Blog: Cardplayer Lifestyle Poker Blog

The Esther Bluff is bound to improve your bluffing success while playing poker; and it can often help on other occasions when playing deceptively. Created by my granddaughter when she was a teenager, it entails playing with confidence and self-assurance. Indeed, when she raised my bet, I was convinced she had a big hand. It was the expression on her face accompanied by...

Ed. note: Ashley's nephew, J. Tucker Adams, has been on a poker journey. He has gone, over the space of a couple of years, from a casual and losing player to a focused player making a profit at the game. Ashley encouraged him to write about this journey, which we're sharing with you below. I’ve known how to play poker since I...

One of my favorite poker authors is renowned poker psychologist Dr. Alan Schoonmaker. Years ago, in Poker Digest magazine, he published a series on “Selecting and Adjusting to Different Games.” His views on loose-aggressive games merit comment. With two or more loose-aggressive players (Maniacs), expect frequent raises and three-bets,...

A poker party is about to start all over the world. Assuming things don't somehow change with a variant of COVID that easily infects people who are vaccinated, people are going to be flocking to the poker tables in the very near future. Many people here in Las Vegas already are taking part in them. I played a $2,500 buy-in at the Venetian...

I always look forward to reading the poker column in the Sunday issues of the Los Angeles Times. They are usually interesting. Unfortunately, it seems they are only written for the pros and other high-stakes players. It would be appropriate to have a few columnists for us recreational players who prefer low/middle limit hold’em and represent the majority of poker players. At...

Online poker has changed a lot over the past few years. To be a profitable player, especially at higher stakes, it’s no longer enough to just learn the basics and have "good poker skills". The competition is growing tougher by the day and keeping up and not falling behind is a big challenge. Understanding poker math at a deep level is more important...

Life is filled with lessons. Every day's a school day, as they say. And never has that felt more true than right now, with many of us juggling full-time jobs with new, unanticipated careers as teachers. Homeschooling your kids during lockdown doesn't leave a lot of room for pursuing your own interests, but poker players need to keep their heads in the game....

Back in June 2002, the memorable Poker Digest magazine was published biweekly by an incredible couple, June Field and her husband, Phil. It always carried a number of fascinating articles about poker. One that I will never forget was titled “What Type of Player Should I Fear? Who are the 'dangerous' players?" Written by Art Santella for his “Arty’s Poker Q&A” column,...

The donk bet is a bet made out of position into the preflop raiser, effectively preempting his cbet on any street. It's a play that confuses many players, myself included, and we all know that committing confused chips can be costly in poker. It seems that donk bets can be made for any reason by any opponent and for any size. So,...

When you fancy a session playing poker in Michigan, you can always pencil in a visit to either the Owosso Poker Room or the Firekeepers Casino Hotel. However, with things as they are many poker players have decided they would much prefer playing from the safety and comfort of their own home. If that is something you have been thinking about doing...

Can politics and poker ever play together to benefit the world? Is there room for politics in poker? In that regard, using my imagination, here is a poker story that could have happened. Admittedly, and importantly, it is a piece of fiction. But it gives us food for thought… Joyce C. learned to play poker from her husband, Sam, a political...

Skillful poker players consistently win. Reaching this level can take years; it’s all about knowledge and strategy. Working on these will set you apart from the competition. With continued practice and study, you will become truly proficient in the game. In this post, we share four basic tips for developing better playing strategies, whether you’re playing for money or just for fun. Especially...

Last year, members of the poker community were enamoured and glued to our screens watching Phil Galfond overturn a $1 million deficit in his high stakes Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) heads up match against the online known poker player known as Venividi1993. For some of you, this would have been the spark that fired you up to try out the great game of...

The language of poker often captures my interest and imagination. "Limping" is the term poker players use when calling the Big Blind (BB) to see the flop. It is the minimum amount of chips needed to stay in a hand during the preflop. It may also be identified as a “flat call.” The limper is entering the pot by calling rather than raising....

The best card in the deck is an Ace. Playing Texas Hold’em, the best starting hand is a pair of Aces. Therefore, you can expect to see an Ace in the hole one out of 13 hands dealt to you. On the other hand, the odds against looking down on pocket Aces in the hole are 221-to 1. Far more likely, you will...

Happy New Year everybody! Every new year brings with it the perfect opportunity to reengage with poker and to pursue success in this game you love. How can you get on the path to successful poker? It's gonna take lots of studying and playing with purpose and working on specific areas of your game to learn the strategies it takes to beat the...

Our mindset and performance are built on our own thoughts and behavior. The less control we have over our environment, the more reason to focus inward and learn to control ourselves. Naturally, this is something that's super important for poker players. With these 10 simple tricks, you can feel more productive and fulfilled in these crazy times....

Online poker has seen a mini-boom in the last year because of poker rooms shutting down due to Covid-19. For me, this has led to an influx of students who often have no idea why they are getting crushed online when they were doing fine at brick and mortar tables. There are three reasons why you may be having a tough time online...

Playing low/middle-limit Texas hold’em, your goal is to go home a winner. Being the best player – the most skilled – at the table will help. But, more likely, you will rank near the middle in the skill department; let us assume that is the case. With eight opponents vying for the same pots, the cost-to- play (house rake, Bad Beat Jackpot drop, and...

It’s a new year, and with it comes the potential for new excitement and opportunities. When it comes to poker, that’s no different. Along with studying and dedicating yourself more to your game of choice (for most, No Limit Hold ‘em), It’s also a great time to take up a new game… or 8, or 10. Anyone who knows me knows I love...