Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Playing Online at US Poker Sites: Know the Terminology

Playing poker online at US poker sites can be a lot of fun – and quite profitable – but if you’re a beginner there are a few things you should know before you hit the PLAY button. Among the most important things to know are the terms and lingo that players use to refer to specific things. Knowing poker terminology will help you follow any chatting, pick up on tips and appear more experienced – and as anyone who has played at US player poker sites can tell you, inexperienced players are targeted by sharks. When you sound like you know what you’re talking about, you’re far less likely to become a target.
Obviously, there are hundreds of poker terms used in online US player poker rooms, and a lot of them are game-specific. These are some of the most common poker terms you’ll run across, complete with definitions.
All In
When a player bets all of his chips on a hand, he’s said to be going “all in.” Unless you’re holding an absolutely sure thing, going all in is a risky move – when you bet it all, you can lose it all. When another player goes all in, he’s either got a really, really good hand – or he’s bluffing.
Ante
Perhaps one of the most familiar of all poker terms, the ante is the amount that each player must put into the pot in order to participate in a hand. The ante will vary from game to game, even on the same US poker sites, with many of them offering some no-ante games to entice newer players to play.
Big Blind – Small Blind
In games with a flop, such as Texas Hold’em and Omaha, there are forced bets, called “blinds.” They are placed by the two players to the left of the dealer, with the first player placing the big blind and the second placing the small blind. The amounts of the blinds are generally determined ahead of time, with the small blind generally being half the amount of the big blind. The purpose of the blind is to control the length of time it takes to play a hand and, in higher stakes games, to eliminate those with small chip stacks.
Boxed Card
Sometimes in shuffling, a card accidentally gets turned face-up. Different poker rooms have different rules for what happens with boxed cards. Most often, they are placed to one side and not used in the game. Of course, this is an impossible scenario when you’re playing online since all the shuffling and dealing on US player poker sites is done virtually, via software, so there are no actual cards to get boxed.
Table Stakes
Flop, Turn and River
In community games like Texas Hold’em, the flop, the turn and the river refer to the three runs of cards that are dealt face up to the table and that can be used by all of the players to form their best hand.
Before you start playing poker in earnest on US poker sites, familiarize yourself with some basic poker terminology so that you understand what’s going on around you and can play a more effective, winning game.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Debunking the Myths About US Poker Sites

It’s been two years since the Department of Justice summarily shut down the three biggest online US poker sites and changed the landscape for US poker players who enjoy playing and betting online. Immediately after the arrests, a number of European poker sites stopped accepting memberships from US players. In the intervening two years, however, many of them quietly re-opened their doors to US players again. The fact that there are now quite a few US player poker sites hasn’t changed the rumors and myths about the legality of playing poker online, though, and it hasn’t made it any easier to find safe and legitimate US poker sites on which to play.
First, let’s be clear. The term “US poker sites” refers to online poker sites that accept and do business with US players, not those that are located in the United States. After the 2006 passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act and the subsequent arrests and shutdowns in April 2011, companies that run online poker sites avoid locating in the United States. That’s led to the belief that playing poker online is illegal, along with a number of other beliefs about US players and online gambling. Here’s the truth about online US player poker rooms.
It Is Not Illegal Under US Law to Play Poker for Money Online
The federal law passed in 2006 makes it illegal for banks and money transfer services to accept money transfers derived from illegal online gambling. It does not target players – in fact, there are no penalties outlined for players at all in the law. While some states and municipalities may outlaw Internet gambling or put age restrictions on who may play, there is no United States law that prohibits individuals from playing poker for money at US poker sites.
There Are Sites that Accept US Players
The biggest issue most poker sites have with US players is money transfer. Some choose to avoid the issue entirely by simply not accepting players from the United States. The U.S. market is a huge one, though, and there are a number of US player sites that are quite happy to accept US members and will bend over backwards to find ways to accommodate them.
A Little Research Helps Ensure that Your Money Is Safe
While there are certainly scam sites out there, most US poker sites are legitimate businesses operating within the law in their own countries. In many of those countries, the government sets strict standards for operation, including defining how odds must be posted and how they must handle payouts. All it takes is a little research to find legitimate US player poker rooms. You’ll find a number of websites online that provide up-to-date news US poker site reviews to help you make your decision about where to play.