Absolute Poker is giving online poker players something extra to be thankful for. The popular online poker site is celebrating the American Thanksgiving this month by giving away $5,000 cash in the first annual Absolute Poker Turkey Bowl (http://www.absolutepoker.com/promotions/turkey-bowl.asp).
"This is one Thanksgiving feast that will leave everyone at the table feeling satisfied," stated David Clainer, senior vice president for Absolute Poker.
Texas Hold'em fans can claim their seat in the free online poker tournament by playing in at least 3,000 raked hands between November 1st and 27th. Qualifying poker players will receive an exclusive invitation by email notifying them of their eligibility.
The first 2,000 poker players to register for the Absolute Poker Turkey Bowl will secure their spot in the December 1st Texas Hold'em event.
The online poker tournament features a $5,000 prize pool. Full details on the Absolute Poker Turkey Bowl are available at Absolute Poker (http://www.absolutepoker.com).
About Absolute Poker
Team Absolute is dedicated to providing players from around the world with an online poker game experience that is second to none. Players worldwide can access Absolute Poker online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from any PC or Mac and experience the best multi-player game online poker has to offer. Absolute Poker is committed to remaining the most trusted and best online poker experience, created by poker players for poker players. Get started with Absolute Poker
Source: Pr-Usa.net
zondag 18 november 2007
Florida Poker Room Doing Well
The poker room at the Sarasota Kennel Club in Florida has expanded over the last year - since they opened - going from 24 to 32 poker tables, and it may expand yet again. The poker room has been doing well, due in part to the decline in racing popularity, with more people interested in playing Texas Holdem poker than betting on dogs. Racing during the summer has been suspended completely, with the Club subsiding on the custom they get at the poker room alone. A new law favoring Indian casinos with more games, such as blackjack, doesn’t worry the owners of the Club, who know that poker players are a loyal bunch.
Source: Launchpoker.com
Source: Launchpoker.com
zaterdag 17 november 2007
Carthage artist plays poker with the "Big Dawgs"
CARTHAGE, Mo. — It was a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, but there was a subtle difference about it that took some people by surprise.
It was the smile.
“All of the photographs of Lincoln show him with a dour face,” said artist Andy Thomas of the painting he did a number of years ago. “Everybody took dour photographs back then.
“But Lincoln had a great sense of humor. There was a melancholiness about him sometimes, but all through his presidency he was a great storyteller and joke teller.”
With his back to the viewer in one of Thomas’ latest works, there’s no way to tell if the 16th president has a grin on his face or not. But the rest of the “Grand Ol’ Gang” gathered merrily around the poker table — Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George Bush and George W. Bush — are flashing smiles, so he’d be in good company.
The former Democrat leaders depicted in a second painting, “True Blues,” are also having a good time as they play a hand: Andrew Jackson, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.
Everyone’s familiar with the painting of dogs playing poker.
Now, it’s time for the “Big Dawgs Playing Poker.”
The oil paintings that Thomas finished in the spring were unveiled in September at a national dealer convention, and are finding a receptive audience as the country heads toward the next presidential election.
Plotting and planning
The idea of taking recognizable faces and incorporating them into an artistic mash-up isn’t a new one for Thomas.
About four years ago, he had the idea to paint Captain Henry Morgan and his pirates celebrating their adventures in the harbor town of Port Royal in Jamaica.
“They would go get this fabulous plunder and go back and have debauchery for a month,” Thomas said. “I thought it would be cool to paint the scene when they were back in the port town.”
Source: Jobinglope.com
It was the smile.
“All of the photographs of Lincoln show him with a dour face,” said artist Andy Thomas of the painting he did a number of years ago. “Everybody took dour photographs back then.
“But Lincoln had a great sense of humor. There was a melancholiness about him sometimes, but all through his presidency he was a great storyteller and joke teller.”
With his back to the viewer in one of Thomas’ latest works, there’s no way to tell if the 16th president has a grin on his face or not. But the rest of the “Grand Ol’ Gang” gathered merrily around the poker table — Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George Bush and George W. Bush — are flashing smiles, so he’d be in good company.
The former Democrat leaders depicted in a second painting, “True Blues,” are also having a good time as they play a hand: Andrew Jackson, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.
Everyone’s familiar with the painting of dogs playing poker.
Now, it’s time for the “Big Dawgs Playing Poker.”
The oil paintings that Thomas finished in the spring were unveiled in September at a national dealer convention, and are finding a receptive audience as the country heads toward the next presidential election.
Plotting and planning
The idea of taking recognizable faces and incorporating them into an artistic mash-up isn’t a new one for Thomas.
About four years ago, he had the idea to paint Captain Henry Morgan and his pirates celebrating their adventures in the harbor town of Port Royal in Jamaica.
“They would go get this fabulous plunder and go back and have debauchery for a month,” Thomas said. “I thought it would be cool to paint the scene when they were back in the port town.”
Source: Jobinglope.com
Poker advocates respond to Congressional hearing
The hearing conducted by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, on Wednesday has drawn hopeful praise from several online gaming and poker advocates across the board.
Speakers at the hearing "On Establishing Consistent Enforcement Policies in the Context of Online Wagers" brought forward both sides of the argument.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), whose legislation last year was the formative segment of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA), addressed the committee, as did the Honorable Catherine Hanaway, the U. S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, who spoke against any amendment of the current gaming laws.
Joseph Weiler from New York University School of Law and professional poker player Annie Duke were also in attendance. And Michael Colopy, a representative of Aristotle, Inc. (an online age-verification service) spoke passionately about reversing or amending the current statutes.
Not unexpectedly, several online gaming advocates have weighed in with their thoughts on how the hearings went.
"It was a very busy day," Jeffrey Sandman, the spokesman for the Safe and Secure Internet Gaming Initiative (www.safeandsecureig.org), stated soon after the hearing wrapped up on Wednesday.
"The hearings today demonstrated that the current regulations, including the UIGEA, violate our personal rights and freedoms. We also were able to demonstrate that there were ways that we could combat the problems of underage or problem gaming, which there had been concern over."
Something that surprised Mr. Sandman was that concerns over issues such as underage gaming and the morality of gaming were still being raised during the hearings.
"I thought we had gotten by these issues," Sandman said. "During the testimony of Mr. Colopy and [Ms. Duke], though, I think we were able to show that these issues are a moot point.
"We also showed that there was some hypocrisy regarding the gaming laws and legislation that are currently in place. When you have areas of gaming that are viewed as legal, such as horse racing and lotteries, you can't say another area, such as casino games and poker, [isn't]."
With regard to the ramifications of Wednesday's hearings, Sandman could only see a more convoluted situation ahead.
"Rep. Frank's bill regarding the regulation of the online gaming industry is in the Financial Oversight Committee in the House of Representatives; there are other segments of the government, including the Treasury and the Judicial, that are attempting to find out where they are in the overall situation. Rep. Conyers' hearings were basically an attempt to look at the overall landscape of the issue. I wish I could say it would go from Committee A to Committee B and something would happen, but I think the Wednesday hearings showed there is significant interest in the online gaming question and that both sides, regardless of what they believe, aren't happy with the state of affairs as [it is] now."
In an e-mail correspondence, Edward J. Leyden, the president of the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA), said about Wednesday's hearings, "iMEGA is the lead plaintiff in a digital civil rights case ongoing against the Department of Justice and the Federal Reserve in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey (Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association v. Gonzales, et al., 3:07-cv-02625-MLC-TJB).
"A positive result in this case will likely result in, among other things, recognition by a federal court of competent jurisdiction of the existence under the Constitution of fundamental privacy and associational rights to communicate and interact with others via the medium of the Internet in ways and means that mirror in every respect communication and interaction outside of the Internet.
"In other words, you don't GIVE UP your rights simply by choosing to employ the Internet - as opposed to any other medium, including in-person dialogue - to engage in otherwise Constitutionally-protected conduct, including placing a bet or calling another player on his or her hand.
"More directly for purposes of the ongoing activity on the Hill, continued enforcement of the UIGEA would likely be halted - including further action on the proposed regulations. As a consequence, genuine pressure would be brought to bear on the Congress to rectify the UIGEA, a pressure and urgency that probably would not exist absent this challenge by iMEGA in the judicial branch.
"In short, iMEGA recognizes this issue as being, ultimately, one bearing directly on the digital civil rights not only of people engaging in iGaming but, indeed, the rights of each of us who rely, value, and depend on the Internet as the indispensable engine of economic prosperity and social freedom."
The Poker Players Alliance, whose organizational Fly-In three weeks ago sparked the hearings in Rep. Conyers' committee, has also been vocal on the hearings.
In a press release, the PPA states, "One key outcome of the hearing was the acknowledgement by the Department of Justice witness, the Honorable Catherine Hanaway, that it is not illegal for an individual to place a wager on the Internet. This confirmation came during questioning from Congressman Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and dispels a common misconception that an Internet poker player may be committing a crime by playing poker online."
Another myth that was undermined by testimony during the hearing was that profits from online poker rooms are directly financing terrorism.
"Congressman Howard Coble (R-N.C.) asked Ms. Hanaway if there was any evidence of Internet gaming sites laundering money for terrorist financing. She responded unequivocally that there is no evidence to that effect."
The Poker Players Alliance stated as well that it is continuing its fight and, along with the other organizations mentioned here, should have a significant impact on the future of online gaming and poker in the United States.
But there is still a long and volatile fight ahead regarding the regulation of online gaming and poker in the United States. Only through the continued vigilance of the individual poker player and the organizations that fight for their rights will we potentially see a change in the current situation.
As things stand now, it could take several more months, potentially years, of ongoing discussion before the question is settled.
Source: Pokerlistings.com
Speakers at the hearing "On Establishing Consistent Enforcement Policies in the Context of Online Wagers" brought forward both sides of the argument.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), whose legislation last year was the formative segment of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA), addressed the committee, as did the Honorable Catherine Hanaway, the U. S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, who spoke against any amendment of the current gaming laws.
Joseph Weiler from New York University School of Law and professional poker player Annie Duke were also in attendance. And Michael Colopy, a representative of Aristotle, Inc. (an online age-verification service) spoke passionately about reversing or amending the current statutes.
Not unexpectedly, several online gaming advocates have weighed in with their thoughts on how the hearings went.
"It was a very busy day," Jeffrey Sandman, the spokesman for the Safe and Secure Internet Gaming Initiative (www.safeandsecureig.org), stated soon after the hearing wrapped up on Wednesday.
"The hearings today demonstrated that the current regulations, including the UIGEA, violate our personal rights and freedoms. We also were able to demonstrate that there were ways that we could combat the problems of underage or problem gaming, which there had been concern over."
Something that surprised Mr. Sandman was that concerns over issues such as underage gaming and the morality of gaming were still being raised during the hearings.
"I thought we had gotten by these issues," Sandman said. "During the testimony of Mr. Colopy and [Ms. Duke], though, I think we were able to show that these issues are a moot point.
"We also showed that there was some hypocrisy regarding the gaming laws and legislation that are currently in place. When you have areas of gaming that are viewed as legal, such as horse racing and lotteries, you can't say another area, such as casino games and poker, [isn't]."
With regard to the ramifications of Wednesday's hearings, Sandman could only see a more convoluted situation ahead.
"Rep. Frank's bill regarding the regulation of the online gaming industry is in the Financial Oversight Committee in the House of Representatives; there are other segments of the government, including the Treasury and the Judicial, that are attempting to find out where they are in the overall situation. Rep. Conyers' hearings were basically an attempt to look at the overall landscape of the issue. I wish I could say it would go from Committee A to Committee B and something would happen, but I think the Wednesday hearings showed there is significant interest in the online gaming question and that both sides, regardless of what they believe, aren't happy with the state of affairs as [it is] now."
