This is an effective poker technique for advanced players since opponents expect them to do a continuation bet upon the flop regardless if their cards get better or not. Other players will most likely bet and hope that you did not get anything out of the flop. Calling this bet will actually set some alarm bells in your opponents’ heads since they might think that you are slowplaying good cards. Most players will then check upon the turn and then what you will do is make a big bet to win the pot.

The float play is an excellent protection if you feel like another player is making continuation bets. Remember though that it is not just for this.

If you want to make good use of the float play, you should remember two things. First, you must be taking action after your opponent. Second, this should be done during a heads up with an opponent.

Float plays are also possible even when you are not in position but this technique is too advanced and is not often recommended by the experts of the game. When you are in position, you can still spot for any weakness of the other player after. You are also able to carefully assess the situation and fold your hand if the opponent makes a strong bet on the turn or be strong to take the pot when they just check.

As much as possible, never do float play against multiple players. This is most effective when you are in position and during a heads up.

One good practice is to know the hand history because you want to analyse your decision as a whole. Here are two ways on how you can get help and see if you played the poker hand well, just right, or plain and simple bad:

Join poker forums

This is the easiest way to get an analysis of how you played your cards. Post your hand on a strategy forum and you will get reactions from friendly members. Other people will comment and give you advice on what went wrong and how you can improve on your game.

Comments will be coming in from different directions so keep an open mind. You should also filter what to accept and not treat everything as something from the holy books.

Figuring out by yourself

This is a tricky and difficult process especially if you are new to poker. This article will not cover the ins and out of analysing your moves on the poker table. You can look for the Range-Equity-Maximize process, read on expected value, or use the software that can help you calculate for the best equity.

In poker, winning some chips does not mean that you played your hand well. It also goes that if you lost some money, it does not mean you  played your hand so bad. Analysing the short term process is not the way to go, you need to look at the long-term haul to see if you are improving on your poker.

Playing loose and fast

Do not even think that you can play slow in shorthanded tournament. The name of the game is playing it fast and playing it loose. The blinds will be going on a quicker pace. Since you have only six players, 1/3 of the time you will be force to put something into the pot while on a traditional tournament the blinds will be forced onto you 1/5 of the time. Patience is out of the window for shorthanded tournaments since it will also not be a profitable attitude.

Variety

Playing a shorthanded tournament exposes you to a wider set of starting cards. Unlike ring games, you cannot wait for premium starting hands. You really don’t have to think that your opponents will have premium cards. The chance that other players will have pocket aces is also lower. So, some cards that you don’t want to play on a full table can be playable on a shorthanded table.

Learn some foreplay

You have to change what is in your mind right now after reading that subheading Seriously now, with shorthanded games you can play a bit passive at first to get a feel of how the other players on the table handle their cards. As quickly as you can, extract some more information so you can also play the player. This way you also don’t reveal too much about your game very early in the tournament.

Size Matters

When you are able to build a good stack. Play hard and exploit the smaller stacked players. This is a critical mindset if you want to win a shorthanded tournament.

When you are playing in Olympics, second place winner actually just wins a silver metal but when you are playing no-limit hold’em, the second place actually loses a heck of a lot of money.  Many players who actually cross over from limit to no limit have a very hard time understanding that, but I have to say that you need to learn the rules a little bit before you switch.

When you are playing in no-limit hold’em, you need to make sure that you have the right hand and there are actually six different types of hands which are good.  First, hands that have absolutely no value and you can not even beat a bluff.  Second, hands that actually can beat a bluff – for example, a middle pair hand.  Next, a top pair hand that is on par with a bluff,

Fourth, an overpair and fifth, strong hands which are not quite as nuts as most hands you will get in no-limit hold’em.  Finally, nuts or near-nuts hands, which are completely off the wall.

While poker is not a simple game in any way shape or form, you truly have to make sure that you think for yourself in the game – otherwise you are never going to master it and never going to be really, really good, which is the ultimate goal right?  For me, it took me a while to break away from the rules and guidelines and think for myself.

You might have the same problem but once you break away, you will definitely feel better and your poker game will be better too.  Remember that.

The kinds of payment and withdrawal methods used by a casino is another important question.

As well, you need to read up on the privacy policy of any casino you are considering. Remember, you are talking about what they will do regarding your own privacy here.

You always want a casino with good customer support and many support options as well. It should be available every day, year round, and you should be able to contact the customer service by phone, email, fax, and in live chats.

Check out welcome and starting bonuses as well. They can be quite telling.

The loyalty programs are important too.

Finally, check out the casino’s playing guides. The more details, generally the better the casino.

There is no end to the number of online casinos out there right now. Knowing which one is right for you comes down to asking ten extremely important questions.

For starters, you have to figure out what kind of casino games hold the most interest for you. Do you like straight poker? Blackjack? Maybe the slots? You naturally have to pick a casino that has games you want to play.

Secondly, you need to find out what license the casinos in which you are interested in have. Ideally your casino will have both a jurisdiction license and a software license.

Because your money and your personal information are involved, you also need to ask about the security measures a casino uses. You don’t want to take chances here.

More questions next week!

Right from the get go, Seven Card Stud High is quite different from the other two variations we have already covered. Instead of using blinds, this game has actual antes, which every player in the game must put up right at the beginning.

After anteing up, you are first dealt three cards. Two of them will be face down, while the remaining card will be face up. The player with the lowest card is responsible for the “bring in,” with the other players then following in a clockwise order.

There is also a betting session after the first three cards have been dealt. After that, the players get a fourth card, also face up, after which comes another betting session. This round is known as Fourth Street; it is followed by the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh streets, during which you are dealt you fifth, sixth, and seventh cards, respectively, all followed by betting sessions. However, the seventh card is dealt face down. You then have to turn over all of your cards, going for the best five out of all seven.

In this game, you are dealt four cards, which will be face down. This game features only blinds, so there are rarely antes. Discarding is not permitted in this game either.

The only real similarities which exist between Omaha High and Texas Hold ‘Em are the community cards. The dealer deals the Flop, three cards, face up; the Turn, one card, face up; and the River, one card, face up. A betting session follows the dealing of each.

The main aim here, after all of the community cards are dealt, is to use two of your hole cards and three of the community cards, to create the best hand.

Right now, probably partly in thanks to the many televised poker shows and celebrity games, Texas Hold ‘Em is one of the most well known poker variations.  That’s all well and good, it’s definitely a ton of fun to play once you learn the basics.  Fortunately, they are not hard to figure out at all.  This is actually a fairly easy game to learn.

There’s a reason this is probably the most popular variation of poker in the whole world. During the game, all of the players get two cards before the first voluntary round of betting. Eventually, five cards will be dealt, all of them face up. This is the flop, and all the players can use it. They use it to make up the best combination of five cards from their two cards and the five in the flop.

If that’s still confusing, check out this tutorial, found at PokerNews: