Category Archives: Poker

Its a transformation Tom McEvoy never saw coming when he packed up and moved to Las Vegas in 1979, but the 1983 Main Event champion and Poker Hall of Fame member has joined his friend and fellow Hall of Famer TJ Cloutier as a poker guru at the recently launched PokerSamadhi.com.

Named for a word in Indian Sanskrit referring to the process of joining all aspects of who we are physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally to attain a state of heightened concentration and awareness, the site promotes a philosophy that McEvoy says he strongly believes in.

The whole idea is: Live your best life, not just play your best poker game, McEvoy said of the site. There are so many things that can make you successful in poker that can make you successful in life, and vice versa.

How the site achieves these goals will rely heavily on poker gurus like McEvoy and Cloutier, whose roles will be to share their knowledge in podcasts, articles, and snippets of poker mantras intended to help tune the brains vibrations into a state of poker clairvoyance and to sell T-shirts, poker chips, magnets, and other merchandise branded with the sites various mantras.

Danielle Striker, a Las Vegas businesswoman and semi-pro poker grinder, is the force behind the site.

Phil Hellmuth calls it White Magic, Striker said. I really call that a moment of observation where you see everything so clearly, its being in the zone. Thats what Samadhi is. Thats the Samadhi state.

Traditionally achieved through yoga or meditation, Striker, who says shes been fascinated in the study of human potential and personal transformation for 40 years, believes this magic can be harnessed and used by poker players successfully both on and off the table. You cant always get (too the Samadhi state), right? But the point of Poker Samadhi is to help you get there with the kind of things you tell yourself, these mantras. Mine is slow down.

This first bit of advice McEvoy gave Striker as her first poker coach rang a note inside her because of an accident that transformed her life decades before.

While pursuing a career as a Broadway dancer, Striker hit an animal while riding her motorcycle, putting her in a wheelchair for almost three years and ending her career as a performer. The crash, she said, caused her to have an out-of-body experience that changed the way she thought about the body and the mind, eventually putting her right where she is now; a member of the poker world living in Las Vegas.

After being coached by McEvoy, and heeding his advice to slow down, she said this out-of-body clarity happened for a second time while playing poker. That was more than 10 years ago, and shes been thinking about the concept of Poker Samadhi ever since.

As she read more than 400 books on poker, Striker filled index cards with short notes she would read to herself as she drove to play $2-$5. Eventually, these short, eloquent snippets from poker experts like Ed Miller, Greg Raymer, Phil Hellmuth, Cloutier, and McEvoy wound their way into a poker book of her own, called Poker Samadhi: A Divine Collection of Poker Wisdom in 2013.

A key concept to surviving and thriving in poker requires the ability to deal with negative experiences and losses at the table, and McEvoy takes pride in being the kind of person who could handle the swings and terrible beats in stride, and who never let the vices that hound other poker players sports betting and drugs, in particular sink him.

I have the right emotional make-up to handle this more than most people. Its always a true test of a persons character how they handle things when things go bad, not when things go good.

Since packing three kids (aged 5, 7, and 9), three cats, and one not too happy wife in a car and moving to Las Vegas from Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1979, McEvoy has experienced all the ups and downs that come with grinding poker for four decades.

Its been a poker lifetime of assessment, adjustment, and self-reflection that McEvoy says continues to this very day. When he talked to CardsChat, he was still stewing about the mistake that knocked him out of this years WSOP Main Event. Even though it was his 37th straight year playing the Main Event, McEvoy says it took him three days to get over trying to bluff the best hand for his tournament life.

You think I would get used to handling this. I went into a three-day funk because I was mad at myself for what I have done. I made the play and I destroyed my chances this year.

But he took one of his own mantras when you lose, dont lose the lesson and took it with him to a $130 buy-in tourney at the Orleans. You have to get off the carpet again, even if its a small tournament. But it was my test to me that I can take this small tournament dead serious from the get-go and do my best.

He cashed.

Ive done a lot of (self-reflection). Thats what Poker Samadhi is all about; its a philosophy.

Written by

Bob Pajich

Bob Pajich is a poker news reporter, creative writer, and poker player who never met suited connectors he didn't like.