In an e-mail correspondence, Edward J. Leyden, the president of the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA), said about Wednesday's hearings, "iMEGA is the lead plaintiff in a digital civil rights case ongoing against the Department of Justice and the Federal Reserve in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey (Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association v. Gonzales, et al., 3:07-cv-02625-MLC-TJB).
"A positive result in this case will likely result in, among other things, recognition by a federal court of competent jurisdiction of the existence under the Constitution of fundamental privacy and associational rights to communicate and interact with others via the medium of the Internet in ways and means that mirror in every respect communication and interaction outside of the Internet.
"In other words, you don't GIVE UP your rights simply by choosing to employ the Internet - as opposed to any other medium, including in-person dialogue - to engage in otherwise Constitutionally-protected conduct, including placing a bet or calling another player on his or her hand.
"More directly for purposes of the ongoing activity on the Hill, continued enforcement of the UIGEA would likely be halted - including further action on the proposed regulations. As a consequence, genuine pressure would be brought to bear on the Congress to rectify the UIGEA, a pressure and urgency that probably would not exist absent this challenge by iMEGA in the judicial branch.
"In short, iMEGA recognizes this issue as being, ultimately, one bearing directly on the digital civil rights not only of people engaging in iGaming but, indeed, the rights of each of us who rely, value, and depend on the Internet as the indispensable engine of economic prosperity and social freedom."
The Poker Players Alliance, whose organizational Fly-In three weeks ago sparked the hearings in Rep. Conyers' committee, has also been vocal on the hearings.
In a press release, the PPA states, "One key outcome of the hearing was the acknowledgement by the Department of Justice witness, the Honorable Catherine Hanaway, that it is not illegal for an individual to place a wager on the Internet. This confirmation came during questioning from Congressman Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and dispels a common misconception that an Internet poker player may be committing a crime by playing poker online."
Another myth that was undermined by testimony during the hearing was that profits from online poker rooms are directly financing terrorism.
"Congressman Howard Coble (R-N.C.) asked Ms. Hanaway if there was any evidence of Internet gaming sites laundering money for terrorist financing. She responded unequivocally that there is no evidence to that effect."
The Poker Players Alliance stated as well that it is continuing its fight and, along with the other organizations mentioned here, should have a significant impact on the future of online gaming and poker in the United States.
But there is still a long and volatile fight ahead regarding the regulation of online gaming and poker in the United States. Only through the continued vigilance of the individual poker player and the organizations that fight for their rights will we potentially see a change in the current situation.
As things stand now, it could take several more months, potentially years, of ongoing discussion before the question is settled.
Source: Pokerlistings.com
vrijdag 16 november 2007
Harrah’s Considers Entry into European Online Poker Market
According to a recent report by the Associated Press news agency, America’s giant Harrah’s Entertainment Inc could be set to enter the world of online casinos, possibly to extend the reach of its global World Series Of Poker brand through Internet satellite tournaments
The Associated Press stated that Gary Loveman, Chief Executive Officer for Harrah’s, revealed that the Las Vegas-based gambling corporation is taking a close look at entering the European online poker market.
'If you take a look at the legal landscape in continental Europe and the United Kingdom, there are countries where it's demonstrably legal and there's absolutely no encumbrance,” said Loveman.
“Those are areas that are very attractive to us.'
Loveman made his comments this week at the Global Gaming Expo, the largest trade show of the year for the North American casino industry annually held in Las Vegas. Current legal restrictions in the United States prohibit banks and payment processors from handling cash transactions from US-based players to and from online poker sites.
Harrah's Spokesman, Gary Thompson, is also cited as revealing that the company is studying the market and legal conditions before deciding whether to continue with an online European venture. He stated that the company would not enter an online poker market where grey areas exist.
Harrah's bought the rights to the World Series Of Poker in 2004 but attendance this year was hurt as many online poker sites were not prepared to award prize packages to US residents due to the legal climate.
Source: Online Casino News.com
The Associated Press stated that Gary Loveman, Chief Executive Officer for Harrah’s, revealed that the Las Vegas-based gambling corporation is taking a close look at entering the European online poker market.
'If you take a look at the legal landscape in continental Europe and the United Kingdom, there are countries where it's demonstrably legal and there's absolutely no encumbrance,” said Loveman.
“Those are areas that are very attractive to us.'
Loveman made his comments this week at the Global Gaming Expo, the largest trade show of the year for the North American casino industry annually held in Las Vegas. Current legal restrictions in the United States prohibit banks and payment processors from handling cash transactions from US-based players to and from online poker sites.
Harrah's Spokesman, Gary Thompson, is also cited as revealing that the company is studying the market and legal conditions before deciding whether to continue with an online European venture. He stated that the company would not enter an online poker market where grey areas exist.
Harrah's bought the rights to the World Series Of Poker in 2004 but attendance this year was hurt as many online poker sites were not prepared to award prize packages to US residents due to the legal climate.
Source: Online Casino News.com
donderdag 15 november 2007
First Ever Ladies Event at Irish Poker Open
The folks at online poker room Paddy Power Poker are the sponsors of the upcoming European poker festival, the Irish Poker Open, taking place in Dublin over Easter of next year. The site has sent out announcements about their schedule of side games taking place in addition to the three million Euro guaranteed main event, and included on the list is the first ever Ladies Only poker tournament to be played at the Irish Poker Open. This event will be women only, giving the ladies a chance to play without the pressure of having to "beat the guys" at what has long been considered their own game.
Source: Launchpoker.com
Source: Launchpoker.com
The Magician in the World of Poker Antonio Esfandiari
Antonio Esfandiari has earned himself the nickname of The Magician in the world of poker playing professionals. Antonio Esfandiari was born in Iran in 1978 and later moved to California at the age of nine with his family. When Antonio was a teenager, he had a job as a waiter. While Antonio Esfandiari work, the bartender working at the same restaurant where Antonio was employed, introduced him to card tricks. Antonio fell in love with stage magic and began teaching himself tricks. Once he became proficiently skilled, Antonio Esfandiari began to host private parties where he provided magic tricks as entertainment. The former magician, Antonio Esfandiari attended a poker game after an extended invitation. Once he played Texas Holdem, Antonio Esfandiari’s path was set. You to can set your path to poker greatness by starting at Ultimatebet.com .
Antonio Esfandiari studied poker with as much enthusiasm as he studied stage magic. In very little time, Antonio developed enough skills to start bringing home some winnings at the tables. Of course, not every game has proved entirely fruitful for this enthusiastic card player – Antonio has lost a significant amount of cash in more than one game. Antonio Esfandiari has had a total of four money finishes in the World Series of Poker and one World Series of Poker tournament earned him his gold WSOP bracelet. The year 2004 was a significantly successful year for Antonio Esfandiari were he won more than a million dollars at the Commerce Casino. To date, Antonio Esfandiari has managed to win more than 2.5 million dollars in cash.
Source: Points-spreads.com
Antonio Esfandiari studied poker with as much enthusiasm as he studied stage magic. In very little time, Antonio developed enough skills to start bringing home some winnings at the tables. Of course, not every game has proved entirely fruitful for this enthusiastic card player – Antonio has lost a significant amount of cash in more than one game. Antonio Esfandiari has had a total of four money finishes in the World Series of Poker and one World Series of Poker tournament earned him his gold WSOP bracelet. The year 2004 was a significantly successful year for Antonio Esfandiari were he won more than a million dollars at the Commerce Casino. To date, Antonio Esfandiari has managed to win more than 2.5 million dollars in cash.
Source: Points-spreads.com
G2E: Shuffle Master's Five Card Omaha Poker
I'm still here at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas, and I just came across Shuffle Master's (Nasdaq: SHFL) Five Card Omaha Poker.
The product may very well be the stepping stone to the table game to end all carnival table games ... yet it will probably end up being the most overlooked product of the entire show.
Now, as I'm sure you are aware, poker-based table games -- particularly those based on Texas Hold 'Em -- have done exceptionally well in recent years on the strength of the poker boom.
Of course, you can only have so many hold 'em games, and Shuffle Master has two successful ones: Ultimate Texas Hold'em and Texas Hold'em Bonus. The latter was recently acquired from Progressive Gaming (Nasdaq: PGIC). However, Shuffle Master has even unveiled more poker table games, including Three Card Draw Poker, Four Card Draw Poker, and Five Card Omaha Poker.
Shuffle Master's appeal
One of the things that all three games have going for them is that they're easy to learn, as the three games are essentially variations of existing games. The draw games are identical to the highly successful Three Card Poker and Four Card Poker games, except that you drop a card and receive a new one in its place. Five Card Omaha is a variation of the Ultimate Texas Hold'em game with an identical betting structure.
But the real key to these games is that they appeal to the casual nickel-and-dime gambler for the same reason that people use wild cards in their home poker games: People like big hands and multiway prospects for bigger hands. Moreover, the anticipation is a big part of the appeal of gambling.
For example, in Four Card Draw Poker, where the object is to make the best four-card hand out of five cards, instead of just getting dealt five cards (as in Four Card Poker) and that's it, you get dealt five cards and get to drop one and receive another one in its place. In contrast, in standard Four Card Poker you would just have the bare pair whatever you got dealt the first time.
Clearly, Four Card Draw Poker is a bit more exciting, which brings us to Omaha.
Omaha
In real-life poker, Omaha is not actually a new game -- it's been around for maybe a few decades. But basically, Omaha is identical to hold 'em except that every player gets dealt four cards and must play two cards from his or her hand and three cards from the board. We end up with some interesting new possibilities, a situation that would be impossible in regular hold 'em. With these possibilities, you can get an idea of what the attraction to Omaha is.
Stepping stone
Now, the reason I said that Five Card Omaha may be a "stepping stone" rather than the actual end game is that in Shuffle Master's version, you only get three total board cards -- a two-card flop and one more "river" card -- rather than the normal three-card flop, turn, and river.
The truth is that hold 'em appeals to tourists because it's easy to learn and it makes for good TV. It's not really a coincidence that the regular Omaha Hi/Lo games on the Strip -- Wynn Resorts' (Nasdaq: WYNN) Wynn Las Vegas, MGM Mirage's (NYSE: MGM) Bellagio, and The Mirage -- consist almost entirely of locals: People who play a lot of poker more naturally find their way to Omaha games. But as the new generation of poker players continues to mature and more and more players start to look beyond hold 'em, I believe that Omaha will play out as poker's next big trend.
At this point, Shuffle Master's Five Card Omaha puts the company well ahead of that trend. And when the company (or somebody else) gets around to mimicking the full Omaha game with five board cards rather than three, we might just have the game to end all carnival games.
The product may very well be the stepping stone to the table game to end all carnival table games ... yet it will probably end up being the most overlooked product of the entire show.
Now, as I'm sure you are aware, poker-based table games -- particularly those based on Texas Hold 'Em -- have done exceptionally well in recent years on the strength of the poker boom.
Of course, you can only have so many hold 'em games, and Shuffle Master has two successful ones: Ultimate Texas Hold'em and Texas Hold'em Bonus. The latter was recently acquired from Progressive Gaming (Nasdaq: PGIC). However, Shuffle Master has even unveiled more poker table games, including Three Card Draw Poker, Four Card Draw Poker, and Five Card Omaha Poker.
Shuffle Master's appeal
One of the things that all three games have going for them is that they're easy to learn, as the three games are essentially variations of existing games. The draw games are identical to the highly successful Three Card Poker and Four Card Poker games, except that you drop a card and receive a new one in its place. Five Card Omaha is a variation of the Ultimate Texas Hold'em game with an identical betting structure.
