Thu, 08/11/2011 – 00:03 – PokerPages Staff

If you’re a beginner poker player and want to play tournaments then it helps to be aware of the main stages involved. The following poker information is based on No Limit Hold’em poker but still applies to most types.

The Early Stage
At the beginning, you’ll have a larger stack in comparison to the blinds. There are two main strategies: wait for a good hand before betting, or playing many hands in an attempt to win more chips. Whichever way you choose remember not to take any unnecessary risks early on.

The Middle Stage
The middle stage is when the blinds have grown and around about a third of the field has busted. As the blinds will be continuously increasing you can no longer wait for good hands if you have a small stack and will have to be more active with your raising to win blinds. The more blinds you steal and chips you win through your poker betting the better you’ll stand later.

The Late Stage
Now, all players will possess a range of different stack sizes. Even if your opponents play in a tight fashion your best move is to continue with your aggressive betting to keep winning chips. If your stack is large as you reach the ‘bubble’ then your play will scare off players with smaller stacks. If your stack is small but you still want to try to come first then don’t be scared about betting all your chips if you have a good hand.

At the final table continue with your forward style of betting. In general, everyone in a game will enjoy the same number of good hands and when no one has a good one it will be the most aggressive player who wins the chips.

Visit PokerSchoolOnline for more information or play a free tournament and test what you’ve learned at PokerStars.net.

Mon, 08/08/2011 – 23:26 – PokerPages Staff

For people who just can’t get enough of the game then poker apps are ideal. If you own an iPhone or Android Smartphone then here is a list of the top five apps to make sure you get your fill wherever you are.

Live Hold’em Poker Pro
Developed by Dragonplay, this is currently one of the most popular apps you’ll find on the Android Network. Played by millions of real players it boasts a number of features, including live chat, personal avatars, shootout and Sit-n-Go tournament modes, ring games and free daily gold.

Rush Poker
This was developed by Full Tilt with, it appears, the mobile in mind. The game has managed to solve the problem of being able to multi-table as due to the speed of the game there’s actually no need to have to play on more than one table.

VIP Poker
This has been rated highly within the Android Marketplace due to its simplicity and the fact that you don’t need to open an account. Free 100k chips are available for new players as well as free additional daily chips. Those with iPhones or iPods can join thousands of players at five or nine seat Texas Hold’em Poker tables.

Bwin Poker
This is the only real-cash poker app currently available in the iTunes Store. It allows all iPad and iPhone users the pleasure of being able to play for real money. Sadly, if you’re in the US you can’t indulge in this game but it has been allowed by many countries within Europe.

PlayPhone Poker
PlayPhone Poker is ideal in that it gives you all the features you require. You can play with thousands of others on-line as well as invite and chat to friends. The interface is easy to use and the graphics are well-produced.