Saturday, March 29, 2008
Female casino execs find career paths
"My predecessor never went out of his office," Clark said. "I wanted them to see me in a different light. I wanted them to see the human side of me."
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Friday, March 28, 2008
A poker game as simple as 1-2-3
I stood and watched a game in the casino called three-card poker. Because the table stayed full most of the night, I will have to wait until my next trip to try it. Meantime, how about a column on the game? Caroline F.
Three-card poker is a poker-based game that uses just three cards per hand and is played on a blackjack table. Major differences from poker: No further cards are drawn, and players do not compete against each other, but against either the dealer, or against a posted payout schedule.
Regarding the table layout, there are three betting spots in front of each player. Furthest from the player is a betting spot marked "pair plus." In the middle is the spot labeled "ante," and closest to the player is one marked "play." The only bets allowed in three-card poker involve one or more of these three spots.
To begin play, a player puts his wager either on "ante," wagering that the player's hand will outrank the dealer's hand, or on "pair," wagering that the player's hand will hold one pair or better. To double their pleasure, players may wager on both spots. Each player and dealer are then dealt three cards apiece, face down.
After examining the hand, the player can do either of two things: Fold, withdrawing from that round and forfeiting the "ante" wager; or place a bet on the "play" box equal to the "ante" sum. Side note: If the player wagered on both the "ante" and the "pair plus" (see below), and then had to fold old, both wagers are lost.
Another opening bet is on the "pair plus." On this wager, it doesn't matter one iota if the player's hand can whip the dealer's. This is a stand-alone wager with the payout based solely on the rank of the three-card hand. If less than a pair, the player loses. With a pair or higher, it's win-time, and the higher the rank, the greater the payout. Here is the payout schedule for "pair plus" wagers: A pair: 1 to 1 A flush: 4 to 1 A straight: 6 to 1 Three of a kind: 30 to 1 A straight flush: 40 to 1 Once a player posts the wager(s), the dealer checks his cards. The dealer's hand must contain at least a Queen or better to qualify and challenge the player's hand. Otherwise, the dealer is forced to fold and pay the "ante" wagers even money (1 to 1). The "play" bet is returned to the player. If the dealer's hand qualifies (Queen or better), the player's cards are opened and compared with the dealer's. If the dealer's hand is better than the player's hand, the player loses both the "ante" and the "play" wagers. If the player's hand is superior to the dealer's, then the dealer pays the player 1 to 1 for both the "ante" and the "play" wagers. Furthermore, Caroline, even if you had not bet on the "pair plus" but still received a respectable hand, you'd win the following bonus payment on the "ante" wager: Straight: 1 to 1 Three of a kind: 4 to 1 Straight flush: 5 to 1 As for betting strategy, most experts believe you should not make the "play" wager unless you have at least a queen, six, and a four in your hand. Using this approach, the house edge on the "ante" wager is about 2.1 percent, with the "pair plus" slightly higher at 2.3 percent. As you can see, Caroline, the game is extremely easy to play and has a tolerable casino advantage. Let me know how you come out on your next casino visit. Gambling quote of the week: "The guy supervising the games asks me if I'd like anything. Yea, I say, a gun to kill the dealer." Barry Meadows, "Blackjack Autumn" For Best Gaming Materials visit us at:
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Thursday, March 27, 2008
Foxwoods Poker Classic Starts with a Bang
The Foxwoods Poker Classic started off on a great note when it's first event, a $300 no-limit hold'em modified shootout tournament, attracted 1,390 entrants to generate a prize pool of $350,558.
Vinny Pahuja earned $75,000 and was declared the winner of the event after a deal was made with five players left. Pahuja at this time had a four-to-one chip lead over everyone left. This event offered players an interesting version of the shootout events that have become popular through online poker.
The first day had two different starting flights, wherein the top three players from each table advanced to the 4 p.m. session in which they started with 5,000 in chips. These players then played down the final table using a standard freezeout format. The final 10 finishers and their payouts follow:
- Vinny Pahuja — $75,000*
- Will Failla — $29,890*
- Daniele Mancuso — $29,890*
- Tiffany Williamson — $29,890*
- Kevin Madeira — $29,890*
- David Gelley — $12,269
- Marco Pimental — $8,763
- Steven Lee — $6,134
- Andrew Nannery — $4,381
- Jeffrey White — $3,505
* Payout reflects a five-way even chop with $45,110 extra left for the eventual winner.
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Monday, March 24, 2008
Famous Poker Player - Jamie Gold
Jamie Gold, a professional poker player who hails from Malibu, California, is one of the biggest stars in the world of poker.
Name: Jamie Gold
Location:
Cashes: 15
Total Winnings: $12,161,719
First Place Finishes: 2
WSOP Bracelets: 1
Favorite Poker Game:
His winnings after his WSOP championship - in which he took the pot in the 2006 tournament - totaled over twelve million, bringing him national acclaim as the biggest winner in poker history.
