05.14.2008 11:34 AM
Top poker stars Barry Greenstein and Andy Bloch will join with Washington State members of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) at a rally to show their support for Lee Rousso’s efforts to keep poker legal.
WHEN:
Thursday, May, 15, 2008
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
WHERE:
Maleng Regional Justice Center
401 – 4th Ave. North
Kent, WA 98032
We hope all the Seattle area poker players will make a point of attending to show their defiance of Washington’s ridiculous and intrusive online gaming laws.
05.12.2008 10:29 AM
26-year-old Moroccan engineer Fouad Mourtada was sentenced in February 2008 to three years in jail by the Moroccan government for the crime of opening a false Facebook profile in the name of the Moroccan Prince, Moulay Rachid. This was admittedly done as a spoof and Fouad had no ulterior motives. Apparently, the Moroccan Royal Family failed to get the joke.
Mourtada's lawyer, Ali Ammar said, “This is a cultural problem; this is the first time that a Moroccan poses as a very important personality on the internet. [Unknown the Moroccan Royal Family] This is already a common practice in [most of the civilized world].” Fortunately, the government relented and Mourtada was released after serving 43 days of his term due to pressure from petition signers and Human Rights groups around the world.
05.07.2008 01:56 PM What began circulating as a rumor in early April has now been confirmed: the Final Table of the WSOP will be delayed for almost 4 months. The last nine players of the $10,000 World Championship of No-Limit Texas Hold’em, known as the Main Event, will compete on November 9-10 instead of the originally scheduled date of July 16.
What Harrah’s is calling an enhancement, most players are calling a potentially disastrous blunder and wondering such things as why--if the poker players put up all the cash--Harrah’s should be entitled to the substantial percentage of interest generated on the millions of dollars in delayed Final Table payouts? What happens if one or more of the final 9 players is imprisoned or hospitalized or dies during the waiting period? With millions of dollars at stake, who is going to guarantee the personal safety of the 9 players and their families and keep them safe from criminal attempts to influence their play or other kinds of extortion schemes? Further, the waiting period provides a tempting opportunity for players to collude, who can guarantee this will not occur? Additionally, some feel it robs the WSOP of any kind of spontaneity and over-commercializes the entire affair.
05.07.2008 01:44 PM (3-24-08)
The Easter Sunday holiday didn|t put much of a dent in the crowds at PokerStars tournament tables, nor did it slow down one member of Team PokerStars Pro. Hevad "RaiNKhAN" Khan took down this week|s Sunday Warm-Up for nearly $100,000. In other Sunday news, well-known player pbdrunks pulled a double-shot that had the rail screaming. Pbdrunks made the final table of the Sunday Million and the Second Chance event at the same time.
Also of note this weekend, PokerStars increased the cap on the Sunday Hundred Grand to 22,500 players, making it the biggest poker tournament anywhere, at any time.
The final table results for all the big ones are below. Congratulations to all the winners.
PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up Final Table Results
1. RaiNKhAN (United States) $97,856.32
2. ubon1 (Switzerland) $49,579.20
3. M® FE®G (Canada) $33,002.72
4. Qcity1 (United States) $26,542.40
5. sami31 (United Kingdom) $21,033.60
6. hAAj_fkp (Sweden) $15,975.52
7. gambler2k4 (United States) $11,468.32
8. THDNB (United States) $7,211.52
9. ShowM4n (Germany) $4,206.72
PokerStars $5,200 Freezout Results
Based on finishing order and two-way deal
1 ADZ124 (Canada) $46,000.00
2 bigegypt (United States) $54,000.00
PokerStars Sunday Hundred Grand Final Table Results
1. bubbaloo2 (United Kingdom) $20,520.00
2. Aila.dk Kolding Denmark $10,260.00
3. bignoyes london United Kingdom $7,110.00
4. concept.c Gau-Odernheim Germany $5,085.00
5. raionegros nova lima Brazil $3,060.00
6. Schlönske Wolfen Germany $2,047.50
7. just_go_in (Canada) $1,642.50
8. otschn27 (Austria) $1,327.50
9. pridefc.com (Denmark) $1,012.50
PokerStars Sunday Million Final Table Results
Based on finishing order and three-way deal
1. Tsipor (Canada) $147,561.06
2. Maluko0 (Portugal) $122,670.00
3. Djemps (Netherlands) $119,886.94
4. Big_Col11 (United Kingdom) $59,560.00
5. soren2006 (United States) $44,670.00
6. mayer zs (Hungary) $32,758.00 1,162.99
7. jaywks (United States) $23,079.50
8. blanconegro (United States) $13,401.00
9. pbdrunks (United States) $8,785.10 .
05.07.2008 01:44 PM eCardRoom, originally billed as the world’s first online poker website designed specifically for Chinese language users, will close up shop at the end of this month. All player accounts will be transferred to its sister site PokerRoom
05.07.2008 01:44 PM By Freakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner
We recently solicited your questions for poker man Phil Gordon. In his answers below, he discusses (among other things) variance, sunglasses, and why he’s not a gambler by nature, but rather “a strategic investor.”
This is a really good and smart Q&A. Thanks to Phil and to all of you for participating. Enjoy.
Q: What percent of your success would you say is attributable to randomness?
A: That really depends on what you mean by randomness. Was it random that I was born in the U.S. to a caring family that was able to educate me instead of to a poor family in Zimbabwe? That was probably the biggest determining factor in my success, and one of the most random.
Randomness, otherwise known as “variance” at the poker table is much bigger and more important than most poker players realize. I have a simple theory: change 10 river cards in any poker player’s tournament career and I would bet that they would be a losing tournament player for their career.
Q: How many times have you gone completely broke over the course of your poker career?
A: I’m proud to say “zero” — in fact I’ve never had a losing year as a pro. I practice very sound bankroll management principles, and I think my game selection skills are just about as good as anyone in the game.
If there aren’t a few guys that are just giving their money away, I don’t play.
Q: At a final table, would you rather play against a pro that you understand or a lucky rookie who doesn’t understand the game?
A: Give me the chump any day.
Q: Do you gamble much on non-skill games or games that have a house edge?
A: No. I’m not a “gambler” by nature — I consider myself a “strategic investor.” In fact, what we do at the poker table isn’t very different than what investment professionals do — we just get our results every two minutes instead of every few months or years.
Q: How do math and psychology cross in poker? For example, if the book says a certain hand is a loser 60 percent of the time, how would this change if you know your opponent likes to raise with weak hands at this point, and if you suspect he is bluffing?
A: There are times in poker where making a correct decision is almost completely mathematical. For instance, if a player moves all-in after the flop and you have a flush draw or a straight draw, you can be 99 percent sure that if you make your hand, it will be good.
At that point, just making a simple pot odds calculation will lead you to a winning decision and psychology has nothing to do with it.
But, that being said, poker is the great game that it is because psychology plays such an important part in the game. Knowing your opponent, putting them on hands, and figuring out their state of mind and exploitable tendencies makes all the difference.
Q: What percentage of professional poker players would you consider to be compulsive gamblers?
A: Ninety percent of the “professional players” I know have some serious “leaks” that affect their ability to hold on to their money.
Whether it’s playing too big for their bankroll or betting on sports or casino games, these leaks have a way of keeping many of them completely broke no matter how much they win on the tournament circuit.
One of the “requirements” to be a great player is being able to divorce yourself from money and its value. Making good decisions at the poker table means that you must have the ability to “put a Ferrari” in the pot if it’s right to do so. That lack of respect for the buying power of money leads to financial problems for many of the best players in the world.
Q: If you could sit down and play a game of poker with any five people in the world (living or deceased), who would you pick?
A:
Stu Ungar — widely considered the best that ever played the game.
Steve Jobs
Leonardo Da Vinci (Poker wasn’t invented when he was alive, but I have a feeling he could pick it up easily.)
Ernest Hemmingway
Rafe Furst — my best friend and poker buddy.
Ernie Scherer — Omaha-ologist.
Q: How did you go about developing your poker face so that others couldn’t read your unintentional body language?
A: I learned what little skill I have in that regard from Chris Ferguson. If you watch him play, you’ll see a “pre-shot routine” go into play as soon as it is his turn to act.
The key is to act in the same amount of time and with the same mannerisms every time. Even with easy, straightforward decisions, Chris still takes his time to make his move. He’s one of the best, if not the best in the world at this.
