In this article, I would like to try and give some insight into the age old battle of is poker a game of skill or luck. I have personally been a money and free poker online player for some 7 years. I have made some nice cash at times but I have also busted several bankrolls.

Being a skilled player is always going to get you a little further when playing poker than an inexperienced player. Skilled players understand the basics of poker, such as patterns, odds and they usually have a plan. However, no matter how skilled a player is, they are always need to account for the actions of other players and the way the cards play out on the table.

The conclusion I have come to, is that it takes both skill and luck to win at poker.

The assumption would be based on this conclusion that you have to be both pre flop aggressive, as well as post flop smart. Many times one might find themselves in a position where they made the proper call, yet they find themselves behind due in part to an opponents luck hitting a one or two outer.

This is something that wont be easy to get out of. This is more common in online poker as opposed to playing in a casino, due to the fact that more hands are dealt when playing poker online. Online poker is played at a quicker pace and making choices must me made at speed.

A lot of players calculate that they take more bad beats when playing internet poker rather than in a casino. This could be down to the fact that more hands can be played when playing online as it goes so much faster than if you are sitting at a table with players in the flesh, but this can also be because a player feels they are being pushed too hard online.

When playing online players can play more irrational and play hands that they normally wouldn’t play to try to get back money that they have lost.

Others, who are skilled can pick up on such trends and play them to their advantage, which in turn leads to an even more increased loss, and in the eyes of the losing player, more bad beats which he feels was based on luck.

This is a game of two equals, luck and skill, neither in my opinion more important than the other, however the successful poker player knows how to manage both aspects of the game, learns skill playing free poker online before moving into money games and uses skill, in effect, tweak luck and so sustain consistency in winning.

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When you start playing at free poker site NoPayPOKER you will be given ten dollars to start with. Don’t go to the real money tables just yet.

Start off by signing up for FREE tournaments and start increasing your money. Most tournaments don’t give out a lot of money, especially if you don’t win first, but a little money is better than no money.

Look at the tournament details before you start and see what position you need to come in to get a piece of the pot.

When the game starts just sit back and watch the other battle it out for a bit. Don’t make any large wagers unless you’re almost positive you have the hand. There’s no shame in holding back from a large bet.

If someone bluffs you, its ok. If you just wait a while an opportunity will arise and you can take the money from that guy who possibly bluffed you. It’s not about how fast you can win, it’s just about winning.

When you start playing at NoPayPOKER.com, play slow and get some cash behind you, then you can start to spend in the bigger games.

The real money table is the fastest way to increase your bankroll. However, it is also the fastest way to lose it.

Start off at the small tables like the $.10/$.20 ($20NL). All you need is two dollars to get in and, if you stick to winning then that little bit of money can increase quickly.

Get a feel of winning and losing real money. You can’t stick back the entire time here because you won’t make any money, but you should still wait until a decent hand comes your way and then make smart decision that will increase you money.

Once you feel you’ve got the hang of it, go to the more expensive free poker tables and start winning big though of course if you lose it’s actually still free poker due to the crazy good way NoPayPOKER works. Enjoy!

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Whether you are new to playing in free poker tournaments or not, you may wonder how to play your chip stacks. If so, then read this guide which will help you decide how to play the stacks from short to big.

First here are a few pointers on playing a short stack. If you are a short stack play as tight as possible but play aggressive. The best way to do this is to steal the blind where possible, rather than just pushing your opponents into a decision. There is no advantage to trying to trap as a short stack seeing you are risking a lot more than your opponents.

Next the average (medium stack). Here you should play your normal game and do not change your style as you are good enough on chips to not need to be aggressive in order to survive. This is a good position to be in, as you have plenty of chips to keep the bigger stacks on their toes, and also plenty to cover the small stacks. Its worth trying to steal the blinds at this level.

Now we look at the bigger stacks. There are two ways to approach this. You can play extremely tight and wait for smaller stacks to be eliminated to improve your position. By this I mean playing only strong starting hands. The other approach is to be aggressive and force others into tournament life or death decisions. You can get away by moving with marginal hands in this case.

However, remember that playing aggressive can cause you to let others back into the tournament by doubling them up with marginal hands. So play wisely if you go this route.

