The Poker Blog

Poker Crusher is a new kind of support software for online poker players. Using a database with millions of poker hands, it displays real-time statistics on each opponent at the table. Stats for tightness, pre-fop aggression etc. are shown in a box beside each player, easy to read and always updated. Very comprehensive data on each player can be analyzed in a separate window.

Here are just a few of the groundbreaking features of Poker Crusher™, online poker’s most powerful software tool:

Real-time data on over a million players

As soon as you open Poker Crusher™ you have access to millions of hands worth of info on your potential opponents! Customizable key stats shown directly on the table as you play.

Easy-read icons for all player types

Poker Crusher™ automatically recognizes the players at your table and displays an icon next to their name showing their exact playing style (green fish, shark, mouse, calling station, etc).

Instant access to the softest tables

Poker Crusher™’s auto-lookup instantly finds and ranks the softest active tables on the Web, so you’re never more than one click away from the biggest losers in the game.

A shortcut to all leaks in your own game

Compare your stats and see how you stack up. Track your play, identify your leaks and instantly increase your profits.

A massive database working 24/7

Poker Crusher™ literally has a large, organized “farm” of computers completely dedicated to collecting hand histories and betting patterns, whether you’re logged in or not. The database is also updated every five minutes.

On February 6th, Full Tilt Poker kicked off the biggest FTOPS in their history.

With $10 million guaranteed over 20 different events, this incredible series of tournaments is something that no serious player is going to want to miss. Satellites for all our FTOPS VIII tournaments are running now, so remind your players to compete for huge paydays, with buy-ins starting for as little as $2 + $.25 or 50 Full Tilt Points.

Some of the FTOPS VII highlights will include:

• The popular $2,500 Two-Day tournament featuring a prize pool worth at least $1.5 million
• Our massive $2 million Main Event
• The Satellite Challenge where players can win tournament entries and cash prizes

With 20 events spread over 11 days, there’s a tournament for every player - at times that they can play.

Even though FTOPS VII ends on February 17th, there are plenty of other reasons for you to keep coming back to Full Tilt Poker.

Other Promotions include:

• The weekly $750K Guarantee and monthly $1 Million Guarantee tournaments where players can compete for giant cash prizes
• The Weekly Guarantees which run around the clock and offer combined prize pools worth more than $5 million each week
• Winner’s Choice tournaments where players can compete for entries to live tournaments on the WPT and the EPT
• The Iron Man Challenge where players can compete for the chance to play three Full Tilt Poker pros heads up for up to $100,000 in prize money

Play Online Poker

By Tony Guerrera

Lots of motivations exist for playing poker. When I write about poker, I always write from the perspective of making decisions that make the most money possible. But really, your goal in poker, as in everything else in life, is to maximize your utility. Utility is a term from economics referring to overall satisfaction; think of it as a variable that somehow combines money and happiness (because money and happiness are not the same thing).

When I play poker, it just so happens that I maximize my utility by maximizing my expected profits. I’m a competitive son-of-a-gun who’s addicted to the thrill of victory, and I like making as much money as possible. Competitive players like myself have a tough time understanding those without the same killer instincts. But I’m finally grasping the idea that some people actually maximize their utility when they don’t maximize their expected wins.

This is a huge step from simply saying “I’ll let my opponents make however many mistakes they want.” For example, perhaps some player loves getting drunk and watching opponents’ reactions to bad beats that he puts on them. The amount of money this player loses is more than compensated by the joy this person experiences from playing the way he does. And in this player’s worldview, he’s playing optimally by playing drunk and repeatedly getting his chips in with the worst of it, because optimal play is being measured in terms of utility instead of dollars and cents.

It’s amazing how people sitting down playing the same game can actually be playing different games. Poker is wonderful in so many ways, and this is just another one. On the surface, it appears to be a zero-sum game (well, before accounting for the rake). But actually, it’s possible for the overall utility of the table to increase (or decrease). Maybe you’re a pure money player who gets in a huge pot as a favorite against an action junkie who loves the ride regardless of the outcome. You get your positive monetary expectation, and the action junkie gets his adrenaline rush. Meanwhile, two skilled players get involved in a huge pot. The underdog wins, but is pissed off about making a mistake, and his opponent is mad about having lost the huge pot when he was way ahead.

I know this article seems to be a huge departure from my usual “make the most money possible” material, but I think it was an important one. Understanding what poker can be to different players can only serve to help us in our quests to maximize our individual poker-playing utilities. And through this filter, maybe we can begin to think of poker as a game played by people, and give all players the respect and dignity they deserve–regardless of whether they play profitably.