Q: How do you explain the phenomenal increase in the popularity of poker recently? (Or is it merely an increase in the visibility of the game, and the popularity is actually stable?)
A: It’s all about the T.V.
Poker is the only “sport” on television that guys at home can visualize themselves doing at the top level. They know they’ll never catch a pass from Tom Brady or dunk on Kobe Bryant. But, they have a shot of ending up at the final table of the World Series of Poker and winning $10 million on national television.
The fame, money, and “everyman” nature of the game has made poker what it is today.
Q: Do you agree that “sunglasses is to poker as steroids is to baseball”?
A: People wear glasses at the table so that they can watch other people at the table without detection. I don’t believe in the “dilated pupil tell” and other such nonsense.
That being said, I’ve never worn sunglasses at the table and I think it looks completely stupid and is unnecessary.
Q: No-Limit Holdem has seen a dramatic increase in play and popularity — due, most likely, to a combination of televised poker and online poker. What sort of push would be needed to get Pot Limit Omaha the same exposure and popularity (within the U.S.)? Or are there fundamental issues in the game which restrict it from being more popular?
A: Pot Limit Omaha is a great game that is enjoying widespread popularity, especially in Europe and on the Internet. It is a much higher variance game with some very interesting strategies.
I think that it has a chance of surpassing Holdem as the most popular form of the game in five to eight years. As people become “bored” with Holdem, they’ll naturally progress to P.L.O.
Q: If they made a movie about your life, would Jeremy Piven play the lead role?
A: No, I heard Nicholas Cage was.
Q: What percentage of the poker pros that were seen on T.V. over the last five years are broke or in debt for hundreds of thousands of dollars? Do you make more at the poker table or from selling poker books?
A: I’ve made far more money at the tables than through my books. It’s not like I wrote Freakonomics or something.
If I had to guess, I would say about 50 percent of the “name pros” you see on television on a regular basis have a negative net worth. Frightening, I know.
Q: How do you deal with the younger generation of loose, fast online players? These types of players seem to take the skill out of the game — they become calling stations and strategic play is really watered down. Thoughts?
A: Actually, they aren’t calling stations at all. I’d love to play against them if they were.
The “new generation” of players are hyper-aggressive — that makes beating them incredibly difficult. The more aggressive a player is, the more luck comes into play.
Think about it this way: say you are going to move all-in against me blind on every hand and we start with 20 big blinds each. What hands should I call you with?
Certainly you’d have to call with Ace-Ten suited, right? Ace-Ten is about 62 percent to win all-in against a random hand.
Q: What skill is more important in Holdem: discipline in the range of hands you play, or the ability to read the other player? How can you teach someone to trust their read and to let a hand go, or to trust the read and make a difficult call?
A: Hand selection is the most important in my opinion. A blind guy who has good hand selection skills could win a world championship. A guy with 20/15 vision who picked up all the tells but played every hand might never win.
Usually, your first instinct is right. Go with it, but never disrespect the math.
Q: Is it better to play aggressive early in a tourney where the blinds go up quickly — or should your style of play stay consistent no matter how quickly the blinds go up?
A: The quicker the blinds escalate, the more chances you should be willing to take. Your stack will be at risk quickly, so you might as well push any marginal edge you have when you have it.
If the blinds are escalating slowly, you can afford to give up small positive expectation plays.
Q: Why do so many highly-intelligent people with advanced degrees decide to play poker?
A: It is a fascinating game that is impossible to master. The money isn’t bad either.
Q: Cameras in the table or the internet: which had a bigger impact on poker? From a competitive as well as business perspective, is it a good thing?
A: Cameras, for sure — both are excellent from a competitive and business perspective.
Q: Will a pro ever win the W.S.O.P. again now that there are so many entrants?
A: Of course. In fact, quite a few of our recent champions have been pros. Maybe not “household name” pros, but pros nonetheless. I’m thinking specifically about Greg Raymer and Joe Hachem.
Q: Does the Tiltboys home game still run? On a related note, at what stakes do you take poker seriously enough to play your “A” game?
A: Wednesday night is still the best night of the week. The game goes about two to three times a month. I can play my “A” game at any stake. I regularly play 1-2 and 100-200 on the same day and it makes no difference to me.
Q: Who do you think the top five N.L.H. cash game players are in the world right now (including online pros)?
A: I don’t think I’m really qualified to answer that question. However, here’s my best guess: Phil Ivey, Patrick Antonius, Phil Galfond, Brian Townsend, and
Mr.Random-Internet-Guy-No-One-Knows-The-True-Identity-Of. He’s probably from Scandinavia.
Q: Who are better at cash games: the best live pros or the best online pros?
A: Live.
Q: When you decided to turn pro, what type of bankroll did you start out with? How much time/what stakes would you have to play in order to make a quality living?
A: I started out with a bankroll of about $400,000 — I “went pro” after finishing fourth in the W.S.O.P. main event in 2001. To make $100,000 a year playing poker, I’d have to play about five hours a week.
Q: Do you enjoy playing poker any more or less than when you first started out?
A: Definitely less, although I’ve found a resurgence of energy for the game recently.
Q: How advanced is your Rock-Paper-Scissors strategy … any tips for us R.P.S. novices?
A: I’d be willing to put some money on a match or two. Never go rock on the first throw.
Q: How did you decide that you wanted to play poker full-time? Can you explain what factors you considered and do you have any advice for aspiring card players? (By the way, Phil, you knocked me out of a 5K W.S.O.P. tourney before.)
A: Sorry to bust you like that … I decided to “go pro” on a lark, really. You’re a pro when you call yourself one. I was winning, having a great time playing, and wanted to travel the circuit and give it a shot. I’m certainly glad that I did.
Q: I hear a lot about compulsive gambling and gambling addiction which makes me wonder if the Safe Port Act (UIGEA), by causing online poker play to drop off, may not have been such a bad thing. What’s your opinion about the Act?
A: I think that the U.I.G.E.A. (the provision of the Safe Port Act that deals with internet poker) was a complete travesty.
First, it places an impossible burden on the financial institutions. Second, 85 percent of the U.S. adult population thinks that they should have the right to gamble on the internet if they want to. Third, what the hell does port security have to do with internet poker? Why do we allow politicians to do this?
Q: Is Phil Hellmuth really as unpleasant as he seems? Conversely, who are the top pros that are regarded as being the most fun to play with — not necessarily the ones you can clean up on, just the ones that you’d have a good time with? (I’m guessing Negreanu is at the top of this list.)
A: Hellmuth isn’t as bad in real life as he appears on T.V. I really like him. He’s a great family man, does lots of work for charity, and has a kind heart.
Unfortunately, he comes across like a complete a–hole on television. But, it’s great for ratings.
I really like playing at the table with Phil Laak, Antonio Esfandiari, and David Grey — they have excellent stories and are very entertaining. As for Negreanu — things aren’t always the way they appear on television.
Q: What are the finances of some of the top pros like?
A: Some: poor, reckless, with no shot at improving long-term. Others: multi-million dollar mansions, $5-plus million a year income, and no financial worries.
Q: I’ve played a ton of poker, and read all three of your books, but I have a very different question: I see that you’ll be at the Youth N.A.B.C. (I’m 19, so I’ll try and make it out there if possible) this summer. How do you think bridge can be re-popularized in mainstream society (much like poker had been five years ago)?
A: Well, I actually love bridge. I won’t be able to attend the Youth N.A.B.C. (North American Bridge Championship) but I have donated a sportsmanship trophy and lots of money to the organization. In my opinion, bridge is the best card game in the world by a long shot. Unfortunately, it is also the most complicated and difficult to play well.
Q: Typically, how long does it take players to progress from one skill level to the next (assuming they play several times a week)? How long before a new player is able to break even consistently, or even turn a profit?
A: It really depends on the player. Rapid improvement is much easier today than it was when I was learning — the Internet completely changed the learning curve. You can play in 100 tournaments a day or more online.
There are 18-year-old kids that started playing poker a year ago that have played five times as many tournaments than I have in my entire life.
Q: Is the median loose-aggressive player more successful than the median tight-aggressive player?
A: Tight-aggressive player will win more in the long run.
Q: Phil Hellmuth said that pot odds were for suckers. Why risk my chips when I am an underdog when I can get those same chips in later when I am 80 percent to win?
