What to Buy for Home Poker

How much you want to spend on your game is up to you. You can buy a deck of cards and plastic chips for under $10 at your local Target or Wal-Mart. But if you are going to host a regular game, it’s worth investing in some nice chips, cards, and even a table.

A number of local retailers sell nice chips that are thick, and feel like the chips you use at the casino. The best way to buy chips in my opinion is online. I've checked prices at a number of local retailers, and even the one who claimed to have the lowest prices in town could not beat the deals that are available online. The best can be found on Ebay. Just type in “poker chips” and you can easily find a set to your liking. You should be able to get a great set for around $100 or even less, depending on chip style and quantity.

In terms of cards, the best in my opinion are KEM. I paid $20 for a set of two decks three years ago at a local mall. I still have the set, and while it has been used countless times, the cards seem like new. $20 may sound a bit steep for cards, but the quality is what you pay for. A nice set of cards are more enjoyable to play with as well -- they are the same kind that are used at many casino card rooms, and have a nicer feel than the $.99 deck than you could buy at the gas station. Another very durable set are A-Plus playing cards, which are similarly priced.

If you want to go all out, you can invest in a poker table. These are available online too. Ebay has a wide array to choose from, or simply do a search for “poker tables,” and you’ll find many retailers who carry them. You might also find poker tables at specialty stores in your area. Prices range from about $150 on up to several thousand.

Another option: Buy a felt that you can use to cover the table. This is a great way to create a poor man’s poker table, and substantially cheaper. Either a felt or poker table makes a great investment. You’ll see there is a huge difference between playing on a regular table than playing on a felted table. A felted surface makes it much easier to shuffle cards and chips, and makes for a more enjoyable game.

Additional Etiquette. Finally, a few words on etiquette if you are invited to a game, to increase the likelihood that you will be invited back.

Always offer to bring something. Not doing so is, simply, rude. If someone is hosting a game, offer to bring some beverages or snacks. You don’t have to spend a bundle, it’s just a matter of being courteous to the host.

Don’t take it upon yourself to light up a heater unless you know it’s okay to do so. In theory, poker, beer, and stogies all go together. If it’s your home, that’s one thing, but if you’re going to another’s house (especially if they have a family) it’s not very polite to assume you can light up.

Also, know when to leave. This may sound obvious, but many people just don’t get the hint. The “last hand” becomes “one more go-around” and then “one more hour.” Don’t imagine you can hang around for another hour after the game drinking the last two beers in the cooler, especially if the host has a family or has work in the morning.

Finally, offer to host, if you can. If the host of the game wants to host every week, fine. But it is nice to offer to host a game if you’ve been going to the same game for several weeks.

Games of Poker: HORSE Tournaments

article by Nicole Gordon

Within the last year, H.O.R.S.E. tournaments have exploded in popularity, both live and online. The World Series of Poker added $2,500 and $5,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. events to their 2007 schedule in addition to the return of the $50K H.O.R.S.E. World Championship that debuted last summer to much success. $1,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. tourneys were spread at nearly every stop on the WSOP Circuit tour this year, and top online rooms Full Tilt and Poker Stars offer over a dozen daily H.O.R.S.E. tournaments and multi-table satellites between them. Standing for Hold'em, Omaha 8 or better, Razz, Stud, and Stud 8 or better, H.O.R.S.E. is a true test of poker skill as it requires players to excel at multiple poker games in order to be successful.

Basic Strategy

The first step in becoming a successful H.O.R.S.E. player is to evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to the five different games. In today's poker climate, players will tend to have the most experience with hold'em and the least experience with the three stud games. In the early stages of play it's important to identify which games the players at your table are uncomfortable with and adjust accordingly. Are they folding their way through Omaha 8? Limp-calling too many pots in razz with weak hands? Can I steal relatively easily against their bring-in from late position in stud? These are the tools you'll need to survive the later rounds of the tournament when the blinds and antes are higher. Conversely, remember that the stronger players at your table will be taking the same kind of notes on you. Also, pay close attention to when the stud games change.

H: Hold em:
Many players will come out fast and immediately start raising pots in the first hold'em round. Typically these are the ones that are looking to get some chips in their best game so they can fold their way through their weaker ones. Pots in that first hold'em level will often be large and multi-way relative to the blinds. Of course if you flop a big hand or a big draw early, by all means, take advantage of the situation, but don't go to war against three guys with one pair just because it's limit and it's early. Save those chips... you're going to need them.

O: Omaha 8:
Omaha 8 or better is a game of playing starting hands that have a lot of potential to develop into the nuts. Look to hit a flop hard or aggressively play a big combination draw with outs to scoop both halves of the pot. There's no reason to get fancy this early. Watch for weaker opponents without much O8 experience hitchhiking along for the ride on hands with only one-way draws– they're the ones who are going to pay you off in a big way later on.

R: Razz:
Though the very mention of razz induces nausea in many a poker player, it is perhaps the most straight-forward game in the H.O.R.S.E. lineup and should be played in the same manner. Start with three cards below an eight, keep track of which low cards have been folded, and let your up-cards do the talking. If you have the best hand or the best draw, bet. If you brick and your opponent catches good, fold. Again, don't get fancy in these early rounds–just focus on accumulating chips. The first round of razz is also a good spot in the tournament to start some serious stealing. Don't forget the power of position and a low up-card even if the two you have in the hole leave something to be desired.

S: Stud:
Again, this is a round where players need to recognize their steal opportunities. The low card brings in the action in stud high, so if it's folded to you and you're sitting on a king up with a ten behind you and a 4 stuck with the bring-in, raise away. Play a good, solid game on this round and the next (stud 8). Accumulate, accumulate, accumulate. Because after that, things are going to get a little funky.

E: Stud 8:
Due to its position in the lineup, this game always comes around well into the tournament and some players will be approaching short-stack status by the time the first stud 8 round hits. Hitting the stud 8 round is also a signal that the game is about to change from the low-volatility of a split-pot game with an ante back to the high cost per round and quick pace of limit hold'em. If a player hasn't yet added significantly to his stack, this is pretty much the last level he can wait to hit a big hand.

Practice your weaker games at low limits, then think about giving a tournament a whirl. I can personally recommend the $24+2 $4,000 Guarantees that run each night on Full Tilt and the $11 H.O.R.S.E. MTTs on Poker Stars as great places to start.

Variations of Poker

source: poker news

The worldwide obsession with poker is no accident. Many of us have been playing poker in casinos for years. Many more of us have played poker at home with our family and friends for even longer. In these types of games, players receive a full hand on the initial deal, and then discard some of those cards, which are replaced with new cards from the deck.

Stud Poker Variations
In most types of Stud games, the players are dealt an initial amount of cards, and then one more card each time a betting round is completed until seven (or five in Five Card Stud) cards are dealt. In a few variations, the players are dealt all of their cards initially, and then reveal cards at certain mandated times during the betting rounds.

Shared-Card Poker Variations
In these types of poker, players are dealt a small amount of cards individually, and then cards are placed in the center of the table that are common to all players.
Miscellaneous Poker Variations

These games are all poker games that use a standard ranking of hands, but aren't dealt as any of the variations above.

Non-Poker Variations
These games are card games that do not use the standard ranking of poker hands to determine the winner.