This href=”http://www.nopaypoker.com” target=’_blank’>free online poker article isn’t an educational how to win type but I hope will open your eyes to the game of poker more and, I hope, change the way you approach leaning for the better.

You may not know if but poker-tips” title=”Poker Tips, Techniques, and Strategy”>poker, like say a martial art, can be split into schools of play.

Broadly speaking there are just 3 schools of poker but from each one there extend many sub schools.

School 1 is old school, literally. It is based on 10-Jack as a premium pocket and is heavily focused on Implied Odds. This was a favorite way to play by pros like Doyle Brunson, Amarillo Slim, Mike Caro, and many others who are now in their 70′s and 80′s.

The 2nd School is based on the concepts of Playable Pocket matrices, Position, Pot Odds and Positive Expected Value. This type of play was the hallmark of players like Phil Gordon, Dan Harrington, Humberto Brenes, and T J Cloutier.

The 3rd School 3 is the latest and focuses on reading players in regard to ‘Ranges’ and advocates Tight Aggressive (TAG) play as the core methodology, 3rd school is the approach taken by just about all the new breed of very successful, and normally young, online poker players as well as live table competitors.

It’s the main reason why most of today’s major tournaments yield a final table with an average age of about 27 or 28 years old.

Poker is a constantly evolving game; what used to be profitable back in Doyle’s young days would in no way be profitable now.

Today, players are largely capable of 3betting and 4betting as a bluff, something unheard of even 10 years ago! And as proof of the evolving nature of the game we are seeing new ideas coming into play now such as ICM and Nash Ranges which are not common knowledge and really “ahead of the game”.

The thing with poker is that if you’re not keeping up with the curve, you’re falling behind. But before we get into some more advanced ‘cutting edge’ concepts, we need to catch up and fully ground ourselves in the way poker is understood TODAY.

With each school there are some positives, maybe not so much from school 1 now but it could well be that elements of school 1 will become more viable again as poker becomes even MORE aggressive.

The good thing about school 2 poker is that it’s relatively easy to learn and apply, and for playing low limits (anything through .05/.10 online and $1/$2 live) you’ll definitely be able to profit handily playing school 2. If you really get good at it, I wouldn’t be surprised if even .25/.50 online and $2/$5 live was beatable playing that way.

School 3, on the other hand, is much harder to learn as it’s much less concrete. Fore example there is no set playable hands matrix and no defined places to call, raise and fold. The answer is almost always ‘it depends’, so how successful you are as a school 3 player is based on how well you can read your opponent’s ranges and exploit their tendencies.

This takes a lot of time and practice to get good at, and it’s far more variable than school 2 poker. Though to compete at high level today and to really smash lower stakes school 3 thinking really is a necessity.

Yes, it is possible to play school 2 at a high level and make small profits but todays real bruisers like cash players Tom Dwan, Phil Galfond, Daniel Cates and tourney killers Ben Lamb and Elky Grospellier are pretty much only school 3 – and more advanced in their school 3 methodology than anyone else on the planet too, which is why many older school pros are moving into 3rd so that they can stay at the top table.

As I said at the start this isn’t a how to win article as such but I’d say it is a “what do you have to know in order to win” which is to be a good school 3 player if you want to play higher stakes or be a pro.

On the free poker online training blog we’re now building a new course range of school 3 education articles so why not pop on over and have a look and then try your hand at playing school 3 in the free poker games on the main NoPay site.

Are you getting into a new hobby and in need of some suggestions? Think PokerRoom, because its back, and its ready to blow your mind with new hot deals on sign up bonuses, and great new features that have been recently introduced. If you are not a skilled poker player, then there is a new feature that you are going to love, and its called Poker School. PokerRoom decided to create a new online tutorial for less skilled players, so that they can learn the basics of the games available to play on PokerRoom, and some helpful hints that will allow them to hold their own against the more skilled players that are members.

Once you have visited the online tutorial, its time to consider trying out some of your newly acquired skills on the cash poker games that are available on PokerRoom, because once you have the skills, theres no reason not to use them! You could even sign up for a tournament or two, since there are more scheduled now that PokerRoom is back online and you have a chance of winning if you play your cards right pun intended.

