You can see this trend in Hollywood, where so many celebrities rely so heavily on fashion consultants to choose their wardrobe that they’ve begun to look a lot alike. There’s hardly any way to distinguish the individuality that lies behind the beautiful faces and cocktail dresses. However, the reason for this cult of fashion seems to rise from the fact that anytime a celeb tries to break out of the mold and do something that expresses themselves, they’re heartily attacked for doing something bold or different in the press and on the Internet.

Granted, there are times when some people push the envelope too far and those dresses and celebrities will live in infamy for those decisions. Perhaps you remember Jennifer Lopez’s barely-there green dress? Or Rose McGowan’s take on fringe? The interesting thing though, is the fact that you tend to remember them because they chose to do something different – something outside of the box of normalcy. You have to wonder if you would have remembered them at all had they stayed within the strict confines of the fashion trends of the moment. The answer is probably no.

So, when you’re dealing with fashion, don’t try to approach it as the be-all, end-all final word on the life itself. Fashion is supposed to be fun! Remember that you’re a person with something unique and different to offer to the world of fashion. Maybe there’s a certain funky necklace or bracelet that you like to wear, maybe there’s a certain way you do your hair, or maybe you like colors and pattern combinations that no one else would even think to put together. This is what makes you stand out from all those around you who strictly follow what the movers and shakers of fashion declare is allowable.

One of the best ways to overcome this desire to follow the herd into fashion oblivion is to take an outfit and imagine what you would do to change it. Maybe you’d cut off the sleeves or sew on a piece of fringe or beading. Or maybe you’d embellish it with different colored paint or patches. Whatever you do, be unique – put your own special fingerprint on the clothing and accessories that you wear. Just remember, if everyone, everywhere bought the clothes in the store and wore them off the hanger, the world would be a very drab place indeed!

Let’s look at an example;

Blinds: 100/200

Player 1 You (SB)
Player 2 (BB)
Player 3
Player 4
Player 5
Player 6 (Dealer)

Players 3,4,5 fold, the dealer calls. You’re holding 9♦ 9♥ an strong hand worthy of a raise. You make it 600 to go, the BB calls and the dealer calls.

Three to the flop which comes: 10♦ K♣ 4♠

You’re holding middle pair and you are first to act. What are you going to do? Let’s run through your possible options:

Check: The worst possible decision. A check is the same as saying “I don’t have a K or a 10”.

Minimum Bet: Better than a check, but given that two players before you called a raise of 3 times the big blind it’s unlikely they are going to fold when the pot odds dictate they should call.

Strong Continuation Bet: The best course of action. You bet out 1200 which represents ¾ of the pot. A bet of this magnitude will only keep players holding A-K, A-Q, A-J, A-10. The continuation bet effectively announces to the two players that you hit the flop and you’re ready to raise on the turn and the river. Both players fold and you take down the pot.

A continuation bet also serves as a probing bet, it will give you a better idea of where your hand is and whether you are still in the lead. If a player calls your continuation bet, be ready to fold on the turn if you don’t hit your draw or improve your hand. Remember that if an opponent calls your continuation bet you must be prepared to fold. You should never consider yourself pot committed after a continuation bet.

You must use the continuation bet sparingly. If you constantly raise the pot after every flop the more observant players at the table will begin to take notice and will not give you credit for having the hand you are trying to represent.

Do Your Homework

Sure, I know you hate the “H” word, but when it comes to shopping for your prom dress, be sure to learn as much as you can before making a decision on one dress or website over another. The most important thing to check before you even look at all the dresses available is each company’s return policy and what type of guarantees they offer. You certainly don’t want to be stuck with a dress that doesn’t fit or doesn’t look quite right on you and be unable to get your money back – so find out this important info before doing business.

The next thing to check is the site’s shipping policies, including the overall shipping and handling costs, the fee for returning a dress if needed, and also the expected timeframe for delivery. Don’t make the mistake of waiting until the very last minute to place an order – doing so is just asking for trouble.

