Thu, 02/17/2011 – 01:36 – PokerPages Staff

The beginner poker player relies on information or advice offered by other poker players or poker sources.  Beyond the poker rules, much of the advice is subjective and can sometimes mislead the beginner.  As an inexperienced player, weeding through tips and strategies to determine what works and what does not.  Often the inexperienced player adopts their play to one or more theories that are not supported by the top players in the field.  Such can be true with Omaha Poker and some misconceptions.

Myth 1:  Omaha Poker is a complicated game
Untrue.  Omaha Poker is one of the most straightforward variations of poker.  Omaha is a much simpler game than the most popular Texas Hold’em.  Once the beginner understands the basic rules and strategies, the simplicity of Omaha Poker becomes clear.

Myth 2:  Do not raise before the flop
Untrue.  The basic concept of poker is profitability.  In Omaha, as well as most variations of poker, when you have the best hand you want to maximize the profit.  This is accomplished in EVERY round of betting.  The most common way to maximize profit in Omaha is to exploit the preflop value of the starting hands by raising with the best hand. 

Myth 3:  Aces never win
Untrue.  Aces can dominate a good Omaha hand, a hand with only one Ace.  Aces up against any random hand could lend to the Aces losing value in post-flop betting.  Raising preflop will isolate opponents to one or two, making Aces more likely to be profitable.

To learn more, check out PokerSchoolOnline, the best source on the Internet for poker related learning.  Then put those skills to work by playing free at PokerStars.net.  Also, check out the PokerPages section Poker Information and Poker Articles for more poker tips and strategies.

Wed, 02/16/2011 – 01:13 – PokerPages Staff

#5 – Doyle Brunson versus Annette Obrestad, 2008
Billed at the time as the “King versus the Queen,” this special heads-up match pitted the doyen of “old school” American poker against the rapidly rising – and very youthful – star of European poker.  Doyle won the match 2-0, even though Annette began each hand with the best cards.

#4 – Daniel Negreanu Becomes Top Earner in Poker History, 2009
‘Kid Poker’s’ dramatic second-place finish at the WSOPE Main Event in London in 2009 earned him $800,000 and put him ahead of Phil Ivey, who had only just become the top tournament poker moneywinner.  Phil got the title back again shortly afterwards, when he finished fifth in that year’s WSOP November Nine.

#3 – John Paul Kelly wins first gold bracelet on home ground
It took three years of the tournament’s existence for a Brit to win any WSOPE first events on home ground.  But the A-lister from Aylesbury, J.P. Kelly, managed to do so in 2009, adding another glittering gold bracelet to the one he claimed in Las Vegas earlier in the year.

#2 – John Juanda’s Marathon, 2008
When Juanda emerged victorious at the 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event, it was after the most epic battle ever to have occurred in any tournament anywhere in the world to date.  It took a grueling 22 hours and 484 hands for him to get that coveted first place finish.

#1 –Youngest Gold Bracelet Winner Ever – Annette Obrestad, 2007
This was the first year of the championship and no one could have foreseen that the victor would turn out to be a teen.  A very intelligent and fearless teen, undoubtedly, but a teen all the same.  Then only 18 years-old, Norwegian Annette Obrestad went down in poker history at the 2007 Main Event.