Many players who have gambled at poker for years have lost track of the fundamental winning principles of poker. When any of these principles are violated, a losing situation presents itself.

Therefore, we must study one more the five fundamental principles which can assure your victory at the poker table.
1.    The only purpose in playing poker is to win money.
2.    Be alert at all times.
3.    Play only in games you can afford to play in, either financially or emotionally.
4.    Have sufficient capital for the game you’re playing.
5.    Know when to leave the table.

1. The only purpose in playing poker is to win money

This is very important. Unless you’re playing penny-ante poker with your mother and maiden aunts, you’re there to make money. The final count of chips and/or cash determines who has won and who has lost. The losers have less money and the winners more money. Simple task that, but arriving at that goal of winning takes many factors.

When you sit down for a serious game of poker, don’t think in terms of how much you’re going to lose. Think of winning, and turn your head around so that winning is the most important consideration in the game. If you do this, you’re on your way to becoming a winner. There are many other pastimes for fun and recreation. Serious poker is not one of them although winning is a wonderful thing.

2. Be alert at all times

In the movies, the tough poker player can afford to swig from a bottle of gin, or pour himself endless belts or shots of rye. After all, he’s playing from a script, and if the script tells him that he’s a winner, then he’ll be a winner. Nothing like that is foreordained in real life. There is no script everyone is following, and therefore, the player must be at the top of his form all during his session of serious poker.

In order to do this, he or she must not feel weakened by a cold or illness. If that’s the case forgo the poker game and curl up with a good book or some chicken soup in your bed. Don’t play if you are worn out or tired.

Don’t drink while playing and don’t go to the table with even one drink under your belt. Alcohol impairs judgement, and even worse it makes cowards into brave men, gets them up until reality hits them, and then the depression begins. Sometimes a drunk goes crazy at a game and runs over all the other players with an incredible run of good luck.

But more often, the drunk is the loser, the sucker, the chump at the table. I’ve been at games where there is one roaring drunk in on every hand betting and raining the limit. Do you know what happens? Suddenly the whole character of the game changes. We may be seven strangers facing the drunk, but an unwritten rule emerges; everyone goes for the drunk.

Sometimes the strategy backfires, for players will stay in with weaker cards, knowing that how weak their cards are, the drunk’s will probably be weaker. Then that player will lose out to another player in with stronger hands, or will lose to the drunk, who will draw a high pair or some card to beat the player’s weak cards.

The important thing to remember is this ; don’t you be the drunk or the chump. Stay away from drinking. If everyone else at the table is drinking, fine and dandy. That makes your chances of winning even stronger. You’ll be playing with a clear mind while the opponents will have their judgment impaired.

3. Play only in games you can afford to play in, either financially or emotionally

There are two forms I personally know a millionaire (And God, he’s cute!) who can’t play beyond a certain fixed limit, whereas he can afford financially play at five times that limit with his money. The reason he doesn’t play at bigger games is because he can’t afford to emotionally. His heart starts racing during playable hands; a loss devastates him, he appears to be a motorcycle at the table with the engine revved up to max torque, but the cycle isn’t moving. He knows this about himself, and he sticks to lower level games.

On the other hand, I know a few guys in Vegas who call themselves pros who are always at games they can’t afford to be at – financially. If they take a big loss, they’re devastated financially, as well as emotionally, and it may take them a few weeks for them to lick their wounds and raise some money to get back in action.

Then they go and play in too big a game, and hope for a run of good cards to get a monster in, but usually the result is the opposite. They’re playing with scared money, money they can’t afford to lose because they are under-capitalised at the table. They play more cautiously and don’t raise when they should to drive other players out. IN other words, as we shall see in the various theorems of winning poker, they’re playing like chumps, the losers!

Other players smell out scared money players, and they’re hit with checks from all sides of the table. Anyway, the scared player is rained and re-raised when he has any kind of playable hand, till his head is spinning and his hands are shaking. He stands no chance against perceptive, intelligent and aggressive players.

4. Have sufficient capital for the game you’re playing

This is the corollary of the above principle. Most games in casinos require a minimum buy-in, but this amount is not sufficient for real play.

For example, in the £5-10 poker games on the London, the minimum buy in is £50 which means that the prospective poker player, when he sits down, must have £50 in front of him, ready for play. After the sit down, the minimum buy in rule is waived. Thus, a player who started with £50, may be down to £10 after losing a hand, but he can play with the ?10 and doesn’t have to buy more checks to stay in the action.

