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Landscape artists do it. So do nature photographers and wildlife artists. They capture the beauty of nature in their art. Now we have New Age piano. A beautiful style of piano playing that very gently guides the listener on a quiet journey into nature's wonders.

Using music to describe nature is nothing new. Composers have been doing it for centuries. But nothing really contemporary and accessible to the average listener has been produced until the "New Age" genre hit the scene in the early 1980's.

Led by pianist/composer George Winston, his album "December" revolutionized piano playing and allowed millions of people to experience something with more substance than the average pop song. There was something about the music that immediately put you in a trance. Here was music where the spaces between the notes were as important as the notes themselves.

The "December" album cover featured a stark winter landscape and was very minimalist in design. This was done on purpose since the music itself is minimalist. Focus is not on sophisticated harmonies or fast melodic runs. Instead, unique atmospheres are created by the use of letting notes ring out. This was something that seemed a perfect match for nature itself. A relaxed ambient approach became a perfect marriage to nature's own quiet beauty.

On Winston's album Autumn, titles like "Road," "Moon," and "Woods" allowed listeners to journey into the composer's interpretation of these places. Thoughts of long walks in the woods or memory of a special place seemed to come up easily as you listened to the music. George Winston was a pioneer for the simple reason that he introduced a whole new genre of music to the listening public. He combined his two loves of music and nature into what has now become known as New Age piano.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit http://www.quiescencemusic.com now and get a FREE piano lesson!

Many families are now purchasing digital pianos to learn on. And why not? They're relatively inexpensive, take up very little space, and produce high quality grand piano sound. But there are certain drawbacks to owning one.

For example, it's a good idea to play an acoustic instrument before trying a digital one. Why? Because no matter how well the piano sound is sampled, it will never match the pure acoustic sound and richness of a "live" piano. This factor is very important to some because they want to experience that organic sensibility only a true acoustic can give them.

When a key is struck on an acoustic instrument, it produces overtones that reverberate around the room creating a sound that no digital instrument can accurately capture. I don't know why this is but I've played on the best digital pianos and have never experienced that "woody" feel an acoustic gives out.

If this doesn't concern you, then you've passed the litmus test for owing a digital piano because while they can't give you the exact feel of an acoustic, they come pretty darn close to giving you the deep, rich, full sound of a grand piano! For most people, this is all that matters and I for one agree!

Today's' digital pianos are so good that most listeners can not tell the difference between a "live" piano and a digital one. Add to that the fact that they are the most affordable of the kinds of pianos you can buy and you've got an instrument that's hard to beat.

It really all depends on what your needs are. Do you need to experience a cacophony of overtones? If so, don't go digital, But if you want that full grand piano sound without paying $50,000 for it, digital is the way to go!

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit http://www.quiescencemusic.com now and get a FREE piano lesson!

There are several different ways you can choose to learn to play the guitar. While some are better then others, one persons best way to learn guitar might not be yours. This article is going to explore the different alternatives to learn to play guitar, and suggest the best alternative for you to use depending on your style and expectations. By the end of this article you should know what the best way to learn guitar is for you.

Do you want to Play Songs?

If you're main goal on the guitar is learning to play popular songs, jam along with friends and maybe play and sing a few tunes around the camp fire or at parties then your demands aren't that big. You can likely use any of the methods we'll discuss in this article and as long as you apply yourself you'll reach your goals.

The best format of guitar lesson for someone looking to learn songs is probably a downloaded lesson or ebook and video home study course. These products focus a lot on chords, strumming techniques and reading tablature. These are the main skills you'll need to learn and play any of the top 40 hits you hear on the radio.

These learn guitar programs will run you any where from $30 to $100 dollars.

Do you want to be a Technical Guitar Player

Those of you striving to become the next Eric Clapton, don't give up on your dream, but don't set yourself up to fail either. The programs we talked about above aren't going to cut it for the technique and theory you want to learn. The best case scenario for you is to find a mentor, or guitar instructor at your local music conservatory to work with. The cost will be greater but you'll grow much faster.

If you do want to start learning on your own from home then an in depth guitar lesson dvd course is probably the best bet. While more expensive the the ebook and video products discussed before the amount of lesson content in these programs is 10 times greater.