But the real key to these games is that they appeal to the casual nickel-and-dime gambler for the same reason that people use wild cards in their home poker games: People like big hands and multiway prospects for bigger hands. Moreover, the anticipation is a big part of the appeal of gambling.
For example, in Four Card Draw Poker, where the object is to make the best four-card hand out of five cards, instead of just getting dealt five cards (as in Four Card Poker) and that's it, you get dealt five cards and get to drop one and receive another one in its place. In contrast, in standard Four Card Poker you would just have the bare pair whatever you got dealt the first time.
Clearly, Four Card Draw Poker is a bit more exciting, which brings us to Omaha.
Omaha
In real-life poker, Omaha is not actually a new game -- it's been around for maybe a few decades. But basically, Omaha is identical to hold 'em except that every player gets dealt four cards and must play two cards from his or her hand and three cards from the board. We end up with some interesting new possibilities, a situation that would be impossible in regular hold 'em. With these possibilities, you can get an idea of what the attraction to Omaha is.
Stepping stone
Now, the reason I said that Five Card Omaha may be a "stepping stone" rather than the actual end game is that in Shuffle Master's version, you only get three total board cards -- a two-card flop and one more "river" card -- rather than the normal three-card flop, turn, and river.
The truth is that hold 'em appeals to tourists because it's easy to learn and it makes for good TV. It's not really a coincidence that the regular Omaha Hi/Lo games on the Strip -- Wynn Resorts' (Nasdaq: WYNN) Wynn Las Vegas, MGM Mirage's (NYSE: MGM) Bellagio, and The Mirage -- consist almost entirely of locals: People who play a lot of poker more naturally find their way to Omaha games. But as the new generation of poker players continues to mature and more and more players start to look beyond hold 'em, I believe that Omaha will play out as poker's next big trend.
At this point, Shuffle Master's Five Card Omaha puts the company well ahead of that trend. And when the company (or somebody else) gets around to mimicking the full Omaha game with five board cards rather than three, we might just have the game to end all carnival games.
woensdag 14 november 2007
Online Casino Launches Globet Poker
Gibraltar-based Globet Casino.com has launched a new online poker room on the Microgaming Poker Network at GlobetPoker.com.
Allegedly owned by a Uruguayan group, Globet recently switched from Chartwell Technology to the Microgaming software platform for casino operations and is targeting Central and Eastern Europe.
Globet Poker.com features the latest additions to Microgaming’s poker software including a new lobby designed to get players to the right tables quickly. The latest version includes a ‘quick lobby' to provide a speedy solution for single table tournaments and an ‘advanced Lobby' for more experienced players allowing them to see many games in the same view and spend more time at a table.
'We switched to Microgaming's casino platform in June 2006 and, since then, we have been incredibly impressed with the company's comprehensive game portfolio and account management team,” said Jonathan Thomson, Head of Casino and Poker for Globet.
“When we decided to launch poker earlier this year, our experience with the company together with its proven expertise made Microgaming a natural choice for us.'
Microgaming’s platform also includes lobby menus with a ‘rabbit cam' and a ‘fold and show' feature that allows players to show lay-downs.
'We are delighted to see yet another operator add poker to their offering following a successful casino partnership with Microgaming,” said Roger Raatgever, Chief Executive Officer for Microgaming.
“Globet will benefit from Microgaming's ability to provide poker in up to 19 languages, more than any other network.'
Source: Onlinecasinonews.com
Allegedly owned by a Uruguayan group, Globet recently switched from Chartwell Technology to the Microgaming software platform for casino operations and is targeting Central and Eastern Europe.
Globet Poker.com features the latest additions to Microgaming’s poker software including a new lobby designed to get players to the right tables quickly. The latest version includes a ‘quick lobby' to provide a speedy solution for single table tournaments and an ‘advanced Lobby' for more experienced players allowing them to see many games in the same view and spend more time at a table.
'We switched to Microgaming's casino platform in June 2006 and, since then, we have been incredibly impressed with the company's comprehensive game portfolio and account management team,” said Jonathan Thomson, Head of Casino and Poker for Globet.
“When we decided to launch poker earlier this year, our experience with the company together with its proven expertise made Microgaming a natural choice for us.'
Microgaming’s platform also includes lobby menus with a ‘rabbit cam' and a ‘fold and show' feature that allows players to show lay-downs.
'We are delighted to see yet another operator add poker to their offering following a successful casino partnership with Microgaming,” said Roger Raatgever, Chief Executive Officer for Microgaming.
“Globet will benefit from Microgaming's ability to provide poker in up to 19 languages, more than any other network.'
Source: Onlinecasinonews.com
National League of Poker Sponsoring
National League of Poker Sponsoring TechCrunch/IDG Ventures Meetup 11 Event at Popular Boston Locale
National League of Poker Sponsoring TechCrunch/IDG Ventures Meetup 11 Event at Popular Boston LocaleFRAMINGHAM, Mass.MA-NATL-LEAGUE-OF-POKER
The National League of Poker (http://www.nlop.com/) the leading social media platform for free, US-legal online poker, today announced that it has been selected as one of the product sponsors at the exclusive TechCrunch/IDG Ventures Boston networking event at The Estate on November 16. The sold-out event will be open to some 700+ Boston-area technology executives from 6-11 p.m. ET. NLOP is a wholly owned subsidiary of US-publicly traded Power Play Development (OTC: PWPY.pk).
NLOP will be demonstrating its online poker technology with several computer stations located around a room at the Estate. This dedicated venue space will allow the networking executives to come in and experience online poker play through the NLOP system. Winners of the mini-tournaments will win prizes from NLOP and the TechCrunch site will be host to an online tournament series from NLOP in the near future.
?We offer high-quality, legal, online poker play at no risk to the player,? said Michael Clebnik, CEO of NLOP. ?Our site?s social media capabilities also offer a unique way for people to connect through a high strategy gaming experience. The attendees of the TechCrunch Meetup event are the same highly-technical, engaged users that we see on our site so it made perfect sense for us to sponsor this event.?
About TechCrunch
TechCrunch, founded on June 11, 2005, is a weblog dedicated to obsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies. In addition to covering new companies, we profile existing companies that are making an impact (commercial and/or cultural) on the new web space. The site hosts impromptu events in various venues for in-person networking opportunities. The weblog can be found at http://www.techcrunch.com.
About IDG Ventures Boston
IDG Ventures Boston is an independent partnership that enables entrepreneurs to grow innovative, global companies. With $280 million under management, the firm is focused on investing in early stage information technology and life sciences companies and is affiliated with the IDG Ventures network of funds, a global network of independently managed funds spanning Asia and North America. For more information visit: http://www.idgvb.com.
About National League of Poker
National League of Poker (NLOP) is the leading social media platform for free, US-legal online poker. There were 30,000,000+ Americans who played poker online before recent legislation banned wagering money and left these players with no options for prize-based play. NLOP allows players to win cash and prizes hourly, daily and weekly with no financial risk -- players never lose money. NLOP has a desirable demographic of highly engaged players. With an average user session of 55 minutes, NLOP is one of the ?stickiest? websites on the internet and delivers 22+ million minutes of poker play per month. NLOP allows advertisers to immerse their brand in the poker playing experience through customizable messaging, ad delivery, and timing. Additionally, NLOP offers portals a turnkey, fully outsourced promotional poker platform. NLOP is a division of publicly traded Power Play Development Corporation (PWPY.PK) and headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts.
Source: Ad-hoc-news.com
National League of Poker Sponsoring TechCrunch/IDG Ventures Meetup 11 Event at Popular Boston LocaleFRAMINGHAM, Mass.MA-NATL-LEAGUE-OF-POKER
The National League of Poker (http://www.nlop.com/) the leading social media platform for free, US-legal online poker, today announced that it has been selected as one of the product sponsors at the exclusive TechCrunch/IDG Ventures Boston networking event at The Estate on November 16. The sold-out event will be open to some 700+ Boston-area technology executives from 6-11 p.m. ET. NLOP is a wholly owned subsidiary of US-publicly traded Power Play Development (OTC: PWPY.pk).
NLOP will be demonstrating its online poker technology with several computer stations located around a room at the Estate. This dedicated venue space will allow the networking executives to come in and experience online poker play through the NLOP system. Winners of the mini-tournaments will win prizes from NLOP and the TechCrunch site will be host to an online tournament series from NLOP in the near future.
?We offer high-quality, legal, online poker play at no risk to the player,? said Michael Clebnik, CEO of NLOP. ?Our site?s social media capabilities also offer a unique way for people to connect through a high strategy gaming experience. The attendees of the TechCrunch Meetup event are the same highly-technical, engaged users that we see on our site so it made perfect sense for us to sponsor this event.?
About TechCrunch
TechCrunch, founded on June 11, 2005, is a weblog dedicated to obsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies. In addition to covering new companies, we profile existing companies that are making an impact (commercial and/or cultural) on the new web space. The site hosts impromptu events in various venues for in-person networking opportunities. The weblog can be found at http://www.techcrunch.com.
About IDG Ventures Boston
IDG Ventures Boston is an independent partnership that enables entrepreneurs to grow innovative, global companies. With $280 million under management, the firm is focused on investing in early stage information technology and life sciences companies and is affiliated with the IDG Ventures network of funds, a global network of independently managed funds spanning Asia and North America. For more information visit: http://www.idgvb.com.
About National League of Poker
National League of Poker (NLOP) is the leading social media platform for free, US-legal online poker. There were 30,000,000+ Americans who played poker online before recent legislation banned wagering money and left these players with no options for prize-based play. NLOP allows players to win cash and prizes hourly, daily and weekly with no financial risk -- players never lose money. NLOP has a desirable demographic of highly engaged players. With an average user session of 55 minutes, NLOP is one of the ?stickiest? websites on the internet and delivers 22+ million minutes of poker play per month. NLOP allows advertisers to immerse their brand in the poker playing experience through customizable messaging, ad delivery, and timing. Additionally, NLOP offers portals a turnkey, fully outsourced promotional poker platform. NLOP is a division of publicly traded Power Play Development Corporation (PWPY.PK) and headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts.
Source: Ad-hoc-news.com
dinsdag 13 november 2007
World Poker Finals - Player Profiles
Two Former Champions Attempt to Make WPT History at Foxwoods
In a tournament that started with 575 players, the final six are split between two generations -- three players are under 25, and three are over 40. But don't write off these youngsters as inexperienced, because two of them just happen to be defending champions here at the World Poker Tour World Poker Finals at Foxwoods.
Nick Schulman became the youngest WPT champion in history when he won this event two years ago at the age of 21, and Nenad Medic was 23 when he won last year. If either player wins tonight, it will be the first time in WPT history that a player has won the same WPT tournament twice. Keep in mind that neither was old enough to play in casinos when the WPT began playing in 2002.
When play began on day 5, Schulman was in strong shape with more than a million in chips, and he quickly moved into the top spot, seeming to coast for the rest of the day. Medic, however, had a much tougher road to the final table, struggling to stay alive near the bottom of the leader board.
With 19 players remaining at the start of the day, two long-time poker pros were in control -- WPT titleholder and World Series of Poker H.O.R.S.E. champion Freddy Deeb was the chip leader, and the legendary poker Hall of Famer T.J. Cloutier was in second place. Deeb reached the final table of 10 players, but Cloutier busted in 12th place.
Deeb spent most of this tournament near the top of the leader board, but things took a turn for the worst on Monday. In the most dramatic hand of the day, Deeb laid down pocket kings preflop with nine players left, saying, "In all the years I've been playing tournament poker, I've never been in this situation." Mike Vela had limped under the gun, Deeb raised, John Myung reraised behind him, and Vela moved all in for nearly 2 million. Deeb, certain that Vela had aces, folded his pocket kings. Unfortunately for him, it turned out to be the wrong play, as Vela also had pocket kings, and went on to win a huge pot against Myung's pocket tens. Deeb was eliminated about an hour later in ninth place.
