Fri, 09/23/2011 – 06:38 – PokerPages Staff

Why we Bet on a Hand

Poker bets either live or at online sites such as PokerStars are an attempt to declare one of two things to your opponents: “I have the best hand around the table”, or “Your hand is poor and you will fold if you are forced to bet any money on it.” Although you are only supposed to place a bet if you have a good hand, many players choose to bet on hands that they know are no good, in an attempt to bluff their opponents. Although the main strategy should be to bet when you’re in a good position and fold when you’re not, there are many subtle nuances you should look to employ.

Stealing the Pot

If you are the last to play in a round of betting where everyone before you has checked, a common move may be to place a bet to steal the pot. Although often effective, checking yourself will provide another card for free, with the knowledge that none of your opponents were willing to place a bet on their cards.

Check Raising

A check raise entails checking when you have the opportunity, only to raise if the action comes back round to you. This can help to put more into the pot if you have a monster hand, although it is best used sparingly, as using this strategy constantly will become obvious fairly swiftly.

Doubling Up

Best used in limit poker, a double-up entails raising after an early raiser in a betting round. This will force players to face two bets at the same time. It is best used when you have a great hand or sense that your opponents are acting cautiously due to the quality of his or her own hands.

To discover more about betting and poker strategy visit the PokerSchoolOnline.

Fri, 09/23/2011 – 06:51 – PokerPages Staff

Nosebleed regular Rui ‘PepperoniF’ Cao saw his recent barren run come to an end on Wednesday as he dominated the high stakes cash game tables on PokerStars.

Cao needed only 1,204 hands to cement his standing as one of the most talented Pot Limit Omaha players on the virtual felt. The Chinese born pro eventually logged off with a $143,000 profit.

‘L0ve2playU’ and ‘Fake Love888′ both suffered at the hands of Cao at the $100 / $200 stakes. Cao’s latest exploits have increased his upswing for the calendar year to $1.3 million. Only Andreas Torbergsen and Rafi Amit have earned more during 2011.

While Viktor ‘Isildiur1′ Blom and Phil ‘MrSweets28′ Galfond continued to take a short break from the online game in mid-week, Benny ‘toweliestar’ Spindler added another $61,000 to his bankroll.

The German pro has been on a huge tear in recent weeks and has now won more than $700,000 on PokerStars this year. Ben ‘Ben86′ Tollerene also prospered, when he took down $49,000 in various games.

Davin ‘mTw-DaviN’ Georgi posted a rare downswing on the world’s largest poker site. Georgi donated $118,000 to his opponents but still remains in the black by $342,000 for the year.

‘Love2playU’ joined Georgi in the losing column. Georgi failed to arrest the downswing posted against Cao and eventually finished with deficits of $97,000. ‘FlipflopUK’ (-$113,000), ‘Deldar182′ (-$55,000) and ‘mikzoan’ (-$50,000) rounded out the biggest losers online.