Look for a home study course that focuses on theory and technique along with scales, chords, strumming. For an example of an ideal course check out Learn and Master guitar.

To learn more about guitar instruction videos visit our website and consider reading our Learn and Master Guitar review for an example of a high end learn guitar product.

We all want to be in the moment. That's where real transformation takes place. For some, walking gets them there. Others like to play sports or watch movies. For me, it's playing the piano. When I'm in the moment, letting the music speak, it's like the world is new again.

The notes flow out of the piano into the air and I know that something magical is taking place. It may last a minute or a half-hour. No matter how long it lasts, I know that I've been transported to a special place. Many musicians know of this place - especially musicians who know how to improvise. There is no planning - only spontaneous invention.

Zen music in particular has an ethereal quality that seems to grow organically. It starts and ends yet there seems to be no starting or ending point. The music just is - like a living being it just is there. It's like a fine perfume in the sense that it lingers in the air but does not overwhelm or grow tiresome.

Any instrument can be used to create this kind of music but certain instruments lend themselves more readily to it. Flutes, the harp, the piano, the Japanese Koto - these instruments are often used to create atmospheres that linger delightfully but really do not want to go anywhere. Here in the West, we are used to a music that must pursue an ending course. We must have a climax or a big finish or we are not satisfied. Like a fireworks show, it begins and ends with a bang.

There can be a struggle between creating a music that comes from spirit or making music that pleases the crowd. We can be torn between pleasing the ego or pleasing ourselves. To play piano in the "new age" style is to understand a music that isn't planned but allowed to become. Once this concept is understood, the music will flow.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit http://www.quiescencemusic.com now and get a FREE piano lesson!

Over the weekend, I drifted to my nearest local EZY video shop. While waiting to be served, I drifted to the comedy, musicals, and the crime sections. It was the musicals that greatly attracted my interest. Ive always loved musicals, something amiss nowadays, replaced by films with much violence, sexual overtones, political, science fiction and other action-packed Hollywood offerings. Slowly, my thoughts lingered to refreshing movies with music The Sound of Music, Carousel, South Pacific, Camelot, My Fair Lady, and Mary Poppins among others. Yes, I particularly mean movie musicals!

Soon enough my memories wafted to the greatest musical collaboration of all time, that of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, the most successful legendary songwriting team in musical theatre history. Rodgers wrote the music, and Hammerstein wrote the lyrics. Most of the stage musicals of Rodgers and Hammerstein were made into movies, also with phenomenal success, in particular, The Sound of Music.

At 16, Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) initially wrote a number of successful songs with Lorenz Hart, a partnership that lasted for over twenty years. Hart died in 1943. The same year Rodgers and Hammerstein (1895-1960) teamed up and started their first musical collaboration with Oklahoma! based on a play called Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs. Oklahoma! is very different from most musicals written up to that time where they were mainly songs and comedy, with little plot. Usually, the songs had little to do with the story. Oklahoma! has a plot. The songs either help move the plot along or help the audience understand the characters. The story is partly fun, and has a serious side too. This is because Rodgerss background was mostly in the old-style, "fun" musicals, while Hammersteins background was in opera and operettamore "serious" types of music. When Rodgers worked with Hart, he wrote the music first, and then Hart wrote the lyrics. But in this new team, Hammerstein wrote the lyrics first and Rodgers created the music to fit.

Audiences loved Oklahoma!. It played on Broadway for 2,248 performances, breaking all Broadway box office records for shows until that time. It also won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1944, which changed the face of stage musicals an emotional story told through music, dance and lyrics as never before. After Oklahoma! Rodgers and Hammerstein went on to create Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I and The Sound of Music. The impact on these shows for Broadway and amateur stage, both in terms of popular appeal and their influence on other writers, was overwhelming.

Carousel, the duos next big hit in 1945, had an even more dramatic plot than Oklahoma!. Instead of the usual overture before the show begins, the show opens with the whole cast performing a ballet as the orchestra plays.

South Pacific, written in 1949, and based on Tales from the South Pacific by novelist James A. Michener, is set during World War II. It has the most serious plot of any Rodgers and Hammerstein show because it confronts both war and racism. South Pacific also won the Pulitzer Prize.

