Aces can be some of the toughest cards in poker to play, especially for the less experienced player. I can't count the number of times I've seen a novice player push all-in preflop with pocket aces, only to see the table fold and the pick up $25 in chips; the blinds. Today Stephen comes to us to talk about playing Aces, in particular the difficult ace-rag hand.

With the vast number of online poker sites, one of the poker player's greatest skills and weapons at the table is becoming a rare talent. It is this ability to 'read' an opponent that makes some of the great players what they are, and the new generation of players doesn't seem to be developing this skill.

Of all the factors that have contributed to the explosive growth of poker, what do you think is the biggest?

The answer, I should think, is easy - big poker tournaments.

Coverage of these tournaments, complete with hole-card and scoreboard-like updates of the various chances of victory throughout the hand...

'Oklahoma' Johnny Hale has been to many places, played poker in a lot of them, and seen many things. One thing that OKJ can talk about that very few us still can is the Great Depression. Today OKJ brings you stories about not just the drepression, but the game of poker during the depression, and the first poker tournaments.

I have been promising this for a couple of weeks and have decided that now is as good a time as any to look at this issue. The two issues I want to look at are actually may be one interconnected issue for many players. What are those two issues you may be asking now? Well, the first one is the skill of playing multiple tables online, and the second one is how to avoid becoming bored while playing online.

My first poker experiences were in the low-limit 7-Stud games at Commerce Casino in Los Angeles. From the start, poker was an important part of my income. It had to be. I couldn't afford to go broke. I needed to avoid the fate that hit many of the good players around me. They experienced massive swings in fortune -- one day they're playing in the big games, the next they're on the rail, trying to scrape together enough money for a buy-in.

As promised in my last column, I’d like to go into detail about a key hand I played against Mike Laing on day two of the championship event at the Four Queens Classic. I started the day near the bottom of the pack, 33rd out of a remaining 42 players. Short-stacked, I caught a very lucky break against Tony Cousineau.

Have you ever wished you could grab a seat inside the brain of a professional poker player? Do you want to watch as he recounts every decision made through the course of a hand? Well, "Beating Poker: Volume 1" owners now get that chance....

Accomplishments: Joe Awada is the reigning 7-Card Stud World Champion. This year he has earned a WSOP Bracelet and made more than $650,000.

I played this Seven Stud 8/Better hand recently in the 1500-3000 game at Bellagio and think you might find it interesting.

Once I am involved in a hand, many of the actions I take after the flop are automatic, or nearly automatic. Therefore, the most important decision I have to make in No Limit Hold 'em takes place before the flop: