Robbie Strazynski

If you ever get the chance to sit and chat with an older poker player, I highly recommend the experience. I imagine that in all likelihood you’ll find yourself being able to connect strongly, with poker as your common bond.

I recently had such an opportunity, meeting Cardplayer Lifestyle’s Senior contributor, the nonagenarian George Epstein, in Los Angeles. It was a highly enjoyable experience, to say the least.

The thousand-mile journey starts out with the first steps. If you are enchanted with poker but have never played before, don’t be discouraged by how much about the game there is to learn. Start out with the basics and then keep on improving. Even the top pros are still learning and getting better, so take heart in the fact that they, too, were once beginners.

Here, then, are three basic poker tips that will help get you started on the road to poker success.

For the first time ever, there’s a grassroots push to officially lobby Israel’s government to legalize poker. With the game enjoying record levels of popularity countrywide, Israel Poker Academy co-founder Stas Tishkevich is leading the charge to advocate for poker’s legalization in Israel.

Enjoying support from poker luminaries like Eli Elezra, funds are currently being raised via the I LOVE POKER – ISRAEL campaign that will be used towards lobbying the Knesset and Israeli government officials to legally allow Israelis to play poker without having to fly abroad.

A post in which I reflect upon my decision to leave my job as employee and begin doing poker media work and living the Cardplayer Lifestyle full-time. It has been a year since I’ve made the decision, and it’s one I’ll never regret making.

Thankfully, year #1 was a resounding success, and we’ll be moving on to year #2 with a positive outlook and big goals for the future.

In many ways, 2017 was “the year of Doug Polk” as far as poker was concerned. Nonetheless, that story didn’t necessary play itself out at the American Poker Awards, where Polk ended the night emptyhanded.

This appeared to serve as some sort of wake-up call, however, with Doug releasing a video heralding a “face turn” and that it’s time for him to change his tone. What follows is our analysis, and some speculation on what to expect from Doug in the future.

While there’s a 100+-person panel that determines each year’s American Poker Awards nominees, a much smaller group or jurors determines which of those nominees go on to win the yearly awards.

Having had the honor of being on the 2018 jury, I wanted to share with you a behind-the-scenes look at the entire process.

While Texas Hold’em might get all the TV time, mixed games are also enjoying boosted popularity in poker. From Razz to Stud and every poker variant in between, H.O.R.S.E. and mixed games are the true test for poker’s greatest champions.

Learn more about mixed games in this article.

The orthopedic ward of a hospital isn’t often the scene of smiles and laughs, but for a few special hours on a Saturday night, a group of home game poker players were able to spread some positive vibes.

When your fellow poker buddy is laid out in a hospital bed, the cavalry comes to the rescue with chips, chairs, and good cheer.

Poker vlogging superstar Andrew Neeme is beloved by tens of thousands of fans the world over. He does the poker world a great service by continuing to draw more and more people to the game with passion and enthusiasm that’s effervescent in his incredible videos.

In tribute to Andrew, then here is a list of the top 10 things we love about his poker vlog.

When you play in the same couple of home poker games for 15 years, you’re solidly ensconced in your comfort zone. So what do you do when you get invited to a home game where they play for higher stakes?

Well, after 15 years of saying “no, thanks” I finally said “OK, sure!”

I wonder if it’s a situation that many low-stakes home game players out there can relate to? Here’s how the story played out.

The great Kenny Rogers advised us all to “know when to hold’em and know when to fold’em.” Part of knowing when to fold’em implies that you’ll understand when your starting hand is simply atrocious. Perhaps you’re familiar with the notorious deuce-seven as the worst possible Texas Hold’em starting hand… but what about other horrible hands?

In this article we list some of the worst possible starting hands to get dealt in Texas Hold’em. Do yourself a favor: memorize them, and then forget about ever playing them at the tables.

Have you ever scoffed at all those video poker players while walking to the poker room, saying to yourself “that’s not REAL poker”? Well, it certainly is, plus there’s plenty of strategy and skill involved in winning big at video poker. However much poker you’ve played, when the house has an advantage against you, it’s an uphill climb. But is it possible to tilt the odds back a bit in your favor?

Have a look at our list of 6 tips and tricks to help you improve at video poker and enable you to statistically win more money at one of the more popular casino games of all time.