LAPT = Poker Tour of the Americas

The Latin American Poker Tour has decided to break new ground for itself, and take the tour in a new direction according Vega's CEO Michael Herron.

Vega's Latin American Poker Tour Expands to 'Poker Tour of the Americas'

The Latin American Poker Tour has decided to break new ground for itself, and take the tour in a new direction according Vega's CEO Michael Herron.

The PTA was contemplating the idea of starting a second tour to focus on North America, but decided to merge the idea into their existing LAPT tour. PokerStars has recently began its own LAPT, and in the spirit of avoiding confusion, Vega re-branded their tour the PTA - Poker Tour of the Americas.

The Company is currently negotiating with venues in several Latin American countries, including Puerto Rico, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica. New potential Tour stops include venues in the United States and Canada, with a season ending Tournament of Champions to crown the champion of the "Poker Tour of the Americas."

With all the new venues on board, the PTA will become one of the world's largest poker tours, and should draw the attention of many, if not all of the biggest names in the game. All PTA tournaments will be structured as invitational events with players able to win seats though satellites online or live.

The tournaments are planned to be aired throughout North and South America with Vega acting as the executive producer for the programming.

For Best Gaming Materials visit us at:
www.pokerchest.com
Or call us at: 1-800-PokerChest.
Professional gambling and gaming
materials shipped nationwide.

Free minds, free markets - and free poker!

Reason, the Washington D.C.-based magazine about "free minds and free markets," opens its doors tomorrow evening for a night of poker activities.

"Poker Night At Reason HQ" will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 local time at the magazine's offices, located at 1747 Connecticut Avenue in Washington D.C.

In attendance will be Team Full Tilt pro and former MIT Blackjack Team member Andy Bloch and 2000 WSOP Main Event champ Chris "Jesus" Ferguson. The two poker pros will join Reason for a panel discussion on a wide variety of poker topics before joining the attendees in a game.

Hosting Reason's poker night is Radley Balko, a senior editor at the magazine. Balko testified before Congress on the issue of Internet gambling last year, and has been a consistent critic of local police departments' use of SWAT teams to break up private poker games across America.

According to Balko, more than 100 individuals have sent RSVPs so far, and press outlets such as the Washington Post, Washington Times and the Associated Press will be on hand for the event.

"We've gotten a very favorable response," he says, noting that the magazine's small office will likely be filled to capacity - no surprise given the star power of the pros in attendance.

I talked to Balko today about the Reason poker night, the legal state of online poker, and how the poker community can best pitch its case to the public.

The future of online poker

The cloud of negativity that hung over the poker community after the passage of the UIGEA has begun to lift in recent months thanks to a number of factors, including the WTO's rulings in favor of Antigua and the slow but steady progress of pro-online legislation such as Massachusetts representative Barney Frank's proposed Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act. The sense that legal online poker is coming back to the United States has been hard for some poker aficionados to shake.

For his part, Balko doesn't seem to think it's quite as close.

"I think Rep. Frank is doing great work, and we have seen some Democrats defect over to the pro-legalization side. But my general perception is that we're still a long way from the Frank bill being passed."

Among the other bills currently before Congress that would benefit online poker is the Skill Game Protection Act, proposed by Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.). Rep. Wexler's legislation would carve out an exemption for skill-based games like poker and backgammon without touching the rest of America's shaky legal framework with regard to online gambling.

"The Wexler bill is a little problematic in this idea of drawing distinctions and carve-outs for skill-based games," says Balko.

"If you try to carve out exceptions like that they can be revoked as easily as they can be passed. [A carve-out] is certainly better than a prohibition. But I do think it's important to make the broader-principled argument that it's none of the federal government's business and [prohibition] is not going to work anyway."

With what Balko describes as a "moral crusade" on the right and a "Nanny Statist mentality" on the left lined up against online poker's supporters, the push for legalization is bound to be a tough one.

"Your best hope here is to win over some libertarian-minded Republicans and the Democrats like Frank who still sort of understand the importance of civil liberties," say Balko. "But I think in general we're a long way from any kind of legalized regulatory scheme. I hope I'm wrong but I don't see it in the near future."

'Scary stuff'

A number of larger problems surround the legal issues currently of concern to poker players. Balko says that the government's proposed regulations for enforcing of the UIGEA, which PokerListings.com summarized a few weeks ago, has some of the most disturbing possible consequences.

"This idea of deputizing financial institutions to start monitoring your transactions - that's scary stuff," say Balko. "They're basically asking your bank to become a cop to monitor everything you do."

Then there's the issue of state laws attacking free

For Best Gaming Materials visit us at:
www.pokerchest.com
Or call us at: 1-800-PokerChest.
Professional gambling and gaming
materials shipped nationwide.

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:
http://www.pokerchest.com
Or call us at: 1-800-PokerChest.
Professional gambling and gaming
materials shipped nationwide.

---

---

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.

For Best Gaming Materials visit us at:
http://www.pokerchest.com
Or call us at: 1-800-PokerChest.
Professional gambling and gaming
materials shipped nationwide.

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

1 ---21/04/08 ----21:00 ---Sky Sports 3 Digital

1 ---21/04/08 ----24:00 ---Sky Sports 2 Digital

2 ---22/04/08 ----21:00 ---Sky Sports 3 Digital

2 ---22/04/08 ----24:00 ---Sky Sports 2 Digital

3 ---23/04/08 ----21:00 ---Sky Sports 3 Digital

3 ---23/04/08 ----24:00 ---Sky Sports 2 Digital

4 ---24/04/08 ----21:30 ---Sky Sports 2 Digital

4 ---24/04/08 ----24:00 ---Sky Sports 2 Digital

5 ---25/04/08 ----21:00 ---Sky Sports 3 Digital

5 ---25/04/08 ----24:00 ---Sky Sports 2 Digital

6 ---26/04/08 ----21:00 ---Sky Sports 3 Digital

6 ---26/04/08 ----24:00 ---Sky Sports 2 Digital

7 ---27/04/08 ----21:00 ---Sky Sports Xtra

7 ---27/04/08 ----24:00 ---Sky Sports Xtra

8 ---28/04/08 ----21:30 ---Sky Sports 2 Digital

8 ---28/04/08 ----24:00 ---Sky Sports 3 Digital

For Best Gaming Materials visit us at:
www.PokerChest.com
Or call us at: 1-800-PokerChest.
Professional gambling and gaming
materials shipped nationwide.

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.

For Best Gaming Materials visit us at:
www.pokerchest.com
Or call us at: 1-800-PokerChest.
Professional gambling and gaming
materials shipped nationwide.