Blog: Cardplayer Lifestyle Poker Blog

I love surprises in life. That’s why I don’t watch movie trailers. Truly, I DON’T WATCH MOVIE TRAILERS. That might seem weird to most of you. I simply decide to see a movie based on the actors/director/story/word of mouth, then go see it (or not). I also don’t read Yelp reviews on a new restaurant. I want to experience all things fresh, basically...

Poker is arguably the best card game in the world and has been immortalized in TV and films for decades. If you’re new to the game and want to play online poker it is important that as well as knowing the rules you have a strategy. If you’re a seasoned pro you probably know these tips but they are still worth reviewing...

Everyone knows that consistently notching good results in poker tournaments is hard. It’s one thing to get lucky and win one big event, but staying profitable over thousands of MTTs takes a lot of skill. One key aspect to achieving this kind of results is to fully understand ICM. the Independent Chip Model. While almost every player out there has heard about ICM...

Play money poker may not be the “real” thing, but it can be a great stepping stone and an early learning tool for players looking to get into poker. Of course, even experienced poker players can still have some fun in the play money games, although the extremely low skill level you will see at these tables can make playing them somewhat mundane....

I firmly believe that action is the greatest teacher. That’s why I love giving action steps in my podcasts, videos, articles and books. But, a lot of content creators don’t do this for you. So, you’ve got to do it for yourself. Here’s the 3-part Action Step Creation Process: Learn something new Figure out how to practice it in-game Figure out how to...

Almost all poker players are aware of the need to carefully select their starting hands. There are many charts available for that purpose. Some of us use the Hold’em Algorithm to help. But few players give much thought to selecting the table at which they will invest their chips. Table selection is based on the poker traits of our opponents, knowledge of which...

Why do we play poker? Pros play to earn a livelihood. But the vast majority – call us recreational players – are quite satisfied if we go home a winner, the more the better. We also seek mental challenge and social interaction with the other players which we may not express or recognize. I'm referring to live poker, of course. When you play...

Be it your career, your family life, poker, or any other game, skills are essential to success. Without skills, you are just gambling – depending on luck to influence your outcomes. And based on the mathematical probabilities, while you COULD win, most likely you will end up losing a little when gambling. If you're already determined to play luck-based games, you may as...

We live by rules. Every game has rules. For instance there are blackjack rules and there are also poker rules. To succeed in either game, you must observe certain rules. Years ago, I developed my original “Four Basic Rules for Winning at Poker.” They have been modified over the years as I gained experience, and now there are six. To be sure, I'm...

Doug Polk is amazing! After winning over $10 million in online poker and live tournaments, he decided to "hang up the cards" at the age of 31. He's also earned three World Series of Poker gold bracelets and famously beat Poker Hall of Famer Daniel Negreanu in a heads-up, high-stakes match for $1.2 million. He has also engaged in other endeavors, perhaps most...

When you start playing poker, Texas Hold'em in particular, you will want to learn all of the different strategies and ways of playing that you need to be a success. As part of this, you may wonder how many of the hands you are dealt you should play, and how this affects your chances of success....

Maybe it feels like you're always overwhelmed with your poker studies and the things you’re struggling with: I need to improve my 3-betting skills. I get angry too easily and MUST learn to control my emotions. I still can't hand read. I can't use my HUD properly. I don't know when to double-barrel...

Deception is a vital part of the game of Texas Hold 'Em. If you rarely try to deceive your opponents, you are hardly ever a winner. Bluffing and semi- bluffing are the deceptive strategies most often used. But, hard to believe, there are recreational and novice players who insist they will “never” bluff. Other deceptive strategies include slow play, trapping, sandbagging, and...

Most of us are recreational poker players. We play the game for intellectual challenge, excitement, and social interaction. But poker is more than a hobby. Our goal is to win as much money as possible – and lose much less. That’s why most of us generally stick to low/middle limit hold ’em games. However, we play in casinos like https://www.mystino.com/ja/games/all/ and cardrooms...

Live reads are a widely debated area of poker. Some will say that live reads are the most important part of playing poker. Others will tell you it’s a waste of time to play based on anything other than percentages. Both camps would be wrong. The usefulness of poker tells depends on the game you are playing. Do you find yourself sitting in...

Playing live poker can be a lot of fun. Whether you play in a home game with friends or visit your local casino, live poker games often offer a sociable and relaxed environment where you can play some hands, have a few drinks, and chat with other players. But if you’re serious about poker, there is one thing that you’re interested in above...

This is an exclusive excerpt from Endgame Poker Strategy: The ICM Book by Dara O’Kearney and Barry Carter. It is the first book to cover the topic of ICM (poker's Independent Chip Model) and includes everything from the bubble, final tables, game selection, postflop, staking, final table deals and much more....

Like all things good or bad, poker too has a language of its own. Back in 1999, Michael Weisenberg wrote The Official Dictionary of Poker. Even before that, there were many excellent poker books that included pages of glossaries. More recently, it was only to be expected that, as more players joined our poker world, new terms would be added. On top...

Playing hold’em, on the flop you have connected to a drawing hand. It happens often. To be a more consistent winner make good use of your card outs and odds, along with the pot odds. This is especially important in middle/small limit hold’em games, where it is more difficult to scare off opponents with a big semi-bluff bet....

Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, I sensed positive changes in our poker world. There was a growing interest in the game. Also, judging by my observations, more young adults, especially women, were joining our ranks at the tables. And these younger newbies seemed much less risk-averse – more daring than us old-timers. For a while now, I have been contemplating making some significant...