He not only has scared money now but he has no chance of making any money, because after his ?10 is used up, he’s going to have to sit and watch the action in the game. He’ll be “all in” and not able to make any future bets, and only a portion of the pot will belong to him if he wins.

If there’s one thing that I’ve seen over and over again in my years of poker playing, its foolish players who are all in just when they get a monster hand. I watched a pot build to £1,500 once, and the winning hand was 4 8s, held by a player who was all in, and could only bet £20. His share of the pot was about £100, while Aces up took the other £1,400.

5. Know when to leave the table

This is extremely important. If you are going to play poker either professionally or as a way to make money, then you can’t look at Poker as individual sessions of play, but as one long poker game that’s going on indefinitely. You step into it and step out of it. It doesn’t matter if you won £250 today, if you’ve lost £6,000 a week before. You’re not a £250 winner; you’re a £5,750 loser. You should keep a running count of your wins and losses. It doesn’t matter if you win more than you lose in terms of poker sessions, or vice-versa.

What is important is how you stand at the end of your last play. Are your ahead or behind? If you’re ahead, you’re a winner; if you’re behind, you’re losing, and nothing you can think about or rationalise about is going to change this.

1.    Do not pass your cards out of turn, even if you are no longer interested in staying in contest for the pot. It can affect the fortunes of one player over another when the field is shortened and a player has a difficult decision to make. It usually gives an advantage to the players seated beside you who have yet to make their plays. You may see other players fold, or call out of turn, but please don’t do it yourself. If you do, be assured you will be pulled up by the other players for it.
2.    When discarding your hand, do so at a low level of flight so that no other player can see what you have discarded.
3.    Leave your cards in plain view at all time, preferably on the table in front of you. Holding them against your shirt or showing them to “railbird” friends (See Glossary) is not approved behaviour.
4.    Likewise keep your chips in plain view at all times.
5.    Refrain from criticising other player’s methods standard of play.
6.    Do not abuse the dealer, verbally or in any other way. Bad behaviour, such as throwing cards at the dealer, while mercifully rare, is totally unforgivable. Remember it is not the dealer’s fault you are losing.
7.    Forget post-mortems. It is irritating for other players to have to listen to discussion on what happened in the last hand, or even several hands before.
8.    If you are plagues by the need to show someone what a good hand you had, when not required to do so at a showdown, make sure all the players enjoy the same experience. The correct guideline often quoted is “show one show all”
9.    Showing your cards, except at the showdown, even without bad intent is bad etiquette.
10.    Players, must not show or reveal the contents of their hands when all-in before betting is over. A player who shows that he has a strong hand for the centre pot hinders the chance of a player who bets into a side pot. There is less likelihood of a call. If an all-in player shows that he has a weak hand he increases the chance of a call.
11.    Likewise, please don’t feel that you have to tell everyone what your last hand was and what you would have bet if only you had stayed in the pot, some polite people might feign interest, but few really are.
12.    Do not splash the pot. This is where a player throws his chips into the pot when making a bet. It takes extra time fort he deal to re-stack and count the bet when you splash the pot. When you bet, place your chips directly in front of you. The dealer will then be sure you have bet the right amount and when betting is complete will place them into the pot.
13.    Soft-play agreements have a negative effect on the game. This is where a player bets less than he normally would or checks good hands when against friends, husbands or wives. Don’t enter into these types of agreements. Every player should play in his/her own self interest – it’s the essence of poker.
14.    Do not handle other player’s chips or cards.
15.    Speech play (often called “coffee housing”) is the term used to describe what happens when a player makes comments about a hand when it is in progress. This is not prohibited in the terms of the rules but is considered unethical in the UK (not so in the USA). So be careful what you say during the play of a hand and resist the urge to talk about a hand during the action or when someone is thinking.
16.    Do not try to educate players at the table by pointing out what you think are mistakes. Its odd and they will resent it and mark you down as a smart Alec, or worse. Why not let people pay for their education – its how I had to learn.
17.    Players should speak up and assist the dealer by calling attention to an error in the amount of the bet or the improper reading of the hand etc. Likewise, any player who sees as error about to be made, such as awarding the pot to the wrong person, has a duty to speak up.

Video poker is a combination of slot machines and the normal five-card draw poker game. The obvious differences are that video poker is played against a machine apposed to humans. The primary goals are still the same – to achieve the certain hands indicated on the payout table for the particular game you are playing. Each game may have unique rules and payoffs, but all are played in a comparable manner based on the original poker game.

