Talent Agency 411

Eating at the Table Etiquette

February 18th, 2010

Unlike in online poker I kind of hate seeing players eat at the table during a live poker game. Not only does it slow the action down most often, but there’s something unsanitary about it it makes my skin crawl. Poker chips, like all money, are passed from hand to hand constantly, getting rubbed against anything else anybody happened to touch. To want to eat while handling cards and money at the same time seems to me about as unappetizing as watching a dog roll around in his own filth.

If you are just so embedded in the online poker action at your table that you can’t bear to step away for a couple rounds to go sit down at the buffet and grab a bite, being careful to keep the cards and chips and table clean is a huge consideration. Not only for your own bacterial safety (maybe you are less effete than I am, bless you), but out of respect for your opponents. Nobody wants to get dealt two cards slathered in the grease off of your fried chicken. What would your mother think? Have some common courtesy, and think of what if it were you.

Oh, and don’t chew with your mouthful. It’s a nasty habit. Thanks. Stick to playing poker online.

Stay out of the River

December 14th, 2009

Having the big stack at the online poker table is a great position for any poker player. You’ve got enough chips to bully your opponents, you can set the blinds whenever you want, and you have enough chips to sit back and let the rest of the table beat up on each other for a while. Despite all of its advantages, being the big stack is not an invincible position. Remember, having the most poker chips at the table means everyone else there is gunning for you. It’s not uncommon to find your big stack decimated after a few unwise plays. One of the best ways to hang on to your stack is to not let it go to the river. If your opponents are happy to play to the river with you (the big stack), it usually means that they’ve already made or are drawing a hand that they’re willing to go all in with. If you want to keep your stack, you need to keep them from seeing the river. Try to win as many pots as you can before the flop comes out. If you see weakness, use your stack power to buy up the blinds, and if you think that you’ve got a winning hand on the flop or turn, use as many chips as you need to prevent the next card from coming out. Unless your hand absolutely can’t be beaten, try to win the hand before the river to prevent your opponents from drawing out on you.

Sometimes It’s Good to Gamble

December 3rd, 2009

A lot of people love to play poker because they enjoy risking money, but don’t like the sheer gamble of house games like roulette or craps. One of the beautiful elements of poker online is that you are still putting money on the line, but to a large extent control your own destiny, including skill more than most any other type of gambling (to the point that many people would say poker isn’t a gamble, it’s a game).

Because of this random element, frequently in play you will find yourself where you have the option to gamble your money on coin flips or with big draws against big hands, much like those aforementioned house games. Though ultimately poker online is less about these kinds of situations and more about putting yourself in spots with better odds, sometimes gambling pays off.

If you have a large stack, have good odds, and can afford a hit in a hand without it bothering you at all, taking more gambling spots in a session might escalate your winnings to even further levels. Though you never want to abandon the fundamentals that got you where you are, pushing through basics to taking chances on big draws when you can afford it can turn a moderately winning night into a real landslide.

Poker Tells via the Eyes

November 4th, 2009

Commonly the eyes are known as the “window to the soul,” and thus, in poker, can be a great indicator of how strong or weak an opponent is in a hand of poker. While reading the body provides a wealth of information about where a player stands, it is the eyes perhaps that are the most clear pathways to getting down to the bottom line.

In general, the common poker belief that “if a player acts strong, he’s weak, and if he acts weak, he’s strong” is valuably interpreted in how they use their eyes. An average player who stares you down after making a big bet is often reliably weak, and wants to intimidate you with the stare down.

On the other hand, an online poker player who looks sheepish or won’t look at you head on might be more likely to have a bigger hand, as he is hoping he can convince you he is a sheep ready to be slaughtered, when in actuality he is ready to chew you up and spit you out.

Beyond all of this direct interpretation, just looking straight into a player’s eyes can register a gut feeling of where you’re at. Take a deeper look. Learn to trust your read when you play online poker.

