As in any dealer-button game, a random draw will determine the position to start with the button.

Two blinds will be posted to the left of the button. The small blind will be equal to one-half the small bet, the big blind will equal the small bet.

Both blinds are live and may raise the pot.

In the showdown, the player must use two cards from his hand and three from the board exactly. Player may use different cards for high and low.

In order for there to be a low, there must be a combination of two cards from the players hand and three from the board with a denomination of eight or smaller. Ace is low for this purpose. If there is no low, high will get the entire pot.

A wheel (A-2-3-4-5) is the best possible low and neither straights nor flushes count against you for low.

If a player misses his blind or blinds, he may wait until the big blind to post to come back in. Otherwise, he must post the missed blinds. Only the big blind is live.

A player who has posted the blind who is not present to act on his hand will have his hand killed and will not get his blind back.

Winning called hand must show all four cards to be awarded any part of the pot.

In the event of ties, the pot will be split.

Odd chip will go left of the button on both high and low pot odd chip.

(Courtesy of PokerPages)

Omaha is a form of Hold ‘Em that brings a few variables to the table. First you’ll receive four cards face down prior to the flop and you must use two cards from your hand combined with three cards from the board to form your best five-card poker hand. Throw in the 8 or better hi/lo variable and you’ve got a challenge for poker players at all levels.

Omaha is a nine-card poker game that uses a dealer button and blinds as in Texas Hold ‘Em. The play begins with four cards dealt face down to each player. Action starts with the first player to the left of the blinds beginning the betting. Players may bet, check, raise, or fold in turn.

Community cards are then dealt face up in the center of the table in the same manner as in Texas Hold ‘Em with betting after each round.

After the final betting round, the players remaining in the hand will then show all their cards. To qualify for a winning low hand, a player must have five cards of 8 or lower with no pair using two from their hand and three from the board. Straights or flushes may be used for the low hand if all the cards are 8 or below.

If there is a qualifying low hand, it splits the pot with the winning high hand. Other wise, the high hand takes the entire pot.

Remember, you must use two cards from your hand and three from the board to make the best five-card poker hand.

(Courtesy of PokerPages)

Texas Hold ‘Em is a seven card poker game with simple rules that a beginner can easily learn and begin to play immediately. In spite of the simplicity, it is a fast and complex game that takes skill and practice to master. No wonder it has become one of the most popular forms of poker played today.

Texas Hold ‘Em uses a disc called a dealer button to indicate where the cards are to be dealt. Prior to the deal, the two players to the left of the button place live bets called the small and large blinds. It’s called blind because it’s made prior to seeing any cards. It’s called live because it counts as part of any further bets in the first betting round.

The play begins with two cards dealt face-down to each player. Action starts with a betting round beginning with the player to the left of the blind bets and continuing clockwise around the table. Players may bet, check, raise, or fold in turn. The large blind has the privilege of last action and may check or raise the bet.

Three community cards are then dealt face up in the center of the table and another betting round takes place beginning with the player to the left of the dealer button. Another card is dealt face up followed by a round of betting. The fifth and last card is dealt face up and a final round of betting takes place.

Players remaining in the hand will then show their cards and the winning poker hand will be awarded the pot. Any combination of hole cards and community cards may be used to make the best five-card poker hand.

(Courtesy of PokerPages)

We are constantly working to make Do or Die Poker the best poker blog we possibly can. Over the next few months I am going to be working extremely hard to bring even more relevent information and tools to our poker players.

Information is the key and we will continue to have plenty of it along with poker strategy articles and online tournaments and many other features. If there is something you would like to see feel free to drop us a line.

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If your looking for a good bargain then the Sahara is the place to play. This room is usually occupied by locals and beginners. The room has 11 tables albeit they are fairly old. This room could be considerably better than it is with just a little love and care from management.

They spread a $2/$4 and $3/$6 Limit game and the action goes around the clock.

The tournament schedule is as follows:

NL Hold’em Mo,Tu,We,Th,Fr,Sa,Su 11AM $45+$16
NL Hold’em Mo,Tu,We,Th,Fr,Sa,Su 11PM $45+$16
NL Hold’em Mo,Tu,We,Th,Fr,Sa,Su 7:PM $45+$16

If you are new to tournament play then this is the place for you. Where else on the strip can you play for $60 bucks, actually $62, and gain valueable tournament experience with a decent structure? The dealers are mediocre at best. They make mistakes from time to time but nothing major and they have always been polite when I have played here. They do have a daily room rate for poker players. The rooms bread and butter are it’s tournaments. If you catch the 7p.m. tournament you can even get a free sandwich. Not a bad deal. The tourneys usually have around 60 - 80 players or so. If you can get over the manual shuffling then stop by and take a shot. It’s a small field and usually a pretty decent pay day.

You heard me right folks. It appears that the folks at GSN are going to go in a different direction. It’s not official yet but it’s not looking good for one of my favorite televised poker shows.

My guess is that HSP will show up on another network post haste. The show is simply the best cash game poker show on TV. You gotta want a show like that on your sports network.

Right?

Time will tell I suppose. Stay tuned!

