Pacific Poker Review

Pacific Poker is the poker portal of one of the most well known online gaming companies in the world – 888 Holdings. If you are at all interesting in online gambling, you will have heard the name; this is an extremely large, well respected company that trades on the stock exchange.

What that means for you as a player is that playing at Pacific Poker is going to be a safe, enjoyable, and thoroughly professional experience. One hears things from time to time about the alleged shadiness of certain sites – this is not one of them. All of the above help Pacific Poker to be one of the best online poker sites.

Let’s take a closer look.

Installing the Software

Upon visiting the Pacific Poker website, you’ll be greeted with a little popup offering you the chance to download their software. It’s around 300k in size, it really doesn’t take that long at all. Once you launch it, it fetches the rest of data it needs off the Pacific Poker servers. From start to finish, the procedure took about 6 minutes.

Of course, the installed app is for Windows based computers only. If you’re on a Mac – or simply away from your regular computer – there is an “instant play” version of the poker client that will run in any flash enabled browser. This means you can effectively play anywhere, any time, provided you have access to the Internet – which offers great flexibility.

Playing

From my experience, I’d say that Pacific Poker is built for speed. The graphics aren’t as lush as, perhaps, some of the 3D poker clients available out there today, but then you didn’t come here to look at pretty pictures. You came here to play. And what Pacific Poker offers is relentless action.

To take the client for a spin, played a few heads-up games with some willing participants. Games begin as soon as the requisite number of players have signed on for poker tournaments or sit-and-gos, and I didn’t have to wait more than 30 seconds for the action to kick off.

This site is fast. If anything, I found myself kind of wishing that I had more time to act. Granted, the length of decision time you have varies from game to game, but you need to be clear headed if you’re going to play online texas holdem.

Games

Pacific Poker offers 5 basic types of poker play: Texas Hold’em, Omaha Hi, Omaha Hi/Lo, 7 Stud, and 7 Stud Hi/Lo. This selection covers most of the popular combative styles of multi-player poker available today.

Within each section you’ll find Ring Games, Sit and Goes, Tournaments and Jackpot games. With Texas Hold’em, there’s also a Quick Seat feature that I really like – you just punch in the type of game you’re looking for and it registers you for the next game of that type. It gets you where you want to be quickly.

Banking

888 Holdings is a huge company, and do business with just about everybody. Consequently the list of deposit and withdrawal options is just about the most comprehensive I have seen anywhere. Credit cards, debit cards, 15 different kinds of bank transfer, 11 different e-Wallets (miraculously, including PayPal) … there’s definitely at least one here that you can use.

Texas Holdem: Don’t Hesitate To Try It

Texas Holdem is undoubtedly the game of strategy which should be practiced all the time. Although it’s not so difficult to learn and play, it’s extremely important to have your own strategy and improve it all the time. The better you strategy is, the more chances you have to play with skilled opponents, enjoy an exciting game, become a winner and of course, make some money.

Just like in any other type of poker games, in Texas Holdem players deposit a certain amount of money to make up a pot. The strategy lies in attempting to control the amount of pot money on the hand that each player holds, although the players cannot control the dealt cards. After several series of hands or deals that will follow, the pot is typically won by a player or divided among the players, if it a case of a tie. A showdown may occur at the end of a deal, in this case, the remaining players have to compare hands and the pot goes to the highest hand or to the last player who has not folded.

Robstown, Texas is officially recognized as Texas Holdem poker birthplace. It was played in the early 1900s but its grand opening happened in 1967 in Las Vegas. In the 21st century its popularity, as one of the most played kinds of online poker, can be credited to the victory of Chris Moneymake, an American poker player and the champion of the 2003 World Series of Poker. What is perfect about this game is that the more people get interested in Texas Holdem and online poker, the more people enjoy it and make sure it’s worth their time and effort.

Perks of Playing Online Poker

Online poker is a hotly debated topic but the perks of playing it cannot be denied by anyone. The internet is the perfect venue for players who don’t have time to drive to the casino every day, players who want to play thousands of hands a day and for several other reasons that I’ll discuss today.

