A new poker platform will integrate customers and features from two leading poker rooms to create the third largest online poker network.

Miami, FL (PRWeb) July 24, 2008 – Today, Chipleader management of both Absolute Poker and UltimateBet announced the upcoming launch of CEREUS: a NEW POKER PLATFORM that will integrate the customers and features from both poker rooms, instantly making CEREUS the third largest online poker network.

CEREUS is the result of more than 12 months innovation and development. Absolute Poker and UltimateBet will retain their unique assets.

John Adams, Chipleader’s VP, said:

“I am so excited to announce the launch of our new poker network CEREUS. This is going to be huge for … online poker. … CEREUS not only delivers the best online poker experience; it enables our company to improve our operations and deliver significantly better value and service to our customers … “

“Our company’s goal is to provide affiliate’s poker players with the ultimate online experience. The launch of CEREUS is a major step for us in achieving our goal and we look forward to making many more exciting announcements very soon.”

More information about Absolute Poker, or UltimateBet.

Post Flop Probabilities Part 2 - Written by: Dave Colclough (2004-10-04 18:10:20)

The following table refers to the number of outs, and the probability of one of these outs appearing. If you have an open ended straight draw, you have 8 outs.

You hold 10,J on a three-suited flop of 2,8,9. You know that you can win the pot with the four 7s or the four Qs. In Omaha, you may hold 7,10,J,Q so have 16 outs to give you the nuts : four 6s, three 7s, three 10s, three Js and three Qs. You are a favourite! Should there be two hearts on the flop, and you have 10,J of hearts in your hand, then you can also add the A,K,3,4 and 5 of hearts, making 21 outs. The danger here though, is that an opponent may have a nut flush draw, which changes the hand from being a favourite, to an underdog. So be careful when counting outs. Don’t get carried away. Many of them may not be sure winners. Paying for a draw in poker, that turns out to be a losing draw, is possibly the biggest crime you can commit. Don’t do it.

The table shows the percentage chances of improvement after the flop has been dealt in a Hold ‘em game. The first column shows the chances of improving with the next ‘turn’ card. The second column shows the chances of improving in the final two cards. Column 3 indicates the chances of improvement after 4 communal cards have been dealt, and only the final ‘river’ card is to come. There are slight differences between the first and last columns because the number of unknown cards in the pack is one less (you can see four on the flop as opposed to three). In Hold ‘em should you have a flush draw, you have 9 winners from 47 cards in the pack after the flop. You have 9 winners out of 46 after the ‘turn’ card.

Outs Improve On Turn Improve In 2 Cards Improve On River

• 2.1% 4.3% 2.2%
• 4.2% 8.4% 4.3%
• 6.4% 12.5% 6.5%
• 8.5% 16.5% 8.7%
• 10.7% 20.3% 10.9%
• 12.8% 24.1% 13.0%
• 14.9% 27.8% 15.2%
• 17.0% 31.5% 17.4%
• 19.1% 35.0% 19.6%
• 21.2% 38.4% 21.7%
• 23.4% 41.7% 24.0%
• 25.6% 45.0% 26.1%
• 27.7% 48.1% 28.3%
• 29.8% 51.2% 30.4%
• 31.9% 54.1% 32.6%
• 34.0% 57.0% 34.8%
• 36.2% 59.8% 37.0%
• 38.3% 62.4% 39.1%
• 40.4% 65.0% 41.3%
• 42.6% 67.5% 43.5%

I would suggest that it may be worth printing this odds sheet and sticking it on your computer desk next to your screen.

Note that these are Hold ‘em percentages. When playing Omaha the odds are different because you have 4 cards in your hand. The number of unknowns after the flop is no longer 47 cards, but 45. In Omaha, it is also much easier to put opponents on exact hands. For example some opponents will only ever raise with top set. Therefore, you know two more cards, and can discount them from the 45 unknowns. So now your flush draw is 9 out of 43, but not all 9 are winners.