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Hall of Famers Tom McEvoy and TJ Cloutier are Now 'Poker Gurus' - CardsChat.com

Alex Dreyfus, Cary Katz and Rob Yong have proven that entrepreneurs can thrive in the poker industry.

The entrepreneur with perhaps the most success in the poker world is Cary Catz. He was the founder and CEO of College Loan Corporations for fifteen years.

With the help of investors including Antonio Esfandiari, Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth, Katz launched Poker Central in 2015. The first ever 24/7 poker channel didnt last long, and Katz eventually launched PokerGo, the wildly successful poker streaming service.

Catz didnt begin playing poker competitively until 2004. Since then, hes gone on to rack up over $30 million in tournament earnings. He has also proven himself in the highest stakes, as he is currently ranked fourth on the PokerGo Tour leaderboard with over $2.5 million earned and 1,727 points.

Rob Yong has been a staple in the poker community as both a high stakes regular and a British casino owner. Since 2007, Yong and Dusk Till Dawn have been focused on providing a welcoming environment for low stakes players. The casino has also gone on to become a key partner with partypoker.

Yong has also proved himself at the tables. He has 23 tournament cashes for $465,509 spanning 15 years. His largest cash came in the World Series of Poker Europe 2019 in the 25,500 No Limit Short Deck High Roller for $135,160.

Some of Yongs most profitable play has come at the poker table. In this massive pot with Leon Tsoukernik, he won a whopping $940,000. Hes been in other six-figure pots, including a $404,850 pot against Dylan Gang and a $486,500 pot versus Rob Yong. Recently, Yong has been advocating a poker union, and has pledged $1.2 million to help kickstart the campaign. In a video on Twitter, Yong explained that the initial pledge would help stabilize the union during its infancy.

Dreyfus rose to fame in the poker world without laying a finger on a poker chip. Not surprisingly, the successful entrepreneur found his greatest poker achievements on the business side of the game.

The Frenchman found his first success in the industry as the co-founder and director of Winamax, the first French online poker room and sports betting website. His next project was one of his most successful.

As the CEO and owner of Chilipoker, an online platform, the company made $11.7 million in 2009. Chilipoker became the first European company to aid a U.S. casino group toward regulation by offering technology and services.

Throughout his involvement with the poker industry, Dreyfus had a vision to sportify the game of poker. He envisioned a player-centric league where the emphasis was on points and rankings.

His vision eventually came to fruition with the help of Chinese investors in the form of the Global Poker League, complete with team rosters and a draft. Some pros were also interested and even competed in the first season.

Although he saw some success with the Global Poker Masters, a similar team-based poker league, the GPL never did pan out. A majority of the matches were online, and, although they were live streamed, fans werent as invested as Dreyfus hoped.

Dreyfus did hit a rough patch with loans from Fedor Holz and Hendrik Latz, but he has since moved into the crypto world as the CEO of chiliZ. Its an esports block-chain venture where fans can influence their favorite teams gametime decisions with the use of its official currency, $CHZ. It follows the model of European football and Socios.

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3 Businessmen Who Succeeded In the Poker Industry - HighstakesDB

The Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP) Main EventMillions 2021has just reached the largest Main Event in 17 years of history of the Brazilian Poker Championship, the largest competition in the Southern Hemisphere: amounting to 4.115 entries on the main event and prize value at R$ 11,6 million(US$ 2,05 million). Until now, the largest landmark had been 3.472 entries, in 2015.

After almost two years at standstill due to the pandemic, BSOP Millions also returns with a record prize value at the Main Event: 34,8% more than the R$ 8,6 million prize (US$ 1.5 million), also recorded in 2015.

You are competing for the biggest Main Event in history, announced Devanir Campos, technical director for BSOP, through the sound systems on the Golden Hall, at WTC So Paulo, which holds the event until December 5th. He reinforced that the previous record was held at a better economic scenario, thus he praised the new landmark, which reflects the scale of the event.