1. No Casino? No problem!

I live hours away from the nearest casino but am able to play internet poker every single day thanks to the internet. If it wasn’t for online poker, I never would have been able to play poker near as much as I can today. With online poker, you don’t have to be near a casino to play poker, even for high stakes money. All you need is a computer and a connection to the internet.

2. More hands per hour

Online poker tables move about twice as fast as live poker tables so you can get in many more hands per hour online. In addition to that, you can play multiple tables at a time. It once took weeks to play a thousand hands of poker but that can now be accomplished in just a few hours of play.

Being able to get in more hands per hour accomplishes three major goals: It increases your hourly profit if you’re a winning player. It gets you through downswings faster. And last, it brings in more loyalty club perks.

3. Safer

What!? Yes, it’s true - online poker is safer than live poker. I understand that safety is the biggest concern of most new online poker players but if you play at a big-name, trusted poker site, you’ll be in great hands.

Online poker is safer because you don’t have to carry around large sums of cash or watch over piles of chips at the poker table. All your money is transferred online so you’ll never have to carry around wads of cash in a dark parking lot.

4. Game Selection

At big poker rooms, there are hundreds of tables to choose from so if you ever find yourself stuck at a tight table, you can just find a new table. If you find yourself stuck at a poor table in a live poker room, there’s not much you can do about it except quit.

5. Note Taking

You can take notes on your opponents much easier online than you can live. Every online poker site has software that allows you to take and store notes on your opponents. Sure, you can take notes on some of your opponents at live poker rooms but it’s generally frowned upon and difficult to keep track of who’s who.

Online Poker vs. Face-to-Face Poker

Online Poker vs. Face-to-Face Poker

While the actual game of poker and the rules involved in playing the game hold true no matter the situation and terms of playing be it online or in a land based casino or poker room, the game itself and the opponents that one may face could actually be very different in each respective scenario.

Those that are used to playing online and those that are used to playing in a land based casino only can often spot on another after playing with the respective other for only minutes. Online poker players have completely different tells than that of a land based poker players. And while this isn’t true for all online players as a whole it does hold true for the majority.

Online players are used to completely different environments when they are playing poker than those that play more frequently in a face to face game. Online players often play out of their home in a familiar surrounding with only the computer beside them. They do not need to worry about facial expressions, about showing their emotions or about anything that is happening in their surroundings. They are often used to having the TV on while they play or perhaps eating, singing or doing what they please.

Those players that play poker at land based casinos or poker rooms are often the strict opposite, they are used to containing their emotions and hiding their tells as much as possible. They often learn to read other players by the way they sit, how they blink or even how they breathe.

When online casino poker players come together to land based players it is always interesting to watch the dynamic but often times the land based player has a little bit of an advantage versus the online player. So if you are used to playing online and plan to play at a land based casino; it is a good idea to roll up your selves and play a few games as if you were surrounded by a room of people- including your opponents.

Starting Hands in Texas Holdem

In Texas hold’em, as in all forms of poker, it’s important to be selective about your starting hand requirements. Those who play every hand are bound to be losers in the long run. The question is how to decide which starting hands are worth playing in a Texas holdem poker game.

Starting Hands in Limit Hold’em

Limit hold’em is a game of big cards. You want to mostly be playing cards in the “Broadway zone” of T through A. Give more credit to a hand that is closely connected and a little extra for suited.

Keep in mind that the weaker big card hands come with the risk of being dominated. A hand like KJ or even AQ is a good hand to raise with, but not a great one to call a raise with, because of the risk of being dominated by a hand like AK and having to put a lot of money in with a losing hand.

Hands like small pairs and small suited connectors have limited value. You will have to see a lot of flops before you hit with them and the payoff will not necessarily be that big.

Starting Hands in No Limit Hold’em

No limit hold’em is a game of big pots. You can afford to play some more unusual holdings because the payoffs can be great. This means that in addition to the big card hands, you can add all the pairs and suited connector hands. When you play small pairs and suited connectors, you should be playing them in later positions, as part of multi-way hands, and only if you can limp or call a small raise with them.