Here are the official chip counts for Tuesday night's WPT final table, along with the remaining prize pool:
Seat 1 -- Nenad Medic -- 555,000
Seat 2 -- Mike Vela -- 4,155,000
Seat 3 -- Mark Weitzman -- 855,000
Seat 4 -- Mike White -- 2,455,000
Seat 5 -- Nick Schulman -- 4,395,000
Seat 6 -- Tom "Durrr" Dwan -- 4,875,000
First -- $1,704,986 (plus a $25,500 seat in the WPT World Championship); second - - $864,652; third -- $486,367; fourth -- $324,244; fifth -- $243,184; sixth -- $189,142
Now for a deeper look at the six players who make up this WPT final table.
- - - - - - - - - -
Seat 1
Nenad Medic
555,000 in chips
Nenad Medic
Nenad Medic (online name: Serb) is the defending champion of this event, outlasting 608 players last year to claim the first prize of $1.7 million. If he wins tonight, Medic will be the first player in history to win back-to-back titles in the same WPT tournament. As the short-stack headed to the final table, Medic definitely faces an uphill battle.
This is Medic's ninth cash in WPT events, and his third WPT Final Table -- he also finished sixth in the Season IV PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. Medic has more than $2.3 million in career earnings, and a victory tonight would take him over $3.6 million, moving him up to seventh place on the all-time earnings list for the WPT.
Medic is definitely a player on the rise, breaking into the poker scene with his final table in the Caribbean before finishing third in the 2006 Aussie Millions, and winning this event later that year. Regardless of his finish here, this Canadian player looks to remain a force on the tour for a long time to come.
- - - - - - - - - -
Seat 2
Mike Vela
4,155,000 in chips
Mike Vela
If asked what he considers to be his home casino, Mike Vela will tell you it's Foxwoods. (I know, because I asked him.) He's done well here -- earlier this year he made back-to-back prelim final tables during the Foxwoods Poker Classic.
While this is Vela's first WPT final table, he's reached the final two tables twice, finishing 13th in this event last year and 18th at the WPT Borgata Poker Open two months ago.
Vela is currently making the most of a single $1,100 entry into a Borgata supersatellite several months ago. He won a $40,000 package that included $10,000 in cash, entry into the WPT Borgata Poker Open (where he finished 18th), entry into the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open (in January 2008), and entry into this event at Foxwoods -- where he's guaranteed to finish sixth or higher. If he can cash in all three events, it will be an amazing trifecta, and if he can take first in this one or the next one, he'll further parlay it with an entry into the Season VI WPT World Championship in April, 2008.
Vela is the senior vice president of an investment company, and he's been playing poker for four years. Between work and poker, this native New Yorker still sets aside time for his two kids, and coaches his son's baseball team.
- - - - - - - - - -
Seat 3
Mark Weitzman
855,000 in chips
Mark Weitzman
Mark Weitzman has been a professional poker player for 21 years, with six World Series of Poker final tables under his belt (four of them in variations of deuce-to-seven lowball). This is just the fourth WPT tournament that Weitzman has entered, but he has already reached his second final table. Perhaps he shouldn't have waited until season six to enter WPT events.
Weitzman finished fourth at the WPT Borgata Poker Open two months ago, earning $380,000 for the biggest cash of his career. His career tournament earnings come to more than $750,000, and if he finishes fifth or better, he'll cross the coveted million-dollar mark.
Born in Israel and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Weitzman currently lives in Las Vegas. After two decades as a professional poker player, Weitzman would like to return to school for a Ph.D. in physics.
- - - - - - - - - -
Seat 4
Mike White
2,455,000 in chips
MIke White Mike White is a local player from Hartford, Connecticut, so you might say he represents the home team -- in more ways than one. He actually earned his entry by winning a $1,200 satellite among friends, and he's making the most of the opportunity.
White has more than $150,000 in live tournament winnings, including a cash in the 2006 WSOP main event and an 18th-place finish in the 2004 U.S. Poker Championship. This WPT final table represents the highlight of his poker career -- even a disappointing sixth-place finish would more than double his career earnings. Of course he's hoping to do far better than that.
White owns a commercial construction business, and he actually has to be at work at 5:00 am before this final table -- he didn't plan to make it this far and didn't make arrangements for someone to cover for him. But White promises to make it back to Foxwoods in time to hear Mike Sexton say, "Shuffle up and deal."
- - - - - - - - - -
Nick Schulman Seat 5
Nick Schulman
4,395,000 in chips
Nick Schulman is another former winner of this event. He was less than two months past his 21st birthday when he won this event two years ago, making him the youngest WPT champion in the show's history -- a record that still stands.
Since then, Schulman has continued to build his poker résumé, adding a victory in the WPT Battle of Champions IV, a fourth-place finish in a WSOP Tournament Circuit championship, and a WSOP final table. With more than $2.2 million in WPT earnings, a victory here would catapult him into fifth place on the all-time WPT list with just under $4 million.
It should come as no surprise that the youngest WPT champion honed his chops by playing online poker (under the name "TheTakeover"), though Schulman first started playing the game live in pool halls.
- - - - - - - - - -
Tom Dwan Seat 6
Tom Dwan
4,875,000 in chips
Tom Dwan is a well-known online player who goes by the name "Durrr" (though the number of r's in "Durrr" varies from site to site). He has entered several WPT events since turning 21 years old a little more than three months ago, and this will be his first televised final table. (For those keeping track, Dwan is a few weeks too old to break Schulman's record as the youngest WPT champion.)
Dwan starts the final table as the chip leader, but his lead is hardly safe with two players close behind him -- Schulman and Vela. Dwan is no stranger to the chip lead, because he's been near the top of the leader board for most of this tournament.
Dwan attended Boston University as an English major, but he dropped out after one year, and has been playing poker for the past four years or so. He has impressive results online, but this final table shows he can also hold his own with the best live tournament players in the world.
- - - - - - - - - -
Will this final table bring the first repeat champion (Medic or Schulman) in WPT history? Or will chip leader Dwan have a breakout performance on TV the way that Schulman did two years ago? These youngsters will have to get past two local players sure to have plenty of fans in the audience (White and Vela), and a 20-year professional . As you can see, there's plenty to root for.
The WPT final table is scheduled to begin at 5 pm ET, and will continue until a champion is declared -- possibly a repeat champion. Return to CardPlayer.com for complete live coverage of every check, bet, call, raise, and fold.
Source: Cardplayer.com
In a tournament that started with 575 players, the final six are split between two generations -- three players are under 25, and three are over 40. But don't write off these youngsters as inexperienced, because two of them just happen to be defending champions here at the World Poker Tour World Poker Finals at Foxwoods.
Nick Schulman became the youngest WPT champion in history when he won this event two years ago at the age of 21, and Nenad Medic was 23 when he won last year. If either player wins tonight, it will be the first time in WPT history that a player has won the same WPT tournament twice. Keep in mind that neither was old enough to play in casinos when the WPT began playing in 2002.
When play began on day 5, Schulman was in strong shape with more than a million in chips, and he quickly moved into the top spot, seeming to coast for the rest of the day. Medic, however, had a much tougher road to the final table, struggling to stay alive near the bottom of the leader board.
With 19 players remaining at the start of the day, two long-time poker pros were in control -- WPT titleholder and World Series of Poker H.O.R.S.E. champion Freddy Deeb was the chip leader, and the legendary poker Hall of Famer T.J. Cloutier was in second place. Deeb reached the final table of 10 players, but Cloutier busted in 12th place.
Deeb spent most of this tournament near the top of the leader board, but things took a turn for the worst on Monday. In the most dramatic hand of the day, Deeb laid down pocket kings preflop with nine players left, saying, "In all the years I've been playing tournament poker, I've never been in this situation." Mike Vela had limped under the gun, Deeb raised, John Myung reraised behind him, and Vela moved all in for nearly 2 million. Deeb, certain that Vela had aces, folded his pocket kings. Unfortunately for him, it turned out to be the wrong play, as Vela also had pocket kings, and went on to win a huge pot against Myung's pocket tens. Deeb was eliminated about an hour later in ninth place.
Here are the official chip counts for Tuesday night's WPT final table, along with the remaining prize pool:
Seat 1 -- Nenad Medic -- 555,000
Seat 2 -- Mike Vela -- 4,155,000
Seat 3 -- Mark Weitzman -- 855,000
Seat 4 -- Mike White -- 2,455,000
Seat 5 -- Nick Schulman -- 4,395,000
Seat 6 -- Tom "Durrr" Dwan -- 4,875,000
First -- $1,704,986 (plus a $25,500 seat in the WPT World Championship); second - - $864,652; third -- $486,367; fourth -- $324,244; fifth -- $243,184; sixth -- $189,142
Now for a deeper look at the six players who make up this WPT final table.
- - - - - - - - - -
Seat 1
Nenad Medic
555,000 in chips
Nenad Medic
Nenad Medic (online name: Serb) is the defending champion of this event, outlasting 608 players last year to claim the first prize of $1.7 million. If he wins tonight, Medic will be the first player in history to win back-to-back titles in the same WPT tournament. As the short-stack headed to the final table, Medic definitely faces an uphill battle.
This is Medic's ninth cash in WPT events, and his third WPT Final Table -- he also finished sixth in the Season IV PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. Medic has more than $2.3 million in career earnings, and a victory tonight would take him over $3.6 million, moving him up to seventh place on the all-time earnings list for the WPT.
Medic is definitely a player on the rise, breaking into the poker scene with his final table in the Caribbean before finishing third in the 2006 Aussie Millions, and winning this event later that year. Regardless of his finish here, this Canadian player looks to remain a force on the tour for a long time to come.
- - - - - - - - - -
Seat 2
Mike Vela
4,155,000 in chips
Mike Vela
If asked what he considers to be his home casino, Mike Vela will tell you it's Foxwoods. (I know, because I asked him.) He's done well here -- earlier this year he made back-to-back prelim final tables during the Foxwoods Poker Classic.
While this is Vela's first WPT final table, he's reached the final two tables twice, finishing 13th in this event last year and 18th at the WPT Borgata Poker Open two months ago.
Vela is currently making the most of a single $1,100 entry into a Borgata supersatellite several months ago. He won a $40,000 package that included $10,000 in cash, entry into the WPT Borgata Poker Open (where he finished 18th), entry into the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open (in January 2008), and entry into this event at Foxwoods -- where he's guaranteed to finish sixth or higher. If he can cash in all three events, it will be an amazing trifecta, and if he can take first in this one or the next one, he'll further parlay it with an entry into the Season VI WPT World Championship in April, 2008.
Vela is the senior vice president of an investment company, and he's been playing poker for four years. Between work and poker, this native New Yorker still sets aside time for his two kids, and coaches his son's baseball team.
- - - - - - - - - -
Seat 3
Mark Weitzman
855,000 in chips
Mark Weitzman
Mark Weitzman has been a professional poker player for 21 years, with six World Series of Poker final tables under his belt (four of them in variations of deuce-to-seven lowball). This is just the fourth WPT tournament that Weitzman has entered, but he has already reached his second final table. Perhaps he shouldn't have waited until season six to enter WPT events.
Weitzman finished fourth at the WPT Borgata Poker Open two months ago, earning $380,000 for the biggest cash of his career. His career tournament earnings come to more than $750,000, and if he finishes fifth or better, he'll cross the coveted million-dollar mark.