By playing your chip stack properly you can prolong your tournament life and increase your winnings by a lot just by playing smart poker.

I hope these pointers help you out, start by practicing and perfecting your method and skill in free poker tournaments and games and then move onto the money tables.

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It doesn’t matter how you like to play your poker, whether it is online free poker or in a casino, there are lots of different ways you can play. Some players are conservative players and some play aggressively and then you have others who like to play a little of each.

This first paragraph is for all the aggressive players out there who probably play on tilt 90% of the time. This is a good way to get chips fast but also a great way to lose chips fast. The more you are aggressive the more risk you have of losing a lot of your chip stacks. It’s good and bad, be careful you don’t go broke.

The conservative players among us tend to play their game tight and only go all in when they know they have a killer hand and are unlikely to take a beat. You will also find a conservative player rarely bluffs when playing.

Now to be a complete poker player the best way to play is a little bit of both. If you play this way then no one knows what you have and no one can ever be for sure what you have. Playing like this will ensure that other players cannot read your game play, giving you the advantage. Hopefully you will be playing against players who like to just stick to one way of playing their poker.

Poker is a game of skill and luck. I believe it is mostly skill and a 10% luck. If you play the cards well you can make a lot of money but if you play bad, then you can be as broke as ever. If you’re new start out playing on free poker sites and learn before you start risking real money.

On the same note, if you have only ever played one style of poker, then its worth experimenting by playing the other style to see how well you do.

I look forward to seeing you at the poker tables soon!

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When I first started playing poker, and even free poker, I was sure that it was a sure fire way to lose money. That is, until I played in my first poker tournament in a live casino.

To my amazement I won the tournament and it gave me a real boost to continue playing. Years on, I am still playing poker and even though I have lost quite a lot of games, I also win quite a lot too and am never really out of pocket.

I find that I am playing poker more and more, especially with the number of online poker sites now available. Yes, I have my favourites, who doesn’t? but I am always trying out new sites to find new players and develop my poker skills where I can.

I do believe that online gaming is much different to live table play which I think is better as you get to feel your enemy and be there literally. I have found that the rule book to playing poker is simply the basics and to play with venom at your own pace with whatever two cards your dealt and are comfortable with.

I think is the best possible way, although a little killer poker from time to time is necessary to enable you to experience the thrill and excitement of true poker.

I do find that online poker is also pretty good, in that you can quite often find lots of new players who are looking to make a bit of cash that you can take out quite easily.

I like to play tight mostly and watch the cards unfold on the flop, as you can imagine I do a lot of folding but since I lost a bit I now play a bit loose if I can and it makes a difference to my bankroll but depletes my bankroll management. The more I play the more I learn and I love it, have fun in the world of poker folks and If you’re new start out playing on free poker sites and learn as much as you can before you start risking real money.

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After many years of playing poker, I wanted to share my top tips on how I play my hands when playing free poker games online.

If poker is a new game or hobby for you then hopefully the tips I can offer will be of great help.

Pocket pairs: Aces the 10s 4 x the big blind. 7s,8s and 9s 2 times the big blind. 6s and lower I just flat call. 4s and under if a big raise is made I fold.

Ace/King to Ace/10 I raise 3x the big blind. Ace/9 and lower I just flat call and depends on the kicker if a raise is made I may just fold. Lower kickers like 2-5 should be folded with a raise made.

I generally like to play mid suited connectors like 7/6 of hearts I’ll play to see a flop no raise just call and if the bet is too high I fold them.

Many players prefer to play small suited connectors, but I prefer to avoid these. Every now and again I will, but it depends on how the other players are playing and my gut feelings.

I will also play connectors i.e: 8/9 off suite for the big blind price.

Now any cards that are more than 5 apart should be folded unless they are face cards.

Any cards that are 3 cards apart ie:7/4 can be played but only at right price and if they are suited.

Cards that are 2 cards apart i.e: 6/4 can be played suited or not for the right price and I never raise with these or call a big raise.

This is just how I like to play my poker, but of course every player is different. Maybe some of my tips will work for you, and some others wont. My best tip is to go with your gut instinct and hopefully it will be right.

Remember, free poker games or for money, poker is a GAME, relax and have fun.

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