Hold em Poker – A Novices Guide Part One

Sunday, 23. September 2012

[ English ]

Hold em will be the poker gambler’s game of choice and where the massive prize money is to be made. Several players want to bet on Holdem to win and win big.

Here we will cover the basics to acquire you started on your route to playing Hold’em and hopefully winning a number of huge pots.

In its no limit form, it can be used now in world class poker tournaments, and could be the most well-known of all of the poker games today by far.

The casino game is wagered from 2 to ten gamblers usually, though it can accommodate up to twenty-two.

Playing the Game

To start, the croupier will deal 2 cards encounter down to every gambler (these are acknowledged as a gamblers ‘hole cards’).

The first circular of betting will then follow immediately.

As the initial spherical of gambling completes, the croupier will offer the primary three ‘community cards’ confront up (this is also called the ‘flop’). The second round of gambling then follows.

At this point, the croupier will offer the fourth neighborhood card, again encounter up (referred to as the ‘turn’ or 4th street). The third spherical of betting then follows.

The dealer will deal 5th neighborhood card encounter up (named the ‘river’ or fifth street), and the fourth and then the final spherical of wagering begins.

All gamblers use any combination of their two hole cards plus the five community cards to create the most effective achievable five card poker hand.

The highest scoring hand then wins the pot and the palm is completed

Rules and Betting Etiquette

Even though it really is a reasonably easy casino game to learn, there is still a wonderful deal of system to follow if you aim to win. Let us begin with the basics of the game and the order of play.

Where you happened to be sitting might be vital in Texas hold em.

For instance, if you might be the last to act on a particular palm, it allows you to watch and react to what opponents are doing.

Preserve in mind if your first that you are at severe disadvantage as you do not know how to react as the gamblers have given you no indication of how robust or weak their hands might be.

The rule is that the dealer is always the last to act in a given round of Hold em.

So, to be able to maintain the casino game fair, there may be dealer rotation around the table.

The ‘dealer’ (or internet croupier) has the advantage of acting last for any round. Right after the end of every circular the dealer button rotates one gambler clockwise.

In Hold em not each and every gambler will paying an ante.

Instead, the first 2 gamblers to the left of the croupier must post ‘blind bets’ just before the croupier deals the very first 2 cards.

They’re identified as ‘blind bets’ as the player pays the bets prior to seeing their cards. They thus enter the game ‘blind’ with no concept how strong or weak their hand is

Truly the primary player to the left of the dealer makes a ’small blind’ wager, and the second player to the left of the dealer helps make a ‘big blind’ bet. This works in the subsequent way

The ‘big blind’ wager will equal the tiny bet, and the ’small blind’ bet will likely be about half of the tiny bet.

For example a 20/40 dollar game would have a large blind of 20 dollars and a small blind of $10. The initial spherical of gambling use the blinds to begin

Therefore, the 20 dollars massive blind would be the starting amount gamblers must call to stay in the hand.

Also if no players raise the starting wager, the blinds are not needed to re-pay their wager to remain.

That is, if no player raises the starting wager the big blind would not have to pay anything a lot more to stay in, the tiny blind would have to shell out the balance of the $20 wager, which in this case would be ten dollars to remain.

Also, it can be vital to bear in mind that gamblers ‘hole cards’ are only as great as the neighborhood cards. What does this properly mean?

It means that having an A-K in the hole will not be really good odds for the player.

If the community cards are, say Q-Q-9-9-J. The cards do not match into any palm of value.

Furthermore, it might be assumed a few other gambler could produce a full house of queens or nines!

Finally, it is really quite useful to watch the flop.

You’ll be able to gauge the top quality of your hand as five of one’s seven cards can tell you how excellent your side is in relation to the others, by watching the way they bet or react.

The best Side Does not Constantly Win!

This covers the basics of Texas hold em; the rest is system and experience.

Texas hold em is really a casino game of psychology and not always the best side wins.

The psychology of Holdem isn’t learned over night. It takes a long time and you have to have practice on how you can wager on your cards, or additional importantly the players that you are competing with.

It would be the psychological aspect that tends to make the casino game so exciting. In Texas hold’em it is really a brutal battle wherever only the sturdy survive except if you’ll be able to the rewards could be immense.

Beneficial Luck!

