Has this ever happened to you? You’re sitting at a good game, either 5 handed or 10 handed. Countless hands go by and yet, you can’t take down a single pot? This astounds you because the probability of this happening are just so remote that it starts to frustrate you. 10 hands go by, 20 hands and you still seem to be holding ice cold cards while many of your opponents are just snatching pot after pot without even making it to the showdown. This inaction makes you start to wonder what the heck everyone is holding. Is it a conspiracy against you? Not likely. Does everyone have you beat every hand? Even less likely. more about raising...

You’ve held your own, took down some pots and knocked your share of players out. You’ve been checking over your shoulder for updates and you see that the player pool has been steadily decreasing. You also check your chip position in relation to the leader and the player average and you’re sure that you’re in good shape.

What a total shame it would be to come so far and still finish out of the money. After all, if you don’t get paid off, you essentially wasted your time and effort, not to mention your non-refundable buy in. I know, I know, you could look at the bright side and view a loss as a losing experience, but personally, I learn a lot better when I’m counting money, not when I’m muttering to myself in disgust...more about tournament strategy...

People often wonder how some players deal with the stress of playing poker professionally. Most people would be horrified at the stakes of the games they play tournaments with buy-ins of up to $25,000 and cash games that frequently have six-figure swings. Most professional poker players have become somewhat desensitized towards money. Despite this, they still do experience stress while playing poker, and these are some tips for anyone else who does, too.

Feeling a certain level of stress while playing poker is a key to winning, and that "certain level" varies by individual. To put it another way, to excel at poker, you must always play within your stress comfort zone. You should never gamble with money you can’t afford to lose, as this would be incredibly stressful, not to mention very irresponsible. You should not base what limit you play simply on your bankroll. You must be as emotionally ready to lose a certain amount of money as you are financially in order to justify playing in a particular game. If you are a millionaire but are not emotionally ready to lose more than $1,000 in a given session, stick to $10-$20 limits or smaller. If you’re not emotionally prepared some of the big losses in these games can be emotionally devastating and very stressful. These lessons are very painful to learn, so stick to games in which you are emotionally prepared to lose at least 50 big bets, because it can and will happen frequently, even if you are a great player who rarely tilts.more about poker stress...

It's important to realize that strategies vary for different limits, due to the amount of money involved and the general skill of the players at the table. Micro limit poker has some interesting dynamics and culture due to the fact that the amount wagered at any time is not a lot of money to most of the online players. It stands to reason that the majority of the players play at these low limits because they are beginners trying to gain experience or they are on a limited bankroll. Many of the significant cultural differences between micro limit and the higher limit tables can be broken down into these key observations. (Throughout this article I will use common shorthand to represent the cards. AK means, of course, an ace and a king. T8 means a ten and an 8. QJs means queen jack suited, while QJo means queen jack off suited. Kx means a king and a card of no significance to the hand. A common term used will be connectors, which means cards connected in rank, such as 76 or T9.) more online poker strategy...

Poker online freeroll tournaments are a huge way to leverage a player's way into major tournaments and to win big money at no cost to the player. Casinos and poker rooms offer them to reward active players and to recruit new ones. Generally by playing a number of hands using real money, invitations are extended to play in tournaments at no risk. Players are also sometimes given points based on their play that can be redeemed for cash entries to the tournament of their choice.

It is always a good idea for players to review the poker room or casino's policy for gaining free entries to these tournaments. Sometimes by playing 50 to 100 hands, you can meet the requirements or standards for being given a freeroll. Or by being one of the top ranked real money players for the month, you can receive an invitation. On occasion one can be given an entry simply for being a member who plays with real money. The rewards for entering such tournaments can be huge such as receiving a seat to the World Series of Poker, World Poker Tour or other major tournaments where the entry fees range from $10,000 to $25,000. Others reward top finishers with real money cash and/or satellite entry to other cash prize tournaments. more about online freerolls...

The first thing a Holdem player should learn is which cards are worth playing, and which should be folded. Many beginning players stay in a hand with cards that have little or no future, and it ends up showing in there chip count.

Remember that no two cards alone can be unbeatable, and once the flop falls things that once looked good may no longer be worth pursuing. Still, to give yourself the best chance to succeed, play only the premium hands.

• Large Pairs - Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks. Even pairs of tens and nines and eights are high quality starting hands. Play them.
• Aces with suited High Cards - When you get an Ace with a K,Q,J, or even a ten, many good things can happen.