By Dr. Tim Lavalli
Everyone wants to be able to read an opponent at the table but what does it mean when he riffles his chips? Why did she smile when she made that bet on the turn? Is that nervous twitch really a tell and if it is does it mean he has a good hand or he is running a bluff?

Perhaps there is just too much information rather than not enough. Every player tries to give off minimal readable tells but many players, particularly the talkative ones, actually give you more information than you can process. Rather than try to throw out the useless information looking for the useful, perhaps you might try looking for a group of signs that all point in the same direction….. read rest of article at PokerNews

by Eric Lynch
A lot of you may not know the name and face that accompany this column. I’m better known in the online poker world as Rizen, online professional poker player. I’m a dedicated professional and student of the game. In May, I won the PokerStars $1 million-guaranteed tournament for more than $156,000. During the summer, I entered four events at the World Series of Poker and managed to cash twice for more than $600,000, including third place for almost $105,000 in pot-limit hold’em event No. 3 and 24th place for more than $497,000 in the main event. I also have written numerous columns for PocketFives.com and am a guest instructor at PokerXFactor.com. I really believe I’m just a regular guy with a passion for poker who has been able to parlay that into success at the tables by spending a lot of time analyzing and thinking about the game. When I write columns, make instructional videos, or teach students, my goal is always to get people to not only learn how to play various hands from various positions, but to truly learn how to think like a poker player. With that in mind, let’s talk poker.

One thing that we are taught over and over again, be it from books, coaches, videos, or forums, is to constantly be the aggressor. “Attack weakness,” we’re always told. Another common phrase is, “Make sure you win the pots nobody else wants.” One of the core problems with this is that aside from knowing that we need to…. read rest of article at Card Player Magazine

By Bob Ciaffone
Do you like to play in small online no-limit holdem tournaments? If so, welcome to the crowd. There are plenty of tournaments to choose from where you can win hundreds of dollars, even thousands, all at a minimal investment in the $5 to $30 range. The invest-little, win-big, chance to get money is hard to resist­­ –– and a lot more fun than buying a lottery ticket. I am sure you would like to improve your skills at this type of tournament, so read on. There are naturally some similarities between the small buy-in online tournament and larger events, but the differences are big enough to require certain different skills. Here are some of those differences…. read rest of article at PokerMagazine.com