California Justin Kuraitis - Types of Poker Games Players & Choosing Poker Game Chips

California Justin Kuraitis says a poker party is a great party, best with 6 to 10 people. Here's what you'll need: Between 6 and 10 players; 7 or 8 makes for a great game. If you have more than 10 players then you'll need to split into two tables or play will be too slow.

Someone who knows how to play. It's really going to go better if you have at least one person to explain the rules at the start of the evening,

• Enough poker chips, preferably in four colours 
• 500 chips is enough for up to about 10 people.

It's very reasonable to get nice casino quality chips, they are usually listed as 'clay' chips and should weigh 10 or more grams. A suitable table so you can all sit comfortably round it. For a really fancy game there are some nice table-tops that go over your own table, a cheaper option is some green baize which you can buy the roll.

2 packs of cards with different backs. Proper poker cards have nice clear numbers as people need to be able to read them from the other side of the table. If you have more than 10 players you'll need another two packs as you'll want to split into two tables. Get cards that have been used in Vegas casinos which adds an authentic touch. You don't have any of the stuff then get one of the many poker sets around, they will include the chips, cards and the dealer button. You might also want to print out our helpful list of poker hand nicknames, these are the names people call particular combinations of hole cards. It does sound so much cooler to declare you've got "Big Slick" rather than just "A King and an Ace"

There are an infinite variety of poker games. Starting with Texas Hold'Em as it's currently the most popular so more people are likely to know it. Have a regular game then you might also want to play a few rounds of "dealer calls" where the dealer nominates the game for that round.

Choosing Poker Chips

There are various 'standards' for the colour of poker chips and what they are worth; for instance the state of New Jersey defines these:

Colour Value

White 1

Pink 2.5

Red 5

Blue 10

Yellow 20

Green 25

Black 100

However you probably only want to get four colour so a reasonable set of values might be something like 1, 2, 5 and 25. Want to get more of the lower denomination chips than higher; a reasonable ratio is something like 4/3/2/1 so, for instance, you might want to get 400 white, 300 pink, 200 red and 100 blue chips.

Each player needs to start with a good number of chips, say between 30 and 50, and make sure you have enough left to let people re-buy; you only need the larger value chips left for re-buys as the other players can 'make change'. Not so long ago a nice set was really expensive but they have really come down in price. It's not that much to get nice 'casino quality' chips. Look for ones listed as 'clay' chips weighing 10 - 11.5 grams. Before the game starts & Go over the basic rules. It's fun to give people chips in a 'virtual' currency. So if they buy in for 10 pounds/dollars you give them 1,000 pounds/dollars of chips, it just makes all the pots seem much bigger. Obviously when cashing out you reverse the process! 

Use two packs of cards: at the end of each hand the dealer collects the card, passes the dealer button on and the next dealer starts dealing the second pack. The old dealer shuffles the cards well then passes them to the player after the current dealer ready for a prompt start to the next hand. This keeps the game moving. If you have more than 10 people you probably want to split into two tables.  As people leave you can combine the tables.

If you're going to play for cash rather than just chips then there are three golden rules: 

Golden rule 1: Make sure everyone knows the key rules, especially on re-buys and cashing out.

Golden rule 2: Keep the chip stash in a safe place and have one nominated person (usually the host) who takes the cash and gives chips in return. This person is the only one allowed to do it and has to make up the shortfall if things don't add up. Never trust someone else count of the chips, count them again in front of them before handing over cash. Countless games have had 'unpleasantness' at the end of the evening when someone miscounts when cashing out, leaves and then there isn't enough to pay the remaining players.

 

Golden rule 3: Be fairly strict on the mechanics of the game, proper shuffling & cutting, no string bets, no playing out of turn, re-deal if there's a misdeal, if a player steps away from the table they still have to play blinds etc.

California USA Justin Kuraitis - Why People love to play poker Game

California, USA Justin Kuraitis says People love playing poker because it allows them to influence the game using strategies and also enjoy reading other people to make bets on who has the better card. It only becomes more interesting when you start learning how the professional players change their game style or strategies to bluff or trap other players into betting. These tips will improve your game, so you can make a place among professionals. 

Think about ranges rather than hands

The pros do not concentrate on their hands, but what their opponents possibly has. While the average players think of specific cards that others may have, the pros think in terms of ranges. For example, having a King and an Ace on the table can make the beginners think that the opponent may have a pair of Kind or Ace, but a professional player will be thinking on the range from a pair to a full house or even a royal flush.

