Articles

The Grass May Just be Greener
I have spoken with many people over the past few years who have or who are playing poker online both face to face and on forums and through other avenues. One of the things that struck me and still does to a certain extent are the large number of people who buy into a poker [...]
Understand Yourself And Reap The Rewards
Irrespective of which career you may be looking to choose, you are going to have to ask yourself some very serious questions if you are to avoid moving into a career that is unsuitable for you. For instance people who are squeamish at the sight of blood should really avoid the medical profession. People who [...]
The Dean Explores One of Pokers Biggest Myths
There is a tremendous amount of poker literature these days, not to mention websites, magazines, DVD’s and televised programmes that are all connected with the game. All this exposure can either be a very good or a very bad thing when it comes to attempting to learn the game. Of course having all these avenues [...]

Do You Want To Win At Poker? Then Go Fishing!
We all know what a fish is in the real world don’t we? Well in the world of poker the term “fish” means something totally different. It is in fact a rather polite term for a weak player or novice. The number of descriptions that fit both good and bad players in the world of [...]

Do You Really Need To Be Playing Live Poker To Spot A Tell?
This is a very interesting question and one that has been asked by many people. The simple fact of the matter is that whenever you play live poker, you will if you are skilled enough be able to pick up on certain tells by certain players. Many professional players who ply their trade in a [...]
You’ve Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two Boys
Let’s face it ladies and gents, most of us are crooked to a certain degree. Think back through your life and remember all those times that you have told lies to further your own ends. Most of the time these fall into the category of little white lies which are relatively harmless. But we go [...]

The Good The Bad and The Ugly
Introducing Poker’s REAL bad boys.
One of the oldest and best known laws of the universe states that for every action there must be an equal and opposite reaction. Well, for every poker hero out there is someone who is the poker equivalent of the anti Christ inhabiting that very same world. There is money in [...]

If You Go Down In The Woods Tonight
“What do you mean, I need to watch myself”. A very direct question to what had been a very direct warning from me. A close friend of mine called Dave had been playing poker for about a year and he had only ever played online. He had asked me for advice on poker about a [...]

Do You Really Have The Skills?
Do you really have the skills?
It is a very familiar story and I have heard it thousands of times and it goes something like this.
“Bought into Paradise Poker for a thousand dollars a while back. I started playing some single table sit and go’s and limit hold’em. I was ahead by $700 after a couple [...]

The Samurai Warrior Principle - Gone Fishin Part 4
In this month’s article we are going to take a look at what actually constitutes a fish in tournament poker. The pro’s call it “dead money” which basically means the buy-ins made by players who have literally no chance of success in the tournament itself. So just what makes a player a “producer” in tournament [...]

A Weak Play Exposed - Gone Fishin Part 3
There are many different things that combine to make a “fish” in poker, even predators like “sharks” can become “fish food” if they start to swim in the wrong waters. In this months article, I am going to concentrate on my specialist game which is limit hold’em to highlight a very particular type of error [...]

Spotting Weak Players - Gone Fishin Part 2
In last month’s article, we took a look at some of the things that identify a weak player. In this article, we will start looking at spotting “fish” through the quality of their play. There is a large amount of information on this subject that I feel that I need to share with you and [...]

How To Spot A Weak Player - Gone Fishin Part 1
A “fish” in poker is a polite term for a weak player, a losing player or a beginner. In poker games the world over, weak players are known by various names and many of them are not pleasant. Be it “rabbit, fish, mug, live one, sucker, chip dumper, greenhorn” or any other of the numerous [...]

Dirty Poker Part 2
As I looked around the room, I could not help but notice a number of very shady looking people in what looked to be business meetings of some sort. I certainly was not going to ask what kind of business was being discussed, I was just going to keep my nose out and just do [...]

Dirty Poker Part 1
It was around the middle of November 2003 as I recall when I received my first invite into “big Mik’s” cash game that was being run in a quiet suburb of Birmingham at the time. My good friend Andy called me one evening to inform me of the game and ask me if I was [...]

Up Periscope - Beware of the wolfpacks
The warmth of the casino is a welcome relief from the cold night air and the friendly faces of the pretty female receptionists make it seem even warmer. The beautiful girls, the lovely paintings on the wall and the overall ambience of the place make you feel very welcome from the moment you walk in. [...]
The Road to Webville
A day in the life of an online pro
The beautifully lithe sun-kissed female bodies strolled past me one after the other, their bikinis barely covering their assets. The beach was as golden as the sun and so was the company, oh god….this is what heaven must be like. The life of a poker pro feels [...]

There Could be Trouble Ahead!
In poker games the world over whether it be limit or no limit, tournaments or cash games, live play or online, millions of players have major problems with certain types of hands. Although it has to be said that my good friend Jim has a problem with them all…..sorry Jimbo! It is true though that [...]
Where’s my Overlay?
Any professional poker player will tell you how difficult it is to estimate your implied odds when deciding whether to continue in a hand or not. This process is made all the more tricky by playing on the internet where the speed of play is substantially quicker than live play. I have observed countless players, [...]

Taking A Serious Reality Check
We are barely seven years into the new millennium but the pace at which poker has grown in that seven years has been nothing short of staggering. The numbers of people who are trying their hand at the game for the first time is growing and growing. The two biggest reasons for the rise in [...]