So lets talk a little bit about PokerRoom, because its definitely back, but back from where? PokerRoom went on a hiatus from 2009 to 2012, but now its back, and its not just back, its more like back with a vengeance. PokerRoom has been a published website since 1999, and was one of the top online poker communities before it went offline, but it is well on its way back again. There are more than enough games to keep most people occupied, and interested in playing poker on PokerRoom, but its not just the games, its also the sign up bonuses.

Signing up for a membership to PokerRoom is absolutely free, and there are some great sign up offers to consider before you get started playing some poker games. The sign up bonuses are as follows: 100% of $100, 100% of $500, and 100% of $1000, and depending on the amount of money that you have to spend, you will be allowed to choose one bonus. Once you get your bonus, its time to get started playing the games, because they dont get better than they are on PokerRoom, back in business finally! So if you want to know where to get the best poker games, join the other eighteen thousand odd people at PokerRoom!

Playing internet poker is a great method of getting skills and experience with the game. Many people question moving their play to the web because they worry that they will lose something as a result. In all actuality, virtually every aspect of live play is equivalent to what happens online, but the internet includes a few added bonuses you really should consider. Here are some reasons why playing poker on the internet is better than playing live.

Convenience

There is obviously a level of convenience found in internet poker tournaments since you can play them at your house, instead of driving some place in town. You have access to tables any time of the day you want, and you can still play against live people. The one catch is you play with a screen name or avatar. Everything else is identical, but it happens right at your house for your enjoyment.

Secrecy

If you do not have a very good poker face, the web will probably be the perfect place for you to go to play a game. People cannot watch your reactions if you play online. Most US poker sites will offer you a chance to either use an avatar or at least generate a username to hide behind. This is the only information that gives away who you are in the slightest, and you can work that out so nobody knows anything. You can be a completely different person online and work that to your advantage.

Speed

Everything happens faster with online poker since it is automated. Dealing is quick, betting is quick, action is quick, and everything is done for you. You are left with a game which takes a tiny part of the time a normal one would, giving you more time to spend the money you just won. Assuming that there’s not any disconnections on your table, you can get through a game with great ease.

Accuracy

Because everything is automated online, the concept of human error is practically eliminated. Pots are always split evenly, and you can be certain that every player puts in the proper amount of chips if she or he wants to play a hand. The accuracy of the computer cannot be matched by anything else, which is great when you’ve got money on the line. You can be sure that your money is safe in internet poker rooms.

Bonuses

You will get internet poker bonuses that you obviously cannot get elsewhere. They are designed to release money to you after you play for a certain amount of time, and they literally offer you free rewards simply for being around. You can find bonus codes that you can get from some websites before signing up with an actual poker site, and with these you can create an account and get free money as you play. If you can find these bonus codes, your internet poker experience will be better than it would be naturally.

Location

For those in the audience from the USA, not all internet poker rooms will accept you. You will need to find one that does. The simplest way to do thisis to find a U.S. poker sites web portal. These portals have done the work for you and are very reliable.

Platform: Flash —

Legend tells us of King Midas, granted a gift by Pan that all he would touch would turn to gold. The tale is the inspiration for Midas, a puzzle platform game by Wanderlands, and overall winner of the Ludum 22 Game Jam. In it, you must guide the king to his love, but not before you reach the river that will wash him of his “gift”. The theme for the competition was “Alone”, a word that’s perfectly captured by this short, challenging, and even poignant game. Tagged as: browser, flash, free, game, ludumdare, macwinlinux, platform, puzzle, rating-g, simpleidea, wanderlands

Code of Princess trailer. So Ive got some bad news, for those of us who wanted to dismiss the game out of hand for being based on one piece of silly character art: this looks way fun. Developer Agatsuma touted having some of Treasures Guardian Heroes team on board, and now I see why its a very Guardian Heroes-like brawler.

With realllllly good animation.

More bad news: nobody has announced a Western release yet. Agatsuma has been sending out English press releases lately, but not for any reason that I can tell, just to let us all know about its Japanese game.

Buy:Nintendo 3DS (Flame Red, Black, & Blue)

Find:Nintendo DS/3DS release dates, discounts, & more

See also:More Code of Princess stuff

[Via Andriasang]