Five great reasons to watch reruns of the World Series of Poker

World Series of Poker Reruns (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic) Even if you know how the tournament will end, there’s still great joy in watching the WSOP of years past over and over again.

Here are five reasons why you shouldn’t be ashamed to load up the TIVO!
1. Great drama.

Every hand is like a mini-episode of The Sopranos. There’s drama, comedy, tension, the highest highs and the lowest lows.

2. It’s educational.

You can learn a lot by watching how each player handles their cards, lures in their opponents and then goes for the kill. Poker on TV is great because there so much you to see that can be to incorporated into your own game (with the NFL, not so much).

3. Interesting people.

The short bio vignettes offer an interesting look at the lives of professional gamblers. While we all think it’s the easy life, these video clips show us how much work goes into getting to the final table.

4. Transports you to the happiest place on Earth.

Maybe you couldn’t afford to get to Vegas this year, but watching the WSOP lets you live vicariously through those whose wives let them go.

5. It’s in HD baby!

Not every wants to see Phil Hellmuth’s three o’clock shadow in 1080p, but for everyone else, the high-def coverage of the last few WSOP tournaments have really brought it to life.

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Tired of pure Texas Hold ‘Em? Spice up your game with these variations!

Everybody loves Texas Hold ‘Em. And with good reason: there’s no purer, more action-packed version of poker in the world. But when you’re ready to mix things up a little bit, try one of these variations of the classic Hold ‘Em format:

Eight Ball Hold ‘em.
This game is played the same as standard 7-card Texas Hold ‘em except that all players receive 3 hole cards at the beginning of the game (instead of 2).
Pineapple. The same game as above, with the exception that before the hand begins, each player must discard one of their 3 hole cards. After that, the game plays the same as standard Hold ‘em.
Tahoe. Another variation on the Eight Ball game. In this version, players keep all 3 hole cards, but at the end of the game, can only use two of the three cards to make their hand (with the community cards).

Double Flop Hold ‘em.
In this wacky game, two sets of community cards are flopped throughout the course of the game. Players can use either of the sets of community cards (but not both) and do not reveal which one they are using until all bets are called at the end of the game.

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5 Must-Read Poker Books

Few games are captured more effectively by the written word than poker. Whether it’s tall tales of high stakes games, the memoirs of colorful characters, or simply hand-by-hand strategies for winning, everyone loves a good poker-read.

Here are five of the books that should be in every poker lover’s collection:

1. Super/System I & Super/System II (Doyle Brunson). Mixing unforgettable stories of a life in poker with top strategies for winning, these giant volumes remain popular decades after they were released. Brunson is a master at simplifying complicated concepts and breaking down “trade secrets” so that everyone can use them in their own game.

2. The Biggest Game in Town (A. Alvarez). Before the World Series of Poker was a television event, this author took his own money and slightly above-average poker skills and put them up against the best in the world at the then little-known WSOP. Alvarez’s stories of the great players in attendance, the character that was Benny Binion, and his own blow-by-blow account of his play all make this book unforgettable.

3. Poker Essays (Mason Malmuth) This collection of short, easy-to-read essays cover every facet of the game: from mid-hand strategies to bankroll management. What makes it special is the way each story is delivered, using an anecdotal style that transports the reader to the smoky card room where the game in question likely went down.

4. One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey “The Kid” Ungar, The World’s Greatest Poker Player (Nolan Dalla) There will never be another poker player like Stu Ungar. A true mathematical genius, Ungar was a troubled prodigy who lost as many battles with addiction as he did win tournaments. This is the story of a once-in-a-lifetime talent, that is also a cautionary tale about the nature of addiction and self-destructive behavior.

5. Phil Gordon’s Little Black Book (Phil Gordon) Few books combine poker strategies with a hard look at what it takes to “live the life” of a professional card player better than the Little Black Book. Gordon helps the aspiring player prepare for the rigors of the game, not only in terms of probabilities, but psychologically as well. (Also see the author’s Little Green Book and Little Red Book for more invaluable tips from the felt.).

