When to Move Up in Stakes

One of the concerns that I frequently hear, especially among small stakes poker players, is when and how to move up to a bigger game. How do you know if you are ready to move up to a bigger poker game or not? The simply answer is to move up when your bankroll is big enough, and move down when your bankroll is too small. But there are more things to consider besides just the size of your bankroll.

Are You Winning?

There’s really only one way to know. You must keep track, down to the dollar (pound, euro, yen, peso, or yuan will do too), of how much you win and how much you lose in each poker session. If you’re playing online then be sure to use poker tracking software – because statistics will not only let you know where your strengths and weakness are in your game, they will assist in your decision of what games to play and when to move up to the next level. By reviewing your playing history you’ll be able to see how you are doing per hour and per big blind or buy-in size. poker lenses

Win Rates and Return-on-Investment

In cash games your win rate is generally the number of big bets per hour for limit poker and big blinds per 100 hands for no-limit hold’em. Let’s suppose you’ve played 20,000 hands of $25NL ($0.10 / $0.25 blinds) and have made a profit of $2,000. Your win rate would be 6.66 bb/100 – that’s $1.66 per 100 hands ($0.25 * 6.66). Your hourly rate would depend on how many hands you play per hour – playing 500 hands per hour or more across multiple tables is not uncommon for online poker players.

If you’re a tournament or SNG player then you should look at your return-on-investment (ROI). ROI refers to the net profit you’ve earned playing poker. Divide any profit by the gross amount you’ve invested and multiplied by the number of games you’ve played. A ROI of 0% would indicate that you’re breaking even. Let’s suppose you’ve played a 1,000 of your favourite $10 SNG’s, spending $10,000 in the process. Over this period of games you’ve made a profit of $1,500, meaning your ROI would be 15%.

Hopefully you’re win rate or ROI is positive because if you’re not beating your current game then, most of the time, it’s a mistake to move up. There are many benchmarks, formulas, statistics, and graphs available to judge yourself and other players – but it’s better to concentrate on finding the games that maximize your dollars per hour played and grow your bankroll that way.

You should be beating the lower stakes games first. There’s one exception to this that I’d make. Lower stakes poker games can be more heavily raked than the higher stakes games. This is a function of how the rake is calculated. When this is the case, it may make sense to move out of the lowest, and thereby most heavily raked game, as soon as possible, even if you’re not beating it, – just to avoid getting crushed by the rake.

Sample Size

If you just had a winning session of $180 in 4 hours of $50NL, that doesn’t mean that you are beating the game. If you just finished a session of 300 hands of $200NL and doubled your buy-in of $200, that doesn’t make you a winning poker player. Similarly, if you just won a bunch of $20 tournaments in a row, it doesn’t matter. You might have just gotten lucky in each example. Generally speaking, to be really sure that you’re beating the game you’re playing in you need a much larger sample size – 10,000-30,000 hands is considered enough play to gauge how you are really doing in cash games – and 1,000 games for tournament players is a decent sample size. marked cards

Your Playing Style

Some poker players are nits or rocks. They win small amounts by risking very little. They have little variance since they play a solid game and take very, very few chances. Other players are plungers. They take huge gambles – even with only very slightly the best of it. If you have a high variance style of poker – say you’re a maniac, then you’d want to start with more. The former players will need less of a bankroll to move up than the latter players because they will show much less variance at the higher level – and will therefore have a much lower risk of running through their bankroll if they run bad for a while.

Is Online Poker Rigged?

Poker is a game of skill, with a small dollop of luck tossed in. Because of this (or perhaps in spite of it) there are many online poker players who have postulated a number of conspiracy theories about the game. A brief scan of a few poker forums will reveal plenty of cries of “the game was rigged!” and “I can’t win after I cash out.” As with most conspiracy theories, a reasonable explanation usually exists.card cheating

There are a variety of poker conspiracy theories that should simply be ignored. Let’s take a look at a few of these…

The Cash-out Curse
One of the most popular and ridiculous poker conspiracy theories that you’ll find on message boards and poker forums is the cash-out curse. This conspiracy theory presumes that a player who cashes out some of his money from an online poker site will experience a horrible losing streak when he returns to play. The theory figures that a “curse flag” will be placed on the poker player’s account, singling them out to be dealt bad beats.