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Thursday, March 20, 2008
Lucky Dog Poker: Don't be leery of heads-up action
If you play tournament poker, your success ultimately depends on how well you adjust when you get to heads-up.
Many players don't relish going one-on-one. Even Doyle Brunson, the game's living legend and 10-time World Series bracelet winner, said recently he "never really liked" heads-up poker. But he quickly noted that a player "should be able to handle all situations."
When a tournament is down to just two players, the one with heads-up experience who adjusts the best usually wins.
Chris "Jesus" Ferguson credits online poker experience going back to 1989 with "really honing my heads-up game." After runner-up showings at the first two National Heads-up Poker Championship events in 2005-06 and winning the 2008 title two weekends ago, nobody can argue his point.
"I used to play online all the time, and one of the things I used to do was play heads-up," Ferguson said in an interview with LuckyDog Poker after the 2006 NHPC. "You can play a lot of heads-up poker online, which you can't in a brick-and-mortar casino," said the 2000 World Series champion with five WSOP bracelets and nearly $7 million in career tournament winnings.
Ferguson told The Associated Press in 2006: "I would have absolutely loved to win this. It's a very, very important championship, in my opinion. But you can't do it every year. I'm really proud of finishing second two years in a row. That's way harder than winning once."
How impressive is it, then, to have one first and two seconds in the event's first four years? Quite!
His NHPC record now is an unprecedented 16-3, including victories over Phil Ivey, John Juanda, Gus Hansen, T.J. Cloutier, Chip Reese, Freddy Deeb, Huck Seed and this year's runner-up, Andy Bloch. His only losses have been in the finals to Phil Hellmuth in 2005, Ted Forrest in 2006, plus a first-round loss to Scott Fischman in 2007.
To win the 64-player bracket-style event featuring the game's elite, a player must defeat six consecutive opponents. The first five matches are single-elimination -- the final is a best-two-of-three competition.
So, what's the secret to winning at heads-up?
Let's start with the dramatic change in hand-selection requirements. You should raise pre-flop with any pair, any hand containing a face card and sometimes even medium connectors such as 9-8 or 10-9. If your hand is suited, fine, but that's not a big factor in whether you come out firing.
Aggression is your best weapon, at least up to the point where your opponent plays back at you with what figures to be a strong hand. When that happens, if you think you're behind, save your chips for the next hand. You also should sometimes fold pre-flop when you have total rags.
I like to mix things up with pre-flop raises that are double, triple and quadruple the big blind holding all three types of playable hands -- marginal, good and strong. Heads-up play, especially online, is fast and repetitive. You'll keep your opponent guessing if you don't fall into a predictable betting pattern.
I sometimes also like to "limp" from the small blind with both strong and weak hands because I'm "in position" -- acting second after the flop. If my opponent checks the flop, I'll usually bet. If he then raises and my hand is weak, I'll just fold. But if my hand is strong, then I've trapped him and can either re-raise or call depending on which strategy is likely to win the most chips.
Chip-stack size plays a huge role heads-up. If the two of you have nearly equal stacks, then use the pressure tactics above to gain a chip advantage.
When you're well ahead in chips, your mission is to keep the pressure on but avoid recklessly doubling-up your opponent. Meanwhile, if you're really short on chips, you've got to gamble. Look for a chance to double-up by pushing all-in with any pair or any hand with an ace.
You can learn from the pros themselves when NBC airs the 2008 NHPC over seven consecutive Sundays, starting April 13.
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2007 World Series of Poker Europe Airs on Sky TV in April
If you missed seeing all the action of last year's World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE), you have another chance during April to do so, as Betfair just announced that the full story of WSOPE 2007 will be aired in one hour sessions starting 21 April, for eight consecutive nights on Sky Sports in the UK.
Please find the complete WSOPE April TV schedule below.
This year's WSOPE presented by Betfair will take place at three casinos across London from September 19th to October 1st with the final table being held at The Casino at the Empire in Leicester Square.
Here is the schedule of 2007 WSOPE hour-long shows:
Episode#---Date ----Time -----Channel
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Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Getting Ready For Your 1st Ladies Night Poker Game
You have seen all of the Poker shows on t.v., your husband or boyfriend plays poker every week and now you want to Host a Ladies Poker Night. A trend that is becoming more and more popular throughout the U.S. There are certain things that you need to Host a Poker Game, and I will go through them with you now.