A: If you make sound mathematical decisions, you will be a winner long term. Any time the pot odds dictate a positive expectation play, I’m going to make it. Hellmuth may disagree, but I think he’s wrong.
Q: What is the most dangerously deceiving starting hand for an amateur player in Texas Holdem? When I say dangerous, I mean most likely to make a stupid call when they have no business calling.
A: It’s a tie … AQ, KQ, and QJ. Those are death hands to be avoided at all costs, especially if your opponent has made any aggressive move pre-flop.
Q: How many years did you play poker before you started to realize that you weren’t making really dumb decisions?
A: That moment hasn’t come yet.
05.07.2008 01:44 PM Calvin Ayre, the internationally noted billionaire playboy founder of Bodog, will be retiring from his largely ceremonial role as the face of Bodog.
Additionally he will no longer be involved in Bodog operationally. In mid 2007 he successfully transferred ownership of the Bodog brand in North America to the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group. Internationally Bodog has put in place a very competent and significantly European executive team that is already managing Bodog Europe and Africa and plans to further expand to Latin America.
Ayre will be taking some time to himself in his home in Antigua and will continue to support charitable opportunities through the Calvin Ayre Foundation.
Ayre noted that, “While it has been great fun to live my life in front of the world’s cameras and online though my blog, I am looking forward to a more private and meaningful period of giving back and working to support the Calvin Ayre Foundation.”
05.07.2008 01:44 PM (4-20-08)
Two hundred grand for less than one day|s work. That|s what players have to expect from the PokerStars Sunday Million and that|s what they get every week. This week, Nous44 won more than $200,000 for an outright win in the Sunday Million.
A full list of all the PokerStars Sunday tournament winners is below.
Congratulations to all the winners.
PokerStars Sunday Million Final Table Results
1. Nous44 (United States) $202,363.20
2. nurospoker (United Kingdom) $101,899.20
3. TYROMPER (United States) $71,760.00
4. Mrdawwe (Sweden) $57,408.00
5. mik_corleone (United Kingdom) $43,056.00
6. hidden1s (United States) $31,574.40
7. R|P(URL (Sweden) $22,245.60
8. Big_Nemo (Canada) $12,916.80
9. Robaen (Sweden) $8,467.68
PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up Final Table Results
Based on finishing order and two-way deal
1. info80 (Denmark) $83,960.96
2. LOL_FAILURE (Finland) $80,864.64
3. gabo05 (United States) $40,005.60
4. UcancallmeMr (United States) $31,600.00
5. OUSOONERS24 (United States) $24,774.40
6. Virgil369 (United States) $18,328.00
7. nofingclue11 (United States) $13,272.00
8. Benno300 (United States) $8,342.40
9. Sasuke234 (Sweden) $4,929.60
PokerStars Sunday Hundred Grand Final Table Results
Based on finishing order and three-way deal
1. chas031 (United States) $9,705.51
2. omemeedave (Canada) $15,109.91
3. ajp420 (Canada) $13,074.58
4. fareed1234 (Trinidad and Tobago) $5,085.00
5. blk_eazly (United States) $3,060.00
6. TOTITO83 (Argentina) $2,047.50
7. PURPLEPILS99 (Canada) $1,642.50
8. Baron_bluff (United States) $1,327.50
9. CarlosMuch (Germany) $1,012.50
PokerStars Sunday Second Chance Final Table Results
1. USCphildo (United States) $48,016.80
2. nodeeeeezy (United States) $35,568.00
3. AiP5 (United States) $27,360.00
4. LapraZ (Sweden) $20,520.00
5. AreTheseUtz (United States) $14,364.00
6. Bry23 (United States) $11,628.00
7. bfineman (United States) $8,892.00
8. SirTiltsAL0T (United States) $6,156.00
9. shipthechezz (United States) $3,830.40
PokerStars Sunday $5,200 Freezeout [winner-take-all]
1. takechip (Canada) $100,000.00
PokerStars $215+R NLHE [$150,000 guaranteed!]
1. mistakooll (United States) $44,264.00
2. leoc00 (Canada) $30,381.20
3. SLOPPYKLOD (United States) $20,723.60
4. TravestyFund (United States) $16,096.00
5. 3asal86 (Sweden) $12,072.00
6. kipa58 (Latvia) $9,456.40
7. F_H_E_S (Brazil) $7,243.20
8. FastEddie267 (United States) $5,231.20
9. donnysack (United States) $3,219.20
05.07.2008 01:44 PM The Unlawful Internet Gambling Act (UIGEA) seems to be finally encountering the resistance this Draconian piece of ill-advised legislation deserves. This week a bipartisan quartet of House Financial Services Committee members warned in letters sent to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, as well as all members of Congress, that they should not waste any more time on trying to implement what Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nevada, labeled a “truly Byzantine law.” Rep. Berkley added, “Those pushing these regulations in the face of strong opposition are more concerned with scoring political points than they are about protecting the rights of adults in the U.S.”
“Given the many other priorities that are pending at your agencies [such as the mortgage crisis] we believe it would be imprudent for you to devote additional agency resources to this Sisyphean task,” the letter pointed out. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., and three
other committee members -- Reps. Ron Paul, R-Texas; Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill.; and
Peter King, D-N.Y. -- signed the letters that were issued Monday.
Also this week, Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the grassroots poker advocacy group, announced it has now passed the milestone of over one million members. The organization, which is committed to protecting the rights of individuals to play poker, announced this significant milestone and also launched a voter registration program and its political action committee (PAC).
"Reaching one million members puts the PPA on par with such political powerhouses as AARP and the National Association of Realtors, and will allow us to advocate even more effectively on behalf of our members," said PPA Chairman Former Senator Alfonse D|Amato.
05.07.2008 01:44 PM After a brief period back online, the PokerDream Network is offline once again with no warning to players owed money. Allegations are being made on forums that the owner of PokerDream falsely accused players of credit card fraud, banned skin operators for no reason, and misappropriated player funds. The owner’s telephone has recently been disconnected and it is believed that the seriously crippled network is down for the final count this time.
05.07.2008 01:44 PM CHARLESTON, SC (AP) - The list of those charged in a raid on a Charleston-area poker game keeps growing.
Authorities now say a police officer, a teacher and a state prosecutor are among 65 people charged with gambling after the raid Friday night.
The Post and Courier of Charleston reports that, in all, 191 warrants have been issued.
Investigators say the house was hosting a well-organized poker and gambling operation with paid pit bosses and dealers.
The suspects were arrested under a 200-year-old South Carolina law prohibiting games of dice and cards. Attorneys for those charged say the law needs to be changed.
05.07.2008 01:44 PM (4-27-08)
It|s never bad day when you make six figures for playing a few hours of poker. This weekend, five players in the PokerStars Sunday Million had just that kind of day. A friendly chop at the end of the Sunday Million netted the top five places more than $100,000 apiece, including $149,860 for the winner, Denmark|s KipsterDK.
All the final table results for PokerStars major Sunday tournaments are below.
Congratulations to all the winners.
PokerStars Sunday Million Final Table Results
Based on finishing order and five-way deal
1. KipsterDK (Denmark) $149,860.76
2. plattsburgh (United States) $133,396.88
3. tshooter1970 (United States) $143,314.23
4. futilewar (Israel) $108,479.24
5. pearljam1012 (Canada) $112,297.34
6. iamhiv (United States) $45,225.50
7. caicu (Portugal) $32,749.50
8. jmmeijer (Netherlands) $20,585.40
9. DCal Zone (United States) $12,164.10
PokerStars Sunday Warm-Up Final Table Results
1. Big_Col11 (United Kingdom) $114,810.96
2. diatty (Ukraine) $58,568.88
3. HopeUfold (Sweden) $42,081.84
4. thedylan1 (United States) $33,240.00
5 .RiverMegl (Denmark) $26,060.16
6. petit ponche (Switzerland) $19,279.20
7. SOXFAN83 (United States) $13,960.80
8. Dyzalot (United States) $8,775.36
9. JohnnyBax (United States) $5,185.44
PokerStars Sunday Hundred Grand Final Table Results
Based on finishing order and three-way deal
1. FABERGE (United Kingdom) $15,915.64
2. Hergo (Denmark) $11,808.23
3. s_t_bux_a_x (United States) $11,229.97
4. mojoj0j0 (United States) $5,224.67
5. konni05 (Finland) $3,144.05
6. acwa3 (United States) $2,103.74
7. xx DA_LOC xx (United States) $1,687.62
8. Myxj12 (United States) $1,271.50
9. firasfn (France) $1,040.32
PokerStars Sunday Second Chance Final Table Results
1. MrCasino (United States) $50,508.90
2. ladyluck00 (Canada) $37,414.00
3. master06 (Germany) $28,780.00
4. truesyalose (United States) $21,585.00
5. Manu4ever10 (United States) $15,109.50
6. Doli (Poland) $12,231.50
7. ratoneBR (Brazil) $9,353.50
8. ricodemus (Finland) $6,475.50
9. gambler9996 (Canada) $4,029.20
PokerStars Sunday $5,200 Freezeout [winner-take-all]
Based on finishing order and two-way deal
1 quzzo (Sweden) $62,500.00
2 MattEMenz (United States)$37,500.00
PokerStars $215+R NLHE [$150,000 guaranteed!]
