Calculating call EV: well now what we know basic terms it’s easy to calculate the call EV. EV(Call)=EV(Call and win) + EV(Call and loose =0.15 x 150 – 0.85 x 50= -20. this means in average every time you call you would lose twenty in average. This is bad, therefore making fold a better choice in this option.

Calculating the margin. For example if your opponents raise was 21.40, EV would be zero. While at first it might seem it’s the same what you do it is not, if you are playing defensively folding is better option, while if you are behind calling and hoping for some luck might be better.

Adjusting to complications. Above example is pretty simple, a real life game is very rarely so, you cannot factor in all the necessary data, not to mention you probably don’t have all the time in the world to calculate the exact EV.

On the other hand, this can be used to your advantage. For example even the option of betting further can be a huge advantage, and motivation to stay in the game as much as you can afford to, you never know when a possible monster hand (a very strong hand) might suddenly appear, and one card can make all the difference in the game. In this case you can easily go from having a low starting chance of winning the pot, and only following the game because it wasn’t too expensive, to taking precious chips from the player who had the advantage the whole time, and were counting on wining, and in the process putting a lot of money in the pot, even after it was obvious that you would take that round.

Therefore, as said before if you can afford it try to stay in every game as long as you can, when you drop out of many games because you are cheap on paying the initial bet, you lose on the chance to eventually win a much larger bet. Also every decision you make should reflect the current situation at the table, and what you expect of the game itself. As said before there are mathematical rules you can follow, which will of course raise the chance of winning, but there is something to be said about anticipating opponents moves and figuring out their patterns, without revealing your own, this is something not everyone has the feel for, but nevertheless it is something that is trained and honed through time and can be perfected with enough willpower and self-control.

Simple decision. Let’s say you are playing a game of Texas hold ‘em, with a hundred in the pot, your only opponent goes all in with his remaining fifty. Also let’s say you have A8 both of hearts, with four cards on the table: Q and 10 of hearts, 9 of spades, and 4 of diamonds. And so far what you can make out is, you are fairly certain your opponent has a three of a kind with at least 10s if not Qs.

Call or fold? Assuming you guessed his hands correctly we are going to compare your EV of folding with the EV of calling this bet.

Fold EV: EV for fold is always zero. You win nothing, but you lose nothing. This is a simple choice, you always know what’s going to happen when you fold, not much variations here.

Call EV: If you call, there are two possible outcomes, you will either get the flush and win the pot, or you will not. Let’s take a look at how this affects your stack.

Call and win: Let’s say you have a stack of thousand  with a hundred in the pot, your opponent raising fifty and your fifty calling it, which would put it to two hundred total. This means in case you win you have one thousand one hundred and fifty. The call on turn brought you a hundred and fifty, amount that was already there before your choice. Now let’s look at the chances of getting the card you want, if there are four hearts on the table, there are nine more in the deck, but if you get a flush and one of the cards pair, you will not win, as your opponent will have  full house. This means you only win if one of the following seven cards come up: K, J, 7, 6, 5, 3, and 2 of hearts. With four cards face down and four face up, that leaves another forty six cards in the deck, making your chances 7/46 or around fifteen percent.

Call and loose: Let’s say again you have a thousand in the stack, you call and you lose, you will be left with nine hundred fifty. And if there is a fifteen percent chance of winning that means there is a eighty five percent chance of losing.

Playing cautiously is a good way to make money in general, but if you win one euro, and it costs you four hours of hard and careful game-play, then it’s not really worth it. When you are playing a free-roll that attracts hundreds of different players, look to wait for your chance and strike strategically. If there are several players on the table who are always pushing all ins, then sit back and let them battle it out, wait for the situation to calm and the start going in more. The key to free tournaments is to increase your stack as much as possible at start, without risking  it on weaker cards. After that you should continue playing hard but aggressive, in order to accumulate more chips. In the last phases of the tournament you should try to play as hard as you can, your goal is to win money.

Coming back in free roll tournaments. When you realize that even after playing hard and aggressive you stack is still too small, you need to change your tactics. The mark of a great player is the ability to adapt, everyone can have a bad day and be unlucky, but they only real players can come back and still make an impact on the tournament. At this moment what you need to do is start playing passively and only play with best possible hands. Try waiting for something like TT to AA and then going all in before the flop. At the later stages of the tournament more and more players, even though those who have been playing aggressively from the start will try to play bit more closed, that is a good time to try to figure out which of these players aren’t there to win the tournament, but to win some money and apply the “raise or fold” tactics on them.

