If he was holding AK or something similar, he probably would have re-raised preflop. Same for any big pair. You should probably fire away with about a 1/2 pot sized raise in a situation like this.

However, let’s look at another situation. You have pocket 9s. The flop comes A K 4. This is a horrible flop for a continuation bet. Here it’s important to think about what your opponent could have called a preflop raise with. Ace is a big one… especially at the low limits I play at… people love holding on to Aces under all kinds of conditions. I’ve seen people play aces all the way to the river even though they are clearly a huge underdog.

I’m not saying you should completely fear the Ace on the flop… often times you can use it to your advantage by giving the impression that you hit, but you have to be careful… the flop here represents two danger cards… the A and the K. It’s very likely that someone left in the pot was holding one of those. The more people in the pot, the more likely that is.

That brings me to the fact that continuation bets work best the less people in the flop, simply because the value of holdings go up because less cards to hit something. It’s pretty simple. The less people still in the pot, the less likely that the flop hit them. Basic.

Here’s the last point, and this really applies for any strategy at the poker table. Never, and I mean NEVER, get predictable. You should vary your bet size post flop and whether you make a continuation bet. Also, make sure you sometimes make what seems like a continuation bet when you hit your flop strongly.

Always vary your play.

www.pokerpenguin.net is the best blog for tips, strategy, book reviews and news related to the poker world and any serious student of the game who wants to take their game to the next level. Learn from those who are learning what they teach, the players just like you.

Sport Betting Can Be Very Profitable

Despite the efforts of the Federal Government to curtail or eliminate sports betting and gambling on the Internet, Billions of dollars are being wagered each year through the internet as well as legal land based casino’s, sport books and the illegal sport betting bookies throughout the world. Sports betting is estimated to make up to nearly 20% of all gambling dollars spent. Unfortunately most of that money will go in the pockets of the bookmakers. Winning at the business of betting sports is more of a skill than a game of luck such as spinning the wheel on roulette table or pulling the handle on a slot machine. Sport betting is an art and science and many sport enthusiasts who take their sport betting seriously are making huge profits while sitting back on the couch on Sunday afternoon enjoying their favorite pastime. Handicapping a full schedule of weekend football games can take the serious handicapper upwards of 50 hours of research each week. Statistical number crunching, studying game situations, injury’s, weather conditions, watching line movements and gathering information from newspapers from around the country. Of course then you must have the knowledge of how to use the information once they have it assembled.

We’re not referring here to the hobbyist player or recreational player who might lay down 5 or 10 dollars on their alma mater or hometown team on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon just to have an added excitement to watching the game. They are not making sport betting a business, but then you do have the amateur bettor who takes his sport betting serious but not in the same category as the professional. This is the group that gets into the most trouble. This is the group that in most cases have a degree of addictiveness in sport betting. These are the ones who will find any reason they can muster up to place a wager, especially if it’s a TV game. Why do you think the sport books in the Las Vegas Casino’s put a big “TV” next to the lines on the board? Because they know they will get more action on those games and they also know the money isn’t always coming from the pro who may have an inside track on the game. Without having the knowledge, doing the research and spending the time on handicapping, the hobbyist sport bettor has very little chance over the long run of making profit betting sports.Even taking the 50/50 way out and flipping a coin won’t get you profit. The bookmakers have a built in commission, also known as the “Vig” (vigorish) or the “Juice”.

This is how the books can stay in business. Depending on the type of wager the book will take 10% of the wager on losing bets. So if you want to win $100.00 on a game, you have to lay, or give the book $110.00. If you win, no problem. You get your $110.00 back plus the $100.00 you won. However, the losers will lose their $110.00, which means they now have to win their next two bets to make a profit. The actual figure for making a profit over the commission is approximately 53% or you must win 53 of every 100 bets you place. Not as easy as it may sound. The professional sport bettor is usually very satisfied with a 60% win record at the end of the season, that’s only 7 points over the break even, but will show a substantial profit. More and more people today are starting to make sporting betting their home business. With the assistance of a sport-betting advisor they are able to enjoy consistent profits from their sport betting. Sport betting advisor’s, also known as “sport services”, are professional sport handicappers that do all the research and analysis and provide the client with a recommended play or plays from the current day’s sports schedules. It is the responsibility of the client however to place their own wagers, as it is illegal for the sport service to place the wager for them.