There is no favourite hand

If you think Jack and a ten is your favourite hand, you are wrong. The probability of winning is only based on its face value. It is not a sure win every time even when it looks like one. Even a pair of Aces can be beaten easily with a small full house or three of a kind.

Have a consistent strategy

Every professional Poker Player has a consistent strategy to play their games. They may use a different strategy in every tournament, but as long as they are at the table, they try to keep the same strategy for as long as they can. If you keep changing your strategy in between the game, it will backfire in no time and may also cause the tilt.

Avoid tilt at all cost

Talking about tilt, it is one thing that you should always avoid during the games. It is the destroyer of bankrolls and dreams of making it big. Poker is never a sure-shot game, and you will face many defeats while you make profits. You can do nothing about it but just go along with your “luck”. If you fall for the tilt, you will have a hard time recovering. Whenever you find yourself making rash decisions and getting irritated by unexpected losses, you should take a break and relax before you can start again.

California Justin Kuraitis - What is 2-5 No Limit Player in Poker Game

California Justin Kuraitis level of cash games, is the beginning point where a significant amount of money can be made. At lower levels, the lack of stack depth and higher relative rake, cut into profits to a large degree. An intelligent player at these stakes in poker can make enough money to grind out a living if need be. Through countless hours playing in these games, I have recognized a few key traits that are possessed by the best players, at these stakes.

1) This was the structure used when I came up playing and I have a lot of experience

2) There are specific adjustments that must be made to maximize your win rate in these games, due to the shallower stacks.

Some of the topics I will be covering will include: calling too much pre-flop, value betting, recognizing player types, avoiding fancy play, limping and 3 betting.

The ability to recognize player types that you will encounter in these specific games, is critical in determining the correct strategy. By correctly identifying player types, we can play an exploitative strategy that in most situations is the most profitable. The most common player type encountered will be the Loose Passive (LP) recreational player. This player type limps into many pots pre-flop and rarely shows aggression without a strong holding. These are the most profitable and lowest variance players to play against.

The LP players that you encounter are very single minded thinkers in poker. They focus on their hand and not the opponents. Absolute hand strength is more important (one pair, two pair, straight) than the relative strength of their hand. The key strategy to exploit these players is that you can be very aggressive. Due to their lack of aggressiveness, there is little reasoning behind pot controlling weak hands or draws. There is also little fear of folding equity incorrectly in a hand, since most aggressive action is an indication of superior strength. Bet folding hands on turns and river, become your biggest money maker. You are able to go for more semi-bluffs and thinner value versus these players due to lack of aggression.

 

Common player type in these games are the Tight Passive (TP) grinders. This player is similar to the LP, but is very selective in the type of hands played. AJ off-suit is an easy fold under the gun for this player. This player tends to play very fit or fold with hands such as pocket pairs and suited connectors. Like the LP player, this player shows little aggression with out a strong hand. A three-bet pre-flop is likely a big pocket pair, or a check-raise is an indication of a flopped set. The main difference is that the TP player is playing a tight range pre-flop. With a tight range, he will flop stronger hands and be able to continue on more flops. We want to have a lower continuation bet percentage versus this player, then the LP who is more likely to miss flops with a wider range. An example may be a TP player calling my early position range and the flop coming KQ5.

 

The Gambler is playing many hands, just like the LP, but is coming in for a raise pre-flop. The Gambler is there for entertainment and lacks patience and discipline of a LAG player. The Gambler doesn’t like to be bluffed out of pots, thus we should resort to less bluffs and thinner value bets versus this player. The Gambler will be playing very wide ranges pre flop, thus they will miss lots of flops. They will use their post flop aggression to make up for missing flops. They are likely to have a very high continuation bet frequency, thus we should fold less flops versus this player.

 

Simple concept, but many players fail to properly categorize players when first sitting down at the table. Throughout the first 20-30 minutes in your session, you should be focusing on players learning their style. Also remember that players change their style throughout the session. Continuously have a mental checkup on how players are playing every couple of orbits. Recognize how players change in style when losing money, winning money, of facing a bad beat. All players will react different and your ability to recognize and adjust will translate to more profit. You can also use player types to help with your table selection, which is very important.

