Just 7 Player Points scores you a touchdown to the Super Bowl Freeroll!

The Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers will battle it out on February 6^th in Super Bowl XLV for the chance to become NFL Champions and we’re giving you a chance to become a champion in the first ever Tower Gaming Super Bowl Freeroll and score over $300 in prizes!

How do you get your Super Bowl Freeroll Ticket?

Just score a Touchdown! Send an email to oliver@towergaming.com and quote “Super Bowl” in the subject line and your play will be tracked. If you collect 7 Player Points over the next 7 days, you’ll automatically get a freeroll ticket to this TOWER EXCLUSIVE Freeroll Tournament for the chance at over $300 in prizes.

Super Bowl Freeroll Details:
A small field, Tower Gaming exclusive Freeroll Tournament.

Prize:

1st – $75 Free Bet + $22 Tournament Ticket + $10 Casino Cash

2^nd – $50 Free Bet + $11 Tournament Ticket + $10 Casino Cash

3^rd – $40 Free Bet + $5.50 Tournament Ticket + $10 Casino Cash

4^th – $30 Free Bet + $2.20 Tournament Ticket + $10 Casino Cash

5^th – $20 Free Bet + $1.20 tournament Ticket + $10 Casino Cash

When: Saturday, Feb 5th, 14:00 CET
Entry: FREE when you collect 7 player points

Just 7 Player Points gets you into this Exclusive Tower Freeroll PLUS the chance at over $300 in prizes!

Your Chance to become the Tower Super Bowl Freeroll Champion begins on Thursday January 27^th and ends on Thursday February 3^rd!

Terms and Conditions

1. All Freeroll tickets will be issued on Friday February 4th, 2011 for the Freeroll tournament on Saturday February 5th.

2. All prizes will be issued on Saturday February 5th after the tournament finishes. Minimum 10 players for tournament to start.

3. Free bets have to be made on odds 1.6 or higher and will have a rollover requirement of 10X before a withdrawal can be made. Asian Handicap, Outright Winner and Over/Under Bets do not qualify.

4. Casino Prize is awarded in Bonus Dollars, subject to normal bonus Terms and Conditions.

5. Have fun and Enjoy the Super Bowl!

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First of all – I have been getting some flak over my ‘Kitty Poker’ images…. I think they’re relevant and hilarious.  The cats stay…

The insta-check / insta-call

Your opponent is trying to tell you something when they insta-check. They’re saying “I don’t have the nuts or a draw”.  Why? Simple, if you’re hanging onto the nuts or a nice draw after the flop you’re not insta-calling. You’re going to take a bit of time to decide the next best action, not checking instantly. By checking so quickly on their turn, you can narrow their range down to: nothing, top pair, or middle/under pair.

Example: You pre-flop raise a AK, the flop comes k-6-7. If your opponent insta-checks you can happily value bet knowing that you have the best hand (at that time).

Insta-calling is very similar. What kind of hand is your opponent calling with so quickly? Chances are your opponent only has a weak pair or draw, nothing more. If your opponent has a good hand – or is a good player – they will always think about raising it.  Even a want to slow play will take time to weigh the pros/cons. So with the same above example, your opponent will never have two-pair or a set when they’re insta-calling the flop.

Timebanking

Whether the site you play on has a true “timebanking” feature or not, a lot of information can be gained by paying attention to the amount of time your opponent takes to act.  The “timebank” feature is an option some networks have to allow a player more time to make a tough choices when caught in a tricky situation. Typically this is only found in MTTs, and you’re allowed only so many allotted “timebank” seconds per tournament. That being said, some networks choose not to include timebanks because the ‘time to act’ allowance is marginally more than other networks (like at Tower Gaming, for example) . Regardless of how your network operates its allowed acting time, you can always place a tell on your opponents with the time they take to act.

I am completely guilty of this, but what do you think your opponent is doing when they take up almost all of their allotted acting time just to check in the end?  Almost all the time that player is trying to rep a more premium hand than they have. They want you to think that they were thinking about betting, but held off. They want you to think that they’re trying to set you up in a trap. They’re trying to bluff you. It does not take an entire 30 to 45 seconds to type in your bet. The best strategy against this type of player is to bet lightly into them. Take good notes on the outcomes.

Now when the player takes most of their allotted time and then bets or raises, your best bet is to fold. Typically this is the international sign for a very strong hand, tread lightly and challenge with only a monster (pre-flop) or the nuts.

If you have AK with a board of K-6-7-5-T, and your opponent uses most of their allotted time to bet hard into you on the river. . . I’m insta-folding.

It’s all talk

We’ve all run into these players; some are friendly and chatty, some are know-it-alls, some will curse you right out, and many variations in between. There is a lot you can learn about these players and subsequently you’ll know when these players are holding on to something of value and garbage all the same.