The King and I is about conflicts between cultures. It is based on a true story about Anna Leonowens, a British governess who went to Siam (now Thailand) to teach the kings children. Anna finds life in Siam very different from what she is accustomed to, but she and the king come to like each other despite their differences.

Rodgers and Hammersteins final collaboration was The Sound of Music, in 1959. It is also based on a true story, about a young novice nun who becomes the governess for seven children of a widower, Captain Von Trapp. This musical also has a serious sideit is set in the days of Nazi Germany, and the Von Trapp familys freedom is at stake. The beautiful song "Edelweiss" from The Sound of Music was the last song Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote together. Hammerstein died of cancer on August 23, 1960. After Hammerstein's death, Rodgers wrote other shows with other lyricists, including Stephen Sondheim, but none reached the heights of his work with Hammerstein.

For always, I will relish the most beautiful and poignant legacy of their partnership. How can I forget such immortal, refreshing, and most wonderful hit songs on stage and film history as these:

Oklahoma! - "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'," "People Will Say We're in Love," "Many a New Day," "I Can't Say No," and the final rousing chorus of "Oklahoma!" itself.

Carousel "Youll Never Walk alone" and "If I loved You."

South Pacific "There is Nothin' Like a Dame," "This Nearly was Mine," "Younger Than Springtime" and "Some Enchanted Evening."

The King and I "Getting to Know You," "I Whistle a Happy Tune," "Something Wonderful" and "Hello, Young Lovers."

The Sound of Music "Edelweiss," "My Favorite Things", "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," "The Lonely Goatherd", as well as the title song.

Who knows, we might yet have another Rodgers and Hammerstein in the making, an anodyne to all these turbulence and disarray in our world today. As I write this, nearby, my sound system is playing Carousel, softly beckoning me to join in. That I never cease listening to their music and at times singing their songs is a privilege. Im at it now, " how I loved you if I loved you."

Tel Asiado is an Information Technology professional turned writer, author and consultant. Employed by multi-national organizations in information technology, computing and consulting, she has several years of varied experience as project manager, business solution manager, process and information analyst, and as a business writer. Her writings also reflect her passions for inspirational/motivational and Christian insights, and classical music. Visit one of her websites: http://inspiredpen.4t.com

If you're starting out or moving up in the entertainment industry, knowing what pay rate to ask for is particularly hard, so here are some guidelines to go by.

In general, it's very important not to sell yourself too short OR price yourself too high. What determines this is not just the "market rate" for the services you're delivering. When you're setting your fee for a job, take the following into consideration - every time:

RATE "CALCULATOR"

1) What the market rate range is for the gig;

2) What experience you'll gain;

3) What contacts you bring;

4) What contacts you'll gain;

5) What relationship(s) you'll form with whom;

6) What credit you'll receive;

7) Who is issuing that credit (it matters!);

8) What experience you bring to the table;

9) When you will be paid.

Seems like a lot! Believe it or not, ALL of these are monetized in the entertainment industry. So do that 9-point checklist on every offer and adjust accordingly. Let me quickly break down how to use the list:

1) Market Rate. This is your opening number. You can always start with Guild tables; for screenwriting and teleplays, for example, the Writers Guild posts a Schedule of Minimums for payments. If you AND your potential employers are novices, this quote will probably be too high for you, for the reasons on the rest of the list. So beyond the various guilds and unions for your industry, a great way to research the market rate is to ask someone who recently was promoted past the position you're considering. They'll be happier to quote their former rate than reveal their current one! How to find them? Get online on the industry forums and boards! Join a Yahoo! Group in your field and post away.

2) Potential Experience ("-"). If you'll get important professional experience from the gig, this is worth lowering a quote in negotiations with someone who cannot pay much. The new work experience will help you get better jobs (and pay) as you rise. If the employer is a complete newcomer, however, be realistic about what kind of training you'll actually receive. The key question to ask is, "What are the credits and background of the most experienced person I'll actually be working with?" That will let you know how much you'll learn in the process of doing the job.

3) Your Contacts ("+"). If you are bringing key industry names to the project, and that is part of what you are expected to contribute, that's a bump for your fee.

