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I was pondering with this question for a while and came up with no universal way to handle a bad streak. Ever had the feeling that luck was against you for some nights ? You go all in with AA and the other guy with 89 suited and he takes the pot home with a flash ? You get the first great hand of the evening KK only to be beaten by someone with AA in the same hand ? That is bad luck and if it happens a lot close to each other it is called a bad streak.

You did not change the way you play your poker game but you happen to loose against “inferior” hands or unlikely hands more often. Should you go on as always and play until the bad streak is over, knowing that you will be loosing money on the way ? Or should you take some days off and play after you cleared your mind about this and start playing without thinking that something bad will happen soon on the table ?

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Most experts agree that online poker can’t continue it’s exponential growth indefiniltely. Some prominent industry leaders are even saying there may come a mass exodus if online poker games don’t continue to evolve and find new ways to keep poker players entertained while waiting for their turn at betting.

Simon Prodger of PKR.com has been quoted as saying, “If you’re talking about exponential growth there is a very real ceiling to those limits, but there are still very healthy growth rates”.

While John Anderson, chief executive at 888.com recently told the Financial Times, “The exponential rates we have seen just can’t keep going,…”If it keeps going no one in the world will be working. We’ll all be playing online poker.”

What it comes down to is that real live poker can be so much more engrossing and entertaining.  Online poker sites have done their best so far adding animations and high quality graphics, but that might not be enough to keep the players happy and playing.

Beyond Tells: Power Poker Psychology by James A. McKenna

Every poker player has had the experience of sitting at the poker table wondering what their opponent is thinking.  As expected, this isn’t a simple question to answer. Many books have partially addressed this question, but “Beyond Tells” goes further than any other book I’ve read toward getting into the mind of poker players, spending considerable time with those who regularly lose.

The World Series of Poker, one of pokers most covenanted events has grown by leaps-and-bounds, this $10,000-entry-fee-tournament attracted 800 players in , 6000 players in 2005 and looks to attract over 10,000 players this year!

With full ESPN coverage this event is one of the main attractions of the poker world.  But a federal prohibition could severely stunt the growth of the wildly popular game by depriving residents of most states of legal poker gambling and a way to qualify for million-dollar tournaments.

We hope the government realizes that folks love to play poke and they will play whether it is legal or illegal, they might as well grab some tax revenue from it.

I personally love all types of Poker, but nowadays it seems that hold’em rules, especially the TV airwaves.   The huge popularity of Texas Hold’em has certainly been a boom for the Poker industry but I still prefer a good game of 7 card stud.