Let’s say you’re playing against a chatty Nancy that feels the need to bet hard on the river (to my average hand), and continues to egg you on during your time to act. I’m folding. More often than not, the average player speaks the truth in chat. During their period of obnoxiousness, they think they can manipulate your actions by taunting you into calling.  Conversely, if this player is incisively engaging everyone all game long and then all-of-a-sudden goes silent during a hard betting hand… pounce! This more often than not indicates a bluff. He’s too nervous to do anything. He fears to taunt that might lure people into calling.  A big percent of the time, this is a clear as day bluff. Call and collect!

Cats are spiteful creatures.

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Be aware of your Table Presence

To successfully pull this off you need to consider your table presence. Have you been a rock (tight/passive)? This may not work. As rocks who bet are rocks who want to be met (I coined that myself).  No one will see your bet if you’re a rock. You need to portray a loser/aggressive player. One who’s quick to bet or call.  Consider your play when trying to bluff premium hands, what do people think of your play?  If you’ve got the right table presence, and you’ve strung along a check/caller(s) to the river – bet hard. Over bet that. Make it look over-the-top. If your opponent is a thinker, you’re going to want to push your bet in with no thought or regard. You have to come off as careless, not calculating.

For example

For example, a tight ABC player pre-flop raises in early position and then bets on a board of Ks-10c-4s flop. You raise with the bottom set. A 6h comes on the turn and your opponent check-calls your pot sized bet. At this point you can put him on a small range of hands: maybe aces, AK, KQ, or even a JQ. When the flush and straight is a miss, consider carefully the size of your “bluff” and go for it.

Now note his account that they’re a check/caller with top pair.

Short and sweet today.

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In a MTT (multi-table-tournament) shoving early on with a premium hand can draw out the less skilled players to take the bait with a lesser hand. For example, with a QQ to AA pre-flop and a bettor and a caller already in play, over-shoving would be beneficial. As most would put you on A,Q or A,K, or the assumption that you’re trying to squeeze one of the other opponents to fold, giving better pot odds. Typically you’ll be called by low pockets, and high face cards in this situation, + EV for you.

Likewise, shoving on a dubious flop sounds careless, but is sometimes your best option to take the pot down. Consider a your hole cards of  4s-4c and your flop shows 7h-4h-2s. You put your opponent on 10’s or J’s with no heart. Therefore, if a heart, Ace, King, or Queen comes on the turn (a 40%) chance he’s going to be reluctant to call your bet. The suspicion will be put on a flush or straight draw with your over-shove.

Pick your battles – know your enemy early on

In my opinion there is no such thing as a ‘value-shove’ when you’re 5 hands into the game. That’s just plain fishy. Getting a feel for your opponents is crucial in knowing when to attack. Players are getting extremely aggressive in MTT tournaments these days and it’s hard to gain respect without being flagged by uber-agressors as well – a uber-agressor yourself. The best approach is to fly under the radar as best you can. Wait for your chance to exploit the right situation, and pounce when you feel you’ve achieved your desired table presence. Remember, playing your opponents – not the cards will give you what you need to know to make your move. Cards alone are not enough.

As an example, let’s just say you just started a MTT with a solid 50 big blinds available. You open on the button with 3BB and pocket Kings. The small blind just re-raised you 9BB. You can call, re-raise (25 to 30 BBs), or shove. Flat-calling preflop is arguably a better strategy, but shoving or flatting will disguise your hand moreso than four-betting to 30BBs.

Mid stages – The  “Whammy”

I call this the “whammy”. . . and I admit, this will NOT make you popular at the table. At the mid-stages of a MTT everyone’s eye is on the bubble. Most would be sitting with 20 to 30 big blinds and will play ultra-conservative to secure their spot in the bubble. This is a great spot to shove with very premium hands.  You’re not only pitting your great hand against your opponent, but you’re forcing him to pay up or fold. When it’s ‘all-or-nothing’ and the bubble is in sight, you’ll find that most will fold semi-premium and worse hands in a second.

For example, with your opponent on the button he opens to 3x the BB from a 30BB stack to your 25BB stack. You could three-bet for about 8BB raise, hoping your opponent will shove back. But shoving on your three-bet will look like you’re trying to steal the pot. Poor late position bettor, he thinks you’re trying to steal it away from him.  At this point your opponent is in defense mode and would never put you on AA or KK.  – Whammy!

Sometimes it’s better to flat-call.

This method does not always work, and there are variables that you can never quite calculate for.  We’ve all heard it – sh!t happens. That said, it’s critical to know when NOT to shove. If you find yourself heads up against a donk, for example, sometimes it’s better to let them trap themselves. Flat-calling when your weaker opponent leads on the flop is usually better than shoving. Inexperienced players will typically “go nuts” during a heads up game. They can play unpredictably. Wait for a good trap and get your opponent to commit to a crappy flop/turn. Likewise, shoving on the river (while building a large pot flop, and turn) will make your shove look more natural / casual. If you got it, shove it.

