So, we have patience and we have psychology. Now it is time to talk about perseverance, which sounds like a whole lot of hard work, but do not worry, it is definitely a different kind of perseverance than you have to exercise when you go to the gym or out for a run or something.

We are talking about perseverance of the mind. In poker, it ranks right up there with patience. You absolutely cannot give up on your perseverance. It is enormously, incredibly important that you always, always play the best game that you possibly can, no matter what. You should not give if you are on a losing streak. Even if you keep getting bad hands, you cannot give up on the game. You should not force yourself to play them — this is where you have to have the patience to wait for some better cards and the opportunity for better moves.

Patience is unquestionably important, as we saw last week. However, it is not the only essential “P rule” you need to follow in order to become a more successful player. Remember, we still have four more to cover before we all through!

Which brings us to the second P: psychology. Okay, okay, technically that could qualify as an S, but unlike our teachers in grade school, we are going by spelling here.

Now, the psychology aspect of poker can be a whole lot of fun, if you are at all into a bit of mind-freaking — so to speak; this is a PG blog … most of the time.

Anyhow. You probably think that poker is a card game that you play with people. Not so, my friends — it is a people game which just happens to include cards. As such, you have to think constantly and pay close attention to your opponents. What have they played? How do they play? Why are they making the bets they make? Getting inside your opponents’ heads is a key strategy for winning.

There are lots of strategies you can employ when you are playing poker, some of which are extremely easy to remember. Do you recall how, in grammar school, you were supposed to learn the three Rs? Reading, writing, and arithmetic — or ‘rithmetic, depending on how much your teacher paid attention to true alliteration. Anyway, the point is that, likewise, poker has five essential Ps which you can follow in order to play a much better game.

The first of these is patience, which is unquestionably important. Patience is required if you want to win; it is mandatory. You are not automatically going to get a good hand, and not every hand will be a good one. Realizing that and being willing to fold when you have a hopeless hand is a good way to ensure future victories. You have to wait for a good hand and always be sure to make the kind of moves and bets that will allow you to win.

Why do people play poker? Why, in particular, should you play poker? A lot of players who are new to the game seem to get worried that, if they actually allow themselves to play, they will either go bankrupt or developing a gambling problem. Such worries are understandable — smart, even — but they are not necessarily founded. If you keep things in perspective, there is nothing you need to worry about while playing.

You see, people play for a variety of reasons, not just for money. A lot of people play casually, for the social rewards. That is why so many groups of friends have weekly poker games where they can just hang out and have fun. The stakes are low but the good times are high.

Poker is an extremely entertaining game as well. It sure as heck beats watching television. If you are not too competitive, playing is a great way to entertain yourself and your friends.

Believe it or not, some people play poker to educate themselves. This may seem unlikely, but think about it for a second. Poker can help you hone your judgment skills, plus you learn a lot about both logic and strategy.

A big congratulations goes out to Keven “Stammdogg” Stammen, who took home the bracelet in Event no. 13 of the World Series of Poker.

The game? $2,500 No Limit Hold ‘Em, of course. The big win? $506,786.

This even marked day three of the WSOP. Twenty players started out, all of them competing for more than half a million bucks, the gold bracelet, and some serious bragging rights. The game only took around seven and a half hours from start to finish. At the end, only one man remained standing: Keven “Stammdogg” Stammen. This is Stammen’s very first World Series bracelet.

He was certainly facing some fierce competition. Among the twenty returning players were Kirill Gerasimov, Phil Ivey, and Roland de Wolfe. Sadly, all three of them fell fairly early in the game and it only took three hours for twenty to have been whittled down to ten.

Even then, Stammen’s victory wasn’t a sure thing. He was still competing against chip leader Bahador Ahmadi and Torrey Reily, who amazingly managed to play his short stack into an astounding six figure score.

Still, they all ultimately fell, and Stammdogg emerged victorious.

Online poker is becoming extremely popular, to the point that a lot of people who play poker on the Internet have never even set foot in a real casino.  Many of them thus wonder what they are missing out on by not playing in a casino.  To be sure, there are pros and cons associated with each venue.

With online casinos, the convenience factor is definitely a huge draw for many players.  You do not have to leave your home, you can play pretty much whenever you feel like it, and you do not have to sit at a crowded poker table rife with noise and distractions.  This can allow you to get down to some serious playing.

However, it has to be said that you are missing out on the excitement you experience in a live casino.  Getting to play with real people is definitely an experience.  Besides, playing with people face to face gives you the opportunity to better pinpoint bluffs, tells, and things of that nature.

All told, there are advantages and disadvantages with both venues.  Sometimes it is better to play online and sometimes it is better to head to a real casino.  It all depends on what you are after at that moment.

If you are a regular player of poker then there is a very little chance of you having any misconception about the great game which has mesmerized casinos and players worldwide for unknown time. However some of the beginners and amateurs have some wide misconceptions about poker which are listed below:

1. Poker is a casual game – Owing to the nature of the game many people think poker is a casual game meant to be enjoyed with friends. Poker is more like a warfare where the best player survives and earns fortune while the losers regret their game strategy.
2. Winning a game of poker is impossible for me – There is widespread misconception that winning a game of poker is impossible. A meticulous research on tips and strategies which are listed on internet free of cost can enable you to out beat your competitors with ease. Learning the game of poker requires a large amount of patience and dedication.
3. Poker is a luck based game – This is one of the biggest misconception. Luck can favor a player only till the cards are dealt, after this it is the skill and strategy of the individual player how he comes out with a game plan.
4. Bluff can be easily caught – Bluffing is one of the most important frontiers of the game of Poker. A calculated bluff has little chances of getting caught and can help you win. It is always advisable to track the facial expression of your co players and if you are smart enough you can make up if a player is bluffing or not.

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Don’t get me wrong Vanessa Rousso is great, and I’m a fan — but her sister on the far left of this video (thanks pokernews!) looks so cute, it’s almost unfair. If I ever meet Vanessa again, I’m asking her to give my phone number to her sister — a man’s got to gamble to win!

Mike Matusow giving his unsalted opinion about Danish poker hunk Gus Hansen after losing a painful hand to Gus in the Quarter finals of Poker Superstars III.

The man obviously has a point, but the K9 was a good enough hand for Gus to shove, IMHO. Not much he did wrong there.

Eight Deuce is not the nuts. I know. BUT:

• I like eight deuce, especially suited, as you can make a medium flush which is invisible.
• I like eight deuce, as nobody expects anyone to play it, so an Q82 board is great against AQ.
• I like eight deuce, because I like a challenge.

No, not really. It’s my hand, I play it, but I lose playing it. I guess we all have signature hands — I should have picked a better one.

Enjoy my blog!