Sport betting advisors are in essence filling the same type of capacity as a stock consultant or broker. Many people, who are into playing the stock market, find themselves in the same situation as the sport bettor. Not having the time or the knowledge to do the necessary work to make an intelligent decision. Just like the stock consultant, the sport betting advisor charges a weekly, monthly or annual fee for their professional experience. Those interested in getting the edge in the upcoming weekend games, can join in the on-line version of the “Las Vegas Sports Handicappers Workshop”. Live participation in the conference chat room as well attendee particiapation by telephone is available. To listen or join in, go to my website for registration details Choosing a reputable sport betting advisor is the key to making profit from betting sports, the same process should be used as if you were putting your yourself in the hands of a professional stock broker…A reputable sport betting advisor can give you the luxury of enjoying your favorite sporting event while making money doing it….For more sport betting articles, go to: http://www.tonydiamond.com/

To get Tony’s Free best bet each week and a Free subscription to his “Diamond Line” sport betting newsletter, go to: http://www.tonydiamond.com/

Tony Diamond’s service is not intended to encourage gambling or participation in activities that violate state or federal laws. This service and article is directed to those in States or country’s where such acitivities are within the legal limits of the regulations pertaining to this activity.

Tony Diamond has been handicapping sporting events for nearly 30 years. He became a professional sports betting advisor and consultant in 1990 when he and wife Shirley moved to Las Vegas. He hosted the “Tony Diamond Sports & Gaming” radio show in Las Vegas for 5 years, founded the “Las Vegas Sports Handicappers Workshop” and was the publisher of the “Football Confidential” newsletter.
He is one of the most respected sport handicapping services in the world. He has won numerous contests and has been the recipient of many awards.
You can get Tony’s Best Selection Each Week Free at: http://www.tonydiamond.com

From quite early on in my life I had always wanted to learn to play mahjong. The teeming variety and exotic charm of the tiles fascinated me. I knew that mahjong represented one important strand Japanese popular culture, so when I accepted a job at an English language school in Hiroshima in 1990 I took the opportunity to find out more about the game.

I asked some of my students about the game and two of them, Noda-san and Yoshimoto-san, offered to teach me how to play. “But there are only three of us.” I replied. “Isn’t mahjong a four-player game?”

“We’ll teach you Japanese three-player mahjong.” said Noda-san, “It’s a very good game.” He was right. I became addicted to “three-player mahjong” in my first year living in Japan.

Like everything else imported into Japan over the centuries, mahjong has been adapted and improved upon to suit Japanese culture. In fact two popular versions of mahjong are played in Japan. By far the most common version of Japanese mahjong is the Japanese elaboration of the original Chinese four-player game. The Japanese four-player game is commonly called “reach mahjong” (“riichi maajyan” in Japanese). Then there is the far less common and more drastically transformed three-player game, which is common in Hiroshima. That is the game which my two students taught me to play.

A standard mahjong set consists of 144 tiles divided into 36 types, each type occurring four times (4 x 36 = 144). The greater part belongs to one of the three suits, Coins, Bamboos, and Characters. The suits run from one to nine. The remaining tiles divide into three Dragons, four Winds and eight decorative bonus tiles called Flowers and Seasons.

Apart from the Flowers and Seasons, which are often discarded, the four-player game uses all of these tiles. However, the Japanese three-player variation cuts out all the tiles of the characters suit numbering from two to eight. This produces a faster, riskier game that is ideally suited for gambling - if only gambling were not illegal in Japan!

Mahjong was introduced to Japan from China in the early years of the twentieth century and quickly became a popular urban pastime. But with Japan on a war footing from 1931-1945, mahjong was actively discouraged by the authorities.

The fortunes of Japanese mahjong revived after the Second World War to such an extent that there were about 60,000 mahjong parlours (jansoh) in operation throughout the nation by 1983. Since then the game has been in something of a decline as fewer youngsters play it nowadays. By the early nineties the number of jansoh had fallen to something like 25,000. Nevertheless, that is still a lot of parlours! If you recognize the kanji (Chinese characters) for “mahjong” or “jansoh” you will not fail to notice the seemingly ubiquitous presence of signs advertising mahjong parlours wherever you go in urban Japan.

Poke your head inside the door of a typical Japanese mahjong parlour and a vista of a brightly lit, smoke filled room crowded with men sat around square mahjong tables in their suits or rumpled shirt sleeves will most likely present itself to you. The mahjong parlour is not the exclusive preserve of men however, and every so often one or two of the more indomitable female players can be seen holding court at a table. The scene will be completed by the “mama-san“, the dominatrix who presides over the mahjong parlour dispensing drinks, snacks, and words of advice about the complexities of the game.

In Hiroshima, where the three-player game is a popular regional variation, you can play either the three-player or the four-player game. Moreover, not only are the fees quite low, the beer is cheap too! If you are lucky, mama-san will provide a range of tasty snacks or even some of her home cooking at no extra cost.

