Before playing, there are questions you need to ask and things to consider. For example, if someone playing aggressive poker is at your table, it is a good idea to sit on his left. That way, you will be able to see any raises before, rather than after, you make your move.

If you know anyone at the table, think of what you know of their ticks and tells.

If you are distracted — thinking about an upcoming business meeting, calling your partner, going to the store — then now is not the time to play.

Whenever I think about online poker, one of the first people’s names that pop into my head has got to be Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson.  This guy is definitely the best online poker player in the world and I have to say that seriously – he doesn’t even remind me of a huge, big time poker player at all!  But this guy has won all sorts of different poker bracelets and I swear, that he is definitely a poker master of his time.

He was the very first person in the world to win one million dollars at a poker tournament and while I freakin’ love online poker, I would never, ever want to face this guy.  One thing that you might not know about Doyle is that he actually used to be a basketball player – not a poker player.  After he broke his knee, which is when he got really serious about online poker.

Texas Holdem is definitely one of the best games of this guys trade and he knows what he is talking about whenever you bring up poker to him – so be careful if you ever face Doyle Brunson at the tables!

Omaha is a ‘community card’ game, meaning that the players share a board of five cards in addition to their own hands. It differs from Texas hold’em in that players have four cards in their hands – as opposed to two – and that two of the four cards must be played. For example, if the board shows 5-6-7-8-A and you are holding A-A-K-9, you do not have a straight to the 9, since that would only be using one of your cards; your best five-card hand using two of your own cards would be A-A-A-8-7, or three aces. In order to have a straight, you would need two cards in your hand to complete it, such as 9-10, giving you a straight to the 10, or even 4-7, giving you a 4-5-6-7-8. While seemingly minute, this change dramatically changes the way that hands play out.

Another key difference between Texas hold’em and Omaha hold’em is that the latter is often played as ‘Hi/Lo,’ meaning that the pot can be split between the high and the low hand. An A-2-3-4-5, known as a ‘wheel’ straight, is the best possible low hand. Because there will be additional players chasing the low before and after the flop, the pots in Omaha Hi/Lo are often larger than those of standard Omaha hold’em. The Hi/Lo variation is usually played as a limit game, though pot-limit and no-limit tables are not unheard of.

While many people play for the aforementioned reasons – lots of action and huge, split pots – there is another, subtler factor that may drive additional players to the Omaha tables: namely, the beginner player has a smaller disadvantage when compared to the expert. Though the skilled player will win the more often of the two, his or her edge will not be as large on each individual hand. No preflop in Omaha hold’em is nearly as powerful as AA is in Texas hold’em, and having four cards means that players will more frequently hold the best possible hand – ‘the nuts.’

Omaha hold’em has ridden the coattails of its sister game, Texas hold’em, into the spotlight and is now played with increasing frequency. It draws players in with its massive pots and Hi/Lo variation, which allows for two winners per hand. Though the strategy in Omaha Poker is somewhat different than in Texas, give the former a whirl if you have already learned the latter, as you will pick it quickly; you might even find a new favorite game.

What follows below is not a direct paraphrasing of Miller, Sklansky, and Malmuth’s work, nor do I attempt to imitate them – that would be plagiarism. Instead, I have listed several tips for use at these games, many of which were inspired by SSHE. If you are serious about playing low-level limit hold’em, I highly recommend that you follow the advice in this column and pick up a copy of the book for yourself.

Before the Flop

• If you aren’t sure whether to call or fold, you should fold. Mediocre hands will often lead to difficult and incorrect decisions after the flop.
• Raise your strong hands (high pairs, AK, suited AQ and KQ). You will see a lot of players who only raise pocket aces or who try to get cute with big hands before the flop. Do not follow their leads, even if they give you a hard time when you raise; you should be trying to win money, not make friends. Be respectful and you will be able to do both.
• Don’t be afraid of a capped flop with a moderately good hand, like a pair of jacks. The garbage that people will call four bets with will often surprise you.

