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New Poker Endurance Record Last year we wrote about Paul Zimbler playing online poker for 72 hours straight, playing into delerium to set the world record for most consecutive hours played. Well, that record has been shattered by hours. Phil Laak decided that if he was going to break the record, he might as well really break itnot by seconds or minutes but by hours. In June of 2010 he played for a solid 115 hours. Like Zimbler, Laak used charity as an incentive to keep playing. Zimbler raised over £30,000 for charity when he played, and Laak pleged to donate 50% of his winnings to charity after his ironman online poker run. Laak was playing at the 10/20 stakes at the Bellagio and his reactions were strange to say the least. Updatiing those following him via Twitter, Laak wondered why he wasn’t “hallucinating yet.” Definitely odd considering that most people do everything they can to stay alert and aware when they’re playing poker. Upon the breaking of the record, several fans arrived to cheer him on to which Laak calmly stated, “There’s a new sicko in town.” Masochist is more like it. But he wasn’t finished. Originally planning on staying for only 80 hours (did I really just say “only”?), Laak kept it up past the 80 hour mark saying that 90 was the new 80. As his mental faculties began to take some serious decline from the lack of sleep, he did have quite the entertaining blog post around the 100 hour mark. “my team is becoming thinner as they must leave…must run solo op…yes I think I can…it is all good…the boat will be sinking and I will be running the bilge pumps…” I think he finally got his hallucinations. And in true online poker player fashion, called it a night/day at hour 115 and hit the sack. 12 hours of sleep later, he was back on the interwebs, this time tweeting, “Woke up- had 2 bowls of cereal, then as an afterthought a ham sandwich. Thinking about going to play 10/20 at the Bellagio.” While Laak only pledged half his winnings, which was about $3,000 to the charity, he ended up sending the whole 6k, along with donations from his supporters. The funds went to Camp Sunshine, a summer camp for children with life threatening illnesses.

I used to have a lot of trouble when it came to playing against new poker players. A big part of my game is bluffing players off of their hands, and most newbies are so stoked to be playing that they’ll call you all the way to the river with middle pair. Normally, I wouldn’t complain, but I have a tendency to bet with poker hands of significantly lesser value than middle pair, and there are few things less fun than losing a good chunk of your stack against a guy who doesn’t know enough to fold to a big raise with nothing better than Ace-high.

The key to taking down a new player who won’t fold is the same as it is with any other player-just use his habits against him. If you’ve got a player who won’t fold to you, don’t waste time and chips by trying to bluff him off of a hand. Wait until you’ve got a hand worth playing and then use his eagerness to call bets to fatten the pot. And don’t worry about playing the nuts-since newbies have a tendency to overvalue their hands, you can usually cripple one with hands like two pair. Keep it in mind when you’re playing poker online.

The Problem with Poker Humor I have played poker online at some table that like to have fun. These are the kind of tables that take place in the iconic guys’ poker night, full of laughing, joking, and great stories. These lively stories are excellent example of poker humor that works. I wish I could say that all poker humor panned out so well. The uncomfortable truth is that most poker humor simply falls flat on the table. Poker humor tends to be especially disappointing at casinos, the one place where it would seem logical to assume that people could bond over their shared interest. There are a lot of problems with casino poker humor, but the most disturbing is audience. At a casino, you don’t know the people across the table. This means that the joke that had your buddies in stitches last week may not work with this audience. There is always the potential for a joke to fail to amuse, or worse- to offend, someone who have just met. Humor at the poker table is a matter of trying to make a mutually shared interested the subject of a joke. In my experience, I have found that people wagering large amounts of money are rarely in the mood to joke.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.