I was in a few tourneys at the same time on Bugsy's Club Saturday night and this nice lady mentions she has a poker blog to some Italian who lives in Switzerland and is trying to score long distance.
I took a look and she has some great and current stuff she posts. Take a look NPP readers. Fourputt - lets link her blog! - Nik
http://www.pokerhapps.blogspot.com/
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Monday, July 24, 2006
Top Five Sites for Ring Play
For those of you in Ann Arbor, MI., ring play is your standard poker game. It could be fixed limit betting, pot limit betting or no limit betting. If you lose your initial buy-in, you can always re-load your chips. In other words - this is non-tournament poker.
Now some of you are saying to yourself, "Why did Nik use a whole paragraph to explain the obvious?" Well, many people have just found poker recently and all they know is no - limit tournament poker. So you have to explain the other type so they can understand the diferences between games.
My criteria for being a 'best' ring play site is basically 'lots of players'. You want to be able to change tables, limits, game types - plus get into a game quickly. Here, bigger is better! The bigger the site, the quicker you can play and the better selection of games you will have.
1. Poker Stars - Not the biggest site, but almost. Good variety of games.
2. Party Poker - The biggest site, but limits start at .50/$1. A little rough for some beginners, but if you got the cash - this site has the most players.
3. Absolute Poker or Bo Dog Poker - tied for third. Good variety of games and enough players to find action and new tables.
4. Paradise Poker - nice software
5. Full Tilt Poker and Ultimate Bet Poker - These sites are different, but use similar looking software.
I know I actually listed seven sites here, but after #1 and #2, they were all about even.
Now some of you are saying to yourself, "Why did Nik use a whole paragraph to explain the obvious?" Well, many people have just found poker recently and all they know is no - limit tournament poker. So you have to explain the other type so they can understand the diferences between games.
My criteria for being a 'best' ring play site is basically 'lots of players'. You want to be able to change tables, limits, game types - plus get into a game quickly. Here, bigger is better! The bigger the site, the quicker you can play and the better selection of games you will have.
1. Poker Stars - Not the biggest site, but almost. Good variety of games.
2. Party Poker - The biggest site, but limits start at .50/$1. A little rough for some beginners, but if you got the cash - this site has the most players.
3. Absolute Poker or Bo Dog Poker - tied for third. Good variety of games and enough players to find action and new tables.
4. Paradise Poker - nice software
5. Full Tilt Poker and Ultimate Bet Poker - These sites are different, but use similar looking software.
I know I actually listed seven sites here, but after #1 and #2, they were all about even.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Top Five Sites for Big Tournaments
Well my criteria will be a little different than most people. My number one issue is the availability and quantity of cheap or free big tourneys.
My sickness is I don't really play for money. I play to win. The amount I am playing for is never the issue with me. I keep my stats in betting units. I would play the same game if we are playing for match sticks as I would if it were the WSOP Main Event. I just don't have a 'it's only X, so I call' gear.
Of course I keep track of actual profit and loss, but especially in tournaments - winning them is my main focus and not the monetary reward for winning.
My second criteria is the number of chips you start with versus the blinds. I hate being short stacked quickly and having to gamble early.
For that reason also, I don't like to see alot of 'rebuy' tourneys on the list either. Those things are like bingo games with 4 people out of ten going all in every hand until the first break. Even if you survive, two or three lucky players have ten to twenty times the chips that your 'add-on' will be. As the guys at NPP know, gambling is not my strong suit, so I don't like rebuy tournaments.
My last criteria is having a good number of players available to play in the tourneys to make them big in the first place.
1. Poker Stars - Who else?
2. World Poker Exchange - 100% Rake give back on all play!
3. Absolute Poker - Plenty of Freerolls
4. Gaming Club - Tons of low cost tourneys
5. Bugsy's Club - You start tourneys with 10,000 chips
My sickness is I don't really play for money. I play to win. The amount I am playing for is never the issue with me. I keep my stats in betting units. I would play the same game if we are playing for match sticks as I would if it were the WSOP Main Event. I just don't have a 'it's only X, so I call' gear.
Of course I keep track of actual profit and loss, but especially in tournaments - winning them is my main focus and not the monetary reward for winning.
My second criteria is the number of chips you start with versus the blinds. I hate being short stacked quickly and having to gamble early.
For that reason also, I don't like to see alot of 'rebuy' tourneys on the list either. Those things are like bingo games with 4 people out of ten going all in every hand until the first break. Even if you survive, two or three lucky players have ten to twenty times the chips that your 'add-on' will be. As the guys at NPP know, gambling is not my strong suit, so I don't like rebuy tournaments.
My last criteria is having a good number of players available to play in the tourneys to make them big in the first place.
1. Poker Stars - Who else?
2. World Poker Exchange - 100% Rake give back on all play!
3. Absolute Poker - Plenty of Freerolls
4. Gaming Club - Tons of low cost tourneys
5. Bugsy's Club - You start tourneys with 10,000 chips
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Poker Stars Updated Software Is Nice!
Poker Stars has upgraded their software.
You can now size the table all the way from full screen, down to 1/4 size.
Now you can view up to 4 tables without overlap.
They have also added different backgrounds you can choose from. I looked at them all and the original is still the cleanest and the best in my opinion. The original is just classy. Although, I could live with the Saloon Theme. The rest don't look that good to me. But that is a matter of taste.