Tony Guerrera is the author of Killer Poker By The Numbers. Visit him online at http://www.killerpokerbythenumbers.com

You can now get the very latest Poker news from Full Tilt Poker by visiting the Betting Directory.

The current new stories include:-

Erik Seidel Takes Second Down Under

Congratulations to Team Full Tilt’s Erik Seidel on his stellar performance in the 2008 Aussie Millions Main Event. Seidel finished second and banked AU$1 million for his play.

Go To Full Tilt Poker >

Lee Watkinson Takes Down Event 7 at Aussie Millions

Congratulations to Full Tilt Poker’s Lee Watkinson for taking first place in the 2008 Aussie Millions $3K Pot-Limit Omaha with Rebuys event. Lee worked his way through a tough field of veteran players, including Full Tilt Poker’s Andy Black, Steve Zolotow, and Max Pescatori, to earn over $108K.

Go To Full Tilt Poker >

Howard Lederer Wins $1.25 Million at the Aussie Millions

Congratulations to Team Full Tilt’s Howard “The Professor” Lederer who won the Aussie Millions prestigious $100,000 buy-in event, taking home the biggest payday of his professional career.

Go To Full Tilt Poker >

Joe Beevers Rubs Out the Competition at the Poker Millions VI

Congratulations to Full Tilt Poker’s Joe Beevers who claimed one of the most prestigious titles in poker by winning the Ladbrokes Poker Millions VI.

Go To Full Tilt Poker >

Ferguson Wins Record Third WSOP-C Ring

Congratulations to Team Full Tilt’s Chris Ferguson on becoming the first player to win three WSOP Circuit Event Championships. Ferguson took home a Circuit ring and over $200K for his victory in the WSOP-C Lake Tahoe event.

Go To Full Tilt Poker >

By Tony Guerrera

Transitioning to Mixed Games

Prior to 2002, the first exposure that most people had to poker was a dealer’s choice home game – you know, the type where a bunch of people get together, drink beer, and play all sorts of poker variants involving wild cards, passing cards, buying cards, chip declares, and whatever else comes to mind. Even though we’re in the hold’em era, these dealer’s choice games still happen. Usually they’re played at stakes low enough such that people can buy-in with their change jars, but I know of some dealer’s choice games where you need to be armed with some (or several) Big Bens.

With all the apparent craziness, these dealer’s choice games appear to be nothing more than a luck fest. But they are games of skill where most of the players haven’t done their homework. And though HORSE is a more tame mixed game, many players are lacking in the ORSE department.

All the poker variants may seem wildly different, but fundamentally, poker is poker. Here are a few concepts that apply whether you’re playing hold’em, 7-card stud, Omaha 8/b, razz, anaconda, baseball, follow the queen, blind man’s bluff, or whatever:

1.) Reading Your Opponents

Poker is a game where people interact. Your opponents cards matter as much as your cards–if not more. Regardless of what game you’re playing, you should be able to pick up betting patterns and physical tells that allow you to put your opponents on hand and action distributions.

2.) The Numbers

You need to know the odds against you hitting various types of draws–that way you know if the pot is laying you a good price. If it’s your first time playing some crazy poker variant, it’ll be hard to know your precise odds of hitting a hand with n cards to come. But with some basic probability know-how, you should be able to come up with some rough estimates–estimates that you should check rigorously post-session.

3.) Betting for Value

When you have a good hand, know your opponents’ calling ranges. If you have 99% of your opponents’ hands beaten, but your opponent will only call you with the 1% that beats you, betting is a bad play. Similarly, look for opportunities to raise draws for value. Typically, these will be situations in multiway pots where your raise won’t really shut any players out of the pot.

4.) Opportunities Where the Cards Don’t Matter

Many games have standard plays that you can run regardless of your precise hand. For example, you’re playing razz. A king brings in. You’re first to act, and you’re showing a 3. Everyone else is showing face cards. You should complete no matter what your downcards are. Keeping these concepts in mind should help you adapt any poker variant. The ability to adapt brings greater game selection, and greater game selection brings greater profits.

Tony Guerrera is the author of Killer Poker By The Numbers. Visit him online at http://www.killerpokerbythenumbers.com

Qualify for Europe’s longest running poker tournament on paddypowerpoker.com – the home of the Irish Open!

Super satellites are now running twice weekly until the Irish Open every Sunday and Wednesday so don’t miss out on the biggest show in town!

Daily feeders offer qualification from as little as $2.

The Irish Open package is worth $8,500 which includes Irish Open ticket plus expenses.