One of the best places for poker on the east coast is Atlantic City, in New Jersey. Since casino gambling is legal in Atlantic City, there are a wide variety of casinos located there, and hence, a wide variety of poker rooms. Due to the poker boom, almost all of the casinos have some kind of poker, but there are a few big names you should know.

The Taj Mahal was the first casino to bring large scale poker to Atlantic City, so they are way ahead of the game. They have the largest poker room in Atlantic City, with about 50 tables for Stud, Omaha, and Hold’em. They also feature frequent tournaments, including the United States Poker Championship. There are plenty of games available for players of all levels. Be sure to register for a Taj Card, as you will need it to play tournaments. The Borgata is the new kid on the Atlantic City poker block. The Borgata has a beautiful poker room with over thirty tables for Stud, Hold’em and Omaha at a variety of limits. They have an electronic tracking system which keeps track of where you are in line to get a game, and this queue is displayed prominently for easy view by the players. The Borgata hosts tournaments as well, including the WPT Borgata Poker Open.
2. West Coast Poker Rooms

On the west coast, the biggest concentration of casinos can be found in Las Vegas, Nevada. Las Vegas is where most of the great poker players live and play, and the home of the World Series of Poker. Here are some of the big Las Vegas poker rooms.

For years, the Bellagio has been the jewel in the casino poker crown. Two World Poker events are held there, including the World Poker Tour championship. The legendary “Big Game” which attracts the best players in the world, is held at the Bellagio. This room is not just for high rollers though. There are plenty of tables for a wide range of limits and games. There are also frequent tournaments as well as satellites to major WPT events. As the Borgata is to the Taj Mahal, the Venetian is to Bellagio. A brand new room meant to cater to the discriminating poker player, the Venetian poker room offers nearly 40 tables, with food service, multiple plasma televisions, and a separate high stakes area. They have a variety of tournaments and games and limits for every type of player.

New Jersey and Nevada aren’t the only places with poker rooms. Great poker rooms can be found in places like California (such as the Commerce and Bicycle Casinos) and Connecticut (Foxwoods) among others. While you should keep your eye out for poker rooms in your area, the ones listed above are a great way to get started. Have fun and good luck!

Things are changing for the Mac poker room user

As an avid poker fan, you probably have a desire to be an avid poker player. The Internet will offer you a vast sea of choices, and before you begin to worry about creating a budget for your gaming, realize that you can get in the action online without spending one cent. The best sites offer poker play for free, so you can use pretend money while honing your new skills.

If you have enjoyed watching the tournament play on TV, then you are probably most familiar with No Limit Texas Hold ‘em. However, the best online poker rooms offer a variety of games, and the opportunity to play them for free against live players allows you to broaden your poker horizons. Whether you like or would like to try the Omaha varieties, 7 card varieties or 5 Card Draw, you should have no problem finding a table to work your skills.

One of the most valuable resources in regards to finding online poker action is the popular site, Pokerlistings.com. Probably the most comprehensive poker site available on the Internet, you’ll find detailed breakdowns of all the top sites, as well as direct links with bonus offers. If you want to learn a game, you’ll find rules and regulations. And if you want to catch up on what’s happening in the world of the WSOP, they’ve got your direct connection; Pokerlistings.com is truly a resource that any potential online poker player should be familiar with.

In regards to getting into the action, consider what you want most to do. Are you a particular fan of a certain player? If so, you’ll probably find that most of the high profile pros either endorse their own site, or are on a team sponsored by another. If it’s Joe Hachem, Greg Raymer or Chris Moneymaker at Poker Stars (www.pokerstars.com); Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, Phil Gordon and several others prolific names at Full Tilt Poker (www.fulltiltpoker.com); or the incomparable Doyle Brunson at his own Doyle’s Room (www.doylesroom.com), you will find a fit and find yourself deep in quality poker action.