Based on finishing order and three-way deal
1. rkruok (Australia) $39,687.42
2. ante_geia_AA (Cyprus) $34,951.36
3. Scalper34 (United States) $31,632.02
4. SwissCantMis (Germany) $17,936.00
5. $30K (United States) $13,452.00
6. THAY3R (United States) $10,537.40
7. Anbessa9 (United States) $8,071.20
8. holdplz (United States) $5,829.20
05.07.2008 01:44 PM What began circulating as a rumor in early April has now been confirmed: the Final Table of the WSOP will be delayed for almost 4 months. The last nine players of the $10,000 World Championship of No-Limit Texas Hold’em, known as the Main Event, will compete on November 9-10 instead of the originally scheduled date of July 16.
What Harrah’s is calling an enhancement, most players are calling a potentially disastrous blunder and wondering such things as why--if the poker players put up all the cash--Harrah’s should be entitled to the substantial percentage of interest generated on the millions of dollars in delayed Final Table payouts? What happens if one or more of the final 9 players is imprisoned or hospitalized or dies during the waiting period? With millions of dollars at stake, who is going to guarantee the personal safety of the 9 players and their families and keep them safe from criminal attempts to influence their play or other kinds of extortion schemes? Further, the waiting period provides a tempting opportunity for players to collude, who can guarantee this will not occur? Additionally, some feel it robs the WSOP of any kind of spontaneity and over-commercializes the entire affair.
05.07.2008 01:44 PM The second stop on Latin American Poker Tour is the three-day US$2,500 Texas No Limit Hold|em poker tournament that takes place at the luxurious Ramada Plaza Herradura Hotel, San José in Costa Rica from May 22-24, 2008.
The easiest way to win a seat at an LAPT event is to qualify online with PokerStars.com. PokerStars| online satellites for LAPT San José in Costa Rica are running now until May 11, 2008, with buy-ins from as little as $2.20. Daily qualifiers give players the chance to win an LAPT prize package worth $5,000 - including the $2,500 +$200 tournament buy-in, four nights| hotel accommodation (from May 21-25) at $740 and $1,560 spending money towards flight/food/expenses. To enter, go to the PokerStars tournament lobby, click "Events", then "LAPT".
05.07.2008 01:44 PM It definitely turned into a weekend of breakthrough performances by big name poker pros on the poker circuit. After Phil Ivey|s albatross-relieving win at the WPT LA Poker Classic that came after seven unsuccessful WPT final table appearances, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson took down the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship after finishing second two out of the three previous years.
To get the win, Ferguson had to play probably the toughest slate of any other competitior. He went up against John Juanda, Gavin Smith, Mike Matusow, Jonathan "FieryJustice" Little, Ivey and, finally, Andy Bloch for the championship match. Ferguson pockets $500,000 and exposure on a major network for the win.
At one point, when Ivey reached the final four, it looked like his hot streak was going to carry him to back-to-back wins just a couple of days after winning impressively at the LA Poker Classic. However, Ivey|s luck failed him against "Jesus," who, much like Ivey did a few days before, seemed destined to win this event after coming so close before.
05.07.2008 01:44 PM FullTiltPoker.com issued the following announcement:
Despite having a great year on the WPT, Jonathan Little is no longer affiliated with Full Tilt Poker. He violated the terms and conditions of Full Tilt Poker by allowing other players to play his account. While we encourage our pros to play as much as they can, we do not allow them to share their account with any other players.
When a player on Full Tilt Poker plays against and chats with a red pro on the site, it is imperative that they be able to trust that it is really the advertised pro playing the account. Given that Mr. Little violated that trust, we have decided to sever his ties to the site, and close his account.
Full Tilt Poker values the trust of its players and will deal with any violation of that trust swiftly. We apologize to any of our players who may have been misled during the past few months by Mr. Little|s actions.
05.07.2008 01:44 PM GigaMedia Limited announced today that its EverestPoker.com offering has secured a multi-year promotional agreement with the world|s largest and most prestigious poker tournament – the World Series of 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. GigaMedia Chief Executive Officer Arthur Wang stated, “We plan to bring our large international player base to the WSOP to make it an even greater event – in partnership with Everest Poker.”
PokerRoomReview.com is currently offering a special bonus of $200, doubling the standard welcome bonus of $100 for new depositors to Everest Poker. The bonus code is PRR and must be entered within 48 hours of registration. Simply enter PRR instead of the normal Welcome Bonus code, which is “WELCOME.” Full info at EverestPoker.com.
05.07.2008 01:44 PM Come Rally for poker on the state house steps in Boston. 8:30 AM March 18th. A major hearing is going on that day on the bill that will make playing internet poker a felony in the state of Massachusetts. If you care about your rights as a poker player and a citizen of this country, we really need you to come and join us in a show of force. We will have Free T shirts, coffee and doughnuts for all who attend. Please email me, bryan, and let me know if you|re going to come.
Bryan Spadaro
Poker Players Alliance
05.07.2008 01:44 PM Washington, D.C. – The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) today launched its Litigation Support Network. This free member service will provide basic, initial legal advice as well as refer members to a network of attorneys who have expressed interest in helping PPA members with poker-related legal issues.
"As both the popularity of poker and the membership of PPA continue to grow, the Litigation Support Network is an opportunity to provide even more value to our members," said PPA Chairman Former Senator Alfonse D|Amato. "With the myriad local, state and federal laws impacting poker, the Litigation Support Network is an important service that our members can and should use, and I encourage attorneys who want to defend poker players and this great American game of skill to join this effort."