After the Flop

• Making loose calls is fine at most tables. Even if you don’t technically have the odds to call, other players can make your hand profitable by staying in much longer than they should. It is worth it to play one small bet on the flop for the chance of winning several large ones later in the hand. Furthermore, people often neglect to bet the turn, allowing you to see two cards for one small bet.
• Raise strong hands mercilessly. Many players will incorrectly use the above philosophy, staying in with virtually no shot of winning. Make them pay to see your winners.
• Exploit overly aggressive players. Some players will bet and raise with just about any type of hand or possibly with nothing. Call them down with a strong hand and save your raise for the river; when you have nothing but suspect that they have the same, play back at them earlier in the hand.

On the River

• Watch out for two types of players – those who never bet the river and those who bet mediocre hands on the river. For the first group, make sure that you get in a bet when y our hand is strong because you don’t want to miss value. For the second group, try an occasional bluff raise and see what happens – they may be reluctant to call with middle pair.
• SSHE advises you to never fold for one bet on the river of a large pot. I will take this one step further: don’t fold a strong hand in a large pot unless you have greater than two opponents or if a strong player caps the betting. I learned this in one of my first ever sessions, when I folded an ace-high spade flush in a raised pot when the board was showing four to a straight flush. The original bettor had the 5 of spades while the raiser had the deuce; neither had a straight flush, or a hand worth betting, for that matter. Countless players only look at their own cards and do not take your possible hands into consideration. Let these players build your pots for you.

Well, there you have it! Not a compendium of poker advice by any means, but this should serve as a useful guide to get you started on your way to playing winning limit hold’em.

I had such a painful even tonight and I feel like sharing.

I’m on the button with about $1200 in chips. I pick up AJs. The whole table fold/limps to me and I decide to open with a 6BB raise (average for the table). Two limpers and the big blind call my raise so 4 players see a A-A-T flop.

Good result. I flop a set of jacks, and I assume I have by far the strongest hand at the moment. Pocket tens beat me — but that’s it. I check, two players check behind me and one guy bets about half the pot. I call, one guy behind me calls too.

The turn is a Jack. I make the nuts. Good stuff. One of the caller bets +/-80% of the pot and I decide to just call again. The other players fold.

The river is a Ten.

The other guy leads out, I raise, he shoves, I call.

He flips over pocket tens.

He had about $1050. Second in chips at the table.

Bah.

The last hour was a typical no-limit wreck…. Two sets got all-in called on the turn and beat by flushes, had top two against bottom set — and made a queen high-flush on the flop with QJ just to see A4os beat my when he called my +pot-sized bet on the flop with nothing but the ace of hearts…

Anyway, the perfect hand to show what happened:

I picked up AKs on the button. 6 players limped (lol), so I decided to raise big — making it 15 Big Blinds. Two players call. The flop gives me a pair of kings AND the nut flush draw — talk about a dream flop. Player in seat one bets, second one in calls, I decide to raise 3x. S1 calls, S2 folds.

The turn makes my nut flush. Player in 1 bets right out again and I shove for about 2 pots more. Villain instacalls with two pair. River makes him his boat and I double him up.

I realise that might not help in that many cases, and that KK will probably pay you off way better when the board is KQJ, but isn’t that a long shot to justify an early-position raise with AT?

Read the source right here, and share your toughts, will ya?

Well — it turned out great. Went down about 30% of my stack before doubling up with a set of jacks against a guy with top pair, and then doubled up AGAIN when the donkey tried to bluff off all his chips, in which he succeeded when I called his ace high bet on the river with my flopped straight (which I checked to him twice, smoothcalled twice).

I lost about 10BB’s before I decided to quit. Had fun, made some cash. Good times!

I had a pic here. It’s gone. Damn hackers!

Betfair Poker has one of the largest bonuses available to new players and other great incentives besides. Betfair Poker gives away $1,400 per week through twice-daily freerolls. They also have a very cool promotion called “Threedom Pass”. Players who qualify for a live tournament through this site and go on to make the final table will be bought into that same tournament for the next two years on courtesy of Betfair.

The games offered at Betfair include Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Seven-Card Stud. Betfair’s competition is fairly soft. Since Betfair is the largest betting exchange in the world, it attracts sports bettors who are quite frankly rubbish at poker. So you should be able to find someone to play at any level.

The first-rate software offered by Betfair Poker is privately developed and offers some nice functions, good playability and stability. It is lovely and clear and even in mini view. The latest software update added an option to play up to 15(!) tables simultaneously and for fantastic multi-tabling. NB BETFAIR is Not US Friendly, though — so bad luck to the US-players!