Pokerlistings.com will be invaluable in your search for the perfect fit, and you’ll find nice bonus offers when you surf over from many of their direct links. Checking back often will alert you to the best promos available at the hottest rooms, so you can always check out some fresh faces and new action at any number of quality poker rooms. Bottom line, what are you waiting for? In less than 10 minutes you can have some cards in front of you; go get into that action!

Below is a list for no-limit Texas hold’em tournaments.

Thumb: The first question is whether you want to play a big pot or a small pot and this will completely depend upon your cards. In tournaments, you generally prefer to reduce your variance as much possible. Typically, you are not looking for a few massive confrontations in which you have a small edge, rather you prefer many small confrontations in which you can control your outcome. You only want a big confrontation if you have a big edge (say, 60-40).

Index finger: The next thing that needs to be judged is the cards your opponent has. You must not be content at having good cards, but must consider what range of cards he might have. You must try and understand his betting pattern, telltale outward signs and shows of emotions that might tend to flicker across his face. You can even put him on a specific hand, although, this is sometimes not considered prudent. It is better to play off against a “range of possible hands.”

Middle finger: Knowing your opponent’s move – Some players will never fold top pair. In that case, even though you have 15 outs with your straight and flush draw, and you are the favorite over his A-K with a king on the flop, you should not move all in. Mainly because you “know” he will not fold and you do not want to get all of your chips in without a big edge. Alternatively, some players will fold everything. Against a player like this, you could consider bluffing every single chance you get and might manage to see massive profits.

Ring finger: Wrong assessment of the opponent and his hand. Thus even if you have the best hand, the consequences of being wrong and misjudging are just too great. If there is a doubt in your mind, take the safe route out.

Pinky finger: Going blank. Sometimes, one’s mind goes completely blank, and you tend to play like a fool. All of his moves scream aces and everything in the player’s mind is screaming fold. Yet, with J-J on a flop of T-7-2, the player announces, “Call,” and shoves in all the chips. The mind has gone blank and with no apparent reason. The pinky finger reminds you of this disaster.



Omaha Holdem is similar to the Texas Hold’em where each player receives four individual cards and shares five community cards. It is popularly played as an eight-or-better high-low split. However it can be played high only where then it will be played with pot limit betting.

Pineapple Holdem – Crazy Pineapple is an in-between of the previous two. Here players are dealt three cards which they must combine with five community cards. The one exception to the Texas and Omaha is that Pineapple requires players to discard one of three cards at some point. Very often, this game is played High Low Split.

Stud – Seven Card Stud is the most popular casino Stud type, whereas Seven Card Stud Eight or Better is the most popular game for tournaments. There are many variations of this game but over the years, Stud has seen a steady decline in popularity in casinos as compared to community card games. Eight or Better, or Stud8, is the most common form of HiLo Stud, but High-Low Declare is played more popularly in home games. In casinos, sometimes “Q” is played: High Low, no qualifier.

HORSE (Holdem-Omaha-Razz-Eight or Better Stud), HOE (Holdem-Omaha-Eight or Better) and OE (Omaha8-Stud8) are common combination variations played at high limits and used to keep single game specialists at bay.

Draw Poker – It is the most popular and basic games of all. However it requires immense skill and average to bad players find it hard to compete in it. Due to this factor, it is now seeing a steady decline in casinos. The variants in the game are Jacks or Better where you must have at least a pair of jacks or better before you can open a pot before the draw.

Lowball is the opposite of Draw High where the lowest hand wins. Aces play low, so the best hand possible is a five-high “wheel”: 5432A. Deuce to Seven Draw is a Lowball variation where straights and flushes count and aces are high, making 75432 the best possible hand. 2 to 7 is usually played with No Limit betting. Both forms of Lowball are hardly played nowadays. But in places where they are found, they are often played in the Triple Draw format, where instead of the traditional one, three draws and consequently more rounds of betting action occurs.