Developing Bowler’s Trusted Resource, the Local Bowling pro Shop

July 23rd, 2009

Here at the bowling center I usually find an occasional bowler willing to take on your neighborhood bowling league competitively for the first time. When bowling is your situation, this moment is key time in your development as a dedicated bowler. Read carefuly, ’cause our bowling pro shop’s “Next Steps” handbook to A Bowler’s Development shouldn’t be ignored. The guys at a local bowling pro shop want you to uncover bowling skills. There’s an old bowling adage, aim the balls at the pins and let them roll. I kid. Fine, if only it were that simple. No worry, our bowling experts make sure you’re rolling the bowling ball correctly.

You’ll definitely want to buy your own properly-fitted a personalized bowling ball, which will do wonders! It’s not a sales pitch, it actually matters. I promise, get your private ball fitted, and you’ll never go back. A carefully fitted bowling ball can make a substantial improvement in your game. It’s also important you’re enjoying quality bowling shoes which provide solid footing on the approach.

If you may have previous purchased the right supplies, listen to the second best bowling tip: how to aim. If you face the pins, don’t necessarily roll the ball at the actual pins. Aim for the the arrows like a gunsight. Ever noticed them? You’ll find it more effective to roll through a an aid marker which sits closer. To get the most out of your aim, double check to see stand in the same position 4 steps from the foul line on every attempt. Only then you can adjust your marksmanship.

As for massive hooks on the ball, to achieve specific action on the pins? That’s our bowling tip #3. They get traction with the their expensive reactive resin balls. A lot of professional bowlers pack several types of bowling balls to get aggressive pin action, according to many factors. But greenhorns might want to keep it simple, and steer clear of a ball that is too heavy for you. Some avid bowlers use bowling balls with synthetic surface. But these special-made balls might make even some well known talents look like they don’t know what they’re doing. That’s our first 3 bowling tips. A pro from our bowling shop will return in the August edition.

Thanks, Edward Hundley

I roll strikes for our team (the “Strykers”) for the operation at our marketing business near Las Vegas. I dispense guidance to beginning bowlers at my blog and at the bowling center. Lastly, I want to say hi to our crew back home. Best of luck.

Seven Card Stud: Beware of the Bull

June 11th, 2009

Seven card stud poker online plays have a unique set of slang terms that apply only to their unique form of poker online. One of the most popular terms is to refer to aggressive players as “bulls”. This metaphor is further elaborated by a comparison of conservative players to “bears”.

Let’s talk about the seven card stud poker bull. First of all the bull is characterized by an almost careless disregard of tradition poker playing rules. Bulls often push the stakes up to unreasonably high levels, forcing the other players at the table to either fold or bet more than they had bargained on. It is all about perception to the bull, so he may intentionally try to project the aura of a bold poker player. These are the kinds of players that you see at the table with sunglasses and hats to look like the pros. It can be an unpleasant experience to be at a table with a bull because of their aggressive tactics, but you can use some type casting to your advantage. Take advantage of the foolhardy tendencies of the bull to lure them into a high stakes game that you can win. When playing against a bull, you need strong hole cards in seven card stud. Strong cards that are not able to be seen will kick your game up a notch so that you can take down the braggart bull.

Is Your Poker Bonus a Scam?

February 27th, 2009

I don’t know about you, but I find some of the poker welcome bonuses out there a little suspicious. I’m cautious enough about handing over my hard earned money to any online casino, but when a website says that it will match a deposit 300% I sense a scam. I recently came across a casino that was touting a welcome bonus well over the 200% mark. I was curious, so I looked around on the internet to see what I could find out about this too good to be true offer. Best thing I ever did because the customer forum was full of complaints against unfilled bonus promises and poor customer service. I’m glad that I was one less person to get taken in by the scam.

If you are thinking of joining an online casino with a high welcome poker bonus, make sure you look around first. You owe it to yourself to ensure that you are not handing your money over to a scam artist. Normally you can find customer reviews of the casino through a quick internet search if the site itself does not host an online community forum. And even if it does host a forum, unflattering comments may be removed from the message boards. Investigate the situation so that you don’t get scammed out of a poker welcome bonus.