Video Poker – What is it?

Video Poker is in essence a machine version of the popular table game of poker and it is about here any similarity ends. Video Poker has set paytables and you are playing a machine so there is no bluffing. Pairs are strong in almost every game type. It is the set paytables of the game that gives the knowledgeable player the advantage. More on that later. Playing the game is easy, playing well requires a little bit more.

The above table shows the winning hands for the grand daddy of the game Jacks or Better.

Video Poker – The House Advantage

Video Poker has very high returns, in many cases over 100%. How can this be? The house advantage in the game relies on player error. The more mistakes you make, the less chance you will have of reaching the expected payouts for a machine. It is as simple as that! We are not talking any system here just good old mathematical probability. If you play well over a period of time you will be well on your way. We won’t blind you with science as the focus of the game is to have fun and lots of it…but if you can win too…

Video Poker – Where to Start

My advice is to start with good old Jacks or Better as the strategy is straight forward with a great return. You can download and play any of the casino software for free on the Jacks or Better page. Play a couple of hundred hands and see how you go. You will soon get a feel for the game.

Video Poker – Game Types

There has been an explosion of game variations. Basically there are Jacks or Better and Bonus type games and the Wild Card type games like Deuces Wild and Jokers Wild. The Bonus games offer payouts for additional hand types displayed in the payout tables.

For example, Bonus Poker offers additional payouts for Four Aces, Four Two’s, Threes or Fours, all with any other fifth card as a kicker. A Kicker is any card of any value that will not affect the payout. eg. Any other card drawn as long as you have Four Aces, Two’s, Threes or Fours is still a winning bonus hand.

The Wild Card games such as the popular Deuces Wild have the Two’s as the Wild Card. Simply put, If I drew a pair of Seven’s and a Deuce, this would be counted as Three Of A Kind. There are also Jokers Wild Games, Seven’s Wild and other variations.

Increasingly popular are the multiplay games (triple play, power poker etc). These are standard game types that allow you to play multiple hands at once, up to 10 hands in some cases.

Some games also feature a Double Up option. This allows you to draw a single card against the machine on a winning hand to double your winnings. Highest card wins. You can double up as many times as you like, until you lose that is.

It is the different winning hand combinations and variations that create the different strategies you would use and determine from the paytable for any chosen game. It is also these different combinations that determine the probability and payout percentages for any given game.

Video poker and the house advantage

The paytable above is what you will see on a Jacks or Better 9/6 machine. The paytable is not just eye candy to show what could be won, it is in fact the key to determining how you would play any chosen game.

There are other Jacks or Better games offering different payouts and lower percentages than 9/6 (NINE coins for a FULL HOUSE and SIX coins for a FLUSH). We are looking at the 9/6 game as it is the most popular of the Jacks or Better and offers a return of 99.5%. There are 32 ways to hold any dealt hand and it is the probability of winning combinations that give us the return percentage for any given game.

Dont worry about getting your calculator out as we have presented all the payout percentages, strategies and analysis for various games. So, in the above paytable you could play $100 on a 5c machine at a 5 coin bet, giving you 400 hands of play. At 99.5% return you would expect at worst to lose 50c. At best you might pull a Royal Flush.

You might now be starting to see the attraction of Video Poker to the enthusiast! Why bet 5 coins? This is a golden rule and it is the only way to reach the maximum payouts of a chosen game. The aim here is for perfect play, no errors, and is the goal of the budding video poker player.

1) Do your homework before venturing into a gambling site. Sign up with one or more of the free, preferably reputable, message boards where experienced players and others exchange news and views about gambling sites, promotions, gambling software providers and gambling in general. You will soon get a very good idea of which gambling sites to avoid. If you have webcast capability on your PC there are weekly online gambling programs that can provide useful up-to-date information on gambling sites and what is happening in the industry. Online e’zines are also an excellent source of balanced on-line gambling news.

It is recommended that a player visit a site that is an IGC Member, remembering to confirm the membership status on the IGC Member Page. If the IGC logo is displayed but the site cannot be found on the IGC Members page then contact the IGC to confirm the status of the site’s membership.

2) There are literally hundreds of online gambling directories, and not all of them are trustworthy. If you are looking for good gambling sites check out the ones who can afford to advertise on large gambling directories and then balance that information with what you learn at point (1) above.