Finally, just to re-iterate the above warning. These are odds on ‘improvement’. They are not necessarily odds on winning the pot. Should your opponent have ‘a set’ (three of a kind) on the flop when you are chasing your flush draw, you are in bad shape. At least 1 of your flush draw cards also gives your opponent a full house. So you don’t actually have 9 ‘winners’. Secondly, once you have hit your flush on the turn, your opponent will have 10 cards to improve (a 21.7% chance) of making a bigger hand on the river. So in reality, your flush draw will not win 35% of the time, and not even 25% of the time, in this case!

Post Flop Probabilities in Poker - Written by: Dave Colclough (2004-09-20 22:15:57)

The last couple of articles concerned pre-flop probabilities. These are most relevant to NLH tournament play. This is because most chip movement occurs pre-flop in NLH tourneys, whereas, with Limit Hold ‘em and Pot Limit Omaha, most of the action takes place post flop. The next couple of articles discuss post flop odds and probabilities. These are equally interesting to the NLH player, but they will have less opportunity and situations to take advantage of this knowledge.

Possibly the most useful probabilities are those surrounding a flush draw. If you hold two cards of the same suit, you will flop a made flush slightly less than 1% of the time. If you are all-in before the flop, the chances of completing your flush with all five cards are somewhere around 6%. More useful though is the situation when you flop four to your flush: two hearts in your hand with two hearts on the flop, or one heart in your hand with three on the flop.

Many NLH players will commit their whole stack heads up in this situation, but the odds say that really you shouldn’t. You will only complete the flush around 35% of the time. So if a player has moved all-in, in front of you, for a large bet of greater than pot size, the correct play is probably to pass. You are not getting good pot odds. You will often see players making bad calls in this situation. It is of course different if you move all-in first to speak. You may only win the pot a third of the time if someone calls, but of course you may win the pot 50% of the time, uncontested, if everyone should pass.

In Limit Hold ‘em of course, you will rarely win the pot uncontested, but the pot odds will be different. In many ways Limit Hold ‘em is much more complicated here. In a $2/$4 game, four players may have seen the flop. The player in front of you bets $2 on the flop, and you can easily justify the pot odds as you are now calling $2 against a $10 pot. However, there are variables to consider: how much more you may have to call to see the final two cards, and how much more can you win if you hit the flush. Firstly, a player may raise behind you and the original bettor may re-raise. Now you are risking $6 against $20. The odds aren’t as good but are still favourable. But of course, the flush may not arrive on the turn, and you may have to call another $4. Now the risk is $10 against $28, or possibly $10 against $24 if play becomes heads up. You are in fact still getting pot odds, but only just. The second variable is of course when you hit the flush, how much will you get paid? If the player will call a $4 bet on the end, or better still, a two bet situation may emerge, then you are of course reaping the real benefits of your draw. Flush draw flops are usually a profitable venture in Limit Hold ‘em.

Remembering all these situations and odds isn’t as hard as it initially looks. You will constantly hear players refer to ‘outs’. A flush draw is 9 outs. If you have an open ended straight draw, you have 8 outs. Most top players just count their outs, and know the probabilities of hitting these outs. Next weeks article will include the ‘outs’ table and further explanation.

Playable Hands Part 2 - Written by: Dave Colclough (2004-10-18 22:52:16)

As stated in the previous article, the following are suggested guidelines for an average 9 handed $2/$4 Limit Hold ‘em table, where it is neither an aggressive or very tight line up. Slight adjustments would have to be made if the game became too tight, and likewise if the game became a little wild.

Pocket Pairs were discussed in the previous article.

The following is advice for ’suited’ starting hands, i.e. both cards are of the same suit:

• AK - Play and raise at every opportunity in any position, only put the brakes on against tight opponents
• AQ - Play and raise in any position. Don’t re-raise
• AJ, A10, KQ - Play in any position. Raise in late position. Raise in the blinds heads up
• A9, A8, A7, KJ - Call in un-raised pots. Preferably in mid or late position. Only raise in the blinds heads up against weak opponents
• A5, A4, A3, A2, K10, K9, QJ, Q10, J10 - Only call in late position in un-raised pots. Pass in raised pots or in bad position. Only raise in the blinds heads up against weak opponents
• K8, K7, K6, K5, K4, K3, K2, Q9, Q8, J9, J8, T9, T8, T7, 98, 97 87, 86, 76, 75, 65, 64, 54 - Only call in late position in un-raised pots. Pass in raised pots or in bad position.
• Q7, Q6, Q5, Q4, Q3, Q2, J7, J6, J5, J4, J3, J2, T6, T5, T4, T3, T2, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 85, 84, 83, 82, 74, 73, 72, 63, 62, 53, 52, 43, 42, 32 - Pass these hands. They are unprofitable.