As poker, both online and offline, continues to grow in popularity, there has been a rise in the amount of police raids on home, tavern or charity poker tournaments. Many of the local and state laws on poker are arcane and vague, so players don|t necessarily know if they are violating a law. (Full Article)
05.07.2008 01:44 PM Date Day Time EV# 2008 Buy-In
5/28/2008 Wednesday 9:00 AM Registration Opens, Live Action & Satellites Begin
5/29/2008 Thursday Registration, Live Action & Satellites
5/30/2008 Friday 12 noon 1 World Championship Pot-Limit Hold|em (3 day event) $10,000
5/31/2008 Saturday 12 noon 2A No-Limit Hold|em (4 day event) Day 1A $1,500
6/1/2008 Sunday 12 noon 2B No-Limit Hold|em Day 1B
6/2/2008 Monday 12 noon 3 Pot-Limit Hold|em (3 day event) $1,500
6/2/2008 Monday 5:00 PM 4 Mixed Hold|em (Limit/No-Limit) (3 Day event) $5,000
6/3/2008 Tuesday 12 noon 5 No-Limit Hold|em w/Re-Buys (3 day event) $1,000
6/3/2008 Tuesday 5:00 PM 6 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better (3 day event) $1,500
6/4/2008 Wednesday 12 noon 7 No-Limit Hold|em (3 day event) $2,000
6/4/2008 Wednesday 5:00 PM 8 World Championship Mixed Event (3 day event)
Limit Holdem, Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, Seven Card Razz , Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, No-Limit Holdem, Pot-Limit Omaha, 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball $10,000
6/5/2008 Thursday 12 noon 9 No-Limit Hold|em / Six Handed (3 day event) $1,500
6/5/2008 Thursday 5:00 PM 10 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Low-8 or Better (3 day event) $2,500
6/6/2008 Friday 12 noon 11 No-Limit Hold|em Shootout (3 day event) $5,000
6/6/2008 Friday 5:00 PM 12 Limit Hold|em (3 day event) $1,500
6/7/2008 Saturday 12 noon 13 No-Limit Hold|em (3 day event) $2,500
6/7/2008 Saturday 5:00 PM 14 World Championship Seven Card Stud (3 day event) $10,000
6/8/2008 Sunday 12 noon 15 Ladies No-Limit Hold|em World Championship (3 day event) $1,000
6/8/2008 Sunday 5:00 PM 16 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better (3 day event) $2,000
6/9/2008 Monday 12 noon 17 No-Limit Hold|em Shootout (3 day event) $1,500
6/9/2008 Monday 5:00 PM 18 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball w/Re-Buys (3 day event) $5,000
6/10/2008 Tuesday 12 noon 19 Pot-Limit Omaha (3 day event) $1,500
6/10/2008 Tuesday 5:00 PM 20 Limit Hold|em (3 day event) $2,000
6/11/2008 Wednesday 12 noon 21 No-Limit Hold|em (3 day event) $5,000
6/11/2008 Wednesday 5:00 PM 22 H.O.R.S.E. (3 day event)
Limit Holdem, Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, Seven Card Razz,
Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better $3,000
6/12/2008 Thursday 12 noon 23 No-Limit Hold|em (3 day event) $2,000
6/12/2008 Thursday 5:00 PM 24 Pot-Limit Holdem/Omaha (3 day event) $2,500
6/13/2008 Friday 12 noon 25 World Championship Heads Up No-Limit Hold|em (256 player max) (3 day event) $10,000
6/13/2008 Friday 5:00 PM 26 Seven Card Razz (3 day event) $1,500
6/14/2008 Saturday 12 noon 27 No-Limit Hold|em (3 day event) $1,500
6/14/2008 Saturday 5PM 28 Pot-Limit Omaha W/Rebuys (3 day event) $5,000
6/15/2008 Sunday 12 noon 29 No-Limit Hold|em (3 day event) $3,000
6/15/2008 Sunday 5:00 PM 30 World Championship Limit Hold|em (3 day event) $10,000
6/16/2008 Monday 12 noon 31 No-Limit Hold|em / Six Handed (3 day event) $2,500
6/17/2008 Tuesday 12 noon 32 No-Limit Hold|em (3 day event) $1,500
6/17/2008 Tuesday 5:00 PM 33 World Championship Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better (3 day event) $5,000
6/18/2008 Wednesday 12 noon 34 Pot-Limit Omaha W/Re-Buys (3 day event) $1,500
6/18/2008 Wednesday 5:00 PM 35 Seven Card Stud (3 day event) $1,500
6/19/2008 Thursday 12 noon 36 No-Limit Hold|em (3 day event) $1,500
6/19/2008 Thursday 5:00 PM 37 World Championship Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better (3 day event) $10,000
6/20/2008 Friday 12 noon 38 Pot-Limit Hold|em (3 day event) $2,000
6/21/2008 Saturday 12 noon 39 No-Limit Hold|em (3 day event) $1,500
6/22/2008 Sunday 12 noon 40 World Championship H.O.R.S.E. (5 day event)
Limit Holdem, Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, Seven Card Razz,
Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better $50,000
6/22/2008 Sunday 5:00 PM 41 Mixed Hold|em (limit/no-limit) (3 Day event) $1,500
6/23/2008 Monday 12 noon 42 Seniors No-Limit Hold|em World Championship (3 day event) $1,000
6/24/2008 Tuesday 12 noon 43 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-low Split-8 or Better (3 day event) $1,500
6/25/2008 Wednesday 12 noon 44 No-Limit Hold|em w/Re-Buys (3 day event) $1,000
6/25/2008 Wednesday 5:00 PM 45 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball (Limit) (3 day event) $2,500
6/26/2008 Thursday 12 noon 46 No-Limit Hold|em / Six Handed (3 day event) $5,000
6/26/2008 Thursday 5:00 PM 47 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low-8 or Better (3 day event) $1,500
6/27/2008 Friday 12 noon 48 No-Limit Hold|em (3 day event) $2,000
6/28/2008 Saturday 12 noon 49 No-Limit Hold|em (3 day event) $1,500
6/29/2008 Sunday 12 noon 50 World Championship Pot Limit Omaha (3 day event) $10,000
6/29/2008 Sunday 5:00 PM 51 H.O.R.S.E. (3 day event)
Limit Holdem, Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, Seven Card Razz,
Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better $1,500
6/30/2008 Monday 12 noon 52 No-Limit Hold|em (3 day event) $1,500
7/1/2008 Tuesday 12 noon 53 Limit Hold|em Shootout (2 day event) $1,500
7/2/2008 Wednesday 10:00 AM Media Event
7/2/2008 Wednesday Satellite Day
7/2/2008 Wednesday 2:00 PM Ante Up For Africa Charity Event (1 day event) $5,000
7/3/2008 Thursday 12 noon 54A World Championship No-Limit Texas Hold|em Day 1A 2,500 Players $10,000
7/4/2008 Friday 12 noon 54B Day 1B 2,500 Players
7/5/2008 Saturday 12 noon 54C Day 1C 2,500 Players
7/6/2008 Sunday 12 noon 54D Day 1D 2,500 Players
7/7/2008 Monday OFF
7/7/2008 Monday 12 noon 55 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold|em (2 day event) $500
7/8/2008 Tuesday 12 noon Day 2A
7/9/2008 Wednesday 12 noon Day 2B
7/10/2008 Thursday 12 noon Day 3
7/11/2008 Friday 12 noon Day 4
7/12/2008 Saturday 12 noon Day 5
7/13/2008 Sunday 12 noon Day 6
7/14/2008 Monday 12 noon Day 7
7/15/2008 Tuesday OFF
7/16/2008 Wednesday 12 noon Final Table
05.07.2008 01:44 PM Troubled online poker site PharaohsPokerPalace.com has announced they are shutting down their operation, effective immediately. PokerRoomReview received numerous complaints against PPP, most having to do with malfunctioning cashier software and ineffective customer support. Management stated they intend to refund all player deposits.
05.07.2008 01:44 PM Think you have what it takes to be the WSOP Main Event Champion? Win your Main Event seat through Full Tilt Poker and you could have an extra 10 million reasons to smile.
For the fourth year running, we’re the only place where you can find $10 Million Main Event Mania – the world’s biggest poker promotion. Qualifying for this incredible opportunity couldn’t be easier – just win your WSOP Main Event entry through our site and you’re in the Main Event and in the race for $10 Million in extra cash free from Full Tilt Poker.
Go on to win the Main Event after earning your tournament entry on our site and you’ll take home the first-place prize money plus $10 million more. To earn your shot at this amazing prize, just play for your entry to the Big Dance in any of our great qualifier tournaments, including the:
• 150 Seat Main Event Guarantee
• Race to the Main Event Giveaway (Compete for 1 of 50 free seats)
• $200 Tuesday Main Event Guarantee
• $300 Wednesday Main Event Guarantee
• $1K Thursday Main Event Guarantee
• $500 Sunday Main Event Guarantee
We’ll award at least 15 $12K Main Event prize packages each week through June 22nd, so there’s plenty of opportunity for you to win your way to the biggest poker tournament in the world. Take your seat in Vegas and you could leave the table with the first-place prize money and an extra $10 million courtesy of Full Tilt Poker.
With so many ways to win and our $10 Million Main Event Mania, you’d be crazy to play for your Main Event entry anywhere else.
For complete information check out 2008 WSOP online qualifiers at Full Tilt Poker
05.07.2008 01:44 PM In late May, about a week before the start of the WSOP in Las Vegas, the Lake Elsinore Hotel and Casino in California will be staging the first Jerry Yang No Limit Hold |Em Tournament Series, five days of poker tournaments starting May 21st and running through May 25th. The series is the first tournament Yang has endorsed. He said he picked the Lake Elsinore Hotel and Casino because of his history with the card room there. For more info click JERRY YANG NO LIMIT POKER TOURNAMENT SERIES.