Because their may be many different skill levels at your 1st Home Game, it is a good idea to let everyone know what the rules are, what hands beat what, and some basic betting strategy. The easiest thing to do is to hang up the poster titled: All In- A Quick Guide To Poker Poster. This is large enough that everyone will be able to see it from their spot at the table, and will help to move the game along,
You will definitely need a set of quality poker chips. The best ones are made from clay, and the 2 top choices would be the Nexgen or Paulson Chips. The Paulson chips are used in casinos nation-wide. The most common type of chips are the composite material chips and these usually will say 11.5 gr. chip. Along with the chips, you should get some sort of carrying case…either aluminum, wood, or acrylic, and get some chip trays.
The next thing that you will need will be some cards. It is not a great idea to play poker with the cards that you get at a dollar store, or to use paper cards. The reason for this is that they will rip, tear, get bent out of shape, and if a drink spills on them, they are ruined. That is why you need to get cards made from PVC. The 2 top brands are Copag, and Kem. While the price is higher than the paper cards, you will be able to use the same decks week after week instead of replacing them thus making them the much better value.
You will need a place to play. A great starting point would be to use a table layout that will just sit on your table and look like a poker table. The next step up, and a great choice are the folding tables. Some of these will come with padded arm rests and cup holders. The obvious benefit of the folding table is that you have an authentic look and feel while you are playing but it will fold up for easy storage or for transport to next weeks Host Home. Finally if you want your Home Game to look and feel like an authentic casino experience then you Need to get the Full Size Casino Quality Poker Table.
There are some other things that you will need like a Dealer Kit. This will include a Dealer Button, Small and Big Blind Buttons as well as the missed blind button and the kill button. It also includes some chip spacers just like in the casino. You may also want to have a Tournament Timer to keep track of time between increasing blinds. Some people use a card cover/spinner to protect your cards. You need to let other players know that you are in the hand, and they should not take your cards.
http://www.pokerchest.com packages include everything that you need to Host Your Own Game all in one place. We hand pick the highest quality products for each of the packages, so all you need to do is provide the most important thing—FOOD.
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Monday, March 17, 2008
Poker: If Your Read is Wrong You May Pay for It
But sometimes you make the wrong read.
And sometimes you get lucky.
At the 2007 World Series of Poker main event, pro Chip Jett couldn't figure out an opponent who had one of the biggest stacks of the day.
"He'd limp under the gun, somebody would raise, I'd call, he'd move in, and I'd fold A-K," Jett said. "Now I'm getting ticked off. It was almost like he played so simple that it was tricky."
In this hand, with blinds at $200-$400, Jett raised to $1,025 from the cutoff with pocket 8s. His vexing opponent called from the big blind.
The flop came king-queen-8, two diamonds, giving Jett a set of 8s. The big blind checked. Jett bet $3,300.
"I'm putting him on a king, and I'm praying that he has K-Q and is going to raise me," Jett said.
His opponent called. The turn came the 9 of hearts, putting a straight draw on board. The big blind checked again. Jett made it $4,400. His opponent moved all in for about $135,000, a raise of about 10 times the size of the pot.
"The first thing I think is that he definitely doesn't have the straight because he wouldn't make a bet that would run me out of the hand," Jett said. "I really thought that he probably had K-Q, which I love.
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"But I was hoping he'd raise just some of my chips and then I'd re-raise all in and he'd fold. Any time I have to put the last of my chips in and I don't have (an unbeatable hand), I get a little freaked out."
Jett put in his remaining stack of about $35,000. His opponent flipped over jack-10 offsuit for the straight.
"I think he was so green that he didn't want to take any chances (of losing to a flush on the river)," Jett said.
More than a 3-1 underdog, Jett hit a king on the river to double up with a full house.
Jett had put his opponent on a hand - in this case, king-queen - and when nothing changed his mind, he stuck to his read. It was the wrong read, but he stuck to it, fueled in part by being bet out of pots by this opponent.
Friday, March 14, 2008
APPT T.O.C: Hachem celebrates first win in Australia
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Thursday, March 13, 2008
Online Poker Helps Gigamedia Beat Wall Street Projections
Earlier this month, GigaMedia's Everest Poker announced they had signed a key multi-year promotional agreement with the World Series of Poker (WSOP), the world's largest land-based poker.
Under the terms of the deal, Everest Poker will be the sole poker related table sponsor of the WSOP and will enjoy a prominent logo position on the "felt" on every table in the competition, as well as exclusive brand positioning on the coveted "inner-rung" of the championship table.
The alliance also includes other prominent on-site visibility at the WSOP, including hanging banners and barricade logos. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
Also, Everest Poker was named Poker Operation of the Year in 2007 by industry journal e-Gaming Review.
Revenue in GigaMedia's core gaming software segment rose 73 percent to $34.2 million from the year-ago quarter. The company's poker software business, which rose 107 percent from the previous year, contributed about 78 percent of the gaming software segment's revenue in the quarter.
Fourth-quarter revenue in the Asian online games segment increased 92 percent to $10.1 million.