Born in Israel and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Weitzman currently lives in Las Vegas. After two decades as a professional poker player, Weitzman would like to return to school for a Ph.D. in physics.
- - - - - - - - - -
Seat 4
Mike White
2,455,000 in chips
MIke White Mike White is a local player from Hartford, Connecticut, so you might say he represents the home team -- in more ways than one. He actually earned his entry by winning a $1,200 satellite among friends, and he's making the most of the opportunity.
White has more than $150,000 in live tournament winnings, including a cash in the 2006 WSOP main event and an 18th-place finish in the 2004 U.S. Poker Championship. This WPT final table represents the highlight of his poker career -- even a disappointing sixth-place finish would more than double his career earnings. Of course he's hoping to do far better than that.
White owns a commercial construction business, and he actually has to be at work at 5:00 am before this final table -- he didn't plan to make it this far and didn't make arrangements for someone to cover for him. But White promises to make it back to Foxwoods in time to hear Mike Sexton say, "Shuffle up and deal."
- - - - - - - - - -
Nick Schulman Seat 5
Nick Schulman
4,395,000 in chips
Nick Schulman is another former winner of this event. He was less than two months past his 21st birthday when he won this event two years ago, making him the youngest WPT champion in the show's history -- a record that still stands.
Since then, Schulman has continued to build his poker résumé, adding a victory in the WPT Battle of Champions IV, a fourth-place finish in a WSOP Tournament Circuit championship, and a WSOP final table. With more than $2.2 million in WPT earnings, a victory here would catapult him into fifth place on the all-time WPT list with just under $4 million.
It should come as no surprise that the youngest WPT champion honed his chops by playing online poker (under the name "TheTakeover"), though Schulman first started playing the game live in pool halls.
- - - - - - - - - -
Tom Dwan Seat 6
Tom Dwan
4,875,000 in chips
Tom Dwan is a well-known online player who goes by the name "Durrr" (though the number of r's in "Durrr" varies from site to site). He has entered several WPT events since turning 21 years old a little more than three months ago, and this will be his first televised final table. (For those keeping track, Dwan is a few weeks too old to break Schulman's record as the youngest WPT champion.)
Dwan starts the final table as the chip leader, but his lead is hardly safe with two players close behind him -- Schulman and Vela. Dwan is no stranger to the chip lead, because he's been near the top of the leader board for most of this tournament.
Dwan attended Boston University as an English major, but he dropped out after one year, and has been playing poker for the past four years or so. He has impressive results online, but this final table shows he can also hold his own with the best live tournament players in the world.
- - - - - - - - - -
Will this final table bring the first repeat champion (Medic or Schulman) in WPT history? Or will chip leader Dwan have a breakout performance on TV the way that Schulman did two years ago? These youngsters will have to get past two local players sure to have plenty of fans in the audience (White and Vela), and a 20-year professional . As you can see, there's plenty to root for.
The WPT final table is scheduled to begin at 5 pm ET, and will continue until a champion is declared -- possibly a repeat champion. Return to CardPlayer.com for complete live coverage of every check, bet, call, raise, and fold.
Source: Cardplayer.com
Mohegan Sun Brings Automated Poker To Their East Coast Casino
The Mohegan Sun experimented with the plan of not having poker tables in their New England casino, but that plan backfired terribly, and now, four years after eliminating poker, it is back in an automated form.
The casino has brought PokerPro, an automated poker game where no dealers or chips are necessary, to their casino floor, and so far the results have been promising.
Mohegan Sun has put 12 tables of the new technology game in their casino while they wait for their live poker room to be completed, and that should be sometime next summer.
This is the first time that an East Coast casino has used PokerPro, as it already has the game in casinos in Michigan, Mississippi, Arkansas, California, and overseas, in Macau.
The casino has not ruled out keeping the virtual tables after the live game begins, but that will be dictated by business according to Mitch Etess, the Mohegan Sun President.
Asked if the game could stick around, he responded, "If it's still successful after the live poker opens. hey, our customers decide what works here, not us."
According to some of the players that have tried the game, it runs much quicker than live games, a point that players like, since they can see more hands in their time at the table.
Source; Casinogamblingweb.com
The casino has brought PokerPro, an automated poker game where no dealers or chips are necessary, to their casino floor, and so far the results have been promising.
Mohegan Sun has put 12 tables of the new technology game in their casino while they wait for their live poker room to be completed, and that should be sometime next summer.
This is the first time that an East Coast casino has used PokerPro, as it already has the game in casinos in Michigan, Mississippi, Arkansas, California, and overseas, in Macau.
The casino has not ruled out keeping the virtual tables after the live game begins, but that will be dictated by business according to Mitch Etess, the Mohegan Sun President.
Asked if the game could stick around, he responded, "If it's still successful after the live poker opens. hey, our customers decide what works here, not us."
According to some of the players that have tried the game, it runs much quicker than live games, a point that players like, since they can see more hands in their time at the table.
Source; Casinogamblingweb.com
With Online Poker, Fairness Got Lost in the Shuffle
Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R., Tenn.) caught online gamblers by surprise last year. He inserted an obscure provision -- the Unlawful Internet Gambling and Enforcement Act (UIGEA) -- into the Safe Port Act that bans the transfer of funds from financial institutions to Internet gambling sites.
The UIGEA passed without a committee hearing in the Senate. This means that without a debate, we were stuck with poor public policy, and the federal government restricted our use of the Internet. New legislative initiatives offer a second chance at that debate in Congress.
Legislative Struggle
Four bills have been introduced into Congress to address online gambling, including the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act (H.R. 2046), Internet Gambling Study Bill (H.R. 2140), Internet Gambling Tax Act (H.R. 2607) and Skill Game Protection Act (H.R. 2610).
The most prominent is H.R. 2046. Rep. Barney Frank (D., Mass.) introduced the bill in the spring as an attempt to undo the UIGEA, which passed haphazardly last year. Frank called the UIGEA "an inappropriate interference on the personal freedom of Americans."
The new legislation would create licenses for qualified operators already allowed to operate under state and Indian tribal law, while protecting against underage gambling, compulsive gambling, fraud and money-laundering. Rep. John Conyer (D., Mich.) plans to hold a hearing tomorrow in the House Judiciary Committee.
Source: Thestreet.com
The UIGEA passed without a committee hearing in the Senate. This means that without a debate, we were stuck with poor public policy, and the federal government restricted our use of the Internet. New legislative initiatives offer a second chance at that debate in Congress.
Legislative Struggle
Four bills have been introduced into Congress to address online gambling, including the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act (H.R. 2046), Internet Gambling Study Bill (H.R. 2140), Internet Gambling Tax Act (H.R. 2607) and Skill Game Protection Act (H.R. 2610).
The most prominent is H.R. 2046. Rep. Barney Frank (D., Mass.) introduced the bill in the spring as an attempt to undo the UIGEA, which passed haphazardly last year. Frank called the UIGEA "an inappropriate interference on the personal freedom of Americans."
The new legislation would create licenses for qualified operators already allowed to operate under state and Indian tribal law, while protecting against underage gambling, compulsive gambling, fraud and money-laundering. Rep. John Conyer (D., Mich.) plans to hold a hearing tomorrow in the House Judiciary Committee.
Source: Thestreet.com
zondag 11 november 2007
Cowboys Test Nerves in Bull Poker
It can be hard to keep your seat in a game of poker, especially if you have a lot riding on how the cards turn out. For four cowboys at the Canadian Finals Rodeo, they had their health - and perhaps their very lives - riding on their decisions to keep their seats as they braved a charging bull. The event, called Cowboy Poker, seats four players at a table. The winner is the last one seated, which sounds easy enough, except for the raging bull charging them while they sit. The winner, Travis Lourance, was heads up with one other player - until he pushed him enough to attract the bull. Travis walked away with $500 and all his limbs.
Source: Launchpoker.com
Source: Launchpoker.com
Playing poker with election throws PM into fire
Gambling that rates would not be raised during the election campaign is backfiring.
FOR John Howard and Peter Costello, the silver lining of the cloud of having an interest rate rise bang in the middle of the election campaign is that at least it focuses voters' attention on the duo's professed strong suit, economic management.
When you're clutching at straws, that's the best you can do. But if it doesn't do the trick and get Howard re-elected, last week's unprecedented event will go down as the greatest miscalculation of his career.
He could have side-stepped the rate rise by holding the election before the consumer price figures were released on October 24. Instead he delayed the election beyond the three-year anniversary.
Why? Was he so supremely (but wrongly) confident the CPI figures would show inflation benign that he was willing to bet his future on a statistic?
Hardly. No, it's more likely he was convinced the Reserve Bank wouldn't dare to raise rates during an election campaign, something it had never done before.
But how could he have been so wrong on such a politically important calculation? Because the self-proclaimed great economic manager was so focused on getting re-elected that he ignored the economy.
Costello should have been anxiously warning him not to take such a big risk. But did he? No, it's clear Costello was also caught with his rates down. He has not denied an off-air conversation with ABC presenter Jon Faine who asked why the Government had not called the election early to avoid the Reserve's decision. Faine claims Costello looked him in the eye and said "there will not be a rate rise in November, take it from me".
How could the Treasurer be so far off beam? I don't believe he had departmental advice to that effect (its secretary is also a Reserve board member).
Nor do I believe Costello could have had informal advice to that effect from the Reserve.
But nor is it plausible Costello could have reached that conclusion from his own observations.
Everyone knew what Reserve governor Glenn Stevens said in his testimony to the parliamentary committee in August: "If it is clear that something needs to be done, I do not know what explanation we could offer the Australian public for not doing it, regardless of when the election might be due." Seems pretty clear to me.
But then in early September the national accounts showed that non-farm product grew by a rip-roaring 5.2 per cent in the year to June. What did Costello think when he saw that? "She'll be right"? Further proof that Howard and Costello didn't see this rate rise coming is how they've had to shift their campaign rhetoric 180 degrees.
Their slogan, Go for Growth, became embarrassingly inappropriate and had to be "de-emphasised" once the Reserve raised rates and warned that "growth in aggregate demand will need to moderate". Oh.
When the CPI was released, both men argued it showed that inflation was under control.
When the Reserve said the opposite and raised rates, they flipped to saying that inflation was such a problem only they could be trusted to handle it.
But some of what Howard was saying in his Go for Growth phase — which implied he didn't know about capacity constraints and the structural rate of unemployment, and believed micro reform had conquered the business cycle — makes me wonder whether, since the Treasury-trained Arthur Sinodinos left his office, he's wandering about without an economic minder.
The Howard Government has been so preoccupied with politics that it's had no time to keep up with the economy. Does it think it's such hot stuff on economic management it doesn't need to pay attention?
Source: Theage.com
FOR John Howard and Peter Costello, the silver lining of the cloud of having an interest rate rise bang in the middle of the election campaign is that at least it focuses voters' attention on the duo's professed strong suit, economic management.
When you're clutching at straws, that's the best you can do. But if it doesn't do the trick and get Howard re-elected, last week's unprecedented event will go down as the greatest miscalculation of his career.
He could have side-stepped the rate rise by holding the election before the consumer price figures were released on October 24. Instead he delayed the election beyond the three-year anniversary.
Why? Was he so supremely (but wrongly) confident the CPI figures would show inflation benign that he was willing to bet his future on a statistic?
Hardly. No, it's more likely he was convinced the Reserve Bank wouldn't dare to raise rates during an election campaign, something it had never done before.
But how could he have been so wrong on such a politically important calculation? Because the self-proclaimed great economic manager was so focused on getting re-elected that he ignored the economy.