05.07.2008 01:44 PM In an interesting report in the Boston Herald, it was revealed that every Pennsylvania homeowner will be receiving a 10% tax rebate this summer as revenues begin to pour in from newly built, legalized gambling venues. The rebates, paid for by the state’s fledgling gambling industry and totaling $613 million, are expected to average $169 per household.
The tax breaks fulfill a long-standing pledge by Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell to funnel the state’s new gambling revenues into broad-based tax relief. Since last July, the state has raised $661 million in new tax revenues from its gambling establishments. Those revenues top the $1 billion mark when one-time licensing fees - $50 million per casino - are included.
05.07.2008 01:44 PM The Associated Press
HUNTSVILLE -- A financially strapped north Alabama town has sued the Madison County sheriff saying that raids of two bingo halls in Triana eliminated a major source of tax income.
The seizure of machines in a March raid took away the town|s right to collect taxes from charitable bingo organizations, including taxes on facilities and machines, according to the suit filed Friday in Huntsville|s federal court.
That income had outstripped collections from property, sales, liquor, tobacco and TVA taxes combined in the 656-resident town with a population that is 95 percent black, the suit said.
The bingo halls haven|t reopened since the raid led by Sheriff Blake Dorning that led to the confiscation of more than 300 electronic bingo machines and nearly $175,000 from the two bingo halls that were allegedly used for illegal gambling.
Julian Butler, a Huntsville attorney representing the sheriff, declined to comment on the federal suit. Butler has asked for dismissal of a suit filed by the town in Madison County Circuit Court against the sheriff.
Butler said any action by the sheriff involves the enforcement of Alabama laws.
[end of article]
Bodog Poker is a lot more fun than bingo.
05.07.2008 01:44 PM Graeme Hamilton, National Post
MONTREAL - After establishing itself as a global hub of online gambling, the Mohawk reserve of Kahnawake is reeling from a British government decision to effectively blacklist the territory, and a cheating scandal involving a Mohawk-owned poker site.
The British Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced last week that it has refused Kahnawake|s application to be added to a new "whitelist" of jurisdictions permitted to advertise online gambling in the lucrative U.K. market. Reasons for the refusal were not made public.
"We are keenly disappointed in the U.K.|s decision, which ignores the long-standing alliance between our nations," Kahnawake Grand Chief Michael Delisle said in a statement. He complained that the Kahnawake application was not given "fair and objective consideration."
The British decision came on the heels of a $500,000 fine assessed on Jan. 11 by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission to the popular Web site Absolute Poker, which is owned by former Kahnawake grand chief Joe Norton through his company, Tokwiro Enterprises.
A gaming commission investigation, launched after players on the site complained about irregular betting, found that one or more people associated with Absolute Poker were racking up huge jackpots by using software that revealed the other players| hidden cards. The cheating, which has been estimated to have yielded up to $700,000, went on for six weeks beginning on Aug. 14, 2007, the commission found, and involved seven different user names.
Subsequently, people inside Absolute Poker deleted gambling logs in an effort to cover their tracks, the commission found. The commission did not name the cheaters but said there was no evidence the activity was initiated or sanctioned by the company|s management.
Bobby Mamudi, an industry analyst who is managing editor of the London-based Gaming Intelligence Group, said the $500,000 fine is peanuts for a company that he estimates pulls in between $150,000 and $250,000 a day from online gamblers.
The cheating feeds the worst suspicions of those in the general public who assume online gambling is rigged, Mr. Mamudi said. "Had the same incident taken place in any other industry, and most likely within our industry in properly regulated markets, the culprits would have faced a very public dismissal, swiftly followed by a criminal investigation of their activities," he wrote on his Web site.
Mr. Norton, who was instrumental in bringing the online gaming industry to Kahnawake and who stepped down in 2004 after 24 years as grand chief, declined to be interviewed, but issued a statement saying the problems have been fixed.
"Our customers, I think, recognized that both the affected players and Absolute Poker were victims of this cheating, and as the [Kahnawake Gaming Commission] report said, Absolute Poker, as a company, neither benefited nor was involved in the fraud," Mr. Norton said. "Our customers also recognized that, once Absolute Poker fully understood the extent of the cheating, we moved to reimburse affected players, lock down our security, and co-operated fully with the regulators."
The black eye of the cheating scandal was worsened by the U.K. decision, which gives online gambling companies a major incentive to relocate to jurisdictions with the British stamp of approval. So far, approval has been given to all countries within the European Economic Area, as well as Tasmania, Alderney and the Isle of Man. Antigua, Netherlands Antilles and the Alberta reserve of Alexander have been rejected.
Approval depends on a jurisdiction|s ability to show it has adequate regulations to protect underage and problem gamblers, to keep out crime, to ensure gambling is conducted fairly, and to prevent money laundering.
In an interview, Mr. Delisle blamed theQuebecgovernment for thwarting the Kahnawake application. He said the refusal letter from the U.K. mentioned information provided by the Quebec Justice Department.
Neither Quebec nor Ottawa recognizes Kahnawake|s right to host online gambling operations on computer servers in the reserve, but the governments have been reluctant to force the issue, fearing a confrontation. The Mohawks claim they have a sovereign right to run online casinos.
Chuck Barnett is a member of the board of supervisors of Mohawk Internet Technologies, the band-run company that operates the servers hosting the gambling sites. He said the 65 companies licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission "are obviously concerned" about the U.K. decision. The companies run about 400 different gambling sites, giving Kahnawake the third-greatest number of such sites in the world, just behind Antigua and Costa Rica.
Mr. Delisle said the British decision runs counter to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which says natives cannot be "deprived of their means of subsistence and development." He is hoping to appeal the decision.
05.07.2008 01:44 PM Leading online poker site UltimateBet.com today announced that it has signed a deal with Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian to bring the up-and-coming poker champion on board as its newest online pro.
"We|re thrilled to add Scott Ian to our roster of online poker professionals," stated UltimateBet.com spokesperson George MacLean. "Scott represents a new breed of poker player that both Texas Hold|em and music fans can relate to."
Ian|s poker career began--and took off--after he won VH1|s Rock Stars of Poker tournament and secured a trip to Aruba to play in the 2007 Aruba Poker Classic, UltimateBet|s signature land-based poker tournament. However, according to Ian, it was anything but skill that led to his domination of the charity poker tournament.
"I had no idea what I was doing," concedes Ian. "My first tournament win was mostly because I had amazing cards. My instinct was all I had."
Today, the story is a dramatically different one. It was while spending a week with 11-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth and world poker champion Annie Duke in Aruba that Ian was able to elevate his skill to a professional level.
And that was just the beginning. According to Ian, he|s received the equivalent of 10 years of poker lessons from UltimateBet.com|s online pros in less than a year. Today, he joins the likes of P0ker H0, Debo34, Shawn Rice, and KrazyKanuck as an UltimateBet.com online poker professional.
Hellmuth agrees that Ian|s lessons have paid off. The UltimateBet.com pro invited Ian to his 2007 Holiday Bash at The Palms in Vegas, a testament to how much he values Scott Ian as a professional poker player.
As a member of the team, Ian will be featured every Sunday in UltimateBet.com|s $200,000 Guaranteed poker tournament with a bounty on his head. The online poker player that knocks the Anthrax guitarist out of the tournament will win their $215 buy-in back.
Scott Ian can be found at UltimateBet.com|s online poker tables regularly and will be playing at the 2008 Aruba Poker Classic and other land-based poker tournaments.
05.07.2008 01:44 PM ScienceDaily — Is it luck of the draw in poker? No, says Michael DeDonno, a doctoral student from Case Western Reserve University. He suggests putting your bets on skills over luck when playing the card game.
DeDonno|s findings from two poker-related studies with college students have implications for the gaming industry, and possibly even legal cases that challenge the theory of luck over skills. According to DeDonno, the person who takes home the winnings is likely to pay higher taxes when money is considered earned by luck.
His article, "Poker is a Skill," written with Douglas Detterman, Case Western Reserve psychologist, caught the attention of the journal, Gaming Law Review, which has been examining this luck-skill debate and recently published psychologists| findings.
"This article provides empirical evidence that it is skill and not luck," concluded DeDonno from his two studies.