Following The 1st Plays – Wagering Bigger On Hold em

Friday, 21. September 2012

Middle from the Game – Are You Nonetheless In This Texas holdem Contest?

If you are nonetheless in, it’s time to tighten up. If you have been right after this series of articles, this must have given you a lead more than most of the players that merely play good cards. If you will be holding above average chips you need to tighten up significantly.

To alter up, bet on only premium arms, meaning only pairs (low-medium pairs in the hope of catching a set only) superior face cards and suited connectors only if there are many gamblers to the flop and it is possible to see the community cards at minimal cost. Patience is the virtue of the middle game, and it could be a lengthy boring place to be.

The benefit of tightening up is that arrive the final portion of the game; people may have you down as a rock and fold for your raises. This is often a dilemma when catching great cards in mid-tournament except it’s a Texas hold em System that pays off later when you are looking to pick up sizable blinds around the bubble (the portion of the game when many players are attempting to produce it into the junior prizes).

Don’t be frustrated that your chip gain more than the typical player has been diminished for the duration of this period to the point where you now hold common chips. If you have much more that’s fantastic, except most frequently I discover my chip stack falls to normal during the center section.

Finally Hitting The Beneficial Gamblers In Texas hold’em

The ultimate a part of your Texas holdem Event begins just prior to the bubble explained above. You now have achieved a table image of being like a rock – good. This really is precisely what you would like come the conclusion of a tournament.

Blinds will likely be around two hundred/four hundred at this stage so the period of seeing speculative flops has properly and really ended. You now have to open up to steal some pots. Start by opening on lousy cards – a decent sized bet can have most folding as you have sat quiet for a beneficial deal of the tournament.

Usually players will fold to this a couple of times. If you may do this in reasonably quick succession then not only will you may have picked up lots of chips but in the event you actually hit a hand say within 2 or 3 palms of those bluffs then your opponents will think you’re now bluffing.

The ideal scenario is actually a great pair shortly right after a few bluffs, although that is unlikely. You now should have into pots with all superior cards (2 picture cards or increased) and pairs. If you hit top pair then bet it hard.

Using statistics, you is going to be unfortunate to lose such a hand as by this stage there will be quite a few individuals who are short stacked. Short stacks will look to go all in early with Ace great or post flop with any matching pair. If your Texas Hold’em hand is greater than center pair you ought to win. Even in the event you shed it is not going to be the conclusion of your evening’s poker because by their nature quick stacks usually do not have several chips.

Using Your Chip Lead for your Benefit In Holdem

At any stage in the casino game you may have a substantial chip lead. If this can be true, then you must use it for your advantage. It is definitely easy to do at the finish of a tournament because your opponents are fighting for cash positions and will fold all except the very ideal hands. Remember, most people can bluff once; several individuals don’t fire a second or third bullet.

Truly effective No-limit Texas hold’em gamblers do this often – the additional chips taken for these bets are nicely worth it because you increase your chance of catching a hand and the probability of bullying your opponent off his increases.

Right after this poker strategy you need to be able to suck up fingers often, and you have the cushion to survive a few losses. Your technique must alter should you appear across another equal or larger chip stack. Learn to recognize the must back off the occasional hand when these players call your wager at this stage in a game.

Blinds are going to be there, so sitting on the sidelines will not be an option. When you catch excellent cards at this stage, a lot more than any other, you will likely be a main beneficiary.

Hopefully the use of these poker methods will, on occasion, get you to a final table. As soon as there you must realize that the players you’re now confronted with are excellent, or extremely good at Holdem. At the quite finish, it’s lady luck who will determine the outcome. Good Luck!

Low Limit Poker Tactics – Tips on Betting AXs

Tuesday, 18. September 2012

In Holdem AXs is the type of starting sort that may win you lots of money, but can also loose you a lot when you don’t wager on it correct. By AXs here we mean an ace paired with a suited card below 10, since ATs and above may be wagered a lot more aggressively. There several things that ought to be kept in mind when wagering AXs:

Location Matters

The most significant aspect is your placement in the table. In early placement AXs usually is not a great hand, merely because you will not use a great concept of what is going to happen ahead of you, and you won’t know if the flop hit anybody. In middle and late position it starts to turn out to be playable, on the other hand even in these cases bear in mind that AXs is usually a hand that likes to a good deal of other gamblers in the pot. When you make your flush, you need to maximize your winnings and produce up for the times whenever you do not hit. So pre-flop you usually only wish to call if you’ll find at least 2 or three men and women already in with you.