Net income for the quarter rose 8 percent to $10.7 million, compared with $9.9 million a year ago. Consolidated revenue increased 59 percent to $47.7 million.
The company reported that they expect revenue to climb sharply in 2008, in its Asian online games business boosted by new games launches. The company also forecast continued strong revenue growth in its online poker and gaming software business in 2008.
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Monday, March 10, 2008
Poker leader flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct
We have news of what may be a poker first -- at least for organized tournament poker. Yesterday, at a World Series of Poker circuit event at Caesars Atlantic City, the chip leader at the final table of a major event was disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The player, who is identified in the WSOP press release as a general contractor from Richmond, Va., was thrown out of the game and "forcefully removed from the tournament room" at a point when five players remained in the opening event of the WSOP Circuit tournament that had a $300 buy-in and started with more than 1,000 players.
At the point the Richmond man, Lesley Thornburg, was disqualified, he had earned about $19,000 for his fifth-place standing. The winner, a 76-year-old retiree from Brick, N.J., collected a little more than $76,000.
According to the official tournament report, Thornburg had been given two warnings for unsportmanlike behavior the previous day. The behavior was described thusly: "Ceaseless display of loud comments and baiting tactics lasting several hours."
The final straw came when Thornburg was actually the beneficiary of great luck twice. On one all-in, his ace-7 was dominated by an opponent's ace-queen, but Thornburg caught a 7 to grab the chip lead. Then, two hands later, he knocked out a player in sixth place when Thornburg had 4-4 against 7-7 and caught a 4.
But then Thornburg lost control, the report said, and he "began jamming chips into the pot with reckless abandon." He was warned by tournament officials and finally, when he shoved half his stack into the pot and announced "all in," officials ejected him for the "annoying and confusing antics."
Thronburg may consider himself lucky. In the Old West, all this would have ended much differently.
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Forecast Good for Poker and Casino Online Play In The US
However, thanks to sites like unitedstatesofpoker.blogspot.com and uscasinos.blogspot.com many Americans are finding out that online gambling is still 100% legal and are
flocking back to the games that they love in droves.
The loophole in the law is due to the act only prohibiting Banks and Financial institutions from conducting transactions with gambling sites. It does not ban US players from playing on sites, if they can fund an account, AND the site accepts US players.
Thanks to the two sites listed above players can now find out how to fund their account without breaking the law. They can do this through a payment processor, which works like PayPal, except it accepts gambling transactions.
Once they have found a site which accepts US players, the player simply uses the payment processor to fund their account and they can be playing craps, keno, video poker , blackjack, roulette or poker within minutes.
uscasinos.blogspot.com has a full ist of casinos which are still accepting US players whilst unitedstatesofpoker.blogspot.com provides a similar service for poker players.
WIth many poker sites who stopped accepting US players either already returned to the fold, or thinking of coming back to the US market, plus millions of US based players depositing and playing on many poker and casino sites, if you haven't yet returned to the games you love, then check out the two sites for full details of how you can resume where you left of last year.
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Thursday, March 6, 2008
GSN, WPTE Announce Season VI World Poker Tour Broadcast Schedule
"We couldn't be more thrilled to have GSN as our partner, and the new home of WPT," said Steve Lipscomb, WPTE president, founder and CEO. "GSN and WPT are dedicated to collectively broadening the poker experience for fans and viewers, and cannot wait to kick off our best season yet."
The Poker Professor new season will feature three new tour stops and the debut of hostess Layla Kayleigh. Kayleigh has previously appeared on G4 and Fox Sports Net and replaces Sabina Gadecki, who hosted the show for one season. Also new is WPT live update online hostess Kimberly Lansing, who will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the tournament action that led up to the final Tables. Announcers Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten return for their sixth season as well. The WPT will follow the popular "High Stakes Poker" cash-game series on GSN.
"The WPT is one of the strongest brands on television, and poker fans will enjoy the action every Monday night on GSN," said Jamie Roberts, senior vice president of programming for GSN. "With the popularity of our original cash game 'High Stakes Poker' and the World Poker Tour, there is no better place to watch poker on television."
The WPT schedule begins with two events from Las Vegas, and continues to feature stops at The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, Bellagio in Las Vegas, Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, Foxwoods Casino Resort in Mashantucket, Conn. and many others. International stops include Barcelona, Spain, Turks and Caicos Islands in the British West Indies and Niagara Falls, Canada.
Among this season's WPT highlights are a showdown at the North American Poker Classic between Barry Greenstein and WPT Season VI PoY contender Jonathan Little, the popular WPT Ladies Night, the Foxwoods World Poker Finals, the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond Poker Classic, the upcoming WPT Celebrity Invitational at Commerce in Los Angeles and the WPT World Championship this summer.
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