Articles

Are online sites crooked?
I think I must have answered or replied to this question more times than I can care to remember but I got an e-mail from a guy called Robert today who asked me a series of questions of which this was one of them. Actually Rob please forgive me if I don’t answer them all [...]

How Important is Bankroll Management in Poker?
I think that this is perhaps one of the most asked questions in poker or if people are not asking this specific question then they are asking questions that are related to it. I have made some controversial statements about bankroll management in the past and received stick for it. But this in my mind [...]

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 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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]
Tell Me The Truth
Over the last several years, the explosion in poker has been nothing short of astronomical. The combined effect of televised poker complete with under the table cameras and the Internet has moved the game into another dimension. Millions of people worldwide now know how to play or at least have heard of Texas hold’em. Nearly [...]

Poker In the Gutter 3
“I only play these because my son’s birthday is on the twenty fourth”
That was the excuse put to me for why the large round portly lady in the red blouse sitting to my immediate right had just player the 4c-2d and flopped the nut straight and cracked my pocket kings. That sure as hell did [...]
Poker in the Gutter 2
I had played poker numerous times in Nottingham but this private cash game at Steve Tangs place was something new to me. It would be a far cry to the rundown snooker club that was Dale Regan’s place that was for sure. I always hated motorway driving at night and especially on my own with [...]
Poker In The Gutter
Peering out through the taxi window into the dimply lit back streets, I was appalled at the sheer number of young girls that were prostituting themselves all for drugs. Is this modern England in the twenty first century? It really does not matter where in the world you are, city centre backstreets seem all alike. [...]

Deal or No Deal
With the current poker boom in full swing and the number of players that are playing the game at an all time record high, tournament poker has never been so popular. With the World Poker Tour events being shown on our screens on a regular basis, not to mention a wide assortment of other tournaments, [...]
Watch Out - The Screen Has Ears!
Any successful pro will tell you that a large part of their game is picking up on and then exploiting tells and other bits and pieces of information that players give off around a poker table. In fact players who are very adept at this can even achieve success in poker despite some of them [...]