Betting the Draw

If you are lucky adequate to flop two of your suit, you now use a flush draw. This is frequently a really strong hand and can be played as such. If you’re in late position, take into account wagering or even raising. The notion here is that doing so will cause men and women to check to you on the turn, at which time you can either wager in the event you produced your flush, or else check and see the river for free of cost.

Betting for Value

If you’ll find enough persons in the pot with you, you are able to often wager or raise for value when you have a very flush draw. There’s around 2:1 odds to produce the flush by the river, so if you possibly can receive at least three other people to call you’re making money in the long run, even in case you do not make the flush. Just be cautious not to scare persons off with too much betting or raising.

When an Ace Comes

It’s common to enter a pot with AXs and on the flop have an ace arrive but no flush draw. Gamblers typically loose lots of money with these kinds of hands because they’re up against someone having a far better kicker. If you will find a whole lot of persons with you, odds are one of them has an ace, so you really should almost certainly examine and fold. With fewer people it could be worth betting, but be careful if you obtain raised or if there’s a whole lot of action. You are able to also use the trick of raising if you’re in late location, then checking for the turn if the board appears scary. Except most of the time, it is greatest to end it appropriate there and wait for your next large flush to come.

Poker Calculator Report: Holdem Pirate … Hold em Hawk Prohibited by Poker Stars

Monday, 17. September 2012

Since the Party Poker fall a few years ago, Poker Stars has emerged as the indisputable leader in pure numbers of internet poker players. They have the largest tournaments, the most lively tables, the largest cash games, along with the quickest filling sit down and go tournaments online. With that comes strength – the strength to pick your associates, affiliate marketers, and nearer to our point; appropriate computer software.

Long have I been promoting Holdem Hawk and Hold em Pirate (they are actually the same) poker calculators as easy to use and visibly attractive poker calculators. Recently though, these solutions have pushed the limits of acceptable use, at least in the view of Poker Stars, and hence have been restricted from use on that website. This is sad news, as a reasonable product, not unlike several of the appropriate software allowed by Stars, is now essentially grounded because the largest poker internet site on the planet thinks it’s too closely related to an Operative Poker Calculator.

An Operative Poker Calculator is just like a secret advisor operating for you, amassing and digging through player info that you may use on them down the line. The thing is, you do not need to be at the table for this to take place. The computer software (database) is working all the time for you. For the majority of poker web sites, which is over the line of justness, just as in actual life also.

But Hold em Pirate and Holdem Hawk are in fact Empirical Poker Calculators, just the same as Holdem Indicator is. These varieties of poker calculators only acquire details on your competitors whenever you are at the table, just like you were betting in an actual scenario.

So why the Poker Stars Smack? Here is an authentic forewarning I received from Poker Stars whilst running Holdem Pirate:

Upon an overview of your account, we locate that you might be running an external program knownas Poker Sherlock, or its related programs, Poker Edge, PokerBotPro, Hold em Hawk and Hold em Pirate……PokerStars shall be entitled to take such action as it sees fit, such as immediately preventing entry to the Games to such User, closing such User’s account with PokerStars and appropriating all funds held in the relevant Poker Stars "real money account".

Hey, did you observe the "confiscating all monies" line? That’s what it is possible to do whenever you are this large!

The "related applications" is the source of the dilemma. The company that created Hawk and Pirate also make Poker Edge and PokerBotPro, which are data miners. In fact, I believe that Stars suspects Hawk and Pirate actually gather data for these related programs, while appearing like an Empirical Poker Calculator on the surface.

So therein lies the heart of the difficulty. When you happen to bet on on Stars and have Hawk or Pirate, you are out of luck, as I have tried to alter this ruling. I received a considerate reply from the personnel at Poker Stars, but genuinely, it isn’t likely to alter. The excellent news though is that Holdem Indicator has been added to Poker Stars suitable software program checklist, and it is the only empirical calculator to be approved by them.

Texas Hold Em – Disregard Limit Games Compete in No Limits For Huge Winnings

Sunday, 16. September 2012

[ English ]

Although the games are similar NL Texas Hold’em requires higher ability levels along with a killer instinct, if these two factors are combined players can produce lots of cash

If you are serious about making massive money in Texas Hold Em, forget limit games and play nl and with the appropriate abilities and mindset your earnings power is unlimited.

