In any type of poker game, be it free poker online or cash games you will come across 4 basic types of player in terms of psychology and related playing style and philosophy. The groups are loose-passive, loose-aggressive, tight-passive and tight-aggressive.

Within each type there are gradations, for instance, the most extreme loose-aggressive is termed the “maniac”, this is the player who plays most hands and raises all the time, almost no matter the cards he’s got.

Every poker player falls into one of these groups as a result of their baseline natural playing tendency. In most cases our natural playing tendency results in lost money as we will either play too few or too many hands and act too passive or aggressive at certain times. Every style has a time and place and being able to switch to suit game situations is the mark if a strong poker player who wins consistently.

Firstly you must identify your natural tendency; this is the first step in stopping being a victim of your own psychology. It is also important to learn to recognize the style of the players who sit at your table so you can counter them in the most effective manner and exploit their shortcomings if they are weak.

Loose-passive
The loose-passive player calls many hands pre and post flop. He wants to lay in as many hands as possible, and will generally attempt to hold on to the bitter end without having the least chance of winning. Loose-passive players are also referred to as “calling stations”.

Loose-aggressive
The loose-aggressive player will play many hands aggressively with a lot of betting and re-raises. Although these players lose long term they’re dangerous sometimes as if their luck in no-limit Hold’em tournaments is good they will get a lot of chips quickly and become the chip leader.

Tight-passive
Generally known as rocks, they play a few hands and play passively. They just bet when they’re sure to have the best hand, making their earnings small when they do win. One of many disadvantages the rock has is when you identify them as a rock and they play a hand you know to fold. As a result on any table with players who have some skill the tight-passive player is basically sidelined.

Tight-aggressive
His game is selective, will bet hard once they have the upper hand. Most players who follow this style will be more skilled and have learned to play well and considers things like pot odds and implied odds. Not all players with this style are good but many are and overall it is the best singular style to adopt while adding loose and passive elements as game demands and situations change.

The best way to find your style and learn to vary it is in quality but low risk free games. It’s a fact that we learn by mistakes in poker so let’s keep those mistakes cheap! Small stakes and free poker games are the ideal way to get experience in the early stages, plus be sure to play poker online for free and take as many free poker lessons as you can and learn about things such as pot odds, playable pockets and table position tactics.

Player : DOOMSDAY The Specialist SET – MANIAC Performance -Coastal Tempo SP -Miles SP -Supersonic SP -Electronics SP -HEXAD SP -Keys to the World SP -Oblivion SP 4 Stage -~94% : Enemy Storm SP -95~% : Son of Sun SP
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Bullet hell shooting games (aka maniac shooters) are, according to Wikipedia, shoot ‘em ups “in which the entire screen is often almost completely filled with enemy bullets”. And one of these games is Espgaluda II, developed by Japan-based Cave, released for arcade machines back in 2005 and now one day away of seeing a release in the App Store.

That’s right, the iPhone, not really suitable for such games (control-wise), gets a fast-paced 2D shooting game Japanese style. I am doubting the controls will be good, but the first videos and screenshots actually look quite cool. This appears to be much better than my favorite shooting game for the iPhone so far, Glandarius.

Espgaluda II is scheduled to appear in the App Store tomorrow (including a new “iPhone mode”) and will be initially priced at $4.99 (Cave will increase the price to $8.99 later). Too bad the game is compatible only to the 3GS and certain iPod touch models.

Here’s a clip showing gameplay scenes:

So I woke up this morning and logged straight into World of Warcraft, as I do every morning except Tuesdays, what with the stupid “realm maintenance” nonsense. I sold a couple of Netherweave Bags. I logged off, and soon after began another day of CrunchGear. Meanwhile, Jens Pulver, who was the UFC’s first 155-pound champion, was doing the same thing. Well, except for the CrunchGear part—he was training for a fight.

Right, so wow.com has an interview with Jens Pulver, who’s a well-known PC gamer. It’s safe to say that you’re pretty busy training for WEC fights, so he finds time to play the game when he otherwise would be watching TV. (Same here. I simply don’t watch TV anymore. It’s so liberating.)

I will excerpt one part that put a huge smile on my face:

I’ve got a mage. He rocks. But you know what I tried? I hope I don’t disgust too many people out there, because I was a Horde slayer for a long time — but now I am Horde. I dig it. I like it. I like being a Troll. That’s just fitting. I got a Troll mage, I got an Undead priest.