Size Matters

Never take your size for granted when it comes to prom – or any type of formal dresses for that matter – as they may vary widely from one designer or style to the next. Don’t go by your measurements or regular size, but rather the measurements listed on the website. Get out the measuring tape and measure yourself to make sure you’re ordering the right size.

Be Picky

When shopping for prom dresses online, you can definitely be choosy – there’s certainly no shortage of sites clamoring for your business. For this reason, try to bargain and comparison shop between sites in order to get the best dress for your money. Besides the countless sites devoted just to prom dresses, there are an equally large number of bridesmaid’s dress sites, formal and semi-formal gowns sites, all of which would be suitable for an elegant event like the prom or an evening wedding.

Shop (Locally) Online

Yes, it is possible to find the perfect prom dress of your dreams and then locate the very same one at a local shop or boutique – with the only difference being the price. You’ll typically get a better deal online than in the stores, unless it’s during the off-season, of course. Different makers and designers use letters and numbers to identify the various dresses and are usually prominently labeled on the tag, or in this case, somewhere in the beginning of the dress’ online description.

When you do spot the dress of your dreams, write down the style number and make some phone calls to find out if you’re getting the best price. Some sites even have accompanying stores where you can place your order online after plenty of browsing through the different gowns on the site, and then pick it up at the store when it’s ready. When you’ve done your homework before shopping online, you can be sure you’re getting the best deal on your prom dress.

Since November of last year, Dwan is up around $2.8 million online, and has also cashed in some prestigious live events as well. Dwan finished fourth in the 2007 World Poker Finals for $324k, 2^nd in the $3k PLO championship at the Aussie Millions for 90k, and second at the Borgata Winter Open for $226k this year. He also finished 9th in the $25,000 buy-in World Poker Tour Championship for close to $200k 

Dwan is an extremely fearless player that has the respect of almost every single poker pro you will talk to. Tom has no problem playing anyone, from Phil Ivey, to Patrik Antonius, to the other big time online pros like Hac Dang and Di Dang.  

Dwan is also dominating the scene on Pokerstars, and while no year to date information is available, Dwan was witnessed being up around $250K in a session recently.  

Dwan’s winnings on Full Tilt break down as such. He is currently averaging over $20K a day in profits, which is around $35 per hand that her is playing, win or lose, in 2008. He is on pace to make over $8 million dollars this year, which is not bad for a college drop out! Dwan will continue to make a splash both online and live, and continue to earn the fear and respect of his opponents at the tables!  
 

This is when you are going to get paid off. If you hit your draw on the turn and your opponent at the table was going to check raise you, you are now going to get paid off big time. You will get paid much more in this situation than you would have by taking down a small pot by semi-bluffing. This works extremely well after you have established an image of possibly semi bluffing your way to win some small pots, then when you take your free card and hit, the opponent will assume you are again bluffing, and bingo, ship it. Semi bluffing is great when the pot is big, you have a huge draw and enough of a stack to make a big bet to induce a fold.

If you semi-bluff with a pot sized bet or more, and it gets popped to 3x, what are you going to do? You will probably have to fold. If you have a big draw that hits you will win, but you have to make a call based on what may happen, and will need the odds to do so. If you check in the same situation, you save your money on the flop, and more or less anything that comes on the turn, is going to induce your opponent to bet into you and take down the pot. When you hit your draw after checking, the pot is now in your control and you may get a little creative to extract the most out of the hand. If a player wants to check raise you on the flop, but you don’t allow them to, they will almost always bet out at you on the turn. These people are also not going to lay down there hand, which means you are going to get paid off. Checking the flop allows you a few more opportunities to get creative in a hand, and in the long run, when used in certain situations is a very profitable play. This does not take the place of a bluff; it is just another tool to add to your poker arsenal.

For one, she has an incredible understanding of fundamental poker strategy. But another key to her success, at least her early success, is that she is a woman! With a foundation of excellent poker fundamentals to rely on, Jennifer has made money hand-over-fist from employing these fundamentals against men who all too often underestimated her skills as they made ill-advised bluffs or fool-hearty calls.

Most men, especially the type of men likely to be attracted by the game of poker, are like bugs towards a light when it comes to women. There are a few things about women that make them ideal for the poker scene.