Let’s look at the key differences between the 2 games and why nl Texas Hold Em is the casino game for the serious gambler.

Psychology is far more essential

In limit Texas Holdem, "the greatest hand wins" more often than nl Holdem and this is actually due to the fact the stakes are lower and it’s far easier for your opponents to play you, as their risk is essentially limited.

In no limits games, psychology is far far more important and you might be essentially betting your opponent, NOT the cards and you will need not only skill but a strong mindset as you battle with your competitors.

A Much more Skilfull Game

NL Texas Hold em a wider array of strategies for a skilled gambler to use against unskilled opponents than in limit games.

In a nl game, skills such as bluffing and varying wager size could be utilized much more effectively, to wrong foot other players.

Courage and being on the offensive

In both limit and nl, being on the offensive is far more favorable than being the caller.

NL games put a far higher premium on initiative then limit games.

You can make large wagers, raise and go on the offensive.

Betting and raising have a lot a lot more influence in nl games and in case you have the ability and courage you are able to use them at the proper time to destroy your competitors.

NL Hold em is a brutal casino game and only the powerful survive.

It is a game where fortatude and a powerful psychology are needed to execute the skills a player has to succeed massive pots. Chip Size

In no limit Texas Hold’em, the quantity of chips that a person has, is 1 of the greatest factors affecting wager on against them.

In the event you have 4000 dollars in front of you and your competitor has 500 dollars, you instantly have the upper hand and an advantage over them.

The size of the bankroll you’ve at your disposal, against other players, is really a major factor inside the way you bet on which is not present in limit games.

Only the powerful survive
Limit Texas Hold em poker has favorable odds, which means players can call you easily.

The difficulty for the far more skillful poker-player is other players run them down in numerous instances with stupid hands.

This is simply because they don’t actually know how to bet on, but a more critical factor is that the probabilities are favorable and they don’t have so a lot to lose, so it’s worth the chance.

This of course is not so in NL games and great players can take out inexperienced players and weak hands swiftly.

Larger Pots

NL games have more cash at stake in comparison to limit games as well as the prospective gains and losses are far higher. If you are a skilled poker-player this is to your advantage.

If you have the courage and skill, you are able to take an opponent in 1 hand for his entire bank roll and knock them out of the casino game.

Skilful card players, betting No limit Hold’em poker have far greater possible to generate a lot more money and succeed larger pots.

That is why it is a much a lot more attractive casino game for the player serious about winning huge pots.

No limit the choice of the truly serious player

NL Holdem is really a brutal game, mistakes are penalized and the game gives players far far more scope, in terms of ability and also the capability to gain a psychological edge.

Laying Down a Killer in Hold’em

Tuesday, 4. September 2012

It might come as a shock that laying down major hands in hold’em is is simply the most tough issue to do.

Can you lay down a full house, even if you think your beat? Ego and denial are working against you here.

Your up in opposition to a player who hasn’t entered a pot for forty minutes. Yes, your up in opposition to a stone cold rock. You have the boat. You are all set, correct?

Well, let’s look. You’re dealt pocket 10’s and the flop comes Queen-10-4. Soon after the ritualistic preflop button raise there may be two of you that remain. You’ve got flopped a set and you’re feeling strong. You have him!

You pop out a bet five times the Major Blind. The rock calls you. Fantastic! It’s about time you get paid off. Around the turn the board pairs fours. You have the house. He’s toast. Stick a fork in him.

You place him on queens and 4s ace kicker. Don’t scare him off. There is still one more wager to go soon after this. Don’t blow it!

You toss another wager 5 occasions the huge blind and once once again you acquire the call. River does not help you except eureka, it is the 3rd club. Maybe he was on a draw all along. That’s why he is just been calling. Yeah, which is it!

He’s acquired the flush so he’s not heading anywhere. This is your moment. You bang out a wager 25 instances the big blind and he’s all-in prior to you’ll be able to even receive your bet into the pot.

It just hit you, did not it? You recognize now that it can be achievable your beat. You commence to peel back the layers of denial. It starts with I can’t be beat. You adjust to, is it doable I’m whip? You migrate to I’m possibly beat. Finally you land around the truth, your defeat!