Justin Kuraitis - Ways to Improve Your Poker Game with Poker Copilot

Justin Kuraitis guide to analysing your hand history with Poker Copilot. Make sure you have plenty of hands in your Poker Copilot database first. Choose first if you are focused on your cash game skills or your tournament skills, your Hold’em or Omaha game, and your preferred table size. All the instructions here assume you are analysing 6-max No Limit Hold’em cash games.

1. Set the Filters

In Poker Copilot’s filter, set table size to 6 Players Max, and set game type to No Limit Hold’em. If you believe your playing style has changed a lot in recent months, consider setting the date to 6 Months.

2. Check Your Preflop Aggression

New poker players are scared of raising. They tend to call which is an easy way to lose money. If your hand is worth playing, then you should often raise. If it is not worth playing, you should fold. Beware the temptation to call.

3. Check Your Positional Awareness

Poker players soon learn to be more loose, the closer they are to the dealer button. When in the button you get more information before making a decision; conversely when you are under the gun you need to decide with less information than any other player. The number you see next to each position is how often you put money in the pot from each position. The number should be consistently decreasing as you move away from the button.

4. Check Your Blind Stealing

Blind stealing, if done well, is highly profitable. When you are on the button, and every one has folded before you, you have a blind steal opportunity. Many players are timid at blind stealing. If in doubt, try to steal. Do this often, and you’ll have an extremely high “big blinds won per 100 hands” for blind steal attempts. 20 times, 50 times, even 100 times your normal win rate is common.

5. Check Your Blind Defending

Consider only the hands in which you are the big blind, and are facing a blind steal attempt. If you folded your big blind every time you were in this situation, you’d lose exactly one big blind per hand, which is a precise average of 100 big blinds/100 hands.

How to check if this is the case.

l In Poker Copilot’s filter bar, select More -> Advanced -> Steal -> Had Opportunity to Defend the Big Blind Against a Steal Attempt -> true

l In Poker Copilot’s left hand menu, select Position

l The “by Position” table will show exactly one row. This is a summary of all your blind defence attempts.

l Find the Avg Win (BB/100 Hands) column.

6. Check How You Play Pocket Pairs

Remove all filters except 6 Players Max and No Limit Hold’em. From the Leak Detectors select Pocket Pairs. Click on Start for Ring Games.First column make sure AA through 88 all show a VPIP of at least 85%. Less than that means you are too timid with these powerful hands. AA, KK, QQ should all have a VPIP close to 100%.

In the second column, you want an extremely high ratio of PFR to VPIP. These are raising hands, not calling hands. You should have a positive value for Big blinds won/100 hands for every single pocket pair. If there are exceptions, then you’ve got a big leak. Over the long run, you should not be losing money from any pocket pair.

7. Check How You Play Suited Connectors

Here you want to check that you are not overplaying suited connectors. It is too easy to misread these as powerful hands. Being connected only adds roughly 2% to your chances of winning, so don’t, for example, get too attached to T9 suited. The percentage should quickly drop for VPIP and Preflop Raised as you move down the list of suited connectors.

Check your Big blinds won/100 hands. AK is a premium hand, and you should have an extremely high number here. For other hands, look for any with a big loss. Consider folding these hands more often.

8. Check Your Continuation Bets

A continuation bet is when you continue your preflop aggression on the flop. You should be doing this the majority of the time. You want to make your opponents uncertain about their hands, even if they hit the flop. If you don’t have a good reason for checking on the flop after being the last to raise preflop, then you should be betting.

When an opponent calls your preflop raise and sees the flop, they are probably going to miss the flop roughly two-thirds of the time. Furthermore they probably think you've got a good hand. Your continuation bet gives the impression that your hand is good and you've hit the flop. It is an intimidating move and should be part of your poker toolkit.

California USA Justin Kuraitis - Starting pot in any given hand to poker

California USA Justin Kuraitis Poker games typically feature a forced bet, such as the Big Blind and Small Blind in Holdem and Omaha. These forced bets comprise the starting pot in any given hand of poker, which is the first incentive players have to win the hand. Action arising from the subsequent rounds of betting further increases the size of the pot.