Costello should have been anxiously warning him not to take such a big risk. But did he? No, it's clear Costello was also caught with his rates down. He has not denied an off-air conversation with ABC presenter Jon Faine who asked why the Government had not called the election early to avoid the Reserve's decision. Faine claims Costello looked him in the eye and said "there will not be a rate rise in November, take it from me".
How could the Treasurer be so far off beam? I don't believe he had departmental advice to that effect (its secretary is also a Reserve board member).
Nor do I believe Costello could have had informal advice to that effect from the Reserve.
But nor is it plausible Costello could have reached that conclusion from his own observations.
Everyone knew what Reserve governor Glenn Stevens said in his testimony to the parliamentary committee in August: "If it is clear that something needs to be done, I do not know what explanation we could offer the Australian public for not doing it, regardless of when the election might be due." Seems pretty clear to me.
But then in early September the national accounts showed that non-farm product grew by a rip-roaring 5.2 per cent in the year to June. What did Costello think when he saw that? "She'll be right"? Further proof that Howard and Costello didn't see this rate rise coming is how they've had to shift their campaign rhetoric 180 degrees.
Their slogan, Go for Growth, became embarrassingly inappropriate and had to be "de-emphasised" once the Reserve raised rates and warned that "growth in aggregate demand will need to moderate". Oh.
When the CPI was released, both men argued it showed that inflation was under control.
When the Reserve said the opposite and raised rates, they flipped to saying that inflation was such a problem only they could be trusted to handle it.
But some of what Howard was saying in his Go for Growth phase — which implied he didn't know about capacity constraints and the structural rate of unemployment, and believed micro reform had conquered the business cycle — makes me wonder whether, since the Treasury-trained Arthur Sinodinos left his office, he's wandering about without an economic minder.
The Howard Government has been so preoccupied with politics that it's had no time to keep up with the economy. Does it think it's such hot stuff on economic management it doesn't need to pay attention?
Source: Theage.com
Killing Sends Tremors Through City’s Illegal Poker Scene
For years, they have operated in the shadows of Manhattan. With names like Straddle, the Fairview, Playstation and the New York Players Club, they are remarkably well organized, but nonetheless illegal: poker clubs that attract thousands of players at all hours of the day and night.
Officers raided an illegal poker club in June.
The players run the gamut, from cabdrivers to retired accountants, with a remarkably large contingent of young, well-paid professionals — people who consider themselves law-abiding citizens and play only for the love of the calculated bluff or the well-played wager.
Their numbers have grown swiftly as poker has vaulted into the spotlight of American pop culture. Texas Hold ’Em tournaments compete for prime-time TV viewers, and the image of the dimly lighted, vaguely sinister poker game has claimed a favored spot in movies. (In a current thriller, “Michael Clayton,” George Clooney first appears on the screen as an emotionally taut player in a back-room poker club in Chinatown.)
In reality, Manhattan’s players are part of a secretive network of “members,” who can join games only after being vouched for by others. Once they are in, they make their way to small, unremarkable office buildings, passing security guards hired solely to protect the club, and enter a clean, well-lighted world of civilized, even businesslike gamesmanship, according to several players who were interviewed. Most agreed to speak only if their names were not disclosed because they did not want to attract the attention of the police.
“I have never seen anything like a criminal element,” said one, a 29-year-old producer for one of Manhattan’s best known broadcasting companies who has been a regular in the poker clubs for five years. “It more closely resembles a retirement home bridge party.”
But that was hardly the atmosphere at 11 p.m. on Nov. 2, when armed robbers in masks forced their way into a crowded club called the City Limit that had been operating for less than two weeks in a seventh-floor office, above a gym, a graphics business and a real estate office, in an unadorned building at 28th Street and Fifth Avenue. One player, Frank DeSena, a former math professor from New Jersey who was a familiar and well-liked presence on the poker club scene, was killed by an intruder’s shotgun.
There have been no arrests in the case, and the police have declined to confirm published reports that the robbers pointed a gun at the head of a security guard to gain entry, and accidentally fired the shot that killed Mr. DeSena.
The killing led to an obvious conclusion — that armed criminals knew the location of at least one supposedly secret club — and sent tremors through the closed circle of Manhattan players and club operators.
“A week ago, there were two or three rooms operating in Manhattan, but now there are zero,” said Steven McLoughlin, a poker aficionado who moderates a poker discussion at twoplustwo.com and closely follows the Manhattan club scene. “You don’t know what can happen.”
A former employee of Playstation, which was one of the largest of the Manhattan clubs until it was closed in a police raid in 2005, said the killing of Mr. DeSena was “the kind of thing we always feared the most. People are really shaken, and this may make them think differently” about going to the clubs.
Nevertheless, it has attracted broad interest in a semisecret world that seems filled with contrasts: responsible adults slipping into clandestine locations like spies in the night, poker stakes of hundreds or thousands of dollars routinely won and lost in an atmosphere of warm conviviality, over pizza, and even milk and cookies, according to the players.
Of course, the profile offered by those who were interviewed in recent days may not fit all underground poker games in the city. High-stakes games in which some players cannot afford to lose, and could be threatened with physical violence if they do not make good on their losses, have historically been part of the gambling underworld and are unlikely to have faded completely from the scene. But the players interviewed said that the Manhattan clubs they frequented for years adhered to an almost universal set of rules: no liquor or drugs are allowed, no bets are accepted on credit, and no one is allowed to play without passing muster among fellow players and being granted membership, sometimes with a fee.
“There are regulars who probably spend too much time in these places, and that is sad to see,” said the broadcast producer. In his five years of experience, he said, there were about five clubs operating in Manhattan at any given time, and he had played at a total of 10, in commercial buildings on the Upper West Side, Midtown, Chelsea, the Flatiron District, the East Village and the West Village.
“But the overwhelming majority are not compulsive gamblers,” he said. “They do this as a way of blowing off steam, and that is healthier than sitting in front of the TV.”
Under state law, the operators and employees of the clubs can be arrested, but not the players. The law makes it illegal to “advance or profit from illegal gambling,” even if the operators do not take a cut of the winnings. They can be guilty simply by providing rented space as a poker club.
City RoomThe latest news and reader discussions from around the five boroughs and the region.
Police crackdowns have been periodic in New York City and across the region. On Wednesday night, officers shut down poker parlors in seven towns in Suffolk County, and seized more than $10,000 in cash.
On May 27, 2005, police officers in Manhattan shut down two clubs: Playstation, at 4-6 West 14th Street, and the New York Players Club, at 200 West 72nd Street. Each of the clubs had more than 100 players in attendance when the police arrived, and 39 employees, including dealers, waiters and security guards, were arrested.
But the police acknowledged at the time that they found no weapons, alcohol or drugs in the two clubs. At the New York Players Club, customers were offered valet parking. At Playstation, club waiters were serving Oreo and Chips Ahoy! cookies. The police said both clubs were incorporated businesses that followed fire codes.
The former employee of Playstation had worked at the club for three years, was covered by employee health insurance, paid taxes and was entitled to unemployment compensation after the club closed.
The people interviewed for this article would not say who sponsors and operates the Manhattan clubs, but insisted that there was no hint of involvement by organized crime. They said operators tended to be devoted poker players themselves, who rented office space and opened their clubs largely out of a love of the game and their friendships with other players.
In most cases, players said, they pay the operators based on the time they spend at a table. Few, if any, of the operators claim a portion of the poker winnings. “You sit at the table and every half-hour, or maybe every hour, a bell goes off meaning that everybody has to pay their rent,” said the producer. A typical charge, he said, was $8 an hour.
Despite the enthusiasm of players and their vigorous defense of the clubs, they said it remained to be seen how much of a chill would result from the recent killing. They said the sense of outrage among many players was heightened because Mr. DeSena, 55, was a popular player on the poker circuit.
“Frank was a poster child for the type of person they try to attract,” Mr. McLoughlin said. “He was a sweetheart of a man who always wanted to say hello to everybody, always wanted to shake everybody’s hand.”
“He was a skilled player, and when he lost a hand, he would simply smile,” Mr. McLoughlin said.
The former employee of Playstation said the episode seemed certain to keep players away for some time to come: “Maybe two years from now people will forget about it and come back. But I’m not a gambler myself, and who knows, maybe they’ll be back sooner than that.”
Source: NyTimes.com
Officers raided an illegal poker club in June.
The players run the gamut, from cabdrivers to retired accountants, with a remarkably large contingent of young, well-paid professionals — people who consider themselves law-abiding citizens and play only for the love of the calculated bluff or the well-played wager.
Their numbers have grown swiftly as poker has vaulted into the spotlight of American pop culture. Texas Hold ’Em tournaments compete for prime-time TV viewers, and the image of the dimly lighted, vaguely sinister poker game has claimed a favored spot in movies. (In a current thriller, “Michael Clayton,” George Clooney first appears on the screen as an emotionally taut player in a back-room poker club in Chinatown.)
In reality, Manhattan’s players are part of a secretive network of “members,” who can join games only after being vouched for by others. Once they are in, they make their way to small, unremarkable office buildings, passing security guards hired solely to protect the club, and enter a clean, well-lighted world of civilized, even businesslike gamesmanship, according to several players who were interviewed. Most agreed to speak only if their names were not disclosed because they did not want to attract the attention of the police.
“I have never seen anything like a criminal element,” said one, a 29-year-old producer for one of Manhattan’s best known broadcasting companies who has been a regular in the poker clubs for five years. “It more closely resembles a retirement home bridge party.”
But that was hardly the atmosphere at 11 p.m. on Nov. 2, when armed robbers in masks forced their way into a crowded club called the City Limit that had been operating for less than two weeks in a seventh-floor office, above a gym, a graphics business and a real estate office, in an unadorned building at 28th Street and Fifth Avenue. One player, Frank DeSena, a former math professor from New Jersey who was a familiar and well-liked presence on the poker club scene, was killed by an intruder’s shotgun.
There have been no arrests in the case, and the police have declined to confirm published reports that the robbers pointed a gun at the head of a security guard to gain entry, and accidentally fired the shot that killed Mr. DeSena.
The killing led to an obvious conclusion — that armed criminals knew the location of at least one supposedly secret club — and sent tremors through the closed circle of Manhattan players and club operators.
“A week ago, there were two or three rooms operating in Manhattan, but now there are zero,” said Steven McLoughlin, a poker aficionado who moderates a poker discussion at twoplustwo.com and closely follows the Manhattan club scene. “You don’t know what can happen.”
A former employee of Playstation, which was one of the largest of the Manhattan clubs until it was closed in a police raid in 2005, said the killing of Mr. DeSena was “the kind of thing we always feared the most. People are really shaken, and this may make them think differently” about going to the clubs.
Nevertheless, it has attracted broad interest in a semisecret world that seems filled with contrasts: responsible adults slipping into clandestine locations like spies in the night, poker stakes of hundreds or thousands of dollars routinely won and lost in an atmosphere of warm conviviality, over pizza, and even milk and cookies, according to the players.
Of course, the profile offered by those who were interviewed in recent days may not fit all underground poker games in the city. High-stakes games in which some players cannot afford to lose, and could be threatened with physical violence if they do not make good on their losses, have historically been part of the gambling underworld and are unlikely to have faded completely from the scene. But the players interviewed said that the Manhattan clubs they frequented for years adhered to an almost universal set of rules: no liquor or drugs are allowed, no bets are accepted on credit, and no one is allowed to play without passing muster among fellow players and being granted membership, sometimes with a fee.
“There are regulars who probably spend too much time in these places, and that is sad to see,” said the broadcast producer. In his five years of experience, he said, there were about five clubs operating in Manhattan at any given time, and he had played at a total of 10, in commercial buildings on the Upper West Side, Midtown, Chelsea, the Flatiron District, the East Village and the West Village.
