Casino & Gambling Information

Shorthanded Poker, an Untapped Gold Mine


Feuled by seemingly nonstop television coverage and internet access in nearly every house, internet Texas Hold 'em is exploding. There are dozens of online poker rooms, with over 75,000 players often playing at the most popular site, Party Poker. While there is money to be made everywhere, the shorthanded games offer some of the best opportunities to make a healthy living.

The standard poker table in an online poker room has ten seats. However, the poker rooms also offer shorthanded games where a maximum of six players sit at the table. The rules of the game are the same, but the strategies employed should be vastly different to take advantage of the different conditions. I liken it to tennis?singles and doubles are similar, but to be an effective doubles player one must approach the game with a vastly different mindset.

The most important component to playing winning poker, whether it be shorthanded or at full tables, is starting hand selection. The vast majority of starting hands are losers in the long run. There is a limit poker concept called Expected Value (EV) which is basically the number of big bets a player can expect to win per hand if he were to play that hand thousands of times. A positive EV hand is one that will make money for you in the long run and winning Texas Hold 'em players stick with these starting hands.

In shorthanded games, many of the hands that are -EV at a ten man table become profitable. The reason for this is that with fewer opponents there is a lower probability of running up against a really strong hand. Because of this fact, thousands of players gravitate from the full tables to the 6-man variety. This is why our opportunity lies at the smaller tables. There is a very high correlation between these players' lack of adherence to sound starting hands and poor post-flop play. These players tend to lack sound fundamentals in all facets of their games.

We know that the competition is weak at 6-max tables, but how do we take advantage of it? Two words: controlled aggression. When we have a solid hand, we must raise and bet. Timidity is a mortal sin in shorthanded games. Simple mathematics will prove this point. An unpaired hand will miss the flop over sixty percent of the time. If we've raised and isolated ourselves to one opponent, the odds are in our favor that he has no pair after the flop. So, whether we've hit the flop or not, we have a good chance of winning the pot with a bet right there. If we've raised with a solid hand, we are probably in the driver's seat when both players have hit the flop, both players have missed and we have hit and they have missed. Only when we miss and they hit are we in trouble.

The hands we choose to play or raise depend on many factors: the number of opponents, the style of play of our opponents, the skill of our opponents, and most importantly our position. It's a vast generalization, but in general it's usually not prudent to enter the pot unless you're holding a pair or two cards nine or higher. If we are the first to enter the pot and a couple of players have folded, most of these hands should be raised. Remember, if we are given the chance to raise and isolate to one opponent, we are in a commanding position. This is often possible at a tight table or in a "blind stealing" position?one of the last to act in a pot that has not been entered.

This has been just a brief introduction to the opportunities present at shorthanded play. Many players avoid playing shorthanded due to their unfamiliarity with the game, but by making a few simple adjustments in your game you will win big at shorthanded internet poker.

Greg Dwyer is a professional poker player who makes his living playing Texas Hold 'em on the internet. Visit one of his websites for more articles on poker strategy: http://www.pokercentral.us and http://www.hittheflop.com


MORE RESOURCES:

More Online Casino Reviews To Come From Casino Gambling Web
Press Release 365 (press release), FL - May 16, 2008
VANCOUVER, CANADA -- Every quarter, or rather, every month, or rather, whenever Casino Gambling Web president, Gordon Price, feels like one of his staffers ...


Pa. Talks Casino Gambling
Wheeling Intelligencer, WV - May 15, 2008
By CASEY JUNKINS WHEELING — Two Northern Panhandle racetracks have been rolling dice and spinning roulette wheels since December, and now some legislators ...


Monsters and Critics.com

Charles Barkley acknowledges $400000 Las Vegas casino gambling ...
ABC News - May 15, 2008
By KEN RITTER AP Writer AP Former NBA star Charles Barkley sits onstage as he is introduced as part of the Basketball Hall of Fame's Class of 2006 in ...
CHARLES BARKLEY - BARKLEY FACES VEGAS LAWSUIT Contactmusic.com
Charles Barkley Sued by Las Vegas Casino over Gambling Debt eFluxMedia
Charles Barkley Faces Felony Charges if He Doesn't Repay Casino ... AOL SPORTS
Scripps News
all 678 news articles


WBUR

Governor says casino gambling bill ’may yet come back’
Boston Herald, United States - May 7, 2008
By AP Gov. Deval Patrick says a bill to bring legalized gambling to Massachusetts "may yet come back in the Legislature." And he says he’s not basing his ...
Gov. Patrick eyes the future, one line item at a time The Boston - Bay State Banner
YOUR OPINION: Speaker DiMasi, keep your own House in order The Patriot Ledger
all 21 news articles


Jamaica Gleaner

Casino gambling is going to be another Cash Plus
Jamaica Gleaner, Jamaica - Apr 29, 2008
Casino gambling is going to be another Cash Plus. Does it have to be so? No, it does not. But it would require proper structures to ensure that Jamaicans ...
Clerics rebuke Government for casinos Jamaica Gleaner
all 2 news articles


Six seeking Sanders’ 9th District Senate seat
Bowling Green Daily News,  United States - 9 hours ago
allowing voters to decide on casino gambling? a.) Regarding pensions the state made commitments which it must honor and the General Assembly must find a way ...


LETTERS OF THE DAY - Looking at casino gambling ...
Jamaica Gleaner, Jamaica - Apr 27, 2008
While the debate on legalising casino gambling has been mostly a moral one, my major concern is on more a pragmatic level. everywhere that casino gambling ...


We must be bolder, allow casino gambling
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH - May 10, 2008
With recent discussion about bringing casino gambling to Northern Kentucky and Ohio, I can't help but wonder why people are so distressed by the notion. ...


Capital News 9

Governor says casino gambling bill may still have life
Capital News 9, NY - May 8, 2008
MASSACHUSETTS -- Despite a defeat by the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Governor Deval Patrick says the fight for casino gambling in the Bay State ...


Gambling on the future
Carver Reporter, MA - 22 hours ago
By Bobbi Sistrunk It seems all of a sudden there is dirt being dug up on Speaker of the House Salvatore DiMasi. He has also received death threats credible ...

Casino-Gambling - Google News

home | site map

Visit our other sites:
GamesBlog | GamingDepot | GimmeaRide | GimmeNetwork | Golf Biz | HotorNotGame | I Want Computers | I Want Games | I Want Hosting | I Want Music | I Want Security | JokeBox | ScriptShock | Wantedfonts | Webalize
© 2006