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Addiction gambling has taken on a new meaning.  It does not only mean that someone can be addicted to gambling anymore, but also that gamblers can be addicted to other substances, such as drugs.  That’s right, a new study by Nova Southeastern University (NSU) has revealed that 80% of poker players use some type of drug to enhance their performance.  When someone hears of performance enhancing drug use, they think baseball or weight-lifting, not usually Poker.  This study reveals that performance enhancing drugs exist in many other places that most people would not think of.  The NSU began its research by interviewing players in Las Vegas during the World Series of Poker which was followed by an online survey of players from across the globe.  The respondents of the survey were mostly from the United States and Canada, but included many players from Europe and Asia as well.  The list of players included professional poker players, semi-pros, amateurs and recreational players.  The majority of players interviewed were males in the 20′s who played no-limit Texas Hold’em.  It didn’t really matter whether the poker game took place in person or online, there was no discernible difference.

There is a wide array of different supplements and drugs that are currently being used.  Many players claimed they used certain drugs in order to increase concentration and stay focused, but some claim they need it for staying calm and simply awake.  Among the number of supplements and drugs used, dietary supplements were used by about 43% of players.  Of those 43% of players, vitamin B12 was the leader, being used by 30% of players, while guarana closely followed at 23%.  Caffeine and energy drinks were also very popular.

28% of players admitted to using prescription drugs in order to help them play.  The most common prescription drugs were found to be amphetamines, which are used mainly to increase awareness and focus.  Even though these players used prescription drugs, most of them got their drugs from other players, not from a physician.  Other drugs that are commonly used by players include marijuana, which was used by 34% of players, and cocaine,  which about 8% of players admitted to using.  Valium is a lesser used drug, but has been used by a number players.  These trends are worrying many people around the world.  Stamina is one of the most important factors within high-stake poker games.  Using various drugs and supplements that can keep you awake, attentive, calm, or just help in any other way seems like an unfair advantage.  The same was argued for baseball players that used steroids to improve their physical prowess, which is why many poker advocates are worried.

Though no one would have ever expected it, maybe drug-testing will become part of poker in the future.  It would be an attempt to level the playing field, but at the same time would be impossible to enforce in online situations.  Drug addiction gambling seems to be very popular in culture and I doubt it will go away anytime soon.  It will be interesting to see how this report will affect the world of poker in the future.

Source: [SlideShare Report]

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Until Next Time, Cheers.

-Seth-

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In most cases  luck is the biggest factor but ones appearance can directly correlate to how they are perceived, dressing nice can always be a confidence builder, might as well have the best poker gear. The time old saying of “if you look good you’re going to play good” is true (despite the grammatical error); back in my football days I would need the sleekest boots and my team’s kit needed to fit properly for me to play my best.

The same can be said for your poker kit. A lot of players have trademarked images whether its Godfather Doyle Brunson and his classic Western Cowboy Hat, Greg Raymer and his ‘Lizard Eyes’ sunglasses, Scotty Nguyen and his eccentric style or even Jennifer Tilly and her. . .uh . . .Jennifer Tilly.

The following is my guide to what to wear during a poker game.

Greg Raymer and His "Lizard Eyes"

King of Bling Scotty Nguyen

Jennifer Tilly . . .

Sunglasses:

Many poker players believe that wearing sunglasses as part of your poker equipment will hide all your emotions, while this could be true it is a lot easier on your nerves knowing your opponents can’t see your eyes.

Dolce and Gabbana 4057 Special Edition Black on Banner

Price: £ 144.90

This stylish Dolce & Gabbana sunglass is a trendy new pair to add to their already exquisite collection of eyewear poker gear. Dolce and Gabbana are renowned for their sophisticated elegance and high end, luxurious poker accessories and these sunglasses play up to these characteristics flawlessly.

LINK

Oakley Dispatch Polished Black Silver Text

Price: £127.50

Take attitude to the street with the new Oakley Dispatch. Check out the contours, the sculptural stems and the metal band accents and notice that Oakley took self-expression to the next level by introducing interchangeable “O” icons. The frame comes with two different sets.

LINK

Headphones:

In some cases you may find yourself at the table with a chatterbox, a player that is constantly talking in your ear trying to throw off your concentration. It can be a good idea to bring some headphones during these times; it will be easier to focus with music in your ear rather than a trash talking player.

Skullycandy Skullcrushers Snoop Dogg Black

Price: £49.99

The Skullcrusher’s bass amplified subwoofer speakers will literally pump the music right into your head! These power packing headphones feature an adjustable in-line bass amplifier and speakers with industry first built-in vibrating subwoofers.

LINK

Skullcandy SK Pro DJ Yellow and Blue

Price: £93.99

Incorporating the best possible audio components, tri-axial earcup rotation, and compact folding capability, Skullcandy’s professional grade DJ headphones offer unmatched perfection in music reproduction.

LINK

Last But Not Least. . .

The final piece to the poker player attire is the most important. It is none other than a WSOP bracelet, show up to any table wearing one of these as part of your poker gear and you will have your opponents shaking in their boots.

Of course in the end poker is about confidence, wearing sunglasses, headphones hats or any other sort of accessory wont make you a better poker player, but anything to build your confidence wont hurt either. That along with gaining poker experience will help you in the long run. Until next time, Cheers.

-Seth-

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