What would be the motive for such a policy? Poker conspiracy theorists say that a poker room’s motivation for the cash-out curse is twofold: firstly, they’re trying to punish you for cashing out and discouraging you from cashing out in the future. Secondly, the card room hates it when players cash out and redistributing the money to other players allows the house to eventually receive the money through the rake. Although it may be possible to see the twisted logic in this sort of reasoning, the simple fact is that the online poker cash-out curse is not real.

Poker is a game of constant, volatile fluctuations - what we call variance. Typically, a player will cash out after experiencing a nice winning streak. The average casual player will have a few wins, look at their bankroll, and think “Hey! That’s enough cash for that new set of golf clubs I had my eye on.” When he returns to the play poker online, he returns with an inflated sense of his poker skills. He doesn’t feel like he can lose, and when he inevitably does, he cries about the cash-out curse.

The situation is worsened when an online poker player who has cashed out is over-confident and decides to move up in stakes, where more advanced poker players are waiting to take his or her money.

Bad Beats
A “bad beat” typically occurs when you’re playing poker and receive a strong hand after the flop. Despite your seemingly monstrous hand, another player calls with a weak draw and beats you by getting a lucky card on the turn and/or river. Although this is actually a rather common occurrence due to the luck component of the game, it has led several naive poker players to cry conspiracy theory.

The theory is that poker sites are rigged to ensure that weak players don’t lose all of their money to better poker players too quickly. This is because a bad poker player who lasts longer will lose more of his money to the rake instead of to another player. The conspiracy theory postulates that bad poker players have their playing sessions extended by the online card room intentionally, at the cost of bad beats for stronger players.

The reality of the situation, of course, is that bad beats occur naturally. Firstly, online poker players, especially those at the micro limits, tend to be weak, passive, and loose with their chips. When the overall quality of the game is very loose, with players playing far more hands than they should, there are bound to be situations where a bad player sees lucky cards and beats a better player. Bad beats even occur deep in the main event of the World Series of Poker. In addition, online poker is played at a much faster pace than live poker. It would stand to reason, then, that you’ll see many more bad beats.

Action Flops
This is another theory that is based on the online card room trying to make more money from the rake. The theory states that the online poker site intentionally deals flops that help multiple hands in order to build up the pots, and therefore increase the rake that the card room receives.

This conspiracy theory is also explained by the loose nature of online poker, particularly at the lower limits. With so many players seeing the flop, there are bound to be instances where the flop helps multiple poker hands. Comparing live poker to online poker, pots will often be larger and more players will be eager to pursue weaker hands.

Again, it’s important to remember the random nature of the way in which cards are dealt.
Random Number Generator (RNG) Dealing Systems
The random number generator (RNG) is the backbone of any online poker room. An understanding of how they work will help dispel any of the conspiracy theories you’ve read so far in this article. The purpose of a random number generator is to ensure that there are no biases and that cards are distributed in an unpredictable fashion.
You might be surprised to know, but it’s impossible for a computer to produce a truly random shuffle all on its own. An unpredictable external stimulus is required for a pseudo-random shuffle. Online poker sites have various ways of creating a pseudo-random number generator (PRNG), which rely on real world physical processes that are unpredictable. Examples include:

Combined mouse movements from players connected to the online poker room.
Thermal movements around the computer’s thermal entropy chip.
In many respects the online poker rooms go beyond what is actually necessary to create an unpredictable and random shuffle to provide a fair and unbiased playing environment. Using such methods also ensures a potential hacker cannot break or crack the random number generator.

Many of the conspiracy theories suggest that online poker rooms somehow fix their random number generators to produce certain results. The fact is that any attempt to create some kind of set of rules or decision engine into a random system would immediately invalidate the randomness – and a dysfunctional random number generator would be extremely easy to spot.

Also, let’s not forget that there are online poker players with hundreds of thousands of hand histories, saved in poker tracking software programs. These poker hand histories are regularly scrutinized by the poker playing community, and if there ever was some kind of “fix” by an online poker room, (that produced results that deviated beyond expected variance), it would be pounced upon immediately.poker lenses

So, is Online Poker Rigged?
No, online poker is not rigged. The conspiracy theory presuming that online poker is in some way rigged is misconception that has been proliferated through poker forums and internet message boards. It’s human nature for a person who loses or has an unfortunate streak of poor luck to claim that the system was rigged, simply because it’s more difficult and uncomfortable to accept the fact that they were responsible for their own losses.

Players who continue to spout on about online poker being rigged (known as “rigtards”) are usually the same people who have a hard time accepting the fact that they might be a losing poker player. Instead of learning more about the game of poker and trying to improve their poker skills, they assume that system is working against them. It’s not!