There are a couple good poker sites out there, but to me Poker Stars is the best. I was told that by players in the casinos 2 years ago, but I had to see it for myself.
181 sites visited later and Poker Stars is alone in 1st place!
The only downside lately is that they seem to be lowering the number of $1 to $10 straight tourneys and junking up the tournament room with qualifiers and such. There is still enough tourneys for me to choose from, but I would like to see many Holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, Seven Stud H/L and Razz tourneys - from $1 to $10 entry fees offered every two to three hours or so.
You can now size the table all the way from full screen, down to 1/4 size.
Now you can view up to 4 tables without overlap.
They have also added different backgrounds you can choose from. I looked at them all and the original is still the cleanest and the best in my opinion. The original is just classy. Although, I could live with the Saloon Theme. The rest don't look that good to me. But that is a matter of taste.
There are a couple good poker sites out there, but to me Poker Stars is the best. I was told that by players in the casinos 2 years ago, but I had to see it for myself.
181 sites visited later and Poker Stars is alone in 1st place!
The only downside lately is that they seem to be lowering the number of $1 to $10 straight tourneys and junking up the tournament room with qualifiers and such. There is still enough tourneys for me to choose from, but I would like to see many Holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, Seven Stud H/L and Razz tourneys - from $1 to $10 entry fees offered every two to three hours or so.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
The Best Internet Sites for Sit and Go Tournaments
The secret to making money in Sit and Go Tournaments is to win them. Just kidding.
Obviously you have to finish in the money around 50% of the time to be profitable.
But the real thing a player must do is make sure they don't pay any more than the standard 10% rake fee. If you play at the higher limits, this is not a problem as all poker sites stay to the 9% or 10% guidelines.
I personally think 10% is too high and makes it virtually impossible for all but the best players to stay above even in SNG's. But that seems to be the fee that is still selling tourneys.
You have to make sure as a player you do not pay 15% to 25% juice to enter any tournament - but especially SNG's. Some of the $1 SNG's have a 20% or 40% juice rate in order to play. You just could never win enough to stay profitable. Even playing for entertainment, the extra juice money will grind you to powder quicker than you think - just like taxes.
It would be better to play at a much higher tourney fee SNG and pay only the 10% juice - than to play at the lower stakes and pay that high fee. The rake money disappears into a black hole and you cannot win it back.
Here are the five best sites for playing $5 SNG's as they only charge the 10% rake and have plenty of players to make sure you are not sitting too long when you want some tourney action:
1. Poker Stars
2. BoDog Poker
3. Full Tilt Poker
4. Ultimate Bet Poker
5. The Gaming Club
Good luck - Nik
Obviously you have to finish in the money around 50% of the time to be profitable.
But the real thing a player must do is make sure they don't pay any more than the standard 10% rake fee. If you play at the higher limits, this is not a problem as all poker sites stay to the 9% or 10% guidelines.
I personally think 10% is too high and makes it virtually impossible for all but the best players to stay above even in SNG's. But that seems to be the fee that is still selling tourneys.
You have to make sure as a player you do not pay 15% to 25% juice to enter any tournament - but especially SNG's. Some of the $1 SNG's have a 20% or 40% juice rate in order to play. You just could never win enough to stay profitable. Even playing for entertainment, the extra juice money will grind you to powder quicker than you think - just like taxes.
It would be better to play at a much higher tourney fee SNG and pay only the 10% juice - than to play at the lower stakes and pay that high fee. The rake money disappears into a black hole and you cannot win it back.
Here are the five best sites for playing $5 SNG's as they only charge the 10% rake and have plenty of players to make sure you are not sitting too long when you want some tourney action:
1. Poker Stars
2. BoDog Poker
3. Full Tilt Poker
4. Ultimate Bet Poker
5. The Gaming Club
Good luck - Nik
Sunday, July 09, 2006
The Site Crashed!
As you can see the year and a half of NPP history has been wiped out in a blog crash.
Fourputt will be working to get the site looking as spiffy as it did before. He will also be looking into back up options. Fourputt and I will be in deep negotiations at a Hooters somewhere, in order to formulate a strategy. We will at least until the beers kick in.
I will try to get some of the internet review stuff back on here for our readers that are not part of the NPP game.
In the meantime, I have seen no July game dates come rolling in. I heard rumors that the 15th or 22nd is no good for some and thanks to my daughter changing apartments, the 29th is out for me.
So, in honor of the blog crash, we will have to wait until August for the next NPP game. I propose either the 12th, 19th or 26th. Get your votes in this time! - Nik
Fourputt will be working to get the site looking as spiffy as it did before. He will also be looking into back up options. Fourputt and I will be in deep negotiations at a Hooters somewhere, in order to formulate a strategy. We will at least until the beers kick in.
I will try to get some of the internet review stuff back on here for our readers that are not part of the NPP game.
In the meantime, I have seen no July game dates come rolling in. I heard rumors that the 15th or 22nd is no good for some and thanks to my daughter changing apartments, the 29th is out for me.
So, in honor of the blog crash, we will have to wait until August for the next NPP game. I propose either the 12th, 19th or 26th. Get your votes in this time! - Nik
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