IRS
gears up to look into poker winnings
WASHINGTON
- As gambling in general and poker in particular spread across
the land, here's some advice for neophyte players: Not only
do you gotta know when to hold 'em and know when to fold
'em, you gotta know how to put it all on your tax return.
Gambling winnings, as most people know, are taxable income.
But gambling
losses, as many people don't know, aren't necessarily deductible.
And the widely held assumption that you simply subtract your
losses from your winnings and report only the net...
Never
show mercy to weak ones at table
If
someone describes your playing style as weak, you're in lots
of trouble. You should make changes to your game quickly
to shed that reputation. If you want to win at the poker
table, focus on the weak players. Rather than duke it out
with strong,
aggressive players, you'll risk less and win more playing
against timid, passive players.In order to pound on the shaky
players properly, you first need to identify them. There
are a few clues that you can look for: How he or she dresses...
Poker
games are all around you
Walk
around a college campus on a weekend night this fall and you
might be surprised by what you hear. Silence. Unless you're
inside the dorm rooms, fraternity houses or off-campus apartments,
where more likely than not poker has replaced partying.The
last few years have brought about an amazing -- and some say
dangerous -- trend of playing poker, especially among the younger,
college-aged crowd. It's hard to say exactly how many are playing
poker, but it's not a stretch to say more than ever before...
Quit
looking and learn to read your opponent
You've
no doubt heard the myth about needing a poker face to play
the game well. I'm going to let you in on a little secret.
Poker isn't about reading facial tics. It's about reading people.What's
the difference, you say?When you hear the term "reading
your opponent," it doesn't necessarily mean that you are
looking for body-language clues. More often than not, the tells
you're looking for come from reading your opponents' betting
patterns.There is a famous poker player who claims he can...
How
to deal with losses and come back a winner
It
was a friendly home game with seven friendly players. None
of them were particularly
aggressive. None of them were terribly tough or tricky. Why
was I so sure of this? The game was at
my house and I hand picked the opposition. Pretty sweet setup,
no? But things didn't go as planned. It wasn't the cakewalk
I had anticipated. All of the high alcohol
content beer and the extra salty chili meant to encourage them
to drink it didn't seem to be working. I was losing...
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