It is worth visiting a Japanese mahjong parlour just to see the mahjong tables. They are sophisticated marvels of modern technology. Each table contains two sets of tiles. While one set is in play on the table surface, the other set lurks in the guts of the machine. When a game is finished one of the players presses a button and the central section of the table opens up to reveal a cavity. The players push the tiles into the cavity. Another button is pressed and the central section closes. At the same moment four long narrow flaps slide open on the table and four completed walls of tiles emerge.

Meanwhile the tiles that were pushed into the table are automatically churned and shuffled and jostled into position ready for the next game. In this way players are saved the bother of having to shuffle the tiles and build walls after each game. As soon as one game is over the next game can commence without delay; an important consideration when you are paying for the time you spend at the table.

Of course, mahjong can also be played at home with friends or family. Mahjong sets can be purchased from many outlets and range in price from ¥2,000 to ¥35,000 and up. The game would typically be played sitting around the kotatsu - a low table with a built-in heating element for winter evenings. Until a few years ago kotatsu manufacturers catered to the mahjong-playing market by finishing the underside of most of the table-tops in green baize. If you wanted to play mahjong at home you could convert your kotatsu into a mahjong table simply by turning over the table-top.

Nowadays, with fewer people playing mahjong at home, fewer kotatsu come with green baize undersides. Instead, rubber mats made especially for mahjong can be purchased quite easily. A rubber mat serves to keep the noise down when the tiles are shuffled.

The influence of mahjong on modern Japanese culture is testified to by the fact that in 1991 the world’s first museum dedicated to the game opened on the north-east coast of the Boso peninsula, to the south of Tokyo.

But with fewer young people taking up the game, does mahjong have a future? The Director General of the museum, Kyoichiro Noguchi certainly thinks so. Indeed, his vision for the game is full of lofty ambition. He expressed the hope that “Mahjong will contribute to the cultural exchange and peace of the world” [sic]. I don’t know about that, but I am sure that the game will continue to be a popular aspect of contemporary Japan culture even if it never again reaches the zenith of popularity that it enjoyed in the early postwar years.

David Hurley lives in Hiroshima, Japan and writes reviews for 100-Word-Book-Reviews.com.

In response to enquiries from around the world he set up Japanese-Games-Shop.com.

He also discusses Internet business success strategies on his blog.

Now, you can play your favorite Poker game online by downloading any one of the popular Online Poker Room software to your desktop. All the theory and practice that you have acquired in Texas Hold’ em, Omaha, No-limit poker can be put to good use with a simple exercise of downloading the casino software. Downloadable casino software allows the user to play the game of his choice. Technically, online poker rooms is the same as the poker rooms in casinos that has poker players interested in playing a game of playing a poker.

Before you download the software, here are few things you should know.

It is an agreed fact that Poker is an easy game to play. Please note it is easy only if you know the rules of playing poker. Downloading the software merely does not guarantee you a good game of Poker. Remember, you would need to spend some money to download good casino software and spend some more in playing poker. When money is mentioned in almost every stage of the process, it is important that you take all precautions not to lose thousands of dollars even before you have dealt your first card. All the newcomers to Poker are requested to practice the Poker games to acquire enough expertise in playing a Poker game. Remember, once you enter the rooms, it is going to be all-action.

What are some of the best Online Poker Rooms?

In an age dominated by online games, it is important for you to know the best poker rooms available online. A lot of online resources have ranked different online poker rooms based on the ease of playing the game, user-friendliness, cost and other value-added benefits provided to the users. For reader’s ease, I have differentiated Poker rooms in two categories.

• Poker rooms that allow US players – US players are welcome to play poker in these online rooms. Some of the best software belonging to this category are PlayersOnly Poker, Sportsbook Poker, Full Tilt Poker, Bodog Poker and many more.

For example, PlayersOnly Poker is the highest rated online poker room in this category and offers variety in games with the users not having too much difficulty in playing poker games. If you sign up for PlayersOnly Poker through a Pokerlistings link, you would get a bonus of $1250 with a 100% deposit match.

• Poker rooms that do not allow US players – These online poker rooms do not provide entry to US players. I am given to understand that there is no racial reason behind this decision. Some of the best software in this category are Titan Poker, Party Poker, Pacific Poker and much more.

For example, Titan Poker is the leading online Poker room with a user rating of 8.40 out of 10. This software is extremely easy to use and has close to 35000 players in the online poker room with close to 6600 ring-game players. Needless to say, there are many options for you to choose from. Know the rules of playing poker online, choose any one poker room and get playing poker online.