Non-Poker Casino Games – Caribbean Stud, Let It Ride and Pai Gow Poker are casino games but not necessarily poker games. They are played against the house with only some of the poker features. Similarly, video poker is a slot machine game with a poker element. Chinese Poker is more poker-like since players do have an option to surrender.

Almost all poker games can be played with either Limit, Spread Limit, Pot Limit or No Limit. Limit betting has fixed bets. Spread Limit has fixed bets within a range. In Pot Limit you can bet up to the pot size and in No Limit you can bet all the chips in front of you.

You must remember that poker is not like craps. In craps you can bet the pass line, take odds, have the shooter hit the point and will have tripled your money. But this is a short lived success and eventually the longer you sit, the more money you will be giving back to the casino. Always tempted for more, very few people cash out after a win. However, if the player were to win a nice pot and move on to a poker room or a sports book armed with a good knowledge of the game that would be a sound decision. Leaving the craps table after a good score makes sense, but leaving the poker table after that big score isn’t a winning play. In poker you are playing against other players and though the odds of hitting a hand will stay the same there are other several factors that change in poker, the main one being aware of your opponents and their game well. In the case of a hit-and-run strategy, this won’t be possible and you can end up making costly mistakes. It is one thing to leave if another table opens up or if the game has become too aggressive for you. Or, if you are only in it to make a quick buck and if you are ahead then leave. But otherwise do not settle for a quick score, allow yourself the time and maximize your profits.

Poker is a game of patience – waiting for the good cards and playing the hand right when they came. But what happens if the good cards do not come or when your opponent has better cards? If you feel the need to stay until what’s in your pocket is gone or because you feel you have to leave ahead you will be a loser. A session will have many ups and downs, especially if you are a split-pot game player, and definitely if you play no-limit holdem cash games. In some you win and others you lose. A disciplined player will leave when he has exhausted his limit or when he no longer feels comfortable in the game.

Remember time is your friend and not your enemy. Some players not only adopt a hit-and-run strategy, but commit themselves into playing for a specific time limit. This can be alright in some instances. But if you find yourself sitting down when you are up against the clock, not allowing yourself to dedicate time to the game, then it is against better judgment. You may over play a marginal hand to build up the pot or may start playing stupidly just to get lucky in the few minutes that you have allotted yourself. If you continue to play with little time to spare, you might end up making mistakes. Try and play when time is not a constraint, focus on the game and no the time.

We often see the poker bug hitting us at inopportune times especially when we are against the clock resulting in us playing the hit and run strategy more often than we would like. At times like this, when you simple do not have the time, play smaller stakes, like playing half the limits that you are used to. By virtue of your swings being smaller the lower stakes will offset the other disadvantages of hit-and-run.

Hit and run strategy is okay to play when you are a disciplined player Just be careful, and use common sense. Hit-and-run is the exception and not the norm. Do not be fooled by some short-term wins. Real money is however, being made when you are in a serious long term relationship where you get to know your opponents, devote time to the game and take advantages of the opportunities that present themselves. Leave when want to and not when you are forced to.

OmahaHoldem is a derivative of the Texas Hold’em where each player gets four personal cards and shares five community cards. It is typically played eight-or-better high-low split. When it is played high only there is pot limit betting.

Crazy Pineapple is in between Omaha and Texas Holdem poker games where players are dealt three cards which they combine with the five community cards. The excepetion here is that Pineapple requires players to discard one of three cards at some point. Usually this occurs after the flop (Crazy Pineapple), but it can also occur before the flop (“regular” Pineapple). More often than not the game is played High Low Split. Pineapple is also known as “Watermelon” (spitting out the seeds).