The following is advice for un-suited starting hands, i.e. both cards are of a different suit:

• AK, AQ - Play and raise in any position. Re-raise in late position.
• AJ, A10, KQ - Call in any position. Raise in late position if the pot is un-raised.
• KJ, A9, A8 - Call in any position in un-raised pots. Raise in the blinds heads up
• A7, A6, A5, A4, A3, A2, K10 - Pass in early and mid position. Call in late position. Raise in the blinds heads up
• QJ, Q10, Q9 ,J10 ,J9, T9, 98, 87 - Pass in early and mid position. Call in late position.
• K9, K8, K7, K6, K5, K4, K3, K2, Q8, Q7, Q6, Q5, Q4, Q3, Q2, J8, J7, J6, J5, J4, J3, J2, T8, T7, T6, T5, T4, T3, T2, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 86, 85, 84, 83, 82, 76, 75, 74, 73, 72, 63, 62, 53, 52, 43, 42, 32 - Pass these hands. They are unprofitable.

Playable Poker Hands Part 1 - Written by: Dave Colclough (2004-10-12 18:19:38)

In an earlier article I suggested the sort of hands that you should, or should not be playing. In the next couple of articles I will deal with starting hands more specifically. As with all aspects of poker there really aren’t any specific rules, so the following is only a suggested guide. It is also more relevant to Limit Hold’em, where playing the correct cards will grind out a winning strategy most of the time, if your discipline can outlast the ‘luck rollercoaster’. In No Limit Hold’em it could be argued that you can play any cards if the position, state of the game, and depth of chips is great enough. Even in NLH though, it is probably best not to waiver too far from the following… unless your name is Gus Hansen or David Ulliot.

I’ll split the hand types into three: pocket pairs, suited cards and unsuited cards. The following suggestions are probably most suited to an average 9 handed $2/$4 table, where it is neither an aggressive, or very tight line up. Slight adjustments would have to be made if the game became too tight, and likewise if the game became a little wild.

Pocket Pairs and Limit Hold em.

• Aces, Kings, Queens - Play, raise and re-raise at every opportunity in any position, any amount of players. Don’t 4-bet Queens against very tight opponents
• Jacks, Tens, Nines - Play and raise in any position. Only re-raise in late position against 1 opponent. If there are three or four opponents after the flop, you will need to be holding an overpair or a set.
• Eights, Sevens - Play in un-raised pots. Only raise in heads up situations such as the blinds. Heads up, you are likely to win with just the pair of eights. Against two opponents or more, you need help on the flop.
• Sixes, Fives - Pass in early position to a raise. Pass in early position if there is likely to be a raise behind you. Call in late position, preferably against several opponents where you are getting a good return should you flop a set. Only raise in the blinds heads up against weak opponents.
• Fours, Threes and Twos - Pass in early position. Only play in pots where there are at least three opponents (e.g.two limpers and a big blind). Always try and avoid playing these hands unless you are last to act after the flop.

Slow playing to maximise value by Dave Colclough (2004-04-26 20:47:40)

Ok Folks,

So here I am at the 2004 World Series of Poker. Binion’s Horseshoe has been taken over by new owners… at long last. That is not the most obvious change that greeted me though. America has gone Poker mad, mad, mad. An astonishing 343 have just paid an amazing $25,000 to play the main event at the Bellagio. And yesterday I walked into Binions satelitte area and couldn’t believe my eyes. Last year there would have been maybe 3 or 4 tables running. This year there were 23 or 24 tables buzzing with excitement. Hordes and hordes of new players. God bless America, god bless the WPT on the discovery channel, and god bless Chris Moneymaker. This is Poker heaven!

