Best Gambling Poker Sites

Gambling Poker Sites vs. Pure Poker Sites

Whenever I find a poker site, I mentally categorize it in one of two ways: it's either a gambling poker site, or a pure poker site.

A pure poker site only spreads poker. The software is focused on poker, the players sign up to play poker, and the site depends on serving the poker-playing demographic for its profits. Full Tilt Poker is an example of a pure poker site; you won't find any table games at Full Tilt.

A gambling poker site, on the other hand, mixes poker with other traditional casino games. At these sites, you can find links to Blackjack tables, Roulette tables, and Caribbean Stud tables all from the poker lobby.

Some gambling poker sites even offer standalone casino software aimed at reproducing the casino experience online. 888 Poker is a good example of a gambling poker site. You can access gambling tables right from the 888 Poker lobby, or download the separate 888 Casino software for a fuller gambling experience.

As you might guess, the gambling-minded players flock to gambling poker sites like 888. So when I'm hunting for opponents who don't buy the skill-game argument (and thus who have no skill!) I always head to a gambling poker site like 888.

Finding the Gamblers at Poker Sites

A lot of grinders don't even realize that gambling poker sites exist. That's because grinders are so focused on poker, they tend to stick to the pure poker sites (like Full Tilt). That's great news for us, since the lack of grinders at gambling poker sites makes the games there a whole lot easier.

Basically all you need to do to find fishy players at gambling poker sites is sit down at a table. I'm not exaggerating -- the games are that soft. Since so many of the players at these sites are there to gamble, not to grind, you're likely to have at least one or two soft opponents at any game you choose.

If you'd rather pinpoint the soft players before you sit down, just look for the guys sitting in at a wide variety of games simultaneously. For example, a player sitting in at a micro-stakes tournament, a short-handed Holdem cash game, and a full-ring Stud table all at once is likely to just be donking around. Grinders know that it's best to specialize, and to play only one game type at a time. So any player not following these rules is probably a gambler.

Beating the Competition at Gambling Poker Sites

Grinders like to talk about stacking fish like it's as easy as eating or sleeping. But it's not quite that simple. If you want to win, you'll have to tailor your strategy to the type of gambler you're up against in a given hand. It's all about adjusting your game to your opponents' weaknesses.

The most common type of gambler you'll find is the weak/passive fish. Understand: this guy just wants to see flops. He's looking to 'hit a hand' as though poker were blackjack. So you want to play into that tendency by bashing the heck out of the raise button when you've got a solid holding.

You will bleed money against weak/passive gamblers if you try to bluff too much. Again, these guys don't care that you're betting; they only care about their lucky card falling on the turn -- the one they just know is going to come. So don't be that guy trying to convince a gambler that he ain't so lucky -- you won't win that argument. And the loss will cost you cash.

Against a weak/passive player, just bet big and bet fast whenever you've got a top 20%-type hand preflop. Then, play fit-or-fold postflop. If you hit even a marginal hand like top pair, pump some value into the pot by betting. It's all about pushing thin edges against weak/passive players. And when you miss the board entirely, just check it down. Don't worry about giving your opponent a free card; giving a free card is better than betting with air into a guy who won't fold.

The other common type of fish you'll find at gambling poker sites is the maniac. The maniac loves to bet, and will do so with almost any two cards. He doesn't know why he's betting -- in fact the why never even crosses his mind. He just bets -- all the time. Because that's what they do on TV.

The name of the game against a maniac is to just sit tight. Wait for a decent hand. You can afford to -- the maniac isn't going anywhere. He'll keep raising and collecting small pots, and his confidence will build. He'll think, "hey, I keep winning, I'm great!" And he'll keep betting. Just wait for a pocket pair, or AK, or AQ, and then brutalize his stack when the time comes.