12.28.2006 (05:31 PM CST)
In early October, 2006, SpadesLounge.com went offline, posting a notice they were closing for a major structural and software update and would be reopening under new management on October 12th, 2006. As of November 9, the site was still up, but nothing worked. Now, the site is gone entirely, leaving in its wake numerous angry players, owed money when they locked the poker room down.
Unanswered questions remain. Did they really intend to reorganize? To update their software? To hold player funds in trust until they came back online with a new and better platform? Or, did they put ...
Author: Mike Firment
11.08.2006 (09:34 PM CST)
“What do you mean you need to see some I.D.? I haven’t done anything wrong. I’ve been a good customer of your poker site for quite a while!”
When poker players get an e-mail from their poker room asking for identification, their first response is usually to get defensive. It provokes an uncomfortable feeling when you’re asked to submit documentation, and it normally happens at the worst possible time: when you’re trying to get some money back.
“Sure, they were happy to take my deposit, but now that I want a withdrawal, they want me to jump through ...
Author: George Brooks
10.03.2006 (10:23 PM CST)
New players are often frustrated when they lose to someone who won’t fold. Well, it’s not just a “new player” problem. The calling stations can drive all of us crazy.
This is not a bad beat story; I wouldn’t do that to you. Nobody’s a fan of bad beat stories because normally you can’t learn much from reading them. In fact, normally you finish reading one and decide that the author hasn’t a clue why he lost the hand. About the only thing they’re good for is to reaffirm that bad luck happens to everybody.
Let’s climb inside my mind ...
Author: George Brooks
09.27.2006 (06:49 PM CST)
If the “poker boom” is over, nobody alerted the organizers of the 2006 World Series of Poker. The recently completed series was the biggest in the history of the game of poker, and undoubtedly one of the richest contests in any sport or game. Forty-seven separate tournaments played out over the course of 47 days, from June 26 to August 11. The contest with the fewest entrants was the Tournament of Champions held to kick off the WSOP. It was a by-invitation only event featuring winners of WSOP Circuit Events, last year’s final table, and a handful of legends chosen ...
Author: George Brooks
08.31.2006 (07:28 PM CST)
The recent World Poker Showdown tournament held August 18-27 at the Raddison Hotel / Casino Europa in San Jose, Costa Rica, turned out to be a learning experience for some, while the winner, Henrik Alin AKA Harry Potter, walked away over $61,000 richer. The Main Event had 86 entrants who battled over 3 days, ending in one of the shortest final tables in recent memory, which began at 7:30 pm and finished at 9:19pm when Henrik Alin called an all in with pocket Jacks.
Prize Structure
Place Prize Player
1 $ 61,175 Henrik Alin
2 $ 40,085 Mike Lasanti AKA: lesaint_1
3 $ ...
Author: Mike Firment
08.12.2006 (02:42 PM CST)
Playing online poker is usually a solitary affair. Wives do not necessarily know which rooms their husband may be playing, the size of his bankroll, or any of the passwords to his poker accounts.
Some may not even be aware of Neteller, or any of the other choices for funding online poker accounts.
This may be intentional secrecy on the husband’s part, or, in a lot of cases, merely lack of interest.
No matter what the reason, should the husband die, his beneficiaries may stand to lose an additional chunk of their inheritance due to being in the dark regarding the ...
Author: Mike Firment
07.21.2006 (08:13 PM CST)
Whether you do a search for problems with Casinos, Sportsbooks, or online Poker Rooms, one name virtually leaps out at you: FutureBet.com.
No other organization appears on so many blacklists, and no matter which category, every complaint you research has the same ring to it.
FutureBet licenses the site, the site attracts players, the players have problems cashing out. Over and over again, this game is played out, with some sites going under and others reappearing to take their place. What is truly amazing is that this has been going on for years, and they continue adding sites regularly, with ...
Author: Mike Firment
07.11.2006 (07:13 PM CST)
Most of the time, poker is fun, especially for new players.
You’re learning all the time, seeing situations you haven’t seen before, and trying to keep all your newfound knowledge straight as you negotiate each hand.
But there are some things that just make the game unpleasant, and having to face a table bully is one of the worst.
How can anybody play a smart game when there is some lunatic raising, re-raising, 3-betting, and trying to intimidate you every time you have anything worth playing in your hand?
I’m going to show you how in this article. You don’t need a ...
Author: George Brooks
06.07.2006 (07:36 PM CST)
Finally, we get to the good stuff! Part 1 was all about recognizing burnout so you can do something about it, and Part 2 was “first aid” for an ailing game.
Part 3 is the NL ‘Phoenix,’ rising from the ashes of my emotionally bankrupt fixed limit game. Make no mistake, this worked for me. I’m back to enjoying poker and turning a nice profit at the same time.
Let’s get started.
First, let’s go over a few general considerations. We’re done with band-aids and psychology…
Now we’re going to use a method that I’ve tested thoroughly to build a winning strategy at ...
Author: George Brooks