There is a deck of cards under that guy’s chair. So what is it doing there? I was going to say something about it but then i decided to leave it. Maybe they just fell out of his pocket.

So we carry on playing and this one guy just keeps on busting everyone. I mean… he plays junk and still ends up winning on the river. At one point i put him all in with AA and he calls with 27 off. River gives him 3 of a kind 7s! I have decided to take a closer look when i saw this!

Not only the dealer is switching burned cards with the cards at the bottom of the deck, he also flopped an ace of spades that i have already folded! There are two aces of spades in one deck! I realised what was happening. Someone clearly smuggled a fixed deck onto the table and attempted to get read of the other one… unsuccessfully…

Next time you are playing online poker keep an eye. If you see something suspicious you can always ask for a new deck of cards or even for a new dealer.

Playing low pocket pairs - 22, 33, 44, 55, 66, 77, 88. How do you play them? It depends on too many factors such as position, table history your opponents etc i will cover later on in this blog. However there is one way of playing low pocket pairs you can not go wrong with. Simply call if its cheap enough and see if you can flop a set. If not, simply fold them. I see too many player getting attached to their 77 for example. They get involved and become pot committed. Next time you get a pocket pair keep in mind that you are most likely to lose unless you get lucky on the flop.

Playing high pocket pairs - Who does not like AA? At the end of the day it is the best starting hand. However it does not guarantee you will win the pot. In fact with 3/4 other opponents in the pot you more likely to lose than win. This is why you often see people make a noticeable raise pre-flop. You are much better off playing against one or two guys. A considerable raise (Often 5/7 times the big blind, depending on the room) will stop people from playing weaker hands and joining your pot.

Tip: Throw away your high pocket pair the second you smell danger. Most beginners find this very hard to do. Poker is not a fruit machine. You can win more money later on.

I will go into more depth in my upcoming blogs.

The other thing i also look it is the number of hands per hour they play on that table. I don’t like being stuck on a slow table mainly because i try to avoid situations that might lead to me losing my patience.

Loose passive play - Play style often adopted by players new to poker. Loose passive players will call most small/medium bets and will probably play any two random cards. You should avoid bluffing against such players because they are most likely to call you. However if you play tight such players can be easy money. All you need is a bit of patience.

Tight aggressive play - Quite similar to tight passive play but you will definitely notice the aggression. Tight aggressive players tend to raise/bet more whenever they hit making it expensive for anyone to chase.

Loose aggressive play - Such players can be quite a pain because it is quite hard to put them on a particular hand. They tend to mix their play and usually have no problem throwing all of their chips in. Such players can be dangerously unpredictable. Some of the best players in the world can often be described as loose aggressive players.

Think logical and listen to your instincts. When you fold you are giving yourself another chance to make more money later. If you decide to pay off another player you might as well just throw your money away.

If you decide that playing tight is the best option on your table then stick to it. Be patient and be prepared to wait for a premium hand. I often see players running out of patience and playing hands that get them into trouble.

There is obviously a luck element in poker but assuming that overall everyone will have the same amount of good/bad luck, how comes same people win world biggest poker tournaments over and over again? Are they just the luckiest players in Vegas? - Like they said in “Rounders” (Great poker film). Poker is a game of skill, psychology and odds. All good players will take the luck factor into account. They will not play a hand knowing that the odds are against them. Even though even the best poker players in the world eventually lose a hand they will always win overall.