In the first study, DeDonno had 41 college students play eight games, totaling 200 hands, of Turbo Texas Hold|em, a computerized simulation of 10-player Hold|em poker. The game consists of being dealt two cards in the first round. The player must decide whether to play or quit based on the hand. If the person decides to play, then three cards are dealt for the community pot. Again, the player has to decide whether to play or stop. The player must also consider the betting patterns of the other players in making a decision in moving to the next round. If continuing, then the player sees another card and has to decide again to bet or lay down the cards. This is repeated until there are five cards on the table.
Overall most of the students had little experience playing poker, said DeDonno.
Half of the students in the first group were given charts that ranked the two-card combinations from best to the worst and also learned that professional poker players typically play about 15 percent of the hands dealt them. The other group was given background on the history of poker with no strategies.
He found that students given some strategies to make decisions did better than those without the strategies.
When starting the study, almost two-thirds of the students (64 percent) felt that winning at poker was 50 percent luck.
"If it had been pure luck in winning, then the strategies would not have made a difference for the two groups," said DeDonno.
To statistically verify the results from the first study, he conducted a second study, but had students play 720 hands. Again the group was divided into those provided with strategies and those with just a history of playing poker. While all students improved their playing with practice over the large number of hands, the group given strategies continued to do better than those without the added information.
He also found that students reduced the average number of hands played at the beginning (27) to 15 hands after given strategies, which improved their games and validated that "fewer hands does result in improved performance."
DeDonno|s research evolved from his interest in playing poker. He wanted to determine if there was a correlation between intelligence and the ability to play the game. But the focus shifted to the luck-skill issue.
According to DeDonno, using poker strategies has some real life applications in such areas as investments and buying a home where partial information is available. He also discovered that the poker simulation has applications in psychological testing for decision making and risk taking.
But in DeDonno|s final analysis, skill wins out in playing poker.
Adapted from materials provided by Case Western Reserve University.
05.07.2008 01:44 PM The Canadian media is reporting a massive police raid at three different Mohawk reserves in Quebec Wednesday morning netted $2.5 million in cash and a large firearms cache, including three grenade launchers. The raids involved three Mohawk reserves:
•Kahnawake, south of Montreal;
•Kanesatake, just west of Montreal and most famous for being the site of the 1990 Oka crisis; and
•Akwesasne, which straddles Ontario, Quebec and New York State.
29 people whom police allege were part of an international drug ring were arrested. Police allege that a drug ring was producing and exporting marijuana on the reserves, to be distributed mostly to the United States. Kahnawake is about a 75-minute drive from the U.S. border, and Akwesasne straddles it, though Kahnawake is believed to be the center of the operation.
05.07.2008 01:44 PM Online qualifiers for the Main Event of the 2008 World Series of Poker have been running daily in the Bodog Poker room for over a month now and have drawn hundreds of online poker players. Over 20 seats to the 2008 WSOP Main Event have been awarded to the winners of the weekly Main Event Semifinal qualifiers so far and that number will continue to rise in the weeks to come.
Beginning next week, in order to give more online poker players the chance to qualify for the 2008 WSOP, the time for the weekly Main Event Semifinal held on Tuesdays will change to 9:15 p.m. EST while the other two weekly tournaments will remain on Thursdays at 9:15 p.m. EST and Saturdays at 3:15 p.m. EST. Players can buy-in directly to the Main Event Semifinals for $250 + $20 or win their way in through one of the daily qualifiers for as little as $1.
Each Main Event Semifinal will award at least one $12,000 Main Event Prize Package, which includes the $10,000 buy-in to the Main Event, $2,000 for travel expenses, loads of Team Bodog gear and the once-in-a- lifetime opportunity to experience Las Vegas in total Bodog style, including meeting the Bodog Girls and much, much more. For the rest of April there will be four WSOP seats available each week with that number jumping to five per week for May and June.
If you want to experience the WSOP as only Team Bodog does, then head over to the Bodog Poker room for more details on Bodog|s online qualifiers for the 2008 WSOP Main Event.
05.07.2008 01:44 PM Titan Poker, the largest poker room on the iPoker Network, is preparing to send a large delegation of players to the 2008 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas this summer. The popular online poker venue has launched parallel WSOP satellite series, offering players three different ways to win a seat to compete in Vegas.
Titan Poker|s WSOP Main Event Super Satellite series will award $14,000 prize packages, which include buy-in to the WSOP Main Event at Harrah|s Casino, flights and accommodations. In addition, Titan Poker will stage a satellite series awarding seats to two WSOP No Limit Hold|em Events, (Events 27 and 32, each with a $1,500 buy-in). The prize package for this WSOP Side Events series is worth $6,500, and includes flights and accommodations.
For the ultimate World Series of Poker experience, Titan Poker is offering its Executive Package. In addition to entry to the Main Event, winners will receive executive perks such as: 14-night accommodation for two in a luxury suite with limo pick-up at Las Vegas Airport, an exclusive dinner, and tickets to the "Blue Man Group" show at the Venetian Resort.
Players who win four consecutive WSOP Executive Sit |n| Go tournaments will win this WSOP Executive Package to Las Vegas, valued at $20,000.
For complete information check out 2008 WSOP online qualifiers at Titan Poker
05.07.2008 01:44 PM Big Juicy Odds Poker was attached to a sportsbook of the same name, and the poker room was on the Dynamic Gaming Systems network when DGS tanked around the beginning of this year and drove some 20 online poker sites into the ground. At the time, BJO management stated they were determined to survive, were in the process of migrating to the Gold Chip Network and that they would honor all player Balances. They barely made it 3 months and now both the BJO poker room and sportsbook are closed.
05.07.2008 01:44 PM
Over the weekend, it became apparent that something other than reported technical issues was wrong with the e-wallet ePassporte, as one by one, online poker sites began posting messages about no longer being able to process ePassporte transactions. With no official statement from ePassporte, information began leaking out that the e-wallet was notifying poker sites that it was dropping out of the internet gaming business due to a widespread investigation by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. The question that remains unanswered is why ePassporte suddenly took this action when it was widely known that the DoJ had been engaged in this investigation for quite some time.
While some players may be experiencing NETeller déjà vu, this particular situation differs in that player accounts have not been locked as in the NETeller case, and players with ePassaporte debit cards have been able to cash out. Paradoxically, this action comes on the heels of a bill introduced on April 10th by Congressmen Barney Frank (D-MA) and Ron Paul (R-TX) that would block online gambling prohibitions, and specifically the implementation of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).
02.27.2008 10:16 AM GamesGridPoker.com, which officially shut down on June 6, 2007, announced yesterday that another of its sites, GamesGrid Backgammon, was in the first phase of closing down. The announcement read, in part, “We anticipate that the second phase of closing down will begin 26 May 2008. At that time, it is almost certain that GamesGrid Backgammon will close down completely.”
02.27.2008 09:51 AM Lee Rousso, the Seattle attorney running for Governor of Washington state, announced a hearing date of April 25 at 11:00 a.m., at the Kent courthouse, in regards to his constitutional challenge to Washington|s law governing internet gambling, which currently makes it a Class 3 felony for its citizens to engage in online poker. Rousso will be filing his brief on or before March 28 and urges all Washington state poker players to attend the hearing and show their support.
In other court matters, there is still no word on the outcome of The Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association’s (iMega) request for a temporary restraining order (iMEGA v Gonzales, et al) against the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). The Judge had been expected to rule on the matter within 30 days, as of September 26, 2007.
02.22.2008 09:57 AM A player writes: “Just a quick update on the situation at Jungle Poker. They are running a very limited tournament schedule now, about 8-10 per day, mostly $1 and $2 buy ins, with from 5-20 players. The ring games are still operating, but also with very light traffic, on average 7-15 players, total. Everything else, unfortunately, hasn|t changed. Players still can|t get clear answers from Support and the Cashier, while open, doesn|t seem to be responding to any requests. Their new withdrawal rules are absurd and essentially say you can|t withdraw until you make a further deposit and then withdrawals are both costly and very limited. And [they] are still using heavy-handed tactics on players. I know two who have had their accounts locked and many more who are very frustrated.”
And another report: The player had been playing at Jungle Poker for years and was previously owed $300 when the Dynamic Gaming Systems network collapsed. That sum reappeared recently in the player’s Jungle Poker account, but when another withdrawal request was made, the player was informed there were new rules that state an additional deposit is required in order to request a withdrawal, and that the maximum withdrawal is 10% of the available player balance, with the maximum withdrawal limit being $500 USD per month.