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Profiles of women in poker: Jennifer Tilly

The first time Jennifer Tilly sat down at a professional poker tournament, the event was likely met with odd stares and questions ranging from "What is SHE doing here?" or "Wasn't she in that movie where Jim Carrey couldn’t stop lying?" or "Did she get lost on her way to the Roulette table?" But several hours later there's a good chance the consensus opinion was, “Damn, that woman can play poker!”

Jennifer Tilly has starred in a variety of films – some of them cult favorites, others just out and out bad. And while her exotic beauty and sexy voice helped her achieve a moderate level of success in Hollywood, nobody could have foreseen that her greatest role would come in real life, as a top level Texas Hold ‘Em player on the professional circuit.

Since she joined the ranks of Chris “Jesus” Ferguson and Phil Hellmuth, Tilly has earned the right to be taken seriously as a card player. She’s earned almost a half million dollars playing around the world and has a World Series of Poker bracelet to show for her efforts.

With her outgoing personality and high-profile “day job” as an actress, Jennifer Tilly has helped raise awareness of the game of poker and inspired countless women to find their own place at the upper-levels of the game.

All we know is, whenever Jennifer’s playing, we’ve got plenty of good reasons to watch.

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Poker slang you need to know – Part I

Poker slang you need to know – Part I

Do you want to play poker like a pro? Then you better learn to talk like a pro! The terms below, along with stacks and stack of chips, are what separate the big time players from the busted bankroll crowd.

All-in – Putting all your chips into the pot in a no-limit game.

Bad Beat – Losing with a great hand to an even better one. (For example, your full house losing to your opponent’s four of a kind. “Ouch! Bad beat.”)

Big Fish – An unintelligent player who spends (and loses) his money freely. (Note: beware, it may be you!)

Big Slick – Being dealt ace-king in the hole. One of the post powerful opening hands in Texas Hold ‘Em.

Dead Man’s Hand – 2 pair: Ace’s and 8’s. So named because it was the hand Will Bill Hickok was holding when he was shot down.

The Flop – The first three community cards shown in a game of Hold ‘Em.

Fourth Street – The fourth community card shown in a game of Hold ‘Em

Loose player – The kind of poker player who takes a lot of chances. This is the guy who stays in until the end of the hand at the microscopic hope of catching his inside straight.

Pocket Rockets – Being dealt two aces in the hole. (Ah, sweet! Now don’t blow it…)

The River – The final community card revealed in a game of Hold ‘Em.

Tilt – A player who has lost the ability to make good decisions at the table, and is losing their money fast, is considered to be “tilting” or “on tilt”.

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Tips for how to be a better poker bluffer

Tips for how to be a better poker bluffer

It is a well-known poker axiom that the person with the best hand does not always win. The player who knows how to bluff effectively can bring home just as much money in a night, even if they’re never dealt a pair-in-the-hole, big slick or any other worthy opening hand.

Here are some basic rules for the up-and-coming bluffer. Practice these skills and bust them out the next time you hit the felt!

1. If there looks like there is a flush working on the table, bluff as if you have it. This is an easy one for you to get other players to buy into. Make a nice bet when the third of a suit is flopped.


2. Bet big against indecision. If another player is looking wishy-washy, and seems like he needs a reason to fold, why not give him one with a BIG bet?


3. Study your opposition. It only takes a few rounds to learn the general tendencies of your fellow players, and get a handle on how easy or difficult a target they will be for your bluffs.


4. Don’t bluff with “loose players” still in the hand. If you know one guy who stays in until the end in the hope of pulling his hand on the river, there’s no way he’s going to fall victim to your bluff. Play with the tight players instead.


5. Don’t bother bluffing in low-limit games. If the stakes are low, there’s less of a motivation to fold. Save your bluffing for the bigger money games where people genuinely have to make some tough decisions.


6. Only bluff smart players! It may seem counter-intuitive, but frankly, dumb players don’t even realize when they’re being bluffed. And don’t you know they going to be the ones to get lucky on the river and beat you anyway.