We are very delighted to beat our own record. The largest number for the Main Event had been in 2015, at another point in our economy. After 2015, the number in the entertainment sector as a whole plummeted. So it is a great joy, not only because of the results but also because of the number of new participants. This means that poker has grown. The ecosystem is vibrant and theres still a lot of room to grow, says Devanir, who also complimented the players' cooperation - both professionals and amateurs - for respecting the sanitary protocols and ensuring safe entertainment.

Lara Bruno, operations director for BSOP, highlighted that this installment of Millions demanded doubled commitment from the production team because the planning time was shorter and the events organization was unique, due to the sanitary rules. It was speed-planning. Normally we start planning for Millions about eight months in advance. This time, we truly started in August, when we felt that the on-site events could return. It was a very short time, but the team was dedicated, overjoyed to be working again, she stated.

See the original post here:

Brazilian Series of Poker's Main Event sets all-time record in prize and attendance - Yogonet International

November 28, 2021PokerNews Staff

In 2019, 27 amateurs and 27 of the worlds best pros competed in the biggest buy-in event in history. Now, the Triton Million - A Helping Hand for Charity poker tournament is being released as a 10-episode series on Triton Poker's YouTube Channel.

A total of 54 players stumped up the seven-figure entry fee with 50,000 of each buy-in going to benefit 15 different charities. As a result, this saw 2.7 million going to a plethora of good causes as well as generating a staggering 54 million ($73,993,800) pound prize pool.

Here's a look at five of either the biggest or most interesting hands from the eighth episode, which can be viewed in full below.

With blinds at 50,000/100,000/100,000, Nick Petrangelo opened to 200,000 from a stack of 2,500,000, with the in early position, and received two callers in the shape of Vivek Rajkumar holding the chip lead and the in the cutoff, and Chin Wei Lim with the , and 2,400,000 in the big blind.

The deck kept it low with a flop of , but it handed Rajkumar a flush draw. Wei Lim checked, Petrangelo bet 250,000, and Rajkumar raised to 650,000. Wei Lim folded and Petrangelo moved all in for his tournament life, which Rajkumar called.

Petrangelo needed to avoid a diamond or an ace but failed when the hit the turn at the first hurdle. The completed the action, and Petrangelo departed a few places shy of the money.

With blinds still at 50,000/100,000/100,000, Igor Kurganov found the in the hijack and moved all in for 1,300,000. Bill Perkins called for 1,200,000 with the in the cutoff, and after everyone folded,it was down to the first bubble hand of the event.

The entire room crowded around the table as the dealer fanned the on the flop to give Perkins a middle set. Kurganovs odds rose from 7% to 25% picking up flush and straight outs on a turn, but the on the river enabled Perkins to float on a pink cloud to the final table and leave Kurganov with chip dust.

A few hands later, and Kurganov earned the unwanted tag of losing the biggest bubble hand in poker history after his lost out to the of Rajkumar.

With blinds at 60,000/120,000/120,000, Winfred Yu moved all in for 600,000 in the cutoff holding the and received a call from the big stack, Rajkumar, who had the in the big blind.

Yu maintained his lead on the flop, but Rajkumar overtook him with the top pair after the hit the turn.

Yu left the tournament in 11th place for 1,100,000 after the completed the action on the river.

With blinds at 60,000/120,000/120,000, Chin Wei Lim moved all in for 1,650,000 from the hijack with the , and Bryn Kenney called with the in the big blind.

Kenney needed to flop something to oust the dangerous Lim from the contest, and the gave him everything with a Broadway straight. Lim needed the board to pair on the turn to give him any chance of survival, which happened when the appeared.

Lim needed either a five or a ten to pip Kenney and stave off elimination, but instead, the hit the river to send Lim out in 10th place, receiving 1,100,000 in winnings.

With blinds at 60,000/120,000/120,000, Chan Wai Leong moved all in for 2,600,000 in the small blind holding the , and after some deliberation, Timothy Adams made the call with the covering stack in the big blind holding the dominating . The board ran out , Adams won the hand, and the Triton Million had its final eight players.

Coverage of the 50,000 Triton Million Charity event continues at - million.triton-series.com.

