Ruff Poker Blog
Learn Train Dominate Poker

What started with an all out ban on data-mining techniques by the MicroGaming Poker Network is turning into an all out poker zeitgeist, in what seems to be an effort to bring Online Poker back to its roots; where skill and hard work win the day.

The latest poker rooms to join the movement are Chili Poker and VC Poker of the iPoker Network. Although, the methods employed by the iPoker network sites may be a bit extreme. With news that iPoker is penalizing sites that exceed a certain percentage of “good” players, the sites have decided to tell some of their winning players their money is no longer good on their site. Read More

Jeff Madsen, perhaps best known for his back-to-back World Series of Poker wins in 2006, was able to capture the Borgata Winter Poker Open title after besting a pretty stacked final table that included Tom “KINGOFCARDS” Marchese and Matt Matros. The win was worth over $600k and was Jeff’s biggest win since 2006, when he won two bracelets and pocketed over $600k for each win.

After bursting onto the poker scene with those back-to-back WSOP bracelets, Madsen hasn’t been able to duplicate that type of success in a major tournament until yesterday’s win. Off to a terrific start in 2010, Madsen is fresh off a strong showing at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure where he made a deep-run before bowing out in 19^th place, and made two final tables at the 2009 Doyle Brunson Classic in December; Madsen had three cashes overall. Madsen is no stranger to heaters, since it could be argued that he had the greatest month in tournament history during the 2006 WSOP: From July 3^rd to the 24^th Madsen won two events, and finished 3^rd in two others! In the process he was able to rake in nearly $1.5 million in those few weeks, and the run put the then 21 year-old on the poker radar. Read More

With new poker tours popping up left and right, and the more established poker tours adding more and more stops I thought I would list the top 10 poker tournaments in terms of prestige; where winning the event would immediately elevate you to the top of the poker food-chain. Read More

With hundreds of Online Poker sites to choose from potential poker players can find the task of choosing a specific Poker Room quite daunting. Should I choose the best deposit bonus? Go for the best rakeback deal? Choose the most heavily trafficked site?

In this article I will give you five determinates to look at before you sign-up at an Online Poker site. The site you choose doesn’t have to be the best in every category, but it should be competitive. Read More

Even though many people consider Phil Ivey the best poker player on the planet it wasn’t until his 2009 World Series of Poker run, and his eclipsing of Daniel Negreanu on the all-time tournament money list that Ivey’s skill and talent rally sunk in. Read More

The best athletes are able to find it when it matters most, whilst the rest -the mere mortals-are constantly seeking it out, occasionally crossing over into the mythic “ZONE”. What you may not know is that you can be in the zone in just about any endeavor, from model-making, to reading, even and even while playing poker; which will of course be the crux of this article.

The Zone is when you are firing on all cylinders towards a specific goal and are 100% focused on the task at hand. When you hit the zone in poker you know it, even if it’s only a brief interlude. When you’re in the zone all of the distractions that go along with poker are somehow tuned out; your reads on your opponents are impeccable; and your decisions are made crisply and confidently. Read More

For the second straight year it was a homegrown Australian who captured the coveted title of Aussie Millions Champion when Sydney native Tyron Krost outlasted a tough final table that included Sorel Mizzi and Annette Obrestad. In 2009 it was Australian Stewart Scott who took home the title.

This year’s tournament down under saw a dramatic rise in attendance from 2009, with 746 players taking to the felt 2010 compared to 681 in 2009, nearly eclipsing the attendance record set in 2008 with 780 players. Read More

In his bestselling book Blink, author Malcolm Gladwell cites a study where shoppers in grocery store are asked to sample some jams: The booth either contains six different jams, or 24 different jams. The results are quite surprising. It turns out that 30% of the people who were faced with six different jams ended up making a purchase: for the people who had more choices -who common sense says should find something that suits them-only 3% purchased a jam! Why is this? Because they were overloaded, and their mind simply shut-down.

Poker players take notice, this example –how to run a jam sampling booth in a grocery store– is very applicable in the poker world. Because when it comes to collecting information in poker, you can quickly find yourself inundated with data, often to the point that it becomes situation overload, and your brain simply shuts down. This is where our instincts take over, and often times when you are feeling overwhelmed the best thing to do is to listen to that little voice in your head. Read More

What it Means: A competitive poker player does not take losses lightly. This is not to say that they get out of control emotionally, but they simply want to play their best and take pride in their results. Competitive poker players have a deep-seeded need to improve; to always look for an advantage, which will further increase their profits.

The Flip-Side: Players who are not overly competitive tend to hold a carefree attitude to their wins and losses. Without that competitive streak that pushes them to be the best poker player they can be these players are content to just earn whatever it is that they are making. Read More

The Premise:

The Theory of Poker was first published in 1987, by Two Plus Two Publishing; written by David Sklansky, considered one of the foremost poker theoreticians of all-time.  Sklansky takes the reader on a journey through every aspect of poker theory and concepts, always tying the topics in with his Theory of Poker, which states: “Every time you play a hand differently from the way you would have played it if you could see all your opponents’ cards, they gain; Conversely, every time opponents play their hand differently from the way they would have if they could see all your cards, you gain; and every time they play their hands in the same way they would have played if they could see all your cards, you lose.” Read More