Poker Player Profile: Phil Ivey

Although jealousy may be a sin, it’s hard not to lust after Phil Ivey’s life. Young, good looking and with over $7 million dollars in tournament winnings under his belt, Phil seemingly has it all going for him.

When the poker explosion hit mainstream media, Ivey was there to pounce. His phenomenal card playing skills and killer instinct was enhanced by a handsome mug that soon got him dubbed “The Tiger Woods of Poker” by writers around the world. While it’s good to be the Tiger Woods of anything, we can imagine that Phil took it all in stride. That’s just how he rolls.

His aggressive playing style have netted him five WSOP bracelets to date, and at the ripe old age of 32, there’s no reason to believe he won’t be adding more jewelry to his collection in the years to come.

Fast Facts about Phil:

Fast Facts about Phil:

· Where you’ll see him when he’s not at the poker table: courtside at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, watching his beloved Lakers ball up another opponent.
· Where he fine-tuned his aggressive style: as a top-performing telemarketer
· Tournament accessory of choice: Apple iPod

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Great Poker Videogames

The next generation of videogame consoles and game-friendly PC’s has made it easier than ever to hone your poker skills in between money games. Intense computer AI and immersive game play have made these games a true revolution in poker gaming. Here’s a look at some of the best in the business!

World Series of Poker (Multiple Consoles)

The officially licensed videogame of the WSOP, this deep simulation features a variety of tournament events and lets you play online against friends or other poker lovers from around the world.

High Stakes Poker on the Vegas Strip (PS3)

This budget title lets you play five different games online or offline. The ability to use the PS3’s camera to upload your photo is cool, but the solid computer player AI is what will really keep you coming back for more here.

World Championship Poker (DS)

One of the best handheld poker videogames on the market, this little cartridge actually boasts 16 different poker varieties and full tutorials for all of them to help boost your skills. Most games for the DS run for the younger crowd, but if you can pry the thing away from your child for a few hours, pop this is and let the chips fly!

World Championship Poker 2: Featuring Howard Lederer (PSP)

The perfect game for Sony’s handheld game player, this title plays a solid game of Hold ‘Em and features some useful tutorials from poker pro Howard Lederer. If you’ve got a long flight ahead, and a PSP, it’s worth your time to pick it up!

For everything you need to hold a real, non-virtual game, visit www.pokerchest.com where you’ll find an incredible selection of chips, tables, cards and other must-have poker accessories.

The Five Worst Things We Got From The Poker Boom

After golf peaked in the general American consciousness, poker was there to fill in the gap. But the rise in mainstream poker popularity was short-lived. Those who loved the game are still there, but now have to deal with some of the residual effects of that crazy time.

The five worst things we got from the poker boom:

1. Online players who thought they knew the game. While it is fun to take their money, guys who constantly chase cards and require a little plastic index card to remember “what beats what” are just plain no fun to play with. The online poker boom created an army of these folks and released them on the world.

2. Gambling addicts. In all seriousness, online poker was way too accessible for many individuals who had trouble controlling their gambling habits. With hands moving many times faster than live poker, this was the crack cocaine of poker.

3. Too much poker on TV. We all love the World Series of Poker. Heck, the WPT tournaments are nice, slick productions as well. But do we really celebrity tournaments, ladies-only events and hour after hour of televised heads up play? Thanks to the sudden rise of the sport, like it or not, that’s what we got.

4. The Kyl Bill. Arizona Senator Jon Kyl was the author of this bill that essentially put an end to internet poker as we know it the United States. The bill, which made it illegal for banks to allow their credit cards to be used for gaming transactions, was a good thing for compulsive gamblers (see above), but a downer for anyone who wanted to pick up and play without having to put on pants.

5. Celebrity players. Unless we’re talking about Jennifer Tilly (whose movie career was a little suspect before her poker career anyway), the celebs who came out and start playing poker during the boom period were lame at best. Ben Affleck, Tobey McGuire, Matt Damon, Jennifer Garner and others all looked like folks who had too much money and/or time on their hands, and were stealing seats from guys trying to make a legitimate living at the game.

For the BEST things about poker, visit http://www.pokerchest.com/ where you’ll find an incredible selection of chips, tables, cards and other must-have poker accessories.

Variations on Draw Poker

From the pre-Hold ‘em archive comes these variations on the classic game of 5-card draw. Hey, it’s the first game you ever learned how to play…don’t you think it’s time for a facelift?

WARNING: The mere suggestion of some of these games may result in being shouted off of the table and sent out in the freezing cold for a beer run.

Baseball. Standard 5-card draw, where 3’s and 9’s are wild.

Night baseball. Same as Baseball, but 3’s, 7’s and 9’s are wild.

Double Draw. If you’re looking for bigger hands, give this one a spin by simply adding another draw and round of betting after the initial draw-bet sequence.

Triple Draw. Yeah, you guessed it: one more draw means super-colossal hands for all!

Lowball. It’s standard 5-card draw rules here, but the lowest hand wins the pot. (Lowest hands = 6-4-3-2-1, 6-5-4-3-1, etc.). For additional wackiness, throw in the double or triple draw rules into the Lowball game.