A player should consider entering gambling sites directly, and be wary of entering via partner programs. Most of the reputable gambling portals (please check the IGC Members page and search the Services for “Gaming Portal and Information Site”) write original reviews of the sites for review by players before they wager online.

3) Like a player, a reputable operator will want to verify the bona fides of its players. The problem is that reputable operators are sometimes targeted by individuals who may try to commit fraud against their business. In an effort to ensure that the player is who they claim to be, an operator may seek additional personal information.

Before you give any gambling site the details of your credit card or bank account, check the site over carefully for the following:

1. IGC membership.
2. Player support details in case you need some assistance or want to ask a question (write these down with your player details before play).
3. The name of the software provider (write this down).
4. The name of the e-cash provider.
5. Where is the website licensed? Make sure you keep this on your records.
6. The auditor of the casinos payouts and name of the company verifying the random number generator (if available) ?. actions aimed at ensuring fair play.
7. Have a test run or two – try small amounts before you decide to bet big (eg deposits and payments).

Does the site offer twenty-four hour support with telephone and email contact addresses and toll free lines? This is the norm for good gambling sites and you should not accept anything less. Some may offer real time interactive support. If you want to take extra care, try emailing their customer support and/or calling the 1800 support number prior to wagering, with a question, such as, what gambling software do they use? See if you get a response. No response, or no response to an email within 24 hours, is not a good indication, you should consider looking elsewhere for another website for your online entertainment.

When registering and playing at a site, it may also prove wise to write down the phone number of the customer support (hopefully there is one), and, for the “write to us” forms. Fill in any registration form BEFORE opening an account and ask for a working e-mail. Otherwise it could be difficult to contact the site if it is down for technical or “other” reasons. Keep a list of phone numbers, e-mail addresses and your account numbers from all of the gambling sites you join, and save a copy of all e-mail offers in the event their site is unavailable.

It is also recommended that players look for a physical postal address on the website in conjunction with a (digital) email address. This adds another level of comfort to your experience, seeing that the operation has a physical entity and is more than an email address on the surface that can easily be set up and operating from any location.

Ask yourself, what is the site like in general terms? Is the presentation professional and does it have relevant information upfront about licensing, software, e-cash and the legal requirements? A poorly presented site with insufficient information is frequently the sign of a cash-strapped or questionable operator.

Knowing the software provider for the website is an important factor, to ensure that you are playing safe, fair games with acceptable odds. You are entitled to know the identity of the software provider. If a casino refuses to divulge this information, this is also a reason for caution.

Quality casinos will often have their RNG (random number generator), or payout percentages, reviewed by an independent testing agency, a government body or another reputable body such as one of the Big Six audit firms. As an example, some sites have their payout percentages certified by a reputable accounting firm and published monthly on their website. A commonly held tenet is that the payout percentage for games using a RNG should be in the 97 to 98 percent range. Many casinos now offer a very useful reprise facility that enables a player to check their wagers and game history.

Several leading software providers are IGC Members – for additional information refer to the IGC website Members link to search for services provided.

Similarly, the name of the e-cash processor should be clearly stated. This is important as it provides security and confidence that you will be paid efficiently. Again, while not an exhaustive list, please check the IGC Members page and search the services provided for Members who provide a service such as “e-commerce solutions” service. Some of the major suppliers have their own e-cash companies that insure player accounts up to a specified level while some of the larger operators have their own e-processing system. Again, as a means of assistance, it is recommended that you check to see if the company is an IGC member. New gamblers are advised to test the water before making larger bets. If hesitant about gambling online, it might be a better course of action to make small wagers at a site and to then cash out. This will test the speed and efficiency of the gambling site’s finance system. Credits back to credit cards should take no longer than 7 to 10 days (sometimes sooner). Gambling sites will generally accept your money by credit cards, debit cards, bank wires / transfers, ecash wallets to name a few. If winnings are credited back to your credit card, it will only be up to the amount of your original deposit (this is a bank regulation). Anything over that will be sent to you by bank wire or check (be wary of the latter).

Things to check onsite: Does the gambling site charge you for these payments and how much? Some of the charges levied can be unfair. How long does your payment by bank wire take? It should not be longer than 10 days. Growing numbers of gambling sites are now fitted with online statements that you can access at any time to check the state of your player account – this is obviously a desirable quality. In any gambling site there should be a service that enables you to demand an audit trail if you are unhappy with any transactions.