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The Wynn poker room is one of the most elegant and quaint rooms on the strip. I stopped by on my last trip and railed a few of the games just to get a feel for it. I must say it was a very nice experience. Even though we were not playing the manager still stopped by to say hello and invite me to join the game. Unfortunately, I was waiting for a friend and only had a few minutes.

Everything here is brand spanking new as the room had just opened. This room is for the high end amatuer and the locals here tend to play a bit tight from what I observed. There is some profit to be had but you will have to grind it out to get there. Automatic shufflers and competent dealers are the norm. The chairs are comfortable but the room is still just a little small.

They spread $4/$8 to $30/$60 Limit Holdem along with $1/$3 $2/$5 and $5/$10 No Limit cash games with no maximum.

The tournament schedule is as follows:

NL Hold’em Mo,Tu,We,Th,Fr, 2PM $120+$23

They also have a $300+30 Noon tournament and $500+30 tournament with a long structure that caters to the poker purist.

The management at the Wynn was very good and seemed to really look after the players. The waitresses were responsive and stopped by on a regular basis to take orders as well. They do have special rates for poker players that stay at their hotel. You must play at least six hours to qualify.

The Bellagio is a poker room specifically designed for the high rollers. The room itself is very nice with automated dealers and very comfortable chairs. The room tends to have a long waiting list for obvious reasons. If you play here proceed with caution. This room is not for amatuers. Most of the professional players make their living off of tourist here.

Bellagio spreads $4/$8 to $30/$60 limit cash games daily. The Big Game, $4000 / $8000 limit is located in Bobby’s room.

The tournament schedule is as follows:

NL Hold’em Mo,Tu,We,Th,Su 2PM $540+$55 details
NL Hold’em Fr,Sa, 2PM $1060+$90 details
NL Hold’em Mo,Tu,We,Th,Sa,Su 9AM $130+$30 details
NL Hold’em Fr,Sa, 9AM $240+$40

Overall, if you have a big bankroll then you are more than welcome. Beware! You are not likely to be treated very well here if you are an average Joe. Bellagio caters to the professional players only. Also, there tends to be LOTS of bickering at the tables because people are making a living at the game here. Unfortunately, professionals do not take bad beats very well. Management is good and the tournaments are well run. Food comps are available after four to five hours of play.

Caesars is one of the nicest poker rooms on the strip. It is a bit off the beaten path from the regular casino but very nice nonetheless. The room is absolutely gorgeous with very nice tables and chairs with plenty of room. Each table has an automatic shuffler to see as many hands as possible. There is a seperate tournament room too. So you are always nice and comfortable and able to stear clear of all the drama when tourneys are in play.

They spread a $3/$6 and $6/$12 limit game along with $1/3 NL $2/5 NL and $5/10 NL games.

Their tournaments are held on a daily basis as follows:

Omaha H/L We, 6PM $100+$20
NL Hold’em Fr, 2PM $2080+$86
NL Hold’em Tu, 6PM $75+$10
NL Hold’em Mo,Tu,We,Th,Su 12PM $200+$35
NL Hold’em Fr,Sa, 12PM $330+$39
NL Hold’em Mo,Tu,We,Th,Fr,Sa,Su 11PM $120+$30
NL Hold’em Mo,Tu,We,Th,Fr,Sa,Su 7PM $150+$25
NL Hold’em Mo,Tu,We,Th,Fr,Sa,Su 9:AM $65+$15
NL Hold’em Mo,Tu,We,Th,Fr,Sa,Su 3:PM $65+$15
PL Omaha Mo, 5:PM $75+$15

I would recommend the 7p.m. nightly $150 tournament as it has the best structure of them all with 40 minute levels and $5000 starting chips. However, the blinds creep up really quickly after the sixth level and the tournament speeds up considerably after that.

The vibe at Caesars poker room is all about the money though. Not that your treated poorly but these guys are not about customer service at all. Not good. The dealers are intimidated and do not talk when the pit boss is around at all. You can tell something is not right in this poker room between management and the employees. Not a very nice thing to watch.

Overall a very nice room that needs some new management and better customer service. They do offer poker player room rates as well as comps for the players. Just make sure you sign up for a Players Card and present it when you sit down at the table or enter a tournament.

It’s that time of year again. The regular poker tour has slowed down and everyone is gearing up for the World Series of Poker 2008. Many of you will be playing satellites both live and online. I have been doing the same and they have been extremely competitive.

I guess the WSOP brings out the best in everyone. Maybe it’s the TV time or perhaps the large payouts but we all want to get there and play the best poker tournament of our life. I know I do. This year I am preparing for next years WSOP believe it or not. I have some committments that I must fullfill but I am planning on playing next year for sure.

It will be interesting to see just how large a field the Main Event has this year. Last year it dropped down to 7000+ and this year my hope is to see even less than that. It’s pretty much a crap shoot. I would like to see the Main Event down to 4000 players or less. That still makes for an extremely large field but it would cut down the luck eliment significantly. Anyhow, for those that are going to play this year I wish you good luck and great cards. Hopefully we can see you on ESPN. Now wouldn’t that be a blast!

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