4) Potential Contacts ("-"). There's nothing worth more money in this business than personal contacts. If you'll walk away with a great database of vendors, staff, crew and other industry contacts you connected with, take that into consideration as you set your price.

5) Potential Relationships ("-"). Beyond contacts, if the gig has you working closely with major players in your field, it's worth flexibility on your fee. This isn't just who will be on set with you. Which legitimate agents, managers, designers, network execs, bookers, casting agents, etc. will be part of the project and seeing you shine? Relationships are worth MORE than money in Hollywood.

6) Your Credit ("-"). If you have to choose between money and a better credit, in the beginning, go for the credit - as long as it is an accurate one! In other words, don't trade a writing credit for a "co-producer" (meaningless) or "producer" credit if you only wrote the script. Your producer credit will be vetted and tossed out in any credit dispute if the project goes anywhere. But if you're working on a TV pilot, and they can't pay well, but you can get an Associate Producer rather than a Production Assistant title, that is worth money in the bank on your next job. So work with them on your fee.

7) The Credit Source ("-"). A credit only means as much as the person who gives it to you. If a major company offers you a lesser credit, don't dismiss it outright. That company's good reputation and position in the industry might give you more heat when you go to your next gig - and it certainly can open that next door a lot faster.

8) Your Experience ("-"). If you're new in the game, this is where you'll potentially shave quite a bit off of your quote, and that's a wide open range. If you'll be working for an established company, there still are minimum expectations for rates (again, check with outside people at the level above where you're being hired). Established companies are offsetting the lower rate with a list of career and future financial benefits. Newcomers are not. So if you are providing a real product or service to a fellow industry newbie, you must be paid for it. And not on the "back-end" (where unicorns and Bigfoot and other myths live)!

A producer who can't shoot a film without your script...can't shoot a film WITH your script - because they don't have money. It costs money to make a movie, and part of that should go to compensating the writer, especially since, unlike the crew, you are getting no other tangible experience in the process, and your writing credit will be skeptically received on an indie film that never saw the light of day. But if you've never had a script produced or done a modeling shoot or been in a play, and a newcomer wants to hire you, don't even think about holding fast to union minimums. Work with them on a fee or some tradeoffs, per the list above and the tip that follows.

9) The Pay Date ("+"). The later someone is going to pay you for your work, the more you can bump (slightly increase) your fee. Almost everyone reading this has been approached by someone who wants them to do work for free (on "spec"), with promises of payment "on the back end." That's meaningless because you're pretty much never going to see a back-end payment (it's possible; just not likely!). So here's a rule. If you are doing physical work for someone (writing a script, walking a runway, doing a photo shoot), you must arrange to get physical "payment," of some sort, when you do the work.

If the employer is an established company and you are a working professional, do not do spec work for them. Once you do it for free, you will always be expected to do it for free - or at least for too little. Thank them for the offer of employment, let them know you don't work for spec but are excited to work with them, then work out a deal memo through your lawyer, offering them an introductory fee for this first project and establishing a minimum "floor" for any projects that follow. Established companies are never shocked to talk to lawyers (that's how we do things in Hollywood), and they are more than used to paying for people's work.

Newbie employers can offer you "deferred payment" - but also request a guaranteed in-kind benefit you can leave that gig with (and sign that in a deal memo, too). If you're doing a fashion show for someone, ask them if they will at least hire a professional digital photographer (or let you bring one) so you can get shots (free clothes aren't enough - those won't get you your next gig!). Ask the designer to alert the photographer that you'll be bringing a laptop or memory stick to download your images before you leave, and bring a thank you note and truffle for the photographer. If you're writing the script for someone's film, ask them to buy a copy of professional screenwriting software and turn over one of their access codes to you. Work with strapped newbie employers to see what they can offer you in exchange for your labor - since they're not offering you entre to the contacts, relationships and respected credits that would otherwise make a lower rate worth it.

ONE LAST WORD. As you work more steadily in this industry, your "rate" transforms into your "quote." Your "quote" is what you were paid on your most recent gig(s), and it's the magic number everyone expects to pay you on your next gig. So once you begin working more steadily, you must be very protective of your quote, regardless of the additional benefits a certain gig would offer. Be particularly wary of being asked to accept a lower rate in exchange for a higher credit because that sets a ridiculously low quote for your new credit level. Sounds pretty sticky and uncomfortable? That's why people have agents.