I managed to win a seat for the $2000 No Limit Hold em event in a one table satelitte. I got lucky when I slow played pocket Kings catching both blinds who both flopped top pair. As an added bonus, I was given a poker lesson by a very attractive young lady with a large bosom. She explained how dangerous it was not to raise with Kings before the flop. Bless her! Anyway I tripled thru and managed to outlast the rest to gain a seat in the NLH event for a paltry $230.

It can be very annoying playing you play tournament poker and you have waited two hours to pick up a hand. You finally look down at a pair of Kings, raise 3 times the Big Blind and everyone passes. Doh!… So what is the correct thing to do?

In the majority of cases the correct thing is exactly that. If you raise 3 times the Big Blind with AJ in mid to late position, then you must raise 3 times the Big Blind with your Kings (regardless of position). That way your eagle eyed opponents wont be able to tell what cards you play. If everyone passes, it’s not the end of the world. At least you didn’t lose with them.

In the satellite I mentioned above, I picked up the Kings in first position in a 9 handed aggressive one table satellite. I figured if I flat called, someone in a later position would raise, and then I could re-raise and get all my chips in the middle before the flop. A cunning plan… that didn’t work. Everyone passed around to the blinds who smooth called. The flop came Jack high and they both decided they liked it. So it was just a matter of crossing my fingers and hoping neither had two pair.

In Limit Hold’em there is rarely any justification in slow playing big hands, especially in the lower limit games. If you have a pair a Kings I would recommend that you raise at every opportunity. The obvious reason is to make the pot as big as possible, so you win as much as possible. Another good reason though, is that you are better off playing against 1 or 2 opponents with your Kings than against the whole table. Less players will call 2 bets, and hopefully you wont lose the pot to anyone playing 5,6 of hearts. Post flop, the song remains the same. If it shows 3,7,J and your opponent bets, then raise him. Don’t get cute. If for example he has 10,J or J,K, and the next card comes an Ace. Although it doesn’t help either of you, it freezes the betting because it scares you both. And the pot that you win is that little bit smaller&

So as usual, I am being as contradictory as ever. But most of the time, it doesn’t pay to be too clever.

See you next week folks,

Dave

Highest Online Poker Bonuses

For our visitors’ convenience, here are some of the highest online Poker bonuses on the Internet today from some of the best online Poker rooms:

Betsson Poker - $1,600 Deposit Bonus: More than 100 tournaments per day on the largest online poker network with over 6 million registered poker players worldwide. Players will always find a wide range of opponents and tables. Betsson Poker offers everything from high limit tables for experienced players to play money tables for absolute beginners. There’s also a FREE ENTRY $2,000 Cash Back Weekly Tournament promotion with a prize pool of $2000 that is exclusive to those who have earned more than 200 player points for the week and a $10,000 VIP Monthly Tournament promotion.

Full Tilt Poker - $600 USD Deposit Bonus: Full Tilt Poker will match your first deposit up to $600. Real-money games, Sit & Gos, or tournaments. Use Full Tilt Points to get Full Tilt Gear that Full Tilt Poker’s pros wear every day. Or, you can use those points to enter valuable Freeroll tournaments. Full Tilt Poker also accepts cash transfers and accepts players from the U.S.A. Full Tilt Poker is a downloadable poker room licensed in Alderney. It is owned by Kolyma Corporation, AVV. The site’s primary language is English.

Absolute Poker - $500 Deposit Bonus (Coupon Code: AP500): Absolute Poker offers an initial poker deposit bonus of up to $500 for a limited time only. Absolute Poker also continually offers additional poker bonuses and promotions to its players, such as reload deposit bonuses that range from 15% up to 100%, exclusive bonuses such as their Bad Beat Jackpot, and the Absolute Poker VIP Program.

Casino Club Poker - 200 Euro (approx. $312.55 USD) Deposit Bonus: Casino Club Poker offers 100% bonus up to 200 Euro upon your first deposit and 200 Euro Daily Freerolls. Guaranteed Poker Tournaments. Players can win cash prizes for FREE at Casino-Club Poker and get daily real money poker tournaments that cost nothing. No deposit or credit card info is required - just download and register.