We have all been on the table when someone constantly raises on every hand and continues to take down pot after pot in a Texas Holdem Poker cash game. They look for weakness and when they see it or suspect it, they go for blood on every hand. The only way to beat this type of a player is to play the same game that they do and earn your half of the table.

The first way to do this is by taking the lead in a hand. If you raise a pot, stick with the betting and show them that you are not afraid to fire chips into the pot. If you are playing tight, this should be enough to get them to back off of the hands that you are in. Make the continuation bet, but also fire on the turn as though you have a hand. Even the most aggressive of players will step back when a tight player continues to fire on the turn of a hand that they have raised on.

Another move that you can make against an aggressive opponent is by calling down the pre flop raise and the flop bet and then fire away on the turn. The board is really of no consequence when playing against an aggressive player as they will play just about any two cards. This is more of a feel move that you have to make based on when you think they are truly weak. If nothing more than a value bet was placed on the flop, it could be a green light to make your move.

This is something that you are going to have to be committed to from the very start and regardless of what the turn brings, you fire away like you just made a set. If the board was on a flush or straight draw and you are isolated, it actually works in your favor as tight players will usually only bet when they have it and firing right away gives the impression that you have made your hand and could care less what they are holding.

An aggressive player can be a nightmare unless you can tame them. You are going to be out of position against them half the time and if you show them that you can be walked over, they will do it every chance that they get. In order to keep your stack, you are going to have to fight fire with fire and get them to back off when you are in hands or you are doing nothing more than making a donation to their kid’s college fund.

There you are, sitting in the texas holdem poker tournament as a short stack with the increasing blinds being your enemy. In order to survive and wind up further in the tourney, you have only one option…lingering. When mixed in with a little luck, the following suggestions can help you survive linger mode and rebuild to a contending chip stack.

Make a late position push

So the blinds just passed you buy, and you got bullied worse than a ginger kid in a schoolyard. This is the ideal time to make a push. If all hands before you are folded and you are sitting in late position with a marginal-to-solid hand, then this is an opportune time to go over the top. The odds are very likely that the remaining players will not wake up with a legitimate hand to call an all in. Blinds are officially stolen, and you have just increased your chip stack dramatically without sweating the board. Also, if there is a call on your late position all-in, then you are almost sure to be entering the flop as a 60/40 underdog. Hey, life sucks as a short stack, and a 40/60 isolation is a great option for you at this time.

Isolate against the aggressive player

The best thing to do in any tournament is to study the table and recognize tendencies. Attempt to figure out who is playing tight versus aggressive. The information you gather early on is what could save you if or when you become the short stack. The ideal victim to exploit as a short stack is the overly aggressive guy. Most tables have this type of player, where they like to raise preflop in order to steal some blinds. If you wind up with hole cards that should be two lives, for example suited connectors, then this would be a great time to do a little gambling. The price gives you the best option in getting back in the tournament, where you will be isolated against a loose cannon and able to add in the blinds if you win the hand.

Don’t get cute

Being cute may work for a girl who wants free drinks, but you’re the short stack. There is nothing cute in your position, so now isn’t the time to attempt anything. If you get a solid hand, then push. You are the short stack, and the table is hovering over you like vultures. Chances are you will be getting called in an ideal situation, as a favorite. By getting cute and disguising your hand, you are risking hands coming into the pot that generally should not be involved. Too many hands will turn your favorite into another marginal hand. Isolate with the push and hope that it holds up.

Ladbrokes are established British bookmaker who have been around for more than a century. Their recent venture on to the online world of gambling has led to the birth of Ladbrokes Poker. The website is not only a place where poker enthusiasts can have fun but also casino lovers can enjoy their favorite games too. Their name alone is enough to spell reliability and efficiency of services. Games played are juicy therefore giving rise to a lot of money doing the rounds. Experienced players can make some very good profits here. Ladbrokes is unique from all other poker sites as it offer a lot of features which other poker sites don’t offer. Unlike most of other poker sites which use playtech platform, ladbrokes poker use Microgaming which offers some unique features.

Signup Bonus

All new players who sigh up for an account are entitled to a 100% bonus of up to $500 when they make a first time bonus. To receive this bonus, you need to wager 30 times the deposit amount by playing raked hands and tournaments and you have 30 days in which you can wager for it.

