The 2010 European Poker Tour main event
Vilamoura, Portugal is the home to the 2010 European Poker Tour main event, but so far this year’s European Poker Tour is being owned by the U.K. Similar to the shocking win by Liv Boeree at EPT 2010 in San Remo and James Mitchell at the Irish Open, Vilamoura is seeing U.K. players carrying the top three spots at the final table. Now let’s take a closer look at these U.K. players who are putting British poker even further into the limelight.
The current leader, as of September 1, 2010, is Toby Lewis (3,322,000). This young man is one the more successful online poker players in the game, at the same time he is new to poker tournaments where you’re not clicking away. Lewis is classified as number eight on online poker play in the UK (source: PocketFives).
He started his online poker career with a victory from a Brighton £200 buy-in tourney in 2009. From this point on Lewis amassed an impressive $171,669 through various live tournament prizes. His quick and relentless climb has claimed two EPT cashes. Regardless of the outcome of the European Poker Tour Lewis has already won the largest live play prize of his young career.
The U.K. runner up, so far, is Sam Trickett (3,365,000 in chips). Trickett blows away Lewis in terms of experience and earnings; in three years he has won close to $1.33 million. At the conclusion of the 2008 WSOP $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em event Trickett placed fourth and was then worth only $245,927.
This time around he has made his greatest mark through six cashes ($505,725), all of which came from a tier two placement during the same event. A final win at the European Poker Tour would mean that Trickett has won his seventh tournament in only three years.
Trailing these two Brits is Teddy Sheringham (1,783,000). Without mentioning too many of his football accolades, it should be clear that Sheringham has appeared in over 51 international appearances for the English national team. As a hobby, Sheringham broke into poker in 2009 at the WSOP Europe Main Event. He finished 14th out of 334 and left with a $66,738 prize. Placing better than seventh or higher at Vilamoura will award him the largest cash out of his short career.
Try online poker!
Internet casino websites are accessed by gamblers from all countries. The online variant of real casinos is improving its fame with every day that passes and every casino game that is played. Some of casino games are even more appreciated in their online variant. The most famous one is poker.
Everyone heard about this fun and exciting game. It is the top of all card games due to its easy to learn rules and simple strategies. Here’s what you should do before you start playing online poker! First of all, learn its rules! On the website you can find an online gambling guide. Read it, learn its rules and use them during your game. As you see, knowledge is a part on the winning combination, as well as experience. Talking about experience, as more as you have as more the winning chances increase! Even experienced gamblers admit that, during a poker game, strategies are nothing without experience. There is no use memorizing all the techniques and strategies if you don’t know how to use them!
To improve your experience you just have to play casino games. Internet casino websites came up with a free application in order to help you. So if you want to get used to the way poker is played and learn better its rules, play free online poker. Like this, you can increase your experience and learn how to apply your strategies.
Still, poker is not just knowledge and experience; it is highlighting the body language as well. When you play poker into a real poker room you have to be very attentive to your face-expressions and actions. A wrong one could make other gamblers figure out what are your next moves and, consequently you will loose the game and your money. As you see, what is the most important about poker online is that you can avoid such disadvantages. You play it alone, in the comfort of you home so any other competitor will be able to get in your way or stress you out. Pay attention to the betting system that the website has. If you know how to use it you can end up with a helpful partner in which regards the amounts of your winnings. It is not difficult at all to play poker online! Taste its magic! Good luck!
When and How to Semi-Bluff
When and How to Semi-Bluff
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When is a bluff not a bluff? When it’s a semi-bluff. As the name implies, you are not out and out bluffing on a hand you know doesn’t stand a chance. You’ve got a hand that might not be the best, or one that you can improve with the right draw. If other players at the poker table are holding nothing, a semi-bluff will chase them. If players are looking at decent poker cards, they still think twice because you are coming on so strong. And there’s no better feeling than pulling a beautiful draw and watching your semi-bluff turn into a sure thing.
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Let’s talk about when to semi-bluff. If you’ve got a bluffing situation, that is the most effective time to semi-bluff in Texas Holdem. Poker players who are savvy enough to recognize a bluff probably won’t realize when you make your draw. The semi-bluff is more effective and more useful against a lot of players, unlike straight bluffing, because the odds are better. You want to be in a late position to use semi-bluffing, and you use it on the flop or the turn. It helps to have a mediocre flop. It also helps if the other players at the poker table aren’t really very good. But that’s always a help when it comes to playing winning poker.
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Let’s say you’ve got a Jack of clubs and a Ten of clubs. The flop is the Ace of clubs, Queen of diamonds, Three of clubs. You are set up for the semi-bluff, even if you’re in a middle position instead of late. Because this hand gives you lots of draws. Any club will give you a flush. Any King will give you a straight.
Let’s say you have a pair of Fives. The betting pre-flop chases all the players away from the poker table except you and one other player who is in position before you. The flop is a whole lot of nothing. All different suits, spread ranks that are low. Now is the time to strike. The other player has something. And it’s probably a lot better than a pair of Fives. So you semi-bluff. Chase him and take the pot.