It may be prudent for a player to take a copy (screenshot) of any larger winnings and request a copy of the applicable transaction log relating to the win as soon as possible after the win. If there is a dispute with the operator, a player will have some proof.

Look for licensing information. Most online gambling sites are licensed in sovereign Caribbean or South American jurisdictions that at least give you an avenue for complaint if you feel that a gambling site is guilty of bad practice. USA, Canada and the UK have still not agreed to license online gambling (UK sportsbooks are the exception), although moves are afoot to provide genuine, effective regulation (with teeth) which will protect your interests in the future as in the Isle of Man and Alderney. The Kahnawake jurisdiction is an ethnic Indian enclave jurisdiction within Canada, but does not constitute Canadian licensing. Antigua has a well-developed licensing structure, as is Vanuatu, whilst there are indications that Costa Rica may move toward formal licensing legislation. Gibraltar is also a location of several reputable operators, some of whom came from the UK before a relaxation of the taxation rates. The Commonwealth of Dominica is also a respected jurisdiction. Other common license jurisdictions of varying quality include Belize, St Kitts, Netherlands Antilles and Grenada. If there is no license do not gamble there.

Reputable sites should also include a ‘Privacy Policy’ statement clarifying that the player’s details will not be used or given to third parties. This statement should be visible on the home page or provided as a link from the registration forms.

Good quality gambling sites will generally offer, “play for free” games on a site so that you can try out the games and get used to gambling on a PC. Most will also offer extensive information on the rules and how to play each game. Sites that do not offer this facility to players should be treated with caution.

Once you are comfortable with gambling online and have registered at a gambling site you will probably at some stage receive marketing emails offering various incentives and promotions to play. Gambling sites do this to attract new business, but before participating you should always carefully read the rules governing the promotion to make sure you follow them to the letter. Gambling sites are quick to disqualify players who do not. Pay particular attention to the number of times you are required to wager a deposit or a deposit plus bonus before qualifying. Read the rules carefully to avoid conflict and stress at a later stage.

If email advertising is utilized, careful consideration should be given to whether the operator has a permission-based e-mail opt-in, and of course, an easy ‘unsubscribe’ mechanism for players.

Additional indications (please note that these are indications and intended only as a guide) is to look for an independent, recognizable and reputable third party certification of a site or of a particular aspect of the site. Examples include, audited game return, general security of the site, particularly the security of payment system, SSL encryption or the like, and in particular the ‘padlock’ symbol (normally found at the bottom right of the screen) which gives the player the comfort level that when entering sensitive information (e.g. credit card details) on the web page that the details are secure.

4) If you follow these simple and commonsense rules, online gambling will hopefully be a safe and enjoyable experience, one that will even be profitable at times! Remember that you are not alone. If you feel you have been treated unfairly or badly by a gambling site, which carries the Interactive Gaming Council logo, you can lodge a complaint online at www.igcouncil.org (Contact link) and impartial IGC executives will adjudicate it and if indicated, mediate on your behalf. If the gambling site is not a member of the IGC there are several “watchdog” sites and player organizations to which you can turn for support if you have a just complaint, and you can of course complain to the licensing authority concerned as well. In all cases we recommend that you escalate a complaint beyond the general support to the Management. The vast majority of complaints can be resolved at that higher discretionary level, thus saving you time and effort.

Many people are somewhat overwhelmed on their first visit to a casino card room. They do not know what to expect and probably have the feeling that everyone there, except them, is an expert. However, take my advice, this impression is entirely wrong and there is nothing to be intimidated about. In UK card rooms, there is usually a member of casino staff on had to help with any enquiries and, despite the often forbidding facades, most card players are only too delighted to help beginners. (Could this be enlightened self interest?)

Casino and card club addresses where poker is played, correct at the time of writing, are given below in alphabetical order of the town or city name. This is not necessarily an exhaustive list and venues and nights of play are constantly changing, so you should phone your local casino/s to find what they have to offer.