*Images courtesy of Triton Poker/Joe Giron

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The Biggest Bubble in Poker History Bursts in Episode #8 of Triton Million - PokerNews.com

Here are some gift ideas for your friend or coworker who happens to a be poker fan that will fit into any Secret Santa budget.

Its that time of year were all picking names out of a hat to see who were buying for in the annual Secret Santa gift exchange.

Most of the time, when you search for Poker Player Gifts, youll come up with a mish-mash of items many of which are just too expensive for a Secret Santa budget, or just plain tacky.

So, after scouring Etsy and eBay, weve compiled a list of the best Secret Santa Christmas gifts. Everything listed here, you can buy for under $20 and theyre the kind of gifts that a poker fan will actually use.

Poker books are a great gift for any player, whether theyre very into reading about strategy or not. Here are a couple of suggestions, depending on the type of poker player they are:

There are some great poker biographies out there, which make for fascinating reads. One of my favourites is One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey The Kid Ungar. Its a great book that provides an honest look into his life both on and off the felt.

Other great biographies that I would suggest are:

If you know that the poker player youre buying for is always looking to improve their game, a strategy book is the best choice of gift. The books that most players swear by are:

So, firstly, youll want to make sure that they dont already have those on their bookshelf. If they do, here are some books that are a little bit lesser known:

Thats it. Socks. You can never have enough socks.

Id say its one of the few poker-themed fashion items that makes a good gift because theyre not in-your-face. And, when it comes to poker, there are many different patterns and colours so you can pick out something fun that your friend will enjoy.

When it comes to getting Secret Santa gifts, I love having items that I can actually use around the house. T-shirts, posters and other decorative items will just go into the back of my closet and its normally the case for most novelty items.

So, Id recommend getting gifts that your poker playing friend will put to good use. These are some items that I, personally, would enjoy getting as a poker fan:

A bottle opener is one of those items that youll always have a use for which is why theyre such popular souvenirs. Whether your friend drinks beer or not, theyll will definitely use this item at some point.

I dont think its possible for anyone to have too many mugs or glasses. Depending on who youre buying for, you can go for something loud like a mug with a corny saying on it or something a little more subtle like some pint glasses engraved with poker suits.

If youre poker fan friend also enjoys baking or just has a sweet tooth, get them a set of poker cookie cutters. These can be shaped like playing card suits, cards or even poker chips.

You can get whiskey stones with embossed with either poker suits or ones that are designed to look like dice. Both are great options for someone who enjoys the odd tipple.

If the poker player in your life enjoys quirky jewellery, Id recommend getting them a cute pair of poker-themed earrings. There are tons of options available on Etsy.

You can go for a more over-the-top look with dangle earrings shaped like cards, if the person youre buying for likes to go big. However, if they prefer a more subtle look, Id suggest a pair of stud earrings either shaped like poker cards, spades or clubs (if you go for diamonds or hearts, they might get the wrong idea).

Cameos are a fun little gift that have gained popularity in recent years. It would be great for any poker fan to get a message from a professional in the field.

Some players have quite high fees so, maybe not the best idea for a Secret Santa gift. For example, Phil Hellmuth and charges about $300 for a message.

Heres an example of a Cameo by Antonio Esfandiari, giving the recipient a pep talk:

There are a few options that are less than $20, like:

A deck of cards is one few novelty poker gifts that I would actually recommend buying for a poker player. Most serious players will have high-spec KEMs or Copags but, theyll always have room for a fun deck that corresponds with their other interests.

You can get playing cards that feature imagery of films, movies, video games, musicians, animals, art movements and even different cuisines. There are very few items that there hasnt been a deck of cards based on so, you can really let your imagination run wild.

The more obscure the reference, the better. Ive seen cards featuring the period table, 52 different varieties of sushi, Jane Austen quotes and Fraggle Rock characters. So, there is no shortage of gift inspiration down this rabbit hole.

These are gift ideas that are on every gifts for poker players list that I would highly recommend against getting. I have personally received these items, and I know people who have received them and, they never get used:

What are the best and worst Secret Santa presents youve ever received? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Continued here:

Secret Santa Gifts That Poker Players Will Actually Use Under $20 - Beat The Fish

Image courtesy of PokerGO.com

After his family sought refuge from the Bosnian War and moved to the United States in the late 1990s, Ali Imsirovic has risen to the top of the poker world at the young age of 26. The man who started playing poker illegally during the Black Friday crisis at the age of 16 has become a threat in the high-stakes tournament world.