Jacks or Better. In this 5-card draw variation, you must have at least a pair of jacks in your hand to open. If nobody has the jacks or better, everyone tosses in their cards and the hand is re-dealt.

Jacks or Better, Trips to Win. Same as above, EXCEPT you will need to be holding at least a three-of-a-kind in order to bring home the money at the end of the hand. If nobody has trips at the end, those who did not fold are dealt into a new game (with the pot carrying over into the next hand).

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Poker player profile: Chris “Jesus” Ferguson

How can you NOT love Chris “Jesus” Ferguson? Awesome nickname? Check. Kick-ass table persona? Got it? Millions in the bank from tournament wins and smart endorsement deals? Yup-yup. If there was a Mount Rushmore for the greats of the modern game of professional poker, you’d have to clear a space for Jesus – wraparound shades and all.

A master bluffer, Chris Ferguson was practically born without a “tell”. Even without his trademark sunglasses and oversized hat, the guy is next to impossible to read. Just ask fellow poker legend T.J. Cloutier, who Chris defeated to win the main event championship at the 2001 World Series of Poker.

Ferguson used that high-profile WSOP victory as a springboard to world-wide fame and fortune. He’s racked up over $7,000,000 in earnings to date and was one of the co-creators of the wildly successful online poker site Full Tilt Poker.

All this from a geeky guy who received his PhD in Computer Science at UCLA after 13 years of staying buried in the books. Guess grad school does pay!

Unlike some of the other A-list poker players out there, we love Chris Ferguson because he seems so accessible – the type of fellow you could share a beer with, and be regaled with stories of amazing head-to-head matches.

Here’s to Chris and his one-of-a-kind poker style, and here’s to www.pokerchest.com, your online superstore for an incredible selection of chips, tables, cards and other must-have poker accessories.

Five great things to come out of the poker boom

Ah, memories. It was just a few short years ago, when you couldn’t step outside without running into two guys who had qualified for the WSOP. The internet was flush with players, poker movies were being green-lit in Hollywood, and it seemed like the sky was the limit. Then, the roof caved in. Online poker became a no-no in the U.S. and the TV ratings began to plummet. Poker, for better or worse returned to those who loved it in the first place.

But it wasn’t all bittersweet memories. Here are five awesome things that the poker boom left behind (and why we’re grateful it did!):

1. More fish in the sea.
After poker became a mainstream sensation, there were more guppies in the tank that at all the Pet Smart stores in the world combined. And experienced players came right in and took their money – especially online where the games were plentiful and there was always a credit card handy to replenish chip supply. Many of these fish still remain, in a never-ending, never-successful attempt to improve their game.

2. More poker on TV.
Although the number of shows has tapered off a bit, there’s still lots of great poker on TV to choose from. The poker fan no longer must wait until annual snippets from the 1999 WSOP appear magically on ESPN2 at 3:30 AM.

3. A rebirth of great poker writing.
The New Yorker, Esquire, The New York Times and countless great fiction and memoir writers all turned their attention to our grand game. And although the huddled masses are no longer around, the literature remains for our reading pleasure.

4. More tournaments.
Stop by any poker room these days and you’ll find a couple of quick sit and go options mixed in with the week’s big tournaments. The popularity of poker has proven to casinos that there’s money to be made in the rake from these added events than adding a couple of extra blackjack tables on any given night.

5. Nice poker rooms.
In the 12 – 18 months following the height of the poker boom, casinos in Las Vegas and around the world sank millions into refurbishing their poker rooms. What had once been the nastiest, most neglected spot in the joint, now looked like the high-stakes baccarat room in a James Bond movie. The rooms are still there…now with even more table openings!

Go where poker is ALWAYS in fashion. Visit www.pokerchest.com for an incredible selection of chips, tables, cards and other must-have poker accessories.

Coming later this week: The top 5 WORST things to come out of the poker boom.
Don’t you dare miss it!

Profiles of women in poker: Annie Duke

Women who graduate from Columbia University usually find themselves at the corner office of major law firms, or heading up successful medical practices in major cities throughout the country. If you’re Annie Duke however, you took your smarts and put them to work at the poker table. A ruthless, highly-intelligent player, Duke has moved removed the term “women” from the title “One of the best women poker players in the world”.

Duke’s humble beginning led to learning the game by necessity. When she and her husband first started their family, they were struggling to make ends meet in Montana, living check to check as both tried to jump start their respective careers. Always a good card player, Annie started playing in backroom games around town to earn a little money, honing her craft along the way. She made enough to get the family on its feet (and then some) and at age 42, she’s got a WSOP title and almost $1,500,000 in career earnings under her belt.

Annie Duke’s life has never been easy, but it certainly has been inspiring. When the poker boom hit, Annie turned her new found popularity into a best-selling autobiography, “Annie Duke: How I Raised, Folded, Bluffed, Flirted, Cursed and Won Millions at the World Series of Poker”, and even gained a fan in A-lister Ben Affleck, who became her star poker pupil during his own quest for a WSOP championship.

Annie Duke remains one of the most recognized faces in the world of professional poker.

Play like a pro! Visit www.pokerchest.com for an incredible selection of chips, tables, cards and other must-have poker accessories!