7. Bluff from one of the late positions on the table. This way, you can get a good handle on how other people feel about their hands before you jump in. Bluffing from an early position is too risky.

Now that you’ve got your bluffing strategy in order, invite everyone over for a game. Just don’t forget to visit www.pokerchest.com for an incredible selection of chips, tables, cards and other must-have poker accessories

Clay Poker Chips - Composite Poker Chips

Clay Poker Chips - Composite Poker Chips

Phil Hellmuth is the brat of poker

Phil Hellmuth is the brat of poker.

There are few individuals in the world of professional poker as entertaining as Phil Hellmuth. With his dramatic bad beat hissy-fits and unending trash-talk, the self-proclaimed “brat of poker” was instant sensation when televised tournaments began to rise in popularity. Behind the veneer however lies a true poker talent who has enjoyed a tremendous run of success since he dropped out of the University of Wisconsin to play professionally.

Hellmuth’s career highlights include:

• Won the main event at the World Series of Poker at 24 – the youngest player to do so.
  
• Is one of only three players to bring home three gold WSOP bracelets in one year.
  
• Remains the only player to achieve the incredible accomplishment of winning three straight WSOP tournaments over three consecutive days (he did it in 1993).

Over this period, Hellmuth has used his bravado and marketing know-how to turn himself into a fully-fledged poker brand, with a series of popular books, CDs, DVDs and more.

There’s likely no end in sight for Phil Hellmuth, who has already seen his career earnings top $7,000,000.

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Most common mistakes losing poker players make

Most common mistakes losing poker players make



It was once said, if look around the room at a card game and can’t spot the sucker…you’re it. To help you live a sucker-free life as a poker player, we offer you the following list of common mistakes that are sure to land you on the wrong end of a cash game.

Common poker mistakes

Don’t go in every hand. Great players pick their spots, and spend most of the game studying their opponents and learning their behaviors before moving in for the kill.

Don’t play passively. If you have a leading hand, don’t give away cards for free. Play from your strengths, not out of fear.

Don’t over-bluff. Simply put, the more you bluff, the less effective they are. People have memories, you know.

Don’t play in a game you can’t afford. If you’re worried about losing your shirt on a single hand, you won’t make good decisions. Find a cash game that meets your budget, and make sure your bankroll is an amount you can afford to lose!

Don’t forget to watch the other players. The greatest players in the world make their fortune by studying and dissecting their opponents. Keeping mental tabs on how those seated around you play their hands will reap big rewards in the end.

Don’t fight the math. The more you ignore the odds of drawing into a particular hand, the more likely you are to lose over time. Sure, you may get lucky and hit a flush here and there, but playing against the odds over time is like fighting Mother Nature…you’re doomed to fail.

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10 cool facts about poker

10 cool facts about poker

Nixon Poker Face... :)

Everybody knows a flush beats a straight and a four-of-a-kind beats a full house, but how many of you know all these interesting facts about poker and its origins?

1. The first recorded instances of poker in the United States came around 1820, in New Orleans. The game spread to the rest of country by riverboat – where gambling was the top on-ship activity.



2. The first poker played in the U.S. featured a 20-card deck. The now-standard 52-card English deck was incorporated just before the Civil War.



3. During World War II, Richard Nixon won $6,000 playing poker when he was in the U.S. Navy. He used the money to fund his first run for Congress.



4. In 1937, a fifth suit was added to the game of poker, but it was quickly abandoned because people were forced to buy new decks of cards



5. “The Dead Man’s Hand” (2 pair, Aces and Eights) refers to the hand Wild Bill Hickock was holding when he was shot and killed during a poker game.



6. Being dealt a ten and a two is referred to as a “Doyle Brunson” in reference to the hand the great player was dealt when he won each of his back-to-back World Series of Poker titles.



7. 70 million decks of playing cards are sold every year, and most of them are used for poker!



8. Warren Harding, the 29th President of the United States, loved the game so much that he played twice a week during his term in office.