Ladbroke Casino Club
59 Summer Street
Aberdeen AB1 2SJ     T: 01224 645 273
F: 01224 643 730

The Rainbow Casino
1 Portland Road, Edgebaston
Birmingham B16 4HN     T: 0121 454 1033
F: 0121 545 5967

The China Palace
16-18 Hurst Street
Birmingham B5 4BN     T: 0121 622 3313
F: 0121 622 6528

Grosvenor Casino
Grand Hall Buildings, 15 Station Road
Blackpool FY4 1EU     T: 01253 406 898
F: 01253 342 732

Ladbroke Casino Club
48 Wendover Road
Bournemouth BH1 2BZ     T: 01202 553 790
F: 01202 315 116

Napoleons Casino Club
37 Bolton Road
Bradford BD1 4DR     T: 01274 391 820
F: 01274 725 467

Grosvenor Casino
88-92 Queens Road
Brighton BN1 3XE     T: 01273 326 514
F: 01273 326 964

Ladbroke Casino Club
8-16 Park Chambers, Park Place
Cardiff CF1 3DQ     T: 029 20 344 221
F: 029 20 344 221

Annabelle Casino (Stanley Leisure)
11-12 King William Street
Coventry CV1 5NA     T: 024 76 223 256
F: 024 76 525 441

Stanley Derby Casino
2 Colyear Street
Derby DE1 1LA     T: 01332 368 880
F: 01332 295 218

Ladbroke Hotel Casino
Central Promenade
Douglas, Isle of Man IM2 4NA     T: 01624 662 662
F: 01624 625 535

Ladbroke Casino
Earl Grey Place
Dundee DD1 4DE     T: 01382 201 888
F: 01382 223 208

Jackpot Club and Colossus Club
20 and 5A Montague Street
Dublin 2     T: +353 1 478 5858

Stanley Berkeley Casino
2 Rutland Place
Edinburgh EH2 2AD     T: 0131 228 4446
F: 0131 228 8735

Stanley Edinburgh Casino
5b York Place
Edinburgh EH1 3EB     T: 0131 642 2121
F: 0131 557 4386

Grosvenor Casino
100 High Street, Gorleston-on-Sea
Great Yarmouth NR31 6RG     T: 01493 652 810
F: 01493 603 440

Ladbroke Rotunda Casino
18a Tunnel Street
Glasgow G3 8HL     T: 0141 243 2430
F: 0141 243 2420

Ladbroke River Casino

61 Broomielaw
Glasgow G1 4RJ     T: 0141 221 6000
F: 0141 221 9488

Grosvenor Casino

Moortown Corner House, Harrogate Road
Leeds LS17 6LD     T: 0113 269 5051
F: 0113 269 6118

Grosvenor Casino

76-78 West Derby Road
Liverpool L6 9BY     T: 0151 260 8199
F: 0151 263 3986

Grosvenor Victoria Casino

150-166 Edgeware Road
London W2 2DT     T: 020 7 262 7777
F: 020 7 724 1214

Ladbroke Russell Square Casino

The Imperial Hotel, 61-66 Russel Square
London W1CB 5BA     T: 020 7 833 1881
F: 020 7 833 1871

Grosvenor Casino

Dunstable House, 50 Dunstable Road
Luton LU1 1EE     T: 01582 414 166
F: 01582 24 057

Grosvenor Casino

2 Empire Street, Cheetham Hill
Manchester M3 1JA     T: 0161 834 8433
F: 0161 832 7104

Stanley Casino

Forth Street
Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 3NZ     T: 0191 232 0900
F: 0191 232 2197

Ladbroke Regency Casino

Regent Street
Northampton NN1 2LA     T: 01604 24 916
F: 01604 34 908

Grosvenor Casino

The Pavillion, Harbour Parade
Ramsgate CT11 8LS     T: 01843 585 678
F: 01843 581 383

Grosvenor Casino

Queens Road
Reading RG1 4SY     T: 0118 959 4642
F: 0118 950 9004

Grosvenor Casino

Queens Road
Sheffield S2 4DF     T: 0114 285 5566
F: 0114 285 2758

Ladbroke Casino

59 Wellington Street
Stockport SK1 3AD     T: 0161 480 3037
F: 0161 480 7853

Ladbroke Casino

Aintree Oval Road, Teeside Leisure Park
Stockton-on-Tees TS17 7BH     T: 01642 603030
F: 01642 606000

Stanley Churchill’s Casino
14-16 Broad Street
Stoke on Trent ST1 4FU     T: 01782 213 499
F: 01782 283 611

Grosvenor Casino
11 Cranbury Terrace, Hanley
Southampton SO14 0LH     T: 023 80 636 955
F: 023 80 634 305

Grosvenor Sporting Club
1a North Bridge Street
Sunderland SR5 1AD     T: 0191 514 5551
Grosvenor Casino

Just to get your eye in or for a bit of harmless fun there are plenty of sit in tournaments for fun money, you could easily get just as involved with this as you can with the real stuff, but inevitably you will start playing with real money at some point.

