In my time as a card player, I've found these 5 simple mistakes to be responsible for tons of lost pots and lost money... Ultimately, if you make them, you'll end up like the rest of the "suckers" out there. Either that, or you'll give up at poker (claiming that it's based on "luck"), and never play again...

So, here are the seven mistakes to avoid:

“If you love something, set it free.” An odd quote to apply to poker, perhaps, but one that has a link into the key secrets of playing emotion-free. In the previous article we took a look at how playing emotionally, especially if those emotions have anything to do with “tilt” or “steam,” can not only hurt your bankroll, but your ability to play the game in general. Now we are going to take a look at how to control your emotions and what some feel is the best kind of poker to play; “Zen” Poker.

As with other forms of online gambling, many critics question whether the operators of such games - especially those located in jurisdictions separate from most of their players - might be engaging in fraud themselves.

Online casino Virgin Poker is launching a reward scheme which allows players to earn Virgin Atlantic air miles every time they play. The scheme, launched this month, will allow players to collect “V-points ”, which have a cash value of one pence per point. The points will be earned at a standard rate of four per cent of rake, which Virgin claims is more generous than most current high street loyalty schemes, including Nectar and rivals leading loyalty programmes such as Boots.

The history of poker is a matter of some debate. The name of the game likely descended from the French poque, which descended from the German pochen ('to knock'), but it is not clear whether the origins of poker itself lie with the games bearing those names. It closely resembles the Persian game of as nas, and may have been taught to French settlers in New Orleans by Persian sailors. It is commonly regarded as sharing ancestry with the Renaissance game of primero and the French brelan. The English game brag (earlier bragg) clearly descended from brelan and incorporated bluffing (though the concept was known in other games by that time). It is quite possible that all of these earlier games influenced the development of poker as it exists now.