Poker Reputation

December 23rd, 2008

Your reputation in the poker community is important, and being an upstanding person of character will yield far more long run returns than short run losses. Being fair and just in all of your actions and transactions will build your credit in a community where having working relationships and rapport with other players will positively effect your game and your results. Online poker has brought about a whole new code of etiquette pertaining to poker. Collusion and other forms of cheating have become much more commonplace due to the ease and anonymity provided by the Internet. Players can easily talk on the phone or through instant messenger on their computers to share hole cards and team up against other players. This can occur in both ring games as well as tournaments. These are clear cut cases of cheating, and there is no argument pertaining to these infractions. However, there are other cases of etiquette that aren’t so clear-cut.

High stakes follows a different code of conduct, as many of the players know each other, and wish to keep a good relationship with each other so as to continue to get action from one another. If one poker player disconnects, the other will time down to allow the other to reconnect. In some circumstances, the other player will send back half the pot. However, do not expect this kind of conduct from lower stakes players. If you wish to do this against a regular you know, he may note your upstanding conduct, and extend you the same friendliness in the future. Doing your best to protect your own best interests but at the same time being fair to those you play with will foster a great game environment to play in, and will keep the game going around you for a long time.

Playing Poker for Fun

November 19th, 2008

Every time I play blackjack or poker I’ll see some college kids or tourists who have never played sit at a table with a few bucks. They’ll play for a bit-hit, stay, maybe a double-down or two, then their money is gone and they go home with a story to tell. They played for fun, didn’t care if they won or lost, and if they had a good time, that’s great. Heck, that kid was me for a while. There’s no problem starting out this way, but eventually it will get old and losing your poker money will stop being fun. If fact, you can have a good time while you win money! Go figure… It’s all a question of attitude. Once you’ve learned the game, it’s good to plan on winning, rather than “seeing how long my money lasts”. Honestly, that’s how I gauged my success-not by how much I won, but by how long it took me to lose my bankroll. Ouch. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy-if you plan to lose, you probably won’t be winning. If you plan to win, however, at least you’re giving yourself a chance. Come with a strategy in mind, and be ready to take home some extra cash. And I’m not saying that you should freak out if you do lose your bankroll, you should be aware that it’s at risk when you gamble. I’m just saying you shouldn’t be willing to throw your money away, especially if there’s an alternative. So play for fun every time you play, whether its blackjack in the casino or even online poker at home-just play to win at the same time.

Feeding Your Pocket Sugar Glider

July 10th, 2008

A pocket sugar glider is an adorable little creature that can make the perfect pet for you. They are small, fun to play with, and once you have bonded with them, they can be very friendly. Like any other pets, you should always take care of them in order to keep them healthy. Food is one of the most important issues that you should pay attention to. You should always make sure that your pocket sugar glider consumes the right food so it will stay healthy.

First of all, you need to know that sugar gliders are omnivorous creatures. They will eat virtually anything that you give them. So, you need to make sure that your pocket sugar glider does not eat the wrong food.

The most important thing is to give your pocket sugar glider the proper nutrition. Sugar gliders only need three basic types of nutrition. They are proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables and some supplements. Once you can supply your pocket sugar glider with these three types of basic nutrition, they are most likely to stay healthy.

The best food for pocket sugar gliders consists of at least 75% fruits, berries and other plants. They need all of these fruits and vegetables as their main and core foods. For the rest 25%, you can feed them with live insects, baby birds, bird eggs and other small animals.

Live insects can be found in pet shops; however, you may need to put forth some effort to find other types of fresh meat.

However, if your sugar glider eats too much fresh meat, it could develop a musky odor. Other kinds of food that you can feed your sugar glider include scrambled or hard boiled eggs and tofu. These will cover their basic needs for protein.

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