A Comprehensive Guide to Las Vegas' Best Casinos

Sin City, the Gambling Capital of the World, Glitter Gulch, or, to those who have just emptied their coffers there, Lost Wages: Las Vegas is the home of everything hedonistic in the US and it's nearly impossible to not have a good time in this electric city. Las Vegas' neon signs, palatial hotels and replicas of world monuments may leave you star struck, but there's no doubt about why most people visit the city – gambling. Las Vegas is home to over 1700 licensed casinos of all shapes and sizes, but you should never make it your mission to visit them all. The main Las Vegas Strip is where all the magic happens and these four casinos are not to be missed:infrared contact lenses

If there's one thing that the Bellagio don't scrimp on, its luxury, with plush surroundings and over 10,000 staff on hand to meet your every need. As a AAA Five Diamond Award winning hotel and casino, this is hardly a surprise, but how many hotels or casinos do you know that feature a botanical garden, art museums and world class restaurants? The Bellagio is also home to the world famous Dancing Fountains – fountains that "dance" to the music of the Rat Pack and others. This casino is worth a visit for the fountains alone.

The MGM Grand

With a name that includes the word "grand", you'd expect nothing less and the MGM Grand doesn't disappoint. Currently the largest Casino in Las Vegas, the Grand hosts over 3,500 slots and 165 game tables as well as world class entertainers playing in its Grand Garden Arena. The hotel's restaurants are also not to be missed, with world famous chefs such as Emeril Lagasse and Tom Colicchio holding residence.

Binion's
The birth place of the World Series of Poker and one of the oldest casinos still operating on the strip, Binion's is a must see for any self-respecting poker player. Poker is still the name of the game at this old joint and there are few better places to play than here.infrared marked cards

Caesars Palace
No list of Las Vegas' casinos would be complete without Caesars Palace, possibly one of the strip's most famous casinos. This lavish temple to excess isn't just a hot spot for its gambling opportunities, which are plentiful, but for the casino's very own ‘Colosseum' which acts as the platform for performances from some of the world's greatest celebrities on a nightly basis.

You can find more information on where to stay in Las Vegas through WikiTravel, Lonely Planet or from a knowledgeable online travel company.

Casino software development and purchase

People interested in gambling make regular visit to the usual casinos in order to satisfy their need for excitement. Now the same level of fun and enjoyment can be achieved using the Internet where the latest trend of online casinos has started developing. Hard core gamblers have now decided to purchase the appropriate equipment which will help them to enjoy the authentic experience of a casino in the comfort of their homes. Most of the machinery which is required to set up the online casino at home can be procured easily with the help of the Internet. Fresh equipment or used equipment can be obtained in this manner. These domestic casinos will also prove to be wonderful ways of entertaining guests at home.

The Internet casino is the perfect substitute for the pleasures of the usual live casino inside the comfort of your home. People can gain access to an online casino using a personal computer, laptop or any kind of cellular device along with access to the Internet. It is preferable to make use of a broadband Internet connection in order to enjoy the real experience of an online casino. The casino software will not be able to function properly in co-ordination with a dial up Internet connection. People who are making use of a dial-up connection in order to gain access to these online casinos can make use of casino software which does not have too many technical specifications. A person who makes use of the facilities of an online casino will be relieved of the hassle of driving to the casino.infrared contact lenses

The process of constructing and maintaining a normal casino can be extremely difficult and taxing. The number of employees who will be required in order to run an online casino will only be a fraction of those needed to run a normal casino on land. The main cost which is incurred in an online casino is the casino software development and the licensing of the casino software which has been developed. But this is only a small portion of the amount of money which will be spent on the construction and furnishing of a normal casino on land.


Games which are similar to those played in a normal casino will also be provided in an online casino. Fit machines, roulette, black jack, craps, Caribbean stud poker, pai gow poker, fit tournaments and black jack tournaments can be played on these online casinos. A lot of people like to play on the fit machines in the normal casinos since they are not complicated and the amount of money which can be won is also large. People are also interested in playing on these fit machines on the online casinos. The process of casino software development has been done in order to provide the same feel and atmosphere of a normal casino using these games on an online casino.  luminosu contact lenses

People who are interested in gambling in an online casino should make sure that they check the license and credibility of the online casino before they start dealing their money. Every authentic online casino will have its own auditing company.