OK, so maybe my November Nine prediction didn’t quite come out the way I would’ve liked. At least I got 2nd place right! On the PokerBRB forum, I asked some of the Danish players there why Eastgate didn’t crack a smile after he won. After all, if I’d won $9.1 million, I’d be doing cartwheels! When they explained the Danish tax situation to me, and how he’d fork over about 70% of his winnings to SKAT (the Danish IRS — a fitting acronym for a tax agency), I can see how his elation can turn to disappointment. That tax money will buy a lot of cheese- and cherry-filled pastries! (Get it?)

Anyway, now that the ‘08 WSOP is (FINALLY!) in the books, it’s time to look forward to the coming holidays and the promise of a new year as well as a (hopefully) more poker-friendly new administration. On a personal note, I’ll be starting the new year (or at least mid-January) trying to hit as many Vegas poker rooms as I can.

I’ve already played at the poker palaces like Bellagio and Venetian, but there are still a few of the high-end rooms I’d like to try.

Some of the poker areas on the Strip don’t qualify as rooms (the fenced-off area at the Flamingo immedately springs to mind), but I’d still like to check out the play at some of the smaller Strip casinos — maybe the action will make up for the lack of atmosphere.

Even a few of the Downtown rooms, despite their seedy exteriors, have great play on the inside. On my first visit to Binion’s, I made the final three at a small daily tournament. I can say, with absolute truth, that I made a final table at Binion’s!

Here are the top five poker rooms in Vegas I want to visit!

5. Mirage. The Mirage and its sister properties, TI and Bellagio, have been attracting poker players since they opened. While Bellagio hosts the WPT Championship, the Mirage typically hosts the season opener. Also, if I take a bad beat, I can just throw myself into the volcano!

4. Golden Nugget. Calling the Golden Nugget the nicest place to play downtown may be like calling a junked-out ‘57 Chevy the nicest car on the scrap heap.  While their poker room has only ten tables, the atmosphere in the room carries both a rich history as well as 21st century amenities. In photos, the room comes across as a “mini-Venetian” — comfortable, but scaled down.

3. Wynn. I’m not sure I have enough money to breathe the same air as most of the people that stay at the Wynn. I only hope that they don’t laugh at me too much for only playing $4/$8. Even their street sign says, “I’m richer than God!”

2. Hard Rock. For a room with only eighteen tables, the Hard Rock is going all out to make its “Poker Lounge” seem like the coolest place to play. Of course, an out-of-shape math nerd like me will stand out there like John McCain at an ACORN meeting.

1. Caesars Palace. Not only does Caesars have one of the best rooms in town, it has two! It’s the only place on the Strip that has separate rooms for tourneys and cash games. If you don’t want the loud rookie at the $3/$6 table to bother you during the money bubble of a tourney, no problem!

Of course, if you have any other rooms you’d like to recommend, either for the action or the atmosphere, then drop a comment here. Also, if you’d like to learn more about some of my strategic writing on no-limit hold’em, you can check my posts at www.pokerbankrollblog.com.

The poker game that is all the rage these days is Texas Hold’em. It became so popular that there even were televised events of celebrities playing the game for their favorite charities. This particular game relies more heavily on strategy than other forms of poker, and with all the cards on the table the game can seem a little daunting. But really the rules are quite simple to learn.

Here is how a hand of Texas Hold’em is played, including when you bet:

Ante up.

1) Hole Cards. Each player is dealt two cards face down. These are the players’ cards, and no one else at the table can use them to help their own hand.

Place a bet here. Tip: if you have low cards and no pairs, fold and sit this hand out. It is better to lose only your ante and not all your chips.

2) The Flop. Three cards are dealt on the table face up. These are community cards that any player can use for the betterment of his or her hand.

Place a bet here.

3) The Turn. The fourth card is a community card and dealt to the table face up.

Place a bet here.

4) The River. The fifth and final card is dealt to the table and is also a community card.

Place final bet.

You can fold at any betting point, and that is why strategy is so vital to this game.

To determine the winning hand, you make the best poker hand that is possible by using five out of the seven cards dealt — a combination of your two hole cards and the community cards. It is important to remember that any player at the table has the use of the community cards, so and take that into account when you devise your strategy for each round.

The number one reason good players never become great poker players is that they fall victim to their own emotions and end up on tilt. Tilt is when a player becomes erratic or emotional and starts making poor poker decisions that they wouldn’t otherwise make. This can mean betting too much or too often, playing hands you should fold, or folding hands you should play. All of these things can burn through your bankroll in a hurry.

To stop those trips to the land of tilt, you first have to explore the reasons why most people lose control. Here are the most common reasons people go on tilt:

1. Getting cold cards - No matter how great a player you are, sooner or later the cards will stop coming your way.

2. Having a bad day - Everyone is more than a poker player. There are spouses, kids, outside jobs, etc. These things can weigh on your mind and add to your stress level.

3. Letting other players get to you - Some players talk and give you a hard time as part of their strategy. For other people, it is just natural to be an asshole. Either way, these actions can play on your psyche and get you rattled.

4. Bad beats - No doubt that bad beats are the main reason for people to lose it. Ever poker player has a tale about the worst bad beat of their life. Bad beats will cause anyone but the most skilled players to lose it.

No matter what the cause, getting on tilt is one thing that any poker player has to learn to control. Stopping tilt is a lot like what you tell a child when he or she gets out of control:

1. Take a deep breath and count to 10. Long, slow breathing is a key way for you to allow your body and mind to relax.

2. Walk away. If deep breathing doesn’t help, get up from the table. Take a walk to the bathroom. Step outside for fresh air. Don’t worry about missing a few hands, the table will still be there when you get back.

3. Think pleasant thoughts. I know it sounds simple, but thinking pleasing thoughts can really calm you down in a pressure situation.

Controlling our emotions is one of the key things to playing good poker. Control your mind, and the game will follow.

So many players who are new to the game of Texas Hold’em Poker get very excited when they look down at their hole cards and find two aces, known as “Pocket Rockets”. While having two aces is exciting, it also has to be tempered. And as always, we are going to let the percentages tell us why this is.

First of all, starting any hand pre-flop with pocket aces is a good thing. It is the best starting hand. But the question is, how good is it? Let’s look at the stats of how often pocket rockets win:

Winning 85% of the time when it is heads up is a pretty good percentage. But if you notice, the percentage drops all the way to 31% in a nine-handed game. In order to put this in perspective, let’s look at this analogy: Give me a dollar and ask me to make change for you. Instead of a dollar, I give you $0.31. That doesn’t feel nearly as exciting!

Let’s look at another pocket pair as a comparison to see what that percentage looks like. Pocket deuces are never very exciting for a new player.

While these percentages are much lower, a pair of deuces wins about half the time in heads up. Yet no one gets excited when they look at the hole cards and find two twos.

The take away story here is that pocket aces are exciting, and they are the best starting hand in Texas Hold’em. But be careful about getting too excited and over-betting or being overly confident.