Other Notes on Starting Hands in Texas Hold’em

If you are not happy with your results in Texas hold’em, the first place to look is at your starting hand requirements. Playing small pairs and/or suited connectors may not be working for you. If you are the type who will continue if he hits any part of the flop, or who cannot get away from a second best hand, you may be better off sticking to the big card hands for now.

Free Blind Structure Creator for Home Poker Tournaments

Online, all I play is turbo sit and go poker tournaments. In this style of internet poker, blinds go up every five minutes. When playing with friends at home in a live poker tournament, turbos are impossible to play. Five minutes will get you maybe two hands in with the amount of time shuffling, coloring up chips, placing blinds, and everything else.

So this weekend I got some guys over to play poker to celebrate my new basement. I had not hosted a live tournament in a while, so I wasn’t sure what I was going to do to manage blinds. This is how we always play, no matter how many players.

1. Start out with 1500 chips

2. Blinds go up every 15 minutes

3.Level - Blinds
1 - 5/10
2 - 10/20
3 - 25/50
4 - 50/100
5 - 100/200
6 - 200/400
7 - 400/800

For my poker tournament on Saturday, only 3 guys showed. I wasn’t sure what to use for blinds. I have used some different poker software downloads before where you can set the blinds manually, and act as a clock and alarm before. None of these offered advice or suggested what to set the blinds at though. I heard about this site Blind Valet on a couple of different poker forums, so I checked it out.

Blind Valet was one of the best poker tools I have ever used and the easiest poker software by far. I entered in how many people were playing (4), how many chips everyone should start with (1500), and we wanted 15 minute blinds. Blind Valet also asks for what the value of the poker chips you are playing with, so I entered those and clicked Calculate. Note: You can click on the images to see a larger version.

The next screen shows what the blind levels should be and how to distribute the poker chips to each player. I clicked on “customize tournament clock”.

This screen shows some customizations that you can do to the application. I was in a hurry to get the poker tournament started, so I didn’t test out any of these and clicked Launch Tournament Clock.

This program worked perfectly all night. No one had to keep track of when the blinds were coming up. The blind levels changed and updated automatically. One minute warning that blinds were going up. Alarm when the blinds are up.

The tournament blind structure that Blind Valet suggested worked out perfect. We were able to get in four games in four hours, and everyone liked the structure. If I would have used my normal structure we would have only played two.

You can click on any of the picture above to get a little better view of the screen shots. My pictures do not do this site any justice though, so just go check it out - blindValet.fr

Video Poker Tips

Some Holdem Players are Always Winners.

It is strange indeed that some players are born winners. They play poker with aggression and risk. Yet, in the end, they win. How would you boost your performance in poker and be just like one of these winners?

The main point to note here is that the players are intuitive and think more on the moves rather than on the results. For instance, the players don’t play too many hands. They select the starting hand very prudently. Often, young players feel that the more they play the better they become in poker. Yes, that is indeed true. However, what’s even more real is the fact that playing more does not mean you win more.

On the contrary, playing more number of hands means you lose majority of the games. If you feel that you cannot really figure out what hands to take and what to abandon, take a look at the starting hand strategy. This would help you to analyse what is best in store for you.

The wise men in poker don’t get emotional at all. They are extremely focussed and play the game with logic rather than getting emotionally charged. While you are being logical in your stance, remember never to bluff “just to bluff”. This can be disastrous in some occasions.

A sensible player does not play with a very high stake. It is true that players graduate from low stakes to higher ones. However, it is important to know where you stand and how much you can afford to play a game. Surveys show that people who go beyond their means to play poker and bet with a high stake, do not win poker in the long run. These people are emotional and cannot focus on the game.

High stakes also have highly skilled players. You can end up being a novice players or a fish amid experts or sharks. Before you get thrown off in a high-staked game, you should play with low stakes aplenty to earn better profits.