Ladbrokes Poker Bonus Code: N/A

Software

There has been a definite change in the flow of traffic after Ladbrokes Poker switched over from its own software to that of the Microgaming network. The graphics are much better and have brought a great change to the previously dull tables. There are three table size options available, which is unique because the usual options available are generally only two. Apart from this the new software has brought in quite a few improvements.

You can get all valuable information such as your hand history, flop percentages, number of players, average pot size, amounts in the chip stacks and other useful information from the My Lobby tool bar. Also the games are listed stating the fixed limit, no limit and pot limit versions. A calendar is available, where players can mark important events for which they may be notified. The games move at a smooth pace and players do not have to wait around for games to begin.

Cash Games

The games offered by Ladbrokes Poker include Texas Holdem Poker in Limit, Pot Limit and No Limit variations, Omaha, Omaha High/Low, 5-Card Stud and 5-Card Draw along with 7-Card Stud. Most of the action is seen at the Fixed Limit Holdem tables but as the traffic mainly comprises of Europeans, Omaha is also quite frequented.

Tournaments

Ladbrokes has a lot to offer in terms of tournaments and these include single table, multi-table tournaments, various free rolls, guaranteed tournaments and of course the satellites that allow you buy-ins to world poker tournaments. An exclusive tournament that takes place at Ladbrokes is the “Both Ends Tournament”, which rewards the winner as well as the loser 50% each from the prize money. There are several other tournaments that are introduced time and again, making your game play worthwhile.

Promotions

All players who play real money games earn Player Points for each game that they play. These points can either be exchanged for cash deposits to your account or used for buy-ins to tournaments. Also Ladbrokes offers the Leaderboard Tournament where the top 3,000 players get a cash reward which is distributed from a total amount of $1,000,000 every month. The money is distributed according to the ranking of the players after their earned points take them to their respective positions. The prize money can start at $20,000 for the topmost player and can come down to $50 to the last player on the leaderboard.

Payment and Withdrawal Options

The various deposit options include MasterCard, VISA, PayPal, Solo, Delta, Switch, Cheque and Bank Transfers. Withdrawal options include MasterCard, VISA, PayPal, Cheque and Wire Transfer.

Support

You can look up answers to your questions from the FAQ section, besides which you can contact the always-helpful staff via the toll free telephones or through the email service, which is as quick as the other services. The staff is available 24-hours a day to lend you their support. Also available is a chat facility that not only allows you to contact the support team but also interact with your fellow players.

The toughest thing in poker is  to have when you are short stacked is discipline. If you have been card dead and find yourself on the brink of elimination, you know you have to make a move, the question is when. A lot of players will look for any pocket pair and shove, but you have to be a bit more selective than that. Avoiding certain hands and certain situations is the key to giving yourself the best shot of making it through your all in hand.

When you are on full table with a lot of big stacks around you, you must avoid pushing with a small pocket pair. First off, there is a very good chance that someone else will have your 66 covered with a higher pocket pair in later position. The other thing you are probably going to be looking at is multiple callers. The more people call, the more odds the next person is getting to throw in their chips. Everyone likes to be in on a big pot, so you are just asking for trouble here.

The only time you should really consider shoving with a baby pocket pair is when you are in the cutoff or button position. You only have to get through 2 or three players at that point and it is worth the risk. If you have to try and beat anymore than that, you are giving yourself a very slim chance of survival.

The other reason that you do not want to push with this type of hand is because the possibilities of losing is endless. You are going in with baby cards and you are in danger as just about anyone calling you is not only going to have two live cards, but you are also in risk when the board pairs as you can get counterfeited. If we had a buck every time a small stack got booted out of a tournament because of this we would be rich.

Another hand that is deadly to go in with is A-rag. Again, you are in fear of the big stacks here and anyone with chips and an A is going to make this call. You are also going to get called with just about any pocket pair as well. If you go into the flop with only one live card, the rail is more than likely your next destination. No, you are much better off shoving with a hand like QJ than you are A2. You probably have two live cards there and are also opening yourself up to a straight draw.

The one thing that you have to remember when you are short stacked and shoving for your life is that even if you are behind going in, you want to have live drawing cards that can get you back ahead in the hand. A rag and small pocket pairs are just not worth the trouble. Take a second to think about what you can hit before you shove those chips in there.

You are sitting in the middle of the deal and you look down at AJ and you think you have a monster. You need to think again before you throw those chips into the middle of the poker table. You are sitting on a hand that has you set up for nothing but heartache. When you are sitting on AJ in middle position, let it go.