But what I’ve really been getting into is the death knight — but not because everybody has a death knight, yeahyeah … I waited a long time. A.), Because it started out at level 55 so I didn’t have to go all the way from level 1, and B.), I just wanted to tank. I was all fired up to have a tank, you know, and I’m enjoying tanking now. I’ve never done that.

This is seriously the greatest thing you’re going to read today, outside of Dave Meltzer’s obituary of Bob Shamrock.

The object of Mafia Wars is to create a stronger, healthier mob and eventually become the Don of the family. In order to dominate this game, you may need to put some good Mafia Wars Cheats and tips to work for you.

The following are not illegal Mafia Wars cheats but they are great tips to get an advantage over your competitors.

Before you read on, if you want a comprehensive downloadable book with the very latest Mafia Wars cheats I suggest you read more here: Mafia Wars Strategy and Cheats Guide.

Choose the Right Class

Maniac

Maniacs can recover energy quickly. This can let you get plenty more jobs done in a shorter amount of time as you’re not sitting around waiting to regenerate energy. It’s also believed that Maniacs can level up quicker than some other classes.

The game creators, Zynga, tend to favor this class as it requires players to log in more frequently to get the most benefit out of playing a Maniac.

Mogul

Moguls generate money faster than the other classes, allowing them to grow their mafia faster and equip them with the best possible weapons, armour, and vehicles. It would also allow them to grow their properties and businesses faster due to quicker returns of investment.

This can be the ideal class for players who know they can grow their mafia up to 501 members fast. As you don’t have the benefit of regenerating energy as quickly as a Maniac, collect energy packs for later use. You’ll need them.

Fearless

Fearless players recover health much quicker than other players. While this is considered a basically useless attribute, it can allow you to qualify for one of the top mafia positions that only a Fearless character can play: the Wheelman. A Wheelman is able to perform jobs at no energy cost, which can be incredibly useful for completing really high-energy jobs quickly.

If you can reach the status of Wheelman, you have the opportunity to perform jobs with no energy cost. This could be a massive bonus if you need to carry out jobs that require high energy.

This is somehow the opposite of the Maniac type, slow to level up at first, but can have the potential to acquire huge bonuses later in the game.

Managing your Mafia and Armaments

The rule for managing your mafia is: don’t take anything more than you can handle! Don’t add mafia members if you know you won’t able to supply them with the best equipment.

Performing Jobs

Always choose jobs that give a high experience to energy ratio. This will mean you can move through the levels faster with the least possible energy cost. When it’s time to build up your cash stores, choose jobs that yield the most money for the energy you spend.

When there are loot celebration bonuses such as the Labor Day Loot, try to perform jobs that require less energy to give you an increased chance of getting the loot items.

Attacks

Try to attack players who have a few less mafia than you have. This is almost a sure win for you and should yield a little extra cash. Avoid attacking higher level players and try not to attack players who have more mafia than you. If you find a good player to attack who yields more cash than other players, bookmark him so you can go back again when you need more money.

Moreover, bookmark those players who yield more cash, so you could always get back to them when you need more money.

Defending

The best defense against attackers is making sure you equip your mafia with the best weapons you can afford. If you’re attacked by another player, get your own mafia to attack them. You can also add them to your hit list, but this may expose you to multiple attacks if you’re only a low level. Don’t retaliate against high level attackers, or they’ll come back at you for more.

Remember to always bank your money. Attackers who know you yield great money after each attack will keep coming back to see if they can get more.

Most people would call these tips and not Mafia Wars Cheats, since not everybody knows them. You can either use these tips, or be snuffed out. Happy gaming!

To learn futher tricks, cheats, and much more for Mafia wars, check out this great resource here: Cheats for Mafia Wars

It’s getting harder and harder to be surprised about the MPAA’s silly tactics. So, surprise! The MPAA has successfully shut down an Ohio town’s municipal Wi-Fi network because one person was caught illegally downloading a movie. You know, peers and seeders and all that.

The Wi-Fi network was set up around the Coshocton County Courthouse located in central-ish Ohio. The network has been up and running for about five yeas now, and serves up to 100 people on a busy day. (Not that I have any idea of what would cause such a commotion in the town!)

The town’s commissioner said: “It’s unfortunate that one person ruins it for those who use the service legitimately.” Yes, and when some maniac stabs another person we confiscate everyone’s kitchen knives. Or when a drunk driver kills an innocent motorist the government comes around and takes away everyone’s car.

Collective punishment, anyone?

The MPAA’s nonsense really isn’t going to be challenged until our elected officials have an understanding of basic technology, which I don’t think will happen any time soon.