If you come to the final table and realize your stack is too little, there are only two things you can do, all in or fold, it really is that simple. If you have a decent pile, you can try playing more rounds and only betting on strong hands, maximizing your gain. If you have a strong stack then it is a good idea to challenge those players, whose stacks are smaller, with almost any good hand. When the players begin to leave the table make sure you raise and re-raise, never drag, unless in the middle position. Reaching the final table in free tournament may be hard, but it can result in getting some cash and not costing you anything other than your time.

If you are looking to imitate famous poker players with their nonchalant attitude, this is probably not a good game for you, you cannot act like them, while it is easy for them to be that way now, they didn’t start off like that, in fact very little separated them from where you are siting now. If you take a look at some of the people who have made real  and permanent money playing poker, you will notice they all have the ability to efficiently manage money. Wining in poker is not only how you play on the table, but how you play off it too. You will never see those waving cash bills around and bragging about how much they’ve won, doing that would just paint a bulls-eye on their foreheads, making them prime poker targets, and not in a good way. Strict control of your emotions and actions on the table and a tight control over your bank account when you are off it, are the key factors, if you are looking to make a living out of playing online poker. Balancing out your lifestyle is also very important for success, even if you are making a lot of money playing online poker, you don’t want to go and waste all that money on a some other activities or by gambling on other games.

Playing online poker full time means treating it like any other job, that means learning to control your bank account, on the table, as well as in real life, always keeping a saving, will minimize that chance of losing everything in the end. Always learn from every available source, especially other players, many people have done this and made their share of mistakes, become well informed and try to avoid as many as you can. And in the end always calculate, there are more ways to win money then by winning games, large factor are the bonuses some online casinos give, become a member on several sites and try to maximize these.

Always remember one thing, to be successful at poker, and win a solid amount of money, you do not have to be the best poker player in the world, you need to focus on yourself, practicing self-discipline and a correct way of thinking will give you a good chance of being better than most poker players out there, and in the end, that is more than enough.

Overplaying. This is also a quite common mistake for new poker players. A good player knows to fold even when it seems he might be at a marginal advantage. When you possess a marginally strong hand after the flop, a good player knows there are three options, he can win the current pot, which is quite small, he can maybe squeeze out a bit more from the other players, or he can bet big and either scare off everyone or risk the player that actually has a better hand to follow you probably losing all in the process.

Waiting on a dangerous talon. When waiting on a risky talon like a straight or a flush, after getting that card you should always bet more, don’t get that last card and then check, if you waited then use it and try to put more money in the pot. Though getting that card can sometimes mean bad news, there is nothing worse to playing a possible double talon (another player is waiting for something stronger), and then the cards fitting you both. Unless you can read the other player for sure, it is never a good idea to hope for the best.

How to adapt to this and make a correct decision? In short if all these complicating factors are working against you, you need to calculate do you have a large chance on wining to pot, as a reason to stay in the game. On the other hand if things are working for you, you might want to stay in it even if the chances of winning the pot aren’t that great at first look. One of the most common complications is when the betting is not over after your turn, which means you will have to adapt additionally. This can be a bad thing, it’s a tough decision when you call with  mediocre hand, and are forced to put more money in the pot to stay in game, even if your starting chances were good, they might not seem best now and it might be a good idea to cut your losses.

Illogical betting. If your bets give a clear image of how you are playing, then your opponents will never make mistakes, and you will never win, point of this game is not to win by having luck, it’s to maximize on other peoples mistakes. A lot of new players only consider one aspect of betting, ignoring all the rest, which results in their bets causing more harm to him then gain. Imagine having a decent hand on flop, let’s say two pairs, most players will think “I want people to call me, and I will bet small”. While it is always smart to make them put more money in the pot while you are ahead, if you bet too small, by doing that, you will make the players who hold almost nothing follow you, and end up with 7:1 chance on decent hand, this is not something you want to do, because there is a good chance of someone gaining a better hand later on. That’s why you need to also protect the pot maximizing your chances of winning. Another example is a player protecting the pot too obviously, for example getting a pair of aces before the flop and raising for ten times the large blind amount, this is a good way to just scare all the players away leaving you with nothing but the blind. As said this is not a game of luck and you cannot count on it, meaning you have to maximize every good hand you get, trick is to make players call after you raise, with a pair of aces even 7:1 you look good to win. The best move you can hope to make is to trick someone into going all in here, avoid going all in yourself, again to not scare them off.

