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Game Selection |
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One of the
unique features of the Internet is the tremendous selection of
differentsites mid games. This gives an experienced player a great
advantage, as you canevaluate all the games and decide which site
and which game has the best actionat the moment. |
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Top Online Casinos |
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There are a
tremendous amount of poker sites to choose from. Some of
them are very large and some very small and they all have
different things to offer. Let’s look at some of the
criteria you should evaluate in choosing a site.
• Financial
Security: The most important criteria in choosing any site
is the financial stability of the company. You need to be
sure that you will be paid, and in a timely manner. A few
sites have gone bankrupt and left their customers out in
the cold. The smaller sites could be under financial
pres sure if they are having difficulty attracting players
to the site.
• Site
Security: We discuss cheating and collusion in a later
chapter, but it is important that the site does an
effective job of monitoring the site for cheating and
collusion.
• Software:
To enjoy playing, it is nice to play at a site with
user-friendly software. Paradise Poker set the standard in
the industry in regards to speed of the game. Today, most
of the major sites have caught up, although some of the
smaller sites still have issues with speed. Look and feel
is also important since you will be spending a lot of time
looking at the computer. Each site has different color
schemes, presentation, and sound effects. Some sites use
3-D characters, just your name, or provide the ability to
posta picture to represent yourself at the table. |
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• Games: This
book is about Texas Hold’em, but there are many types of
games available on the Internet. The most popular games
that almost every site offers include: Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo,
7-card stud, and 7-card stud Hi-Lo, Some sites also offer
other games such as 5-card stud. Pineapple. Draw and Razz.
Although the sites offer the games, it is sometimes
difficult to find active games other than Hold’em,
especially at the higher limits.
• Limits:
Related to game offerings, you need to choose a site that
offers games at the limits you want to play. The most
common limits range from $.25-$.50 up to $30-$60, although
you can find limits as low as $.01-$.02 and some limits
higher than $30-$60. Some players also enjoy pot-limit and
no-limit. Again, although the site offers a particular
limit, sometimes it is difficult to find an active game
going. |
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• Traffic/Number of Players:
A site can offer a lot of games with a lot of different
limits, but if no one is playing them it does not do you
any good. The larger sites have a big advantage since it
is easier to find the game you are looking for at any time
of day.
• Tournaments: Almost all of
the sites offer single-table tournaments. Several of the
sites also offer multi-table tournaments, with Poker Stars
the current leader in regards to types of games and number
of multi-table tournaments.
• Type of Players/Game: Some
sites have games that are typically tight and aggressive,
while other sites have loose conservative games. Although
a generalization, I typically find that the larger sites
have better players than the smaller sites.
• Customer Support: When you
have a problem, it is nice to get a quick response from
the site. Some sites offer 24-hour online customer support
and toll free telephone numbers, while others require that
you send an email. |
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Choosing a
good game to play can dramatically increase your win rate.
A popular poker saying is, "You could be the tenth best
player in the world, but if you are playing in a game
against the best nine, you are in trouble." It only makes
sense to play in games with the weaker players. Good poker
players are good fishermen. Find the fish, but avoid the
sharks! I generally use three criteria in choosing a game:
• Percentage
of players playing the flop
• Average
size of the pot
• Knowledge
of opponents |
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