That’s OK. Everybody makes mistakes, You’re a solid player and know when to cut your losses. Yes?

Enter ego, the problem creator and vanquishor of money. "You have a full house for crying out loud. Who tosses aside boats? Nobody which is who! It is certainly not heading to begin with you." You push all of your chips in the middle in spite of the fact that you realize he is going to show you pocket Queens.

Why did you do that? You realize your up in opposition to a rock. Rocks don’t call major wagers on a draw alone. Initial you put him on top pair , top kicker. Then you had been convinced he had the clubs. Then he went all in immediately after your huge bet. You walk into the fire.

Why indeed. Admit it. It’s far a lot more preferable to lose all of your money than to go through the embarassment of tossing away an enormous hand that could have wound up the winner. That ego thing again.

It is really tough to throw aside the monsters, even when you’re fairly certain you’re beat. Even the professionals struggle here.

Daniel and Gus Hanson recently squared off in the Tv program, "High Stakes Poker." To quote Gus, " it was a sick hand, " and Gus won it.

Daniel’s bought pocket six’s and Gus Hanson pocket five’s. The flop was nine-six-five and the community card’s paired 5’s on the turn, giving Gus Hanson quads and Daniel the boat.

Daniel Negreanu made an enormous bet following the river and Gus Hanson went all in. Daniel Negreanu was surprised and I am pretty sure he realized he was defeated. He even verbally declared what could beat him except decided to call regardless.

Quite a few people today stated that if it were anyone but Gus Hanson, Daniel Negreanu may perhaps have been able to acquire off the hand. I’m not positive he could have layed down those cards towards anyone. We will not know until it pops up yet again versus a different player.

These circumstances happen much more generally than you may perhaps think. Who you oppose is an enormous factor in making your choices on wagers, and whether or not to stay around. Don’t just consider in terms of what really should occur or what you would like to see.

No clear reduce answers here. You will have to rely on your instinct. Be alert and be conscious of what can beat you every step of the way. Can you muster the courage to throw away an enormous hand?

Hold’em Pot Odds – What Are They And How To Employ Them To Attain Large Cash

Monday, 3. September 2012

"What precisely is Holdem pot possibilities and can be a Hold em pot possibilities system worth pursuing?"

That was a recent question I received from on of my Texas holdem Students.

One factor to keep in mind, any kind of Hold em probabilities can and usually do have really confusing.

On the other hand, let me break pot odds down in quite easy terms. Please note that we are only discussing Pot Chances. Not outs, implied possibilities, basic chances or anything else like that.

In short, pot likelihood are the likelihood you receive when determining the ratio of the quantity of money in the pot to the quantity of money it’ll price you to call the bet.

For example, let us say you’re heads up with Gambler A. If there is certainly 150 dollars in the pot after the flop and Player A places a $20.00 wager it’s going to price you only 13 % of the pot to stay in the hand. If your likelihood of winning is greater than thirteen percent it’s a no-brainer to call because you’d have great pot chances.

That is all there is to it actually. Hold’em pot chances boils down to one factor. If your chance of winning is far better than the ratio of the pot size to the wager then you’ve excellent pot chances. If it’s lower than you could have poor pot possibilities.

One additional thought about Hold em pot chances. You’re still betting the player far more so than something else. Play the gambler a lot more than your starting hands or the size of the chip stack and even, yes the pot possibilities.

If you are able to understand to read your opponents well you are able to utilize pot possibilities to assist justify or solidify your choice. But Hold’em pot probabilities don’t need to be an end all whenever you produce a poker judgement.

Knowing and understanding how Hold’em pot odds work might be a useful and successful system. Except again do not make Holdem pot odds your only method.

Absolutely True – Successful Poker Starts With a Winning Attitude

Sunday, 2. September 2012

[ English ]

To bet on winning poker, you must start by believing in the power of the game:

Church of Holdem Psalm #Two:

Winning poker always begins with a succeeding attitude.

Surely there’s much more to poker strategies than waking up on the right side of the bed and smiling as you wager on? Well, of course there is. Duh! But to be able to understand what I’m talking about, you first must know what you’re up against in the world of Internet poker.

Your typical online Texas hold’em gambler is really a loser. (In the standard, "losing money", rather than slang, "person you do not want to associate with", sense of the word.) He or she will consistently bet on poker, because it is fun. Occasionally, that man or woman will win a little. Quite rarely, they’re going to win a chunk.