02.21.2008 10:58 AM When TropicalPoker.com went down in late October, 2007, management informed PokerRoomReview they were doing maintenance and data migration as the final stages of their upgrade and that it had taken longer than anticipated. Then in early December, they updated the message on their site, stating that they would be reopening in January 2008. January came and went and in early February, they posted another notice, this time saying they would be opening February 20th. Now that notice has disappeared and has been replaced by “We are currently offline for system upgrades. Please check back soon.”
All along, a number of industry insiders had told us that Tropical Poker had every intention of reopening, but at this point, it looks like this is another failed room that will leave without paying any player balances. They have not given anyone any indication to believe otherwise. It’s organizations like this that give the entire industry a black eye.
02.19.2008 06:29 AM Online gambling sites have been under distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks recently. The attackers weren’t just targeting poker sites but rather gambling sites in general for the past week or so. Some were attacked for a few hours and others for a few days. Each attack is designed to overwhelm the websites with tons of bogus GET requests. The desired result of the attacker is to completely disrupt service to the website (hence denial of service). Most of the sites attacked were Russian gaming sites, but other well-known poker sites affected were FullTiltPoker.com, TitanPoker.com, CDPoker.com, and VirginPoker.com.
Source: The Shadowserver Foundation
02.15.2008 10:28 AM PharaohsPokerPalace.com has been downgraded to D due to their inability to address legitimate complaints in a timely manner. PokerRoomReview has received 2 identical complaints spaced 6 months apart regarding malfunctioning cashier software that makes it impossible for players to make a withdrawal. Incidentally, both players waited 2 months, and sent a combined total of 16 unanswered e-mails to Pharaohs Poker Palace before seeking assistance from PRR.
02.12.2008 09:33 AM As we previously reported on the 23rd of January, Dynamic Gaming Systems (DGS) announced that an agreement for the transfer of their network had been reached with Cintaly Holding Corporation (CHC) and that it was their intention to have the DGS network in full operation within 72 hours of the transaction being completed.
Since then, PokerRoomReview has received disturbing reports from players who have been attempting to play at Jungle Poker and from one player in particular who has been a customer of JP for about a year. This player reports that there is absolutely no evidence of a legitimate new ownership and that CHC appears to be a non-existent company. The entire site remains closed except for ring game play, perhaps 2 or 3 people at support and the cashier, which just reopened Sat, Feb 11th, with the announcement of new withdrawal rules, which say, in effect, that no previous account balances will be honored. The few remaining players are being made promises of things that never take place and the entire situation is a shambles. The players are being told absolutely nothing and accounts have been locked in retaliation for criticizing the individual who claims to be the Director of Operations. The player wrote, “My main reason for writing you is that what is going on at Jungle Poker is bad for internet poker and what DGS and the supposed new "owners," particularly [the Director of Operations] are doing to legitimate players is disgraceful at best, and in my opinion, criminal at worst.”
02.08.2008 12:13 PM The player writes, “About two months ago I made a deposit at pharaohspokerpalace.com. After requesting a withdrawal on their site, I was sent to the next page which states, |Your Withdrawn Amount has been sent to admin for Approval.| Then I went back to my account and the funds were still there. I have tried this process many times over the past six weeks and my funds are still on their site. I have sent many emails (over 10) to each of their email addresses listed on their site. I have not received one reply from them yet.”
02.06.2008 09:24 AM PokerRoomReview is hosting the first of what may become an ongoing series of tournaments held at the most popular online poker sites. This NL Texas Hold’em tournament will be at Full Tilt Poker, the entry fee is $20+2 with $100 added to the prize pool by PokerRoomReview.
When: Tuesday, February 12th, 8 PM EST
Where: FullTiltPoker.com
How to register: Register an account at FullTiltPoker.com and then once logged in click the "Private" tab in the tournament lobby.
To find the tournament: The tournament number is 39081323, and is open for registration at this time.
Tournament Password: 100free
Good Luck!!!
02.05.2008 10:15 AM A reader writes: “It appears Tropical Poker has now listed their opening date as February 20th on their website. I|m not going to hold my breath on this. They should give all of us people interest on the money they have been holding for us. First Tropical Bank - not good.”
02.04.2008 12:10 PM An agreement has been reached which will see the ownership of VegasPoker247 transferred to Absolute Poker. Within 60 days, all player accounts will be migrated to AP and VP247 will cease to operate. Players with accounts at VP247 are expected to be formally notified of this change within the coming week.
02.01.2008 08:59 AM In Costa Rica, where TropicalPoker.com is located, ‘Tico Time’ is a popular expression. It simply means that if a Costa Rican makes an appointment, they may not show up when you expect them to. It could be tomorrow or the next day. Or it could be in two weeks. Maybe even a month. It is now apparent that Tropical Poker must be operating on ‘Tico Time.’ Around the end of October 2007 when they first went offline, they claimed they were doing maintenance and data migration, were in the final stages of their upgrade, and expected to be back online soon. Then in the beginning of December, a message appeared on their website informing players they would be re-opening in January 2008. Well, January has come and gone and not only are they still offline, they still have the January notice up on their site.
It would be nobody’s business but their own if the management of Tropical Poker chose to operate on ‘Tico Time’ or any other time of their choosing, except for one fact: They still owe players money. This is shameful, unfair, and inexcusable. Players who deposited on this site in good faith deserve far better treatment than this. PokerRoomReview urges the management of TP to come clean and open an honest dialogue with your depositors. If your intentions are honorable, let them be known. The players are entitled to know if you intend to live up to your obligations. Anything else is unacceptable.
02.01.2008 06:37 AM Jason Potter, from Oklahoma, was returning to his central Melbourne hotel after collecting $30,000 in winnings at last month|s Aussie Millions poker tournament when he was attacked. At the time, Mr. Potter told police he suspected he had been watched throughout the night before cashing in a large quantity of poker chips. He was walking across Spencer Street bridge and was just 50 metres from the Crowne Plaza hotel when a man ran up from behind, hit him over the head and threatened him at knifepoint before stealing his money, on January 21.
Detectives in Melbourne executed two search warrants last night and arrested two men. Dwayne Johnstone, 32, of St Albans, and Vhyharn Arumughasamu, 27, of Wheeler|s Hill, appeared in an out of sessions hearing overnight, each charged with one count of armed robbery. Potter reported he received an e-mail from the police informing him that they recovered $11,850 of the stolen funds.
01.31.2008 07:06 AM A new tax revenue analysis announced by Representative Jim McDermott (D-WA) estimates that regulating Internet gambling would generate between $8.7 billion to $42.8 billion in federal revenues over its first ten years. McDermott characterized UIGEA as a failure, stating, "Instead of this ineffective attempt to prevent adults from gambling over the Internet, we need a more sensible approach to protect consumers and ensure that revenues that now flow offshore stay here in the U.S. and are therefore subject to taxation," added McDermott. "A new, safer, more sensible approach is needed to regulate Internet gambling and protect consumers." Click on McDermott initiative to tax and regulate online gambling for the full report.
01.25.2008 09:42 AM Renovations are complete on Bodog’s head office based in Antigua. Click here for a personal tour with Calvin Ayre. By the way, Bodog donated the used office furniture from the renovations to various small charities and organizations around Antigua.
01.23.2008 04:57 AM Dynamic Gaming Systems (DGS) announced that an agreement for the transfer of their network has been reached with Cintaly Holding Corporation (CHC). CHC, based out of the British Virgin Islands, anticipates having the DGS network in full operation within 72 hours of the transaction being completed. Although the details of the transaction were not made public, it is our understanding CHC intends to honor all verified existing player balances and licensee agreements. CHC strongly emphasized that their prime objective was to get all remaining players and licensees operational as quickly as possible.
01.22.2008 09:32 AM NBC has released the names of more players invited to participate in the upcoming 2008 National Heads-Up Poker Championship [NHPC], bringing the total number of invitees to 60. All the top poker pros will be there, as well as poker-playing celebrities such as Gabe Kaplan, Don Cheadle, Jennifer Tilly, Shannon Elizabeth, and Jason Alexander. The event will begin with a drawing party at the Pure Nightclub inside Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on February 28, 2008, with the tournament taking place the following three days until the champion is crowned. You can view the full of participants by clicking on 2008 National Heads-Up Poker Championship.