DMA is a former film story analyst, international runway model and stage performer who is now the executive producer of Tidal Wave TV, a new media and reality TV production company in Los Angeles. Learn more about how to sell a screenplay or sell a reality show from DMA's industry guides: "The 1-3-5 Story Structure Made Simple System: The Nine Essential Elements of a Sellable Screenplay" and "The Show Starter Reality TV Made Simple System: Ten Steps to Creating and Pitching a Sellable Reality Show."

For DMA's national speaking schedule and more insider resources for breaking into Hollywood, please visit Planet DMA. It is our goal to mentor you through your career in the entertainment industry!

In the beginning of the XX century Hollywood looked almost like a village. The remote lands of the city were cheap, that is why famous studios were built here. At the same time, one can hardly call Los Angeles one city: high hills prevent those small 80 towns LA consists of from uniting. That is why when making a tour around Los Angeles, divide it into several parts and choose a qualified guide. There are many of those in LA, by the way. Still, what is the thing Los Angeles is most known for? That's right, its cinema, Hollywood. Who was the most known inhabitant of Hollywood? Charlie Chaplin.

He arrived to Hollywood in 1913 at the age of 24, when he was already known in England. His first contract said he would be paid 150 dollars a week. They say that two years later his income was 13 thousand a week. It was then, in February 1914 that Chaplin invented his famous image which he would not change for around thirty years: derby hat, toothbrush moustache, oversized trousers and shoes. This happened when he was acting in his second film, Kid Auto Races at Venice.

Venice Beach is still one of the most pleasant beaches of Santa-Monica, in the west of Los Angeles. The place is filled with a sort of an old-fashionedness, and you are likely to meet someone walking like Chaplin, with a derby hat on his head.

In 1922, when his income was much higher than in the beginning, Chaplin started looking for a proper house at Beverly Hills. Souvenir shops sell maps which guide tourists around the houses that once belonged to local stars. Chaplin's Summit Drive 1085 is one of those - an eclectic and tasteless building, one could say. However, it contains 40 rooms, a cinema and an organ. Just like in those remote times, nowadays Beverly Hills is the country's most known and most expensive ZIP code.

But what about Hollywood? In 1917 Chaplin built a studio at the corner of La Brea avenue and Sunset Boulevard. Here the famous "Gold Rush", "Modern Times", "City Lights" and "The Great Dictator" were shot. There are even Chaplin's footprints immortalized in cement by the pavilion 3 - this, by the way, is thought to be the predecessor of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Charlie Chaplin left this studio in 1953, but this was the studios' end. In 1985 a group of famous singers including Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Kenny Rogers and Stevie Wonder recorded the song "We are the world" here. Nowadays the studio belongs to Jim Henson Productions, and its main gate is adorned with a wonderful statue of Kermit the Frog, dressed like Chaplin.

Los Angeles inhabitants still remember Charlie Chaplin. For instance, there is The Silent Movie Theater located at the Fairfax avenue. The theatre has 224 seats, is decorated in elegant art deco style and demonstrates silent-era films which Chaplin held on to. The first sound film, " The Jazz Singer", appeared in 1927, but Chaplin kept silent until 1940, when "The Great dictator", his first dialogue picture, appeared. He was a talented composer and musician, but his principles, his aim to save the original film language, meant much more to him.

Chaplin received his Oscar in 1929, at Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Many stars visited the hotel, but there is one statue adorning its entrance - its Charlie's.

Book a room at allrez.com - online hotel reservation.Los Angeles hotels reservation - reservation of hotels in Los Angeles.

Building a fan base is an important step for any band interested in elevating their recording and performing career. With attention and planning, even a modest following can become a powerful tool to support an artist's work and expand their popularity.