Poker is a very systematic game that does not encourage emotions. So, if you happen to see your opponent’s final bet, don’t feel shy to make the best use of it. You are not cheating but using clues that are displayed by the opponents throughout the game. Once you know that what you are doing is not against the poker rules, do what you feel the best for the game.

If you are in a hand, it is always wise to fold if you are well and truly beaten. If the money in the pot is lost, it would not be yours even if you played the entire game.

Remember, you are not obliged to any player for your actions. Just play what you feel is the best move for you. You don’t have to keep someone honest just because you happen to judge what he is trying to do.

Pragmatism and aggressive skills can make wonder to you. Practice the tips and you would soon see results reaping just before your eyes.

Identifying True Poker Tells.

Poker tells are important features that help you in winning a poker game. As a lot of intuitive skills, strategies, and bluffs are used in poker, it is important that you be a fierce observer. This signifies that you pick up any type of poker tell of your opponent.

In fact, the importance of poker tells has taken a toll on this strategy as well. Some players give out false poker tells also so that they can confuse the team and trap the opponents. It is therefore up to you to identify the true tells and use them while you make your decisions.

Here’s one typical example to highlight this point. Steve is an expert player who plays multiple hands online with a very high stakes in each of them. Now, judging the “in turn” box you can imagine the type of action he is likely to take.

Steve gets a big blind and the pot is not raised. You can see the activated check box if the pot is unraised. It the pot is raised, you would not see the activated box. The check-box with fold option is then highlighted to show that the pot is raised.

By judging the type your opponent is and the check box that is activated, you can imagine the way the game is going. So, now-a-days there are options where players are asked whether to show the check box to the other viewers or not. Some players also use this tool to give false poker tells.

Many players complain that online poker games don’t reveal much poker tells of the opponents. If you say this statement, it means that you are not paying much attention to such actions as mentioned in the aforesaid paragraphs. Poker games reveal a lot of betting patterns and the type of person the player is – whether he is a weak-tight player, or a weak-loose player, or a calling station.

Hand histories are yet another factor that determines poker tells of various players. Through this history, you would be able to identify the type of player your playing with and the find out the way decisions were taken.

There are options where a player can choose to remain concealed and not reveal details about his moves. Steve had done just that and it ensured his privacy while playing the games.

Various players use methods to conceal their tells. Some dress weird while others wear goggles and hats to conceal their reactions. If you play poker seriously and with the intention of earning a livelihood from it, it is necessary that you take all pre-cautions to conceal your poker tells.

However, some people play for fun and socialising. They don’t bother to play like a diehard fanatic but wish to enjoy the game with other players. Often, these players are their fellow mates from office or friends. In such cases, poker tells are given off inadvertently. If you are in a group of such people, you are lucky to pick up tells. But, this is not the usual situation. The normal milieu would be a din of conversations and noise with numerous other distractions. So, amid this din you need to be keen observant to pick up poker tells of your opponents that are genuine and not misleading.

Poker Bonus Codes.

Another boring bonus code post, sorry guys! As you may well know, many poker rooms cease to accept players from the United States, thanks to the Safe Port Act. As such, most poker sites will now explicitly tell you which sites are US-friendly, and which aren’t. Both of these are!

PokerStars

The regular conditions of redemption apply:

• Players must play at the real money tables.
• Playing at the real money tables accumulates FPP (Frequent Player Points).
• Players must accumulate 10 * Deposit Bonus amount for the bonus to be released. (i.e. Deposit Bonus is 50$, player must accumulate 10*50=500FPP.)

More information on the PokerStars Marketing Code.

Full Tilt Poker.

Full Tilt Poker (FTP) has proven time and time again to be the top online poker site, world-wide. With a full slate of cashies and a wide array of tournaments, players can always find the time of game that they’re looking for. Utilizing the bonus code (ZZBONUS), players receive a 100% depoist bonus with a maximum bonus of 600$. In addition to the great bonus, you’ll get to go head-to-head with some of the biggest names in poker (real professionals) who also play online on FTP. Find out more about FTP and the Full Tilt Poker referral code.