My dad owned restaurants in Bosnia, and the family was doing very well but when we arrived in the United States we mightve had $500 to our name, Imsirovic said. My dad had to work super hard for his family, and that has always inspired me to be the best that I can.

It was the work ethic and determination his family displayed to him at a young age that really drove Imsirovic to be successful. With ample study and play, the young poker phenom has shown what hard work can achieve.

Imsirovic dreamed of playing professional basketball, but some bad ankles ultimately ruined his dream. It was poker that quenched his drive to compete. He was first introduced to the game by his father, who played low-stakes games with his friends. When the teen asked to play with his father, he was always met with a resounding no.

[My father] was very opposed to me doing anything gambling related, he said.

Imsirovic was gifted academically, and, after cruising through placement tests, he was able to graduate high school at the age of 16 and enroll at Washington State University. Given his academic gifts, Imsirovic would spend the majority of his time studying poker as opposed to literature or calculus.

Imsirovic said it was a $60 tournament at a local poker hall that set his career in motion.

"I won it for more than first place!" he said. I had 90 percent of the chips in play four-handed, and they wanted to chop, so I asked for $100 more than first place.

The young man never looked back. In fact, Imsirovic dropped out of Washington State University just one semester shy of earning his degree to pursue poker full-time.

I played in two $10,000 events and one $25,000 event, and I had no business playing those at the time, Imsorivic said about his first experience at high-stakes. I remember I had Justin Bonomo on my left and he was just destroying me. I was like, I dont belong here. I didnt play the rest of the [series] and just went back to studying, trying to get better.

After boosting his bankroll with a run of final tables in 2017, Imsirovic was able to rebuild his bankroll and take more shots, something he has never shied away from.

I was kind of always okay with going broke, just because I had no responsibilities, and I had friends that were always willing to back me if I needed it, he said.

One of his biggest poker accomplishments came in 2018 when he won two Poker Masters events for over $1.2 million and the highly coveted purple jacket.

His success hasnt slowed down, either. He is currently ranked first on the PokerGo Tour leaderboard with $4,850,460 in earnings, almost $2 million and 1,200 points ahead of second place Sean Perry.

It turns out the very game his dad kept him away from as a child is now earning him some serious cash.

See the article here:

Ali Imsirovic's Rise in the Poker World - HighstakesDB

EAST HANOVER TWP. The Knights of Columbus raised $2,360 from around 50 poker players competing in a Texas Hold Em tournament at the St. Rose of East Hanover Church Friday, Nov. 19.

The event marked the fifth of its kind by the Knights since 2018 and the first in the recently renovated St. Rose basement, which now has a lounge area including couches, TVs and a bar.

Staff from Mikes Poker Tables dealt cards and officiated at tables that divided players evenly at first; once competitors were eliminated, they condensed until there was a final table where players chose how to chop the pot.

Its a good fundraiser, said Knights of Columbus officer Bob Leach, a Morristown resident. People enjoy it, and it helps bring in money to do other charitable things, give to the church and different parts of town.

Before the games started, East Hanover resident Frank Alfano said that he had made it to the final table in a previous iteration of this tournament but didnt end up winning.

Its a fun game; its entertainment, Alfano said. If you win a few bucks here or there, thats even better.

Whippany resident Ryan Leone said that this was his first time competing and that he came by because his friend whos an avid poker player saw the flyer at a local pizzeria.

Leone said that he was looking forward to hanging out with a group of good guys, playing cards with people he didnt know and hopefully winning some money.

Im always around for the ride just to throw money around, Leone said.

See original here:

East Hanover Knights of Columbus draw a full house of poker players for fundraiser - New Jersey Hills

Jack Oliver, 26, is ranked 19,366th in the world at poker but won a huge 2.5 million jackpot at a prestigious Las Vegas tournament

A British man ranked 19,366th in the world at poker has won 2.5 million at a prestigious tournament.