“But the overwhelming majority are not compulsive gamblers,” he said. “They do this as a way of blowing off steam, and that is healthier than sitting in front of the TV.”
Under state law, the operators and employees of the clubs can be arrested, but not the players. The law makes it illegal to “advance or profit from illegal gambling,” even if the operators do not take a cut of the winnings. They can be guilty simply by providing rented space as a poker club.
City RoomThe latest news and reader discussions from around the five boroughs and the region.
Police crackdowns have been periodic in New York City and across the region. On Wednesday night, officers shut down poker parlors in seven towns in Suffolk County, and seized more than $10,000 in cash.
On May 27, 2005, police officers in Manhattan shut down two clubs: Playstation, at 4-6 West 14th Street, and the New York Players Club, at 200 West 72nd Street. Each of the clubs had more than 100 players in attendance when the police arrived, and 39 employees, including dealers, waiters and security guards, were arrested.
But the police acknowledged at the time that they found no weapons, alcohol or drugs in the two clubs. At the New York Players Club, customers were offered valet parking. At Playstation, club waiters were serving Oreo and Chips Ahoy! cookies. The police said both clubs were incorporated businesses that followed fire codes.
The former employee of Playstation had worked at the club for three years, was covered by employee health insurance, paid taxes and was entitled to unemployment compensation after the club closed.
The people interviewed for this article would not say who sponsors and operates the Manhattan clubs, but insisted that there was no hint of involvement by organized crime. They said operators tended to be devoted poker players themselves, who rented office space and opened their clubs largely out of a love of the game and their friendships with other players.
In most cases, players said, they pay the operators based on the time they spend at a table. Few, if any, of the operators claim a portion of the poker winnings. “You sit at the table and every half-hour, or maybe every hour, a bell goes off meaning that everybody has to pay their rent,” said the producer. A typical charge, he said, was $8 an hour.
Despite the enthusiasm of players and their vigorous defense of the clubs, they said it remained to be seen how much of a chill would result from the recent killing. They said the sense of outrage among many players was heightened because Mr. DeSena, 55, was a popular player on the poker circuit.
“Frank was a poster child for the type of person they try to attract,” Mr. McLoughlin said. “He was a sweetheart of a man who always wanted to say hello to everybody, always wanted to shake everybody’s hand.”
“He was a skilled player, and when he lost a hand, he would simply smile,” Mr. McLoughlin said.
The former employee of Playstation said the episode seemed certain to keep players away for some time to come: “Maybe two years from now people will forget about it and come back. But I’m not a gambler myself, and who knows, maybe they’ll be back sooner than that.”
Source: NyTimes.com
zaterdag 10 november 2007
Harvard Law School to host poker conference
Harvard Law School will host a one-day academic conference Saturday that examines the educational possibilities of using poker as a teaching tool.
HLS said in a release that several poker celebrities are expected to attend.
The event is an effort of Harvard's Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society and is part of a continuing series at Harvard Law School that examines educational and academic aspects of poker.
The GPSTS has organized student poker societies at several major universities, including UCLA, Stanford, Harvard, and Michigan.
Source: Bizjournals.com
HLS said in a release that several poker celebrities are expected to attend.
The event is an effort of Harvard's Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society and is part of a continuing series at Harvard Law School that examines educational and academic aspects of poker.
The GPSTS has organized student poker societies at several major universities, including UCLA, Stanford, Harvard, and Michigan.
Source: Bizjournals.com
8 poker raids in one night in Suffolk County, New York
A series of poker raids took place Wednesday night in Suffolk County, New York. Eight locations, two in Deer Park and one in Wyandanch, West Babylon, Lindenhurst, Holbrook, Farmingdale and Farmingville, were targeted and more than $10,000 cash was seized, along with gambling tables, poker chips and items like plasma televisions.
Nine people in all were arrested, and all were charged with promotion of gambling, a misdemeanor.
Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota blamed televised poker for the increase in illegal gambling in his county and elsewhere. “One of our chief concerns,” he added, “is the growing number of violent robberies at these locations. [Robbers] know that there is a large amount of cash, jewelry and wallets with credit cards that are to be had at these poker games.”
Spota said that other poker spots are being monitored by his office and the police.
Source: Partimepoker.com
Nine people in all were arrested, and all were charged with promotion of gambling, a misdemeanor.
Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota blamed televised poker for the increase in illegal gambling in his county and elsewhere. “One of our chief concerns,” he added, “is the growing number of violent robberies at these locations. [Robbers] know that there is a large amount of cash, jewelry and wallets with credit cards that are to be had at these poker games.”
Spota said that other poker spots are being monitored by his office and the police.
Source: Partimepoker.com
Danger no bluff in cowboy poker
EDMONTON - Four poker-playing cowboys at the Canadian Finals Rodeo went all-in Friday night and kept the crowd in their seats by refusing to leave theirs.
Cowboy poker returned to the CFR as the half-time show for the first time since 1999 -- and it didn't disappoint.
"I'm happy I didn't get run over," said Friday night's winner Travis Lourance, who kept his butt in his seat long enough to walk away with the $500 prize.
PLAYING 'CHICKEN' WITH BULL: Onlookers may wonder if the cowboys are playing with a full deck as they get ready to dodge a charging bull Friday evening.View Larger Image View Larger Image
PLAYING 'CHICKEN' WITH BULL: Onlookers may wonder if the cowboys are playing with a full deck as they get ready to dodge a charging bull Friday evening.
Ed Kaiser, The Journal
Cowboy poker is a game of chicken where four cowboys sit around a table as a one-tonne bull with anger management issues is turned loose.
The last one sitting in his chair wins the prize. It usually doesn't take more than a minute.
On Friday, the bull stormed out of the gate, paused momentarily to view its victims, then stormed into the back of Travis Finkbeiner's chair. It came down to a contest between Lourance and Ponoka native Will Evans, but ended after Lourance gave Evans' chair a little push.
The slight movement of Evans' seat sent the bull barrelling straight towards him. "He pushed me, but I'll get him back tomorrow," Evans said.
The competitors drew from a deck of cards to see who sat where around the table.
Lourance, one of the most successful cowboy poker players in Canada, got a side seat but said he prefers to sit with his back to the chute that releases the bull.
"Ninety per cent of the time the bull comes out, takes a look and comes around to the side," he said.
There's no wonder why Lourance has racked up almost $20,000 in the event over the past seven years. His is literally a do-or-die strategy. "I have never (left my seat)," he said. "You've got an animal in the arena that's going to do what he wants, and there's nothing you can do about it. I just sit tight and hopefully it's not me that gets hit."
For organizer Ace Northcott, finding cowpokes crazy enough to participate is about as hard as getting the right bull. Most bulls won't attack a target that isn't moving.
"Either they naturally want to chase you or they don't," he said. "You just have to find the meanest bulls you can get and hope it works."
Both Lourance and Evans have only basic Alberta health care, but that doesn't stop them from stepping into the ring.
"It's an exciting, adrenaline-filled type of event," Evans said. "The money doesn't matter to me, it's just for the fun of it."
Some cowboys consider the stakes too high to throw their hats in the ring.
Bull rider Chad Besplug said he prefers to be on top of the bull rather than beside it.
"It's dumb," he said. "We're doing a sport. What they're doing is just reckless."
"It seems kind of stupid," Camrose native Brad McCarroll said. "It's dangerous. I'm a team roper, and that's not nearly as dangerous."
Fellow team roper Troy Fisher agrees.
"I'm really not afraid of bulls per se, but I think I have more respect for them," he said.
"They are not to be feared in their own element, but under those circumstances they are out looking for something, so I tend to stay out of their way."
The event continues at today's evening performance.
Source: Canada.com
Cowboy poker returned to the CFR as the half-time show for the first time since 1999 -- and it didn't disappoint.
"I'm happy I didn't get run over," said Friday night's winner Travis Lourance, who kept his butt in his seat long enough to walk away with the $500 prize.
PLAYING 'CHICKEN' WITH BULL: Onlookers may wonder if the cowboys are playing with a full deck as they get ready to dodge a charging bull Friday evening.View Larger Image View Larger Image
PLAYING 'CHICKEN' WITH BULL: Onlookers may wonder if the cowboys are playing with a full deck as they get ready to dodge a charging bull Friday evening.
Ed Kaiser, The Journal
Cowboy poker is a game of chicken where four cowboys sit around a table as a one-tonne bull with anger management issues is turned loose.
The last one sitting in his chair wins the prize. It usually doesn't take more than a minute.
On Friday, the bull stormed out of the gate, paused momentarily to view its victims, then stormed into the back of Travis Finkbeiner's chair. It came down to a contest between Lourance and Ponoka native Will Evans, but ended after Lourance gave Evans' chair a little push.
The slight movement of Evans' seat sent the bull barrelling straight towards him. "He pushed me, but I'll get him back tomorrow," Evans said.
The competitors drew from a deck of cards to see who sat where around the table.
Lourance, one of the most successful cowboy poker players in Canada, got a side seat but said he prefers to sit with his back to the chute that releases the bull.
"Ninety per cent of the time the bull comes out, takes a look and comes around to the side," he said.
There's no wonder why Lourance has racked up almost $20,000 in the event over the past seven years. His is literally a do-or-die strategy. "I have never (left my seat)," he said. "You've got an animal in the arena that's going to do what he wants, and there's nothing you can do about it. I just sit tight and hopefully it's not me that gets hit."
For organizer Ace Northcott, finding cowpokes crazy enough to participate is about as hard as getting the right bull. Most bulls won't attack a target that isn't moving.
"Either they naturally want to chase you or they don't," he said. "You just have to find the meanest bulls you can get and hope it works."
Both Lourance and Evans have only basic Alberta health care, but that doesn't stop them from stepping into the ring.
"It's an exciting, adrenaline-filled type of event," Evans said. "The money doesn't matter to me, it's just for the fun of it."
Some cowboys consider the stakes too high to throw their hats in the ring.
Bull rider Chad Besplug said he prefers to be on top of the bull rather than beside it.
"It's dumb," he said. "We're doing a sport. What they're doing is just reckless."
"It seems kind of stupid," Camrose native Brad McCarroll said. "It's dangerous. I'm a team roper, and that's not nearly as dangerous."
Fellow team roper Troy Fisher agrees.
"I'm really not afraid of bulls per se, but I think I have more respect for them," he said.
"They are not to be feared in their own element, but under those circumstances they are out looking for something, so I tend to stay out of their way."
The event continues at today's evening performance.
Source: Canada.com
Poker Chips Loaded with Lead
On Thursday a warning was issued by Arizona health regulators in reference to Paulson brand poker chips. The warning said that the chips in question could contain high levels of lead. A Phoenix TV station broadcast this same story the day before the warning was issued. The EPA limit for surface lead was exceeded in 200 chips tested for this. The CEO of Paulson then issued a statement saying that the chips, when used as intended, could not pose a health hazard, and that new chips will be reformulated to contain less lead.
Source: Launchpoker.com
Source: Launchpoker.com
Killing Sends Tremors Through City’s Illegal Poker Scene
For years, they have operated in the shadows of Manhattan. With names like Straddle, the Fairview, Playstation and the New York Players Club, they are remarkably well organized, but nonetheless illegal: poker clubs that attract thousands of players at all hours of the day and night.
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City Room Blog
The players run the gamut, from cabdrivers to retired accountants, with a remarkably large contingent of young, well-paid professionals — people who consider themselves law-abiding citizens and play only for the love of the calculated bluff or the well-played wager.
