also i guess i'm one of those faggots that thinks they can outplay everyone after the flop so what do i know 

agreed. im a fan of the shortstacked all-in.

kinda related but worth mentioning - one of the dumbest things i find bad players do is catch an early break in chip lead, then start playing EVERYTHING. calling with garbage hoping to hit the flop. Value your chips. Don't tell yourself, "What if?" after every flop. When you fold em, forget about em.

I slightly disagree on this as well. If you have the chip lead then you should take advantage of that and force other players out of the game. They simply can't afford calling you unless they actually got something on their hands right away. However, it all boils down to HOW you do this. You're bound to be called at least once during a game so make sure you at least have something to fight with. Going with 3-7 and trying to raise everyone out is a bad move since basically anything can beat that hand if you get called.

My advice: If you intend to use your chip lead to get rid of the other players (even though you have shitty cards), do it before the flop or you're most likely screwed.


To those who play poker online: Where do you play?

i guess i just like to by-the-book it when the table is larger. I pretty much only play very strong hands until there are 3 or 4 left. edit: and to agree with liman, if you are gunna bully with a big stack, do it preflop and you can easilly judge a player's hand. if you catch a solid flop you will probably destroy them. its just something i don't do because i've been screwed a few times.


i play online. i use pokerstars, generally i like it more than others. some places have big cash bonuses and stuff for signing up, but pokerstars has a pretty good fish ratio as far as i can tell - the players are just, simply put, easier. i've also tried fulltitl and partypoker, fulltilt offers some nice bonuses, but the play is at a higher level i'd say. and partypoker, i just hate the interface.


its true online play is not = a casino. of course not. so many more interesting aspects of the game are played live. But if you are learning poker, you probably don't have access to a casino, or don't have poker nights with buddies you can attend every week (or you would have learned it already). Thats why I like online play - because playing for money forces players to actually bet like real players. It is the best way to learn, and the easiest, as far as I know.

So the new season kicks of on Saturday and I was wondering what everyone's views and opinions are of the upcoming season? Who will be getting knocked back down into the championship? Who will reach a european spot (GO POMPEY!!)?

My team Portsmouth have got an exceptionally hard start to the season, playing three of the top four within the first five games. I can see us beating Derby on Saturday, beating Bolton but the other three games will be a point if we are lucky.

Jermaine O'Neal will most likely go to LA but Vince has stated in a public release to bring O'Neal over to New Jersey.

If they accomplish this, the Nets will have the most dangerous starting 5 in the league, but still a bench hardly worth calling 'average'.

Vince, Jefferson, Kidd, Kristic, O'Neal... damn

I definitely loved PRIDE better than the UFC.. It had better fighters, more action and just overall resembles true MMA. UFC was like a downgrade..

At this point in time, I do not believe PRIDE will come back since they were bought out.. BUT if the fighters are willing to transfer over to the UFC, then all the better because that will bring up UFC's credibility in my eyes.. Anderson Silva for example (I keep getting mixed up between Vanderlay and Anderson Silva), who destroyed Rich Franklin (Their rematch bout is set soon), he represented what PRIDE is compared to UFC by literally fucking up Franklin..

Fedor Eme is also a huge prospect that I wish would goto the UFC to show what he is made of..

Mixed Martial Arts in general but more specifically, Muay Thai, Boxing and Kung Fu (I've done these at several gyms and right now I'm committed to Muay Thai).. Also love American Football, Basketball and Rugby. I played these religiously back in the day both on Rep teams and Highschool teams.

I play softball with some people from work/friends(my team) and some mexicans(opponents) every Sunday.  I rather enjoy playing, but unfortunately I always get stuck DH-ing, or playing catcher(pitcher runs home if an out can occur at home)

I am atrocious at fielding, and somewhat suck at hitting (I'm the second worst guy on our team...)  I'm lucky if I can get to first, unless I get lucky and the mexicans get an error.

Post some advice to help me become a better player please.

being decent at baseball really comes down to knowing the fundamentals and being generally familiar with the basics of the game. for most people i've played with, baseball is a hard game to just pick up and play without a good amount of experience playing it. many sports rely more on sheer athleticism, but baseball is really all about technique and getting to the point where doing things the right way become habitual. but that's not really ADVICE. that's more the way it is.

one of the better things i did to get good at baseball when i was younger was to watch a lot of baseball. not just casually watch baseball, but really study what they're doing and try to figure out why they're doing it. i've found this particularly useful when hitting. i would watch the way players hit and attempt to emulate their swings, or at least parts of the swings. of course, this was more when i was much younger, but this is the way i can do it, and i can hit baseballs out of most stadiums now.

but in terms of hitting, one of the best things most beginners do not do is use their hips in their swing. most people i see just go up there and swing their arms, but do not comprehend that when you start your arms into the swing, half of your power comes from your hips. as you bring the bat from the starting position in an attempt to make contact, the rest of your body needs to be in motion. in the time before you make contact with the ball, your entire body needs to be at work. this is extremely general advice, but it's something to keep in mind when practicing or playing the game.

beyond that it's really hard to give anything more than blanket advice. i've helped show some people how to hit, but everyone has different body types and comfort zones, and i kinda have to take people aside and show them how to do it based on how they feel most comfortable. the same goes with fielding, particularly in light of the fact that all positions should be approached somewhat differently.

oh yeah, PRACTICE. no matter what kind of advice you could ever get in baseball, 90% of the act of getting good at baseball/softball is getting familiar enough with those techniques and body movements that you don't even have to think about them as you're playing. really, the best thing you could possibly do is find someone nice that is willing to take you aside and help you get better. i would imagine someone from your team would be interested in doing this, unless they suck at baseball or are dicks. i am not that great at baseball, but i know enough about it to help people get a handle on how to do things. that said, i really like it when someone asks me for some help or some advice on how to get better at the way they do things.


i dunno this is shitty advice maybe i will post here again when i think of something better

Jermaine O'Neal will most likely go to LA but Vince has stated in a public release to bring O'Neal over to New Jersey.

If they accomplish this, the Nets will have the most dangerous starting 5 in the league, but still a bench hardly worth calling 'average'.

Vince, Jefferson, Kidd, Kristic, O'Neal... damn

What are you high or do you just not understand how things like this work.

Do you REALLY think Indiana is just going to GIVE him away? Ignore the fact that they would have to get a max contract back (Jefferson) to even fit O'neill on under the cap (Protip: You can't fit four max contracts under the cap) your vision isn't going to happen.

Now they might trade Jefferson and Kristic for like O'Neill and a bag of balls, but is a starting five of Kidd Carter Role Player Role Player O'Neill really anything write home about in a division with Boston (Big three where every single player is better than anyone on the nets), Toronto, and a conference with Detroit and Miami?

I rarely play sports. But Rugby and Hockey are both awesome.

To watch, ice hockey. To play, badminton. To talk about, soccer.

I love to play badminton. I love to watch football and basketball.

ijji.com has a texas holdem that you can play with fake money for real prizes.

Never play online play money games, they will only make you develop bad habits. A play money game is COMPLETELY different to a real money game and any strategy you would normally encounter is lost.

Start playing small money games with your friends to get acquainted with how the game works. After some of that start looking into real strategy when you think you're ready.