Stud – Amongst the many variations of the game known as Stud, Seven Card Stud is the most popular whereas Seven Card Stud Eight or Better is the most popular in tournaments. Although it is a very well liked and common game, it is losing popularity in casinos to community card games. Eight or Better, or Stud8, is the most common form of HiLo Stud, but High-Low Declare is common in home games. In casinos, sometimes “Q” is played: High Low, no qualifier. 5 Card Stud is another game on shaky grounds in casinos. It requires skills and bad players lose fast. A few games can be found online however. Stripped deck Mexican Stud is a fairly popular game when a casino offers it. In the few places where it is played, Sonora, no limit five card stud, is also quite well known.

Mac Users No Longer the Under-dog

Since Mac users are not in the majority, they have had to suffer. When it comes to online poker, they have had to suffer well. Many and most online poker rooms do not offer software that is adaptable for Mac users. This is changing lately as technology and market share are finally catching up to the little Mac user that could.

In the past, and still today to an extent, for a Mac player to get into a poker room they’ve had to scour the Internet for a home, or go out and buy emulator programs that allowed them to adapt to the PC world. The good news is that yes, there are poker rooms where the Mac user is welcome and there are sites dedicated to helping the Mac user find such a room. A quick Internet search will guide the Mac user to where they need to go.

Mac Poker Rooms Are Out There

There are three ways for a Mac user to get into a poker room.

Some online poker rooms have no-download versions that are adaptable with Macs. This type of software typically runs with Java but can also run with Flash. Some rooms that have no-download versions adaptable with Macs include Poker Room and Pacific Poker.

Other online poker rooms have downloadable versions available for Mac users. The most popular version due to player volume and good signup bonuses is Full Tilt.

The latest good news for the Mac user is that Party Poker has recently and rather quietly launched a new no-download version of their software compatible for the Mac user, allowing the neglected player the opportunity to join the biggest poker network in the world, with over 17 million users.

Most online poker rooms are adaptable to Mac users with emulator programs. If a Mac user really wants to play in one of the more popular poker rooms, they would have to have an emulator program, but again, things are changing for the Mac user.

Many Mac players feel they are forgotten about in regards to online poker play. While it is true that your options aren’t as plentiful as that of a PC user, you have some of the top quality at your finger tips. Being able to surf the web allows you to hit sites such as PokerListings.com and take a lot of the work out of your search. Finding a specialty site such as PokerListings allows for you to actually enjoy the content presented. Opposed to the keyword search in an engine where you have to sift through blog entries that hold no bearing on what you’re looking for.

PokerListings will offer you concise information on the available Mac sites, while being thorough and breaking down each site; analyzing its strengths and weaknesses. To find the list of top Mac poker rooms simply use the search tool at the top of the PokerListings homepage: “Find best poker room.” Slide down the list to Mac and Linux rooms and you’ll find yourself at the doorstep! Consider some of these top sites as the best, but remember you can use the review to see what best suits your game and style of play!

Pacific Poker (www.pacificpoker.com) offers some of the best soft competition at low stakes tables. For an experienced player this is more than an invitation, it is a must. You can find decent player volume at peak playing hours and action in form of tournament play and ring games.

Poker Stars (www.pokerstars.com) offers the very best in online tournament action! If you are a tournament player, then hands down, this is probably the site for you. However, if tournament play isn’t necessarily what excites you, how about packed tables at the ring games? Whatever you want to find in a game, you can find it at Poker Stars. Quite possibly the most popular site for poker play, it serves as the online home to Chris Moneymaker, Joe Hachem and Greg Raymer.

Full Tilt Poker (www.fulltiltpoker.com) became the leader in Mac play with an effort dedicated to quality play for Mac users. You’ll find action incredibly hot at peak playing hours, whether you want in a tournament or ring game. Another site endorsed by the professional ranks, Team Full Tilt boasts 20 of the world’s top pros. Phil Ivey, John Juanda, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson among many others consider this Mac quality site home.

Again, your best will be as individual as you are. The great thing about the sites listed and the others found at PokerListings.com is that you can’t go wrong playing at any one of them. And that may be exactly what you want to do; play them all!