9. Despite signing the bill that prohibited electronic gambling transactions, current President George W. Bush was known as a skilled poker player while attending Harvard Business School.



10. The first World Series of Poker was a small, invitation only affair held in 1968 at the Holiday Hotel and Casino in Reno.

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5 Mind-blowing Poker Chip Trick Videos, and how you can learn them too

5 Mind-blowing Poker Chip Trick Videos, and how you can learn them too

You know the guy.  As he mulls over his hand, he starts fiddling with his checks.  But we’re not just talking about random stacking and restacking here.  He moves single chips through his fingers, produces four chips in the web of his hand, makes chips walk-the-dog along the rim of the table, shuffles them with one hand, etc.  It’s all amazing stuff, designed to intimidate.  Well, get ready to kick it up a notch for yourself with these sick poker chip trick videos and helpful tips on how to do them with ease.

1. Poker Chip Tricks By 21ace

College kids, get back to work!  You think your parents are paying 20 large a year for you to play with chips all day?  (Cool moves, though)

1. ZaKRoM's Poker Chip Tricks 2

If you’re at the office, turn down the volume unless you coworkers love Death-Metal.

1. A classic trick with a hilarious host.

I’m sorry, which one is the index finger again?

1. No, really.  Let’s learn how to stack chips like a pro.

Here’s the non-stoner version of how to get it done.

1. Top Poker Chip Tricks Compilation

One more look at some of the classics, delivered with suave British cool by a guy sitting on his bed in a tiny flat for some reason.  Low production values, great tricks!



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Play Free Online Video Poker

Game Description

Play free online video poker. Build your best poker hand in this addictive casino game. It's fake money, so go totally Poker-crazy. Press "Deal" to draw five cards and choose which cards to hold or discard. The machine replaces your discards and pays you off according to the value of your hand (using play money).

Great moments in Poker History: Doyle’s Brunson’s Super/System is published

Great moments in Poker History: Doyle’s Brunson’s Super/System is published



Doyle Brunson, arguably poker’s answer to Jack Nicklaus or Arnold Palmer, was riding high on the professional card player’s circuit when, in 1979, he wrote Super/System, the epic guide to playing the game correctly. It was the first real book to outline a serious poker-playing strategy and it catapulted Brunson into the world-wide poker spotlight. How popular was the book? It is still being carried around today by big time pros, many of whom weren’t even born when it was published. The book actually caused a significant furor when it was released, as many of Brunson’s fellow pros thought he gave away too many of their secrets, thus allowing the rest of the world to gain equal footing in tournaments and high-stakes games. Nonetheless, the poker stories and top-notch strategy sessions make for an unforgettable read, even now, 30 years later.

To polish your game, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy today. And to build a home game that would make Doyle proud, visit www.pokerchest.com for chips, tables, cards and other accessories to help you play like a pro.

What Happens in Vegas - Great New Movie !

What happens in Vegas (2008)

Set in Sin City, story revolves around two people who discover they've gotten married following a night of debauchery, with one of them playing a slot machine and winning a huge jackpot after playing the other's quarter. Unhappy pair try to undermine each other and get their hands on the money -- falling in love along the way.

Watch trailer:

Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

Theatrical Release: May 9, 2008 Wide
Box Office: $20,172,474

Synopsis:

Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher star as strangers who unwittingly end up as bride and groom in this comedy. When one of them strikes it rich after playing the other person's coin, the pair gets married. But all's fair in love and war--and Las Vegas--as each of them tries to get the money.... [More]

Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher star as strangers who unwittingly end up as bride and groom in this comedy. When one of them strikes it rich after playing the other person's poker chip, the pair gets married. But all's fair in love and war--and Las Vegas--as each of them tries to get the money.