Jack Oliver, 26, who used to work as a financial analyst at Jaguar Land Rover, made the final table at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

His girlfriend flew out to the States to cheer him on as he finished third in the tournament in the early hours of yesterday morning (Fri).

Speaking after his big win Jack said: "I mean I cant complain can I?

"There's six thousand and something other people that didnt make it this far so what have I got to complain about?

"I think I played well and thats kind of all that matters really.

"Thats all you can do in this game.

"Of course its going to change my life in some ways its a lot of money but as much as it is about the money its kind of not.

"I play poker for the love of the game and will continue to do so and hopefully play a lot more poker in the years to come."

The WSOP main event is the highlight of the international poker calendar.

Jack, from St Albans, Herts., fell in love with the game while studying business management at University.

Since 2016 his total poker earnings stood at 87,000 with one top prize of 20,000.

But he has now smashed that total after coming third in the week-long tournament of 6,650 players.

During the event all players begin with an equal number of chips.

Jack made the final three with 77,300,000 chips but was knocked out by American George Holmes.

He in turn lost to German Koray Aldemir, 31, who won the US$8 million first prize.

See the rest here:

Lucky Brit ranked 19,366th in the world at poker wins 2.5 million at tournament - Mirror.co.uk

Suddenly, Mr Moneybags is in the news again. Tycoon Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, who has added 72 Boeing aircraft to his shopping cart and actually placed the order, unlike me, who has overflowing carts on all the e-commerce sites but no actual buys!

Jhunjhunwala kept the world guessing for a while. Would he say yes to Airbus or Boeing? What would he go for? Hes good at keeping his cards close to his chest. I know this because, years ago, I actually played poker with him at a Diwali party, and he was the original poker face.

It was at actor Aamir Khans house and my friend, who had invited me to join him for the bash, was teaching the rest of us the nuances of the game. Aamir being Aamir, donned his Im method acting cloak and took the rules quite seriously. Kiran, his then wife, was busy being a good hostess and making sure our wine glasses were full, flitting in and out, not concerned about the game. His nephew, actor Imran Khan, mirrored Aamirs every move, sitting cross-legged in the same attentive pose, head inclined similarly.

And just like Aamir had put all his energies into doing the Rubiks Cube while all his guests spun around him like planets around the sun, Imran too stayed fully engrossed in the role of Rubik enthusiast as soon as he got the puzzle box from his uncle, barely even looking up when cricketer Yuvraj Singh made small talk with him.

While I was watching all this unfold, I realised there was another set of eyes peering closely as well. Jhunjhunwalas. And when we played Poker, it was clear who was going to win the focused man, who studied people rather than probabilities. Eager to win, impatient even, he kept prodding me to play faster with a your turn, madem. If only I had known to play my cards right and keep in touch, who knows, I might have flown on the maiden flight of his Akasa Air for free!

Jokes apart, I believe the art of studying people, their body language, what is said but what remains unsaid, is highly underrated. Pay attention to non-verbal cues and you can read someone like a book. It isnt that hard too. We have the tools inbuilt within the fastest processors on earth our brains!

According to scientists, we start to form impressions of others after seeing their faces for less than one-tenth of a second. In that time, we decide whether or not the person is attractive, trustworthy, competent, extroverted, or dominant. But thats just the start.

Little signs speak volumes. Like if someone moves their hands a lot or fidgets, theyre probably lying. Or if a person orients themselves with their feet towards you while seated, they could be interested in your conversation or attracted towards you. Theres a lot to be gleaned by how a person leans. And a lot to be said about how they nod their head!

And, apparently, just like our fellow beings from the animal kingdom, we humans rely on smell as well. I read how in 2015, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, discovered that humans, when shaking hands with someone, sniffed their hands more than twice as much as they did before the handshake. It turns out that we may not outwardly sniff other people like our pets do, but still receive subliminal information more discreetly.

Pheromones, they say, are hormones that we release outside the body, which can impact the behaviour of other humans, especially when it comes to attraction. While research on this is sketchy and the jury is still out to lunch, there is certainly a possibility that love at first sight is more likely love at first sniff!