Scared money. At every point of the game you have to be ready to force your opponents to go all in, or you, yourself be ready to do the same. A lot of new players play poker with relatively small amount of money behind them, and they play with the knowledge that they cannot lose it. This is called “scared money”, if you cannot or are not ready to part with everything you used to buy in, do not play poker, because experienced players will use this as a big advantage, you will be forced to making bad decisions to cut your losses. In order to play successfully you need to distance yourself from the money you used in for the buy in, you need to realize it is already gone, if you win anything it’s a plus but don’t count on it, do not play poker to win money, play it for quality.

The basic mechanic of the game is that each player receives two face down cards (hole cards), that only he can see, and five face up shared cards, that everyone can use, and the key is to make the best possible combination. Before the dealing starts, player left to the dealer puts in a blind bet (also known as the big blind), and the player left to him puts in half of that bet also to the pot (also known as the small blind), after the cards are dealt, as in regular poker, the one left to the dealer plays first, but since he is the one betting, it would be foolish to fold (since it does not cost him anything to keep playing for now), his most common options are check and raise. Then comes the player to his left, with his normal choices, except, if he chooses to follow, in which case he doesn’t need to pay the whole large blind amount, but only half of it, seeing as he has already put in the small blind. After the first betting round is completed, dealer draws three cards and puts them face up for everyone to see, those three cards anyone can use in their combination, those three cards are referred to as “the flop”, and they are considered to be the main part of this game, since usually after this player are aware of their capabilities and everything after is usually just a small variation. This is followed by another betting round, starting again with the most left player of the dealer still in the game. The fourth card is revealed again face up with the others, called “the turn”, followed by another round of betting, for those players still in the game.

Fifth and last card to be revealed is called “the river”, and then each player knows exactly his full hands, and all the possible hands they can expect from other players. After this is the last round of bets, when all bets are completed, if there are at least two or more players left in the game, all cards are revealed and this is called a showdown, of course in case that at any point only one player remains in the game, he automatically receives the pot and the next game is played, without showing of hands. The strongest hand takes the winnings, dealer button moves to the left, next big and small blinds are paid and the game continues.

Each player receives a hole card, that one is set face down and aside from that one card that is set face up on the table, which is followed by a round of betting. First bet is traditionally first player left of the dealer, however in the newer versions of five card stud, which are represented in online versions of the game all players bet the same amount pregame (ante), and then the person with the lowest face up cards is must bring in (which means pay half of the limit), which is usually the amount one third to one half of the small blind. After that, betting continues according to the standard poker rules.

After the whole round of betting all the remaining players (those who haven’t folded yet) receive another face up card, after which second round of betting occurs. After that betting round, same as before, all remaining players receive another face up card, followed by third betting round and a fourth face up card, of course again only for players who are still in the game. Fourth betting round is the final, and after that one all players turn their face down card so that everyone can see it, and the player with the best hand wins. In case only one player was left in the game and no one else chose to follow him, he automatically wins and has no obligation to show his card or to compare his hand to anyone else’s.

Five card draw is one of the oldest, if not the oldest variant of poker. It reached its peak during the nineteenth century, but at the beginning of twentieth it was partially forgotten due to other variants, such as the five card stud, seven card stud and the Texas hold ‘em. But the game partially returned to its fame in California during the seventies when Texas hold ‘em was banned. But after the ban was abolished it was almost completely taken out of professional poker play. Nevertheless, it remains one of the most beloved game for poker amateurs and home games, and therefore also lives in some online poker rooms.

Players set aside forced bets (ante) at the beginning of each round, and the dealer or croupier deals five cards to each player. Then the players proceed with a round one of betting. After every player, who hasn’t folded, starting on the player to the left of the dealer, and going clockwise, has a right to change between zero and five cards from his hands (in some amateur games, a player is allowed to keep an ace and switch four cards, or to switch three cards if he doesn’t hold any aces). After  the card switching, players begin another round of betting, starting again from the player to the left of the dealer (if he is still in the game, if not the first player to the left who is). After that betting the cards are all turned face up and the best hand wins.