Dealing Cards and Betting Rounds

After any initial cards are dealt, players are usually called upon to act in turn, moving clockwise around the table. Each player can usually take one of the following actions when it is their turn to act:

· Check – To check is to decline the opportunity to open the betting. Players can only check when there is no bet during the current round, and the act of checking passes the action clockwise to the next person in the hand. If all active players check, those players remain in the hand and the round is considered complete.

· Bet – Players may bet if no other players have bet during the current round. Once a bet has been made, other players must ‘call’ by matching the amount bet, in order to remain in the hand.

· Fold – Players who fold forfeit their cards and cannot win or act again during the current hand.

· Call – Players can call if other players have bet during the current round; this requires the calling player to match the highest bet made.

· Raise – Players may raise if other players have bet during the current round; this requires the raising player to match the highest bet made, and then make a greater one. All subsequent players are required to call the raise or raise again to stay in the hand.

Different variants of poker have different betting rounds. Texas Hold’em and Omaha are the two most popular poker games in the world and have identical betting structures, with four rounds of betting known as pre-flop, the flop, the turn and the river.

The pre-flop betting round begins as soon as all players have received their hole cards, before any community cards have been dealt; betting on the flop occurs after the first three community cards are dealt; on the turn after the fourth community card; and on the river after the fifth and final community card.

On each betting round, betting continues until every player has either matched the bets made or folded. When the betting round is completed, the next dealing/betting round begins, or the hand is complete. Here’s an example of a Texas Hold’em hand after all the cards have been dealt. As you can see, players may use any of their two hole cards with any of the five community cards to make the best five-card hand they can make - in this case, you can use both your hole cards and three of the shared community cards to make a straight.

1. Your opponents’ hole cards

2. Community Cards

3. Your hole cards

Showdown

Once the last bet or raise has been called during the final round of betting, a showdown occurs; the remaining active players must show or ‘declare’ their hands, and the player(s) with the best ranking hand(s) win the pot. Players often show their hands in order, rather than all at the same time. Multiple players can share a single pot, with the pot divided in different ways depending on the game rules and how each player’s hand ranks against their opponents.

 

Betting Limits

Betting limits refer to the amount players may open and raise. Typically, poker games are of the following types; no limit, pot limit or fixed limit.

l No Limit – in poker games with a no limit betting structure, each player can bet or raise by any amount up to and including their full stack (the total number of chips they possess at any given time) in any betting round, whenever it is their turn to act.

l Pot Limit – in poker games with a pot limit betting structure, each player can bet or raise by any amount up to and including the size of the total pot at that time.

l Fixed Limit – in poker games with a fixed limit betting structure, each player can choose to call, bet or raise, but only by a fixed amount. The fixed amount for any given betting round is set in advance.

California Justin Kuraitis - Poker Hand Rankings Rules for Winning Game

Justin Kuraitis of California defines a poker hand consists of five cards, which fall into several categories. Below is the complete list of poker hands, from highest to lowest.

1. Royal flush

A royal flush is an ace high straight flush. For example, A-K-Q-J-10 all of diamonds.

2. Straight flush

A straight flush is a five-card straight, all in the same suit. For example, 7-6-5-4-3 all of spades.

3. Four of a kind

Four of a kind, or quads, are four cards of equal value. For example, four jacks.

4. Full house

A full house contains a set (3) of cards of one value and a pair of another value. For example, Q-Q-Q-2-2.

5. Flush

A flush is any 5 cards, all of the same suit. For example, K-Q-9-6-3 all of diamonds.

6. Straight

Five cards of sequential value. Every possible straight will contain either a 5 or a 10. For example, 7-6-5-4-3 with different suits.

7. Three of a kind

Three cards of the same value. For example, three aces.

8. Two pairs

This is two cards of one value and another two cards of another value. For example, two jacks and two 8s.

9. Pair

One pair is two cards of the same rank. For example, two queens.

10. High card

The hand with the highest card(s) wins. If two or more players hold the highest card, a kicker comes into play.

Official poker rankings: ties and kickers

Poker is all about making the best five-card poker hand from the seven cards available (five community cards plus your own two hole cards). That means in the event of a tie with four of a kind, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, or high card, a side card, or 'kicker', comes into play to decide who wins the pot.

For example:

Player A wins the hand with Q kicker.

With a three of a kind, one pair or high card tie, a second, third or even fourth kicker could come into play to decide the pot. If the kickers can’t decide one overall winner, those players involved are just going to have to share the pot.