Its different in a professional set-up, of course. Taking a deep whiff of your interviewer at that job interview may send your resume to the bin, but there are other non-verbal cues that you could use to suss out your path to success. The good signs: If the interviewer is leaning forward, making eye contact, has a pleasant and alert expression... they are interested in what youre saying. If s/he leans back, with arms crossed over the chest, they may be resistant to what youre saying. If their gaze has started to wander around the room, you need to regain their interest quickly.

Such angels and demons lie in the details. Catch them if you can.

(The columnist is Associate Editor, TravelDine, and a bespoke Mumbai tour specialist. Find her on Instagram and Twitter @priyapathiyan and @thehungryhappyhippy on Facebook. She blogs on thehungryhappyhippy.com)

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The Hungry Happy Hippy: Poker face on... Reading subtle cues through body language - Free Press Journal

Video poker is an online casino game that gives you a fresh way of playing the classic card game.

Whether you already know how to play poker or not, there are some advantages to playing in this way that are well worth taking into consideration.

1. Easy to Play

The first thing you will notice when playing video poker is that it is so easy to get started with. You will be asked to choose the size of your stake, after which you can hit the deal button to play. If you have a winning hand, the payout will be made automatically, while you might also be given the option of holding certain cards while asking for others to be replaced.

Video poker is set up kind of like slots, so if you have ever played any of these games you will feel comfortable right away. You arent trying to beat another player or even the dealer, so there is no need to worry about strategies. All you need to do is get a combination of cards that gives you a winning poker hand, and this is something that anyone can do with some good fortune on their side.

2. The Payouts Are Clear

The amount you can win will vary from one version of video poker to another. However, there is never any uncertainty over the amount of the potential payouts, as you will see a paytable on the screen that tells you exactly how much you could win with any type of poker hand. You can also start playing from small stakes, letting you choose a bankroll strategy that suits your needs.

As you would expect, the paytable is usually led by a royal flush giving the biggest wins, followed by a straight flush and the other best combinations found in poker. The lowest payout on video poker is typically for a pair of jacks or better, or two pairs, but you should always take a look at the paytable before playing any games.

3. Fast and Convenient Gameplay

One of the biggest reasons that people play casino games online is that it is faster and more convenient than going to a land venue to play. Nowhere is this more evident than with video poker. The average cash game of poker can run for a couple of hours, and the world record for the longest game is 115 hours while a video poker game is completed in a matter of seconds.

This is great news if you just want to play some fast and enjoyable games at a time that suits you. You dont need to make any arrangements or plan a trip anywhere. Just open up a video poker title on the device of your choosing and start playing right away. The fact that mobile play is possible makes this an ever more flexible way of playing some hands of poker.

4. Big Prizes

What if you are looking to try and win a decent sum by playing poker? The average earnings for a professional player varies widely, with some sources suggesting that they can make over $64,000 each year. When it comes to video poker, a lot of people are just looking for some fun rather than trying to make a living.

However, maybe you are hoping to win some money as you play too. This is the sort of game that has some big prizes up for grabs if you get the right cards. The payout of a royal flush is often several hundred times your bet level, while other hands can bring you in smaller but still decent wins. A few of these games also include jackpots that can be claimed with a certain combination of cards.

5. A Good RTP

Before choosing any online casino game, you might like to take a look at its return to player (RTP). This is the amount that the operator expects to pay out to all of their players during thousands of hands. It doesnt guarantee that you will win back this exact percentage, but it gives you an idea of whether you should get regular wins for decent amounts.

Video poker titles tend to have some of the best RTPs in any online casino, often reaching into the high 90s. For comparison purposes, a 97% RTP would translate to a 3% house edge. This sort of figure is higher than you would expect to see on slots and is similar to the best table games like blackjack and baccarat.

Final Thoughts

Video poker offers some impressive benefits for certain types of players. So, if you are looking for fast, fun gameplay with no need to learn a lot of rules and strategies, this sort of game is likely to appeal to you.

In case you are looking for a website where you can try this specific online game, you can play video poker games at Bovada.

Originally posted here:

5 Advantages That Video Poker Brings to the Player - Fish Stripes