Genre: Comedies

Starring: Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Dennis Farina, Michelle Krusiec

Director: Tom Vaughan
Screenwriter: Dana Fox
Producer: Jimmy Miller, Shawn Levy, Michael Aguilar, Arnon Milchan
Composer: Christophe Beck

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Chris Moneymaker – The Man Who Changed Poker Forever

He wasn’t as graceful as Kobe, or as naturally gifted as Tiger, but five years ago he changed the face of one of the greatest sports in the world. His name was Chris Moneymaker, and he saddled into the 2003 World Series of Poker as an unknown accountant from Tennessee, and left a champion…and an inspiration to millions of other online players who believed that with just a few buy-ins and a little nerve, they too could wear the WSOP bracelet. Moneymaker kicked off the “Hey, I can do that!” era of poker, and although the online poker boom has come and gone, this attitude still resonates in living rooms and casinos across the county. Chris Moneymaker has brought more people to the table – and kept them there to play more hands, improve their skills, and hone their craft. He’s been good for the game, even if he doesn’t have an athlete’s physique.

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Online poker is dead. Long live the Home Game!

The online poker boom was both a blessing and a curse for the game of poker itself. On the one hand, it introduced countless millions of people to our beloved game, showing them how much fun a little game of Texas Hold ‘Em could be. But on the other hand, it shut us all off in our apartments, chained us to our PC’s and killed the social aspect of the game.

Well, now that the Kyl Bill has all but completely ended the Internet poker scene (in the U.S. anyway) the best way to satisfy your Poker Jones is to gather up some friends, send your wife to the movies and kick-start the home game you abandoned five years ago for PartyPoker.com.

The Home Game is back baby, and it’s looking sweeter than ever!

Don’t wait another minute. Pick up the phone and call your buddies. Set up a game and rejuvenate poker the way it was meant to be played.

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BRING IT HOME BABY!!

This summer bring the fun of Las Vegas to the comfort of your own home! At www.pokerchest.com we can accomodate you with all your poker and gambling neccesities. From poker tables, poker chips, cards, shufflers, dices..you name it, we have it!!

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- Mothers Day Gift Ideas -

If your mom is a poker player, enhance her poker playing this mothers day with our great poker and gambling suppplies! Here are some gift ideas....visit our site for all your poker needs.
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SpadeClub to Giveaway Four $12,000 World Series of Poker Main Event Seats

SpadeClub will award its Exclusive members four seats to poker's most prestigious tournaments this summer LAS VEGAS/PRNewswire/ -- SpadeClub announces the WSOP 40K Giveaway which will award four World Series of Poker* main event seats toits Exclusive members between June and July. SpadeClub members can competeduring the June and July $40,000 mega monthly events, on June 1 and June 29respectively, for a World Series of Poker Main Event prize package consisting of a $10,000 buy- in and $2,000 in travel expenses. SpadeClub offers more than $100,000 in cash prizes every month,extensive community features, and tools and tips to improve poker play for FREE. Members enjoy everything from creating a player profile andparticipating in free daily poker tournaments to the recognition as a topplayer amongst SpadeClub's leader boards. The winners of the WSOP 40K Giveaway will represent the entireSpadeClub community at the 2008 World Series of Poker. SpadeClub will thenhost a freeroll poker tournament for the SpadeClub community with a growing prize pool based on how well the players perform at the main event. Players who make it to the final table of the main event will be offered a player contract from SpadeClub valued up to $250,000 a year for 10 years! Barry Shulman, CEO of SpadeClub, states "To compete in the World Series of Poker is every poker player's dream and Spade Club is making it apossibility for all our valued members. We're excited to provide ourcommunity with opportunities to win millions at poker's most prestigiousevent." About SpadeClub: SpadeClub provides a new online poker experience that combines competitive poker play with the ability to win cash prizes and developpoker skills in a social networking environment for poker enthusiasts ofevery level. SpadeClub is powered by Card Player Media, the leading mediaresource, with more than 20 years of service in the poker industry, andpublisher of Card Player and Card Player Europe. All products of Card Player Media, such as SpadeClub, are U.S. owned and operated. * World Series of Poker and WSOP are trademarks of Harrah's License Company, LLC ("Harrah's"). Harrah's does not sponsor or endorse, and is notassociated or affiliated with, SpadeClub or its products, services,promotions or tournaments.

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