Individual card strength. Ace (strongest card), King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (weakest card). Ace can be used as a 1 for the purposes of a scale: A,2,3,4,5. Individual card strength is only used in case no player has any other combination.

Colors have no particular strength, a diamond scale in same numbers as a heart scale is just as strong.

A hand is always consisted of five cards, in games where player has more than five cards available to him, best possible combination is taken into account.

The strength of the hand is determined first by the category, then by the strength of the cards themselves. Weakest combination in any category is stronger than any combinations in a weaker category. That means that any two pairs are stronger then the strongest possible pair.

Winning combinations (from strongest to weakest).

Straight flush. This is a combination that is in same time a scale and a flush. Straight flush from an Ace to 10 is referred to as a royal flush and is the strongest hand in poker.

Poker (four of a kind). Also known as a quad or quads, poker is having four cards of the same number, as in J-J-J-J-10. In draw and stud pokers no two players can have the same poker, but in community card games it is possible, and in that case fifth card is considered to be the tie breaker.

Full House (or simply full). When you have a three of a kind and a pair you say you have full house, e.g. 7-7-7-8-8. In case two players hold the same three of a kind, the player with the stronger pair wins, in case both are also identical, game is considered a draw and the pot is divided equally.

Flush. This is a combination of five cards in the same color. In case two players have a flush each of their cards is compared from highest to lowest to determine who has the strongest hand (Q,J,6,3,2 is stronger than Q,8,7,5,4). If both flushes are identical (the color itself is irrelevant), then the game is a draw.

Straight. A combination where all five cards are in a numerical order, colors are irrelevant. Strongest straight is A-K-Q-J-10, also known as Broadway, while the weakest one is 5-4-3-2-A, known as the wheel.

Threes (three of a kind). This is a combination of having three cards of the same number. (Without also holding a pair, that would be a full house then), 6-6-6-K-J. If two players hold the same threes then the fourth and fifth cards are considered.

Two pairs. Two pairs are considered any two separate pair combination (without being the same one, because that would be a poker). If two players both hold two pairs, first higher pairs are compared, then lowest, if they are still tied the fifth card is considered the key one.

Single pair. Any combination holding exactly one pair of cards, Q-10-7-7-4-3.

High card. In case a player doesn’t meet requirements for any other hand he is considered to automatically have a high card.

Before the game, one or more players are obligated to set the base bet, also called the pot. The pot can be either blind, first two players set it, or ante , which is a fee all players are obligated to pay, to create the base bet. The dealer shuffles the cards, cuts them and deals one card to each player in clockwise order, starting from the player next to him (or next to the one who holds the button). Cards are dealt either open (face up, so that everyone can see) or closed (face down, hidden), depending on the kind of poker. After the initial dealing starts the first round of betting, during the first round of betting, during which, players develop their hands, either by adding new cards, or substituting existing ones with some new cards. After each round all the bets are collected in the main pot.

After one players sets the bet, all other players are forced to either give up (fold), pay the bet (call) or pay the bet and increase it additionally (raise). If no players wish to pay the bet, the player who last set it wins, getting to take the whole pot, without having to show his cards to anyone, and next game begins. Winning the game, without showing your hand, is enabled by “bluffing”. Bluffing is a risky attempt to persuade an opponent that the bluffing player has a stronger hand than his, therefore bluffing enables weaker hands triumphing over strong ones, if the player with the weaker hand manage to convince the player with the stronger, that he in fact holds the stronger hand. If there are more than two players in the game, after all bets have been made, it is time for comparison where all players show their hands, and the strongest hand wins the pot.

Variants of poker

Draw poker – Each players gets five or more hidden cards, player can substitute (draw) one or more card(s) a certain number of times.

Stud poker – Player receives cards one by one, and some are visible to other players. The player cannot discard or replace his cards.

Community card poker – Each player receives a certain number of face down cards, and they combine it with shared face up cards, and combine the best hand.

Most popular poker games

Texas Holdem – every player gets two of his own and five shared cards

Five card stud – one face down and four face up cards

Seven card stud – three face down and four face up cards

Five card draw – five cards each, every player has a right to replace his cards once

Omaha – a version of Texas Holdem where a player gets two more cards then in the original