You can sit at a beginner table where the stakes are low, all the way up to high rollers tables where you could be paying way over £200 a bet.

Signing up with 365 poker is simple and there is normally some sort of offer, free bet, sign up bonus you can take advantage of. Once signed up you could be getting involved in the action in a matter of minutes, just make a secure payment of funds to your account and your off, collecting your winnings in equally as simple.

The site plays all the poker games including Texas Hold’em, Five-Card Stud, Seven-Card Stud, Omaha, Omaha Hi Lo, Seven-Card Stud.
The atmosphere, game play, graphics and general interactivity on 365 is amazing which is why it is one of if not the most popular uk poker site.

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We will also be adding a dedicated page where you can see where the freerolls are, giving you a chance with all the sites to make money for nothing. Just sign up or sign in and start playing.

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Banker

Poker is not a banking game. Bets are made as contributions to a pool. The “banker” simply supervises the supply of betting chips. He records how many have been issued to each player, including himself and keeps the payments and the unissued stock to one side. Players must not make exchanges or transactions among themselves. A player needing more chips must purchase them from the bankers stock ; a player with surplus chips may sell them back into stock. The banker is either the host ; or any player chosen by lot (e.g. high cut) or agreement.

Kitty
The kitty is a fund for buying ew cards ore refreshments, set up by agreement before play commences. Usually one betting unit is contributed to it from any pot in which there has been more than one raise or, alternatively, where the winner holds a specified hand or better. The banker arranges all this. Any chips in the kitty at the end of the game are divided equally among those still playing ( player who leaves before the end loses the right to any part of the kitty).

Betting chips

These are almost always used rather than cash. Usually different colours represent different values, for example: white one unit; red, five units ; blue, 10 units; yellow 25 units. A game with seven or more players needs about 200 chips. The best value distributions depend on the maximum betting limit.
At the start of play, each player buys chips to the same total value, for example 50 units. A players stock of chips must always be kept in full view of other players, and not taken from the table except for cashing.

Card decks

Two decks of cards with contrasting backs are usually used in club play. At the end of one play, one deck is collected and shuffled by the player who dealt last, while the other is dealt into play by the new dealer.

New Poker decks

May be called for by any player at any time.

Poker Seating
At the start of the session seating is random, unless a player has been chosen but before play begins.

Reseating
On reseating, the first dealer has the first choice of seat. He then shuffles then deck, has it cut by the player to his right, and deals one card face up to each player in rotation, beginning with the player to his left.The player with the lowest ranking card sits to the dealer’s left, the player with the next lowest card sits to that player’s left, and so on. Of two cards with the same denomination, that dealt first ranks higher. The dealer then gathers the cards and has them shuffled and cut for play. After play starts, or after a reseating, no one may demand a reseating for at least an hour, provided no one joins or leaves the game. If a player joins the game after it starts and someone questions the seat he takes, the dealer between plays deals a card to each existing player, and the new player takes his seat to the left of the player with the lowest card. This is done separately for each player joining. If a player replaces another player, he must take the seat vacated provided no one objects. Two players may exchange seats just before any play provided no one objects.

Time limits

The time at which the game will end should be agreed before play starts, and be strictly observed. Any players who wish to continue can do so, but should set a new time limit.

Agreed rules

Rules to be agreed before the start of a game ( and preferable written down) are:
1.    the form of game to be played2. wild cards and their use
2.    any special hands and rulings
3.    the value of chips
4.    betting limits and checking
5.    limits on raises and/or payment for freezing a raise
6.    bonus payments and payments to the kitty

A standard 500 chip Poker set will typically consist of the following.

• 500 11.5 g poker chips
• 2 card decks
• 5 dice
• 1 dealer puck
• 1 aluminum poker case

The chips in this poker set are made of high quality composite resin with metal inlays for extra weight. The chips are durable and do not scratch and have a superior feel which has made them very popular among home users. CQ Poker Chips are known worldwide as the number 1 quality chip in Poker.

Depending on your tastes there are numerous different varietys you may choose, different colours, heavier weights, ones with dollars or pounds ££’s  and different symbols and patterns on.

Other additions to a 500 peice poker set would include

• 1 x Dealer Button
• 1 x Blind Button Pack
• 5 x Poker Dice
• 2 x Decks Home Temptations Playing Cards

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