People are attracted to bands on musical, cultural, social, sensory and spiritual levels. While fitting in to current trends may result in a rush of flavor-of-the-month fans, the artists who pursue and stay true to their own musical vision appear to have a greater chance at creating a broad, dedicated fan base. Rolling Stone contributed Kentucky-based band My Morning Jacket's broad success to their unique musical vision, noting "The band's ecstatic, spacey records and improv-heavy live shows are as popular with Bonnaroo hippies as they are with New York hipsters." Frontman Jim James told the magazine, "We love that...Looking in the audience and seeing frat boys, indie rockers and maybe some sixty-year-old women."

In the digital age, artists shouldn't be afraid to give music away in order to reach more people. Andrew Dubber of NewMusicStrategies.com wrote an article titled "The 20 Things You MUST Know About Music Online" which counsels musicians to "forget product--sell relationship." In a recent interview, Dubber told HomeTracked.com: "I recommend (musicians) recognize that their recordings are not the totality of their economic value. Recordings are idealized performances that show musicians in their best light. These are the best promotional tools available...And if records are the way you want to make your money, just think of it this way: it used to be that youd press 1000 copies, give away 200 promos, and hope to sell the other 800. Now you can press 1000 copies, give away a million copies and sell the thousand."

Once a band has earned a few fans by playing shows and giving away music, it's important to retain their interest and encourage networking by keeping them up to date with current songs, concerts and a steady flow of appealing merchandise. The digital age presents a number of ways to accomplish this, with maintaining a web site, posting profiles on social music sites like Echoboost.com, email, internet radio, podcasts and social video sites. Performing Songwriter suggests networking through cell phones using fan club text messaging services like Broadtexter, which "enables North America-based musicians to create free Mobile Fan Clubs which easily allow them to use regionalized text messaging to stay connected with fans."

At the end of the day, it's vital for bands to take their relationships with fans as seriously as their music. The acts who consistently provide people with appealing music, quality live performances and a steady stream of positive interaction will undoubtedly increase their chances of long-term loyalty.

To read other music-related articles visit http://www.echoboost.blogspot.com and http://www.echoboost.com

The Texas Holdem poker phenomenon has taken the country by storm. There are reportedly over 100 million active poker players worldwide. Pokers popularity is largely the byproduct of technology and several recent trends: 1) online gaming, where players engage and socialize in real-time over the Internet, and 2) the broad publicity created by high profile TV shows like the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour.

With all the poker-mania, theres an amazing shortage of quality information to help people learn how to play properly and become great players quickly. This is the first in a series of Texas Holdem strategy articles aimed at helping players learn how to win at Texas Holdem poker. Tournament play is a popular, fun sport. These articles will help players understand how to approach tournaments, which differ greatly from regular ring game play.

This installment deals with the most-asked question: How do I deal effectively with aggressive players? Many players struggle against "maniacs", the aggressive, wild players who play most every hand, somehow seem to pull cards out of thin air, and often manage to dominate the table.

Here's what actually happened in a recent poker tournament. I entered a tournament at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, about 20 minutes from my home in South Florida. This weekly $300 entry-fee tournament fills the poker room with 220 players every Monday night.

The blinds start at 50/100 and go up every 15 minutes. I spent the first 30 minutes just hanging out and occasionally limping in to see a flop. The reason for "treading water" was to study my opponents and their playing patterns very closely. There were a number of solid poker players, but right away I spotted the aggressive ones.

I was sitting in the middle, directly across from the dealer. There were two "wild men" to my right. These two participated in most every hand, and agonized with themselves whenever they had to throw a hand away. This was hilarious to me, and it was also very telling. I knew these dudes were doomed from the onset, yet they were extremely dangerous if they caught something with one of their trash hands. These types are great targets, but only when you know how to play them correctly. If you do, youll end up with most or all of their chips in your stack. The key is to get to their chips before someone else does.

There were some squeaky-tight and solid players, as usual. Finally, there were two other players to my left who knew one another very well and spoke what sounded like Russian. These two played very aggressively. They rarely called or checked. They would bet or raise the pot significantly, so if they played a hand, you knew they were going to bet it big and youd better be prepared to push a bunch of your chips into the middle. As a result, the table became tight overall, except for these four players who controlled the early action and dictated the table tempo for the first hour or so. They gambled with wanton abandon, trading chips with each other as the rest of us just observed and wished for a real hand to materialize.