Non-US Players can visit my site to get started playing online poker and many other online casino games with no deposit

If you have educated yourself in the technique of playing different casino games and gained enough expertise by completing quite a few practice games, it is time that you start placing bets on your money. After all, there is no better feeling than seeing your money multiply many times in front of your own eyes. At the same time, if you are in a position to lose a lot of money playing online casinos, you have all right to feel miserable for yourself.

Abetting your money by playing online casino games does involve quite a bit of strategy and skill. Luck as a factor should not be ruled out. Please be advised that if it is your day, you could end up making millions of dollars with an investment of hundred dollars. If it is one of your off days, be prepared for a heavy loss as well.

Players will do well to pay attention to a few tips to Best Ways to gamble at Online Casinos. The tips are as follows:

• Before you start playing the game, know what is there in your wallet. If you have $100 to spend in the casino, be sure to reserve some money just in case for an exigency to be accommodated. You may be tempted to spend all your money on casino games, but what if you lose all of them. This temptation gets bigger if the player has a lot of money in his wallet.

• It is very important for the players to know the rules of the game which he intends to play. Remember, there are too many people out there who know the game at the back of their hands. You sure do not want to get outwitted and lose your money in the deal.

• While you select a game to be played, choose a game which accepts low-prized bets. This is a good strategy especially if you are a beginner. This puts you in a position where you may not lose much money on a gambling game especially if you are not aware of the nuances of the game.

• Select a game that has a lot of players. Games like Texas Hold’em etc are limited in terms of number of participants. A game with a lot of players will potentially have a bigger jackpot draw with less bid amounts per player. This will allow you to optimize your Return on Investment.

These tips are just some pointers to best ways to gamble at Online Casinos. There is no sure-shot guarantee that by following these tips, you could become a millionaire. At the same time, it must be said that if anything, you are reducing your chances of losing a lot of money.

Gambling at casinos is an activity that achieves your objective of having fun. The moment you treat this as a money-making activity, you are bound to face disappointments over your losses. Of course, you would be excited on your wins, but who wants losses anyway?

Non-US Players can visit my site to get started playing online poker and many other online casino games with no deposit.

This is one of my most favorite things in poker… and it’s not just me, Doyle Brunson recommends doing it once in a while as well… the main idea is to completely play your opponent and not your cards, and what better way to do that than play a complete hand without looking at your hole cards… I have done this many times and trust me, it’s an experience you will never forget… not to mention the confidence you’ll get if you actually win the pot…

Here’s the deal… the first time you try this, wait for the following situation…

1) You are in the cut-off position (i.e. one before the dealer button)

2) Observe people as they look at their hole-cards and try to gauge the strength of their cards

3) If you feel that no one has anything too strong, and no one has raised the pot, raise slightly more than 3 times the big blind and watch everyone’s reaction; specially those that call your bet.

4) You will probably be the last to act, and so watch everyone’s reaction after the flop and bet about 60-70% of the pot if everyone checks, or raise to three times the bet if someone makes a small bet.

Of course, if someone bets big or re-raises you, look at your cards and decide accordingly.

5) If no one raised you on the flop and there is only one or two people left in the hand, he/they will probably check to you on the turn, so bet about 30-40% of the pot, making it look like you want a call.

Once again, if someone has bet big on the turn or raises your bet, look at your hole cards and act accordingly.

6) If all goes well, you will just have one opponent (if any) left on the river, and if they check to you, bet 30-40% of the pot again. If they bet or raise you, it’s again time to look at your hole cards and act accordingly.

In all likelihood, if your read was half-way correct, there won’t be any showdown and you’ll win the hand on the flop or on the turn…

If all else fails and you were wrong in reading your opponents, use this hand to throw them off, by turning over your cards and say something like… “you might have me…” or “can you beat 9 high ?” (this way they’ll pay you off next time you do have a hand)

Try it again in a couple of hours…

As odd as it seems, playing a hand without looking at your hole cards does have a couple of advantages…

1) You don’t know your cards, so there is no chance you are displaying any tells about the strength of your hand… so your opponents have no clue what you have… heck! YOU have no clue what you have, so how can they… and thus you have the fear of the unknown in your favor…

2) Since the board is almost meaningless to you, you are forced to focus on your opponents so you have a better chance of reading them…

and as a backup,

3) If your read was off, and you end up losing the hand, you can use this to show your opponents that you are capable of bluffing, so they have a tendency to pay you off more often…

And now the real test… try this from early position!

But only if you have done it successfully from late position a couple of times, and have won enough money already that losing 10-15 big blinds is not gonna kill you… think of it as tuition… cuz regardless of whether you win or lose, trust me, you’ll learn a lot about poker from this little experiment.