One of the biggest mistakes a lot of beginner players make is flat calling an early raise with AJ. The only time you really should do this in this spot is if you are suited. If you don’t hit your flush or are on a flush draw, you are in pretty bad shape even if the A hits. Now you are in a position where you may raise or call the hand down and still end up with a loser.

You are really going to have to know your table mates and be very careful if you are in after a raise. You have to look at the position because it dictates what kind of hands people are going to raise with. You have to know the player to decide if they are capable of playing any two cards or they are playing ABC poker. If they are a steady player and fire at the flop and turn, you are looking at a loser.

You are in an even worse scenario when the high card on the board is a J. You are pretty much obligated to play out the hand and once again, you could be starting down the barrel of a shotgun. Again, you are facing an early raise and other than the AK that may have made the raise, but you very well may be looking at AA, KK or QQ.

When you are in this spot and either raise or bet after a check, the move from the other player is going to be come back over the top of you. Now you are faced with a decision for your chips and you have to decide if you are going to put your faith in nothing more than JJ.

One thing a lot of players fail to register at this very moment is that they were coming in against a raise and then you were check raised. Before making a knee jerk bet, consider what just happened. You made a bet that basically told the other player that you had hit our jack. They have to figure you for AJ or KJs in your hand from the position that you made the original call from. They know what you have, it is a matter of you realizing what they have.

If they make a strong move over top of you, you can be all but assured that their original raise was with an over pair and they are playing against your emotions that you will automatically push back on their bet. It is the perfect trap and the only way that you can avoid it is by NOT playing AJ in the first place.

Playing more than one table at a time is something that a lot of beginning players may find intimidating, but it is something that you are going to have to do if you want to be a successful online poker player. If you keep popping from table to table, you are hurting your chances more than helping them. A lot of this also comes down to bankroll management and actually playing at tables that your bankroll can handle.

To get started, let’s assume that you are starting out with $100 in your account. If I asked a group of beginning players what level they would all play with this amount of money, most of them would probably say the $.50/$1.00 No Limit or the $1/$2 Limit tables. This is where the problem lies. Realistically, you should never be buying into a table with more than 5% of your total bankroll and to be playing at those levels, you are committing at least 50% of your bankroll to one table.

It may be a little painful to hear, but you really should be playing at the $.05/$.10 level with this kind of a bankroll. At this level, you are not only protecting your bankroll from being lost in one bad session, you are also able to multi-table and give yourself a realistic shot of making a profit in online poker.

With so many tables going and so many different players, the chances of you being able to pick one table out of all the ones that are available and win at it are slim to none. However, if you are playing on at least 4 tables at the same time, you can counter the variance and actually make a profit. If you don’t believe it, give it a try at the very lowest levels until you can get used to playing on multiple tables at the same time. Start with two tables, then keep adding one until you can do anywhere from 4-6 tables at the same time.

In addition to offsetting the variance, you are also more likely to play steady poker instead of trying to get cute. You learn to play the numbers and stop trying to make the moves that you see on television that just never seem to work for you. You may not make a huge profit at each session, but you will at least be making a profit instead of flushing your roll down the drain by playing at a limit you should not be at and putting it all on the line on one table.

Give it a try and see if it works. You are going to be pleasantly surprised at the results and can gradually work your way up in limits as both your bankroll and ability to play multiple tables improves. Remember, ABC poker goes a long way when you have 6 tables rocking at the same time.

	Basic Details
	Country of Origin	:	United Kingdom
	License	:	UK
	Year of Foundation	:	2005
	Software	:	Playtech
	Size	:
	Audited By	:	PWC
	Language	:	English, Spanish
	Accepts USA Players	:	No
	Bonus	:	$600

Paddy Power Poker

Paddy Power Poker was the brainchild of three Irish top class bookmakers, who joined hands in 1988, to establish the best poker-playing site in Ireland. Its popularity has grown over the years, and now extends to the UK as well, with real money players at the cash tables exceeding 10,000, while around 55,000 are involved in playing tournaments at peak hours. The company has got itself the name “The Punter Friendly Bookmaker”.

The Paddy Power Poker has an attractive website, complete with its emerald green tables and a brilliant software that can be maneuvered with ease. The software is updated on a regular basis to guarantee safety and uniformity. The software provides facilities of easy table sorting, live chat with a floor manager, pop-up reminders to tell you when a tourney sign-up is taking place, chat with fellow participants, personalization of avatars etc.