It became apparent that our maniacs were playing mostly garbage hands, and using assertive chatter in an attempt to intimidate everyone. They were enjoying pushing everyone around with their aggressive betting and raising style. Humorously, they got into a number of showdowns, causing all of their trash hands to become openly exposed; e.g., 69 off-suit, Q3 suited, etc. I definitely had these guys pegged now if only I could get a strong hand

Later, one of my Russian "friends" came in over the top of a bet Id placed with a huge raise, then smiled at me as he leaned his head back as if to say Go ahead. I dare you. My middle pair just wasn't strong enough to engage with him, but I remembered this little "lesson" and my mistake. He'd used this tactic many times against the others and I shouldve expected it. I also realized that we had not seen any of his supposed "big hands", as he always mucked them. Whenever you see an aggressive player dominating, and then mucking all those supposed "great hands", you know you've spotted a target.

We played on, with the two maniacs to my right getting busted out by the Russian contingent. Its been an hour and fifteen minutes - and I still havent seen even one decent hand yet! This is, unfortunately, typical poker.

After about an hour-and 45 minutes, I finally pick up a pair of wired 9's (99). Now I was hoping the flop would yield a set (trips). Sure enough, it came: 9, K, 5. I was elated and jumping up and down (inside). I was finally in a position to make my move, and hoped it would be against one of my aggressive Russian friends with their big stacks.

To prepare my trap, I delayed and muddled around for about ten seconds, and then casually "checked" verbally and using my hand in a chopping motion, with a slightly disgusted look. Next, the younger Russian moves in with a big bet of 3,000 chips. I was sure I had him now. As expected, everyone else quickly folded and got out of his way except me. This fellow had pushed everyone around and I was finally properly armed and ready to do battle on my own terms. Note that this had been my "battle plan" all along. I was deliberately targeting these aggressive characters, knowing that when the time was right, their ill-gotten stacks would become mine!

The action came back around to me, so now it was just the two of us heads-up. The two Russians said something to each other that the rest of us couldnt decipher. I delayed and bobbed my head around as if to be struggling with my decision. Then, I motioned with both hands and uttered I'm all-in". I knew this series of actions would likely trigger an aggressive reaction, since my check-raise made it appear as if I was trying to steal this pot! A check-raise almost always triggers a full-tilt response from an aggressive player.

He immediately called me - he was so aggressive (and pot-committed) that it was like a fish taking the bait and running for deep waters - hook line and sinker! I threw my pair of 9's over, revealing the trip 9's. There was a low murmur around the table from the other players. My young Russian friend reluctantly flipped his five/trash hand over - he had a pair of fives (with a King over-card showing on the board!). He was definitely angling to drive me out of this pot with his ascertive play one too many times

You see, no one actually gets that many great hands in poker - nobody. If someone plays 30% to 40% or more of the time, they're just "gambling" and bluffing. This guy thinks he has a "good" hand, because he actually had a real pair something he doesnt often have when pushing everyone around with mostly aggressive betting as his only real weapon.

The turn came and it wasn't a five - then someone pipes up and says "he's drawing dead". Believe me, you never want to hear that when you're in a showdown! I looked over as he said something in Russian to his buddy - another violation of tournament rules, as everyone is compelled to speak English at the tournament table. It wouldnt matter, as he stood up, grabbed his jacket and left after receiving some consolation from his friend.

His older friend glared over at me and uttered something derogatory in Russian. I had no clue what he said, but I knew from his tone that I didn't like it. I also knew I'd gotten under his skin by taking down his buddy and raking in all of his chips. I responded with "what's that, I don't understand what you're saying since you're not speaking English? loudly so everyone at the table could hear me.

He mumbled something about his friend...I smiled and said politely with a smile "I deliberately laid that trap for your friend and he fell right into it!", pushing the knife in deeper, knowing he'd be gunning for me anyway - might as well make sure my next trap was fully set. This also signaled to everyone else at the table that whenever I checked or limped, it could be extremely dangerous if assumed to be a sign of weakness - something Id leverage later as the blinds and antes rose and the proper time to bluff and steal blinds actually arrived.

After a slight pause, my Russian friend noticed that everyone was now looking at him. He looked down at his chips and said "nice play" with a reluctantly polite tone.