Their numbers have grown swiftly as poker has vaulted into the spotlight of American pop culture. Texas Hold ’Em tournaments compete for prime-time TV viewers, and the image of the dimly lighted, vaguely sinister poker game has claimed a favored spot in movies. (In a current thriller, “Michael Clayton,” George Clooney first appears on the screen as an emotionally taut player in a back-room poker club in Chinatown.)
In reality, Manhattan’s players are part of a secretive network of “members,” who can join games only after being vouched for by others. Once they are in, they make their way to small, unremarkable office buildings, passing security guards hired solely to protect the club, and enter a clean, well-lighted world of civilized, even businesslike gamesmanship, according to several players who were interviewed. Most agreed to speak only if their names were not disclosed because they did not want to attract the attention of the police.
“I have never seen anything like a criminal element,” said one, a 29-year-old producer for one of Manhattan’s best-known broadcasting companies who has been a regular in the poker clubs for five years. “It more closely resembles a retirement home bridge party.”
But that was hardly the atmosphere at 11 p.m. on Nov. 2, when armed robbers in masks forced their way into a crowded club called the City Limit that had been operating for less than two weeks in a seventh-floor office, above a gym, a graphics business and a real estate office, in an unadorned building at 28th Street and Fifth Avenue. One player, Frank DeSena, a former math professor from New Jersey who was a familiar and well-liked presence on the poker club scene, was killed by an intruder’s shotgun.
There have been no arrests in the case, and the police have declined to confirm published reports that the robbers pointed a gun at the head of a security guard to gain entry, and accidentally fired the shot that killed Mr. DeSena.
The killing led to an obvious conclusion — that armed criminals knew the location of at least one supposedly secret club — and sent tremors through the closed circle of Manhattan players and club operators.
“A week ago, there were two or three rooms operating in Manhattan, but now there are zero,” said Steven McLoughlin, a poker aficionado who moderates a poker discussion at twoplustwo.com and closely follows the Manhattan club scene. “You don’t know what can happen.”
A former employee of Playstation, which was one of the largest of the Manhattan clubs until it was closed in a police raid in 2005, said the killing of Mr. DeSena was “the kind of thing we always feared the most. People are really shaken, and this may make them think differently” about going to the clubs.
Nevertheless, it has attracted broad interest in a semisecret world that seems filled with contrasts: responsible adults slipping into clandestine locations like spies in the night, poker stakes of hundreds or thousands of dollars routinely won and lost in an atmosphere of warm conviviality, over pizza, and even milk and cookies, according to the players.
Of course, the profile offered by those who were interviewed in recent days may not fit all underground poker games in the city. High-stakes games in which some players cannot afford to lose, and could be threatened with physical violence if they do not make good on their losses, have historically been part of the gambling underworld and are unlikely to have faded completely from the scene. But the players interviewed said that the Manhattan clubs they frequented for years adhered to an almost universal set of rules: no liquor or drugs are allowed, no bets are accepted on credit, and no one allowed to play without passing muster among fellow players and being granted club membership, sometimes with a membership fee.
“There are regulars who probably spend too much time in these places, and that is sad to see,” said the broadcast producer. In his five years of experience, he said, there were about five clubs operating in Manhattan at any given time, and he had played at a total of 10, in commercial buildings on the Upper West Side, Midtown, Chelsea, the Flatiron District, the East Village and the West Village.
“But the overwhelming majority are not compulsive gamblers,” he said. “They do this as a way of blowing off steam, and that is healthier than sitting in front of the TV.”
Under state law, the operators and employees of the clubs can be arrested, but not the players. The law makes it illegal to “advance or profit from illegal gambling,” even if the operators do not take a cut of the winnings. They can be guilty simply by providing rented space as a poker club.
Police crackdowns have been periodic in New York City and across the region. On Wednesday night, officers shut down poker parlors in seven towns in Suffolk County, and seized more than $10,000 in cash.
On May 27, 2005, police officers in Manhattan shut down two clubs: Playstation, at 4-6 West 14th Street, and the New York Players Club, at 200 West 72nd Street. Each of the clubs had more than 100 players in attendance when the police arrived, and 39 employees, including dealers, waiters and security guards, were arrested.
But the police acknowledged at the time that they found no weapons, alcohol or drugs in the two clubs. At the New York Players Club, customers were offered valet parking. At Playstation, club waiters were serving Oreo and Chips Ahoy! cookies. The police said both clubs were incorporated businesses that followed fire codes.
The former employee of Playstation had worked at the club for three years, was covered by employee health insurance, paid taxes and was entitled to unemployment compensation after the club closed.
The people interviewed for this article would not say who sponsors and operates the Manhattan clubs, but insisted that there was no hint of involvement by organized crime. They said operators tended to be devoted poker players themselves, who rented office space and opened their clubs largely out of a love of the game and their friendships with other players.
In most cases, players said, they pay the operators based on the time they spend at a table. Few, if any, of the operators claim a portion of the poker winnings. “You sit at the table and every half-hour, or maybe every hour, a bell goes off meaning that everybody has to pay their rent,” said the producer. A typical charge, he said, was $8 an hour.
Despite the enthusiasm of players and their vigorous defense of the clubs, they said it remained to be seen how much of a chill would result from the recent killing. They said the sense of outrage among many players was heightened because Mr. DeSena, 55, was a popular player on the poker circuit.
“Frank was a poster child for the type of person they try to attract,” Mr. McLoughlin said. “He was a sweetheart of a man who always wanted to say hello to everybody, always wanted to shake everybody’s hand.”
“He was a skilled player, and when he lost a hand, he would simply smile,” Mr. McLoughlin said.
The former employee of Playstation said the episode seemed certain to keep players away for some time to come: “Maybe two years from now people will forget about it and come back. But I’m not a gambler myself, and who knows, maybe they’ll be back sooner than that.”
Source: NyTimes.com
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City Room Blog
The players run the gamut, from cabdrivers to retired accountants, with a remarkably large contingent of young, well-paid professionals — people who consider themselves law-abiding citizens and play only for the love of the calculated bluff or the well-played wager.
Their numbers have grown swiftly as poker has vaulted into the spotlight of American pop culture. Texas Hold ’Em tournaments compete for prime-time TV viewers, and the image of the dimly lighted, vaguely sinister poker game has claimed a favored spot in movies. (In a current thriller, “Michael Clayton,” George Clooney first appears on the screen as an emotionally taut player in a back-room poker club in Chinatown.)
In reality, Manhattan’s players are part of a secretive network of “members,” who can join games only after being vouched for by others. Once they are in, they make their way to small, unremarkable office buildings, passing security guards hired solely to protect the club, and enter a clean, well-lighted world of civilized, even businesslike gamesmanship, according to several players who were interviewed. Most agreed to speak only if their names were not disclosed because they did not want to attract the attention of the police.
“I have never seen anything like a criminal element,” said one, a 29-year-old producer for one of Manhattan’s best-known broadcasting companies who has been a regular in the poker clubs for five years. “It more closely resembles a retirement home bridge party.”
But that was hardly the atmosphere at 11 p.m. on Nov. 2, when armed robbers in masks forced their way into a crowded club called the City Limit that had been operating for less than two weeks in a seventh-floor office, above a gym, a graphics business and a real estate office, in an unadorned building at 28th Street and Fifth Avenue. One player, Frank DeSena, a former math professor from New Jersey who was a familiar and well-liked presence on the poker club scene, was killed by an intruder’s shotgun.
There have been no arrests in the case, and the police have declined to confirm published reports that the robbers pointed a gun at the head of a security guard to gain entry, and accidentally fired the shot that killed Mr. DeSena.
The killing led to an obvious conclusion — that armed criminals knew the location of at least one supposedly secret club — and sent tremors through the closed circle of Manhattan players and club operators.
“A week ago, there were two or three rooms operating in Manhattan, but now there are zero,” said Steven McLoughlin, a poker aficionado who moderates a poker discussion at twoplustwo.com and closely follows the Manhattan club scene. “You don’t know what can happen.”
A former employee of Playstation, which was one of the largest of the Manhattan clubs until it was closed in a police raid in 2005, said the killing of Mr. DeSena was “the kind of thing we always feared the most. People are really shaken, and this may make them think differently” about going to the clubs.
Nevertheless, it has attracted broad interest in a semisecret world that seems filled with contrasts: responsible adults slipping into clandestine locations like spies in the night, poker stakes of hundreds or thousands of dollars routinely won and lost in an atmosphere of warm conviviality, over pizza, and even milk and cookies, according to the players.
Of course, the profile offered by those who were interviewed in recent days may not fit all underground poker games in the city. High-stakes games in which some players cannot afford to lose, and could be threatened with physical violence if they do not make good on their losses, have historically been part of the gambling underworld and are unlikely to have faded completely from the scene. But the players interviewed said that the Manhattan clubs they frequented for years adhered to an almost universal set of rules: no liquor or drugs are allowed, no bets are accepted on credit, and no one allowed to play without passing muster among fellow players and being granted club membership, sometimes with a membership fee.
“There are regulars who probably spend too much time in these places, and that is sad to see,” said the broadcast producer. In his five years of experience, he said, there were about five clubs operating in Manhattan at any given time, and he had played at a total of 10, in commercial buildings on the Upper West Side, Midtown, Chelsea, the Flatiron District, the East Village and the West Village.
“But the overwhelming majority are not compulsive gamblers,” he said. “They do this as a way of blowing off steam, and that is healthier than sitting in front of the TV.”
Under state law, the operators and employees of the clubs can be arrested, but not the players. The law makes it illegal to “advance or profit from illegal gambling,” even if the operators do not take a cut of the winnings. They can be guilty simply by providing rented space as a poker club.
Police crackdowns have been periodic in New York City and across the region. On Wednesday night, officers shut down poker parlors in seven towns in Suffolk County, and seized more than $10,000 in cash.
On May 27, 2005, police officers in Manhattan shut down two clubs: Playstation, at 4-6 West 14th Street, and the New York Players Club, at 200 West 72nd Street. Each of the clubs had more than 100 players in attendance when the police arrived, and 39 employees, including dealers, waiters and security guards, were arrested.
But the police acknowledged at the time that they found no weapons, alcohol or drugs in the two clubs. At the New York Players Club, customers were offered valet parking. At Playstation, club waiters were serving Oreo and Chips Ahoy! cookies. The police said both clubs were incorporated businesses that followed fire codes.
The former employee of Playstation had worked at the club for three years, was covered by employee health insurance, paid taxes and was entitled to unemployment compensation after the club closed.
The people interviewed for this article would not say who sponsors and operates the Manhattan clubs, but insisted that there was no hint of involvement by organized crime. They said operators tended to be devoted poker players themselves, who rented office space and opened their clubs largely out of a love of the game and their friendships with other players.
In most cases, players said, they pay the operators based on the time they spend at a table. Few, if any, of the operators claim a portion of the poker winnings. “You sit at the table and every half-hour, or maybe every hour, a bell goes off meaning that everybody has to pay their rent,” said the producer. A typical charge, he said, was $8 an hour.
Despite the enthusiasm of players and their vigorous defense of the clubs, they said it remained to be seen how much of a chill would result from the recent killing. They said the sense of outrage among many players was heightened because Mr. DeSena, 55, was a popular player on the poker circuit.
“Frank was a poster child for the type of person they try to attract,” Mr. McLoughlin said. “He was a sweetheart of a man who always wanted to say hello to everybody, always wanted to shake everybody’s hand.”
“He was a skilled player, and when he lost a hand, he would simply smile,” Mr. McLoughlin said.
The former employee of Playstation said the episode seemed certain to keep players away for some time to come: “Maybe two years from now people will forget about it and come back. But I’m not a gambler myself, and who knows, maybe they’ll be back sooner than that.”
Source: NyTimes.com
dinsdag 30 oktober 2007
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