Their list of games include Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, 7 Card Stud, 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo and Badugi which is the latest passion in poker. Among this selection of games is the Omaha, which has been targeted towards the European clientele and has become a much-demanded game. The standard rake limit is 5% and you have the facility to start from anything as low as $0.02/$0.04 ranging up to $150/$300 in the fixed Limit version, while in No Limit it is between $10/$20.

This fabulous gaming website not only has a poker room, but also other non-poker pursuits such as, bingo, casino games, skill games, sports betting, auctions and mobile gaming. Hence poker play is not very strong, as players from these other games stray over to the poker room.

Paddy Power Poker has recently modified its bonus offers, where Generals can acquire a minimum of $500 along with other additional bonuses. This scheme will be beneficial for Captains, Majors and Colonels, who will be entitled to a lower qualifying criteria and a quicker build up of points, apart from the monthly cash bonus.

It is not very tough to get to the General level, which is the topmost rank in the Paddy Power Poker league. And so, whosoever reaches this level is entitled to an unlimited cash bonus. Besides getting a handsome $500 monthly cash bonus, every single General will receive a $100 bonus in lieu of every supplementary 12,000 PADDY POINTS produced in surplus of the general monthly qualifying criterion of 60,000 PADDY POINTS, with an earning limit reaching no bounds.

Paddy Power Poker also offers you a referral program where you can refer your friends and earn a bonus of $50 each, for five friends that you introduce to the site. Besides earning cash, you can get an entry to a free roll tournament and win hordes of electronic items and fat gear.

In summary, The Paddy Power Poker site is a unique gaming site, which opens a world of wonderful gaming experience to millions of poker enthusiasts all over the globe, right in to the comforts of their home.

Getting to any final table is a great accomplishment in poker. When you get down to the final three or four, the play can get difficult and the swing from first to third is still pretty dramatic. Regardless of the chip lead that you have, there are times that you have to start thinking about doing a chop and taking the safe way out to ensure that you don’t lose too much money with one mistake.

One situation where you may want to start to discuss a chop with the table is when you know you are overmatched. Let’s face it, some people just don’t have what it takes when it gets down to this amount of  poker players to make the moves that are necessary to take down the tournament. When you look around the table, even if you have the chip lead, and see that each of these players have been outplaying you all night long it is time to start talking.

As the chip leader, you are actually in the strongest position to discuss a chop. For those that are short stacked, the added income will usually be welcome and you are locking up a second place finish for the most part. In most cases, you will want to recommend a weighted chop that will allow you to get more money from the prize pool since you have the most chips. Make it reasonable and you will often find that the rest of the table will be receptive regardless of how good they are.

Another situation to consider chopping is when the blinds have started to dominate the stacks. You never want to be in a position where you are forced to be all in or close to it when the blinds start coming around. If the stacks are even, everyone else is probably thinking the same thing. Take the prize pool and divide it up evenly by the remaining player and let everyone walk with second place money. The swing is too great from first to third to take the chance that you will look down at 72 when the blinds hit your stack.

Some people will consider the thought of even thinking about chopping to be a sign of weakness. However, they have probably never walked away from a tournament after having a chip lead with a bad beat that sent them out in third place. If you have that happen once, your opinion of a chop changes.

Something else to consider if the table seems a little reluctant, but the chip counts are fairly even is to divide up the chips and leave a little extra for the winner. For instance, there are four people left and the prize pool has $11,000 in it. Everyone is even, but people still want that big payday. You can suggest to chop the pot to a four way split of $2,500 with an additional $1,000 going to the overall winner. Everyone agrees, play will loosen up because that fear of getting knocked out with the bottom pay is now gone. The winner still walks away with more money than everyone else and everyone is a winner. Sometimes chopping is not such a bad idea.

Folding hand after hand on a full table can get to a lot of players. The sheer boredom of waiting for cards to come can be a bit much for people and this is where the sloppy play starts to make its way into you game. If you want to see more action and be able to loosen up your play without paying so much of a penalty, you should try 6 man tables.

Shorthanded play is something that not many people are very good at. The reason for this is that when you are playing in a live casino, you are generally at a full table the entire time. Online poker offers you another option that cannot find in a brick and mortar casino and that is the shorthanded table.