Boy, I was elated! My battle plan was definitely becoming field-proven here - and my next target was clearly sighted. It had taken careful observation, planning and a lot of patience to wait for the right hand, and then play it correctly to take this highly-skilled, aggressive player out and rake in all of his chips.

About ten minutes later, it was tournament break time, after two hours of play. I counted my chips, which totaled 14,900 (we started with 5,000 each), then grabbed a quick bite to eat, reflecting on what had just taken place.

Within ten minutes of returning from break, I finally picked up a serious starting hand: Cowboys (KK). I knew it was time for my new Russian friend and me to tango, so I fired out a bet of 3 times the big blind: 3,000 chips, bait that I was sure he couldnt turn down. Sure enough, he bit - big time. His all-in raise came almost instantaneously, before I could even get my bet onto the table. He was totally ready to engage, and had been laying in wait for me - just like I had planned. I had set him up by taking out his friend and then challenging his poker ego in front of everyone. He just had to retaliate against me it was a totally predictable full-tilt response from this kind of player.

This is what the game of poker is really all about having a well-defined strategy, the patience to wait for the right hand, and then executing properly. Its what makes poker a game of strategy instead of a game of chance (for some of us).

He raised by going all-in with around 8,000 chips to my roughly 14,000. I quickly called his all-in bet. Everyone else quickly folded and got out of our way.

I flipped my pocket kings over, then looked him straight in the eye and just smiled. Then someone says "Yeah! Now we've got some action!" He sighed and flipped over QQ - he actually had a real hand for a change. That's one of the problems with these kinds of "semi-solid, aggressive" players, like my Russian friend here, and other poker greats like Gus Hansen. You never really know exactly what to expect from them. Of course, my opponent could've held pocket rockets (AA), but I'll play those KK cowboys strong each and every time I get them, since theres only one hand that can beat them heads-up. I also knew this aggressive player on tilt was likely to be overplaying his hand, improving my odds significantly.

The flop, turn and river came and went without another Queen and it was done - my cowboys stood up and I had all of both Russians stacks, which included most of the other two poor maniacs chips (who lost to the Russians earlier). This instantly made me by far the chip leader at our table with well over 22,000 chips!

I went from having an average chip stack to being the table chip leader, against tough, aggressive opponents, within less than half an hour by:

a) Playing solid, reasonable tournament poker,

b) Not taking big, undue risks with weak or "drawing" hands,

c) Studying my aggressive prey and where the chips were sitting,

d) Formulating and refining a battle plan while observing the game progress,

e) Remaining patient while waiting for the right hand to make my move, and

f) Executing this plan with precision against a predetermined opponent, and on terms of my choosing not the opponents.

There was no luck involved at all except that my opponent didnt hold AA or pull some lucky cards with a trash hand which was simply playing the odds in my favor.

I started out with a high-level strategy to target aggressive chip leaders, and go after them with strong hands from the right position. I planned this before I ever arrived at the casino that day, or knew who these players would be. Then, I refined my plan once I knew for certain whom the evenings targets would be and how Id provoke them. It certainly helped that I caught two decent hands during those first hours of play.

Unfortunately, I later lost to a legitimate full house, but made it into the top 40 it happens

The key to playing against aggressive and maniac players is having a viable Texas Holdem strategy you can profit from when you get some good hands. If you have a good plan, you can convert it into a formidable stockpile of chips - a stack that youll definitely need as the blinds and antes increase and the tournament field narrows in the latter stages.

This is how I approach Texas Holdem strategy for tournaments now - at least when the tables are full with 8 or more players, some of them aggressive and maniacs. So, the next time you encounter wild and aggressive players at your poker table, get ready to have some fun! It's like Tae Kwon Do - using the opponents own energy and momentum against them.

In the next installment, well detail this Texas Holdem strategy more formally, along with exploring some other tournament tips for playing better Texas Holdem poker.

Until then good luck!

Rick

Rick Braddy is an avid writer, Texas Holdem player and professional software developer and marketer for over 25 years. His websites and Texas Holdem poker software specialize in helping people become better players. If you're a poker player, be sure to visit his BetterHoldem.com Poker Tournament Strategy website today and learn how you can play better Texas Holdem, too.