home poker

How to block Poker Stars on home network?

I'm trying to block Poker Stars using blocking options of my Netgear Router. According to Poker Stars FAQ, they are using port 26002 and 443. By blocking those parts I see Poker Stars connecting slower, but it seems to be able to find its way around it. Possibly using different ports. By blocking port TCP 443 networks also blocks all web based mail services. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

http://aresforum.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=375#375
a easy to understand tut i wrote with an example of a hosts file with blocked sites.
if you choose router way.
you would need to restrict the ip of the perason accessing the site and choose block ports.
blocking a udp port 443, idk about that, sometimes update sites need's ports open. now 443 is not a good thing to have open either.
i would use the hosts file and my tut.

Skill Versus Luck in Poker

The money to be gained or lost in a home game tends to mean next to nothing and everyone almost always plays every hand to the end. Add in to that, dealer's choice & the ever popular wild cards and you have a recipe for gambling on your hand, not playing it. In these situations, it's often the middle hand that wins by catching a lucky card on the river.

Another reason why luck has such a big role in home-style poker games is that many of the skills we use in pro-style games just don't come into play in a home game. Skills such as patience in determining which hands to play, when to bluff, and how to read your opponent just aren't used when playing such low-limit against your family. If you are playing too many hands in a tough poker game, you will find yourself short stacked in no time.

Patience

The plain fact is that if you play too many hands in a pro-level poker game, you won't win. It's mathematically impossible for you to last for any length of time. But, if you play this many hands in a home game, you may fair better because the sheer size of the pot from the hands you draw out on may offer sufficient pot-odds to draw on that inside straight or whatever the case may be. Especially, if there are "wild cards".

Bluffing

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Another big difference between home poker games and pro-style games is bluffing. Bluffing will actually succeed in a pro game, where everyone will just call you in a low-limit family-style game. It is extremely hard to pull off a bluff in the family oriented game. The main reason for this is the limits are set against you. That 25 cents you've raised the pot isn't going to be enough to scare anyone away, even if it was a check-raise. Anyone would call that, even if they thought they were beaten.

In a pro game, however, bluffing is a sound strategy. If you've played very few hands, it's very possible to steal a pot at the end of a hand by becoming overly agressive at the right time. Your opponents will almost certainly put you on a strong hand, if not the nuts.

Reading your opponent

Another very important element in pro games is the ability to read your opponent. Are they full of crap or are they the real thing? In most home games, there is so much money in the pot (relative to the size of the amount to call) that there is no need to even consider this factor. In pro poker, however, there is enough money involved that a good read can be very valuable.

The simple fact is, if serious poker was a mere game of chance, there would be no such thing as a professionaly poker player and the people you see on the television constantly winning tournaments (i.e. Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negraneu, etc) would just have to be the luckiest people in the world. This, obviously, is not the case and many a professional poker can have very successful careers by honing their poker skills.

About the Author

This article brought to you, free to use, by Michael J Bradley. Be sure to check out Mikes site - Play internet poker online - a complete strategy guide for online poker. He has an extensive Online Poker Bonus Codes section.