When you are playing shorthanded, you have to be able to open up your play if you are going to be successful. AA, KK and AK are no longer needed to fire in a raise under the gun. With only 5 other players in the game and 2 of them on blinds, you now only have 3 other players to get buy before you can steal those blinds. In shorthanded play, AJs, A10s and middle pocket pairs become much more powerful in early position. These are hands that you are supposed to fold on a full table, now you are going to raise with them.

Having less people on a table also means that fewer people stand a chance to hit the flop. You will often see people make some incredible calls on short tables. The infamous, “how can you call with that kicker?” is a pretty popular rant from someone who is banging away at the pot with his KK and then he sees a A2 get flipped over and loses it.

If you are on a full table, calling down a raiser with middle pair is probably not an option. When you are playing short, you may actually want to make a move on the pot at this time unless the flop shows an A or a K. If you are sitting on 78s to flop of 10-7-3, you may very well be good if you are heads up. Can you even think of making this play on a full table?

Shorthanded play takes a lot of practice, but when you become proficient at it, you can add tons of cash to your bankroll. It will help you play better during those late night hours at the casino when people start heading out and it will also help you do better in tournaments when the field gets narrowed down and tables are constantly playing short. Loosen up your game and don’t be afraid to mix it up and watch the cash start to pile up.

	Basic Details
	Country of Origin	:	United Kingdom
	License	:	Malta
	Year of Foundation	:	2005
	Software	:	iPoker Network
	Language	:	English
	Bonus	:	100% Upto £100

Virgin Poker Review

Virgin Poker is another feather in the Virgin cap, with a successful release in 2005, the online gaming site has stolen the hearts of millions of poker enthusiasts. With a range of games to offers and the exciting loyalty points it has come to become one of the more frequented online poker websites. The simple to use iPoker network software allows an instant download and a straightaway gaming session. The menus are well displayed and easily accessible making it quite easy to locate the required information or the desired games. Virgin Poker has simplified everything for the players so that they can have a good poker playing experience. Unfortunately players from USA are not allowed to play at Virgin Poker due to the laws of their country prohibiting them from gambling online.

Games

Virgin Poker offers the regular poker games that are available at all poker-playing sites. These include Texas Holdem, Five Card Stud, Omaha and Five Card Draw. Tournaments include sit and go as well as multi-table tournaments besides which you can also attempt cash games. The games are easy to find, as you can merely click on the game and the limit you wish to play from the menu and you are immediately guided to the table. The graphics are fine and the speed of the game is good enough. There are a lot of players at the tables so there should be no problem finding a game you would like to play. Sadly, the only currency used at Virgin Poker is the EURO.

Tournaments

Virgin Poker offers a wide range of tournaments too such as the Virgin Roll Satellite Tournaments that are held every Tuesday and Thursday while a Monthly Tournament takes place on the final Sunday of the month. The Virgin Festival League is held each Monday and Tuesday that earn you league points. Two players who score the top most points are entitled to a seat at the Virgin Poker Festival. €250 is distributed evenly to the other ten scores while 20 top scorers are selected from each tournament and the four best scores of the players in a month are calculated as their final position for the league.

There is a guaranteed pot each month with a huge prize purse of €3,000,000 for a series of multi-table tournaments. Each day there are micro guarantee tournaments with low buy-ins and guaranteed pots of €50 and €100. Then there are the €1,000 free rolls for new players every Sunday apart from which Virgin Poker also holds €35 daily free rolls every evening.

Promotions

You can accumulate Virgin Points that can be exchanged for some really exciting prizes. There are prizes worth €5,000 to be won each month. Apart from this there are the Jackpot Sit and Go Tournaments with about €10,000 in cash prize and €250 for two of the highest-ranking players in six consecutive tournaments. Virgin Poker also has a €25,000 free roll tournament that is held on the final Tuesday of the month and is a reward for players who have participated in at least 1500 raked hands throughout the month.

Bonus

Virgin Poker presents new comers to the site an attractive 100% bonus of up to €100 when they sign up for an account. Besides it offers Poker Pal bonuses that include a whole array of bonuses and promotions that you can find listed in the poker pal menu. There are lots of lucrative bonuses that you can avail yourself of.

Support

If players need to contact the customer service, the support staff is available around the clock via telephone if there are immediate queries or else they could also use the email services.

Virgin Poker offers players all that they can ask for, excitement, fun and great rewards combined with a great online gaming experience. So, go ahead and try your luck and have an enjoyable time playing at Virgin Poker.