Most of the time, they may lose. Let’s say they shed $50 on average. Multiply that particular person by various million, and you fully grasp how optimistic, solid players make their living betting succeeding poker online.

If you ask these losing players what they are carrying out wrong, they will answer: "I’m just unlucky." Or, "Everybody knows that Net poker is fixed." It has never occured to them to research tips on how to win at poker for themselves. Poker methods are a foreign language.

Look deep inside these unfortunates and you’ll find a war between desire and knowledge. Hope is obtaining its butt kicked by expertise. Oh boy, and how. One day, they’ll wake up and say either: "Screw this, I’m going to waste my money performing some thing else," or, "Screw this, I need to come across out how to bet on greater poker."

They’re going to learn the truth about poker. It’s impossible to stop being a loser unless you believe like a winner.

You must convince yourself that you might be a winner. (Proof helps! You need concrete evidence of past performance too. Just wishing to be superior is no great at all on its own.) Set on your own easy, easily achievable targets, hit them and then stop for the day.

Why stop? Because you can have ended on a good note and so will uncover it a lot easier to commence in a good frame of thoughts tomorrow. Had a shedding session? Never mind. It occurs to everybody! Put it out of the thoughts and start off afresh tomorrow with (you guessed it) a winning mindset.

Once you will be used to beginning having a succeeding attitude, you may discover oneself succeeding a whole lot more. Just do not forget to thank me for it when you do!

Here endeth the lesson.

Be Mindful or Your Poker Nuts Could Get Crushed!

Sunday, 2. September 2012

The roots of the phrase "poker nuts" are unsure although it’s thought to have been dirived from old jargon meaning "delightful factor, practice or experience". It is often a "delightful thing" obviously, because in Hold’em the poker nuts could be the finest achievable hand that you can have at any level in the game.

If you have the nuts, you can not be outdone…at that level in the hand. This will be the essential factor that a lot of unskilled gamblers fail to take account of, the nuts can move from 1 gambler to an additional and your hands which was the nuts previous on can end up being crushed!

The following example ought to show the fickle nature of the cards in Texas holdem poker and how your nuts can quickly turn to pulp!

You’re betting a palm of Texas holdem poker and there are three players still in the casino game at the flop. You receive dealt five of clubs, 8 of diamonds; Amy has 5 of spades, five of clubs and Mike’s hands is King, 9 of hearts.

The flop is dealt and the cards are 9 of hearts, six of hearts and 5 of diamonds. This is a good flop for you – you’ve got the poker nuts! At this point you may have a straight – 5, six, 7, 8, nine – which can not be defeated by any other mixture of cards.

Now you choose to "slow play" your hand and try to draw a wager from somebody using a great pair who will like this flop, so you simply check. Amy likes the look of her side now as she’s flopped 3 5s so she makes a bet which is named by Mike as he now has a pair of 9s that has a King kicker. You like the way it’s going so you call the wager.

The turn card is Ace of hearts. Mike is now smiling to himself as he has just been able to make the poker nuts which has a flush, his 2 hearts in his palm plus the three on the table with Ace King great now give him an unequalled hand. Mike bets as he knows he has got the nuts but he wants to extract the max cash from the table so he maintains his bet low sufficient to obtain called. You even now feel you are succeeding together with the straight, in reality the Ace has strengthened that opinion as you now reckon Mike probably has an Ace in his side and perhaps even 2 pairs.

He’s dropped into your trap! Or so you think.

The river is dealt and it’s the five of hearts. It is a blow to you as you’ll find now 4 hearts on view, so anyone with a heart is beating you with a flush. Mike is happy with all the 5 as he still feels he is winning with the top flush, although his opponents may perhaps also have produced a flush and believe they’re winning. Amy naturally would be the real winner as she has just made the nuts with 4 5 spades, her 4 of the form can only be beaten by a directly flush or a better 4 of a kind. There aren’t enough connected hearts showing around the table to make a directly flush and there is not another pair showing so it is impossible to make 4 of a kind.

Amy wins the pot while you and Mike reflect on what must have been.

Both of you held the poker nuts at one point in the game but failed to realise that the poker nuts – along with your fortunes – in Holdem can change entirely with one turn of the card.